PM
Asana lets Division admins run their own custom roles, on top Enterprise plans only.
Alternatives · project management tools
ActiveCollab alternatives
The best ActiveCollab alternatives in project management tools, ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score.
Updated Nov 13, 2026
Looking for the best alternatives to ActiveCollab? Sparkpulse tracks and ranks 12 alternatives in project management tools by shipping velocity — how frequently each ships meaningful updates, verified from official changelogs. For reference, ActiveCollab shipped 0 meaningful updates in the last 30 days and carries a velocity score of 5.0 out of 10 in 2026. The alternatives below are ranked the same way, so you're comparing real release momentum, not marketing claims.
About ActiveCollab
ActiveCollab adds a smarter MCP server and 2FA for self-hosted — AI-agent and security foundations in one release.
ActiveCollab is a project management platform with both cloud and self-hosted versions targeting agencies and teams. Recent releases have focused on two threads: AI agent connectivity (MCP server improvements, task ID visibility for API/AI use, Limit MCP Tools) and security hardening for the self-hosted offering (2FA, IP firewall). The product also ships quality-of-life updates — dark mode, task list reordering, rebuilt desktop apps, and chat conversation controls — at a steady pace.
Velocity 5.0 · Last update 2mo ago
Top 12 alternatives to ActiveCollab
Ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial breakdown, or pivot to a head-to-head.
COLLAB
Hive turns reporting into a planning tool: shared inputs, grouped values, per-person drill-downs.
PM
Tracecat 1.5 alpha patches add sub-cases and lock down agent sandboxes.
PM
SmartSuite adds tracked changes to SmartDocs, so policy edits need an approver.
PM
Atarim turns care plans into scheduled AI work and lets small fixes go live without approval.
PM
Fibery puts MCP setup in one settings page and speeds up entity views and formulas.
PM
NocoBase's v3 beta lets apps ship their own CLI, separate from Agents.
PM
Productboard's v2 documents API now keeps plain web addresses and emoji as ordinary text.
PM
Ever Teams tags dozens of versions a day; most are fixes and test changes.
PM
My Hours 10.3 makes invoice dates editable and lets invoices carry a Detailed report.
PM
Leantime swaps role ranks for real permissions and syncs with your calendar app.
COLLAB
Smartsheet becomes where plans drafted in Claude Sheets get executed.
ActiveCollab vs alternatives — shipping velocity at a glance
Velocity score (0–10) and meaningful releases shipped in the last 30 days, from official changelogs. Higher = shipping faster.
| Product | Velocity | Sparks · 30d | Focus areas | Latest release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ActiveCollab (baseline) | 5.0 | 0 | project-managementcollaborationself-hosted | — |
| Asana | 6.3 | 1 | work-managementgovernancepermissions | Introducing: Tables |
| Hive | 6.3 | 0 | project managementreportingbulk actions | — |
| Tracecat | 6.3 | 0 | security-automationai-agentsmulti-tenancy | — |
| SmartSuite | 6.3 | 1 | work managementdocument controlaudit trails | SmartSuite Script Engine |
| Atarim | 6.3 | 1 | agency-workflowai-agentscare-plans | Atarim 5.1.5: build the care plan once, put every client on it |
| Fibery | 6.3 | 1 | work-managementmcpai-agent | AI-built custom integrations (preview), MCP execute_code |
| NocoBase | 5.0 | 0 | no-codeai agentscli | — |
| Productboard | 5.0 | 0 | product-managementapidocuments | EntityType moves from fixed enum to workspace-specific open string |
| Ever Teams | 5.0 | 0 | time-trackingtask-viewsintegrations | — |
| My Hours | 5.0 | 0 | timesheetsinvoicingprofitability | — |
| Leantime | 5.0 | 0 | project-managementself-hostedpermissions | — |
| Smartsheet | 5.0 | 0 | table-viewai-handoffintegrations | — |
The 12 best ActiveCollab alternatives, in depth
1. Asana · velocity 6.3
Asana lets Division admins run their own custom roles, on top Enterprise plans only.
