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Best Project Management Software of 2024

Whether team capacity planning or delegating tasks remotely, the best project management software fits into your workflows seamlessly. It organizes documents and communications while allowing co-workers to collaborate in real time. Businesses of all sizes, from law firms and creative agencies to software development teams and enterprises, use project management tools to manage resources, portfolios, and more.

In addition to our first-person experiences with each system, we spoke with business users to learn how top-rated project management tools impact their processes. We explored user reviews and ratings while evaluating pricing, software features, capabilities, and integrations. Learn how the following project management apps stack up.

Table of Contents

• Best Project Management Software
• Things To Consider When Looking
• How We Chose

Monday.com  »

Relatively quick deployment with a minimal learning curve

Native integrations with over 200 programs

14-day free trial, no credit card required

Paid plans require a minimum of three seats

Salesforce integration is limited to Enterprise users

Rivals offer more views at lower-priced tiers

Monday.com is a cloud-based work operating system (WorkOS). Its adaptability to different work environments and styles makes it our top pick as the best project management software overall. Businesses of all sizes can use the platform as a standalone project, resource, or portfolio management tool or leverage it to oversee their entire business operations.

Since Monday.com integrates with over 200 applications and has open application programming interfaces (APIs), connecting your existing tools is relatively easy. Like other project management systems, you must play with formatting and functions to configure your spaces. Fortunately, Monday.com has more than 200 ready-made templates to jumpstart your boards. These include industry-specific options like an event management dashboard and customer-centric project management templates.

Most employers and contractors (guest users) can tackle basic tasks with little to no learning curve. For instance, I connected to Google Drive, uploaded files, viewed assignments, and tagged editors on my first time using the software without onboarding or assistance. Additionally, we appreciate Monday.com’s code-free automations and the many options for viewing your boards. Aside from its WorkOS software, the company offers Monday dev, which adds sprint management, bug tracking, and roadmap planning.

The free version displays milestone and task dependencies

Built-in direct messaging tools

Free 14-day trial, no credit card required

Limited customer service options

Fewer integrations than other project management tools

With a free forever plan for unlimited team members and tasks, Nifty is the best project management software for businesses on a budget. Its base plan’s per-user price (with annual billing) costs less than most rivals. Plus, Nifty offers a 50% discount to non-profits and educational institutions.

Nifty’s free version includes two active projects, 100 MB of storage space, and all core features. We appreciated its all-in-one workspace, showing task and milestone dependencies. Paid subscriptions provide advanced tools like time tracking, workflow automations, and budget tracking. As a central hub, Nifty supports group and one-on-one chats. Zoom and Webex integrations let teams launch video calls right from direct messages.

Users can create a task or document within project discussions and leverage multiple views to understand a project’s timeline or employee workload. Since your staff can customize their dashboard, every person can put the widgets they need front and center.

The software is flexible, allowing for multiple use cases, from legal case management to agile development. Nifty’s blog explains how to use the platform as a customer relationship management (CRM) program or for issue tracking and bug management.

Unlimited power-ups and integrations on the free plan

Visually appealing and user-friendly

14-day trial of Trello Premium

Lacks advanced reporting tools required for complex projects

Does not show interdependencies

Trello’s cloud-based platform resembles a modern whiteboard with sticky notes, except you can automate repetitive actions to streamline project workflows, attach files, and communicate with co-workers. Trello is our top pick for the best small business project management software due to its intuitive user interface, affordability, and time-saving features.

Its free version supports your entire team with unlimited workspaces (each with 10 boards and unlimited cards) and storage. You can set due dates and assign tasks or create a new card from an email. Paid subscriptions provide more views (dashboard, timeline, and map) and remove board limitations.

Trello connects to over 200 third-party tools like Slack, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, and Miro. These integrations work as power-ups, meaning you can, for example, embed a Miro whiteboard in a Trello card or view contact data from Zoho CRM without leaving Trello. Many of these integrations work with Trello’s no-code automation tools, allowing you to generate a new Jira ticket or post a Slack reminder.

I’ve used Trello for over five years to manage client projects and leads. Its intuitive interface has almost no learning curve. Yet, once you dig into the knowledge base, you’ll discover many ways to increase productivity and project oversight. Trello can serve as a resource hub, onboarding center, or editorial calendar.

Smartsheet  »

Customizable dashboard and reporting tools

Automated alerts for Slack and Microsoft Teams

Smartsheet Pro plan is limited to 10 users

Steeper learning curve than other PM software

Some resource management tools require a premium add-on

As the name suggests, Smartsheet has a spreadsheet-like interface. However, its dynamic resource planning capabilities help companies manage schedules, forecast availability, and stay on budget. Consequently, we chose Smartsheet as the best project management software for resource management.

Michelle Delker, CFO and CPA at the William Stanley Group, says Smartsheet “supports large scale and multi-faceted projects, providing extensive project management capabilities, including comprehensive Gantt charting.” The Gantt view displays cross-project dependencies, milestones, hierarchy, percentage complete, custom fields, and more. Moreover, Delker mentions, “The software’s robust analytics and real-time reporting capabilities provided invaluable insights that drive critical decision-making.”

With the Resource Management add-on, leaders can spot trends with utilization reports or forecast business growth with monthly or quarterly statements. Real-time analytics show key metrics (incurred hours, fees, or expenses) so project managers can adjust schedules (or expectations) accordingly.

While the spreadsheet is where the main work happens, the dashboards are also critical tools. When team members log in, the dashboard can display metrics, images, and charts. Or you can turn it into an information hub with real-time updates and resources. Additionally, we like that Smartsheet lets all users (even on the free version) log in via Microsoft, Google, or their Apple ID.

Microsoft Project  »

Straightforward integration with Microsoft Teams

Cloud and on-premise installation options

One-month free trial

Less affordable at higher tiers

Companies may need additional Microsoft subscriptions for full functionality

Microsoft Project debuted almost 30 years ago and is one of the few project management tools still offering on-premise installation, often preferred by large organizations. Its seamless integration with other Microsoft products means companies can leverage Microsoft Power BI for insights or jump into a Teams meeting without fussing around with APIs or integrations. For these reasons and others, we chose Microsoft Project as the best project management software for enterprise projects.

Indeed, José Moya, outreach manager at Capicua Full Stack Creative Hub, says that Microsoft Project “offers comprehensive project and portfolio management features, making it ideal for managing large-scale and complex projects.” It provides a central hub for portfolio, project, and resource management, supporting agile and waterfall methodologies.

Visual, interactive roadmaps help individuals and project managers understand workstream and summary tasks. In addition, easy-to-edit project planning templates mean you don’t have to start from scratch. We liked how users could link tasks to show dependencies and the advanced tools available for status tracking and costing. With web, on-premise, and desktop versions, enterprises can choose project management solutions based on how and where employees work.

Customizable views, templates, and automations

Unlimited storage with all paid subscriptions

Analytics and portfolio templates to streamline management

Fewer native integrations than Monday.com

Users say it takes longer to personalize it for their business

ClickUp centralizes your tasks, projects, and goals, giving teams and leaders a unified view of the company’s portfolio. During interviews, experts almost unanimously mentioned ClickUp’s customization as a key reason for using the platform. Riva Jeane May Caburog, PR and Media Coordinator at Nadrich & Cohen personal injury law firm, says, “When it comes to handling projects with a flexible approach, ClickUp lets us set up things the way we like, which helps us stay quick and responsive to our clients.”

At the same time, ClickUP provides nearly all tools required to handle diverse portfolios, including time-tracking functions, portfolio management templates, and sprint burndown charts. Its vast feature set is why we chose ClickUp as the best project management software for project portfolio management.

Indeed, Allie Decker, co-founder of Omniscient Digital, mentions she chose ClickUp for its “ability to handle multiple project portfolios and offer all-encompassing views. We use it to manage dynamic tasks and subtasks, roll out our quarterly and biannual projects, track important client information and resources, capacity-plan for our team, and much, much more.”

Jira Software  »

Over 3,000 apps and integrations

Free for up to 10 users

A sandbox environment (advanced roadmaps)

The extensive feature set can overwhelm less technical-savvy users

Some capabilities require paid plug-ins

Designed for agile teams, Jira offers a robust free version for 10 users (with unlimited automation rules for a single project) and paid plans suitable for up to 35,000 team members. It shows real-time visual data, and you can configure the software to your team’s workflow, organizational structure, or agile maturity level. Jira’s focus on agile methodologies is why we chose it as the best project management software for agile project management.

Dmitri Graf, a software engineering project leader, calls Jira the “De facto dominating standard tool in the world of software projects.” Abhishek Shah, founder of Testlify,   says, “The customizable Kanban and Scrum boards, along with sprint planning and backlog management, enable efficient project execution and continuous improvement.” Users can view dependencies between tasks and see important information (like assigned tasks) on team dashboards.

Aside from agile project management, Jira Software enables leaders to capacity plan and use advanced roadmaps to visualize data or explore possible opportunities. Another standout feature is the Atlassian Marketplace. It features over 3,000 apps and integrations, allowing businesses to connect CRM, helpdesk, and design tools.

The Bottom Line

Project management software solutions vary greatly in ease of use and functionality. In some cases, vendors lock must-have features behind pricier tiers. We preferred Monday.com because of its low technical barriers and two project management offerings (a general PM tool and an agile software development system). While we wish it had real-time messaging, the multiple views, integrations, and code-free automations won us over.

However, for more complex tasks or enterprise-level portfolios, Monday.com may not be appropriate. Invite your team to take advantage of free trials. Then, have an honest discussion to see which option will be the best project management software going forward.

Things To Consider When Looking for Project Management Software

• Compatibility with existing workflows and tools: Deploying new project management software is challenging. The last thing you want to do is overall your current processes, from brainstorming ideas to assigning tasks. The best solutions will fit into your workflows and not require your team to change them dramatically. Likewise, you won’t want to switch email, CRM, or video conferencing providers. Consult with your team to see which integrations would reduce task switching and improve productivity. Then, review project management solutions to see if any connect to your must-have programs. 
• User-friendly interface and ease of adoption: Always consider the technical and non-technical team members who will use the software. For successful deployment and implementation, you truly need everyone on board. Although some software with advanced features will have a steeper learning curve, you can plan for this by developing an onboarding and training program. But if you need simple project planning tools, look for an intuitive system that doesn’t require weeks of training. Most users can complete basic actions in tools like Trello or Monday.com. Gauge employee responses during free trials and demos. Ask for their feedback, follow up, and consider their opinions before making your final decision. 
• Project management methodology support: Software capabilities differ. Most offer Kanban views and support the basics of waterfall and agile methodologies. But, not all work for teams using scrum or adaptive project frameworks. Check out the vendor’s use cases (typically listed under “Solutions”). These will give you a good idea of what types of companies and teams use the software. Most providers mention features or tools that support these use cases. Also, look at the available templates. Although you can often build your own, starting with a ready-made design and customizing it to suit your process is more straightforward than starting from scratch. Lastly, review the knowledge base. The company should offer method-specific tutorials on how to get the most out of the software for your methodology.
• Collaboration and communication features: Project management software should unify your teams, and one way it does that is by ensuring seamless communication. However, the available methods differ. Some, like ClickUp and Nifty, offer in-app live chat. This messaging feature means remote teams don’t have to switch to your business phone system to resolve an issue. Others have built-in video integrations, allowing users to start a video call without leaving the application. These tools and others can enhance collaboration and productivity. More common among project management software are comments, where you can mention co-workers, and they receive notifications. Most support co-annotation file and document sharing, and some have whiteboards.
• Customization and flexibility options: Consider who will use your project management software and how applications support different roles. You want the system to be flexible enough to handle granule details of individual projects, which depends on your methodology and workflows. For instance, PM apps allow for different dependencies, automations, and task assignments. At the same time, project managers need to personalize their dashboards to view workloads and deadlines. Also, automated notifications and real-time metrics help managers monitor progress. At a high level, business owners and executives should be able to customize the software to see an overview of all projects. Look for apps with recurring, automated reports, portfolio options, and forecasting tools. Lastly, the software should facilitate communication and collaboration between on-site, remote, and hybrid teams with desktop and mobile apps.

How We Chose the Best Project Management Software

Our U.S. News 360 Reviews editors spoke with chief financial officers, founders, and software development engineers to develop this rating of the best project management software. Many experts, including our own editors and the author, used several PM tools before settling on their favorite. They often switched apps as their operations grew and their needs became complex. Therefore, the key takeaway is to ensure your software suits today's requirements and can scale to meet short-term growth.

