Hive vs Plutio Comparison
Compare Hive vs Plutio features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Hive
6.4/10
Project management platform with multiple project views, built-in chat and email, automations, time tracking and AI credits, aimed at small and mid-sized teams.
Plutio
6.6/10
All-in-one workspace for freelancers and small service businesses that combines projects, tasks, time tracking, proposals, contracts, invoicing, scheduling and branded client portals.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.4/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5/user/mo Starter | $19/mo Core |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | $49/mo Pro |
| Features | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Client collaboration | ||
| Collaboration tools | ||
| Dashboards | ||
| Gantt charts | ||
| Kanban boards | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Scheduling | ||
| Spreadsheet interface | ||
| Task lists | ||
| Task management | ||
| Team messaging | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Timeline view | ||
| Workflow automation | ||
| Docs | Not listed | |
| File sharing | Not listed | |
| Knowledge base | Not listed | |
Hive vs Plutio cost by team size
Hive costs less up to 10 users; Plutio costs less from 25 users.
| Team size | Hive | Plutio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | $19/moCore |
| 5 users | FreeFree | $49/moPro |
| 10 users | FreeFree | $49/moPro |
| 25 users | $300/moTeams | $49/moPro |
| 50 users | $600/moTeams | $49/moPro |
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 Hive
- Has a free plan (Plutio does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $49/mo
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Scalability score (6/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (6/10 vs 4/10)
Why choose Plutio
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for consultancies (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Hive
Pros
- Chat, email inside the app, notes and tasks sit in one workspace, so small teams need fewer separate tools.
- The free plan allows up to 10 members, and Starter costs only 5 USD per user per month.
- Kanban, Gantt, table and calendar views let each team member plan the same project their own way; reviewers often praise the Gantt view.
- The vendor lists SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR and CCPA compliance.
Cons
- Proofing, timesheets, resourcing, advanced dashboards and SSO are each separate per-user add-ons, which inflates the real cost.
- Starter caps workspaces at 10 members and 10 projects, and the free plan has only 200MB of storage.
- Reviewers report delayed notifications and problems with the mobile app.
- Some users find the interface hard to navigate at first.
Plutio
Pros
- Flat workspace pricing instead of per-seat fees. Pro covers 30 contributors for $49 a month, and Max allows unlimited contributors for $199.
- Every plan includes the full set of core modules, including client portal, contracts, time tracking and scheduling. Plans differ mainly in client, contributor, AI and storage limits.
- Billable time from timers and timesheets can be turned straight into invoices, with payments through Stripe (including ACH), PayPal or Square and no Plutio transaction fees.
- Highly customizable workspace, with custom fields, multiple task views including timeline with dependencies, and dashboards that double as branded client portals.
- Well-documented REST API with OAuth 2 authentication and an MCP server for AI assistants, plus integrations included free on all plans.
Cons
- Native automation draws repeated complaints on Capterra and G2. Some reviewers say they still need Zapier or Make, and one called the automation marketing overstated.
- Some reviews on AppSumo, Capterra and G2 describe support tickets going unanswered for weeks and bugs left unfixed.
- Reporting is limited to dashboard widgets and timesheet breakdowns. Reviewers note weak utilization, margin and capacity analytics.
- Few native integrations beyond payments, calendars and video calls. Tools like Slack, CRMs and accounting apps mostly rely on Zapier, Make or webhooks.
- The Core plan's 9-client cap and lack of contributors force growing solo businesses up to the $49 Pro plan.
- The public changelog has no entries after September 2025, which makes recent development hard to track.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Plutio scores higher on our Project Management criteria: 6.6/10 against 6.4/10 for Hive. The largest gap is in Cost: 6/10 for Hive and 8/10 for Plutio.
Hive costs less for 10 users: free on its Free plan, against about $49/mo on its Pro plan for Plutio, billed monthly.
Hive has a free plan; Plutio does not list one.
Plutio is the better fit for freelancers: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 4/10 for Hive.
