BigTime is a standalone PSA built for mid-market professional services firms — consulting, IT services, accounting, and engineering. It handles time tracking, project billing, and QuickBooks/Xero integration, with implementations typically completing in 4–10 weeks at a cost of $20–$35/user/month. NetSuite PSA (formerly OpenAir, now part of Oracle NetSuite) is an enterprise PSA module deeply integrated with the NetSuite ERP suite. It offers multi-entity support, advanced resource planning, and unified financials — but requires 4–9 months and $50,000–$150,000+ to implement, with base platform costs starting around $1,000–$2,000/month plus $100–$200/user/month. The practical dividing line: firms with 10–150 employees that want to move fast and keep their existing accounting system typically choose BigTime. Firms with 150+ employees, multiple entities, or already on NetSuite ERP typically choose NetSuite PSA.
At a Glance
Quick Comparison
| BigTime | NetSuite PSA | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Market | Mid-market consulting, IT, accounting, engineering | Enterprise professional services, multi-entity firms |
| Ideal Firm Size | 10–200 employees | 100–1,000+ employees |
| Starting Price | ~$20–$35/user/mo | ~$1,000–$2,000/mo platform + $100–$200/user/mo |
| Implementation Time | 4–10 weeks | 4–9 months |
| Implementation Cost | $5,000–$25,000 | $50,000–$150,000+ |
| Own General Ledger | No — integrates with QBO/Xero | Yes — part of NetSuite ERP |
| Multi-Entity Support | Limited | Full support |
| Revenue Recognition | Basic milestone billing | ASC 606 compliant |
| Resource Planning | ✓ Team scheduling | ✓ Enterprise capacity planning |
| QuickBooks Integration | Native (core feature) | ✗ Not available |
| Customization | Moderate (out-of-box config) | Extensive (SuiteScript, SuiteFlow) |
Pricing Reality
What These Tools Actually Cost
Published per-seat pricing tells you almost nothing. Here's what a 50-person consulting firm actually pays in year one.
Cost Component
BigTime (50 users)
NetSuite PSA (50 users)
Annual Software License
$12,000–$21,000
$72,000–$132,000
Implementation Services
$5,000–$25,000
$50,000–$150,000
Training
Included or minimal
$10,000–$30,000
Customization / Integrations
$0–$10,000
$20,000–$80,000
Estimated Year-One Total
$17,000–$56,000
$152,000–$392,000
Estimates for a 50-person commercial consulting firm. NetSuite PSA total includes the base NetSuite ERP platform cost.
Feature Breakdown
Head-to-Head: Seven Dimensions
Capability
BigTime
NetSuite PSA
Time Tracking
✓ Clean weekly timesheets with flexible approval workflows. Mobile-friendly. Strong QuickBooks sync.
✓ Configurable timesheets with multi-entity, multi-currency, and project charge codes. More complex setup.
Project Billing
✓ T&M, fixed-fee, milestone, and retainer billing. Invoice sync to QBO/Xero. Good for commercial firms.
✓ All contract types plus ASC 606 revenue recognition. Native ERP billing — no sync needed.
Resource Planning
◐ Team scheduling and utilization tracking. Good at firm level; limited for complex multi-project staffing.
✓ Enterprise-grade capacity planning, role-based resource requests, and demand forecasting across entities.
Financial Reporting
◐ Project P&L, budget vs actual, utilization reports. Good operational visibility. No consolidated GL.
✓ Consolidated financial reporting across entities. Real-time P&L tied directly to the GL. CFO-grade.
Multi-Entity / Multi-Currency
✗ Limited. Single-entity focus. Currency support is basic.
✓ Built for multi-entity firms. Full intercompany eliminations and multi-currency natively.
ERP Integration
✓ Native QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero. No NetSuite integration without middleware.
✓ Fully native to NetSuite ERP. No sync required — single data model for PSA and financials.
Time to Value
✓ 4–10 weeks to go live. Most firms can self-implement with guided setup.
✗ 4–9 months typical. Requires an implementation partner. Complex configuration.