We examined dozens of project management systems and narrowed our options after interviewing software users and reading reviews. Our evaluation considered supported methodologies, views, features, and ease of use. We also assessed templates, automations, and dependency management. 

While prices vary among solutions, we were pleased to find many free and low-cost versions. In addition, several offer free trials, giving companies an excellent opportunity to test out software before committing.

WHY SHOULD YOU TRUST US?

With decades of product testing and research experience, our editors and contributors are familiar with nearly all aspects of software. Jessica Elliott , the author of this article, has relied on project management software as an employee, business owner, and contractor. Like other experts we interviewed, she’s tested multiple applications over the past decade and uses at least two in her current role.

Most project management solutions offer a free trial of paid software versions, ranging from seven to 30 days. Many allow new users to sign up for the trial period without entering credit card information. Alternatively, you can try the free versions. However, these may not provide access to advanced features.

Many project management applications place the most limitations on free versions while allowing unlimited projects with paid subscriptions. Since paid plans incur a per-user fee, you are typically not restricted to a certain number of users. Other limitations may vary by package, including storage space, automations, boards, cards, dashboards, or tasks.

Always review the customer service information for project management software carefully. During our assessment, we found that most vendors do not offer phone support, and only a few have live chat options. Most provide self-help services and email or ticketing support. However, the response time may vary by subscription tier and issue priority.

Some project management applications offer one-click migration services for companies transferring from another system. For example, ClickUp can migrate data from Jira Software, Trello, and Monday.com. Alternatively, you can create a custom import for unsupported software programs.

Although vendors offer software comparisons on their websites, reviewing information from trusted third parties is a good idea. Look for fact-based guides that compare prices, features, and usability. Also, check out user feedback from project managers in similar industries. We suggest asking your professional network for recommendations as well. Colleagues can share insights and answer questions to help guide your decision.

About Our Team

Jessica Elliott

Contributor

Lauren Swift

U.S. News 360 Reviews takes an unbiased approach to our recommendations. When you use our links to buy products, we may earn a commission but that in no way affects our editorial independence.

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Showing 1 - 20 of 383 products

monday.com is an award-winning work and project management platform that helps teams of all sizes plan, prioritize, manage, and execute their work more effectively. The platform offers solutions for a wide range of use-cases such... Read more about monday.com

4.6 ( 4663 reviews )

65 recommendations

BigTime is an online time and billing solution designed to serve professional service firms like accounting, engineering, government contracting, legal and IT services. The integrated solution offers features like time and expense... Read more about BigTime

4.6 ( 636 reviews )

48 recommendations

Adobe Workfront

Adobe Workfront is a collaborative work management solution that addresses the challenges of disconnected teams, siloed tools, and the relentless pace of enterprise work. Workfront includes capabilities to capture and plan, assign... Read more about Adobe Workfront

4.4 ( 1426 reviews )

43 recommendations

Wrike is a cloud-based project management platform for teams of 20+ that is suitable for both large enterprises and SMBs. It supports remote work for various teams. This solution comes with Gantt charts, calendars, workload view f... Read more about Wrike

4.3 ( 2612 reviews )

31 recommendations

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Quickbase is a no-code collaborative work management platform that empowers citizen developers to improve operations through real-time insights and automations across complex processes and disparate systems. Here's why Quickbase i... Read more about Quickbase

4.4 ( 300 reviews )

NetSuite OpenAir

NetSuite OpenAir offers buyers a collection of applications designed to support every stage of the professional services delivery lifecycle. Offered as Software-as-a-Service, the platform includes applications to manage projects, ... Read more about NetSuite OpenAir

4.0 ( 39 reviews )

27 recommendations

BQE CORE Suite

BQE’s powerful all-in-one platform and expert support give Architecture, Consulting, and Engineering firms the intuitive tools they need to meet the demands of their firm, empower their team, maximize profitability, and deliver su... Read more about BQE CORE Suite

4.5 ( 743 reviews )

25 recommendations

Kintone is a cloud-based, customizable workflow management platform suitable for businesses of all sizes. The key features of the solution include compliance management, approval process control, forms management, event monitoring... Read more about kintone

4.7 ( 153 reviews )

21 recommendations

Smartsheet is a work execution platform and collaboration tool with a familiar spreadsheet-like interface that helps teams plan, track, and manage projects in real-time. Smartsheet features include a range of project management to... Read more about Smartsheet

4.5 ( 3200 reviews )

19 recommendations

WorkOtter™ is purpose-built, by Project Managers for Project Managers, and helps PM professionals to deliver more successful project outcomes and align their work to the strategic objectives of the organization. Our solution is si... Read more about WorkOtter

4.9 ( 202 reviews )

16 recommendations

Project Insight

Project Insight (PI) is award-winning work & project management software that helps companies manage and visualize projects, allocate personnel, streamline accounting, and track what work is being done throughout their entire orga... Read more about Project Insight

4.4 ( 61 reviews )

14 recommendations

Scoro is a comprehensive work management software specifically designed to cater to the unique needs of service businesses that have grown weary of dealing with disjointed systems, unpredictable workloads, and shrinking profit ma... Read more about Scoro

4.6 ( 236 reviews )

11 recommendations

Ravetree is a cloud-based project management solution with integrated resource planning, customer relationship management and time and expense tracking capabilities. The solution helps users manage project workflows, task assignme... Read more about Ravetree

4.3 ( 21 reviews )

Workzone is a project management solution that offers document management, project collaboration, customizable reporting, resource and task management and time tracking. The software is cloud-based and offers automated emailed rep... Read more about Workzone

4.8 ( 205 reviews )

9 recommendations

Proggio is a project and portfolio management solution for professionals. -No more confusing waterfall charts that scroll endlessly down a page. Instead, understand the full scope of your elaborate portfolio in just one quick sn... Read more about Proggio

4.6 ( 40 reviews )

5 recommendations

The Kantata Professional Services Cloud is purpose-built to help organizations with 50 to 5000+ employees unify resource management, project management, financial management, business intelligence and team collaboration all in one... Read more about Kantata

4.2 ( 611 reviews )

4 recommendations

SAP S/4HANA Cloud

SAP S/4HANA Cloud is a cloud-based and on-premise enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. It is suitable for small, midsize and large businesses in industries such as automotive, engineering, construction, mining, research an... Read more about SAP S/4HANA Cloud

4.4 ( 331 reviews )

Deltek Ajera

Deltek Ajera is an integrated accounting and project management solution built for architecture and engineering (A/E) firms. It is suitable for small to mid-size firms seeking an industry-tailored solution to improve project level... Read more about Deltek Ajera

3.6 ( 58 reviews )

Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP

Continuous change requires continuous innovation Tomorrow’s leaders are those most capable of adapting to change today. Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP is a complete, modern, cloud ERP suite that provides your teams with advanced capabil... Read more about Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP

4.3 ( 55 reviews )

1 recommendations

Visual Planning

Visual Planning is a hybrid resource management and scheduling platform that helps businesses to manage their assets and day-to-day operations. The solution can be deployed on-premise or hosted in the cloud. Visual Planning o... Read more about Visual Planning

4.6 ( 38 reviews )

Evernote Teams

Online project management software allows teams to collaborate on and manage projects from initial concept to completion. Online tools, which run on a Web-based user interface (UI), offer potential benefits over traditional systems that are installed on-premises. For example, most online tools can be licensed for a relatively low monthly fee, which reduces your upfront investment.

We wrote this buyer’s guide to help you better understand this market and research the solutions that can fit your needs.

Here's what we'll cover in this guide:

What Is Online Project Management Software?

A comparison of top online project management solutions, what type of buyer are you, important considerations.

Online project management systems track and manage the lifespan of a project, offering functionality for everything from planning to defining a budget to assigning individual tasks to team members. By giving each member an up-to-date view of the progress, teams can coordinate and collaborate better to see a project through to completion.

( https://software-advice.imgix.net/managed/tinymce_files/images/AtTask Team Management.jpg)

Screenshot of the team management feature in AtTask, an online solution

An online project management tool can be a cost-effective choice for self-employed individuals, small businesses and enterprises alike. And because users can access their platform from anywhere with an Internet connection, it can also be a great tool to connect teams that are located in different parts of the world.

Since online project management software is built to be delivered over the Web, it has a modern look and feel that can often provide a superior user experience (UX). And because it is built in the cloud, vendors are able to maintain, host and update it for you. This reduces the need for dedicated IT staff to manage your company’s software infrastructure. It also makes it easier to keep your company running on the most recent version, since vendors roll out updates to customers automatically.

There are many popular Online Project Management solutions on the market, and it can be hard to understand what distinguishes one product from another and which is right for you. To help you better understand how the top Online Project Management systems stack up against one another, we created a series of side-by-side product comparison pages that break down the details of what each solution offers in terms of pricing, applications, ease of use, support and more:

There are many types of project management tools, and it’s important to select a system that fits your needs. Here are a few special scenarios that will require extra attention when selecting a new system:

Small businesses. Most small businesses we speak with are looking for collaboration features, task management, project scheduling and document-sharing capabilities. This allows small businesses to keep up-to-date with the current state of the project and with tasks that are assigned to team members.

Departmental buyers. Some companies purchase software to manage projects for a specific department. For instance, design teams may require a system that allows for easy collaboration on projects and lets team members share and comment on design mockups. Meanwhile, IT departments may require features that support a specific development methodology, such as agile development . If you are buying for an individual department, make sure your software supports that department’s workflow.

( https://software-advice.imgix.net/managed/tinymce_files/images/Clarizen Burndown Charts.png)

Screenshot of a burn down chart for agile software development in Clarizen

Industry-specific buyers. A few industries have very specific project management needs. Construction project managers, for instance, need to be able to review blueprints, track job costs and allocate inventory within a single system. As a result, they need highly specialized software. Other industries that have unique project needs include complex custom manufacturing and software development firms. If you fit into this buyer type, make sure to find a vendor that supports your industry-specific requirements.

When evaluating these systems, you should keep the following considerations in mind:

Mobile applications. If your project managers spend a lot of time out in the field, you may want to consider vendors who support a mobile application. This will allow project managers to log issues, track project progress and access important documents while outside the office. Some vendors offer an app built to run natively on your iPhone, iPad or Android device, while others simply provide a mobile version of their Web application. Make sure you take your mobile needs into account before selecting a vendor.

Relatedly, if you're looking for a product designed to run optimally with a Mac operating system, we've profiled PM solutions for Mac here .

Social activity stream support. Several vendors now incorporate activity streams—which look similar to a Facebook news feed—into their software, so that team members can report on and discuss progress. Team members can quickly attach approval documents, expense sheets or any other document to a comment. If you think this type of social collaboration would help your team better execute projects, ask vendors if they support activity streams.

Integration options. Many companies will want to integrate their project management system with existing business applications. For instance, integrating your project management system with your accounting application will allow you to send project expense reports and other financial data directly to accounting to make billing, invoicing and financial management of the project more fluid. If you want to connect your project management system with existing applications, be sure to check with the vendor to see what integrations they currently support, as building your own integrations can be time-consuming and difficult.

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10 Best Web-Based Project Management Software for 2024

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• Best all-in-one platform: monday work management
• Best for teams of most sizes: ClickUp
• Best for client management teams: Teamwork
• Best for spreadsheet fans: Smartsheet
• Best for teams on a budget: Zoho Projects
• Best for task management: MeisterTask
• Best for goal setting and tracking: Hive
• Best for creative teams: Notion
• Best for project portfolio management: Wrike
• Best for document management: Coda

While some people like the option of downloading a desktop app, plenty of others prefer to use a web-based project management software that doesn’t require you to download anything. Fortunately, there are many different web-based project management software platforms out there to choose from — which makes it difficult to make a final selection.

In this guide, we round up the top 10 web-based project management software that you should consider using this year.

Top web-based project management software comparison

While cloud-based project management software do offer a lot of the same functionality, each platform also offers its own unique set of features that set it apart from the back. In the chart below, we’ve summarized some of the most essential features to look for in web-based project management software.

monday work management: Best all-in-one platform

monday work management is one of the most well-rounded web-based project management software on the market today. In addition to classic features like multiple project views and time tracking, it also incorporates helpful tools that many other project management platforms lack, such as invoicing creation. It is also highly scalable and flexible, working for teams both large and small across many different industries, which is why it’s one of the most popular agile project management software as well.

