20 Best Consulting Software in 2026

BQE Core is an all-in-one firm management platform built specifically for architecture and engineering firms, covering project management, time and expense tracking, billing, and financial reporting.

Who Is BQE Core Best For?

BQE Core is purpose-built for architecture, engineering, and consulting firms that need project accounting and billing tools designed around their specific delivery models.

Why I Picked BQE Core

I've included BQE Core in my top picks because it's one of the few consulting tools built from the ground up for A&E firms, not adapted from a generic project management platform. I like how it structures projects around fee types like fixed fee, hourly, and unit-based billing, which mirrors how A&E firms actually contract work. 

The phase and task-level budget tracking lets my team monitor spend against each project phase in real time, so budget overruns surface before they compound.

BQE Core Key Features

• Resource planning: View team capacity and utilization across all projects using Gantt charts, then adjust allocations against project timelines and budgets.
• Time and expense tracking: Log hours with pause-and-play timers, set automatic timesheet reminders, and attach receipts directly to project expense records.
• Built-in CRM: Manage client relationships and business development activity from within the same platform used for project delivery and billing.
• Integrated accounting: Access profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and general ledger data alongside project financials in one unified view.

BQE Core Integrations

BQE Core offers 100+ native integrations, including QuickBooks, DocuSign, Power BI, Xero, Google, and Microsoft. It also connects with Zapier and provides public APIs for custom integrations.

Deltek Vantagepoint is an ERP platform built for professional services firms, functioning as a robust time tracking software while covering project management, resource planning, financials, and client relationship management in one place.

Who Is Deltek Vantagepoint Best For?

Deltek Vantagepoint is a strong fit for architecture, engineering, and consulting firms that run project-based business models and need a single system for finance, projects, and client management.

Why I Picked Deltek Vantagepoint

I picked Deltek Vantagepoint as one of the best because its CRM module is purpose-built for project-based firms, not bolted on from a generic sales tool. Contact records connect directly to project history, pipeline stages, and pursuit tracking, so you can see the full client relationship in one place. 

I also like the Dela AI layer, which surfaces client intel and flags relationship gaps based on activity data. That's a level of business development context most ERP platforms don't offer.

Deltek Vantagepoint Key Features

• Resource management: Assign staff to projects based on availability and role fit, then monitor workloads and adjust as project demands shift.
• Project financial tracking: Monitor project costs, budgets, and KPIs from a single dashboard with real-time alerts when metrics fall out of range.
• Time and expense automation: Use AI to simplify timesheet entry and expense reporting, reducing manual input across billable and non-billable work.
• Automated billing and invoicing: Configure billing rules per project and automate invoice generation to reduce the time between work delivered and payment received.

Deltek Vantagepoint Integrations

Deltek Vantagepoint offers native integrations with other Deltek products like GovWin IQ, Deltek PIM, Deltek ArchiSnapper, Microsoft Outlook, and UKG Pro. It also supports pre-built connectors on iPaaS platforms and a RESTful API for custom integrations.

NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro is a cloud-based PSA platform that covers the full project delivery lifecycle for services businesses, including project management, resource planning, time and expense tracking, billing, and ERP-connected financials.

Who Is NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro Best For?

NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro is a natural fit for mid-size to enterprise services firms that run on NetSuite ERP and need project financials tightly connected to their broader business operations.

Why I Picked NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro

I've included NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro in my top picks because its ERP connection is genuinely bidirectional. Project costs, revenue recognition, and invoices flow directly into NetSuite Financials without manual exports or reconciliation. I also like that company executives can view all project metrics alongside sales, financials, and other KPIs from within NetSuite. 

For consulting firms that already run on NetSuite, that unified visibility across delivery and finance is something you won't replicate by stitching two separate platforms together.

NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro Key Features

• Project Center: View project status, resource demand, risks, and budgets vs. actuals across all active projects in one place.
• Capacity planning: Allocate resources to projects based on skill set, experience, availability, and planned PTO.
• AI-generated project summaries: Monitor project changes and auto-generate up-to-date status summaries without manual drafting.
• Project template automation: Create new projects from preconfigured templates with built-in budgets, approval workflows, and billing rules.

NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro Integrations

NetSuite SuiteProjects Pro offers native integrations across the Oracle NetSuite ecosystem, including NetSuite ERP and NetSuite CRM. An API is available for custom integrations.

Scoro is an all-in-one business management platform for professional services firms that covers CRM, project management, time tracking, billing, and financial reporting in a single workspace.

Who Is Scoro Best For?

Scoro is a strong fit for growing professional services firms that need one system to manage the full client lifecycle, from first contact through invoicing.

