Same job, less friction.
Scoro is one of the most complete professional services automation platforms on the market, and its own users say so. It does real-time project profitability, resource planning, budget tracking and financial reporting, and does all of it well. Hourglass does the same core job. The difference isn't the outcome, it's what it takes to get there.
Try Hourglass freeScoro’s Essential plan is listed at $26/user/month, but every plan carries a 5-seat minimum, so the actual entry cost is around $130/month, before you’ve added a single extra user.
(G2 & Capterra pricing data, verified 3 May 2026)
Reviewers who rate Scoro highly still flag the same thing: a steep learning curve, and features like automation rules, permissions and financial settings that need “a fair amount of trial and error to get right.” Some agencies report needing 3–4 weeks, sometimes with a paid implementation partner, before the platform is fully configured.
(G2 Scoro reviews, verified 3 June 2026)
Multiple reviewers across G2 and Capterra flag this as an ongoing limitation, not a one-off complaint.
None of this means Scoro is a bad product — its 4.5-star average across nearly 500 reviews says otherwise. It means Scoro is built for teams who need the full depth of an all-in-one platform and have the time to configure it properly.
Hourglass is built specifically for the piece most small project-based firms actually need: live project profitability, utilisation, and budget risk, without the CRM, sales pipeline and full financial suite bundled in whether you need them or not.
No 5-seat minimum. Start with however many people you actually have.
Live the same day, connected directly to Xero, not weeks of configuration.
Nothing to configure that you don’t use. No automation rules to learn before you get value.
If you want one platform to run your entire agency, sales pipeline included, Scoro is a genuinely strong choice, and clearly works for the businesses that have the time to set it up properly. If what you actually need is to know whether your projects are profitable, without a month of configuration first, that's what Hourglass is built for.
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