• Free: Free plan for up to two users.
• Basic: $9 per seat per month if billed annually or $10 per seat per month if billed monthly.
• Standard: $12 per seat per month if billed annually or $12 per seat per month if billed monthly.
• Pro: $19 per seat per month if billed annually or $20 per seat per month if billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a quote.
• Various data visualization options.
• Invoice creation tool.
• Automation center contains pre-built automation ( Figure A ).
• Easy data import function.

• Option to add on a sales CRM and/or development tools.
• Well-designed and intuitive user interface.
• 200+ project templates to choose from.
• Unlimited documents on all plans.
• Must upgrade to Pro account for time tracking.
• Default notifications settings can become overwhelming.
• Advanced features present a high learning curve.
• Free plan limited to only two people.

Top integrations

monday.com’s top integrations include Google Calendar, Salesforce, DocuSign, Slack and HubSpot.

Why we chose monday.com

We chose monday.com for its project management all-roundness alongside an easily accessible, user-friendly interface and customizable features, which make it a great choice for web-based project management.

ClickUp: Best for teams of most sizes

Similar to monday work management, ClickUp is a robust project management tool that is designed for managing multiple complex projects at once. It also includes native time tracking, document management and more than 15 project views. However, ClickUp doesn’t have native billing and invoicing tools, so professional service teams should keep that in mind. You can easily integrate with other tools thanks to ClickUp’s 1,000+ Zapier connections.

• Free Forever: $0; best for personal use.
• Unlimited: $7 per user per month billed annually, or $10 per user per month billed monthly.
• Business: $12 per user per month billed annually, or $19 per user per month billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Quotes are available upon request.
• Create documents, wikis and knowledge bases.
• Built-in chat messaging feature.
• Real-time reporting and analytics.
• Choose from more than 15 project views ( Figure B ).

• Interface is colorful and easy to navigate.
• Free plan allows unlimited users.
• 24/7 customer support for all plans.
• Excellent customization options.
• Storage for the free plan is limited to 100MB.
• System occasionally lags when moving between pages.
• Can have a higher learning curve due to the number of features.
• Need a Zapier account to access most integrations.

ClickUp integrates seamlessly with Slack, HubSpot, Make, Gmail and Zoom.

Why we chose ClickUp

ClickUp made our list because of its adaptability and truly diverse feature set, as it combines task management, document sharing and time tracking in a single app while maintaining flexibility and high customizability to cater to users of all kinds and teams of all sizes.

Teamwork: Best for client management teams

Teamwork is another fully featured web-based project management software that includes many features helpful for client-facing teams, including document proofing, time tracking and invoice creation tools. You can also create reports and easily share them internally or externally in multiple formats. Even better, Teamwork’s pricing plans are on the more affordable end, making it a great combination of cost and functionality.

• Free Forever: $0 per month for up to five users.
• Starter: $5.99 per user per month billed annually, or $8.99 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available.
• Deliver: $9.99 per user per month billed annually, or $13.99 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available.
• Grow: $19.99 per user per month billed annually, or $25.99 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available.
• Scale: Quotes are available upon request.
• Detailed time tracking, budgeting and billing tools ( Figure C ).
• Workload and resource management features.
• Bulk edit sections and tasks all at once.
• Proofing function included.

• Client onboarding template provided.
• File versions keep everything up to date.
• Many visualization options for project data.
• Option to add on CRM software, chat software, helpdesk software and/or knowledge base software.
• Modifications don’t become visible immediately.
• Interface can feel a bit outdated compared to alternatives.
• Must upgrade to Deliver plan to get automations.
• Knowledge base creation is not included and requires a separate add-on.

Teamwork’s top integrations include Google Drive, Microsoft Office, Slack, QuickBooks and HubSpot.

Why we chose Teamwork

We chose Teamwork for its strong focus on collaboration and ease of use, particularly in use cases that involve client-facing interactions. With features such as time and budget tracking, Teamwork makes it easy to handle both internal team projects as well as those that involve external stakeholders like clients.

Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet fans

If you’ve ever wished that you could manage projects in an online spreadsheet (or are currently doing that now), then Smartsheet was designed with you in mind. Smartsheet combines a cloud-based, grid-like interface with robust project management features and affordable prices to create an extremely useful software platform. You can also try out other project views, like Gantt charts and calendars, if the grid view isn’t working for you.

• Pro: $7 per user per month billed annually, or $9 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available.
• Business: $25 per user per month billed annually, or $32 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available.
• Choose from grid, Gantt chart, calendar and Kanban board project views ( Figure D ).
• Library of 280+ templates to choose from.
• Build flexible, automated workflows for repetitive tasks.
• Team collaboration and file management tools.

• More traditional interface will feel familiar to many spreadsheet users.
• Access WorkApps, a low-code app creation tool.
• Activity log tracks change management.
• Onboarding assistance available.
• Grid interface can feel outdated compared to some alternatives.
• Some features are add-on only.
• Must upgrade to Enterprise plan for advanced security measures.
• Must upgrade to higher tier plans for premium support.

Smartsheet’s key integrations include Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Workspace, Salesforce and Jira.

Why we chose Smartsheet

Smartsheet sets itself apart through its spreadsheet-like interface. Anyone who’s worked with spreadsheets to track projects will love Smartsheet, as it makes it so much easier and is capable of handling quite complex projects.

Zoho Projects: Best for teams on a budget

While Zoho Projects was designed to be used in conjunction with the rest of the Zoho software stack, it also makes a compelling case for itself thanks to its great selection of features and its affordable price tag: Paid plans start at just $5 per person per month.

The software is also relatively easy to master, even if you’ve never used a Zoho product before, making it a great choice for teams looking for their first web-based project management software.

• Free: $0 for up to three users.
• Premium: $5 per person per month.
• Enterprise: $10 per person per month.
• Blueprints automation tool lets you built-in custom workflows.
• Time tracking tool compares estimated time with spent time ( Figure E ).
• IssueTracker tool helps software teams log bugs.
• Chat and forum areas promote team communication.

• Transparent and affordable pricing plans.
• Integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Zoho software stack.
• Easy-to-navigate user interface.
• Relatively low learning curve compared to alternatives.
• No billing or invoicing tools.
• Free plan is capped at three users.
• Could use more native project templates.
• Interface won’t be as familiar if you’ve never used Zoho before.

Zoho Projects’ top integrations include Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics as well as other Zoho products, Slack, GitHub and Google Workspace.

Why we chose Zoho Projects

We selected Zoho Projects for its seamless integration with the Zoho ecosystem. Any user that’s already using multiple Zoho products should have Zoho Projects at the top of their project management shortlist. It’s also affordable, flexible and can handle complex projects.

MeisterTask: Best for task management

You probably know Meister for its digital collaboration tool MindMeister, but it also makes a project management platform called MeisterTask. This easy-to-use software sports a friendly, colorful interface that won’t intimidate beginners and it offers a relatively low learning curve. It’s a great option for simple task management, but isn’t powerful enough to handle extremely complex projects and lacks some features like pre-built templates.

• Basic: $0 for up to three projects and one user.
• Pro: $11.99 per month, billed annually, or $14.49 billed monthly.
• Business: $23.99 per month, billed annually, or $28.99 billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Contact sales for custom pricing.
• Native time tracking tool.
• Custom fields for tasks available.
• Connect dependent tasks through task relationships.
• Intuitive interface with colorful views ( Figure F ).

• Filter tasks by multiple criteria.
• Guided-set process walks new users through everything.
• Friendly, colorful layout.
• Connect with over 4,000 apps through Zapier.
• You have to create all templates from scratch.
• No built-in chat messaging.
• Reporting is not that detailed compared to competitors.
• Native integrations are somewhat limited.

MeisterTask’s top integrations are Slack, GitHub, MindMeister, Office 365 and Zendesk.

Why we chose MeisterTask

MeisterTask has a visually appealing and intuitive interface that makes task management both efficient and enjoyable. Plus, its integration with MindMeister for mind mapping gives a unique approach to project planning and brainstorming.

Hive: Best for goal setting and tracking

Hive has a unique goal setting feature that lets you set and track goals and subgoals for your entire team. This keeps your entire team focused on the big picture and encourages your entire company to work together to meet your business goals. Goals can be task-based, numerical, monetary or custom, depending on your needs.

It also includes project management features such as Kanban boards and Gantt charts, time tracking and team collaboration tools.

• Free: No cost for up to 10 users.
• Starter: $5 per user per month billed annually, or $7 per user per month billed monthly.
• Teams: $12 per user per month billed annually, or $18 per user billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Contact Hive’s sales team for pricing information.
• Unique goal setting feature.
• Advanced reporting and analytics tools.
• Gantt, Kanban, calendar & table views ( Figure G )​.
• Intuitive, well-designed interface.

• Drag-and-drop feature makes the tool extremely easy to use.
• Highly scalable; adapts to businesses of all sizes.
• Over 1,000 integrations available through Zapier.
• Unlimited tasks on the free plan.
• Only 200MB of storage on their free plan.
• Steep learning curve for more advanced features.
• Custom reporting only available on Enterprise plan.
• Mobile app could use more functionality.

Hive’s top integrations include Slack, Google Drive, Zoom, Dropbox and Microsoft Teams.

Why we chose Hive

We chose Hive for its adaptability. There are various workflow styles, including Kanban, Gantt and calendar views. Its emphasis on AI-based analytics gives users actionable data to improve their productivity and decision-making.

Notion: Best for creative teams

Notion is a multi-purpose productivity app that combines note taking, document organization, task management and project management. While its features aren’t suitable for very complex projects — it lacks Gantt charts, for example — it’s a great choice for creative teams that have a lot of files and documents they need to manage.

Basically, Notion combines knowledge management, task management and project management into one easy-to-use tool.

• Free: No cost plan with limited features.
• Plus: $8 per user per month billed annually, or $10 per user per month billed monthly.
• Business: $15 per user per month billed annually, or $18 per user per month billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Custom quote.
• Wiki and document creation.
• Multiple project views available.
• Customizable templates for different workflows ( Figure H ).
• Built-in time tracking available.

• Simple and well-organized user interface.
• Excellent community support.
• All-in-one productivity tool.
• Great for knowledge management.
• No Gantt charts.
• No budgeting or invoicing tools.
• No time tracking.
• Not suitable for managing complex projects.

Notion’s top integrations include Google Drive, Trello, Slack, Figma and GitHub.

Why we chose Notion

Notion uniquely consolidates notes, databases and project management into a single, highly customizable platform. It adapts to multiple workflows and offers lots of integrations, which makes it a versatile all-in-one productivity tool.

Wrike: Best for project portfolio management

Wrike is designed with power users in mind, which makes it an excellent choice for project portfolio management. The learning curve will likely be intimidating to users who aren’t familiar with web-based project management software, but it’s hard to beat the sheer number of features and customizability that Wrike offers for more advanced users. If your current solution just isn’t powerful for your needs, then Wrike is definitely worth a look.

• Free: $0 per user per month.
• Team: $9.80 per user per month.
• Business: $24.80 per user per month.
• Pinnacle: Quotes are available upon request.
• Forecast and visualize project risk with the analytics tool ( Figure I ).
• Billing and invoicing tools.
• Video and file proofing.
• Resource management features.

• Paid add-on option for two-way sync with 12 other apps.
• Well organized and designed interface.
• Premium security and data privacy features.
• Suitable for complex project portfolio management.
• Team plan supports a maximum of 15 users.
• Time tracking not included on Team plan.
• Storage space is limited.
• Higher learning curve.

Wrike’s top integrations are Salesforce, Tableau, Slack, Microsoft Teams and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Why we chose Wrike

We shortlisted Wrike for its highly detailed approach to project planning and tracking capabilities, including interactive Gantt charts and customizable dashboards. Wrike also has a focus on scalability and security, and is suitable for large and complex projects.

Coda: Best for document management

Coda is a bit different from the other platforms on this list, and it focuses on note taking and document management. It also offers some project management features, including Gantt charts and Kanban boards, so it will suffice for simple task and product management needs. But where it really shines is its documentation features, making it the perfect choice for teams that need to create and manage databases, spreadsheets and documents.

• Free: No cost and unlimited users.
• Pro: $10 per user per month billed annually, or $12 per user per month billed monthly.
• Team: $30 per user per month billed annually, or $36 per user per month billed monthly.
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a custom quote.
• Connected tables, charts, kanban boards and forms.
• Workflow and task automations available.
• Native forms available.
• Team resources for organizing teams ( Figure J ).