Why I Picked Scoro

I've included Scoro in my top picks because it's one of the few consulting tools that keeps sales and delivery data in the same system rather than forcing you to stitch them together manually. I like that a won deal in the CRM flows directly into a scoped project with budgets, roles, and resource plans already attached. From there, time tracked against delivery feeds back into live profitability views at the project, service, and role level. That's a level of operational continuity I don't see in most competing PSA tools.

Scoro Key Features

• Quote and proposal builder: Create detailed quotes with line items, pricing tiers, and markup directly inside the platform before a project begins.
• Workload planner: View scheduled vs. available hours across your team in a drag-and-drop calendar to manage capacity across multiple active projects.
• Automated invoicing: Generate invoices based on tracked time, fixed fees, or project milestones without manually pulling data from separate systems.
• Customizable dashboards: Build dashboards tracking KPIs like billable ratio, revenue pipeline, and project status across your entire portfolio.

Scoro Integrations

Scoro offers native integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, Avalara, Stripe, Jira, Envoice, Google Calendar, Outlook, Slack, Mailchimp, and Dropbox. Zapier and an API are available for custom integrations.

BigTime is a professional services automation (PSA) platform built for consulting, engineering, and IT services firms that need project management, time and expense tracking, resource scheduling, quoting, and billing in one place.

Who Is BigTime Best For?

BigTime is a strong fit for mid-sized professional services firms in consulting, accounting, and engineering that bill by the hour and need tighter control over project margins.

Why I Picked BigTime

BigTime earns its spot on my shortlist because of how it handles margin visibility in real time, not just at month-end. I like that the margin-informed Quote Builder shows live rate card data as you scope work, so you're not guessing at profitability before a project kicks off. 

The budget vs. actuals tracking updates continuously throughout delivery, and the Resourcing Agent factors margin impact into every staffing decision before you confirm it. That combination means margin isn't something I'm reconciling after the fact.

BigTime Key Features

• Time and expense tracking: Log billable hours and expenses directly against projects, with that data feeding automatically into budgeting, invoicing, and performance reporting.
• Flexible invoicing and billing automation: Generate invoices based on tracked time, budget status, and billing models, including time-and-materials, fixed fee, and retainer arrangements.
• Real-time dashboards and custom reporting: Monitor KPIs like revenue, utilization, and project status at the project level or rolled up across your entire portfolio.
• Drag-and-drop resource scheduling: Visualize team availability, adjust workloads, and prevent overbooking directly from the resource management view.

BigTime Integrations

BigTime offers native integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, Hubspot, Jira, Smartsheet, Zendesk, Okta, Salesforce, Lacerte, Slack, and more, and provides an API for custom integrations.

Teamwork.com is a project management and client operations platform built for professional services teams, combining task management, time tracking, resource planning, budgeting, and profitability reporting in one place.

Who Is Teamwork.com Best For?

Teamwork.com is a strong fit for small to mid-sized consulting agencies and client services teams that manage multiple projects and billable work simultaneously.

Why I Picked Teamwork.com

I've included Teamwork.com in my top picks because of how well it connects with the tools consulting teams already use daily. With 150+ integrations spanning CRM, accounting, file storage, time tracking, and reporting, you can pull Xero invoices, sync HubSpot deals, or manage files from Google Drive and Dropbox without leaving the platform. 

I especially like the Microsoft Office Add-in, which lets you log time and create tasks directly from Word or Excel—something client-facing teams will use constantly.

Teamwork.com Key Features

• Client portal: A dedicated space where clients can log in to view project progress, files, and updates without needing a full account.
• Budget tracking: Set project budgets and monitor spend against estimates in real time at the task or project level.
• Workload management: View team capacity across all active projects and reassign tasks when someone is over-allocated.
• Retainer management: Track recurring client retainers, log hours against them, and monitor remaining budget per billing period.

Teamwork.com Integrations

Teamwork.com offers 150+ integrations, including native integrations with Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, QuickBooks, Microsoft Teams, Xero, Harvest, Dropbox, Google Workspace, and NetSuite. It also connects with Zapier and Make, and provides an API for custom integrations.

Polaris PSA is a professional services automation (PSA) platform built by Deltek for IT and consulting firms, covering project management, resource planning, time tracking, expense management, and project financials in a single solution.

Who Is Polaris PSA Best For?

Polaris PSA is purpose-built for IT and technology consulting firms that manage complex, multi-phase client engagements with distributed delivery teams.

Why I Picked Polaris PSA

Polaris PSA earns its spot on my shortlist because of how its AI, Dela, actively participates in project delivery rather than just reporting on it. I can ask Dela to flag at-risk projects before they slip, or surface billing gaps my team might miss mid-engagement. 

I also like that project health scoring runs continuously in the background, so I'm not waiting on a weekly status call to know something's off. That level of real-time visibility across active engagements is what sets it apart.

