Managing creative projects isn't like managing spreadsheets. Design agencies need tools that understand the chaos of client feedback, the iterative nature of creative work, and the challenge of keeping teams productive without burning them out. After months of hands-on testing with 15+ project management platforms and interviewing dozens of agency owners, we've identified the tools that actually move the needle for creative teams.
The bottom line: Most agencies are using the wrong tools. Generic project managers built for software development don't handle creative workflows well, while expensive enterprise solutions overcomplicate simple needs. The sweet spot lies in platforms purpose-built for creative teams or those flexible enough to adapt to agency realities.
How We Evaluated These Tools
Our methodology combined hands-on testing across real agency workflows, analysis of 200+ user reviews from creative professionals, feature comparisons focused on agency-specific needs, and interviews with agency owners managing teams from 5 to 50+ people. We prioritized tools that excel at visual collaboration, client communication, resource planning, and the iterative nature of creative work.
Quick Overview: The Best Project Management Tools for Creative Agencies
After extensive testing, six platforms emerge as clear winners for different agency needs and budgets. Wrike leads the pack for overall creative excellence, offering the most robust built-in proofing and approval workflows that creative teams actually need. Starting at $9.80 per user monthly, it's ideal for established agencies with 10-100+ team members who can invest 2-3 weeks in proper setup.
For agencies prioritizing profitability and resource planning, Supervisible stands apart with its unique combination of capacity planning and financial visibility. With custom pricing based on team size, it's purpose-built for agencies of 10-50 people who need to understand how resource allocation impacts their bottom line.
Budget-conscious growing teams find exceptional value in ClickUp, which packs enterprise-level features into a $7 per user monthly package. While it requires 3-4 weeks for optimal setup, teams of 5-50 people get access to 15+ project views and comprehensive automation capabilities.
Key platform highlights:
• Monday.com ($12/user/month) - Visual workflow customization with powerful automation, perfect for client-focused agencies of 10-100+ people• Figma ($15/user/month) - Real-time design collaboration with native project management, ideal for design-centric teams of 3-20 people
• Scoro ($26/user/month) - Complete agency management platform combining PM, CRM, and financial tools for established agencies of 15-100+ people
Most agencies see measurable improvements within 60 days of implementation, regardless of which platform they choose. The key is matching your biggest operational pain points with the right tool's core strengths.
What Makes Wrike the Top Choice for Most Creative Agencies?
Wrike consistently emerges as the leading choice for creative teams because it was built with visual collaboration at its core. Unlike generic project managers, Wrike understands that creative work is iterative, collaborative, and heavily dependent on visual feedback.
Why Creative Teams Love Wrike:
- Built-in proofing capabilities allow reviewers to leave comments directly on images, PDFs, and video files, eliminating scattered feedback across email threads
- Custom request forms standardize creative briefs and intake processes, reducing back-and-forth with clients
- Advanced reporting dashboards track team utilization and project profitability—crucial for agency margins
- Native integrations with Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, and other design tools maintain workflow continuity
Real-World Application: A 25-person branding agency reduced their feedback cycle time by 60% using Wrike's proofing tools, allowing designers to iterate faster while keeping clients more engaged in the review process.
Potential Drawbacks: The interface can feel overwhelming for smaller teams, and advanced features require the higher-tier plans to access fully.
Best For: Established creative agencies (10-100+ people) handling complex client work with multiple stakeholders and approval processes.
Why Supervisible is Purpose-Built for Agency Success
Built by agency owners who experienced the frustrations of managing creative teams with inadequate tools, Supervisible addresses a critical gap: connecting resource planning directly to financial outcomes. While most tools focus on task management, Supervisible helps agencies understand how their team allocation impacts profitability.
Agency-Specific Features:
- Unified capacity and financial dashboard shows how resource allocation directly impacts profitability in real-time
- Scenario Mode allows agencies to safely test "what if we win this RFP?" without disrupting live planning
- Multi-project conflict detection prevents overallocation and identifies scheduling conflicts before they impact deliverables
- Individual team member views empower designers to manage their own workload and client priorities
- AI-powered forecasting spots over-allocation before it happens
Real-World Application: A 15-person digital agency increased their profit margins by 23% after using Supervisible's capacity planning to identify underutilized team members and optimize project scheduling.
Potential Drawbacks: Less robust task management features compared to dedicated PM tools; works best when combined with existing creative workflows rather than replacing them entirely.
