Intervals
بواسطة Pelago
Pelago, the creator of Intervals, is a seasoned software development firm headquartered in Santa Barbara, California. Founded in 2000, the company originally established itself as a web design and custom application development agency. Over its 20+ year history, Pelago has transitioned from a service-based agency to a product-focused software company, with Intervals being its flagship offering since 2006. The company is defined by its commitment to building 'practical software for real teams,' avoiding the bloated feature sets often found in enterprise platforms in favor of high-utility tools that solve everyday agency problems. Pelago maintains a boutique, customer-centric approach, often engaging directly with its user base to drive the product roadmap. Their market position is that of a reliable, veteran provider in the SaaS space, offering stability in an industry often characterized by rapid, venture-backed churn. Today, Intervals is used by thousands of businesses in more than 100 countries, ranging from independent freelancers to mid-sized creative powerhouses.
Intervals was founded by Michael Borton and John Turek, who were partners at Pelago in the early 2000s. The duo started Pelago as a web design shop, but as their client list grew to over 100 and they successfully delivered more than 300 projects, they hit a critical wall in project management. The impetus for Intervals came from a specific project that went significantly over budget because the team lacked real-time visibility into their hours and expenses. After testing numerous tools—from paper timesheets and Excel spreadsheets to early web-based software—and finding them all wanting, they decided to build their own solution during the quiet periods between client work. They distilled their years of agency experience into a 'perfect blend' of features that eventually launched as Intervals in 2006. The product was designed to solve the very specific pain points of getting paid for every billable minute and managing a high volume of small tasks simultaneously. This practitioner-led founding story remains central to the product's identity today, ensuring that every update is rooted in actual workflow needs.
Pelago stands out in the modern SaaS landscape as a proudly bootstrapped and profitable company. Unlike many of its competitors in the project management space who have raised tens of millions in venture capital, Pelago has maintained its independence and grown organically through its revenue since its founding. This self-funded status has allowed the company to remain focused on its core mission and loyal to its long-term customers without the pressure of investor-mandated growth targets or pivot-heavy roadmaps. This financial stability has provided Intervals with a consistent development cycle for nearly two decades. The lack of outside funding also means that Pelago has been able to keep its pricing competitive and project-focused, as they are not under pressure to maximize per-user revenue for equity stakeholders. For their customers, this means a lower risk of sudden product shutdowns or radical shifts in business models that often follow major funding rounds or acquisitions.
The primary offering of Pelago is the Intervals project management platform, which is delivered as a tiered SaaS subscription. The product is structured into several interconnected modules: Task Management, Time Tracking, Financials (Invoicing/Expenses), and Business Intelligence (Reporting). The Task Management module includes sub-features like Gantt charts, milestones, and a work request queue. The Financials module allows for granular rate settings per project or per person, enabling accurate billable hour calculations. Pelago also offers a mobile application for iOS and Android, which serves as a mobile extension of the main platform for remote time logging. In addition to the software, Pelago provides extensive documentation and a library of video tutorials as part of its support ecosystem. For enterprise-level clients, they offer a top-tier 'Unlimited' plan which removes all caps on projects and storage, providing a bespoke-level experience within a standardized cloud framework. They also maintain a robust API that allows developers to build custom modules or sync Intervals data with other internal business tools.
Since its launch in 2006, Intervals has undergone significant global expansion, now serving a diverse user base across more than 100 countries. While the company remains rooted in its Santa Barbara headquarters, its digital footprint is truly international, with a particularly strong presence in North America, Western Europe, and Australia. The product was early to adopt a cloud-native model, which facilitated its rapid international spread without the need for regional physical offices. Pelago has focused on geographic growth by ensuring the platform supports multiple regional settings and currencies, a critical requirement for agencies working with international clients. In recent years, they have expanded their infrastructure to ensure low-latency performance for users globally, utilizing modern content delivery networks. While their primary interface is in English, the tool is used by diverse linguistic groups who utilize its flexible custom fields to adapt the software to their local business languages. Their expansion strategy continues to focus on the 'professional services' vertical, moving beyond their original web design niche into fields like legal services, engineering, and non-profit management.
Intervals maintains a steady and transparent release cadence, typically rolling out minor updates every one to two weeks and major enhancements every four to six weeks. In the last 18 months, one of the most significant updates was the introduction of the 'Modernistic' theme, a major UI overhaul designed to improve usability and reduce visual clutter for long-term power users. Recent additions to the reporting engine include the Multi-project Budgets vs. Actuals report, which allows managers to aggregate data across multiple client accounts simultaneously. They also enhanced the mobile experience by adding daily and weekly timesheet views and a work request queue to the mobile client. Other recent feature launches include searchable drop-down menus for large data sets, expanded task priority colors for better visual organization, and significant performance optimizations for the graphing engine. Upcoming roadmap items for 2025 include multi-currency support per project and enhanced invoicing functionality directly within the mobile app, reflecting their commitment to supporting the modern, mobile-first agency workforce.
The culture at Pelago is deeply rooted in the philosophy of 'intentional work' and sustainable growth. Located in the scenic coastal city of Santa Barbara, the company emphasizes a work-life balance that is often missing in high-pressure tech hubs. As a bootstrapped company, the team values resourcefulness, long-term thinking, and deep customer relationships over aggressive sales tactics. The leadership, including founders Michael Borton and John Turek, remains actively involved in the day-to-day operations and development, fostering an environment where technical expertise is paired with practical agency experience. The company culture is described as collaborative and transparent, with a strong emphasis on listening to user feedback to guide product decisions. They advocate for 'slow growth'—ensuring that the product and team remain stable and high-quality rather than chasing unsustainable metrics. This ethos extends to their remote/hybrid policies, which prioritize productivity and employee well-being, attracting a team of seasoned professionals who value stability and purposeful innovation.
Intervals has cultivated a dedicated community of professional service practitioners over its nearly 20-year existence. The company maintains an active online presence through its blog, which serves as a resource for best practices in time management, agency profitability, and remote work strategies. While they do not host a traditional massive user conference, they engage their community through high-touch support and a feature request system that directly influences the product roadmap. The 'Intervals User Guide' and their YouTube channel act as central hubs for learning, featuring deep-dives into complex workflows like project budgeting and resource allocation. The developer community is supported through a well-documented API and a dedicated help section for technical integrations. Pelago also fosters engagement through their Referral Rewards Program, incentivizing their long-term 'Top Shelf' customers to act as brand ambassadors. Their community is characterized by a 'help-first' attitude, with many long-term users contributing to forums and social media discussions about how to best leverage the tool for agency growth.
