12 Best Kantata Alternatives for Project Management in 2023

Kantata is a popular professional services automation platform that project managers can use for resource planning and project performance tracking. Kantata was formerly known as Mavenlink, and it still offers many of the same project management features. 

In early 2022, software tools Mavenlink and Kimble merged into one tool, which is now known as Kantata. The merger resulted in several new features being added to the tool, such as talent management, resource management, and business intelligence capabilities. 

Although some might find these additions useful, others might find that it clogs the platform with capabilities beyond what’s typically needed in a project management tool. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the top 12 Kantata alternatives.

Why should I look for a Kantata alternative? 

A look at software review sites like G2 or Capterra will shed some light on former users’ experiences and frustrations with Kantata, ranging from its UI to difficulties using its reporting feature. 

Here are three reasons why you might be looking to switch – supported by actual reviews. 

#1 User interface and experience are lacking 

“Clunky” is one word many online reviewers have used to describe Kantata, due to its lacking UI and UX. As you can see in the below reviews, many people find that it takes too much navigating around the platform to access the important features. 

Most people are looking for a project management solution that will save them time by streamlining their workflows. However, you might find that Kantata requires a fair amount of administrative set-up that can cause a learning curve. 

^{Source: G2}

^{Source: Capterra}

#2 Extremely slow loading times

Your projects might experience delays for a variety of reasons, but your project management software tool shouldn’t be one of them. Unfortunately, some former Kantata users complain that the platform’s lag can dramatically increase the amount of time it takes to complete tasks — particularly when there are several team members assigned to a project or active on the platform at the same time. 

^{Source: Capterra}

^{Source: G2}

#3 Reporting troubles 

One of the best ways to gain insights on the health and success of your projects is with reports. Many project management tools offer robust reports based on your platform usage, although Kantata’s reports aren’t always intuitive, and you’ll have to pay extra for customized reports. 

Plus, financial insights are incredibly important, and Kantata doesn’t offer a report that pulls your expenses together to give you an overview of your total project costs, as seen in the below review. 

^{Source: G2}

^{Source: Capterra}

12 Kantata alternatives for project management worth considering 

Since we’ve already covered some common grievances with Kantata, let’s get into the best alternative options on the market. 

1. Rodeo 

Rodeo is an all-in-one project management software solution designed to help you better organize your projects from start to finish. With budgeting, time tracking, task planning, invoicing, and reporting all available within Rodeo, you can eliminate the scattered workflows and costly integrations that tend to be a hassle for many teams. 

An intuitive and easy-to-use dashboard 

While tools like Kantata struggle with a clunky interface, Rodeo’s sleek and modern design is something that users love. 

When you log into the platform, you’ll immediately be presented with an overview of your outstanding tasks, recently recorded time, and current project statuses. This way, you can assess what items need your attention and quickly jump into work. Plus, you can easily navigate to features like billing on the left side of the interface. 

But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what Sophie van der Togt, head of account at social media agency Dorst & Lesser had to say about using Rodeo, “We have a lot of young creatives working with us who love how modern Rodeo feels. The interface looks very neat and refined, and new hires quickly get used to it. Whenever I show a new intern or employee how it works, we only need to go through everything once and that’s it.” Read Dorst & Lesser’s full success story here.

Quickly and efficiently create projects and assign tasks 

Projects tend to move quickly, and you need a project management tool that can keep up. Luckily, planning and assigning tasks in Rodeo is a painless process. Our tool shows you the skills and current availability of each employee before you assign them to a task. 

You’ll be happy to know that the project set-up process in Rodeo isn’t intensive either. Rodeo guides you through it by prompting you to start with a phased budget, which will allow you to better see and manage the cost of each project segment before starting the work. 

Access reports on your project’s financial health and time registration

While Kantata is lacking in its financial reporting features, Rodeo excels in this area. All of Rodeo’s features are interconnected, meaning your budget items connect to your tasks, and the time you track toward those tasks is reflected in your budget spending. This means we’re able to bring you in-depth insights into your team’s usage of the platform. 

Rodeo offers four kinds of automatically generated reports, including work-in-progress, time registration, employee productivity, and closed projects. These reports can all be filtered by employee or client, allowing you to see how many billable hours each employee recorded, whether a project is on track, and if it’s ultimately profitable. 

Who is Rodeo for? 

Rodeo is optimized for use by creative teams in industries like video production, marketing, event planning, and agencies, among others. By using an all-in-one tool, creatives can streamline their workflows and cut down on the amount of time they must spend on behind-the-scenes financial management and project administration. 

Pricing: 

Rodeo’s unique pricing structure allows you to only pay for the level of access and features required by each team member instead of purchasing the same license for everyone. For example, if you work with a lot of freelancers, you can save by purchasing a low-level license for them and pausing their access when they’re not staffed on a project. 

Rodeo starts at $29.99 per month for a full user license, and you can add more users accordingly:

• Full user (+$14.99 per month): Access to all features except the planner 
• Standard user (+$8.99 per month): Access to time tracking and the project dashboard 
• Planner add-on: (+$4.99 per user/month): Resource management and task planning

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2. ClickUp 

^{Source: ClickUp}

ClickUp is a popular project management tool that promises to save users 20% of their time. This is a big promise that’s supported by its plethora of features — including task management, project dashboards, and real-time chatting, among many other capabilities. 