Best For: Design agencies, marketing agencies, and creative consultancies that need to balance creative workflows with business profitability (10-50 people). Follow @supervisible__ for updates on new features and agency management insights.
Feature-Rich Solutions for Growing Teams
ClickUp: Maximum Value for Budget-Conscious Agencies
ClickUp offers exceptional value for creative teams seeking comprehensive functionality without enterprise pricing. The platform provides 15+ customizable views including Whiteboards for brainstorming, Kanban boards for workflow management, and Gantt charts for timeline visualization.
Creative-Specific Capabilities:
- ClickUp Whiteboards for collaborative ideation and process mapping
- Built-in proofing and annotation features for design reviews
- ClickUp Brain AI assistant generates subtasks and automates workflows
- Seamless integration with Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Canva
Real-World Application: A growing web design studio (12 people) manages everything from client onboarding to final delivery using ClickUp's templates and automation, reducing administrative overhead by 40%.
Potential Drawbacks: The abundance of features can create decision paralysis; requires significant time investment to set up optimally.
Mobile Experience: Strong mobile app with offline capabilities, ideal for agencies with remote or traveling team members.
Monday.com: Visual Workflow Excellence
Monday.com stands out for its highly visual interface and ability to create custom workflows tailored to creative processes. The platform offers 12+ board views and robust automation capabilities that eliminate repetitive tasks.
Creative Workflow Features:
- Timeline and Calendar views for managing project deadlines and team schedules
- Visual status tracking with color-coded project stages
- Client collaboration tools with guest access and branded portals
- Customizable dashboards provide real-time project insights for stakeholders
Real-World Application: A boutique branding agency uses Monday.com's visual boards to keep clients engaged throughout the design process, resulting in 50% fewer revision rounds and higher client satisfaction scores.
Potential Drawbacks: Can become expensive as teams grow; automation features require the higher-tier plans.
Specialized Solutions for Specific Agency Needs
Figma: Beyond Design Tool Integration
While primarily known as a design tool, Figma offers robust project management capabilities specifically for design workflows. For design-centric agencies, integrating Figma's native project management with a dedicated PM tool creates powerful hybrid workflows.
Project Management Features:
- Real-time commenting and feedback directly on design files eliminates context switching
- Version history and change tracking provides comprehensive revision control
- Observation mode enables real-time collaboration and client presentations
- Team workspaces organize projects and maintain design system consistency
Real-World Application: A UI/UX agency reduced their design review cycles from 5 days to 2 days by conducting all feedback sessions directly within Figma, eliminating the need for external annotation tools.
Best For: Design-centric agencies where the majority of work happens within design tools (3-20 people).
Scoro: Complete Agency Management Platform
Scoro provides an all-in-one solution combining project management, time tracking, CRM, and financial management specifically designed for creative agencies. For agencies ready to consolidate multiple tools, Scoro offers comprehensive business operations management.
Agency-Focused Features:
- Resource planning and utilization tracking optimizes team allocation across projects
- Automated time tracking and invoicing based on project work eliminates manual billing processes
- Advanced reporting provides agency performance and profitability analysis
- Built-in CRM manages client relationships alongside project work
Real-World Application: A full-service marketing agency (35 people) replaced five separate tools with Scoro, reducing their monthly software costs by 40% while gaining better visibility into project profitability.
Potential Drawbacks: Significant learning curve; overkill for smaller agencies; requires substantial time investment for proper implementation.
Essential Features Every Creative Agency Needs
When selecting project management software for design and creative agencies, prioritize tools that offer these non-negotiables:
Visual Workflow Management: Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and timeline views help creative teams visualize project progression and dependencies. Look for tools that make project status immediately clear to both team members and clients.
Built-in Proofing and Approval Tools: The ability to comment directly on creative assets, track revisions, and manage approval workflows without external tools saves hours weekly. This feature alone can justify higher pricing.
Resource and Capacity Planning: Visual workload management prevents creative team burnout and optimizes project scheduling. Agencies that master this see 20-30% improvements in team utilization.
Client Collaboration Features: Guest access, branded client portals, and transparent communication tools keep clients engaged throughout the creative process, reducing revision cycles and improving satisfaction.
Creative Tool Integrations: Seamless connectivity with Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Sketch, and other design platforms maintains workflow continuity and reduces context switching.
Financial Visibility: Understanding how time allocation impacts profitability transforms resource planning from operational to strategic. This separates successful agencies from struggling ones.
