Agency delivery breaks when campaigns, client approvals, and technical implementation live in disconnected tools. Teams start each morning in Slack, jump to spreadsheets, update a board, then ask developers for GitHub status in a separate thread. That context switching eats hours and creates reporting drift across account managers, creatives, and technical teams.
This guide is built for decision makers from digital agencies, specifically business owners, project managers, engineering managers, and technical leads running high-growth client delivery. You are not looking for generic task apps. You need digital marketing agency project management software that handles campaigns, resources, client communication, and technical execution when landing pages, analytics, and automation work are part of the scope.
You will get a scenario-based shortlist, a practical comparison table, and setup advice you can apply in the next 30 minutes. This digital marketing agency project management software guide uses published starting points for pricing, and you should confirm current details on vendor pages before buying.
Digital agency project management software comparison table
Quick comparison (8 tools)
| Tool | Pricing | Strengths | Limits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HighFly | $0 (Solo), $10+ per user/month | Lightweight, easy adoption, built-in automations, GitHub and editor fit | Not a full billing or agency ERP suite | Dev-heavy marketing agencies reducing context switching |
| Kanbanchi | Workspace plans vary by edition | Google Workspace-native workflows, simple board adoption | Less depth for code-linked execution | Google-first agencies |
| Wrike | $10+ per user/month (plan-based) | Resource planning, enterprise approvals, portfolio controls | Heavier setup and admin overhead | Multi-office and larger agencies |
| Trello | $5+ per user/month | Fast setup, visual boards, low learning curve | Limited native reporting and resource depth | Small boutique agencies |
| Smartsheet | $12.99+ per user/month | Spreadsheet-style planning, dashboards, structured reporting | Can feel heavy for creative teams | Data-driven agencies and PMOs |
| Scoro | Plan-based pricing by feature tier | Project plus billing plus profitability in one platform | Broader rollout effort across teams | Agencies prioritizing financial visibility |
| Asana | $10.99+ per user/month | Cross-functional planning and easy stakeholder views | Advanced agency controls need conventions | Mid-size marketing teams with mixed functions |
| Monday.com | $9+ per seat/month | Visual workflows, flexible templates, broad integrations | Can become noisy without strict standards | Agencies needing customizable workflows |
Pricing changes frequently. Verify current plans on each vendor's pricing page before purchase.
HighFly for dev-heavy digital marketing teams
Real setup time
Most agencies can stand up a first workspace in 15 to 30 minutes. Connect one repository used for campaign landing pages or tracking scripts, then create a campaign board with columns like Brief, Creative, Build, QA, and Live. Keep the first rollout narrow by importing only active work for one client.
Workflow example
A paid media manager opens a new experiment task, a developer links the branch and pull request, and status updates flow to the project board automatically as work ships. The team avoids duplicate updates between GitHub and a separate PM system. This is where digital marketing agency project management software starts saving real time each week.
Pricing and limits
HighFly offers a free solo plan and paid team plans starting around $10 per user/month. The platform is lightweight, easy for both technical and non-technical users, and strong on built-in automations that reduce status chasing. Limits show up when you need advanced agency billing or invoicing in the same digital marketing agency project management software stack.
Migration tip
Keep your current client-facing PM tool during pilot week. Move one dev-heavy campaign workflow first, confirm faster handoffs, then expand. For related workflow patterns, see Git integration project management tools and context switching developer productivity.
Kanbanchi for Google Workspace-native agencies
Real setup time
Setup usually takes 20 to 40 minutes for a small client pod. Teams that already run Gmail, Drive, and Calendar daily can move quickly because the interface aligns with their existing workflow. Start with one board per client and one shared taxonomy for channels.
Workflow example
Account managers convert email requests into tasks, creatives attach assets from Drive, and campaign owners review timeline and Gantt views for launch planning. This structure works well when teams prefer Google-native collaboration and need low-friction adoption.
Pricing and limits
Pricing depends on plan level and workspace setup, so confirm current tiers directly with the vendor. The main limit for digital marketing agency project management software use cases is weaker support for deep engineering workflows compared with dev-first systems.
Migration tip
Bring in only active campaigns first. Preserve historical reporting in your prior tool until month-end close. If your agency has a technical marketing pod, pair Kanbanchi with a code-linked execution layer instead of forcing all dev status into manual board edits.
Wrike for multi-office agency operations
Real setup time
Pilot setup is typically 1 to 2 days for agencies with multiple service lines. Wrike works best when you define workflow governance early: naming standards, approval states, and role permissions. Without this baseline, teams tend to create duplicate structures.
Workflow example
A campaign request enters intake, passes strategy review, moves to creative production, then routes through legal and client approval automatically. Department leads monitor utilization and capacity from workload views while operations tracks overdue dependencies across offices.
Pricing and limits
Wrike plans generally start around the low double-digit range per user/month depending on features. It is powerful for structured delivery and reporting, but complexity can slow adoption for smaller agencies that need simpler campaign execution.
Migration tip
Migrate by workflow, not by department. Pick one high-volume campaign type first, create a reusable template, and train a small champion group before wider rollout. This avoids inconsistent process design across teams in your digital marketing agency project management software rollout.
Trello for boutique and early-stage agencies
Real setup time
Trello is often live in under 20 minutes for small teams. A board-per-client model with standardized lists is enough to replace spreadsheet and chat-based task tracking for early growth agencies.
Workflow example
An account manager creates cards for ad creative, landing page updates, and reporting deadlines. Labels map campaign channels and due dates drive weekly planning. Teams that need only clear ownership and visible deadlines can run smoothly with this setup.