• Excellent document management capabilities.
• Free plan doesn’t limit users.
• Many different templates available.
• Only charges for document makes, not all users.
• Higher priced plants can get expensive, especially for larger teams.
• Have to pay for some Packs, a.k.a. Extensions.
• Only 7 days version history on the free plan.
• No desktop app option.

Coda integrates with a variety of tools, including Slack, Google Calendar, Gmail, Jira and Shopify.

Why we chose Coda

Coda impressed us with its unique blend of document creation and project management capabilities, offering teams the flexibility to create custom workflows and collaborate in a dynamic, all-in-one workspace. It also has powerful customization options and an extensive template library for teams to approach projects as quickly and flexibly as possible.

For more information, read the full Coda review . Vist Coda

Key features of web-based project management software

Task management.

You should be able to create tasks, set deadlines and assign them to yourself and others. Additionally, you should have the option to view all your upcoming tasks in a dashboard or another centralized place, and set up alerts and notifications when certain actions take place. Ideally, you should also be able to create subtasks and task dependencies to keep everything organized.

Project views

The best web-based project management software should provide multiple project views to choose from. The most common are calendars, Kanban boards (sometimes called card view), spreadsheets (sometimes called grid view) and timeline view (typically known as Gantt charts). Many software platforms restrict Gantt charts to a paid plan to encourage people to sign up for a subscription.

Project templates

Most project software provides a vast library of hundreds of project templates to choose from. These templates are usually designed for a wide range of teams and industries, from marketing to software development to accounting and beyond. The best web-based project management software will also give you the ability to create and save your own custom templates.

Time tracking

Time tracking is absolutely essential for teams that are paid hourly or need to track billable hours for clients. It can also be useful for salaried workers to see where their time is going. Many (though not all) web-based project management software platforms offer time tracking, but some restrict it to a higher tiered paid plan or require you to pay for an add-on.

Automations

Automations eliminate redundant manual work and help reduce the chances of errors. While this feature was once less common, right now most web-based project management software allows you to create and save custom automated workflows. However, some cap the number of automation actions based on which pricing tier you pay for, so it’s worth asking the sales team about this on the call.

How do I choose the best web-based project management software for my business?

No two web-based project management software offer exactly the same features. At the very start of your search, you and your team should identify your must-have and nice-to-have features, and use that to narrow down your options. For instance, if you specifically want open source project management software, that will significantly limit your options.

Most web-based project management software offer both a free trial and a forever free plan with restricted features. Use both of these options liberally to test the software out on your own to make sure that it can do what you actually want it to do. Demo calls with the sales team can also be helpful if you come prepared with questions ahead of time.

If you’re not totally sold on a certain web-based project management software, then choosing a month-to-month plan will let you test it out without committing to an annual contract. If you decide that you’ve found the perfect web-based project management software for your needs, then you can switch to an annual pricing plan to save some money.

Methodology

We reviewed this web-based project management software based on a number of criteria, including pricing, ease of use, user interface design and the difficulty of the learning curve. We also weighed additional features such as document management, automation, project views, templates, time tracking and billing and invoicing. We evaluated these platforms by consulting user reviews and product documentation.

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10 Best Project Management Tools in 2024 (Features, Pros, Cons, Pricing)

Faisal Malas

Expansion Account Executive

April 8, 2024

Looking for the best tools for project management?

Envision a collaborative environment where every team member and stakeholder works together to produce their best effort. Or even better, consider a central hub that not only allows people to connect, communicate, and collaborate but also makes it enjoyable. This is precisely the kind of experience that project management tools can facilitate.

Finding a tool that suits the exact needs of your team is hard.

But don’t worry, we’ve done all the hard work for you.

In this article, we’ve created a curated list of the 10 best project management tools along with their best features, pros, and cons. We’ve also suggested steps you should take to find the right tool for your team, as well as important features you need to look for in a project management tool.

5. Workzone

6. proofhub, 7. meistertask, 8. monday.com, 9. teamwork, project management tools faqs.

Let’s get started.

Top 10 Project Management Tools in 2024

In 2021,  38% of employed workers  did some or all of their work at home. This is up from 24% before the pandemic. As teams become globalized and projects become more complex, aligning all tasks into a central work management platform is essential

Modern teams have more projects taking up their work time. From meetings to deep work and informal projects to goal tracking, many things are moving simultaneously in a short amount of time.

Without best-in-class project management tools, we essentially create more tasks, inefficiencies, and fear-based decisions.

Here are the best project management tools in 2024:

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management tool to help you consolidate your apps, bring teams together in one centralized place, and, most importantly, simplify your workflow so you can operate with efficiency, manage multiple projects with ease, and deliver successful projects on time.

So what exactly makes ClickUp unique and one of the best project management tools available today?

Whether you’re a small business or an enterprise, ClickUp can help you manage your projects more effectively as it can adapt to any business size or type. With its intuitive user interface, customizable workflows, powerful integrations, and flexible pricing, it’s clear why it has become a go-to option for businesses and the perfect project management solution for any team and businesses of all sizes.

Now, let’s take a deep dive deep dive into what makes ClickUp stand out from the competition, how it can benefit your team, and what makes it the top project management choice for your business:

1. All-in-one solution and fully customizable platform

ClickUp is an all-in-one solution, which means you don’t need to use multiple tools to manage your projects and can access all your work in one centralized place.

Access a range of features for task management , time tracking, team collaboration, and even mind mapping and Whiteboards for brainstorming sessions, strategy planning, and more—all in one app. This not only streamlines your workflow but also saves you money and time compared to when using multiple apps.

And as a cherry on top, ClickUp is fully customizable, which lets project managers, stakeholders, and any team across your organization configure ClickUp to fit their needs and preferences without disrupting anyone’s workflow.

2. User-friendly interface and scalability

Whether you’re a tech-savvy individual or not, ClickUp ensures that you can access the tools you need quickly without getting bogged down in complicated features.

ClickUp’s user interface is intuitive and user-friendly, with drag-and-drop functionality and a fully customizable platform, making it easy for anyone on your team to navigate and use effectively.

Another compelling advantage of ClickUp is its scalability. It’s suitable for small businesses, mid-market businesses, and enterprises alike, making it an ideal solution for any team size or budget. Plus, it’s straightforward to adjust as your business grows and evolves. You can easily add or remove users, change workflows, and integrate new tools as needed.

3. Customizable workflows and workflow automation

One of the standout features of ClickUp is its customizable workflows enabling you to configure ClickUp to fit your specific needs, preferences, and any project management methodology—a project manager’s dream. ✨

Whether your team follows the agile methodology or uses a more traditional approach, ClickUp lets you set up workflows that work for you.

You can create custom statuses, add Custom Fields, and even automate certain aspects of your workflow . The result is a more streamlined, efficient way of working that saves time and reduces errors.

5. Over 15 custom work view options

View your work your way with over 15 custom views to support your project management approach, unique workflows, and personal preferences.

Create the perfect Agile workflow with Board view, manage project timeline , milestones, and more in Gantt chart view, allocate your resources effectively with Workload view, and so much more.

6. Team collaboration

Whether you work with your team in person or remotely, ClickUp’s collaboration features can help you improve team collaboration and stay connected, aligned, and up-to-date at all times.

With features such as collaborative Whiteboards for project planning, brainstorming, and strategy sessions, Chat view for instant messaging within ClickUp, assigned comments, multiple assignees, and other collaboration features, your teams will have everything they need to work in real-time or asynchronously.

Additionally, you can use the notifications feed and the task watcher feature to stay in the loop on progress, changes, and other updates in ClickUp.

7. Dashboards with real-time reporting

Project visibility is key to successful project management, which is why ClickUp offers a custom Dashboard that gives you the power to build your own dashboard to give you a high-level overview of your work across your Workspace.

There are unlimited ways you can choose to visualize your work. Simply choose your widgets, such as custom charts, project breakdowns, and more, then drag and drop them into your Dashboard to instantly provide data for any activities or information you want to gather, display, or understand.

8. ClickUp AI

Work faster, write better, and think bigger with ClickUp AI —ClickUp’s native AI writing assistant. ⚡️

This game-changing and research-based feature ensures high-quality content by using prompts tailored to specific roles. You can also use ClickUp AI for everyday tasks like improving your writing, summarizing lengthy content or notes, creating customer emails, and so much more.

ClickUp AI is available on all paid plans for $5 per Workspace member per month. Use this feature to boost your productivity, write engaging and concise copy, and transform the way you work.

9. Powerful integrations

Integration plays a vital role in streamlining tasks, reducing manual data entry, and automating workflows so businesses can save time, reduce errors, and increase efficiency.

Connect ClickUp to your most-used and favorite work tools; it integrates with over 1,000 work apps, including Slack, Trello, Zapier, and Google Drive, among others.

10. Customizable templates

Don’t know where to start, need inspiration on how to get started on a project, or looking to improve your current processes?

Jumpstart your work with customizable templates for every team and use case. ClickUp offers a library of templates for project management, marketing, engineering, HR, and so much more. Simply add any template to your ClickUp Workspace and customize it to fit your needs.

ClickUp Pros

• A fully customizable platform that caters to every type of team and businesses of all sizes
• Affordable and budget-friendly pricing plans
• Hundreds of customizable features, templates, automation, and more
• Available across all devices, including mobile devices to let you access your work at any time from anywhere

ClickUp Cons

• Learning curve due to the number of available features
• Not all views are available in the mobile app yet
• Free Forever Plan : Feature-rich free plan
• Unlimited Plan: $7 per user per month
• Business Plan: $12 per user per month
• Enterprise Plan: Contact ClickUp for custom pricing

Overall, ClickUp is an excellent project management tool that caters to all business sizes. With its powerful task management features, customizable workflows, and project management collaboration tools , ClickUp provides teams with everything they need to manage their projects effectively.

And if you haven’t tried ClickUp yet, we highly recommend you give it a go. It’s free to get started!

Wrike is an award-winning web-based application for project management. Unlike most project management software on this list, this collaboration tool is especially used in the big leagues. As a result, it’s great for larger teams and huge corporations.

However, like anything meant for the big leagues, it can lose sight of what it means to help the little guys!

Key Features

Here are some of the features that help you hit a home run on all your projects:

A. Three-Pane View

Wrike has a three paned intuitive interface geared towards accessibility and productivity. Here’s what it contains:

• Left pane : contains the project hierarchy to edit and adjust subtasks
• Middle pane : contains all your current task lists for a project
• Right pane : contains detailed information about your tasks

This interface makes it easy to manage everything from one workspace. You can monitor every task dependency, team communication, and project status reports easily.

B. Analytics

Wrike has powerful analytics to give project managers detailed insights about their project and team. Here are two of their most popular analytics reports:

• Global report : Analyzes task data from your projects over eight different categories. It’s useful for expense tracking and calculating future resource management
• Performance chart : Graphical representation of your project’s progress over time

With Wrike, detailed insights are just a click away. It’s visual project management software at it’s finest.

C. Forms and Requests

Overwhelmed with countless email threads and DM ( Direct Messaging) notifications? 

You don’t have to switch them off; Wrike eliminates the need for them altogether. With their forms and requests feature, you can assign tasks and communicate useful information easily.

Everything you need to know is on the form itself. You won’t need any other follow-ups.

• Tons of in-built features such as time-tracking and quick file sharing
• Detailed reports and insights to calculate deliverables
• Mobile apps lack functionality
• Not user-friendly, especially for beginners

Bonus: Learn about project management with Wrike .

Wrike has multiple variants to choose from.

• Free version
• Team:  $9.80 per user per month
• Business:  $24.80 per user per month
• Enterprise:  Contact Wrike for details
• Pinnacle:  Contact Wrike for details

Note: If you have a marketing or creative team, Wrike offers a special creative agencies plan with additional features like a tailor-made workspace and digital asset management tool (price on request).

Customer Ratings

• G2:  4.2/5 (3,200+ reviews)
• Capterra:  4.3/5 (2,300+ reviews)

Missing Features

• Cannot add multiple assignees
• No independent note-taking feature
• Gantt charts are a paid feature

Visit Wrike

Despite its laid-back yoga-inspired name, Asana is a dynamic project management tool used by companies all over the globe. However, it does have a few quirks that could stress you out – making you want that quick yoga session!

Check out our list of top Asana alternatives to help you breathe easy.

Here are a few features of this project management tool that give project managers peace of mind:

A. User Interface

One of the best things about Asana is its intuitive user interface. It’s simple and easy to use.

