Are you managing team projects? You must have heard about Basecamp and ProofHub, two of the most famous project management software products that boost project performance. If you cannot tell one apart from the other, we have summarized their commonalities and differences in this detailed ProofHub vs. Basecamp comparison.
Both the tools are trying to solve the same problem – making project management more accessible and effective – but with different ideas. ProofHub is an all-in-one software that boosts team performance with a comprehensive set of tools. Basecamp, on the other hand, is a nifty software for managing project communication with minimum hassles.
If we compare these tools, side by side, it’s a nail-biting contest. Let’s see how these tools measure up to each other and which device deserves your time and attention.
Some of the key differences between ProofHub and Basecamp are as follows;
Basecamp has been in the SaaS project management tool market since 2004, whereas ProofHub came out in 2013. Both the tools cater to a similar target audience of team projects consisting of project managers and executives.
While ProofHub and Basecamp offer a standard set of project communication features such as chat, discussion boards, and tasks, ProofHub also offers collaborative note-making and timesheets. Basecamp offers something called Hill Charts which are an adaptation of the Gantt Charts available in ProofHub. Overall, Basecamp proves costlier than ProofHub based on the features on offer.
The top organizations that use Basecamp include Penguin Random House LLC and California State University-Stanislaus. ProofHub’s top customers consist of companies such as Netflix, Google, and NASA.
Basecamp is focussing on reducing communication hassles for teams alongside offering features for project management. The main components – To-dos, Campfire, and Automatic Check-ins, improve how teams communicate project updates. Basecamp’s features for client projects make it an effective tool for handling multi-party projects that often involve cross-functional client-side teams.
ProofHub integrates the core project tools such as task management, process workflows, and time tracking in a unified interface. The team members can use it seamlessly for task items and communication, making it an all-encompassing project management software. It also makes it easier for managers to plan the length and breadth of projects by using one tool.
There are many intricacies hidden inside the main features of both tools that deserve your attention. Hence, we’ll go over the main features focusing on how each tool solves project challenges.
Remember that both the tools pretty much achieve the same thing – organized projects and better productivity. What matters is which device will suit your business the best. The following breakdown will help you understand both tools with more clarity.
ProofHub’s task management system is designed to be highly context-rich and collaborative. It goes beyond generic to-dos with several context points such as when the task is due, the progress, and how many hours are to be billed on the current projects. With the recent introduction of Custom Fields, you can add context points specific to your business workflows, such as currency, dropdown choice, number, and more.
Agile teams can leverage Kanban Board View and Workflows for organizing their task completion process. The tasks can be arranged into any number of customizable stages such as “To-do,” “Awaiting Approval,” and “Done” for building an Agile Workflow.
All tasks are organized into Task lists that belong to Projects. A task list can be visualized in Kanban cards, Table view, or Calendar view. Each time a change is made to a task or stage, all assigned collaborators are notified via email.
Basecamp offers an easy-to-navigate task management system that consists of To-do lists embedded with Task items. Each task displays the task owner, who the task is assigned, and information about the deadline. Collaborators can comment on the job by tagging each other to discuss ideas.
You create a project in which you can define tasks lists and add tasks to the same. Each task can be subscribed to several people so that the key stakeholders are always in the loop.
A task in Basecamp becomes a central point for managing task details such as files, updates, and task progress. Once the task is complete, it can be closed or archived.
You can schedule tasks, events, and milestones in ProofHub as per your project plan. Its neat interface is efficient enough to keep track of complex schedules with easy segregation. Tasks support deadline scheduling that can be viewed in a well-laid-out calendar view.
Milestones, an inherent feature in ProofHub, are used to mark the critical pit stops in the project. You can schedule events such as a team meeting or weekend getaway weeks in advance. Similarly, tasks can be viewed in the calendar to keep track of weekly progress.
For even complex scheduling needs, you can use Gantt Charts that display the task dependencies and timelines to help managers figure out the best way forward. Scheduling automation allows you to create recurring tasks for repetitive scheduling needs.
Basecamp offers scheduling features for tasks and events. You can mark deadlines on tasks and plan events using the calendar which is easy to track. The calendar is shared with the entire team so that everyone can track upcoming events and deliverables in one place.
