BigTime Software vs. Datto Autotask PSA

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BigTime Software
Score 6.6 out of 10
N/A
BigTime IQ is time and expense tracking software from Chicago-based BigTime Software.
$20
User per Month
Autotask PSA
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Autotask PSA is designed as a complete IT Business Management Platform for MSPs, now from Datto (resulting from the Autotask merger with Datto in 2017).N/A
Pricing
BigTime SoftwareDatto Autotask PSA
Editions & Modules
Essentials
$20
User per Month
Advanced
$35
User per Month
Premier
$45
User per Month
Projector
$60
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BigTime SoftwareAutotask PSA
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BigTime SoftwareDatto Autotask PSA
Considered Both Products
BigTime Software
Chose BigTime Software
After all the research and demos I watched, I had narrowed it down to BQE CORE & BigTime Software. We actually started w/ BQE CORE, which is an incredibly robust software with a lot of great abilities. It ended up being way more robust than we needed or wanted. We switched …
Chose BigTime Software
Many of those other softwares did not provide the detailed reporting capabilities that Big Time does. It was harder to get the data we needed out of those systems, and some just did not have it all together...
Chose BigTime Software
I didn't use the reporting features much on ClickTime, so I can't compare that. The previous company where I was that used ClickTime may have had just a basic subscription for timekeeping.
Chose BigTime Software
I liked the client management, but it didn't do time tracking, billing or syncing with quickbooks. It was too robust for my needs. I tried it for the client management and thought I might use it along with bigtime, but it was too cumbersome and would involve too much double …
Chose BigTime Software
BigTime Software blows Zoho out of the water because it's all in one place and the customer service is 1000x better than Zoho. It's easy to get answers and understand where the problem is and how to fix it. Zoho was confusing, didn't communicate well between modules, and the …
Chose BigTime Software
We selected BigTime [Software] because it had the most features that we needed in our company. It is lacking some features but overall it is a good fit for us.
Chose BigTime Software
I have used several custom products at various consulting forms that were clunky and difficult to work with.
Chose BigTime Software
The main reason why we have decided to change services [...] is because we have carried out an internal analysis to determine which tool [is the best], with the [most] appropriate functionalities to fulfill our labor proposal. [We] came to the conclusion that BigTime [Software] …
Chose BigTime Software
Customer Support; Ease of Platform Use; Product can and will do what it promises it will do!
Chose BigTime Software
While they have similar capabilities, our main reason for switching to BigTime Software was that Harvest could not reconcile expenses and labor hours into one budget line item, which threw off entire project budgets. In this regard, BigTime Software is more accurate and a much …
Chose BigTime Software
Ajera is not as user friendly and seems to be designed for larger corporations Does not have integrations with other software like QB
Chose BigTime Software
We looked at several different options, but most of them charge a percentage of the profits to use their service. BigTime is a flat rate for access/use and that works better with our business.
Chose BigTime Software
It’s a great alternative to other invoice software since it's easy for a quick Excel invoice or other timesheet for contracting work. It was easy to enter time and upload receipts as well. I uploaded a receipt for a software purchase when I had to add that to my billing as …
Chose BigTime Software
BigTime was recommended by enough people in our circle that we didn't even consider any other options. All other options were outside our price point as well.
Chose BigTime Software
We've been using BigTime exclusively since needing to incorporate a timesheet tracking for employees.
Chose BigTime Software
BigTime is much easier to use and available online and on mobile.
Chose BigTime Software
I have not used any other products like BigTime, but I know that our office was careful in selecting it and has been very pleased.
Chose BigTime Software
BigTime allows more detailed breakdowns by project than this software (though I used Kronos several years ago).
Chose BigTime Software
I think BigTime Software has better invoice tracking and payment options but Monday offers better project tracking
Autotask PSA
Chose Autotask PSA
Atera is an RMM first with PSA features so it falls short of a PSA. The essentials are there for a fledgling MSP, but for more advanced ticket handling and contract management, it falls short. When I used Zendesk at the beginning (about 10 years ago), it was really only a …
Chose Autotask PSA
Kaseya BMS, Kaseya VSA, Datto Alto, Datto Cloud Continuity, Datto Backupify, Datto RMM, Datto Routers and ServiceNow IT Service Management
Chose Autotask PSA
Datto Autotask is much more complex than Atera's ticketing platform but is much more customizable.