You get tons of flexibility (pun intended) over how it looks and can move your task list around very easily. You also have access to an activity feed on your dashboard to keep up with what your team members are up to.

This makes it a great project management solution for simple projects.

B. Visual Project Timeline

Asana’s visual project timeline feature is a Gantt chart of sorts. It highlights your task due dates, assignees, and progress over time. However, if you’re looking for a true Gantt chart, you’ll need separate Gantt chart software .

You can get a detailed view of your project with this visual project timeline and can make scheduling adjustments easily.

C. Loads of Integrations

Asana can become one with everything, literally.

Asana can integrate with loads of applications to become a hub for all your business activities. Here are some popular apps it can integrate with:

• Slack : for quick team communication
• Outplanr: to track time and to-do lists
• Google Calendar : to manage your activity schedules
• Dropbox: for easy file sharing
• Unito: integrate with other team collaboration tools like Basecamp, Wrike, and Trello
• Project timelines for simple workflow management
• Tons of helpful integrations
• Drag and drop functionality for task management
• Limited features on the free version
• Not ideal for complex projects with multiple workflows
• No visual collaboration features such as mind maps in its project management platform
• No multiple assignees feature, so team workspaces are cluttered with task copies
• Basic: Free version
• Premium:  $10.99 per user per month, billed annually
• Business:  $24.99 per user per month, billed annually
• Enterprise:  Contact Asana for details

User Ratings

• G2:  4.3/5 (9,200+ reviews)
• Capterra:  4.5/5 (11,900+ reviews)
• Cannot assign work through comments to team members
• Cannot add multiple assignees to a task
• Cannot switch between views on the same project
• No custom statuses
• No “Me” tab to only view tasks that concern you
• Does not support native mind mapping
• No built-in wiki tool

Compare ClickUp and Asana !

Visit Asana

In comparison with the previous tool, Asana , Trello is a simple project management tool. Known for its iconic cards, Trello works like supercharged sticky notes.

And just like sticky notes, they’re great to look at and handy in a pinch, but if you’re looking for something more comprehensive, you might want to look elsewhere.

Here’s a closer look at its features:

A. Simple Task Management tool

Trello assigns a “Board” to each task. A project manager can access these boards from their dashboard and make any changes they want. They can add tags, custom fields, and priorities, all with one click.

B. Drag and Drop Functionality

Trello lets you drag and drop tasks around your dashboard. This makes rescheduling and editing tasks and projects easy.

It’s Kanban project management at it’s finest. Uncomplicated and effective.

C. Power-Ups

Each project task can be assigned a power-up depending on what’s needed. Most of these power-ups are free and have paid upgrades for more functionality (similar to most freemium games.)

Some of these power-ups include features like calendar views, Google Drive integrations, and quick file sharing.

Trello’s most popular power-up is its “Butler” feature that lets it automate a preset group of tasks.

Trello Pros

• Simple and user friendly interface
• Easy task management and scheduling
• Useful power-ups for additional functionality

Trello Cons

• No views other than Kanban views
• No reporting features
• Cannot manage complicated projects
• Relies on external integrations for functionality
• No advanced features like native Mind maps, Docs, and Gantt charts

Check out these Trello alternatives !

• Standard:  $5 per user per month
• Premium:  $10 per user per month
• Enterprise:  Starting at $17.50 per user per month and up
• G2:  4.4/5 (13,000+ reviews)
• Capterra:  4.5/5 (22,300+ reviews)
• Relies on external integrations for advanced functionality
• Cannot add multiple assignees to a project
• No in-built wiki capabilities
• Cannot assign comments to team members
• No native spreadsheets
• Cannot export projects on the free plan

Visit Trello

Workzone is a tried and tested web-based software that’s been around since 2000. But that doesn’t mean it’s as dead as a dinosaur. Sure, it’s not the best project planner on this list, but I guess everyone needs a throwback now and then.

Here’s why this project management tool is alive and kicking in 2021:

A. Simple Project Management

Since Workzone is old-school, it offers no-nonsense project management.

All your projects are accessible from your project dashboard , where you can easily check their status. Open any project, and you’ll instantly see subtasks, due dates, and the assignees involved.

You’ll also get helpful notifications whenever deadlines are approaching to stay on top of everything.

Workzone is all about functionality, with none of the fluff.

B. Smooth Team Collaboration

Workzone lets your project team members collaborate easily via the comment section present under every task.

This ensures that all your conversations are neatly ordered and are situated where they’re most relevant.

C. Reporting Capabilities

Workzone gives you detailed reports over a variety of topics. You get:

• Reports on individual performances
• Progress statuses for your projects
• Time management reports

You can customize each report too. You can view them as a classic bar chart, a pie chart, or as a table. This gives you the information you need in the way you want it .

Workzone Pros

• Straightforward project management
• Powerful to-do lists
• Good reporting capabilities

Workzone Cons

• Mobile applications need work
• Lacks features like assigned comments and multiple views
• User interface is dated

Workzone offers you three variants.

• Team ($24/month per user): For loads of features and 100GB of cloud storage for uploads
• Professional ($34/month per user): For all the “Team” features + 150GB of cloud storage for uploads

G2Crowd: 4.3/5 (40+ reviews)

Capterra: 4.7/5 (120+ reviews)

• No free version
• No board or box view available
• Cannot add threaded comments to workspaces

Visit Workzone

ProofHub is another big name in the world of project management. True to its name, it’s a great online proofing tool…but that comes at the expense of it falling short of being the best project tracker out there.

Here are the features that make this web-based software a powerful tool:

ProofHub’s interface isn’t rocket science. You can organize tasks, teams, and projects from your dashboard with ease. ProofHub also lets you set status alerts with the click of a button, making it easy to manage projects.

B. Customization

ProofHub gives you tons of customization options to suit your needs. You have complete control over the color scheme of your tool as well as the layout. You can also white-label it by adding your company name and logo everywhere…just don’t go too crazy with it.

It also offers multilanguage support for French, German, and Spanish.

C. Access Rights

ProofHub lets project managers assign custom roles to employees. These custom roles give employees varying access to your tool. This is a good way to ensure that only certain people can access sensitive projects and useful information.

ProofHub Pros

• Loads of customizability
• Good security features like custom access rights
• Powerful mobile applications for iOS and Android

ProofHub Cons

• Lacks additional functionality such as budgeting templates
• Not meant for complex project management
• Reputation for bugginess

ProofHub gives you two variants

• Essential Version ($45/month, billed annually): for 40 projects + 15GB of cloud storage space + unlimited number of users
• Ultimate Control Version ($89/month, billed annually): for loads of additional features + unlimited number of projects + 100GB of cloud storage + unlimited users

G2Crowd: 4.4/5 (30+ reviews)

Capterra: 4.3/5 (40+ reviews)

• No free plan
• Cannot add custom fields
• Does not support tagging people in comments

Visit Proofhub

MeisterTask is another Kanban-based project management tool that’s really popular. Unlike Trello, it’s great Agile project management. However, like Trello, there are more comprehensive solutions out there.

Here are some of its key features:

A. User-Friendliness

As it’s a Kanban tool , MeisterTask is very user friendly. It’s very simple to use, and the layout is extremely attractive.

Each project is listed as a card on your dashboard that can easily be accessed and moved around. Each card also has an in-built timer to show you how much time you have before it’s deadlines arrive.

B. Good Collaboration Software

MeisterTask is a good project management collaboration software for your team. Each user has a central place to share files and ideas with the rest of the team. There’s also an activity stream for sharing deadlines, updates, and assignments.

C. Customizability

MeisterTask lets you customize your dashboards to suit your needs. You can change the theme and switch projects around by dragging and dropping them to different places.

Each project can also be customized with features like video thumbnails. This ensures that you’re not stuck with the same rigid interface for each project!

MeisterTask Pros

• Team members will find it easy to collaborate over a project proposal
• Loads of integrations with tools like Slack and GitHub

MeisterTask Cons

• Can’t handle complex projects
• Mobile tools lack functionality

MeisterTask offers you four different versions.

• A free variant : for unlimited users + projects
• A Pro variant ( $4.19/month per user, billed annually ) : for unlimited users + projects + additional features + unlimited integrations
• A Business variant ( $10.39/month per user, billed annually ) : for unlimited users + projects + additional security + priority customer support + security features

G2Crowd – 4.4/5 (150+ reviews)

Capterra – 4.7/5 (850+ reviews)

• Cannot support a box or list view, only supports a Kanban interface
• No Gantt chart tool for a bird’s eye view of your project progress
• Cannot customize statuses

Visit Meistertask

Formerly known as dapulse, Monday.com is another good online project management solution available today. However, it is named after everyone’s least favorite day of the week . Is that a sign of things to come? Let’s find out:

Here’s what makes Monday.com special:

A. Third-Party Collaboration

Most project management tools only allow team members to access their workspaces. This makes working with freelancers and third-party agents difficult.

Not for Monday.com, though.

A team leader can add as many third-party agents as they want.

You can customize their access rights to ensure that they only access projects assigned to them.

Compare Monday.com to ClickUp !

B. Easy Communication

Monday.com is a good project management collaboration software because of its comment sections. Teams can use it to share ideas, project tasks, and files with no difficulty.

Monday.com also lets you follow Twitter and Linkedin threads in the app to stay updated.

C. Loads of Native Integrations

Monday.com can integrate with tons of integrations such as Google Drive, Dropbox Paper , and Zapier to boost its functionality.

As Monday.com is built on an open-source framework, developers can add their own custom integrations as well.

Monday.com Pros

• Open API architecture allows you to add custom integrations
• Detailed reporting capabilities
• Ability to add freelancers and third-party agents

Monday.com Cons

• Cannot handle complex projects
• Mobile apps need work

Monday.com has four plans:

• Basic plan ( $8/month per user): Includes unlimited free viewers + mobile apps+  5 GB data storage
• Standard ($10/month per user) : Includes project timeline view +  5 native integrations + 50 GB data storage
• Pro ($16/month per user): Includes time tracking + chart view + 100 GB data storage

G2Crowd : 4.7/5 (7,550+ reviews)

Capterra: 4.6/5 (3,700+ reviews)

• Cannot toggle between views in the same project
• Cannot set up recurring tasks
• Does not support automatic time tracking
• No mind mapping capabilities
• Cannot assign comments
• Cannot monitor task dependencies

Visit Monday.com

Teamwork is a great online project management tool, which helps you with… team work (was that a little too obvious?)

A. Intuitive Dashboard

Teamwork’s dashboard is unique as it gives you an option to only see your most recent tasks. This way, you’ll never get lost in an ocean of completed tasks. While dealing with loads of projects, this key feature can be useful to identify priority targets and deal with them first.

The dashboard’s interface can also be customized to include your company’s name and logo.

B. Email Integration

Teamwork lets you reply to comments and notifications via email. This makes responding super convenient, and you can get things sorted out in seconds.

You can add multiple email accounts and signatures to further customize this process.

C. Invoicing Capabilities

Teamwork’s time tracker has an invoicing tab that can be a useful billing feature. It can calculate billable hours in order to generate invoices for your clients.

As the invoices are directly generated from your timesheets, so your clients know that you’re billing them correctly.

Teamwork Pros

• Lots of native features such as an invoicing tool for clients using built in  timesheets
• Good mobile applications

Teamwork Cons

• Cannot handle complex project management
• Free plan only useful for very small teams working on two or fewer projects

There are four Teamwork variants available.

• Free: Up to five users working on a maximum of two projects
• Pro ($12.50/month per user): Workload view + 300 projects a month
• Premium ($22.50/month per user): 50 project templates + 600 projects a month
• Enterprise (price varies) : Single sign-on, priority support

Check out these Teamwork alternatives !

G2Crowd: 4.4/5 (1000+ reviews)

Capterra: 4.5/5 (800+ reviews)

• Lack of Goals feature
• Very limited reporting
• Cannot add tasks to multiple lists

Visit Teamwork

Citrix Podio is a good project management tool with tons of app integrations. Just like a chameleon, this project tool is famous for its adaptability and customizability. However, it does run the risk of being a jack-of-all-trades and a master-of-none.

Here’s a closer look at every key feature it has to offer:

A. App Market

Podio’s claim to fame is its app market. You’ve got hundreds of web-based software add-ons that can add functionality to your app.

• Expense tracking apps
• Organization apps
• Invoicing tools
• And several more.

