The short answer
Basecamp has two paid plans: Basecamp Pro at $15 per user per month (renamed from “Plus” in 2026 — same price, new name), and Basecamp Pro Unlimited at $299 per month flat for unlimited users, billed annually. There's also a free plan, capped at a single project (up to 20 users, 1 GB of storage).
For most teams, the number that matters is Pro: at $15 per person, a 5-person team is $75/month, a 10-person team is $150/month, and a 20-person team is $300/month. Only employees are billed — clients and guests are free — but the bill still grows with every hire. Pro Unlimited removes that per-seat math but starts at $299/month — only worth it once your team is large.
If you like Basecamp's simplicity but not the price, there's a flat-rate option that holds at one price no matter how many people you add: Thicket is $49/month flat for unlimited users. We'll get to that — but first, the full Basecamp breakdown.
Basecamp's plans, side by side
Verified July 2026 from basecamp.com/pricing.
Basecamp Free
$0
limited
- Capped at one project
- Up to 20 users
- 1 GB storage
Basecamp Pro
$15
per user / month
- Billed per employee
- 10 users = $150/mo
- 20 users = $300/mo
Basecamp Pro Unlimited
$299
per month, flat
- Unlimited users
- Billed annually
- Priced for larger teams
Basecamp Pro (called “Plus” until 2026) is $15/user/month on both monthly and annual billing, billed only for employees. Pro Unlimited is $299/month, billed annually — Basecamp no longer publishes a month-to-month rate for it. Optional add-ons on Pro (Timesheet, Admin Pro Pack) are $50/month each; Pro Unlimited includes them.
What Basecamp Pro actually costs your team
Per-user pricing looks small at one seat. Multiply it across every employee on a real team and it adds up. Here's the monthly and annual cost of Basecamp Pro at four common team sizes, next to Basecamp Pro Unlimited's flat rate.
| Team size | Basecamp Pro / mo | Basecamp Pro / yr | Pro Unlimited / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $75/mo | $900/yr | $299/mo |
| 10 users | $150/mo | $1,800/yr | $299/mo |
| 20 users | $300/mo | $3,600/yr | $299/mo |
| 50 users | $750/mo | $9,000/yr | $299/mo |
Basecamp Pro at $15/user/month; Pro Unlimited at $299/month flat (billed annually). Prices verified July 2026.
The crossover is around 20 people: below that, Pro is cheaper; above it, Pro Unlimited's flat $299/month wins. Either way, you're choosing between a bill that climbs with every hire and a flat rate that starts high.
Monthly vs annual billing
Basecamp Pro is the same $15/user/month whether you pay monthly or annually — there's no annual discount on the per-seat plan. Pro Unlimited is different: its $299/month rate is billed annually, and Basecamp no longer publishes a month-to-month price for it — so plan on committing to a year up front if you want the flat plan.
That's worth knowing before you commit: Basecamp's flat plan requires an annual commitment, while the per-user plan doesn't. (For contrast, Thicket's flat plan is $49/month billed month-to-month, or $39/month billed annually — flat pricing without the annual lock-in.)
Is Basecamp worth it?
Basecamp earned its reputation by keeping project management calm and opinionated. You get message boards, to-do lists, documents and file storage, a schedule, group chat, and check-ins — organized around projects, without the Gantt charts, custom fields, and automation builders that make heavier tools overwhelming. For a team that wants exactly that, it's a genuinely good fit.
The honest catch is price. Basecamp started as a flat-rate tool and moved upmarket — Pro at $15/user/month and Pro Unlimited at $299/month flat both sit well above where the original model landed. If you need the heavy machinery (dependencies, resource leveling, portfolio dashboards), neither Basecamp nor a tool like Thicket is the answer. But if you want the simplicity at a lower, predictable price, that's precisely the gap worth looking at next.
Or pay $49/month flat with Thicket
Thicket is built on the same idea that made Basecamp great — simple, project-centered, opinionated software — but it keeps the original promise that Basecamp moved away from: one flat price, unlimited users. Thicket Pro is $49/month ($39/month billed annually, $468/year) for your whole team — employees, clients, and contractors included at no per-seat cost.