Polaris PSA Key Features

• Expense management: Log, categorize, and submit project expenses directly against client engagements for accurate cost tracking.
• Opportunity pipeline tracking: Manage pre-sales opportunities and connect won deals directly to project setup without re-entering data.
• Utilization reporting: Track billable vs. non-billable hours across your team to monitor consultant utilization rates over time.
• Timesheet approval workflows: Route submitted timesheets through configurable approval chains before hours are posted to projects.

Polaris PSA Integrations

Polaris PSA offers native integrations with Deltek ERP systems, Salesforce, QuickBooks, Xero, Jira, and Microsoft 365. An API is available for custom integrations.

Ruddr is an AI-native PSA platform for professional services firms that covers time tracking, expense tracking, resource management, project management, invoicing, sales pipeline, and financial forecasting.

Who Is Ruddr Best For?

Ruddr is a strong fit for small to mid-sized professional services firms, particularly consulting and digital agencies, that need a full PSA without the complexity of enterprise-grade tools.

Why I Picked Ruddr

I picked Ruddr as one of the best because its mobile time tracking works the way consulting teams actually operate. Consultants log time from their phones right after a client meeting, rather than reconstructing their week every Friday. 

I also like that Ruddr surfaces real-time budget performance as hours are entered, so project managers catch overruns before they compound. The configurable, multistep approval workflows, including optional client approval before invoicing, keep billing clean without adding admin overhead.

Ruddr Key Features

• Resource allocation: Allocate work to team members or placeholder roles by day, week, or month, with a click-and-drag interface and split or clone options.
• Sales pipeline tracking: Capture opportunities, associate them to tentative projects, and track weighted pipeline value, average deal size, and full activity history.
• Project health reporting: Project managers score budget, schedule, client satisfaction, and team satisfaction in periodic health reports, with actual-to-budget metrics stamped automatically at each entry.
• Multicurrency support: Run projects and invoices across multiple currencies, which is useful for consulting firms working with international clients.

Ruddr Integrations

Ruddr offers a smaller set of native integrations, including QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Rippling, BambooHR, Expensify, Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more. An open API is also available for custom integrations.

Certinia PS Cloud is a professional services automation (PSA) platform built natively on Salesforce, covering resource planning, project delivery, billing, and financial management for consulting and services organizations.

Who Is Certinia PS Cloud Best For?

Certinia PS Cloud is a natural fit for mid-to-large consulting and professional services firms that are already running Salesforce as their CRM.

Why I Picked Certinia PS Cloud

I've included Certinia PS Cloud in my top picks because it's one of the only PSA platforms that lives entirely inside Salesforce, not just connected to it. That means opportunity data, project records, resource assignments, and billing all share the same customer record. 

I also like the Veda AI layer, which uses your own historical project data to generate estimates and match resources to open roles without manual intervention.

Certinia PS Cloud Key Features

• Services estimation: Build project quotes using historical delivery data, then refine scope and pricing before a contract is signed.
• Project management: Track milestones, risks, and delivery status across active engagements directly within the Salesforce platform.
• Services billing: Manage complex billing scenarios, including time-and-materials, fixed-fee, and milestone-based billing, tied directly to project records.
• Services financials: Access real-time financial visibility across projects, including margin tracking and revenue recognition, without leaving the platform.

Certinia PS Cloud Integrations

Certinia PS Cloud offers native integrations with Salesforce, Jitterbit, Expensify, SAP Concur, Avalara, Celigo, Zankraft, Conga, and DocuSign, and provides an API for custom integrations.

Workday PSA is a professional services automation platform that covers project planning, resource management, time tracking, expense management, project billing, and financial management alongside built-in HCM, Services CPQ, and planning capabilities.

Who Is Workday PSA Best For?

Workday PSA suits enterprise-level IT and management consulting firms that need to manage rapid staff changes across multiple concurrent client engagements.

Why I Picked Workday PSA

Workday PSA earns its spot on my shortlist because of how it handles dynamic resource allocation across fast-moving engagements. I use the staffing pool feature to predefine groups of qualified resources by skill set, so when a new project opens, I can fill roles in hours rather than days. 

The real-time capacity visibility also lets me see who's available before I commit to a client delivery timeline.

Workday PSA Key Features

• Project time tracking: Log billable and non-billable hours against specific projects and tasks directly within the platform, with mobile submission support.
• Budget-to-actuals monitoring: Track live project spend against approved budgets, with cost variances surfaced at the project or task level.
• Skills catalog: Maintain a centralized record of worker certifications, skills, and experience levels to support role-based project assignments.
• Project health dashboards: View milestone status, margin, and delivery risk across your entire project portfolio from a single reporting view.

Workday PSA Integrations

Native integrations are not publicly listed. Workday PSA offers an API for custom integrations.