Compare

Managello vs ProofHub

ProofHub is a focused, flat-rate tool with proofing at its heart — a genuinely close match on that front. Managello adds self-hosting, invoicing and payments. Here is an honest comparison.

Try the live demo → See pricing
Last reviewed: July 2026 · we re-check public pricing and features regularly.
The quick verdict

The short answer, before the detail

Most of this decision comes down to a few honest questions. If you already know your answer, you can stop here.

Choose ProofHub if…
  • You want flat, no-per-user cloud pricing
  • Proofing and client review are your core need
  • You prefer a simple, focused feature set
  • You do not need built-in invoicing or payments
  • You prefer a vendor to run the infrastructure
Choose Managello if…
  • You want the flat-pricing idea, but self-hosted
  • Native invoicing and Stripe payments matter
  • A magic-link client portal appeals to you
  • You want to own your data and files
  • You want a safe updater with backups and rollback
Company snapshot

Two different products, briefly

Context first — no feature scoring yet. Just who each tool is and where it comes from.

ProofHub Managello
Founded 2011 2025
Deployment Cloud SaaS Self-hosted (Docker)
Best known for Proofing & project collaboration Branded client portal + delivery
Pricing model Flat rate Flat, per install
Best fit Flat pricing + proofing Agencies & studios
Hosting Vendor cloud Your own VPS
Pricing

How pricing changes as your agency grows

We show our assumptions in full and never bend a competitor's numbers. Prices are public list rates and can change — always confirm on their site.

Total users 10 users 25 users 50 users 100 users
ProofHub $45/mo $45/mo $45/mo $45/mo
Managello $59/mo $59/mo $59/mo $59/mo

Assumptions: ProofHub Essential flat rate, billed annually, for unlimited users. Public pricing, subject to change. Managello is a flat $59/install per month for unlimited staff and client users. “Total users” does not change ProofHub's price here — it is flat too.

ProofHub is flat-rate too — a real strength. Essential is around $45/mo and Ultimate Control around $89/mo (billed annually), both for unlimited users. So at small sizes ProofHub can cost less than Managello; the difference is self-hosting, ownership, and native invoicing and payments.

The client workflow

How client work actually flows

Instead of a feature checklist, here is the real path a piece of client work travels — from first request to payment and reporting.

Native Built in Possible Doable, with limits Requires integration Needs another tool Not intended Not what it's for
Stage
ProofHub
Managello
1Client request
Possible
Client roles and forms; a shared space, not magic-link.
Native
Portal + email intake land in one request inbox.
2Project
Native
Projects, tasks, boards and Gantt.
Native
Projects, tasks and a Kanban board.
3Files
Native
File management with versions.
Native
Uploads on every entity, plus a shared client library.
4Proofing
Native
Proofing is ProofHub's signature feature.
Native
Pin comments on images/PDFs, compare versions.
5Approval
Native
Proof approvals with markup.
Native
Versioned deliverable approvals with a record.
6Invoice
Not intended
No invoicing built in.
Native
Draft, issue and email invoices on your own template.
7Payment
Not intended
No payments.
Native
Stripe Checkout, your own payment link, or manual.
8Reports
Native
Project reports and timesheets.
Native
Monthly client reports + a revenue lens.
Built for agency work

The agency-specific details

The features that matter when clients live inside your tool. Written honestly — where ProofHub has something, we say so.

ProofHub Managello
Pricing & ownership
Unlimited users Unlimited (flat) Yes — staff & clients
Self-hosted No — cloud only Yes — your VPS
Ownership Vendor-hosted You own data & files
Project delivery
Project templates Yes, both plans Native + optional AI draft
Client requests Forms Native intake spine
Client experience
Client portal Client roles Branded, with shared files & client teams
Shared client files Per-project files only Native per-client library
Client-managed team Not documented Yes — client owner invites
White-label Yes (custom domain) Yes, on every plan
Magic-link login No Yes
Proofing & approvals
Proofing Native (signature) Native (pins + versions)
Approval workflow Native Native, with a record
Quotes, billing & payments
Quote acceptance & e-sign No quotes or estimates Accept + typed or drawn signature
Deposit at acceptance No invoicing at all Automatic on acceptance
Invoices No Native, on your own template
Custom invoice layout No native invoicing Native editor + live preview
Payments No Stripe, your own link, or manual
Accounting sync Timesheet export only QuickBooks Online (one-way)
Reporting, AI & operations
Value Lens Reports Native revenue lens
AI model None documented BYOK — your key, your provider
Notifications In-app + email In-app, email, Slack
Audit trail Activity logs Yes — append-only
Credentials vault Not built in Yes — per-project, encrypted
Updates Automatic Safe updater + rollback
Full credit where it's due

Where ProofHub is genuinely better

No comparison is honest without this section. ProofHub does real things well — here are the ones worth weighing before you decide.