Pricing and limits
Trello starts around $5 per user/month for paid plans. Limits appear when agencies need advanced resource management, profitability tracking, or complex approval workflows. Add-ons can help, but stack complexity can grow quickly.
Migration tip
Use Trello as a stabilization step if your current process is fragmented. Once process discipline improves, evaluate whether digital marketing agency project management software with stronger reporting is needed for the next growth phase.
Smartsheet for data-driven campaign planning
Real setup time
Initial setup usually takes 1 to 3 hours depending on dashboard requirements. Teams that already run spreadsheet-heavy planning can map existing sheets into project templates quickly and reduce one-off manual reporting.
Workflow example
Campaign leads track milestones, budgets, and owner assignments in sheet views while leadership dashboards summarize risk, delivery health, and budget variance by client. This is useful when operations teams need structured reporting across many campaigns.
Pricing and limits
Smartsheet paid plans commonly start around $12.99 per user/month. The tradeoff is usability for less technical collaborators. Creative teams can find spreadsheet-first interfaces harder to adopt than board-centric systems.
Migration tip
Avoid importing every historical sheet. Move active clients and one monthly reporting cycle first. Keep dashboards simple in sprint one, then add advanced formulas and rollups once the team is consistently updating core fields.
Scoro for all-in-one agency operations
Real setup time
Scoro pilot setup often takes a few days because it touches project workflows, rates, time tracking, and financial reporting together. The payoff is stronger operational visibility if your agency needs margin-level management by client and service line.
Workflow example
Teams scope a client campaign, allocate hours by role, track delivery progress, and compare planned versus actual billable effort in one system. Leadership can review utilization and profitability without combining data from separate tools.
Pricing and limits
Pricing is tiered by functionality. Scoro is usually stronger than lightweight PM tools for financial visibility but can be heavier to roll out. Agencies should validate how well current accounting and sales workflows map before full adoption.
Migration tip
Run a phased migration by client segment. Start with one retainer-heavy account group and confirm reporting accuracy before moving one-off project work. This reduces finance risk during transition to new digital marketing agency project management software.
Asana for cross-functional marketing delivery
Real setup time
Asana can be pilot-ready in a few hours when teams start from campaign templates and keep the first workspace narrow. Agencies with account, creative, and paid teams often onboard quickly because task ownership and timeline views are straightforward.
Workflow example
A strategist opens a campaign brief, creative leads attach deliverables, and account managers track approvals from custom views shared with clients. This works well for agencies that want digital marketing agency project management software centered on collaboration clarity across non-technical and technical roles.
Pricing and limits
Asana paid plans generally start around $10.99 per user/month based on plan and contract terms. Limits appear when agencies need deep profitability controls or engineering-linked workflow automation without extra tooling.
Migration tip
Standardize one campaign template before migrating active clients. Agencies that import raw legacy boards usually recreate old process issues. Validate one two-week cycle, then scale only after ownership and status rules are stable.
Monday.com for highly customizable agency workflows
Real setup time
Monday.com pilots usually launch in under a day for mid-size teams, but full value takes longer because configuration choices are broad. Agencies should define a template owner early so workflows do not drift across clients.
Workflow example
A growth agency builds boards for campaign intake, production, and performance reporting, then uses dashboard widgets for status by client and channel. This digital marketing agency project management software pattern works when teams need visual controls with flexible board structures.
Pricing and limits
Monday.com plans commonly start around $9 per seat/month depending on billing model and features. Limits include template sprawl and rising cost as agencies add advanced dashboards, automations, and cross-team permissions.
Migration tip
Freeze your status taxonomy before migration. If every team customizes statuses in week one, reporting consistency breaks immediately. Keep one controlled schema for all active clients, then allow small localized variations only after month one.
How to choose project management software for marketing agencies
Match tool choice to agency model
Boutique content shops usually optimize for speed and simplicity. Growth agencies with paid media, SEO, and web experimentation need stronger cross-functional workflows. Enterprise service agencies need approvals, utilization, and financial controls. Pick digital marketing agency project management software based on delivery constraints, not feature volume.
Evaluate context switching cost directly
Run a one-week baseline: count how many times campaign status is manually copied between PM boards, chat, and engineering tools. Teams often find 2 to 3 hours per lead each week spent on status consolidation. Reducing that overhead should be a primary selection metric, not an afterthought.
Validate integration fit before contract signing
Confirm integration quality with Slack, Google Workspace, calendars, and any code systems used by your technical team. If engineering touches campaign delivery, require a pilot that proves practical synchronization with GitHub workflows before you commit to digital marketing agency project management software for the full organization.
For additional evaluation frameworks, these posts can help: best project management software for agile teams and best task management software for development teams.
30-day rollout plan for digital agency PM adoption
Week 1: define templates and choose pilot clients
Set one standard campaign template with phases, owners, deadlines, and approval gates. Choose two pilot clients: one straightforward campaign and one cross-functional campaign with technical work. This gives balanced feedback on simplicity and execution depth.
Week 2: onboard by role and run first live workflows
Train account managers on client views and escalations, creatives on production boards, and developers on code-linked task updates. Keep dashboards focused by role so adoption is fast and less overwhelming.
Week 3 to 4: measure, refine, and scale
Measure on-time delivery, approval cycle time, and weekly reporting effort. If reporting prep drops and delivery visibility improves, scale the template across more clients. Adjust automations gradually so teams trust changes before wider rollout.
- Keep one source of truth per workflow to prevent duplicate updates.
- Cap status options so reports remain comparable across teams.
- Review tool fit quarterly as agency services and client mix evolve.
If your agency runs technical delivery alongside campaign ops, start with a lightweight execution layer and prove value fast. The best digital marketing agency project management software is the one your mixed team consistently uses, not the one with the longest feature list.