B. Simple Interface

Podio opts for a simple and user friendly interface that’s easy to operate. Your dashboard shows you your current projects, activity stream, and calendar. It’s everything you need, stored in a single place.

This makes workflow management smoother than cream cheese spread on a bagel.

Podio’s interface can also support over 12 languages to make sure everyone’s comfortable using it.

C. Custom API

Podio is almost an open-source tool. Your developers can use the Podio API to add as many custom integrations as they want.

• User friendly interface
• Loads of add-ons in the app store
• Can handle custom integrations
• Lacks in-house functionality such as assigned comments and reports

There are four Podio versions available:

• Free Plan: with basic project planning and access to the app store
• Basic Plan ($9/month): with project planning + unlimited number of projects and users
• Plus Plan ($14/month): with advanced project planning + automated management of your workflow
• Premium Plan( $24/month): with visual reports and interactive dashboards

G2Crowd: 4.2/5 (330+ reviews)

Capterra : 4.3/5 (250+ reviews)

• Cannot customize access rights
• No Gantt chart tool to manage your projects task dependencies
• Cannot switch between views in a project
• Cannot add custom statuses

Visit Podio

6 Steps to Choose the Best Project Management Tool

As mentioned in the beginning, it’s hard to get started. Here are the six steps that you can follow to decide on the best project management tool.

1. Define Your Needs

First, you need to identify current problems in your current workflow.

It’s also important to consider the company as a whole, as the best project management tool should be cross-functional in order to scale up into the organization. After all, it would be a headache to collaborate with different departments all using completely different project management software.

With this in mind, you need to consider the company culture and the project management methodology adopted by your organization. You want your project management tool to fit seamlessly into this organizational fabric.

2. Put together an Evaluation Team

When you move forward to this stage, it’s important to organize a team that can represent several organizational functions for best effect.

For example, the sales team would use the project management software tool in a completely different way from the marketing team. Additionally, managers may be interested in higher-level overviews while specialists need to be able to navigate through granular pieces of a project. Great project management tools need to have this flexibility.

Then, you need to create standards of evaluation. It’s difficult to judge a tool’s effectiveness if everyone’s vocabulary to give feedback differs. Lastly, compile a list of top tools contending for your business. Our top 10 list would be a great starting point.

3. Test the Tool

After settling on which project management tool or tools to test, it’s now time to test.

Commit to a timeframe in which you will use the tool to its fullest capacity. This is the time to pilot a project and see if the project management tool will address your needs in step 1.

Learn the tool by reading help docs, watching webinars, or contacting customer service as well as getting a demo from the sales team. For example, ClickUp has 24/7 customer chat and email support as well as coaches and support staff on standby to demo the platform.

4. Get Management Buy-in

After a successful pilot, it’s time to convince your boss to switch to this project management tool. When addressing the executive team, it’s important to keep these things in mind

• What potential objections will management have that I can address?
• What management pain points does this tool help solve?
• Do we have data to prove the effectiveness of the project management solution?

5. Purchase and Implement the Tool

Congratulations! Management has approved the use of this project management tool. However, your job as a project manager is not over yet. First, commit to a timeline and a plan. When do you want to bring everyone on?

To maximize the impact of this project management tool, how much training will your team members need and who will give it? For example, ClickUp offers professional services to help teams transition into using the platform.

Do you have current software that need to be integrated into the project management workflow?

6. Review and Iterate

After implementation, you should review the impact this tool has had on your organization. Did it truly address the needs you set out to fulfill in step 1?

Get feedback from your team after everyone is past the learning curve. Does anything need improvement?

Additionally, the project management tool may have features that you were previously unaware. Continue to work with client success and attend training workshops that might be relevant for your workflows to further integrate the tool into your organization.

Related: Project Management Software for Mac

Features to Look for in Project Management Tools?

1. team collaboration.

How can you predict your project’s success?

Hint: A magic 8 ball, tarot cards, or an ouija board can’t help you. (And even if they did, the reply wouldn’t be so comforting.)

So how do you do it?

You just need to know how well your team works together.

Team collaboration essentially determines whether your projects meet deadlines or not. Effective teamwork is the core of every project management process: Agile or otherwise.

Good project management software lets your team communicate easily and effectively. They need to easily share ideas, opinions, resources, or even attach files to get work done quickly.

What would happen if your project management software doesn’t have any team collaboration features?

2. Innovative Features

Project management is a dynamic process. New process innovations and breakthroughs happen all the time.

But is your project management system keeping up with times, or is it way past its prime?

You should choose a project management app that regularly keeps rolling out cool features. These could be things like an integrated wiki feature, a notes app, a built-in Gantt chart, and the list goes on.

If not, you’ll be stuck with a Stone Age tool while everyone else would be equipped with lightsabers.

3. Customizability

Every company is different. Every workforce is different. Every project has different challenges .

Your project management app must adapt to this reality. It needs to be customizable. You should have customizability over layouts, themes, views, project milestones , and everything.

Your project management tool must be flexible enough for managing entire enterprises or a specific task within an employee’s day-to-day. After all, you should be running the show, right? Not your project management app!

4. User-Friendliness

If your tool isn’t easy to use, it just isn’t worth it.

It could have a million different features, but if they’re not user friendly, what’s the point?

Your team will waste precious work hours figuring how to use it. Imagine that: wasting time on a productivity tool. How ironic is that?

You might as well stick with Microsoft Word to manage projects!

5. Customer-Focused Product Roadmap

Great project management software always let you know what’s in store for its future.

There has to be a set of ideas and objectives that it’s planned to release in the upcoming months. If there’s no project roadmap, there are two possibilities:

• These project management apps aren’t looking to achieve much
• or the software development team has given up on it

Moreover, this roadmap should be based on what the users want. So go for a tool that keeps customer inputs and feedback at the very core of its innovation and product roadmap.

For example: a free project management software like ClickUp has a public roadmap and also allows users to vote for the feature they’ll like to see next.

So choose the best project management software tool that challenges itself to be better and push the boundaries of what’s expected.

It’s what you expect from your entire team, right?

Why not hold your software to the same standard?

Still unsure about a few things in project management tools? 

We got you covered.

Here are some of the answers to your burning questions:

1. How much do project management tools cost?

Upgrading to high-quality project management software can revolutionize the way teams and businesses operate, offering enhanced efficiency, heightened productivity, and superior project outcomes.

Whether you opt for affordable options like Trello or Asana’s basic plans, or invest in pricier packages like Jira, project management software prices vary from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per year.

However, the pricing model (subscription-based, freemium, perpetual license, pay-as-you-go, and custom pricing) is only one consideration of the purchasing process.

Selecting project management software is crucial for organizations embarking on growth and expansion, as it enables the transformation of project data. In various industries, teams are embracing a skills-based hiring approach, reshaping how individuals work and collaborate to achieve business objectives and priorities.

2. What are the four main types of project management tools?

There are several types of project management software available, but here are the four main types:

• Desktop-based project management software  is installed onto a desktop and is only accessible from the same computer
• Cloud-based project management software  makes it easy to connect with work and teams on the go as long as the device has an internet connection
• Open-source project management software  is free to use and backed by a wide range of creators and users that keep it functioning and up-to-date
• Integrated project management software  combines multiple tools and features to manage projects under one platform

3. What types of tools are used in project management?

There are tons of charts , diagrams, reports, and documents that help with planning and executing successful projects.

All of these important elements are also known collectively as ‘project management tools.’

Let’s take a look at a few of them:

• Work Breakdown Structure : visualizes project scope by breaking down the project into smaller components
• Mind maps: helps brainstorm project ideas and tasks
• Gantt charts: see the project overview in a glance with this horizontal bar chart
• Calendar: used to track and manage the project schedule
• Network diagram: visualizes all the tasks, responsibilities, and project workflows

4. What Is The Best Project Management Tool?

ClickUp is the best project management tool available today. While most project management tools have a few features to offer, ClickUp has everything an on-premise, remote team, or an Agile team needs to plan and track successful projects.

Get Organized with Project Management Tools

Finding the best project management isn’t easy, especially when you’ve got tons of great options.

While all these tools are great, ClickUp is the best free project management software in 2021. Even its free version has more functionality than the paid versions of most other tools.

It’s like getting a pair of new Air Jordans…for free!

Sign up for ClickUp today!

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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• Free training & 24-hour support
• Serious about security & privacy
• 99.99% uptime the last 12 months

Simple Project Management Software

Project management software for teams to plan, manage, and execute on work together. 

Regardless of the size or complexity of your project, Smartsheet provides a real-time view of tasks across entire projects. That's why companies around the world rely on Smartsheet as their project management tool.

Try Smartsheet for Free     Watch the Demo

Clear Accountability

As a project manager, Smartsheet empowers you and your team to know what's getting done and by whom, increasing agility, speed, and accountability.

See More, Manage More

With anytime, anywhere access and real-time dashboards, Smartsheet enables you to stay up to date on status and ensure no detail is missed.

Deliver Work at Scale

Whether managing projects for marketing, sales, product development, or IT teams, Smartsheet scales to fit the needs of any department, across all industries.

Essential Capabilities

Easy to use.

With an intuitive spreadsheet interface, Smartsheet is easy to adopt. Import existing files from Excel, Microsoft Project, Google Spreadsheets, and Trello, or use one of our pre-built templates.

Cloud Based

See project status and collaborate on work in real-time - no more emailing static reports or updates. Manage remote teams and access tasks from anywhere, on any device.

Collaborative

Share your work with internal or external stakeholders and collaborate on entire project plans or individual tasks. Assign items, add comments, and set automatic reminders for regular updates.

Multiple Views

Manage projects the way that works for your team. Use grid to organize tasks; Gantt to create timelines; calendar to visualize due dates; and, card to create online Kanban boards.

File Storage

Bring context to project details by attaching files from your computer, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, Evernote, and more, to create one location for project documentation.

Easily create interactive timelines with Gantt charts in Smartsheet. Turn on critical path and include milestones and dependencies to track overall project status against deadlines.

Automate Workflows

Automate repetitive project management tasks and actions with automated approval and update requests, triggered based on preset rules and created without a single line of code or help from IT.

Roll up tasks across sheets, create editable summary reports of items coming due, at-risk, or not yet assigned. Share reports with your team, and schedule them to be automatically sent on a recurring basis.

Keep stakeholders informed with an at-a-glance view of project and portfolio-level performance metrics. The easy-to-configure, widget-based view provides critical data in real time to make better decisions, faster.

Track Changes

Activity Log gives you one place to see who viewed project plans, reports, and dashboards, what changes were made, and when those activities occurred. Filter by action type and date range to find what you're looking for.

Manage Resources

Gain visibility into resource levels, with team allocation details in real-time. Make adjustments, specify project roles, and assign role and user-level permissions to keep your projects moving forward.

Smartsheet mobile apps on iPhone, iPad, and Android enable you to access details from anywhere. Collaborate on project information, check and update status, make approvals, and attach files while on the go.

Project Management for Businesses of All Sizes

Contact Our Team

Project Management Templates

Basic Project With Gantt

This template helps you manage your project, and provides an easy-to-grasp visual timeline for your team and clients.

Team Task List by Priority

Use this template to keep your team organized. Group tasks by priority and use symbols to illustrate progress.

Project with Schedule and Budget Variance

Track project and budget performance in one template. Include budget and schedule variance and Gantt chart with dependencies. 

Basic Project with Resource Management

Use this template to gain an at-a-glance view of your project timeline, with Gantt chart, and your team's availability all in one plan.

Basic Agile Project with Gantt Timeline

Designed for Agile project teams, this teamplate is built to track sprints, features, and tasks, and includes a Gantt chart timeline view. 

Gantt Project with Hard Deadline

For projects with a firm deadline, use this template to help you create a workback schedule to determine start dates for preceding tasks. 

Project Management Template Sets

Template sets are packed with pre-built sheets, reports, forms, and dashboards, infused with best practices and designed to help you save time and hit the ground running. The Project Tracking and Rollup template set is a quick and easy way to get a project up and running and report on risks and milestones to stakeholders.

Watch the Demo

Smartsheet can basically do everything you always wished a spreadsheet could do, but with a lot more interactivity.

Discover How Other Project Managers Use Smartsheet

Cisco accelerates informed decisions with full transparency.

Cisco’s services department manages and maintains transparency on program activities and budgets, empowering their team to make the best decisions at the right time.

Learn how MOD Pizza uses Smartsheet Control Center to easily collaborate, gain visibility at scale, and align processes with their quickly growing company.