Flat, no-per-user pricing

ProofHub charges a flat rate for unlimited users — a genuinely agency-friendly model.

Proofing is its craft

Proofing and online review are ProofHub's core focus and are well executed.

Simple and focused

A deliberately compact feature set keeps it easy to learn and use.

Good client review workflow

Client roles, discussions and approvals make review straightforward.

A different philosophy

Where Managello is different — not simply “better”

Managello makes a set of deliberate trade-offs. They suit some agencies and not others; here is the thinking behind them.

Agency-first

Managello is built around client work — requests, proofing, approvals and invoices — not adapted from an internal task tracker.

A client workspace, not a status page

Clients get a branded magic-link portal with a shared file library, their own team access, and approval and billing permissions you control. A designated client owner invites their own colleagues; no seat to buy, no Managello logo, no login friction.

Quote to cash in one path

A branded estimate, acceptance with an optional typed or drawn signature, a downloadable acceptance certificate, a fixed or percentage deposit invoice raised at acceptance, conversion into a project without re-entry, then invoicing on your own template — paid by Stripe, your own payment link or manually, and syncable to QuickBooks Online.

Self-hosted

It runs on your VPS with your database and files. Licensing checks validity only — it never reads your client data.

Unlimited users

Staff and client seats are unlimited. Adding a teammate or a client never changes the price.

Repeatable without bureaucracy

Reusable project templates carry milestones and tasks with relative dates, and AI can draft a first pass for you to review. New projects still default to blank, so one-off work stays fast.

Modern UX

A current React interface with proofing, a command palette and keyboard flows — self-hosted without feeling dated.

One install

Portal, projects, proofing, invoicing and reports are one system, not a stack of integrations to wire together.

Trust & optional AI

A Trust & Compliance hub covers privacy requests, retention, audit and publishable Privacy Policy, DPA and Retention Policy pages (from editable templates, not legal advice). Optional AI Assist runs only on your own Anthropic or OpenAI key — encrypted, click-only and spend-capped, with no tokens bundled or marked up — and opt-in email digests replace noisy per-event alerts. Encrypted off-server backups go to an S3 or SFTP destination you own.

Client credentials, sealed in the project

Each client's hosting, CMS, DNS, database and API logins live in the project they belong to — encrypted at rest and hidden by default, even from admins, until a short, self-expiring unlock reveals them. Every reveal is logged, and clients never see any of it. No shared spreadsheet and no separate password tool to keep in sync.

Seen enough to be curious? The live demo shows Managello working the way an agency actually uses it — no signup, your server, your brand.
Try the live demo →
Switching over

Already using ProofHub?

A typical, low-drama migration. Keep ProofHub running read-only until you are settled — there is no rush.

1Export projects
2Import data
3Invite staff
4Invite clients
5Start new work
6Keep ProofHub read-only
The Switch Safely Promise

Managello has a guided importer: export your ProofHub projects and tasks and bring the essentials across with a preview you approve and a one-click undo — or hand it to us and we'll run the migration for you. Keep ProofHub read-only while active work moves over.

You approve a preview

Nothing goes live until you have reviewed exactly what will be imported.

One-click undo

Changed your mind? Reverse the whole import in a single click.

If we can’t get your structure in, your next month is on us. How the Switch Safely Promise works →

Questions

Managello vs ProofHub — FAQ

Can Managello replace ProofHub?

Yes for most agencies — both do projects and proofing well. Managello adds native invoicing, Stripe payments, a magic-link portal and self-hosting. ProofHub is a mature, cloud-hosted proofing tool with a simpler scope.

Is Managello also flat-priced?

Yes — a flat per-install license with unlimited users. Unlike ProofHub, that flat price runs on your own server, and it includes invoicing and payments.

Is ProofHub cheaper than Managello?

At small sizes ProofHub Essential can be a little cheaper. The honest trade is ownership and scope: Managello is self-hosted and includes invoicing and Stripe payments.

Does Managello do proofing as well as ProofHub?

Managello has native pin-comment proofing on images and PDFs with version comparison. ProofHub is a longer-established proofing specialist; both handle the core review workflow.

Is Managello self-hosted?

Yes, on your own VPS. ProofHub is cloud-only.

Who should stay with ProofHub?

Teams that want flat-rate cloud proofing with a simple scope and do not need built-in invoicing, payments or self-hosting.

See the difference yourself.

The fastest way to know if Managello fits your agency is to click around the live demo. Your server, your brand, unlimited users.

Try the live demo → See pricing

No credit card required.

Compare Managello with other tools
vs Asana vs Trello vs Teamwork vs Productive vs Scoro vs Accelo vs Perfex CRM vs ClickUp vs Monday vs Zoho Projects