Paymo vs Plutio Comparison
Compare Paymo vs Plutio features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Paymo
6/10
Work management app that combines tasks, time tracking, resource scheduling and invoicing for freelancers, agencies and small client-service teams billing by the hour.
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 | 6/10 | 6.6/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 6/10 | 5/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 5/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $10/user/mo Solo | $19/mo Core |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $159/mo Plus | $49/mo Pro |
| Features | ||
| App integrations | ||
| Client collaboration | ||
| Collaboration tools | ||
| Dashboards | ||
| File sharing | ||
| Gantt charts | ||
| Kanban boards | ||
| Reporting | ||
| Scheduling | ||
| Spreadsheet interface | ||
| Task lists | ||
| Task management | ||
| Time tracking | ||
| Timeline view | ||
| Docs | Not listed | |
| Knowledge base | Not listed | |
| Team messaging | Not listed | |
| Workflow automation | Not listed | |
Paymo vs Plutio cost by team size
Paymo costs less at 1 user; Plutio costs less from 5 users.
| Team size | Paymo | Plutio |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | $19/moCore |
| 5 users | $80/moPlus | $49/moPro |
| 10 users | $159/moPlus | $49/moPro |
| 25 users | $398/moPlus | $49/moPro |
| 50 users | $795/moPlus | $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 Paymo
- Has a free plan (Plutio does not)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Analytics score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Why choose Plutio
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $49/mo vs $159/mo
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
Paymo
Pros
- Time tracking, estimates, recurring invoices and online payments through Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net sit in one app, so freelancers do not need a separate billing tool.
- Offers five task views (list, table, Kanban, calendar and Gantt), plus a portfolio Gantt on Pro.
- The free plan has no cap on tasks, time entries or invoices, which works for a solo user with one client.
- Project profitability, retainer projects and file proofing are aimed directly at agency client work.
- Independent reviewers report quick responses from human support staff.
Cons
- Gantt charts, task dependencies, resource scheduling and timesheet approvals are only on Pro, the most expensive tier.
- Reviewers say permissions are coarse: only admins approve time, and admins also see billing settings.
- Not well suited to growing teams, because users are added to projects one at a time and reviewers flag problems past roughly 20 people.
- There is no SOC 2 attestation, and reports are described as basic and text-heavy.
- Every project must be linked to a client, which is awkward for internal work. Some long-time users also complained about a steep price increase.
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 6/10 for Paymo. The largest gap is in Customization: 5/10 for Paymo and 8/10 for Plutio.
Plutio costs less for 10 users: about $49/mo on its Pro plan, against about $159/mo on its Plus plan for Paymo, billed monthly.
Paymo has a free plan; Plutio does not list one.