Colliers Wisconsin elevates its commercial real estate services with automation and dashboards in Smartsheet

With Smartsheet, Colliers Wisconsin can automate internal and client-facing processes, saving time that can be spent delivering world-class commercial real estate services.

Simple, elegant, collaborative!

Project Management Resources

Agile Project Management 101: A Beginner's Guide

Learn all about Agile project management basics and how to get started implementing Agile practices.

Six Things That Delay a Project and How to Avoid Them

Get expert insight on the top project derailers and gain actionable tips on how to keep your projects on track.

Effective PMO Efforts: Challenging the Status Quo

Discover the top barriers to PMO success, and five ways to decrease delays and increase project revenue.

Demystifying the 5 Phases of Project Management

Learn all about the five phases of project management and get our top tips and tricks.

Comprehensive Guide to the Agile Manifesto

Discover the Agile Manifesto's history, four values, 12 principles, and usage outside of software development.

Full Comparison: PM Methodologies

What's the difference between Agile vs Scrum vs Waterfall vs Kanban? Here's what you should know about these PM methodologies.

Healthcare Project Management 101: Experts Share Techniques, Examples and Future Outlook

Learn how to master healthcare project management, and find expert recommendations on Agile and other techniques.

Moving on Up: Building a Career in Real Estate Project Management

From office towers to retail remodels, project management powers commercial real estate development. Learn how it works and how to get hired in this high-growth field.

Expert Tips on Performing Effective Project Management in Government

Get expert advice on effective government project management and tips on dealing with government-specific challenges.

Software Project Management: Unique Skills for Highly Complex and Ever-Changing Projects

Learn how software project management can reduce risk while managing the complex software development lifecycle.

Mergers and Acquisitions Project Management for the Win: Pre-Merger & Post-Merger Best Practices and Templates

Don’t let your deal fail. Learn best practices for successful M&A project management at every phase, and get advice from top experts.

How to Build a Winning Creative Project Management Strategy

Succeeding in today’s competitive world requires innovative strategies. Stand out with these tips, techniques, and templates.

Complete Guide to Project Management in the New Remote Workplace

Learn how to manage projects remotely with expert tips, tools, templates, and a comparison to traditional project management.

Smartsheet, a technology that is tackling the problem of "app overload" by creating a management platform that promises a more seamless, centralized experience.

Join Over 80,000 Organizations Who Trust Smartsheet

30-day free trial. Nothing to install. No credit card required.

Discover real-time, collaborative project management software with Smartsheet.

Explore the features that help your team succeed

Meet trello.

Trello makes it easy for your team to get work done. No matter the project, workflow, or type of team, Trello can help keep things organized. It’s simple – sign-up, create a board, and you’re off! Productivity awaits.

Take a page out of these pre-built Trello playbooks designed for all teams

Our product in action.

Use case: Task management

Track progress of tasks in one convenient place with a visual layout that adds ‘ta-da’ to your to-do’s.

Use case: Resource hub

Save hours when you give teams a well-designed hub to find information easily and quickly.

Use case: Project management

Keep projects organized, deadlines on track, and teammates aligned with Trello.

For individuals or small teams looking to keep work organized.

Compare plans & pricing

Whether you’re a team of 2 or 2,000, Trello’s flexible pricing model means you only pay for what you need.

Learn & connect

View your team’s projects from every angle.

Automate tasks and workflows with Butler automation.

Power up your teams by linking their favorite tools with Trello plugins.

Give your team a blueprint for success with easy-to-use templates from industry leaders and the Trello community.

Integrations

Find the apps your team is already using or discover new ways to get work done in Trello.

Marketing teams

Whether launching a new product, campaign, or creating content, Trello helps marketing teams succeed.

Product management

Use Trello’s management boards and roadmap features to simplify complex projects and processes.

Engineering teams

Ship more code, faster, and give your developers the freedom to be more agile with Trello.

Design teams

Empower your design teams by using Trello to streamline creative requests and promote more fluid cross-team collaboration.

From hitting revenue goals to managing workflows, small businesses thrive with Trello.

Remote teams

Keep your remote team connected and motivated, no matter where they’re located around the world.

Read though our use cases to make the most of Trello on your team.

For teams that need to manage more work and scale collaboration.

Best for teams up to 100 that need to track multiple projects and visualize work in a variety of ways.

Everything your enterprise teams and admins need to manage projects.

Trello guide

Our easy to follow workflow guide will take you from project set-up to Trello expert in no time.

Remote work guide

The complete guide to setting up your team for remote work success.

Enjoy our free Trello webinars and become a productivity professional.

Customer stories

See how businesses have adopted Trello as a vital part of their workflow.

The sky's the limit in what you can deliver to Trello users in your Power-Up!

Help resources

Need help? Articles and FAQs to get you unstuck.

Helping teams work better, together

Discover Trello use cases, productivity tips, best practices for team collaboration, and expert remote work advice.

Accelerate your teams' work with Atlassian Intelligence (AI) features 🤖 now available for all Premium and Enterprise! Learn more.

Trello brings all your tasks, teammates, and tools together

Keep everything in the same place—even if your team isn’t.

A productivity powerhouse

Simple, flexible, and powerful. All it takes are boards, lists, and cards to get a clear view of who’s doing what and what needs to get done. Learn more in our guide for getting started .

Trello boards keep tasks organized and work moving forward. In a glance, see everything from “things to do” to “aww yeah, we did it!”

The different stages of a task. Start as simple as To Do, Doing or Done—or build a workflow custom fit to your team’s needs. There’s no wrong way to Trello.

Cards represent tasks and ideas and hold all the information to get the job done. As you make progress, move cards across lists to show their status.

Trello in action

Workflows for any project, big or small

Project management.

Keep tasks in order, deadlines on track, and team members aligned with Trello.

Empower your team meetings to be more productive, empowering, and dare we say—fun.

Onboarding to a new company or project is a snap with Trello’s visual layout of to-do’s, resources, and progress tracking.

Task management

Use Trello to track, manage, complete, and bring tasks together like the pieces of a puzzle, and make your team’s projects a cohesive success every time.

Brainstorming

Unleash your team’s creativity and keep ideas visible, collaborative, and actionable.

Resource hub

Save time with a well-designed hub that helps teams find information easily and quickly.

No need to start from scratch. Jump-start your workflow with a proven playbook designed for different teams. Customize it to make it yours.

See work in a whole new way

View your team’s projects from every angle and bring a fresh perspective to the task at hand.

Hit deadlines every time

From weekly sprints to annual planning, Timeline view keeps all tasks on track. Quickly get a glimpse of what’s coming down the pipeline and identify any gaps that might impede your team’s progress.

Learn more about Timeline view

Stay on top of tasks

Start each day without any surprises. Whether scheduling an editorial calendar or staying on top of to-dos, Calendar view is like a crystal ball giving you a clear vision of what work lies ahead.

Learn more about Calendar view

Powerful ways to grow

Do more with Trello

Trello’s intuitive features give any team the ability to quickly set up and customize workflows for just about anything.

Connect the apps your team already uses into your Trello workflow or add a Power-Up to fine-tune your specific needs.

Butler Automation

No-code automation is built into every Trello board. Focus on the work that matters most and let the robots do the rest.

Trello Enterprise

The productivity tool teams love, paired with the features and security needed for scale.

[Trello is] great for simplifying complex processes. As a manager, I can chunk [processes] down into bite-sized pieces for my team and then delegate that out, but still keep a bird's-eye view.

Joey Rosenberg

Global Leadership Director at Women Who Code

75% of organizations report that Trello delivers value to their business within 30 days.

Whether someone is in the office, working from home, or working on-site with a client, everyone can share context and information through Trello.

Sumeet Moghe

Product Manager at ThoughtWorks

81% of customers chose Trello for its ease of use.

We used Trello to provide clarity on steps, requirements, and procedures. This was exceptional when communicating with teams that had deep cultural and language differences.

Jefferson Scomacao

Development Manager at IKEA/PTC

74% of customers say Trello has improved communication with their co-workers and teams.

Trello priced your way.

Trusted by millions, Trello powers teams all around the world.

Free for your whole team

For individuals or teams looking to organize any project.

Per user/month if billed annually ($6 billed monthly)

For small teams that need to manage work and scale collaboration.

Per user/month if billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly)

For teams that need to track and visualize multiple projects in several ways, including boards, timelines, calendars, etc.

Per user/month - billed annually ($210.00 annual price per user)

For organizations that need to connect work across teams with more security and controls.

Join over 2,000,000 teams worldwide that are using Trello to get more done.

Get started with Trello today

• Project Management

Best Web Project Management Software in 2024

Cloudwards.net may earn a small commission from some purchases made through our site. However, any earnings do not affect how we review services. Learn more about our editorial integrity and research process .

The best part about web project management software is that you don't have to worry about installing a new application on your computer. You can have all of your work in one place, no matter which device you're using at any given moment. Read this article to discover the best web-based software you can use today.

Last Updated: 14 Mar'24 2024-03-14T14:18:51+00:00

All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.

With the rise of mobile technology, project management software has become increasingly mobile. Some people prefer native project management apps, but for others, working within a web-based platform is just as good (if not better) than having an app installed. It all depends on your team’s needs. Our experts have tested dozens of tools to bring you this list of the best web project management software.

Key Takeaways:

• Web-based project management software has grown in popularity over the years and is widely used by businesses of all sizes to manage a team’s work, such as tasks and deadlines. 
• There are many web-based project management systems available to suit all budgets. Some offer free plans with limited functionality, like ClickUp and Asana , while other types require paid subscription plans for full access, such as monday.com and ProofHub . 
• As you consider your options, keep in mind the features that will help your teams run smoothly and stay organized. Choose the one that best suits your company’s infrastructure and goals.

One major perk of web-based software is that it’s easy to access from anywhere. Using any device with internet access, you can log in and get straight to work. That means fewer distractions at work, and more efficiency overall, as you can focus on what matters without having to worry about app compatibility or getting familiar with a new interface.

There’s also no need to download anything onto your computer or phone. The platform is always accessible through your browser, so you never have to worry about losing important data if something happens to your device.

The best web-based project management software is the solution that meets your needs in the simplest way possible. Whether you’re looking for a highly adaptable web app or something with more of a native feel, there are plenty of options out there. Keep reading to see our top five recommendations, or alternatively, check out our best project management software roundup for a broader look at our experts’ all-time favorites.

Top Web Project Management Services

What Makes the Best Web Project Management Software? 

The best digital project management software for managing your web projects is the one that lets you work with your clients and team members in the way that’s most comfortable to you. That means using the tools you’re most familiar with, and the platforms you can access from anywhere.

Here are our top five recommendations for software that can do just that, including monday.com, ClickUp, Asana, Smartsheet and ProofHub.

• monday.com — The best web project management software
• ClickUp — Feature packed, with a great free plan
• Asana — Best for workflow management
• Smartsheet — A spreadsheet-focused cloud platform
• ProofHub — Affordable solutions for larger enterprises 

Our project management specialists believe the best web project management software solutions should be flexible enough to meet a wide range of project planning purposes. If you have complex projects or tasks that require features like time tracking or accounting, make sure those features are available on the platform (or can be easily added).

If your company uses a proprietary database or other productivity software, find out if there are ways to integrate with that platform, so your data is consolidated and accessible from one system.

You should also consider how easy it is for everyone on your team to get involved with the process. Consider a project management tool that lets clients upload their own content or attach documents to project updates, rather than sending reports via email or requiring someone else to do it for them. 

The most effective project management tools also offer secure logins and storage to keep all of your data safely under lock and key.

monday.com ranks highest in our list for offering all these features, plus a versatile set of extras. ClickUp and Asana are both great free alternatives for teams on a budget. Smartsheet is a good fit for organizations with spreadsheet-heavy operational flows. Lastly, ProofHub is a good option for larger enterprises looking for a scalable yet affordable solution. 

The 5 Best Web Project Management Software

Now that you know what to look for in a web project management software, let’s dive into the best ones you can start with today. 

1. monday.com

More details about monday.com:

• Pricing: Free; $9 per month (one-year plan)
• Provider website: monday.com
• User friendly
• Plenty of features
• Minimum of 3 users required
• Limitations on the free plan

monday.com is the best web project management software on the market because it provides a clear view of all the important project data, tasks and dependencies. This tool’s simple interface makes it easy to create and manage your team’s projects, even if you don’t have a lot of experience with project management software.

