When it comes to project management Basecamp is one of the most well-known names in the game. Founded in 1999 and officially presented in 2004 by 37signals, it is only a year younger than PayPal. Since then, Basecamp has become one of the leading project management tools, helping countless teams across industries stay organized and collaborate better.
Their focus has always been on ease of use. No unnecessary frills – just practical tools like to-do lists, message boards, file sharing, and scheduling. That’s why businesses love it, and that’s why Basecamp has stayed on top despite fierce competition from other platforms.
The Chicagoan company has gone through multiple Basecamp pricing systems over the past two decades. For this article, we’ll only concern ourselves with the current plan structure since that’s all that matters for our loyal readers who want to save some money on their subscriptions.
We’re diving deep into Basecamp pricing plans, their differences and limitations, as well as some alternative project management software that you might want to consider if Jason Fried’s renowned solution isn’t right for you.
Be sure to read the guide all the way through to get the full benefit and share it with a friend or two afterward so they too can cut down on their overhead costs. Without further ado, let’s get right into it!
Basecamp pricing plans
Basecamp’s pricing system is remarkably simple since there are only two plans available: Basecamp Basic and Basecamp Pro Unlimited.
Starting at around $15 per user per month, the Basecamp Basic plan is ideal for small to medium-sized teams. It allows for unlimited projects and provides essential collaboration tools for task management, messaging, file sharing, and scheduling. You can invite clients to specific projects without extra licenses, plus each user gets 500 GB of file storage and mobile app access.
On the other hand, we have Basecamp Pro Unlimited, priced at $299 per month billed annually, regardless of how many users you have. This plan is a game-changer for larger teams! Just like the Basic plan, you can create unlimited projects, but you also benefit from enhanced storage of 5 TB per user. You can invite as many team members as needed at no extra cost, and client collaboration remains easy and free.
Being able to invite an unlimited number of users without paying more has always been a selling point for them.
Big teams actually pay less for Basecamp than they would if they subscribed to a similar service with per-user pricing. The Basecamp homepage estimates that companies would pay over four times the price for similar functionality if they used other applications for their needs.
This estimate wasn’t even for a huge corporation, just a team of 10 people. We’ll dive deeper into the limitations of the plan for freelancers, startups, or smaller teams below, but for now, let’s take a quick look at the benefits that the Basecamp Pro Unlimited subscription can bring:
- 10x file & document storage (5 TB)
- Priority support with the Basecamp customer service department
- Dedicated team workspaces
- Client viewing permissions
- First-in-line 24/7/365 priority support
- Option to pay annually by check
- Annual billing for simplified accounting
- The Timesheet add-on to track time spent on projects
- Admin Pro Pack add-on for greater control over access and permissions
Now, let’s take a closer look at the Basic pricing plan!
Basecamp for freelancers, startups, or smaller team pricing plan limitations
The good folks who spend hundreds of days each year developing Basecamp deserve to be compensated more for all their hard work. This is why it’s not surprising that some features are reserved for the premium plan; otherwise, no one would upgrade!
Honestly, the smaller business plan is the best compromise between user accessibility and company sustainability. In the interest of keeping the business afloat, the limitations below have been set for the Basecamp pocket-friendly plan:
Billed per user
The website literally says, “great for personal projects, students, freelancers, families, and light use,” so we’re not in a position to criticize the company for limiting features or charging per user here.
If you think the capacity isn’t enough for your current team, or you plan on expanding with new employees soon, then you’d probably be best off going for the premium plan. Otherwise, this restriction is not only reasonable but easy to ignore if you’re an SMB.
Month to month pay
The startup plan only allows you to make payments monthly and not annually. So every month, you will be billed for the number of users you have on the team using Basecamp.
If you’re more of an annual payer, then this may bother you to pay every single month. Sometimes, small companies don’t have the required money to pay off the bills every month and prefer to pay it all at once annually.
However, if you’re a freelancer or a company with 10 members, then giving $15-$150 every month shouldn’t bother you a lot.
Again, it all depends on how your business is performing and how you like to finance your options.
500 GB storage space
We can’t be too hard on Basecamp, since it was nice of them to increase the storage from 1 GB to 500 GB with this new pricing plan. That being said, even though 500 GB is a lot, it still may not be a lot for those who plan on working with hefty files.
If your team primarily uploads Word documents and other file formats with a medium-sized footprint, then 500 GB of storage shouldn’t feel too cramped. However, companies that handle very large video editing projects would need some extra space.
