What is the best management software for a marketing agency?

The one that links the client's contract to the piece, the approval and the invoice. Generic project management organizes tasks, but it doesn't know the contract volume or the month's extras. Compare by your agency's workflow, not by the feature list.

How much does software for a communications agency cost?

Agency systems charge per user. In October 2026, Operand cost R$ 57 per user on the annual plan. Runrun.it cost R$ 61 to R$ 112, annual only, with mandatory consulting of R$ 1,000 or R$ 2,000.

Do Trello or ClickUp work as agency software?

They work for organizing production. They don't store the fee, the monthly volume, the client's approval with version or the invoice with the extras. The agency ends up adding a spreadsheet, a folder and a finance system.

How do you switch agency software without losing data?

Export clients, contracts, pieces in progress and the future calendar before signing with the new system. Migrate first what is due in the coming weeks, run both systems in parallel and only cancel the old one after checking a sample.

Is it worth using AI in agency management?

It is when the AI works on operational data: what is stuck, who is waiting on approval, how much went out of scope. According to Cetic.br, 49% of information and communication companies already use AI, the highest rate among sectors.

Agency management software: what it needs and what the tool stack costs

By Victor Ferreira · October 26, 2026 · 7 min read

Agency management software needs to link the client's contract to the piece, the approval and the invoice. Without that link, extras go out free and approvals get lost. In 2026, the typical stack of a 10-person agency exceeds R$ 1,300 per month, across four tools.

What does agency management software need to have?

It needs to cover the entire path of a job: the client with the contract, the plan, production, approval and the invoice. Each stage needs to know what happened in the previous one.

The table works as a script for the conversation with any vendor:

Function	Why it matters	Question for the vendor
Client with contract and volume	The fee covers a volume; the rest is extra	"Does the system show how much of the month's volume has been used?"
Calendar for all clients	The team plans the week on a single screen	"Can I see all brands on the same calendar?"
One screen per piece, with versions	Copy, art and approval of the same piece together	"Is the approval tied to the approved version?"
Production by stage	Plan, copy, art and review with an owner and deadline	"Does each stage have an owner and a deadline?"
Client approval with no login	The client approves on mobile, without creating an account	"Does the client approve by link, with no password?"
Edits with comments	The edit request lands on the right piece	"Are edits recorded by type and by round?"
Out-of-scope request	The extra becomes an invoice item, with a decision	"Does the extra request have a record and a price?"
Invoice and tax invoice	The fee and extras become billing with NFS-e	"Does the invoice include the month's extras?"
Export and API	The agency's data leaves whenever it wants	"How do I export everything? Is there a documented API?"

The out-of-scope request row is the rarest. According to Operand's Censo Agências 2024, over 30% of agencies can't bill out-of-scope changes. See how to bill out-of-scope changes.

How much does an agency's tool stack cost in 2026?

An agency with 10 people and 8 brands spends R$ 1,350 to R$ 1,400 per month on the typical four-tool stack, without onboarding. The prices below were read on the official pages.

Tool	Function	Published price
Operand	Agency management	R$ 57 per user on annual; R$ 70 on monthly, minimum of 3 (accessed October 26, 2026)
Runrun.it	Tasks and hours	R$ 61 to R$ 112 per user, annual only, minimum of 5; mandatory consulting of R$ 1,000 or R$ 2,000 (accessed October 26, 2026)
mLabs	Post scheduling and approval	R$ 29.90 per brand per month (mLabs blog, July 25, 2025)
Reportei	Media reporting	R$ 74.90 to R$ 199.90 per month, package of up to 5 projects (accessed October 26, 2026)
Conta Azul	Finance and tax invoices	R$ 349.90 per month (up to R$ 360K per year) or R$ 439.90 (up to R$ 1.5M), on annual (accessed October 26, 2026)

The example calculation adds up a stack for 10 people, 8 brands and revenue between R$ 360K and R$ 1.5M per year:

Stack (example)	With Operand	With Runrun.it Business
Job management (10 users)	R$ 570.00	R$ 610.00
mLabs (8 brands)	R$ 239.20	R$ 239.20
Reportei Pro	R$ 109.90	R$ 109.90
Conta Azul Avançado	R$ 439.90	R$ 439.90
Total per month	R$ 1,359.00	R$ 1,399.00
Onboarding	Optional, no published price	R$ 1,000 or R$ 2,000

Two caveats about the calculation. mLabs offers a discount from 5 brands, and the real amount may be lower. Reportei Pro covers up to 5 projects, and the price for 8 comes from the selector on the page.

The biggest cost is not in the table. It is in what falls between the tools. The extra agreed on WhatsApp never reaches finance. The approval in the scheduler never returns to the job.

Generic project management or agency software?

Generic project management organizes tasks. Agency software organizes the client: contract, volume, piece, approval and invoice. The difference shows up at the end of the month.

