Basecamp vs. Things

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Basecamp
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Basecamp is a web-based project-management tool. Basecamp offers features standard to project management platforms, as well as mobile accessibility, unlimited users, and 3rd party integrations. Basecamp is priced by space requirements and concurrent projects.
$15
per month per user
Things
Score 6.1 out of 10
N/A
N/A
$9.99
one-time fee
Pricing
BasecampThings
Editions & Modules
Basecamp Plus
$15
per month per user
Basecamp Pro Unlimited
$299
per month (billed annually)
Basecamp Free
Free
Limited Capabilities
For iPhone & Watch
$9.99
one-time fee
For iPad
$19.99
one-time fee
For Mac
$49.99
one-time fee
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BasecampThings
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BasecampThings
Features
BasecampThings
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
7.9
Ratings
3% above category average
Things
-
Ratings
Task Management9.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Resource Management8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Gantt Charts2.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Scheduling6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow Automation7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Team Collaboration10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Document Management9.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Email integration7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Access9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Change request and Case Management8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Basecamp
6.8
Ratings
10% below category average
Things
-
Ratings
Quotes/estimates8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Invoicing6.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Project & financial reporting8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with accounting software4.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BasecampThings
Small Businesses
Stackby
Stackby
Score 9.0 out of 10
7shifts
7shifts
Score 9.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
InEight
InEight
Score 8.3 out of 10
Todoist
Todoist
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
InEight
InEight
Score 8.3 out of 10
Whimsical
Whimsical
Score 8.5 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BasecampThings
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BasecampThings
Likelihood to Recommend
Small to mid-size would be a great fit [for Basecamp]. It's simple to use and does not require a ton of ramp-up. Unlike other platforms that require you to learn their terminology in order to use the platform this works well for the non technical user whom just needs to put in simple task updates[.]
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It's great for everyday use, whether you adhere to the GTD regimen fully or just need a way to quickly capture and sort your tasks. However, it may be less suited if you're looking for a task manager that lets you collaborate with others or if you want to visualize your tasks in other ways, like a Gantt chart.
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Pros
  • Task management - It is very easy to add, organize and discuss tasks within Basecamp's interface.
  • The "Campfire" function is great for communicating when you just have a quick question for someone on the team.
  • Notifications - Basecamp lets you decide how often and about what you'd like to be notified. The ability to respond to messages in Basecamp directly via email saves a lot of time.
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  • Keeps track of my daily priorities.
  • Collects my work tasks.
  • Let's me sort and prioritize tasks.
  • Organize my tasks.
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Cons
  • High Learning Curve. It's true that it can be easy to use, but to use well and effectively takes some time to learn. It's recommended to have an agreed-upon system in your team of what tools to use and when.
  • Notification Overload. If people aren't careful they could send a notification to everyone when only a couple people were meant to be prompted. And since emails are sent by default, you could have your mailbox overloaded with unnecessary updates. This is where it takes a bit of training in your team to have an agreed-upon system.
  • Lack of organization with Archived Projects. I will often need to reference an archived project to make a new one, but there is only a list of archived projects in alphabetical order, with no way to organize by archive date, or even search.
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  • Shortcut for moving tasks to areas.
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Likelihood to Renew
When I bring new people onto a project, it's immediately obvious how to use Basecamp. I don't have to worry about teaching them the features or walking them through it, it's just incredibly user-friendly. For this reason, I'll continue to renew my subscription even as new people are brought onto production jobs or the client changes.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
I would give it a ten but we have some very minor issues. Those have all been easy to work around and I still really like Basecamp. We also have trouble with some clients who can only handle email—but those are rare cases when technology is just not their thing.
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The interface of Things was good 10 years ago, and has been refined ever since. It's lightweight, while still being readable and showing just the information you need to see. Also, something I haven't seen in any other (of my) app(s) is the keyboard shortcut/launcher, where you start typing a letter, and a dropdown menu lets you quickly jump to a view.
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Reliability and Availability
I've never experienced downtime while using Basecamp, or been unable to access it when I needed it. That's not to say they've never had downtime, but I've been lucky enough not to encounter any, and I work odd hours, including late nights when maintenance is often undertaken.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
For the many reasons I've given, Basecamp is a very strong program. There are a few features I can imagine that might make it even better, but I don't have a basis for comparison to be able to say that there is definitely a better one out there. I've noticed that Basecamp has evolved a bit from the time I started using it until now, so that makes me think that the producer of this program values it and believes in continuous improvement. If you could use the features offered by Basecamp, I would think you could use it with confidence.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Decide the process before implementation - i.e. when it's due 8/9 does that mean 8am, noon, 5pm, 11:59pm? Check your to-do list frequently Set-up templates - just not with the dates (they can be funky)
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Basecamp is the best application we've found for our team to interface with external clients. It makes project management simple, and allows our clients visibility into their projects, which in turn builds trust, fosters open communication, and improves customer satisfaction. It's easy to learn and use, and has just enough customizability to work for many different types of projects.
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I've tried numerous to-do apps, some that never even go out of beta. But I kept returning to Things, mostly for the user experience. It's unobtrusive and fast to use, and it looks fantastic, which is more important than I first realized. To become more organized, my app of choice needs to look organized. Also, many competing solutions are trying to force you into one way of using their app, while Things feels more open to letting you define your way of working with task management.
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Return on Investment
  • It has helped keep every project organized, with all assets in one accessible place for everyone involved.
  • It has helped with scheduling and assigning tasks so that everyone knows what is expected of them.
  • It has helped keep all client correspondence in one place and within the project so that everything can be found immediately.
  • The search function is very helpful.
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  • Working fewer nights, because I'm more organized.
  • Getting that admin done, that you'd rather avoid if possible.
  • Getting back to people in time more generally.
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ScreenShots