Chose Autotask PSA
Datto Autotask PSA is probably the best all-in-one platform for MSPs. It's targeted and designed specifically for MSPs, whilst most service desk software/PSA is often just general service desk software.
Chose Autotask PSA
Autotask is more robust than simple ticketing systems. It provides better billing ability that many ticketing systems and works well with existing clients. The invoicing options provided are beneficial to the business and streamline the process. The ticketing system provides …
Chose Autotask PSA
The portion of Autotask that we've used other companies for prior to using Autotask is the Endpoint Management. The Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) portal integrates perfectly with their PSA/CRM tools. It's alerting features are much better than the above software as there …
Chose Autotask PSA
Everything else either has multiple modules or you need separate suites to do everything you want.
Chose Autotask PSA
It has been many years since we compared Autotask to the competition. We made the decision early on because of the overall solution that Autotask provides. It suits our needs well and we have not had a need to change since.
Chose Autotask PSA
Cost was a factor. Our small company size meant less licenses to pay for each month for a web based product that our clients could easily use.
Chose Autotask PSA
Its definitely has a better layout. Easier to customize. Easier search.
Chose Autotask PSA
ConnectWise would be a close second however the overall functionality hasn't been great in the past, I've learned they've implemented a more robust web interface however the client was not stable. Autotask is easy to manage from service requests, reporting and time management.
Chose Autotask PSA
I've used OTRS and Autotask gives a better overall experience as it isn't just simply a ticketing system it gives greater breadth over what you can accomplish. It allows for better interdepartmental communication rather than just a place for end users and clients to dump more …
Chose Autotask PSA
Autotask stacks up fairly well against software like Kaseya, ConnectWise, and Tigerpaw. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, however I feel that ConnectWise and Autotask have improved the most as of the last 10 years. The reason we chose Autotask is because it …
Chose Autotask PSA
Except for multi-tenancy and permissioning for external users, Autotask beats BMC Remedy in every category for an ITSM Incident/Request Management suite. From allowing legitimate multi-tasking to the streamlined and more-straightforward user experience, Autotask takes the focus …
Chose Autotask PSA
ServiceNow was faster to use to create tickets in a fast-paced call center style helpdesk. I preferred it to Autotask, but from a business perspective, I felt that Autotask covers a lot more ground than ServiceNow. My Experience with Solar Winds was minimal although it was a …
Chose Autotask PSA
We tested several solutions ranging from short-term trials to extended 6-month production runs and found the other solutions to lack what we needed. Autotask PSA was a more mature, thought-out, and developed product that had everything we needed in a single solution. Over the …
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User Ratings
BigTime SoftwareDatto Autotask PSA
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BigTime SoftwareDatto Autotask PSA
Likelihood to Recommend
I believe it is well suited for our industry! We are professional services consulting firm and we need this! However if there is a smaller company who does not need to track these items, then they should not use this big of a platform
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In my opinion, Datto Autotask is exceptionally complicated to set up, manage, and use on a daily basis. I would think the target market for this product would be someone managing a team of 20 - 50 people, possibly more. In my experience, for it to run properly you will need to dedicate at least half an FTE to running this product in an organization of that size per month. I would not recommend it for companies with less than 10 people or for companies that value quick communication with their clients. I would not recommend it for companies using Datto's RMM product. The integration exists, but it is clearly a bolt-on. They were not developed together and they are slow to talk to each other. Frequently you cannot add details from RMM sessions into the PSA without manually copying the ticket number, and if the ticket is more than a week old, then you can't even find it with the ticket number.
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Pros
  • Invoice Style and detail..Bigtime allows the user the ability to choose more of what you need to appear on your invoice with its window options.
  • Phase/Percentage Billing; ease of adding additional phases to a project mid-project; clearly identifying Retainers
  • Support Team- In particular Melissa D and Lina Z...Par Excellent on the Teams
  • WHIP/Reports/Review of Invoices just make the entire billing process a BREEZE has cut my time frame in half, a Incredible help in this Season of Remote Work Environment that we are adapting to.
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  • AutoTask allows for us to receive and work support tickets very easily. We've setup various 'Issue Types' that in turn are bound to SLAs ensuring that items are worked appropriately as they are received.
  • The automation that AutoTask allows for with regards to various emails/requests coming through has been great. It allows for us to not have to constantly "watch the queue" as when a critical item arrives the appropriate persons are notified and can work it.