Ideal Firm Profiles
Who Should Choose Which
Choose BigTime if…
- You're a 10–150 person consulting, IT, or accounting firm
- You want to keep QuickBooks or Xero as your accounting system
- Time-to-value matters — you need to be live in weeks, not months
- Your firm doesn't have dedicated IT or ERP admin staff
- You bill T&M or fixed-fee and need automated invoice generation
- You're replacing spreadsheets or an outgrown billing system
Choose NetSuite PSA if…
- You have 150+ employees or multiple business entities
- Your firm is already running (or planning to adopt) NetSuite ERP
- You need ASC 606 revenue recognition for complex contracts
- Your PE owner or CFO requires consolidated multi-entity financials
- You've outgrown BigTime's reporting depth and need CFO-grade analytics
- Budget for a 6–12 month ERP rollout is available and justified
The Gap Neither Fills
What If You Don't Need a Full PSA?
Both platforms solve an implementation problem before they solve a visibility problem.
- BigTime requires your team to change how they log time. The system is only as good as the time data going in. Firms that struggle with timesheet adoption see slow ROI — the dashboard looks right but the numbers are six weeks stale.
- NetSuite PSA requires migrating your financial system. You're not adding a tool — you're replacing your accounting infrastructure. That's the right call for large firms. For a 30-person consulting firm, it's frequently overkill.
- What many firms actually need is weekly ops intelligence, not a new time-tracking system. If your existing books have the data and your problem is "I don't have a clear picture of utilization and margin week-over-week," a lighter-weight reporting layer may be the faster path. See what operator-grade weekly reporting looks like →
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is BigTime good for a 50-person consulting firm?
Yes — BigTime is well-suited for consulting firms in the 20–150 person range. It handles T&M and fixed-fee billing, project budget tracking, resource scheduling, and QuickBooks integration without the overhead of an enterprise ERP. Implementation takes 4–10 weeks. The main limitation is that it doesn't include a general ledger, so you'll keep your existing accounting system alongside it. Firms at 50 people that need real-time project margin visibility and automated billing workflows typically get strong ROI from BigTime without the 6-month implementation cost of enterprise PSA.
How much does BigTime PSA cost for mid-market firms?
BigTime pricing starts at approximately $20–$35/user/month, with implementations typically running $5,000–$25,000. Total first-year cost for a 50-person consulting firm runs $17,000–$56,000 including software and implementation. NetSuite PSA at the same firm size costs $152,000–$392,000 in year one — the base platform license ($1,000–$2,000/month), per-user costs ($100–$200/user/month), and implementation ($50,000–$150,000+) add up fast.
How long does BigTime take to implement for a 100-person consulting firm?
BigTime implementations typically take 4–10 weeks regardless of firm size within the 20–200 person range. Most 50–100 person consulting firms can self-implement using BigTime's guided setup without a dedicated implementation partner. The main variable is historical data migration and custom workflow complexity. NetSuite PSA takes 4–9 months at any size and almost always requires a certified implementation partner and a dedicated internal project team.
BigTime vs NetSuite PSA time tracking: which is better?
BigTime's time tracking is cleaner and faster for mid-market teams — weekly timesheets with project/task breakdown, mobile-friendly, and strong QuickBooks/Xero sync. NetSuite PSA offers more configurable timesheets with multi-entity, multi-currency, and project charge codes, but the setup is more complex. For firms under 100 people that want fast adoption across their consulting team, BigTime wins on simplicity. For firms with 200+ employees, complex billing rules, and global operations, NetSuite PSA's depth becomes worth the complexity.
Why do mid-market firms choose BigTime over NetSuite PSA?
Three reasons: (1) Time-to-value — BigTime goes live in 4–10 weeks vs 4–9 months for NetSuite PSA. (2) Total cost — BigTime's year-one cost ($17K–$56K for a 50-person firm) is a fraction of NetSuite PSA ($152K–$392K). (3) Simplicity — BigTime integrates with QuickBooks/Xero rather than replacing your accounting system, which means less migration risk. The only case where NetSuite PSA wins is if you have 150+ employees, multiple entities, or already run NetSuite financials.