You can view pending tasks, upcoming tasks and preempt the flow of the project accordingly. There’s no detailed Gantt Chart view but you can visualize schedules in the form of a vertical timeline. It makes tracking and working well within a project plan a lot more comprehensive.
ProofHub offers a dedicated “Files” section for managing all the project files. Each file attached to a task or uploaded in comments can be found in the Files area. Without involving a third-party tool, you can download files, create file versions, or share files externally using a link. This way, ProofHub eliminates the need for multiple platforms for file storage.
File Proofing is a striking feature in ProofHub that lets you visually proof files in a multiple stakeholder setup. Clients can communicate their feedback using markup tools and comments, which are more comprehensive than a paragraph explaining what they feel. File proofing currently supports image files and PDFs.
Apart from this, collaborators can create notes and documents using ProofHub Notes with real-time editing features. Files, Proofing, and Notes – all support comments, which makes collaboration possible throughout ProofHub.
Basecamp has a similar files section called “Docs & Files,” which is dedicated to organizing all the project files. Basecamp also features a simplistic document editing tool for creating and sharing collaborative docs. Users can leave comments and updates for each document created in Basecamp.
Files can be uploaded from the computer or imported from one of the available integrations such as Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox. You can sort files in custom folders for easy segmentation. Files can be made public from within Basecamp with a shareable link if it needs to be shared with multiple people.
ProofHub’s reporting dashboard lets managers and team leads understand project KPIs with granular details. There are three types of reporting formats that ProofHub offers; Workload Reports, Project Reports, and Custom Reports.
Workload reports focus on the distribution of project tasks and the corresponding workload assigned to project resources. Project reports overview the project details such as completed tasks, workflow status, and overall project health.
Lastly, users can create custom reports based on parameters such as project milestones, time, and tasks. Managers can format these reports in any permutation, making it easier to reflect upon focused information.
Basecamp doesn’t have the familiar MS Excel-Esque reports containing bar graphs and line charts; instead, it displays all the relevant information in the form of paragraphs and timeline updates.
Managers can toggle a few pre-set reporting options such as “All the latest activity,” “Upcoming dates,” etc., to understand where the project is headed. This informal reporting interface could be a pro or con depending on how well you can comprehend the reported details.
Managers can also view what team members are up to using the “Someone’s activity” tab. Overall, Basecamp’s reports are designed to get a quick idea of the project rather than build elaborate plans. ProofHub’s reporting can help managers make Gantt charts and layout information in a presentation-friendly format.
ProofHub has a diligent support team that offers support via Phone, Email, and Chat. The support representatives can be contacted 24×7 and usually have a low turnaround time regarding user queries. In addition to this, users can refer to a well-documented Knowledge Base that offers answers to most product-related questions.
In 2021, ProofHub was awarded “Best Support” by Software Suggest for its user satisfaction ratings.
Basecamp offers user support in the form of Email, Chat, and Knowledge Base articles. They currently don’t provide phone support, but as Basecamp has a more extensive user base, it has a forum for discussing user queries. Support executives are usually pretty responsive via Email and Chat interface.
ProofHub will cost you about $89 per month when billed annually for an unlimited project and user access along with 100 GB storage with standard plan.
Basecamp will cost you about $99 per month for unlimited users and projects, as per the Basecamp Business plan.
“I struggled to practicalize agile methodologies effectively until I began using ProofHub” – Alhassan A.
“The #1 project management tool for growing teams” – Anna P.
“Inexpensive and Great for WorkPlace Chat” – Justin P.
“The best simple project management tool for the money.” – Jason V.
After a detailed comparison of features, pricing and use-cases, we have observed that ProofHub exhaustively meets a larger scope of project needs including communication, collaboration, and management. Its multifarious design is suitable for managers to manage it all from a single dashboard. This is why it’s a great choice for managers looking to centralize project work and reduce inefficiencies that come with using several tools.
At the same time, Basecamp ensures project communication with a refreshing take on project updates and interface design. In contrast, the tools don’t offer as many features but deliver on promises accurately. Therefore, if you require a good project communication platform and can manage to use other work apps on the side, Basecamp will be a must-try.
Either you can choose an all-in-one project facilitator or a great communicator. The choice depends on the exact project challenges you wish to solve with these tools.