Over the last 30 days Asana shipped 1 meaningful update vs ActiveCollab's 0, most recently “Introducing: Tables”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Asana focuses on work management, governance and permissions.
Over the last 30 days Asana has been shipping faster than ActiveCollab — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
2. Hive · velocity 6.3
Hive turns reporting into a planning tool: shared inputs, grouped values, per-person drill-downs.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Hive focuses on project management, reporting and bulk actions.
Hive and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
3. Tracecat · velocity 6.3
Tracecat 1.5 alpha patches add sub-cases and lock down agent sandboxes.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Tracecat focuses on security automation, ai agents and multi tenancy.
Tracecat and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Tracecat trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs Tracecat →
4. SmartSuite · velocity 6.3
SmartSuite adds tracked changes to SmartDocs, so policy edits need an approver.
Over the last 30 days SmartSuite shipped 1 meaningful update vs ActiveCollab's 0, most recently “SmartSuite Script Engine”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, SmartSuite focuses on work management, document control and audit trails.
Over the last 30 days SmartSuite has been shipping faster than ActiveCollab — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
Full SmartSuite trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs SmartSuite →
5. Atarim · velocity 6.3
Atarim turns care plans into scheduled AI work and lets small fixes go live without approval.
Over the last 30 days Atarim shipped 1 meaningful update vs ActiveCollab's 0, most recently “Atarim 5.1.5: build the care plan once, put every client on it”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Atarim focuses on agency workflow, ai agents and care plans.
Over the last 30 days Atarim has been shipping faster than ActiveCollab — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
6. Fibery · velocity 6.3
Fibery puts MCP setup in one settings page and speeds up entity views and formulas.
Over the last 30 days Fibery shipped 1 meaningful update vs ActiveCollab's 0, most recently “AI-built custom integrations (preview), MCP execute_code”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Fibery focuses on work management, mcp and ai agent.
Over the last 30 days Fibery has been shipping faster than ActiveCollab — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
7. NocoBase · velocity 5.0
NocoBase's v3 beta lets apps ship their own CLI, separate from Agents.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, NocoBase focuses on no code, ai agents and cli.
NocoBase and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full NocoBase trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs NocoBase →
8. Productboard · velocity 5.0
Productboard's v2 documents API now keeps plain web addresses and emoji as ordinary text.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence; its most recent meaningful update was “EntityType moves from fixed enum to workspace-specific open string”.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Productboard focuses on product management, api and documents.
Productboard and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Productboard trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs Productboard →
9. Ever Teams · velocity 5.0
Ever Teams tags dozens of versions a day; most are fixes and test changes.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Ever Teams focuses on time tracking, task views and integrations.
Ever Teams and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Ever Teams trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs Ever Teams →
10. My Hours · velocity 5.0
My Hours 10.3 makes invoice dates editable and lets invoices carry a Detailed report.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, My Hours focuses on timesheets, invoicing and profitability.
My Hours and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full My Hours trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs My Hours →
11. Leantime · velocity 5.0
Leantime swaps role ranks for real permissions and syncs with your calendar app.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Leantime focuses on project management, self hosted and permissions.
Leantime and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Leantime trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs Leantime →
12. Smartsheet · velocity 5.0
Smartsheet becomes where plans drafted in Claude Sheets get executed.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where ActiveCollab leans on project management, collaboration and self hosted, Smartsheet focuses on table view, ai handoff and integrations.
Smartsheet and ActiveCollab have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Smartsheet trajectory → · Compare ActiveCollab vs Smartsheet →
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to ActiveCollab?
The top ActiveCollab alternatives we currently track in project management tools are Asana, Hive, Tracecat, SmartSuite, Atarim, ranked by recent ship velocity.
How is this list of ActiveCollab alternatives ranked?
Alternatives are ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score — release cadence + 30-day spark count + sector-relative ship rate.
Can I compare ActiveCollab directly with one of these alternatives?
Yes — every card has a "Compare with ActiveCollab" link to a side-by-side /compare page.