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.
Per-seat pricing across paid tiers. See paymo.biz/pricing for current rates; both tools' prices can change.
Hoursmith is good for
- · Per-seat pricing is becoming uncomfortable as your team grows (the math reverses around 5+ members).
- · 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 $15/mo annual up to 10, Agency $31/mo annual up to 25.
At a glance
Compared on 2026-05-27. Both tools change fast — if you spot something out of date, email hi@hoursmith.app and we'll fix it within 48 hours.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 $15/mo annual up to 10; Agency $31/mo annual up to 25) |
| Time tracking (timer + manual) | Yes | Yes — all plans, including Free |
| Invoicing from tracked time | Yes | Yes — all plans |
| 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 |
| Project management (Gantt, resource planning) | Yes — a core strength | No — Hoursmith is intentionally not a PM tool |
| 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 (the math reverses around 5+ members).
- · 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 is a time-and-billing tool by design. If you rely on Paymo's PM features, switching means giving those up — that's a real trade-off, not a feature gap we're hiding.
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.
Related
Start free. Switch in an afternoon.
Free forever for solo freelancers — no card. Import from Paymo, CSV, or Excel in a few clicks; paid plans add a 14-day trial. Cancel any time — we prorate.
Free for solo freelancers · No credit card · Cancel any time