Better Than 17Hats: 15 CRM Picks for Creative Agencies [2025]
Explore 15 top-rated 17hats alternatives designed for creative agencies - better portals, workflows, and scalability in 2025.
Regina Ongkiko
Every interaction, deliverable, and client touchpoint is part of the experience your agency delivers. But not every CRM or task management software for creative agencies can give you the creative control to reflect your agency’s personality.
Perhaps you're familiar with 17hats, or maybe you’re even using it. While it aims to be an all-in-one solution (CRM + team and task management), it can also be a mismatch for the dynamic workflows of creative teams. To help you find the perfect fit, we’ve rounded up 15 17hats alternatives. Consider this list your starting point.
It's not that creative agencies are ditching 17hats—but more like they’re scouring 17hats competitors to see what else is out there. To see if there’s a CRM for creative agencies that’s also a better fit for their operations and processes.
If you’ve started as solopreneurs, small businesses, and freelancers with 17hats, you probably appreciate its all-in-one setup. However, these may be the reasons you are currently considering whether to move on from it and search for 17hats alternatives.
17Hats isn’t suited for agencies that require in-depth, fully branded, and highly customizable client portals. While you can add your logo and some basic colors, you're generally limited to their pre-defined layouts and functionalities. So, if you’re looking for fully white-labeled portals, you'd better check out other project management tools and CRM for creative agencies.
Some agencies indeed use different project management tools in addition to their CRM. But if you’re looking for a 17hats alternative, it means you’re eager for a platform that does it all. 17hats does a great job covering the basics and essentials of project management for small setups. However, when creative agencies take on larger, multi-phase projects with bigger teams or seek more visual and analytical control, it may be time to move on.
Creative agencies often need to share complex assets, detailed project timelines, proofing mockups with annotation tools, and highly visual progress reports with their clients in the CRM. In this case, 17hats may not be able to provide your needs.
So if you’re looking for 17hats alternatives, here’s what your creative agency should be prioritizing:
Many CRMs limit how much you can make the experience feel uniquely yours. Prioritize platforms offering deep branding options, including white-label portals and customizable communications. Ask yourself: Can I make this tool truly mine so my clients get a seamless brand experience?
What you need are intelligent, conditional automations that reflect your real project processes. You want a platform that lets you build custom workflows for every stage of your client journey. Look for CRMs with multi-trigger automations and logic-based actions (if-this-then-that functionality) to automate both internal task assignments and client-facing communications.
Your client portal is the window into your efficient world. The ideal one lets clients upload files, track project progress visually, and communicate directly within the platform. Look for CRMs that offer highly customizable, branded client portals with interactive features. Ensure the portal enhances client satisfaction and reduces the need for back-and-forth emails.
Can information flow seamlessly both ways? For example, a new lead in your CRM automatically creates a project in your project management tool. An integrated tech stack ensures your data flows smoothly and your processes stay connected. Look for the 17hats competitor with good integrations.
For sure, you need a tool that can grow with you, not one you'll constantly outgrow. Ideally, a system that handles increasing clients, projects, and users without slowing down later. Then look for a CRM designed for creative agencies that offers flexible pricing and features that expand as your needs evolve. Ask about limits on users, projects, and storage, and even how upgrades work.
Now let’s get into the good stuff—the actual players that creative agencies are loving in 2025. Here’s the list of 17hats alternatives:
ManyRequests is the top solution for creative agencies seeking a branded, streamlined client portal and CRM experience. It was built from day one for creative agencies, which makes it a natural next step for growing ones. Meaning it has a tailored approach and deep understanding of the unique needs of the industry.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Dubsado is another 17hats alternative that’s ideal for agencies that require in-depth automation, form-building, and client journey management. If you’re selling tiered service packages or high-touch onboarding processes, this platform is for you.
Advanced workflow automation: Dubsado has more sophisticated workflows. These are multi-step, conditional automations that can trigger specific actions based on client behavior or time-based conditions.
Customization options: Dubsado offers far more customization for forms, contracts, proposals, and questionnaires.
Client journey automation: Dubsado manages the entire client lifecycle automatically, from lead capture and qualification, through proposal, contract, invoicing, scheduling, and ongoing communication. It aims to be a single, automated funnel.
Pricing (billed monthly):
HoneyBook is a worthy 17hats competitor for teams who want polished client experiences and easy-to-use workflows without getting tangled in over-customization. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools to onboard clients more quickly and close deals more efficiently.
More flexible automation: HoneyBook supports complex, multi-step workflows with conditional logic and event-based triggers that adapt to client actions.