You get the same core tools: a message board, to-dos, docs and files, a schedule, Boards (a kanban board), and chat — plus client access with approvals and project health charts. There's a free plan to start (1 project, 5 members) and a 14-day Pro trial, no credit card required.
Basecamp vs Thicket: what you pay
Thicket holds at $49/month at every team size. Here's the side-by-side against both Basecamp plans.
| Team size | Thicket Pro | Basecamp Pro | Basecamp Pro Unlimited | You save vs Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $49/mo | $75/mo | $299/mo | $26/mo |
| 10 users | $49/mo | $150/mo | $299/mo | $101/mo |
| 20 users | $49/mo | $300/mo | $299/mo | $251/mo |
| 50 users | $49/mo | $750/mo | $299/mo | $701/mo |
Thicket Pro is $49/month flat ($39/month billed annually). Basecamp Pro at $15/user/month; Basecamp Pro Unlimited at $299/month flat, billed annually. Prices verified July 2026.
By the time you have 4 people, Thicket's flat rate already costs less than Basecamp Pro — and against Pro Unlimited, Thicket is roughly a sixth of the price. Read the full Thicket vs Basecamp comparison or see Thicket's pricing in full.
Why flat pricing matters
Per-seat pricing quietly taxes collaboration. Every new teammate, every client who needs visibility, every contractor on a two-week engagement adds to the monthly bill — which nudges teams toward shared logins and people left off the project. A flat rate removes that calculation entirely.
Add anyone without doing the math
Clients, contractors, and part-time contributors all get access at no extra cost. The bill doesn't move.
Predictable as you grow
Whether you're 5 people or 50, Thicket stays $49/month. No budget surprise at the next headcount milestone.
More on the model: why we don't charge per user and why per-seat pricing is dying.
Frequently asked questions
Basecamp has two paid plans. Basecamp Pro (renamed from "Plus" in 2026) is $15 per user per month, billed only for employees — clients, guests, and contractors are free — so the bill grows with every hire. Basecamp Pro Unlimited is $299 per month flat for unlimited users, billed annually. There is also a free plan capped at one project (up to 20 users, 1 GB). For most small teams, Pro is the relevant number — a 10-person team pays $150 per month.
On Basecamp Pro at $15 per user per month, a 10-person team pays $150 per month — that's $1800 per year. Basecamp Pro Unlimited would be $299 per month flat regardless of team size, but at 10 people Pro is cheaper. Thicket is $49 per month flat for unlimited users, so the same 10-person team pays $49.
Both. Basecamp Pro is per user — $15 per employee per month — so collaboration costs more as you grow. Basecamp Pro Unlimited is flat — $299 per month (billed annually) for unlimited users — but it's priced for larger teams. Basecamp used to be flat-only; the per-user plan (originally called Plus, now Pro) was added later.
Yes — Basecamp's free plan is capped at a single project, with up to 20 users and 1 GB of storage. To run more than one project you need a paid plan — Pro at $15/user/month or Pro Unlimited at $299/month flat. Thicket's free plan is also one project (1 project, up to 5 members plus 3 guests), with every project tool included — no credit card required.
Basecamp built its reputation on simple, flat-rate pricing. Over time it moved upmarket: it introduced the per-user plan ($15/user/month, originally called Plus, now Pro), set its flat plan, Pro Unlimited, at $299/month billed annually, and now sells add-on packs like Timesheet and Admin Pro Pack at $50/month each on the per-user plan. The philosophy is still simplicity-first, but the price now lands well above where it started — which is why teams that loved the original model look for a lower-priced flat-rate option.
Yes. Thicket is $49 per month flat for unlimited users — the same flat-rate, simplicity-first model Basecamp pioneered, at roughly a sixth of Basecamp Pro Unlimited's $299/month. It includes a message board, to-dos, docs and files, schedule, Boards (kanban), and chat, with client access included at no per-seat cost. There's a free plan to start and a 14-day Pro trial.
For teams that value a calm, opinionated tool and don't need Gantt charts, automations, or custom fields, Basecamp's approach is a good fit — the question is the price. Basecamp Pro makes sense for very small teams; Pro Unlimited only pays off once you have enough people that flat beats per-seat. If you want that same simplicity at a lower flat rate, that's exactly the gap Thicket fills at $49/month.