Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ActiveCollab
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
Active Collab is a project management solution built around features such as task management, collaboration, time tracking, and invoicing.
$8
per member/per month
Slack
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Slack is a group messaging or team collaboration app that aims to simplify communication for businesses. Features include open discussions, private groups, and direct messaging, as well as deep contextual search and message archiving, and file sharing. Slack integrates with a number of other tools, such as MailChimp, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Slack was acquired by Salesforce in December 2020. The product is free to use, and also has paid plans with more features and greater controls. The…
$8.75
per month per user
Pricing
ActiveCollabSlack
Editions & Modules
ActiveCollab Project Management
$8
per member/per month
Self-Hosted Plan
$999.00
license
Free
$0
Pro
$7.25*
per month per user
Business+
$12.50*
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ActiveCollabSlack
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup Fee$6.25 per member, per month, annual billingNo setup fee
Additional Details*Per active user, per month, when paying once a year. Pro is $8.75 USD per active user when paying month to month. Business+ is $15.00 USD per active user when paying month to month.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ActiveCollabSlack
Considered Both Products
ActiveCollab
Chose ActiveCollab
ActiveCollab has fewer functions than Wrike and a simpler interface, but generally, the team collaboration purpose is fulfilled.
Chose ActiveCollab
We chose Active Collab overall because we liked its easy to use user interface, project management suite and agency/vendor/client interaction capabilities. We also chose it primarily because it was offered as a web-based platform that offered very clean and easy mobile access …
Slack

No answer on this topic

Features
ActiveCollabSlack
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCollab
3.6
13 Ratings
71% below category average
Slack
8.2
513 Ratings
6% above category average
Task Management5.112 Ratings8.1340 Ratings
Resource Management1.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Gantt Charts3.07 Ratings6.961 Ratings
Scheduling1.011 Ratings8.0286 Ratings
Workflow Automation7.01 Ratings8.4315 Ratings
Team Collaboration6.113 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology7.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Document Management3.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Email integration4.09 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Access1.110 Ratings9.4494 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking2.09 Ratings00 Ratings
Change request and Case Management1.08 Ratings00 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management2.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Search00 Ratings8.4496 Ratings
Visual planning tools00 Ratings7.8208 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCollab
5.7
8 Ratings
27% below category average
Slack
-
Ratings
Quotes/estimates6.97 Ratings00 Ratings
Invoicing6.96 Ratings00 Ratings
Project & financial reporting1.07 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with accounting software7.94 Ratings00 Ratings
Communication
Comparison of Communication features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCollab
-
Ratings
Slack
8.8
522 Ratings
10% above category average
Chat00 Ratings9.7522 Ratings
Notifications00 Ratings9.1518 Ratings
Discussions00 Ratings9.4507 Ratings
Surveys00 Ratings8.1329 Ratings
Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings7.7327 Ratings
Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings8.9110 Ratings
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings8.7182 Ratings
Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings8.8120 Ratings
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
ActiveCollab
-
Ratings
Slack
8.6
494 Ratings
8% above category average
Versioning00 Ratings8.2255 Ratings
Video files00 Ratings8.7443 Ratings
Audio files00 Ratings8.8433 Ratings
Document collaboration00 Ratings8.2345 Ratings
Access control00 Ratings8.3335 Ratings
Advanced security features00 Ratings8.4289 Ratings
Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings9.0211 Ratings
Device sync00 Ratings9.1366 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ActiveCollabSlack
Small Businesses
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.2 out of 10
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Planview AgilePlace
Planview AgilePlace
Score 9.6 out of 10
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger
Score 9.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Planview AgilePlace
Planview AgilePlace
Score 9.6 out of 10
HCL Connections
HCL Connections
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ActiveCollabSlack
Likelihood to Recommend
1.7
(13 ratings)
9.4
(523 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.8
(24 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(137 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.1
(3 ratings)
8.0
(67 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(4 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
ActiveCollabSlack
Likelihood to Recommend
ActiveCollab
Scenarios where ActiveCollab works well 1) ActiveCollab works well for small teams specifically T&M teams.Its invoicing feature is unique & can make your life easy. 2) It is very easy to use & posses good range of filters like on the task list, we can drag/drop tasks, Filter by assignee's,
tasks lists, due dates, or completed tasks. 3) It has some simple but awesome features like when you're in
the middle of writing something i.e a comment on story and get interrupted,
it retains what you wrote. 4) It allows you to tag team members in threads of comments to grab their attention, its really needed when teams are distributed. Thus helping team members to collaborate easily & stay on same page. 5) It integrates pretty well with other web apps like quickbooks , Slack, Trello, HubSpot, Zapier etc Scenarios where ActiveCollab did not work well 1) Tasks can not have multiple assignee's here so if two members are working on same task it did not allow you to reflect that. 2) Sorting capability is not their under invoicing 3) It did not work well for larger teams 4) Search option is not very detailed & you may end up wasting lot of time searching one particular bug or issue.