User experience: HoneyBook wins on polish and ease of use. It's got a cleaner, more intuitive interface so users stay organized without feeling overwhelmed.
Collaboration tools: HoneyBook integrates with various tools, including Gmail, QuickBooks, Google Calendar, and marketing platforms like Meta Leads and Asana.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Bonsai is purpose-built for service businesses that want to keep everything—from client management to project delivery and billing—under one sleek, intuitive roof. It's about stripping away the bloat and focusing on what you actually need to get paid and manage projects.
Built-in accounting or tax integrations: Bonsai offers a truly all-in-one platform that includes not only CRM, project management, and client portals but also integrated banking, accounting, bookkeeping, and tax features.
Project management integration for billable hours: Bonsai's integrated time tracker is a valuable advantage for those who bill by the hour or require meticulous time tracking for project profitability. It automatically feeds into invoice generation, ensuring you capture every billable minute.
Tailored templates: Bonsai's templates are inherently modern and clean. You can easily add your logo, brand colors, and custom imagery, ensuring every client-facing document reinforces your agency's professional image.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Agiled integrates HR features (employee management, attendance, payroll), a dedicated client portal, a robust file manager, multi-brand management, and even a live chat on proposals. It's built to be a central hub for practically every aspect of your business operations.
Project management with advanced views: Agiled gives creative agencies better visual oversight and control over complex projects, timelines, and team workloads. This includes Kanban boards, Gantt charts, project milestones and phases, and burndown charts.
Comprehensive team management: Agiled includes built-in HR features such as employee portals, attendance tracking, and basic payroll management. Talk about holistic business management for designers.
Importable Data: With Agiled, you can potentially import more types of data beyond just clients and projects. Think about importing data for employees (for HRM), inventory, or even more granular project-specific data.
Pricing (billed monthly):
ClickUp is a productivity powerhouse that brings project management, client collaboration, docs, automation, and reporting all under one roof—a toolkit for building your exact workflow.
Workflow building: ClickUp is a highly flexible platform. You control custom fields, statuses, views (List, Board, Table, Calendar, Gantt, etc.), and automations.
Communication tools: ClickUp supports real-time collaboration with comments, mentions, document sharing, and task assignments (assigned, reassigned, and have their statuses updated immediately).
Reporting insights: ClickUp has customizable dashboards and reporting capabilities. You can build tailored reports from virtually any data point within your ClickUp workspace (project profitability, team capacity, client feedback trends).
Pricing (billed monthly):
Monday.com is a full-on work operating system. You get everything in one place: client pipelines, project management, creative requests, and even digital asset management.
External sharing: Monday.com has shareable boards. You can create specific boards or dashboards for clients, sharing only the relevant information (such as project progress, shared files, and feedback requests) while keeping internal data private.
Native integrations: Creative agencies use a ton of specialized tools for design, content, marketing, and client communications. Monday.com's extensive native integrations eliminate the need for constant app switching, reducing friction and errors.
Workflow creation tool: Users can visually create workflows that move tasks through stages such as "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done," or any custom status that fits their specific process. This builder automates task progression, notifications, and updates without coding.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Bitrix24 combines CRM, project management, internal social network, document management, HR tools (employee directory, work time tracking, leave management), website builder, contact center, and even AI assistance (CoPilot). It's a 17hats competitor where all aspects of your agency's work, both client-facing and internal, live.
Scalable project management: Bitrix24 can handle complex, multi-stage creative projects, track team capacity, and manage projects across various departments. It's built for scale.
Campaign management: Bitrix24 includes built-in marketing automation so agencies can run and track marketing efforts within the same system.
Collaboration hub: Bitrix24 is for constant feedback and brainstorming. Think private social feeds, group chats, one-on-one messaging, built-in video conferencing, and a company-wide knowledge base.
Pricing (billed monthly):
FreshBooks is fundamentally an accounting and invoicing powerhouse that has added client management and some project features. If you’re running a creative agency and want to spend less time on admin and more time on creativity, FreshBooks is the upgrade you need.
Financial management: FreshBooks excels at professional invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reporting.
Detailed financial reporting: FreshBooks gives you detailed information about your business' health. You can easily generate profit & loss statements, expense reports, sales tax reports, and even some project profitability insights.
Time tracking: With FreshBooks, you can start timers, manually log hours, assign time to specific clients and projects, and convert those tracked hours directly into invoices.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Indy comes in as a strong 17hats alternative due to its user-friendly design and focus on simplifying the core business tasks. If you're a lean creative agency that values simplicity, a clean interface, and avoiding excessive complexity, Indy has some compelling advantages.