The downside of a tool with so many capabilities is that it’s often too complex to get the hang of, resulting in a steep learning curve. This is especially frustrating for teams that don’t need a solution that’s incredibly robust, as you’ll need to navigate many unnecessary features just to employ a few of them. 

Related: Top 20 ClickUp Alternatives to Try [Free & Paid]

Popular features

• Goal tracking 
• Task management
• Whiteboards 
• Team chatting
• Resource planning

Pricing

• Free forever plan: $0 for 5 workspaces
• Unlimited plan: $9 per user/month
• Business plan: $19 per user/month
• Business plus plan: $29 per user/month 
• Enterprise plan: Contact sales 

3. Scoro 

^{Source: Scoro}

With over 100 features, there isn’t much that Scoro can’t do. The project management platform brings together sales and CRM, financial management, and time tracking features all in one. 

While this is a useful combination of capabilities for organizations with lots of moving parts, it’s likely that Scoro goes far beyond the features you need in a project management solution. Most creative teams won’t need a CRM tool that optimizes deal velocity, for instance. 

But besides its complexity presenting added challenges, its extremely high price tag is Scoro’s primary downside. At $71 per user per month for its Pro plan, the tool’s unusually high cost might rule it out for teams in need of an affordable option. 

Also read: 15 Best Scoro Alternatives to Consider in 2023

Popular features

• Real-time Gantt charts
• Sales and CRM 
• Reporting dashboards
• Team utilization
• Resource planning

Pricing

• Essential plan: $28 per user/month
• Standard plan: $42 per user/month
• Pro plan: $71 per user/month
• Ultimate plan: Pricing upon request

4. Monday.com 

^{Source: Monday}

Monday is a project management tool that excels in customizability, and its color-coordinated interface makes it easy to differentiate between projects and their statuses. Some people find Monday’s dashboards to be more intuitive than that of competitors as well. 

The platform is typically best fit for larger companies with a high project volume. Monday also offers a pretty robust onboarding tool, which might be appealing to companies with high turnover or rapid growth. 

Be warned that online reviews have cited Monday’s lack of robust reports as a shortcoming that led them to switch to another platform. The tool does have customizable reports with some advanced insights, but for in-depth insights on metrics related to a project’s health — such as employee productivity or profitability — you’ll need to look elsewhere. 

Related: Top 25 Monday Alternatives to Try in 2023

Popular features

• Kanban boards 
• Goal tracking 
• Automations 
• Forms 

Pricing

• Individual plan: Free for up to 2 users
• Basic plan: $10 per user/month
• Standard plan: $12 per user/month
• Pro plan: $20 per user/month
• Enterprise plan: Contact sales 

Note: All paid plans require a minimum of 3 users. 

5. ProofHub

^{Source: ProofHub}

ProofHub checks a few boxes if you’re looking for a platform with basic task management, collaboration, reporting, and accessibility. Features like discussion threads, chat functions, and file markups are helpful for teams with fewer existing communication channels. 

The tool’s flat-fee pricing structure works well for larger teams that need many user seats, since it doesn’t charge per user. But if your team is small, a $99 flat fee might be too pricy for what you’ll get. 

Additionally, ProofHub stops short of offering important financial management features like budgeting and invoice tracking, which means it’s not an all-in-one tool. You have the ability to create timesheets and track time in ProofHub, but your time isn’t connected to an hourly rate, so you won’t be able to see how it impacts your budget. 

Related: 15 Best ProofHub Alternatives to Consider [Free & Paid]

Popular features

• Table, calendar, and board views
• Templates 
• Request forms 
• Group chats

Pricing

• Essential plan: $50 per month (40 projects and unlimited users) 
• Ultimate control plan: $99 per month (unlimited projects and users)

6. Wrike 

^{Source: Wrike}

Although Wrike started as a document-sharing solution, it’s grown into a well-regarded project management software tool. Customers like agile teams, marketing agencies, and remote workers might find Wrike’s task management, project templates, and Gantt charts useful. 

That said, some teams — especially remote and hybrid ones — heavily rely on collaboration features like a built-in chat tool to keep connected. Unfortunately, Wrike doesn’t offer this, and its proofing and document editor tools might not allow for enough collaboration. 

Also read: The 15 Best Wrike Alternatives for Project Management in 2023

Popular features

• Resource planning
• Proofing 
• Kanban boards 
• Automations

Pricing

• Free plan for unlimited users with restricted features
• Team plan: $9.80 per user/month 
• Business plan: $24.80 per user/month 
• Enterprise plan: Pricing upon request
• Pinnacle plan: Pricing upon request

7. Asana 

^{Source: Asana}

If you’re searching for a Kantata alternative that is primarily focused on task management, then Asana might be the option for you. Users can assign tasks, set goals and milestones, and manage deadlines. 

