Softwr

Project Management · head to head

Hive vs Paymo

Hive logo

Hive

Project Management

Project management built for speed

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paymo logo

Paymo

Project Management

Work & project management for teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hive the free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage; Paymo every advertised price rises after 3 months, with Plus going from $10.90 to $15.90 per user and Pro from $16.90 to $23.90
  • They diverge on capability: Hive covers Tasks, Paymo covers Task management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hive and Paymo actually diverge.

Attributes where Hive and Paymo differ
AttributeHivePaymo
Founded20152008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android, Desktop), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Project Management).

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 Hive

  • Tasks
  • Gantt view
  • Kanban
  • Forms
  • Zoom
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
  • SOC 2

Only in Paymo

  • Task management
  • Invoicing
  • Gantt charts
  • Resource scheduling
  • Google Workspace
  • Zapier
  • SSL encryption

Both cover

  • Time tracking
  • Slack
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support
  • Desktop support

What people use each for

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

Hive

  • Project and task management with multiple project viewsnot Paymo
  • Coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teamsnot Paymo

Paymo

  • Time tracking for freelancersnot Hive
  • Project management for small teamsnot Hive
  • Invoice generation and client managementnot Hive

Where each one falls short

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

Hive

  • The free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage
  • The Starter plan at $5 per user per month is limited to 10 projects
  • Eight capabilities are sold as $5 per user add ons on the Teams plan, including CRM, timesheets, proofing, resourcing, advanced dashboards, external users and SSO
  • Buying SSO plus a few of those add ons therefore costs more than the $12 base seat itself
  • AI credits are metered monthly at 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 by plan

Paymo

  • Every advertised price rises after 3 months, with Plus going from $10.90 to $15.90 per user and Pro from $16.90 to $23.90
  • The free plan allows 1 user, 1 client and 2 projects
  • The Solo plan is still capped at 3 clients and 5 projects
  • Gantt charts, task dependencies and scheduling require the Plus plan
  • Integrations are excluded from both the free and Solo plans

Pricing, plan by plan

Hive

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 AI credits per month
    • 200MB storage
    • Up to 10 workspace members
  • Starter$5/month
    • 3,000 AI credits per month
    • Unlimited storage
    • Up to 10 projects
  • Teams$12/month
    • 5,000 AI credits per month
    • Unlimited workspace members
    • Custom fields

Paymo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 user
    • unlimited time tracking
    • unlimited invoices
  • Solo$5.9/month
    • 1 user
    • flat rate/retainer projects
    • 3 clients
  • Plus$10.9/month
    • unlimited users
    • spreadsheet view
    • recurring tasks
  • Pro$16.9/month
    • unlimited users
    • Gantt charts
    • task dependencies

Which should you pick?

Choose Hive if

  • You need tasks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want gantt view.
Hive review

Choose Paymo if

  • You need task management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want invoicing.
Paymo review

Questions people ask

Is Hive or Paymo better?
Neither clearly leads. Hive starts at Free and Paymo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hive or Paymo?
Hive starts at Free and Paymo at Free.
Does Hive or Paymo run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Hive for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Hive best used for?
Hive is most often used for project and task management with multiple project views, coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams. Of those, project and task management with multiple project views and coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams are not what Paymo is typically brought in for.
What can Hive do that Paymo cannot?
Hive covers Tasks, Gantt view, Kanban, Forms. Paymo covers Task management, Invoicing, Gantt charts, Resource scheduling. Both handle Time tracking, Slack, Web support, Ios support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hive: Is Hive free?

Hive offers a free plan with 1,000 AI credits per month, 200MB storage, and support for up to 10 workspace members. Paid plans start at $5 per user per month.

Source
Paymo: What is the storage limit by plan?

Free: 1GB, Solo: 5GB, Plus: 50GB, Pro: 500GB.

Source
Hive: Does Hive offer annual billing discounts?

Hive offers 33% savings when choosing annual billing instead of monthly. Annual commitment discounts are available across all plan tiers.

Source
Paymo: Can I use Paymo with multiple users on the Free plan?

No, Free and Solo plans are limited to 1 user only. You need Plus or Pro for multiple users.

Source
Hive: What are Hive's add-on pricing options?

Optional add-ons are available at $5 per month each, including CRM, Finance, Proofing & Approvals, Timesheets, and Team Resourcing features.

Source
Paymo: What happens after the promotional pricing period ends?

Regular prices apply: Solo $9.90/month, Plus $15.90/user/month, Pro $23.90/user/month.

Source
Paymo: Is there a discount for annual billing?

Yes, annual payment offers up to 40% discount compared to monthly billing.

Source
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