vs Paymo
Looking for a Paymo alternative?
Paymo is a capable all-in-one work-management tool — projects, tasks, time tracking, invoicing, resource planning. Hoursmith is narrower on purpose: a time-and-billing tool for people who get paid by the hour. The fit depends on what you actually use Paymo for.
Free for solo freelancers · No credit card required
Paymo is good for
- · Teams that need full project management — Gantt charts, resource scheduling, leave management — in the same tool as time and billing.
- · Agencies that want a single tool for plan-task-track-bill rather than a focused billing tool plus a separate PM tool.
- · Customers who already have a workflow built around Paymo's features and don't want to switch.
Free is limited to 1 user and 2 projects. Current list pricing is $9.90/month for Solo, $15.90/user/month for Plus, and $23.90/user/month for Pro, before temporary promotions.
Hoursmith is good for
- · Per-seat pricing is becoming uncomfortable as your team grows within Hoursmith's published 10- and 25-member caps.
- · You want online payments to land in your own Stripe account, not be routed through a third party.
- · You want invoices to send from your own domain via SMTP / SES / Resend, with credentials encrypted at rest.
- · You actually only use Paymo for time and invoicing and would rather pay for a focused tool than for unused PM features.
Flat-fee pricing. Free for solo, Studio $4.08/mo annual up to 10, Agency $8.33/mo annual up to 25.
Monthly list price by team size
USD public monthly billing, before tax or temporary promotions. Paymo Solo is used at 1 member; Plus is used for 3, 10, and 25 members.
| Members | Paymo | Hoursmith |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $9.90 Solo | $0 Free (5 invoices/month) |
| 3 | $47.70 Plus | $0 Free (5 invoices/month) |
| 10 | $159.00 Plus | $5.00 Studio |
| 25 | $397.50 Plus | $9.99 Agency |
Core tasks and advanced planning are different questions
Core task management in Hoursmith
Global and per-project Kanban boards, list view, multiple assignees (up to 20 per task), dates, priorities, estimates, tags, checklists, rich descriptions, comments, @mentions, attachments, project-scoped access, and a timer started from the task.
Advanced planning Hoursmith does not provide
No custom status columns, recurring tasks, Gantt charts, task dependencies, resource planning, or formal time approvals. Those omissions can make the competitor the better fit.
At a glance
Compared on 2026-08-20. Both tools change fast — if you spot something out of date, email hi@hoursmith.app and we'll fix it within 48 hours.
| Feature | Paymo | Hoursmith |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-seat across paid tiers | Flat fee per workspace (Studio $4.08/mo annual up to 10; Agency $8.33/mo annual up to 25) |
| Time tracking (timer + manual) | Yes | Yes — all plans, including Free |
| Invoicing from tracked time | Yes | Yes — all plans |
| Recurring invoices | Yes — recurring profiles with draft or automatic sending | Studio+: repeatable manual-fee and unbilled-usage series, future/one-off edits, pause, skip, and guarded auto-send |
| Online payments destination | Via Stripe / PayPal, configured in Paymo | Stripe Connect direct charges — funds land in your own Stripe account; Hoursmith never holds them |
| Bring-your-own email (send from your domain) | Custom from-email available on higher tiers; verify current docs | Studio+: SMTP / Amazon SES / Resend; credentials encrypted at rest |
| Core task management | Tasks and project views; available depth varies by plan | Global and project Kanban, list view, task details, comments, files, and task timer |
| Advanced planning | Gantt, dependencies, workload/resource capabilities on eligible plans | No Gantt, dependencies, resource planning, recurring tasks, or custom status columns |
| Importer from prior tool | Paymo is the prior tool here | One-click Paymo importer (clients, projects, tasks, time entries, historical invoices) + CSV/Excel; 24-hour undo |
| Client portal | Yes | Yes — passwordless magic-link portal on Studio+ |
| Free tier | Free tier available; check current limits | Free forever: up to 3 members, unlimited clients/projects, 5 invoices/mo |
Choose Paymo if…
- · Your team uses Paymo for project management (Gantt, resource scheduling, leave) — switching gives that up.
- · You're locked into a workflow built around Paymo's tasks, milestones, and time approvals.
- · You need built-in proposals or a dedicated CRM (Paymo offers more breadth here).
Choose Hoursmith if…
- · Per-seat pricing is becoming uncomfortable as your team grows within Hoursmith's published 10- and 25-member caps.
- · You want online payments to land in your own Stripe account, not be routed through a third party.
- · You want invoices to send from your own domain via SMTP / SES / Resend, with credentials encrypted at rest.
- · You actually only use Paymo for time and invoicing and would rather pay for a focused tool than for unused PM features.
Switching questions
Can I import my data from Paymo?
Yes. Hoursmith ships a one-click Paymo importer that brings over clients, projects, tasks, time entries, and historical invoices. The import is resumable (you can close the tab and pick up later), idempotent on re-run, and has a 24-hour undo. Your Paymo API key is never persisted past the run.
Will my historical invoice numbers stay the same?
Yes. The importer preserves invoice numbers and snapshot data — bill-to, line rates, currency — exactly as they were issued, so your books match across the cutover.
Does Hoursmith have Gantt charts or resource planning?
No. Hoursmith has lightweight task boards, lists, task details, collaboration, and task timers, but it does not provide Gantt charts or resource planning. If you rely on Paymo's advanced planning features, switching means giving those up.
Can I run Hoursmith and Paymo side-by-side while I evaluate?
Yes. Most teams import a copy of their data into Hoursmith (Free tier is enough to test the full loop), run a parallel billing cycle, reconcile, and only cut over when they're confident.
Sources and corrections
Material third-party claims were checked against the official sources below on 2026-08-20. Read the comparison methodology for normalization assumptions and the corrections policy.
Related
Start free. Switch in an afternoon.
Free forever for up to 3 members — no card. Paymo has a dedicated importer; supported exports from other tools can be mapped through CSV or Excel. Paid plans add a 14-day trial.
Free for solo freelancers · No credit card · Cancel any time