
Trello charges for each paid seat. Basecamp caps the bill. The better bargain depends less on features than on what happens when another person joins the work.

For client-service teams, finishing the work is only half the job. Teamwork.com connects tasks, time, rates, expenses and invoices in one workflow, while rivals still ask users to stitch parts of the money trail together.

Most project tools charge more every time your team grows. Basecamp offers a company-wide ceiling, while Trello and Teamwork make different bets on simplicity, control and client work.