Scoro is one of the most established work management platforms in the agency space, built for professional services firms that need a single system for projects, sales, and finances.
AtomicSam is a focused, modern PSA designed around the daily reality of running a digital agency or consultancy — billable utilisation, accurate quoting, and proactive capacity planning.
This comparison breaks down where each tool excels, what they cost, and which is the better fit for your team in 2026.
At a glance
Both tools cover the same core PSA territory, but Scoro is broader and heavier, while AtomicSam is sharper and more opinionated about how services firms should operate.
AI invoice narratives AI & automation | ||
AI receipt parsing AI & automation | ||
Brand themes Customisation | ||
Capacity heat map Resourcing | ||
Compliance dashboard Time tracking | ||
HeadsUp proactive alerts Resourcing | ||
Leave & holiday calendars Resourcing | ||
Limit-based PO approval Purchase orders | ||
Non-destructive quote merge Quoting | ||
Override with reason audit Time tracking | ||
Per-user override limits Approvals | ||
Pre-invoice variance review Invoicing | ||
Retention release Invoicing | ||
Three-way matching Purchase orders | ||
Time reconciliation Time tracking | Partial | |
Unified approvals system Approvals | Partial | |
Variation billing Invoicing | ||
ClickUp Integrations | Native | |
Cost stage tracking Purchase orders | 3-stage | Partial |
Industry terminology presets Customisation | 5 presets | |
Invoice modes Invoicing | 7 | 3 |
Native AI features AI & automation | Native | ELI |
QuickBooks Online Integrations | Native | Native |
Quote → job conversion Quoting | Smart | Basic |
Quote enforcement levels Quoting | 3 levels | |
Xero Integrations | Native | Native |
Pricing breakdown
Scoro uses per-user pricing across four tiers (Essential, Standard, Pro, Ultimate). Most agencies need Pro or Ultimate to unlock resource planning, retainers, and advanced reporting — typically pushing per-seat costs into the USD $40–70 range with annual commitments. AtomicSam offers a flat monthly fee per tier:- Core — NZD $89/month for 3 users
- Pro — NZD $119/month for 3 users (14-day free trial)
- Ultra — NZD $269/month for 10 users
Where Scoro wins
Sales pipeline and CRM depth. Scoro includes a more developed CRM and sales pipeline module — useful for firms that want PSA and sales in a single system rather than integrating with HubSpot or Pipedrive. Retainer management. Scoro has mature support for recurring retainer billing and retainer dashboards. Pre-built dashboards. Scoro ships with a deep library of executive dashboards out of the box. ELI assistant. Scoro's ELI AI assistant adds basic conversational queries on top of the platform.Where AtomicSam wins
Quote enforcement that matters. AtomicSam has 3 levels of quote enforcement — soft, warning, and hard — with non-destructive merge that protects historical quotes when scope changes. Scoro's quoting is more basic. Invoicing depth. AtomicSam supports 7 invoice modes (T&M, fixed fee, milestone, retainer, retention, variation, mixed). Scoro has 3. Native AI workflows. AtomicSam's AI is embedded in real workflows — receipt parsing, invoice narratives, smart quote-to-job conversion — not bolted on as a chat assistant. Compliance dashboard. AtomicSam includes a time compliance dashboard that flags missing entries and override patterns. Scoro has no equivalent. Lower total cost. At typical agency sizes (5–15 people), AtomicSam costs significantly less than Scoro Pro or Ultimate. Faster onboarding. Scoro's breadth comes with a steeper setup curve. AtomicSam can be operational in days, not weeks.Best for: Scoro
Choose Scoro if you need an all-in-one platform that combines deep CRM, sales pipeline, and PSA in one system, and you're willing to pay a premium for breadth.
Best for: AtomicSam
Choose AtomicSam if you want a sharper, more opinionated PSA that's faster to set up, costs less, and is purpose-built around how modern agencies actually run — with stronger quoting, billing, and AI.
Verdict
Scoro is a capable, mature platform — but it's built for breadth. AtomicSam is built for depth in the areas that matter most to agencies: quoting accuracy, billing flexibility, capacity planning, and AI-assisted workflows. For most digital and creative services firms, AtomicSam delivers a better outcome at a fraction of the cost.
Try AtomicSam free for 14 days. No credit card required.