Read full review
Salesforce
Slack is definitely well suited according to my experience of using it for over 6 years to be the best platform to have short quick huddles and catch up sessions with your team, More especially if your work environment is a WFH set up. you can easily direct message a colleague regarding something that needs quick attention. making calls is easy and you can basically present a presentation to your team quickly and easy by sharing your screen with them easily. its basically the future
Read full review
Pros
ActiveCollab
  • Great for project and task assignments, project workflow and communications.
  • Solid web-based platform that doesn't require software downloads, also includes great mobile platform.
  • Great reporting tools for managing billing, estimating, project workflow and other essential project details.
  • Allows for both the agency and its clients to interact on a single platform using role-specific permissions.
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Slack workflows which helps to automate day to day or weekly tasks
  • Slack Huddle which helps to communicate within the app and also the chat is saved in thread
  • Slack To Do Lists which helps to manage small projects
  • Slack Canvas to keep the whole team on the same page
Read full review
Cons
ActiveCollab
  • It isn't possible to set members of staff as part time, so if someone is unavailable on certain days you must manually enter them as OOO every single day that they are not in, that other teammates work. Hours also can't be edited individually - everyone is treated as working the same hours in a day, rendering capacity planner useless for flexi working teams
  • Subtasks cannot be assigned their own hours and deadlines, meaning the To Do list view can't be seen in actual date order and capacity planner does not reflect all time allocated to an individual's schedule unless every task is set up as a separate task rather than subtask
  • There is no way to see all tasks of a certain type across multiple campaigns (e.g all copywriting tasks vs all technical tasks) - support team suggested exporting data and making spreadsheets
  • Kanban view isn't available for people's own task lists ('board' view here shows a list)
  • Not possible to have one task be assigned to more than one person
  • Notifications are not sent when tasks are updated, so you have to leave comments and tag people each time
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Wish I could organize my "save for later" items into folders. It would be nice to store all of the golden nuggets of information I learn. Even better if we could export it out into a word doc to turn into a real article or resource!
  • Use AI to help us find themes around topics and prepare a summary every week/end of day/month so that the entire team can absorb all conversations into one clean space
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
ActiveCollab
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
To be more transparent, I give 10 because Slack serves our collaboration needs. It provide us a good platform for team communication relaying important update within the company, it has even mobile app where you can install in your phone to monitor any updates within that team that needs your immediate attention and intervention.
Read full review
Usability
ActiveCollab
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
At the basic surface, Slack does deliver everything we need - easy to handle, easy to understand. But, as I said earlier, there are the more complex parts which demand more of us and some of them even lack information about how to be used, which is frustrating. If we could have maybe a section with instructions, or maybe if you make the features easier to use, it would be awesome.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
ActiveCollab
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
Yes, the app works 24/7. I don't even recall having any period that we could not use since the implementation. Even the maintenance periods are barely noticeable and our work is not impacted by it when it happens.
Read full review
Performance
ActiveCollab
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
Slack is a soft app, we don't have many issues with it. I recall one or two people complaining about something during our usage period, but I didn't have a bad experience. When the app is slow, usually the problem is with my computer or my internet. The app works just fine.
Read full review
Support Rating
ActiveCollab
We have not required support for ActiveCollab as it works pretty seamlessly. We didn't have any issues with using the platform or with any billing issues. The self-service aspect of the platform is robust and easy to navigate so we have not encountered any errors that required assistance from the support team.
Read full review
Salesforce
I've never had to contact support for Slack which is a great testament to its ease and use. Adding people outside of the organization takes a little getting used to, but ultimately allows for greater collaboration between FTE and contractors. There is no clear alternative to this software, so it's the best we can do for now.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
ActiveCollab
No answers on this topic
Salesforce
I was not part of the implementation team, but I recall being 100% happy and excited to learn and use a new tool. I'm still am to be honest.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
ActiveCollab
ActiveCollab is easier to use and simpler in its setup. It has the right mix of features and simplicity. It's also project-oriented which is important for our workflow. Other tools are often too task-oriented, making it hard to track projects. Overall, ActiveCollab has a great mix of simplicity with good features.
Read full review
Salesforce
Slack: It's easy to strike up a chat right away with one-click calls or huddles. By simply pressing the call button, both users are involved without the need to arrange a meeting. Microsoft Teams: With calendar invites, time slot choices, and numerous confirmation processes, scheduling even a basic one-on-one meeting can feel laborious.
Read full review
Return on Investment
ActiveCollab
  • Allows our team to stay organized and keep conversations on tasks.
  • The To-Do List email every morning helps me mentally prepare and know exactly what I should be doing as soon as I start work.
  • Powerful and useful integrations save lots of time (Google Drive, Slack, Dropbox, Zapier and more!).
Read full review
Salesforce
  • Slack has significantly improved communication within the organization by providing a platform for quick and instant messaging.
  • Teams can easily collaborate on different projects with Slack’s channels.
  • We have to use Google Drive to send large videos. Would have been good if it could be spent through Slack.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ActiveCollab Screenshots

Screenshot of the dashboard with an overview of projects.Screenshot of multiple task views currently showing a Kanban view of the tasklists and tasks.Screenshot of Overview of all recent activity.Screenshot of Calendar view with task dependencies.Screenshot of Permission settings (owner, member, client, client+).Screenshot of List of available Add-ons.