Although the tool recently unveiled its own in-app time tracker, it’s still lacking many key project management features, namely financial management tools. In order to build budgets and send invoices, Asana forces you to integrate with another tool, which can be costly and annoying. 

Related: Top 20 Asana Alternatives to Consider in 2023

Popular features

• Workflow builder
• Reporting 
• Workload management
• Timelines

Pricing

• Basic plan: Free for 15 users (limited features)
• Premium plan: $13.49 per user/month 
• Business plan: $30.49 per user/month 

8. Teamwork 

^{Source: Teamwork}

Teamwork is a project management platform made to help creative professionals and remote teams collaborate more efficiently. Not only can you manage your team’s time and build budgets using the platform, but the tool also offers unlimited client users to help streamline your project communication. 

Keep in mind though, Teamwork’s reports often leave a lot to be desired. The tool does offer some reports, but many online reviewers have said that reporting insights on resource management isn’t sufficient. 

Also read: 20 Best Teamwork Alternatives in 2023 [In Depth Review]

Popular features

• Resource management
• Time tracking
• Budgeting and profitability 
• Templates

Pricing

• Free forever plan: $0 for up to 5 users 
• Starter plan: $8.99 per user/month (3 user minimum)
• Deliver plan: $13.99 per user/month (3 user minimum)
• Grow plan: $25.99 per user/month (5 user minimum) 

9. Zoho Projects 

^{Source: Zoho Projects}

If you’ve used another tool within the Zoho ecosystem, then you might’ve already heard of Zoho Projects. Whereas Zoho’s other product offerings are made for HR, customer support, and sales, Zoho Projects is focused on features like project task management and team collaboration. 

The downside of opting for a project management tool that’s part of a larger ecosystem is that you’ll need to integrate for a complete all-in-one solution. For example, you can’t send client invoices using Zoho Projects. Rather, you’ll need to use Zoho Invoice and integrate the software with Zoho Projects. This can make Zoho a more costly and inconvenient solution than other Kantata alternatives. 

Related: Top 15 Zoho Projects Alternatives [Free & Paid]

Popular features

• Task automations
• Charts and reporting
• Issue tracking
• Team collaboration

Pricing

• Free plan: $0 for up to 3 users 
• Premium plan: $5 per user/month 
• Enterprise plan: $10 per user/month 

10. Basecamp 

^{Source: Basecamp}

As you might expect from its name, Basecamp aims to be a centralized place for project communication and progress tracking. With group chats, direct messaging, and automatic team check-ins, the good thing about Basecamp is that you won’t need to heavily rely on email or other messaging apps to keep your team connected. 

The downside is that Basecamp only offers one project view, meaning it’s not the best for complex projects that you need to be able to visualize in several ways. Plus, it doesn’t have in-app time tracking, which is certainly something to consider if your team needs to reliably record your billable hours. 

Also read: 19 Best Basecamp Alternatives in 2023 [Free & Paid]

Popular features

• Bird’s eye project view
• Messages
• To-do lists 
• File sharing and storage

Pricing

• Individual plan: $15 per user/month
• Pro unlimited plan: $349 per month for unlimited users 

11. Paymo 

^{Source: Paymo}

Paymo does a few things well, but mainly project financial management. You can use the platform to create estimates and send recurring invoices. The tool supports invoicing in several different languages and currencies, making it useful for teams that do business internationally. 

Online reviews do say that the tool’s limited reporting options and cluttered interfaces can be problematic for those in need of a robust project management solution. And although the tool is good at creating invoices, some users struggled with actually sending those invoices out. 

Related: 15 Paymo Alternatives to Try [Free & Paid]

Popular features

• Gantt charts
• Leave planner
• Resource management
• File proofing
• Automatic time tracking

Pricing

• Free plan
• Starter plan: $5.95 per user/month (maximum 1 user)
• Small office plan: $11.95 per user/month 
• Business plan: $24.95 per user/month

12. Hive 

^{Source: Hive}

Hive is a project management tool that seeks to offer all the features your team needs in one app. This includes time management, collaboration, automations, and reporting. The platform has also recently unveiled its notes AI feature that helps cure writer’s block by writing emails, project plans, and notes for you. 

Common complaints about Hive among online reviewers are related to its slow loading speeds, lacking detailed reports, and expensive pricing — especially if you’re in need of automations.  

Also read: Top 13 Hive Alternatives in 2023

Popular features

• Goal setting
• Time tracking
• Messaging 
• AI notes 

Pricing

• Free plan: $0 for up to 10 users
• Team plan: $18 per user/month
• Enterprise plan: Contact sales 

Takeaway 

That concludes our list of the top 12 Kantata alternatives. There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all project management solution, but luckily, there’s a software tool out there for every team. 

Should you be looking for a solution primarily centered around task tracking, Asana might be for you. Or, if you’re already using Zoho within your workflows, maybe you’ll want to check out Zoho Projects. 

But the reality is, most Kantata alternatives require you to rely on integrations to see your projects through to completion. If you’re looking for a tool that’s efficient and cost-effective, you’ll want to go with an all-in-one solution like Rodeo. 

The good news is, you can try Rodeo for yourself free for 14 days. No credit card required.