All industries · head to head
Basecamp vs Time Doctor

Basecamp
All industries
Project management & team collaboration software
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -

Time Doctor
Productivity
Employee time tracking and productivity monitoring
- From
- $4/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Basecamp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Time Doctor historical tracking data retention is capped by plan: 3 months on Basic and 6 months on Standard, versus 2 years on Premium and Enterprise
- They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Time Doctor actually diverge.
| Attribute | Basecamp | Time Doctor |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $4/month |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows |
| Category | All industries | Productivity |
| Founded | 2004 | 2011 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Time Doctor
- Time tracking with timer
- Activity monitoring
- Screenshots
- GPS tracking
- Webcam monitoring
- Reports and invoicing
- Mobile apps
- Team management
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 Time Doctor
- Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Time Doctor
- Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Time Doctor
- Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Time Doctor
Time Doctor
- Productivitynot Basecamp
- Collaborationnot Basecamp
- Task managementnot Basecamp
- Organizationnot 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
Time Doctor
- Historical tracking data retention is capped by plan: 3 months on Basic and 6 months on Standard, versus 2 years on Premium and Enterprise
- HRIS and Payroll native integrations are paid add-ons at $200 per integration per month
- Software Cost Insights add-on costs $3 per user per month on top of the base plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Basecamp
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Basecamp review.
Time Doctor
$4/month- Basic$4/month
- Time tracking
- Reports
- Mobile apps
- Standard$6/month
- Everything in Basic
- Activity monitoring
- Screenshots
- Premium$10/month
- Everything in Standard
- GPS tracking
- Webcam snapshots
Which should you pick?
Choose Basecamp if
- You need message boards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want to-do lists.
Choose Time Doctor if
- You need time tracking with timer.
- You work on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- You also want activity monitoring.
Questions people ask
- Is Basecamp or Time Doctor better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Time Doctor at $4/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Time Doctor?
- Basecamp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Basecamp and $4/month for Time Doctor.
- Does Basecamp or Time Doctor run on more platforms?
- Basecamp runs on Web. Time Doctor runs on Web, IOS, Android, MacOS, Windows.
- Can I use Basecamp for free?
- Yes. Basecamp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Time Doctor starts at $4/month.
- 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 Time Doctor is typically brought in for.
- What can Basecamp do that Time Doctor cannot?
- Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Time Doctor covers Time tracking with timer, Activity monitoring, Screenshots, GPS tracking.
Related pages
More on Time Doctor
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- Time Doctor vs GanttPRO
- Time Doctor vs MeisterTask
- Time Doctor vs Sunsama
- Time Doctor vs Craft Docs
- Time Doctor vs Freedcamp
- Time Doctor vs Hive
- Time Doctor vs Kanbanize
- Time Doctor vs LiquidPlanner
- Time Doctor vs Nifty
- Time Doctor vs Paymo
- Time Doctor vs Pipefy
- Time Doctor vs Podio
- Time Doctor vs ProofHub
- Time Doctor vs Todoist
- Time Doctor vs Things 3
- Time Doctor vs OmniFocus 3
- Time Doctor vs Brain.fm
- Time Doctor vs TickTick
- Time Doctor vs Akiflow
- Time Doctor vs Any.do
- Time Doctor vs Focus@Will
- Time Doctor vs Forest
- Time Doctor vs Google Workspace
- Time Doctor vs Hubstaff
- Time Doctor vs Remember The Milk
- Time Doctor vs Structured
- Time Doctor vs Tana
- Time Doctor vs 7-Zip
- Time Doctor vs Bear
- Time Doctor vs Bear Notes
- Time Doctor vs BoldSign
