BigTime vs SmartSuite Comparison
Compare BigTime vs SmartSuite features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
BigTime
6.7/10
BigTime is professional services automation software that gives consulting, accounting, architecture and engineering firms time and expense tracking, project budgeting, resource management and invoicing.
SmartSuite
7.3/10
SmartSuite is a no-code work management platform that teams use to build project, process and operations solutions with views, automations and AI agents.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.7/10 | 7.3/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $20/user/mo Essentials | $20/user/mo Team |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $200/mo Essentials | $200/mo Team |
| Features | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Dashboards | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Scheduling | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Client collaboration | Not listed | |
| Collaboration tools | Not listed | |
| Databases | Not listed | |
| Docs | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Gantt charts | Not listed | |
| Kanban boards | Not listed | |
| Spreadsheet interface | Not listed | |
| Task lists | Not listed | |
| Task management | Not listed | |
| Team messaging | Not listed | |
| Timeline view | Not listed | |
| Whiteboards | Not listed | |
| Workflow automation | Not listed | |
BigTime vs SmartSuite cost by team size
BigTime and SmartSuite cost the same from 5 users.
| Team size | BigTime | SmartSuite |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $20/moEssentials | Contact for pricing |
| 5 users | $100/moEssentials | $100/moTeam |
| 10 users | $200/moEssentials | $200/moTeam |
| 25 users | $500/moEssentials | $500/moTeam |
| 50 users | $1,000/moEssentials | $1,000/moTeam |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose BigTime
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for small business (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose SmartSuite
- Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Security score (9/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
BigTime
Pros
- Time and expense capture flows straight into invoicing, and reviewers single out the simple billing and pre-calculated report fields.
- Deep accounting integrations, including QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Sage Intacct and Lacerte, plus NetSuite and Business Central on Enterprise.
- Highly rated support: Capterra users score customer service around 4.8, and reviewers mention live chat.
- Consistently strong ratings on G2, at about 4.5 from more than 1,700 reviews.
- Supports DCAA compliance for government contractors.
Cons
- Only the Essentials tier has a public price, so buyers must talk to sales for higher tiers and add-ons.
- Reviewers report a steep learning curve and odd field naming.
- Its app marketplace is narrow compared with general project management tools.
- It lacks visual work-management features such as Kanban boards and whiteboards.
- No free plan.
SmartSuite
Pros
- The same records can be shown as grid, Kanban, Gantt, timeline, calendar, map and dashboard views without duplicating data.
- Its compliance coverage is unusually strong for the category, with ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR audits plus a choice of US or EU data residency.
- Read-only users, commenters and form submitters are free, which lowers the cost of involving stakeholders.
- It ships more than 200 templates and an AI solution builder to speed up setup.
- Reviewers describe the support team as responsive.
Cons
- Team, Professional and Enterprise carry 3-, 5- and 25-seat minimums, and there is no free plan.
- The Team plan allows only 5,000 records per solution, and automation runs plus API calls are hard-capped each month.
- SAML SSO and SCIM are available only on Enterprise and Signature plans.
- There is no team chat or whiteboard, and external access is limited to read-only shared views.
- Reviewers say complex workflows and large data imports take real setup effort, and there are no native desktop apps.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
SmartSuite scores higher on our Project Management criteria: 7.3/10 against 6.7/10 for BigTime. The largest gap is in Customization: 7/10 for BigTime and 9/10 for SmartSuite.
BigTime and SmartSuite cost the same for 10 users: about $200/mo, billed monthly.
No, neither BigTime nor SmartSuite lists a free plan.
BigTime is the better fit for small business: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 6/10 for SmartSuite.