In fact, 4K video takes up a gigabyte of storage for every minute of footage if you’re filming at 30 frames per second. Shooting at 4K60 will take up even more space. It all comes down to what your company does and how much storage it realistically needs to function.
Note: If all else fails, you can always keep your files on a separate storage platform like Dropbox or Google Drive.
An interesting twist in the recent pricing plans
There has been an interesting twist with the recent upgrade of pricing plans. Before when they had a free plan, the features were limited with a user cap, number of projects, and only 1 GB of storage.
Now, with two new pricing plans, they have integrated most of the features in both the plans and only made some minor differences for the pro or startup plan.
These differences include the upgrade of storage space, having a dedicated support line that trains your employees to onboard on the tool, and the option to pay both annually or monthly in the pro plan. With the startup plan, you can only pay monthly for the number of users that use the tool.
How to save money
Basecamp basic plan
The easiest way to save on your Basecamp subscription is to stick with the Basic plan instead of upgrading. This Basecamp plan is ideal for businesses that don’t need the extra features offered by the premium tier.
However, recently, the company has merged almost all features for both plans. Only a couple of them are different, such as the storage, annual vs monthly pay, and a dedicated support or onboarding process.
You can always switch to the Basecamp Pro plan when the time comes if the needs of your organization become too diverse down the road or if the team size exceeds the features offered by the Startup plan. In the meantime, enjoy the extra money that the startup plan will leave in your pocket.
Free trial
Taking advantage of Basecamp’s free trial is a smart move. This trial allows you to try out the software without spending a penny. Basecamp’s trial doesn’t even require a credit card, so there’s no reason not to give it a try. You might be wondering, is Basecamp free? While the free trial doesn’t require payment, the full-featured plans do have costs associated with them.
Even if you’re already 100% certain that Basecamp Pro plan is the project management platform for you, we’d still recommend that you go for the 30-day free trial first. By doing so, you’ll lower your total first-year Basecamp cost by $299/month.
Note: Basecamp has publicly stated on their website that they’re willing to extend trials.
Promo codes
Another way to save money when upgrading to Basecamp Business Pro plan would be to find some promo codes on websites like Coupons.com and RetailMeNot. It won’t be anything significant, but getting $10 off on your first premium month is better than nothing.
If you’ve been using the free version for some time, you could even try to reach out to the Basecamp team to see if they’re willing to give you a discount when you upgrade. It’s a long shot but it’s worked for other software platforms like AND CO in the past.
Basecamp is currently offering a special promotion that provides new users with a 10% discount on their first year when signing up for the Unlimited plan. This is a great way for individuals and teams to try Basecamp’s full project management features at no upfront cost. To take advantage of this discount just create a new account and choose the Unlimited plan.
Nonprofit and education discounts
Those running a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization can get 10% discount on their Basecamp subscription. This is on the condition that the Basecamp account is used exclusively for nonprofit work. All you have to do is email a copy of your 501(c)(3) paperwork over to nonprofits@basecamp.com.When it comes to education, Basecamp provides an even more generous offer.
K–12 students and teachers can use Basecamp for free! However, the account must be used exclusively for educational purposes. To take advantage of this free access, students (students@basecamp.com) and teachers ( teachers@basecamp.com) just need to send an email with proof of their status to Basecamp. It’s an excellent opportunity for educators to utilize powerful project management tools without any cost.
Overall, Basecamp’s commitment to supporting non-profits and educational institutions reflects its dedication to making project management accessible to everyone and helping these organizations achieve their goals without the burden of extra costs. If you fall into one of these categories, it’s definitely worth getting in touch to take advantage of these discounts!
Picking a Basecamp alternative
This is usually the part of the pricing guide where we put together a fancy-schmancy table like something straight out of a GetVoIP software alternatives piece. Not this time, as we already have a comprehensive article that covers six great Basecamp alternatives!
Conclusion
As you can see, you don’t have to break the bank to leverage the functionality that Basecamp brings. Many smaller businesses can take advantage of Basecamp’s pricing structure by choosing the Basic Plan, which allows them to use the software without a large financial commitment.
Even for those large enough to warrant the premium subscription, there are ways to keep the Basecamp cost manageable. Opting for annual billing can significantly reduce the overall price, making it a smart move for organizations that plan to use Basecamp for the long term.
Ultimately, there’s something for everyone, and I’d be hard-pressed to think of a reason why a business wouldn’t use Basecamp.
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