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Project Management · head to head

Basecamp vs Earthly

Basecamp logo

Basecamp

Project Management

Project management & team collaboration software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit BasecampFull review
Earthly logo

Earthly

Developer Tools

Engineering guardrails for the AI era

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit EarthlyFull review

The short version

  • Basecamp is a project management and team collaboration tool.
  • Earthly is free; Basecamp starts at $25/mo.
  • Only Basecamp lists message boards; only Earthly lists policy as code.
  • Where Basecamp falls short: the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage.
  • Where Earthly falls short: pricing model not published; requires sales contact.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Earthly actually diverge.

Attributes where Basecamp and Earthly differ
AttributeBasecampEarthly
Pricing modelSubscriptionNo pricing published on website
PlatformsWebWeb, API
CategoryProject ManagementDeveloper Tools
Founded20042020

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Basecamp

  • Message boards
  • To-do lists
  • Schedules
  • Documents & files
  • Group chat
  • Check-in questions
  • Hill Charts
  • Email forwards

Only in Earthly

  • Policy as code
  • Multi-stage enforcement
  • AI agent governance
  • Repository-wide policies
  • Incident response automation
  • Compliance management
  • Earthfiles build tool
  • Satellites

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Basecamp

  • Project management for a small team in one placenot Earthly
  • Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Earthly
  • Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Earthly
  • Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Earthly

Earthly

  • Enforcing engineering standards across AI and human developersnot Basecamp
  • Automating incident response procedures across all repositoriesnot Basecamp
  • Embedding compliance requirements into development workflowsnot Basecamp
  • Standardizing build processes with Earthfilesnot Basecamp

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Basecamp

  • The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
  • Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
  • Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
  • Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited

Earthly

  • Pricing model not published; requires sales contact
  • Earthly Lunar is a recent launch (2025) with limited track record
  • Primarily GitHub-focused; limited integration with other platforms
  • No public documentation on pricing or feature tiers

Pricing, plan by plan

Basecamp

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 active project
    • 1 GB storage
    • 5 maximum users
  • Freelancer$25/mo
    • 3 active projects
    • 5 GB storage
    • 20 maximum users
  • Studio$59/mo
    • 10 active projects
    • 25 GB storage
    • Unlimited users
  • Pro$99/mo
    • 25 active projects
    • 100 GB storage
    • Unlimited users

Earthly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Earthly review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Basecamp if

  • You need message boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want to-do lists.
Basecamp review

Choose Earthly if

  • You need policy as code.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want multi-stage enforcement.
Earthly review

Questions people ask

Is Basecamp or Earthly better?
Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Earthly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Earthly?
Basecamp starts at Free and Earthly at Free.
Does Basecamp or Earthly run on more platforms?
Basecamp runs on Web. Earthly runs on Web, API.
Can I use Basecamp for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Basecamp best used for?
Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Earthly is typically brought in for.
What can Basecamp do that Earthly cannot?
Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Earthly covers Policy as code, Multi-stage enforcement, AI agent governance, Repository-wide policies.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Basecamp: Does Basecamp charge per user?

No, Studio tier and higher include unlimited users at no additional charge. The Free plan supports up to 5 users, and Freelancer supports up to 20 users.

Source
Earthly: What is the difference between Earthfiles and Earthly Lunar?

Earthfiles is an open-source build tool that reached 12,000 GitHub stars and is used by companies like NVIDIA, Intel, and Databricks. Earthly Lunar is a separate governance platform launched in 2025 for enforcing standards across development workflows.

Source
Basecamp: How much storage does each Basecamp plan include?

Free includes 1 GB; Freelancer includes 5 GB; Studio includes 25 GB; Pro includes 100 GB; Unlimited includes 1 TB and can be expanded to 6 TB for an additional $100/month.

Source
Earthly: How does Earthly Lunar enforce standards?

Lunar converts engineering standards, compliance requirements, and processes documented in AGENTS.md files, wikis, and incident postmortems into enforceable guardrails that apply consistently across repositories and development stages.

Source
Basecamp: What trial periods does Basecamp offer?

30-day free trial is available for all plans except Unlimited, which offers a 45-day free trial. No credit card required.

Source
Earthly: What is the pricing for Earthly Lunar?

Pricing is not published on the website. Interested customers should contact Earthly's sales team for current pricing and feature tiers.

Source
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