A WorkflowMax alternative
built for Xero invoicing
Xero retired the original WorkflowMax and handed the brand to BlueRock, a separate company. If you used it mainly to track time and bill through Xero, you do not need the full job-management weight that replaced it. Hour Cap is the lighter, Xero-first option, starting free.
What happened to WorkflowMax
The original WorkflowMax (by Xero) was retired on 26 June 2024, affecting more than ten thousand businesses. BlueRock acquired the brand and built a new product, WorkflowMax by BlueRock. Customers were not moved across automatically; migration was opt-in, and custom reports, custom print templates and third-party integrations did not transfer and had to be rebuilt.
For teams that used WorkflowMax mainly to track billable time and push it to Xero, the replacement is more than they need. The honest question is not "which WorkflowMax do I move to" but "do I need a full job-management suite at all".
If your centre of gravity is Xero, not job management, you need a tool that hands clean time entries to Xero and gets out of the way.
What to look for in a replacement, if you live in Xero
Draft invoices, not auto-send
Time should land in Xero as a draft you review before sending, with your branding theme and tax treatment applied in Xero.
Detailed line items
Your client should see what the work was. Look for descriptions on every line, not a single consolidated "Consulting" row.
Retainer tracking
If you bill monthly retainers, you need an hours budget, remaining hours, and alerts, not a recurring invoice with no usage visibility.
A sane price floor
Small teams should not pay a five-seat minimum. Look for a free tier and a low entry price that scales with real headcount.
Fast to learn
You are replacing a tool, not adopting a new operating model. The shorter the path from sign-up to first invoice, the better.
Native Xero sync
Contacts, items, tax rates and tracking categories should sync from Xero so you are not re-keying reference data.
How Hour Cap stacks up
If your job is getting time onto Xero invoices, the difference is focus. Hour Cap does that one thing thoroughly, where WorkflowMax by BlueRock spreads across a full job-management suite.
- Pushes time to Xero as draft invoices with four line-item grouping modes, descriptions preserved
- Built-in retainer tracking with hours budgets and alert thresholds, which BlueRock does not include
- A free plan for one user, then $10/mo, against a roughly $25/mo three-user minimum on BlueRock
- A timer that auto-splits across midnight, plus flexible duration input like 1h30m or 1.5
Want the full feature-by-feature face-off, including where BlueRock is the broader tool?
See Hour Cap vs WorkflowMax in fullBlueRock pricing confirmed mid-2026: Essentials from $8.33 (three-user minimum), Pro from $15 (five-user minimum), Advanced from $25 per user per month. Re-check current pricing before relying on these figures.
When WorkflowMax by BlueRock is the better fit
We would rather you pick the right tool. BlueRock does things Hour Cap does not.
Full job management
If you need leads, quotes, job costing, purchase orders and supplier invoicing in one place, BlueRock covers that surface. Hour Cap intentionally does not.
Custom print templates
BlueRock keeps Word-based custom invoice and job templates. Hour Cap pushes invoices to Xero and relies on Xero's branding themes.
Switching is lighter than you think
There is no painful data export. Pick a cutover date, finish open jobs, and start in Hour Cap. Your Xero contacts sync automatically on connect.
Common questions
Is WorkflowMax still available in 2026?
The original WorkflowMax by Xero was retired on 26 June 2024. The brand was acquired by BlueRock, who run a separate product called WorkflowMax by BlueRock. It is still available, but it is a different company and a different product from the one Xero retired.
What is the cheapest WorkflowMax by BlueRock plan?
As of mid-2026, BlueRock lists Essentials from $8.33 per user per month (three users minimum, so roughly $25 per month), Pro from $15 per user per month (five users minimum, roughly $75 per month), and Advanced from $25 per user per month (ten users minimum). Prices are in USD with a regional toggle. Re-check current pricing before relying on these figures.
Is Hour Cap a full WorkflowMax replacement?
Not for the whole job-management surface. Hour Cap focuses on time tracking, retainers, approvals and pushing invoices to Xero. If you used WorkflowMax mainly for those, it is a faithful, lighter replacement. If you relied on quoting, purchase orders or job costing, BlueRock is broader.
Does Hour Cap connect to Xero?
Yes. Hour Cap pushes invoices to Xero as drafts, syncs contacts, items, tax rates and tracking categories, and lets you choose how line items are grouped. The Xero integration is on the Team plan and above.
Do I have to migrate my data from WorkflowMax?
No bulk importer is needed for most teams. Pick a cutover date, finish open jobs in WorkflowMax, then start in Hour Cap. Your Xero contacts sync automatically on connect, so rebuilding the client list is handled for you.
Ready to switch?
Start tracking time in minutes. Connect Xero and your contacts sync automatically. The Xero integration is on the Team plan; the Free plan covers a single user.
Comparison note: competitor features and pricing were researched on a best-effort basis in June 2026 and can change at any time. We aim to be accurate and fair, but details may be out of date, so always confirm the latest information on the vendor's own website before making a decision. Hour Cap capabilities described here reflect the product at the time of writing.