Trello, ClickUp and monday are good board tools. The team sees what is in production and who has each task. But the board doesn't know that Lumi has 12 posts a month and has already used 14.

In practice, an agency that only uses the board adds three pieces:

a spreadsheet with each client's fee and volume;
a folder with the art and the versions;
finance, which receives the fee without the extras.

If your agency has few clients and no extras, a generic board is enough. When the portfolio grows, the math on extras and approvals stops adding up.

Where does the agency's data get locked in?

Data gets locked in the tool that doesn't export or talk to the others. Before signing, ask how the data gets out.

Three questions cover most of it:

Is there a full export? Clients, contracts, pieces, versions, approvals and comments. Operand, for example, states it makes a daily account backup, in browsable HTML.
Is there a documented API? With one, the monthly invoice can read the approved extras without anyone copying them.
Does the approval return to the job? If the client approves in one tool and the job lives in another, someone copies the decision by hand.

Approval is the most sensitive point. That is where the proof lies that the client saw and accepted the piece. See how to set up the post approval workflow.

How do you switch agency software without losing history?

Export before signing, migrate first what is due in the coming weeks and run both systems in parallel for a month.

The step-by-step:

Inventory. List clients, contracts, pieces in progress, the future calendar and what lives outside the system: spreadsheets, folders, WhatsApp groups.
Test export. Ask the current vendor for a full export and open the file. Check a sample of five clients.
Contracts first. Enter each client's fee, volume and extra rule in the new system.
Future calendar. Migrate the pieces for the next four weeks, with the current version and approval status.
Month in parallel. The old system stays for reference only. Everything new starts in the new one.
Check and cut over. Close the first invoice in the new system and compare it with the previous month. Only then cancel the old one.

Don't migrate the entire history of published pieces if it has no use. Keep the export in a safe place and bring over only what the operation looks up.

Does AI help with agency management?

It helps when it works on operational data, not just on post copy. According to Cetic.br, in TIC Empresas 2025, 49% of information and communication companies use AI. It is the highest rate among sectors.

Most of that use is in content: captions, topic ideas, report summaries. The question that matters for management is different: "what is stuck, and why?".

To answer it, the AI needs to read the contract, the piece, the approval and the extra in the same place. With a scattered stack, it only sees part of it. And an action, such as adding an extra to the invoice, needs a person's sign-off.

How CERNE solves it

CERNE becomes the agency's system, from contract to invoice, or works alongside what already works.

From contract to invoice in the same system. Clients and contracts, calendar, piece screen, production by stage, mobile approval and billing with NFS-e.
Extra requests with a decision. The account team logs it, CERNE checks the month's volume and proposes the price. The person decides, and the billed extra goes on the invoice.
Migration with our team. Already use Trello, ClickUp or monday? Our team brings over the boards during onboarding, and the post scheduler stays where it is.
Finance where it already is. The invoice and tax invoice come out of CERNE or go to Conta Azul.
AI assistant. Management asks what is stuck and why, and gets the answer with the agency's data. Any entry waits for a person's sign-off.

The agency package comes from Pepê, the system our team uses to plan, produce and approve clients' content. See the modules on the agencies page and the path from the first brand to the whole portfolio.

Start with an assessment

The stack in this article is an example. Your agency's has your tools and your contracts. Start with an assessment of your operation: our team maps where data gets lost and builds the switch plan with you. Book the assessment.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best management software for a marketing agency?: The one that links the client's contract to the piece, the approval and the invoice. Generic project management organizes tasks, but it doesn't know the contract volume or the month's extras. Compare by your agency's workflow, not by the feature list.
How much does software for a communications agency cost?: Agency systems charge per user. In October 2026, Operand cost R$ 57 per user on the annual plan. Runrun.it cost R$ 61 to R$ 112, annual only, with mandatory consulting of R$ 1,000 or R$ 2,000.
Do Trello or ClickUp work as agency software?: They work for organizing production. They don't store the fee, the monthly volume, the client's approval with version or the invoice with the extras. The agency ends up adding a spreadsheet, a folder and a finance system.
How do you switch agency software without losing data?: Export clients, contracts, pieces in progress and the future calendar before signing with the new system. Migrate first what is due in the coming weeks, run both systems in parallel and only cancel the old one after checking a sample.
Is it worth using AI in agency management?: It is when the AI works on operational data: what is stuck, who is waiting on approval, how much went out of scope. According to Cetic.br, 49% of information and communication companies already use AI, the highest rate among sectors.

CERNE for Communications agencies. Clients and contracts, calendar, production, mobile approval and invoicing in one system, with out-of-scope requests on record. AI works inside the operation, and a team supports your management. See how it works or start with an assessment of your operation.

Sources

Victor Ferreira · Partner at IF Soluções and responsible for CERNE's architecture: the modules many companies share, the API integrations with the systems clients already use, data and security. Makes sure a workflow built for one client becomes a module that serves other markets.