The agency ops stack (2026)

The rule

This is an operations stack for a US client-service shop — branding, web, content, mixed retainers — roughly 5–50 people. It is not a craft stack. We will not rank Figma alternatives, editing suites, or generative AI writing and image tools. That catalog is Aiacent, on purpose. If the leak is the work on the canvas, leave. If the leak is that retainers are vague, invoices are late, and payday is a spreadsheet, stay.

The default stack

• CRM: Pipedrive Growth if sellers will live in a pipeline; HubSpot Free/Starter if inbound and a shared contact file come first.
• Project management: Asana Starter for most shops; monday.com Standard if the team already thinks in boards; Teamwork Accelerate if billable time and retainers are the product.
• Invoicing / ledger: FreshBooks if AR is the leak; QuickBooks Online if a CPA is already in the file; Wave only while you are still “an agency of two.”
• Payments: Stripe or the processor inside the invoice tool. Offer ACH. See Stripe vs PayPal if clients argue about logos.
• Payroll / HR: Gusto Simple or Plus for US W-2s; BambooHR when the people file outgrows payday; Justworks PEO only if co-employment is a deliberate benefits decision.
• Banking: a business checking account with sub-accounts (Mercury or Relay are the usual Incacent short-list names) — not the founder’s personal checking.

Pipeline

Agencies lose money in the gap between “they seemed keen” and a signed SOW. Pipedrive Growth is the default when a few sellers need stages, activities, and automation without a marketing cloud. HubSpot Free is enough when the founder is the only closer and already wants one contact record. HubSpot vs Pipedrive is the comparison if you are arguing in a partner meeting. Close is the fork if the floor is still a phone.

The CRM is not the project board. When a deal marks won, someone creates the Asana project (or monday board) from a template. That handoff is a rule, not an integration you will “set up later.”

Delivery

Asana Starter covers tasks, guests, and timelines for most retainers. monday.com Standard if you will design client-facing boards. ClickUp if you have an admin and want docs plus time in one hierarchy. Teamwork if utilization and time-to-invoice are the reason you miss margin. Notion is the wiki, not the default PM — read Notion vs Asana before you run the agency from a database template.

Clients as guests need a permission rule. If you cannot write it, share a status view and keep them off the internal list.

Money

Invoices should match the SOW and the time you claimed you would bill. FreshBooks is the client-facing AR tool. QuickBooks Online is the CPA-facing ledger — Simple Start or Essentials until Plus is obvious. Wave is a starter file, not a 20-person agency close. FreshBooks vs Wave is the freelancer fork; agencies usually outgrow Wave the year they hire a bookkeeper.

Public list prices as of September 20, 2026: FreshBooks Plus $43/month; QBO Simple Start $38; Gusto Simple $49 + $6/person. Processing on cards is often ~2.9% + 30¢ on Stripe. Model retainers on ACH. This is not tax advice.

Open business checking before the first client wire. Sub-accounts for tax, payroll, and operating are how you stop raiding next quarter’s Gusto debit. See the LLC banking ranking.

People

The first W-2 is a payroll product, not an HRIS. Gusto is the Incacent default for US shops under 50 who want a published bill. QuickBooks Workforce if the books already live in QBO and you will pay the extra per-employee fee. Rippling when IT and HR are the same fire. BambooHR when records and managers appear. Justworks PEO when benefits access is the job and you understand co-employment. The HR ranking exists so you do not buy Elite performance management for eight people.

Contractors still need 1099s and a real payment path. Mixing them into the employee PTO calendar without a classification opinion is how you buy a legal problem. We are not your counsel.