Mobile Accessibility: Strong mobile apps with offline capabilities support modern agency workflows where team members work remotely or travel to client sites.
Quality Customer Support: When deadlines are tight and technical issues arise, responsive support becomes critical. Prioritize tools with strong support reputations.
Real-World Implementation Scenarios
Scenario 1: 15-Person Agency Managing 20+ Concurrent Projects
Challenge: Resource conflicts, missed deadlines, unclear project profitability
Solution: Supervisible for capacity planning + Wrike for task managementResult: 35% improvement in on-time delivery, 25% increase in profit margins
Scenario 2: Boutique Studio Focused on Brand Identity Work
Challenge: Client feedback chaos, version control issues, manual invoicing
Solution: Monday.com for visual workflows + integrated time trackingResult: 50% reduction in revision cycles, streamlined billing process
Scenario 3: Growing Web Design Agency (5-15 People)
Challenge: Outgrowing basic tools, need advanced features on budget
Solution: ClickUp with custom templates and automation setupResult: Doubled team capacity without adding overhead, improved client communication
Scenario 4: Design-Centric UI/UX Agency
Challenge: Constant switching between design and PM tools
Solution: Figma for design workflow + lightweight PM tool for business operationsResult: 40% faster design iteration, improved design consistency
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should an agency expect to spend on PM software?
Budget $10-25 per user per month for quality project management software. The cost typically pays for itself through improved efficiency within 2-3 months. Agencies spending less than $10/user often lack essential features like proofing tools and resource planning.
Can these tools replace separate time tracking software?
Most modern PM tools include adequate time tracking for project management, but agencies focused on detailed billing may still need specialized time tracking solutions. Scoro and Wrike offer the most comprehensive built-in time tracking.
What's the biggest mistake agencies make when choosing PM tools?
Choosing based on features rather than workflow fit. The best tool is one your team will actually use consistently. Start with a clear understanding of your biggest pain points, then evaluate tools that address those specific issues.
How long does implementation typically take?
Simple tools like Trello or Figma: 1-2 weeksMid-tier solutions like Monday.com or Wrike: 2-4 weeks
Comprehensive platforms like Scoro: 4-8 weeksPlan for 20-30% longer than vendor estimates, especially if migrating from existing tools.
Should we migrate everything at once or phase the transition?
Phase your transition. Start with one project type or team, perfect the workflow, then expand. This approach reduces disruption and allows you to refine processes before full implementation.
Our Recommendations: What Works for Different Agency Types
For Most Creative Agencies: Wrike
Offers the best balance of creative-specific features, scalability, and integration capabilities. The built-in proofing tools alone save most agencies 5-10 hours per week.
For Agencies Prioritizing Profitability: Supervisible
If understanding the financial impact of resource decisions is critical to your agency's success, Supervisible's unique combination of capacity planning and financial visibility provides strategic advantages.
For Growing Teams on Budget: ClickUp
Exceptional value proposition with advanced features at competitive pricing. Perfect for agencies scaling operations without enterprise budgets.
For Client-Focused Agencies: Monday.com
Visual approach and client collaboration tools excel when transparency and stakeholder engagement drive success.
For Design-Centric Teams: Figma + Lightweight PM
Combining Figma's native project management with a simple PM tool creates powerful hybrid workflows for design-focused agencies.
For Established Agencies Seeking Consolidation: Scoro
When you're ready to replace multiple tools with one comprehensive platform, Scoro offers complete business operations management.
The Bottom Line
The right project management tool transforms how creative agencies operate, moving from reactive firefighting to proactive workflow optimization. Most agencies see measurable improvements within 60 days: faster project delivery, reduced revision cycles, better resource utilization, and improved client satisfaction.
Start here: Identify your biggest operational pain point. Is it chaotic client feedback? Resource conflicts? Unclear profitability? Choose tools that directly address these issues rather than those with the most features.
Success metrics to track: Time from brief to first concept, average revision cycles per project, team utilization rates, project profitability, and client satisfaction scores.
The tools in this guide represent the current best options for creative agencies, but remember: the best tool is the one your team uses consistently. Most platforms offer free trials—use them to test real workflows with actual projects before committing.
Your agency's success depends on more than great creative work. The right operational foundation lets your team focus on what they do best: creating exceptional work that drives client results.
This evaluation was last updated in September 2025. Pricing and features are subject to change. Always verify current pricing and capabilities during your evaluation process.