User interface: Indy's contemporary design feels very fresh and easy to navigate, built to get you started quickly without a huge learning curve.
Time management and organization: Indy helps users manage their time and projects efficiently with integrated task management and time tracking tools tailored for creative professionals, supporting better work-life balance.
Client-facing document workflow: Indy provides professional-looking templates and a straightforward process for getting client approvals and payments. Clients transition seamlessly from quote to signature to payment.
Pricing (billed monthly):
If your agency thrives on delivering visual assets. So if you want an all-in-one platform that seamlessly integrates professional client galleries, streamlined booking, and a modern, aesthetically pleasing user experience, then Bloom is a good 17hats alternative.
Client gallery: Upload high-resolution images, enable client proofing, manage selections, set download permissions, and deliver final assets—all from one platform.
Advanced client communication: Bloom centralizes client communication with features like email marketing, live website chat widget, embeddable lead capture, and a robust client portal. This creates a seamless, interactive experience for clients and agencies alike.
Booking & scheduling built in: Bloom lets you embed instant booking and scheduling right on your agency’s website. Clients can select packages, add-ons, sign contracts, and pay—all while you sleep.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Insightly is designed for managing more complex sales cycles, features a dedicated sales function, requires tighter integration between sales and project delivery, and necessitates deeper insights into client relationships and business performance.
Pipeline visibility: Insightly consolidates all your client data into a single, clean, and customizable dashboard. You get a timeline view of every client journey, so your whole team knows where deals stand.
Reporting & Analytics: Data-driven decisions are how agencies grow. Insightly gives you the tools to analyze your sales, projects, and client relationships to identify trends, optimize processes, and ultimately drive revenue.
Customization: With Insightly, you can add unlimited custom fields, create custom objects (to track anything unique to your agency, like specific client deliverables or campaign elements), and tailor page layouts and workflows.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Zoho CRM is the CRM for creative agencies ready to grow and win so requiring deep customization, demanding sophisticated sales and marketing automation, and benefiting from a unified ecosystem of interconnected business applications.
Scalability: Zoho CRM allows you to mold the software to your unique way of working. It allows you to create custom modules, fields, layouts, and workflows tailored to your agency's needs.
Multi-channel client engagement: Zoho CRM gives you contextual engagement across email, phone, social, live chat, and web forms—all tracked and managed inside the CRM. You get a true 360° view of every client and campaign.
AI-powered insights: Zoho's advanced analytics and AI capabilities give agencies the insights needed to optimize sales processes, identify profitable clients, and forecast growth.
Pricing (billed monthly):
SuiteDash is a CRM, project management, proposals, contracts, e-signing, invoicing, time tracking, file sharing, appointment scheduling, email marketing, LMS, and even community forums—ALL in one platform. It streamlines business management for designers by providing a system that can manage the entire team and client base.
Comprehensive system: SuiteDash aims to be a single source for managing your entire business operations, both client-facing and internal.
No-code automation: SuiteDash features a no-code automation builder that enables agencies to create custom onboarding journeys, automate repetitive tasks, send automated emails, and trigger workflows—all without coding.
Integrated learning management system: This is a distinct differentiator. It includes a built-in Learning Management System (LMS) that allows you to create and deliver client onboarding courses, staff training modules, or even offer paid digital products.
Pricing (billed monthly):
HubSpot CRM is ideal for rapidly scaling, complex operations. Got a dedicated sales team, complex client journeys, and needs to integrate marketing, sales, and service under one roof? Then, HubSpot Enterprise is among the strong 17hats competitors.
Enterprise-grade scalability: HubSpot CRM Enterprise offers advanced customization options, including custom objects, detailed user permissions, and scalable pipelines that adapt to complex agency workflows.
Integration flexibility: While its own hubs are powerful, HubSpot also boasts one of the largest app marketplaces and a highly flexible API for creating a fully customized tech stack.
Analytics & attribution reporting: To connect every marketing touchpoint to revenue, you can build reports on marketing ROI, sales pipeline velocity, and customer acquisition costs. It lets you understand what drives growth for your agency.
Pricing (billed monthly):
Choosing the right CRM and client management platform is like finding “THE ONE.” One that fits your creative workflows, the growth stage you’re in, and exclusive client experience goals. If you’ve outgrown 17Hats, don’t feel bad—it’s just upgrading.
Among the platforms we’ve covered, ManyRequests is a favorite for modern, service-based agencies looking for a branded, scalable, and fully customizable client portal experience. It offers a free trial, allowing you to test-drive its client portal, proofing tools, and project management features in practice. Try it for free today.
Originally Posted: May 3, 2023
