Toggl Alternative for Video Production Agencies
Video production agencies track time across pre-production, shoots, and post-production — but Toggl treats every hour the same regardless of production phase, crew member rate, or budget impact. A director's hour and an intern's hour look identical in Toggl, and there's no way to compare tracked time against production budgets that include equipment, locations, and talent alongside crew time. You end up managing production schedules in one tool, tracking time in Toggl, monitoring budgets in a spreadsheet, and invoicing in QuickBooks. AgencyPro unifies production management and time tracking so every tracked hour has production context.
If you're a Video agency looking for an alternative to Toggl, you're not alone. Many Video teams switch when they outgrow Toggl's capabilities — particularly around primarily a time tracker — no invoicing, crm, or client portal. AgencyPro is purpose-built for agencies like yours, combining project management, client portals, and billing into one platform.
Why Video Production Agencies Struggle with Toggl
Toggl has no production phase awareness — you can't see how hours break down across pre-production, production, and post-production or track budget burn per phase
No production budget management means crew time, equipment costs, location fees, and talent expenses are tracked in separate spreadsheets disconnected from Toggl data
Client review and approval for scripts, storyboards, rough cuts, and final deliverables happens entirely outside Toggl in email threads and file-sharing tools
Crew scheduling across multiple concurrent productions is invisible in Toggl — you can't see who's booked when or avoid scheduling conflicts
Why Video Production Agencies Switch to AgencyPro
Production Phase Management
Video projects flow through distinct phases — scripting and storyboarding, pre-production planning, principal photography, editing, color and sound, and delivery. AgencyPro structures productions with these phases, each with their own tasks, budgets, and deadlines. Your crew tracks time against specific production phases, so you see exactly where hours are consumed across the production lifecycle.
Comprehensive Budget Tracking
Production budgets aren't just crew hours. They include equipment rentals, location permits, talent fees, music licensing, and post-production costs. AgencyPro tracks all cost categories against production budgets in real time, combining crew time costs with expense line items. You see true production margins — not just Toggl's isolated hour count that ignores every other cost component.
Client Review Milestones
Video productions have structured client approval points — concept approval, storyboard sign-off, rough cut review, final delivery acceptance. AgencyPro's client portal supports structured review stages where clients provide feedback and formal approval at each milestone. This replaces the email-based review process that Toggl-based agencies default to.
Multi-Production Crew Scheduling
When you're running three productions simultaneously, knowing which crew members are available for upcoming shoots is critical. AgencyPro shows team allocation across all active productions, preventing scheduling conflicts and enabling intelligent crew assignment — operational visibility Toggl doesn't provide because it only records time retroactively.
AgencyPro vs Toggl: Key Feature Comparison
Production Phase Workflows
Structured pre-production, production, and post-production phases with task dependencies, milestone gates, and phase-specific budgets.
Crew Time Tracking
Track crew hours per production phase with role-specific rates, day-rate support, and automatic budget impact calculation.
Production Budgeting
Track crew time, equipment, locations, talent, and post-production costs against project budgets with real-time margin visibility.
Client Review Portal
Structured milestone reviews for scripts, storyboards, rough cuts, and final deliverables with feedback collection and formal approvals.
Multi-Production Scheduling
Cross-production crew allocation views to prevent conflicts, plan shoot schedules, and manage team availability across concurrent projects.
Milestone Invoicing
Bill clients at production milestones — concept approval, shoot completion, final delivery — tied directly to sign-off status.
Key Features for Video Production Agencies
Production Phase Workflows
Structured pre-production, production, and post-production phases with task dependencies, milestone gates, and phase-specific budgets.
Crew Time Tracking
Track crew hours per production phase with role-specific rates, day-rate support, and automatic budget impact calculation.
Production Budgeting
Track crew time, equipment, locations, talent, and post-production costs against project budgets with real-time margin visibility.
Client Review Portal
Structured milestone reviews for scripts, storyboards, rough cuts, and final deliverables with feedback collection and formal approvals.
Multi-Production Scheduling
Cross-production crew allocation views to prevent conflicts, plan shoot schedules, and manage team availability across concurrent projects.
Milestone Invoicing
Bill clients at production milestones — concept approval, shoot completion, final delivery — tied directly to sign-off status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can AgencyPro handle day rates and hourly rates for different crew roles?
Yes. Configure different rate structures per team member and role — day rates for shooters and directors, hourly rates for editors, fixed fees for freelance specialists. AgencyPro applies the correct rate when crew members track time, so budget impact is calculated accurately without the manual rate lookups needed with Toggl.
How does budget tracking work for non-time costs like equipment and locations?
Add expense line items for equipment rentals, location fees, talent costs, music licensing, and any other production expense. These combine with crew time costs for a comprehensive budget view. Toggl only tracks time — it has no concept of production expenses that often make up half or more of a video budget.
We use freelance crew alongside our in-house team — does AgencyPro support that?
Add freelancers as external collaborators with production-specific access and their own rate structures. They can track time against assigned production tasks while only seeing the projects they're involved in. This mixed-team management is essential for video production and something Toggl's flat user model doesn't specifically support.
Can clients review rough cuts through AgencyPro?
Clients access their review portal at each milestone stage. While video files are typically shared via link or streaming preview, the feedback workflow, approval tracking, and revision round management happen within AgencyPro's structured system. This replaces scattered email feedback and creates a documented review record.
Switching from Toggl Is Easier Than You Think
Switching from Toggl to AgencyPro is straightforward. Our team helps migrate your projects, client data, and workflows so nothing falls through the cracks. Most Video teams are fully operational within a week.
Toggl Alternatives for Other Industries
Other Alternatives for Video Production Agencies
Learn more about AgencyPro for Video Production Agencies
View the Video Production Agencies use case page →Manage Productions, Not Just Timesheets
Video production agencies replace Toggl's basic timer with AgencyPro's production phase management, budget tracking, and client review workflows.