The 10 Best Software for Consulting Businesses

Running a consulting business is not for the faint of heart. Every day brings a new mix of responsibilities: pitching new clients, delivering on current engagements, keeping track of billable hours, making sure projects stay on scope, and ensuring that every consultant on your team has enough work, but not too much. Unlike product companies, where revenue can be scaled by selling more units, consulting firms scale by carefully balancing time, expertise, and client expectations. That delicate balance makes operational visibility one of the most important assets a consulting leader can have.

In many firms, however, this visibility is hard to achieve. Consultants often rely on spreadsheets to track workloads, use email threads for project updates, and scramble to connect financials with time spent. These disconnected systems create blind spots: projects that look profitable but eat into margins, consultants stretched too thin across multiple clients, or invoices delayed because hours weren’t tracked properly. Over time, inefficiencies compound, making it harder to scale or even maintain healthy margins.

This is why software has become such a critical driver of success for consulting businesses. Modern consulting software doesn’t just digitize processes; it integrates them. It connects client acquisition with delivery capacity, ties time tracking directly to financial outcomes, and reduces friction in everything from scheduling to collaboration. For consultancies, where reputation and efficiency are everything, these systems are no longer “nice-to-haves.” They’re the foundation for sustainable growth.

In this guide, we’ll explore the 10 best software for consulting businesses in 2025. Each platform was selected because it solves a core challenge that consultancies face, whether that’s managing capacity, ensuring profitability, simplifying scheduling, or strengthening collaboration. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of which solutions can help you run your firm more efficiently and profitably.

Quick List: Best Software for Consulting Businesses at a Glance

• Supervisible – Best for capacity planning & financial forecasting

• Productive – Best all-in-one operations & profitability suite

• ClickUp – Best for customizable project and task management

• Scoro – Best professional services automation (PSA) platform

• Harvest – Best for time tracking & invoicing

• Calendly – Best scheduling software for consultants

• Slack – Best for team and client communication

• QuickBooks Online – Best for accounting & expense management

• Notion – Best for knowledge management and collaboration

• Miro – Best for virtual workshops & client collaboration
  
  
  

What Consulting Businesses Really Need from Software

Consulting is a relationship-driven industry, but it’s also an industry built on numbers. You need to win work, deliver it on time, and make sure the financials add up. Unlike other businesses, where technology can often be layered on top of existing processes, consulting requires software that integrates into the very heart of the operation.

The first need is visibility into client lifecycles. From the initial proposal through delivery and invoicing, software should give consultants a clear line of sight into where each client stands and what remains to be done.

Next is time and expense tracking. In a business where hours translate directly into revenue, failing to log time accurately, or not understanding how much time a project consumes, can erode profitability. Good consulting software makes this seamless and ties it directly to billing.

Another critical requirement is capacity planning. Consulting firms live and die by their ability to balance workloads. If too many projects overlap, consultants burn out. If capacity isn’t fully used, revenue is lost. Software must forecast these peaks and troughs so leaders can plan proactively.

Then comes financial forecasting. Beyond just tracking revenue and expenses, consulting businesses need to anticipate cash flow, margins, and profitability by project and by client. The best platforms connect operational data with financial data to provide real-time insight.

Finally, consulting businesses need integration and ease of adoption. A system that doesn’t connect with calendars, email, or accounting tools is destined to create friction. And if consultants find the software clunky, they won’t use it consistently. The best solutions are intuitive, scalable, and designed to grow with the firm.

Key Consulting Software Selection Criteria

When evaluating tools for your consulting business, consider:

• Fit to your workflow – Does the software align with hourly, project-based, or retainer billing models?

• Ease of adoption – Is the learning curve reasonable so your consultants will actually use it?

• Integration potential – Does it connect seamlessly with calendars, CRMs, accounting systems, and communication tools?

• Scalability – Can it support your business as you add more clients, consultants, and projects?

• Actionable insights – Does it provide clear data to guide decisions, not just store information?

Top 10 Softwares for Consulting Businesses

1. Supervisible

Supervisible focuses on the heart of consulting challenges: capacity, utilization, and profitability. Unlike a CRM or generic project manager, it helps firms understand whether their teams actually have the bandwidth to take on new projects, and whether those projects will deliver profit. Its forecasting engine allows leaders to simulate scenarios—such as delaying a project or hiring a new consultant—and see how those choices affect utilization and margins.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Firms often lose money not because they can’t win clients, but because they mismanage resources once the work comes in. Supervisible gives you the ability to forecast profit before signing a deal, prevent overbooking, and protect your margins.

Best for: Consulting businesses of all sizes that want clarity on people, projects, and profitability.
Pricing: Custom pricing based on team size and needs.
Tradeoff: It’s not a CRM, so you’ll want to pair it with a sales tool.

2. Productive

Productive is an all-in-one operations suite built specifically for service firms. It covers pipeline management, project planning, resource allocation, time tracking, and profitability reporting. For consultancies, it’s especially valuable because it ties deals in your pipeline directly to delivery and financial outcomes. You can see whether a project is worth pursuing before committing.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: By connecting sales, delivery, and finance, Productive eliminates silos. Leaders can monitor utilization, profitability, and workload from one dashboard instead of juggling separate systems.

Best for: Mid-sized to large consulting businesses with multiple projects running at once.
Pricing: Starts at $11/user/month.
Tradeoff: May be overkill for smaller firms or solo consultants.

3. ClickUp

ClickUp is a flexible work management platform that consultants often adapt to their unique workflows. You can track proposals in a pipeline, break projects into phases, assign tasks, and create dashboards to visualize progress. It’s one of the few platforms that can serve as both a CRM-lite and a project management hub.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Consulting projects are rarely linear—they evolve. ClickUp’s flexibility lets firms create structures that match how they work, from strategy sessions to delivery milestones.