  • I feel that the management of AutoTask for both user setup, and various automations is done well. We're able to copy settings as needed, and create templates for multiple items.
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Cons
  • For some types of projects, we are unable to use BigTime's invoicing feature. It would be nice if we could further customize invoices to fit our needs. We still have to use Quickbooks to complete certain invoices.
  • Being able to create Purchase Orders in BigTime would be extremely useful to us. We currently use Quickbooks for this.
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  • The GUI is a little dated.
  • Some integrations are limited for not being a Datto product.
  • While not as complex to set up as Connectwise, it definitely requires some serious thought during the initial setup.
  • Email processing could offer more options for parsing keywords and allow for more automation.
  • The mobile app is just not worth using in my experience.
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Likelihood to Renew
Its been a huge help in saving time and making billing more efficient. Would like to see the product grow and be able to continue to use it.
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After using multiple products on the market, Autotask was intuitive and easy to manage.
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Usability
Overall most areas of the software are easy to use. I tend to spend a lot of time in analytics and reports. Those are not as user friendly, in my opinion, and could use some improvements. I think it just takes time to get familiar with where items are stored in the program and what changes affect what.
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Datto Autotask PSA is a full featured product that can do almost anything you need. There is a significant learning curve to get started which requires several hours spent in product training. Additionally, several hours / days are needed to get clients imported, contracts configured, and integrations implemented. Once the setup and user training is complete, the product is very functional, but it's imperative to not get overwhelmed when starting out.
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Reliability and Availability
BigTime is available 99% of the time. At times there are bugs, but most are resolved quickly
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No answers on this topic
Performance
have not noticed a slow integration issue using QBO
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
The support is amazing! They are always available through the chat interface in the program. Each support person has fully answered my questions the first time. I have had a positive experience with each inquiry. It is very important to me that I am able to get instant access to help so that I can make the most of the software and all of its capabilities.
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They are fairly quick at returning a response to a problem and have been able to fix all issues for the most part.
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Implementation Rating
I touched on this briefly, in another survey section, but my implementation manager, Kevin, was exceptional. The actual implementation process took 3 months, not 1 before I was comfortable rolling it out to staff. We also had to wait/schedule time and coordinate for our custom xml. invoice to be generated and in a place we felt comfortable sending it out to clients. In the end I was very satisfied, but during the first few months it was challenging.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
The main reason why we have decided to change services [...] is because we have carried out an internal analysis to determine which tool [is the best], with the [most] appropriate functionalities to fulfill our labor proposal. [We] came to the conclusion that BigTime [Software] is much more complete in terms of functionalities and even [at a] lower price.
Read full review
The portion of Autotask that we've used other companies for prior to using Autotask is the Endpoint Management. The Autotask Endpoint Management (AEM) portal integrates perfectly with their PSA/CRM tools. It's alerting features are much better than the above software as there aren't a bunch of superfluous and unneeded alerts. Instead, it only alerts for things that you specify that you want. Alerts aside, for the PSA/CRM, I don't have much to compare it to as Autotask was the first PSA we tried. It's hard to imagine a PSA having more features or doing a better job than Autotask.
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Scalability
The product is useful for faster billing and efficient timesheet logs. I do like the report features however there are many options and can be overwhelming for the user. It is most helpful to set up reports speaking to an agent to ensure the right fields are set, etc.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Before BigTime, we were using Excel to track everything, creating invoices, and run reports. Getting on BigTime has saved us tons of time and effort which equates to dollars saved on labor.
  • From a legal standpoint, BigTime has allowed us to be organized and prepared in the event we would need to present financial details to anyone.
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  • We were able to identify the profitability of our entire client base.
  • We identified a loss of over 1 million dollars for time unbilled consultancy fees using metrics derived from Autotask.
  • Autotask helped us serve our client base in a professional manner, it's like having an entire department at your finger tips.
  • Autotask is the heartbeat of our operation.
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ScreenShots

BigTime Software Screenshots

Screenshot of BigTime Wallet provides clients with a personalized experience to pay on time from anywhere, in one click.Screenshot of A big-picture view into operational insights to make adjustments to how resources are managed.Screenshot of Real-time, actionable insights for professional services firms.Screenshot of The platform is designed to work within existing workflows and software stack, acting as a single source of truth for data.Screenshot of BigTime's invoicing engine supports dozens of industry-standard billing scenarios and enough options to satisfy exacting customer needs.