TLDR (Summary)
Basecamp handles team communication with message boards, to-do lists, and group chat, but the platform has no invoicing, no proposals, no contracts, no Gantt charts, no Kanban boards, no client portals, and no payment processing at any price tier. The per-user plan costs $15/user/month and the flat-rate plan costs $349/month (monthly billing), both without any business management features. Time tracking exists only as an add-on on paid plans, and tracked hours don't connect to billing because Basecamp has no billing. Freelancers using Basecamp typically add 2-4 separate tools for invoicing, contracts, and project visualization, pushing monthly costs past $70 for a workflow where nothing shares data. Plutio covers Kanban boards, Gantt timelines, proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, and client portals starting at $19/month flat, with every feature connected to every other feature.
Project management that Basecamp won't build
Basecamp has no Kanban boards, no Gantt charts, no task dependencies, no timeline views, and no workload management. The platform offers to-do lists and card tables, and the founders have publicly stated that visual project management features add unnecessary complexity.
For freelancers managing multi-phase projects like website builds, brand identities, or content calendars, the absence of visual project management forces a workaround. Tasks in Basecamp sit in flat lists without relationships between them, so there's no way to see which tasks block other tasks, which phase needs to finish before the next begins, or where the bottleneck is across a 30-task project.
Plutio's project management starts with Kanban boards for visual task flow and adds Gantt timelines that show dependencies between tasks, milestones that mark phase transitions, and templates that create entire project structures from a single click. A website project can have design, development, and launch phases with tasks that automatically unlock when the previous phase finishes.
The project layer also connects to the business layer. Time tracked on a task feeds into an invoice line item. A completed milestone triggers a client notification. Project status updates in the client portal without sending a single email.
Plutio's project management connects tasks to time tracking, invoicing, and client portals, so project work and billing run from the same place.
Invoicing and payments that Basecamp doesn't offer
Basecamp has no invoicing, no payment processing, and no billing features at any plan level. Every invoice a freelancer sends from a Basecamp-based workflow requires a separate tool like FreshBooks or QuickBooks, and the completed work in Basecamp has no connection to the invoice for that work.
The gap is not just the missing feature. The consequence is a disconnected workflow where a freelancer finishes tasks in Basecamp, opens a separate invoicing app, manually types the line items from memory or from notes, sends the invoice, and then reconciles payment status in a third system. For hourly billing, the tracked hours (from yet another tool, since Basecamp's time tracking doesn't connect to billing) need manual entry into the invoice.
Plutio's invoicing pulls tracked hours into invoices automatically. A date range turns every billable hour, task name, and rate into a line item without copying from a separate tracker. Recurring invoices auto-send on schedule with late payment reminders built in. Payment processing through Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer happens inside the same platform, and multi-currency support handles international clients without workarounds.
Plutio's invoicing turns tracked hours into paid invoices without copying numbers between apps or reconciling across three separate systems.
Proposals and contracts that Basecamp doesn't include
Basecamp has no proposal builder, no contract templates, and no e-signature functionality. Sending a proposal or contract from a Basecamp-based workflow means using PandaDoc, DocuSign, or a similar tool, and the signed document doesn't create a Basecamp project automatically.
For freelancers, the pre-project workflow is where client relationships start: a proposal outlines the scope, the contract formalizes the terms, and the signed agreement kicks off the project. In a Basecamp workflow, each of those steps lives in a different tool. The proposal goes out from one platform, the contract gets signed in another, and the project gets manually created in Basecamp with no link back to the original scope or pricing.
Plutio's proposal builder includes drag-and-drop sections, pricing tables, and built-in e-signatures. Clients review and sign from any device. When the signature goes through, Plutio creates the project with pre-configured tasks and deadlines based on the proposal scope. Contracts attach to proposals and projects, so the signed scope stays connected to the actual deliverables.
The entire pre-project workflow happens in one sequence: proposal sent, contract signed, project created, client portal activated, first invoice scheduled from the approved pricing.
In Plutio, a signed proposal becomes a live project with contracts, tasks, and client portal access, all from one signed document.
Time tracking that connects to billing
Basecamp added a Timesheet add-on on paid plans, but tracked hours don't connect to invoicing because Basecamp has no billing features. Hours logged in Basecamp's timesheet need to be manually transferred into whatever invoicing tool the freelancer uses.
The disconnect means that a freelancer tracking 40 hours across five client projects in Basecamp still has to open a separate invoicing tool, create line items for each project, type in the hours from Basecamp's timesheet, calculate the totals, and send the invoices. The tracking happens in one place and the billing happens in another, with manual data entry bridging the gap every billing cycle.
Plutio's time tracking runs inside every project. A built-in timer starts from any task with one click, or hours get logged manually with notes and rates attached. Billable and non-billable hours stay separated so only client-facing work hits the invoice.
At invoice time, tracked hours convert to line items with the task name, duration, and hourly rate already filled in. Time reports break down hours by project, client, or date range, showing exactly where billable hours went and which projects ran over budget.
Every hour tracked in Plutio turns into an invoice line item without manual entry or app switching.
Client portals for project visibility
Basecamp allows clients to access specific projects with limited visibility, but clients see Basecamp's standard interface, not a branded portal. There's no custom-branded space for clients to check progress, approve deliverables, upload files, or pay invoices.
The client experience in Basecamp is the same interface the team uses, with visibility toggled on specific items. Clients see message boards and to-do lists inside Basecamp's design. For freelancers who want to present a professional, branded experience to clients, Basecamp's approach puts the tool's brand front and center rather than the freelancer's brand.
Plutio's client portals are branded with a custom logo, colors, and domain. Clients log in and see project progress alongside milestones, shared files, outstanding invoices, and messages. Files upload directly to the project instead of arriving as email attachments. Messages attach to specific tasks so conversations stay in context. Clients approve deliverables and pay invoices from the portal without downloading separate apps.
The portal replaces the email chains, the "just checking in" messages, and the status update requests that stack up between meetings. Clients see what's happening without asking, and the freelancer doesn't need to write separate update emails.
Plutio's client portals replace status update emails with a branded space where clients track progress, share files, and pay invoices.
With Plutio we don't jump between apps anymore! Everything from projects to invoicing is finally connected in one fully-branded app.
How to switch from Basecamp to Plutio
Most freelancers complete the transition in 1-2 weeks by exporting project data from Basecamp and starting new clients on Plutio.
- Start a free trial: Plutio offers 14 days of full access with no credit card required. Every feature, including projects, invoicing, proposals, time tracking, and client portals, works from day one.
- Export project data: Basecamp includes a data export feature that downloads all projects, messages, to-dos, files, and comments as HTML files. The export covers full project history, making it useful for long-term archives.
- Import client contacts: Export contacts from Basecamp and import them into Plutio. Client names, emails, and details carry over in minutes.
- Set up a project template: Create one project template with the standard task list, Kanban board, milestones, and deliverable structure. Every new project starts from the template instead of manual setup.
- Start new clients on Plutio: Send the next proposal from Plutio. When the client signs, the project creates automatically with the template structure, portal access, and contract attached.
- Finish Basecamp projects where they are: Active work stays in Basecamp until completion. Running both platforms in parallel for 1-2 weeks avoids disrupting client relationships mid-project.
The hardest part of switching from Basecamp is adjusting the communication workflow. Basecamp's message boards and automatic check-ins create a specific rhythm that other platforms handle differently. Plutio keeps conversations organized per project through task-level messaging and a shared inbox, so the team communication stays structured without needing separate message boards.
The switch happens between projects, not mid-project. New clients start on Plutio while active Basecamp projects finish naturally.
