Comparison
Manage Agency vs Basecamp
Honest breakdown for agencies weighing a flat-price veteran against a client-first portal built for 2026. Basecamp is a great team tool — it was never built to be the client's front door.
Pick Manage Agency if…
- — You want the client to see your brand, not Basecamp.
- — You need per-client feature control.
- — You want contracts and approvals in one place.
- — You're tired of the 2004 UI feel.
Stay on Basecamp if…
- — Flat $299/mo with unlimited clients is the main constraint.
- — Your team lives inside message boards + check-ins.
- — You prefer opinionated simplicity over configurability.
- — You don't need white-label or client-specific UX.
Feature by feature
Client-first UI (not a team tool with guests)
Basecamp clients land inside the same project UI your team uses.
Per-client feature toggles
Show messaging to client A, hide contracts from client B.
White-label branding (logo + colours)
Basecamp supports a logo; not per-client brand.
Custom domain for client portal
On the Manage Agency roadmap.
Contracts send + sign + track
Basecamp has no native e-sign.
Deliverables with status + client approvals
Basecamp to-dos can be checked; no formal approval state.
Onboarding checklists with completion
Audit trail of status changes
Role-based agency vs client permissions
Basecamp has Client Access; permissions are coarse.
Flat pricing with unlimited clients
Basecamp’s flat $299/mo scales well past 15 clients.
Message boards + automatic check-ins
Basecamp still owns this category.
Integrations with the modern stack
Export your data at any time
Modern UI built in 2026
Basecamp’s design language is intentionally old-school.
Time tracking per project
Both require add-ons today. On our Q2 roadmap.
Basecamp runs your team. Manage Agency runs your client relationship.
Many agencies run both. If you want a real portal for the client side of the business, this is the shortest path.