Best for: Smaller firms or boutique consultancies that want one customizable platform.
Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $7/user/month.
Tradeoff: Without discipline, its flexibility can create messy workspaces.

4. Scoro

Scoro is a Professional Services Automation (PSA) platform that brings CRM, billing, project delivery, and forecasting into one environment. For consulting firms, this means you can manage the full client lifecycle without stitching together multiple tools.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Firms that run multiple projects simultaneously often struggle to connect financial performance with operational data. Scoro solves that by offering a single source of truth across proposals, delivery, and revenue.

Best for: Mid-sized consultancies that want enterprise-level insight without enterprise-level complexity.
Pricing: Starts at $26/user/month.
Tradeoff: Has a steeper learning curve than lighter project tools.

5. Harvest

Harvest is a time-tracking and invoicing software trusted by thousands of consultants. It makes it simple to log hours, assign them to projects, and generate invoices. Integrated reporting shows which clients or projects are profitable and which consume more resources than expected.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Time is money in consulting. Harvest ensures hours are captured, billed, and tied back to client profitability.

Best for: Firms that bill hourly or want simple, reliable invoicing workflows.
Pricing: Free for individuals; $12/user/month for teams.
Tradeoff: Limited to time and billing; you’ll need other software for forecasting.

6. Calendly

Calendly streamlines client scheduling by allowing prospects and clients to book time directly from your calendar. For consultants, where client calls, check-ins, and workshops are frequent, this eliminates back-and-forth scheduling emails.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Client relationships thrive on communication. Calendly reduces friction in setting up meetings and keeps the focus on delivery.

Best for: Consultants who juggle many client calls or discovery sessions.
Pricing: Free plan; paid plans start at $10/user/month.
Tradeoff: Pure scheduling—pair it with other tools for project management.

7. Slack

Slack is the go-to communication platform for consulting teams. It reduces email clutter, centralizes client communication, and integrates with project tools for real-time updates. Many firms also create shared channels with clients to speed up collaboration.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Effective communication is the backbone of consulting projects. Slack ensures messages, files, and updates flow without bottlenecks.

Best for: Teams that need constant collaboration across projects and clients.
Pricing: Free plan; paid plans start at $8.75/user/month.
Tradeoff: Can become overwhelming without clear communication norms.

8. QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online is accounting software that helps consulting firms manage expenses, payroll, invoicing, and taxes. It integrates with platforms like Harvest, making it easier to connect billable hours with financial records.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Profitability isn’t just about winning clients—it’s about managing finances. QuickBooks gives small to mid-sized consultancies the financial clarity they need to stay sustainable.

Best for: Firms that need reliable accounting without enterprise-level ERP.
Pricing: Plans start at $30/month.
Tradeoff: Strong for accounting, but not designed for project tracking.

9. Notion

Notion is knowledge management software that allows consulting firms to centralize documentation, playbooks, and client deliverables. It’s highly flexible and can be shaped into an internal wiki, project space, or even a lightweight CRM.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Consultants generate large amounts of knowledge—frameworks, research, best practices—that often get lost. Notion helps capture and reuse that knowledge.

Best for: Firms that want to organize knowledge and collaborate on research or deliverables.
Pricing: Free personal plan; $8/user/month for teams.
Tradeoff: Requires upfront setup and ongoing discipline to maintain structure.

10. Miro

Miro is collaborative whiteboard software that supports virtual workshops and brainstorming sessions. Consultants use it to map processes, run strategy sessions, and co-create solutions with clients, even when working remotely.

Why it matters for consulting businesses: Strategy and design work often requires visual thinking. Miro allows consultants to replicate the feel of an in-person workshop online.

Best for: Strategy consultants, innovation consultants, or any firm that runs collaborative workshops.
Pricing: Free plan; paid tiers start at $10/user/month.
Tradeoff: Best as a complement to project management tools, not a replacement.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What type of software do consulting businesses need most?
Consulting firms need a mix of capacity planning, project management, time tracking, and financial forecasting software. Unlike other industries, consultants must connect hours worked directly to profitability, making integrated systems critical.

2. Can one software platform handle everything for a consulting business?
Some platforms, like Productive or Scoro, come close by combining sales, delivery, resource planning, and financials. However, most firms prefer a stack: for example, pairing Supervisible for capacity planning with QuickBooks for accounting and Slack for communication.

3. How much does consulting software cost?
Pricing varies widely—from free tools like Notion and Slack’s starter plan to $30+ per user/month for advanced PSA platforms like Scoro. Many consulting businesses invest between $50–$150 per user/month across their software stack.

4. What’s the most important factor when choosing consulting software?
Adoption. The best software for consulting businesses is the one your team actually uses consistently. A simpler tool with strong adoption is often more valuable than a complex system that goes unused.

Why the Right Software Stack Matters for Consultants

The best software for consulting businesses does more than digitize workflows; it ensures profitability, clarity, and sustainability. Platforms like Harvest, Calendly, and Slack cover essential functions such as time management, scheduling, and communication. Systems like Productive and Scoro tie operations to financial performance. And Supervisible provides the missing link: a way to align capacity, utilization, and profitability before you commit to new work.

Together, these solutions reduce guesswork, prevent burnout, and give consulting leaders confidence in both the present and the future. 

If you’re ready to stop wondering whether your firm has enough bandwidth or whether your next project will actually be profitable, request a demo of Supervisible today and see how better planning can transform your consulting business.