It has features like templates, discussions and reporting which makes managing large projects easier than ever. monday.com also has a mobile app that you can use to access your projects and tasks anywhere.

Integrations

It offers a variety of integrations to make managing work even easier. For example, its native Slack integration allows you to manage all your projects in one place — from tracking the latest ticket activity and sharing files fast to creating new tasks (lists) directly from Slack messages.

It also has a native Gmail integration, which allows you to create new tickets directly from emails without having to switch applications. Its Chrome extension allows you to create new tasks or tickets directly from the web browser, letting you view all of your team’s tasks and projects. 

The extension will auto-detect when you’re on a browser, and ask permission to add it to your Chrome toolbar. Once installed, you’ll be able to see upcoming events and tasks in real time for any project you are assigned across all projects. It also provides a quick link to the app, so you can easily manage your projects when you need them.

If you’re looking for an individual monday.com account, the free plan should be more than sufficient. It comes with two seats, a cap of 1,000 tasks and the basic list and kanban view with a limit to three boards. 

If you’re part of a bigger team and want unlimited projects, tasks and automations for your workflows, the paid plans are best. You can also try a 14-day trial of the paid plans. Check out our monday.com review to know more.

• Maximum users: 2
• Minimum users: 3
• Enterprise-level features.

More details about ClickUp:

• Pricing: Free; $7 per month (one-year plan)
• Provider website: clickup.com
• Features for all business types
• Unlimited file storage in paid plans
• Good free plan
• Annoying navigation & UI
• Certain features lack polish
• Needs better onboarding process

ClickUp is another good online project management software that connects your team and handles meetings, workflows, reports, tasks and billing. You can schedule meetings and events, track projects and tasks, and create custom dashboards and requests. Check out our ClickUp vs monday.com guide to learn how the two products compare.

It also offers project templates for recurring tasks or business processes, and assigns context tags that are fully customizable. These can keep the whole team updated on important customer information from one place, and show the project status of what everyone is working on. Plus, with ClickUp forms , you can gather the data you need to optimize processes.

Whiteboards

ClickUp’s whiteboards are a space where teams can brainstorm together, share files and feedback and visually track progress. Each board has a tab for every project and conversation, making it easy to organize all of your information in one place, instead of searching through emails or sharing multiple documents.

Whiteboards are also great for keeping everyone on the same page and tracking progress by highlighting important points, adding comments and creating checklists. ClickUp makes it easy to collaborate by allowing you to share whiteboards with other people, so they can add their ideas or edit yours.

ClickUp’s free plan comes chock-full of features. However, it does have its caps: 100MB per file upload, plus limits on integrations, dashboards, Gantt charts and custom fields. If you’re planning on collaborating with external vendors or require extensive reporting features (including Agile), an upgrade could be worth it . Read our review on ClickUp and ClickUp pricing guides for more details.

• Basic functionality with some limitations
• All prices per user

More details about Asana:

• Pricing: Free, $10.99 per month (one-year plan)
• Provider website: asana.com
• Feature packed
• Free plan is very good
• Lack of customer service
• No cost-effective paid plans

Asana is a collaborative project management software for designers and teams that want to organize and plan projects together, but don’t need advanced features like file storage or expense tracking. It’s one of the best ClickUp alternatives , thanks to its generous free plan and detail-oriented kanban boards.

Its visual structure makes it easy to set up workflows, assign tasks and communicate with other members so that everyone stays on the same page. Asana also offers a mobile app and desktop app to keep everything in sync, wherever your work takes you.

Workflow Builder

A workflow is a series of tasks that are linked together, and can include activities that rely on Asana tasks and reminders, as well as activities that don’t involve Asana at all. This could include email notifications or communication via instant messenger. 

Workflows are always connected to a specific project and may start when tasks in that project become overdue or are completed by the person responsible for completing them. 

Asana’s workflow builder feature makes it easy to create and manage complex workflows, which can be accessed by team members and stakeholders alike. This helps project managers stay on top of projects through visibility into all aspects of the work, from task assignment and monitoring to keeping teams on track with due dates and reminders.

Asana also makes it easy for teams to collaborate on multiple projects and tasks, with tools that allow users to assign tasks, leave comments, add attachments and more.

Asana’s allows access to all of its features in its free plan for up to 15 users . However, if you have more than 15 users, need file storage and expense tracking or want to automate larger workflows by integrating external tools, you should try out one of their paid versions (learn more in the Asana pricing guide). Check our detailed review on Asana to get more details.

• Up to 10 users
• Price is per user. unlimited users, expanded features
• Price is per user. unlimited users, even more features
• Custom pricing, advanced security features

4. Smartsheet

More details about Smartsheet:

• Pricing : $7 per month (one-year plan)
• Provider website: smartsheet.com
• Easy to use for Excel users
• Robust knowledgebase
• Good security
• Niche to spreadsheets
• A little expensive

Smartsheet is a cloud-based project management software that offers a combination of project management and spreadsheet capabilities . It’s a solid solution for small teams that want to get their projects organized and collaborate on them, but it’s also useful for larger companies that need to manage more complex portfolios.

The biggest strength of Smartsheet is its Excel-type functionality that, combined with a simple interface, makes it easy for people to get started with the software. It doesn’t require training or much time to learn how to use it. You can design your own workflows, access reports and manage dashboards to stay on top of your projects and manage resource allocation.

Automations

You can also automate your workflows and leverage integrations ranging from those for communication, data visualization, content creation and more. Read our monday.com vs Smartsheet comparison guide to learn how Smartsheet compares to our first pick.

Smartsheet makes management easier by enabling the following automations: informing the person who was given the work of any significant modifications or deadlines, allocating resources to jobs or projects, requesting permission or checking the content’s status, moving rows through various sheets and keeping track of milestone dates.

The bad news is that Smartsheet doesn’t offer a free version. However, you can give their free demo a try for a 30-day period on any of their plans. Read more in our Smartsheet review .

• 1 user, up to 2 editors, Limited features, 500MB file storage,
• Prices per user, Max 10 users Basic features, 20GB file storage
• Prices per user, Three user minimum, Unlimited free users, Expanded features, 300GB file storage
• Advanced features

5. ProofHub

More details about ProofHub:

• Pricing : $45 per month (one-year plan)
• Provider website : proofhub.com  
• Affordable for large teams
• Solid file-sharing integrations
• Easy to use
• Limited import & export
• Minor interface issues

ProofHub is a cloud-based collaborative project management software that provides a shared virtual environment for planning, scheduling, assigning tasks and sharing the project files with your team members. 

You can manage your team members and segregate them to groups on a dedicated “people” page. Through this, you’ll be able to cancel memberships and even be able to change user passwords directly. 

To make sure you pick them intelligently, read our article on how to create a strong password . In contrast, other apps like Trello allow users to register their own accounts before joining teams that invite them.

ProofHub provides a comprehensive platform for networking, sharing documents, communication and collaboration among team members working on different projects. It even offers live individual and group chat options that lets you talk with a team member directly from within the dashboard.

Custom Process Workflow

Some of the most impressive features of ProofHub are its task management capabilities, and custom process workflows. You can add tasks and create subtasks in projects by drag-and-dropping them from the task panel. You also have the option to convert subtasks into main tasks. 

ProofHub’s custom process workflow builder can be adapted as per the unique needs of different teams and departments. This includes defining how tasks are delegated, project information is accessed and more without affecting existing workflows. 

ProofHub’s payment plans are very easy to understand. The platform doesn’t charge per member or user, instead opting for a company-wide flat rate. Unfortunately, ProofHub doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can try it using its 30-day money-back guarantee . Read more about ProofHub in our review .

• 40 projects, Unlimited users, 15GB storage
• Unlimited projects, Unlimited Users, 100GB storage, Advanced features

Can You Use Free Web Project Management Software? 

There are plenty of free web project management software available for small- to medium-sized businesses. It is important to note that these plans are only for project management tools that have teams with limited members, like Asana’s, for example, which is limited to 15 users. 

If you’re a team of fewer than 10, the free plans of popular project management software like ClickUp and Trello may work just fine. 

However, if your team is bigger than that, and requires scaling features, special integrations or automation features , then you should be looking into one of the paid plans. All the paid plans on our list come packed with more advanced features, security, data storage and a higher limit on the number of users.

Companies with big teams that want something beyond the traditional project management solution should definitely look into paid alternatives. Even if there’s no free version of a full project management software, most offer a limited trial period for their paid plans, so you can assess the functionality and decide if it’s worth investing in.

Final Thoughts: Web-Based Project Management Tools

When it comes to web project management tools, every business has different needs. What makes the best web project management software for a large enterprise is different from what makes one for a small business . Furthermore, even within a specific industry, some companies may need features that others don’t.

If you’re looking for a project management software that offers a wide range of features for various use cases, monday.com and ProofHub are a great starting point. For smaller teams that are strapped for cash, free project management software like Asana and ClickUp may be more appealing. Spreadsheet-heavy teams may find themselves enjoying the transition to Smartsheet more.

However, if you still need to install project management app on your device, fret not. Some of the tools we discussed above made it onto our list of best project management software for Windows and project management software for Mac .

All in all, it comes down to your unique project management needs. What do you look for most in your project management solutions? Do you have any other tools you prefer for managing tasks that we haven’t covered in this article? Let us know in the comments, and as always, thank you for reading! 

Web-based – or cloud-based – project management software allows you to create, track and report on projects from any computer or browser-enabled device. Web-based project management systems consolidate all aspects of project management into one platform so that you can more easily manage and report on the work your team performs.

We recommend monday.com as the top project management app due to its many use cases and comprehensive set of features. You can also give Asana or ClickUp a try if you’re looking for alternatives with limited free plans.

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The best free project management software in 2024

These are the 8 best options for free task management software..

Everyone has a different way of managing projects. Some people like to use their inbox to keep track of tasks. Others prefer to visualize work on a Kanban board or in a calendar view, while some even prefer the old pen and paper system.

That's fine on an individual level, but when you collaborate on projects as a team, you need a flexible and capable project management tool that works for everyone. And with so many teams still working remotely, there's an even more pressing need for a task management app that can help track projects, collaborate, and keep everyone in the loop.

As a freelance writer, I've worked inside tons of different project management setups across my clients—I've seen how each app approaches the standard features, the potential of great, streamlined collaboration, and the consequences of poor project management.

The 8 best free project management tools

Trello for visually managing projects

Asana for teams

ClickUp for customized task views

Wrike for spreadsheet-like features

ActiveCollab for freelancers and small agency teams

Airtable for building a customized project management app

Jira for developers

Height for AI features

What makes the best free project management tool?

How we evaluate and test apps.

Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog .

To narrow down the list of the best free project management online tools, I looked for apps that met the following criteria:

Free for unlimited projects. All the project tracking software I chose lets you manage an unlimited number of projects for free.

Hosted. There are a lot of great, free, self-hosted project management applications, but they take longer to set up and manage. I was looking at task management software that's hosted by the companies that provide the tools. If you're interested in free, self-hosted project management software, I'd recommend checking out Taiga , Lavagna , and Redmine .

Collaboration and sharing features. The free project management apps included here make it quick and easy to add team members to your project management setup and control user types and permissions.

Flexibility. The best project managers are flexible enough to handle multiple teams, project types, and organization styles, so I looked for apps that support a number of different views and project management methodologies .

Integrations. A great project tracker should fit seamlessly into the rest of your stack, so I've only included apps that integrate with other popular software like email and Slack, calendars, document storage, and more.

After filtering for those criteria, I ran each remaining contender through a similar testing protocol that included:

Going through the signup process and any onboarding provided

Creating a new project and choosing a primary methodology (Kanban, Scrum, Gantt, etc.) or view (list, table, calendar, etc.) for it

Creating a number of new tasks and adding various details, like due dates, links and attachments, user assignments, and more

Toggling between view options and testing out any additional methodologies offered

Inviting new users and setting permissions

Toggling between team-wide and individual views

Testing out any unique features like time tracking, client views, or AI

After running each app through that workflow, I landed on the top eight free online project manager tools you see below.

Note: I selected tools that offer web apps (though many offer synchronized web, mobile, and desktop apps). If it's not important to you that your project planner is accessible online, you may also want to consider ProjectLibre and GanttProject in addition to the apps listed below. Both of these tools are powerful desktop-only apps that are designed to be alternatives to Microsoft Project.

Need more features and have a bit more flexibility in your budget? Check out our recommendations for the best project management software for small business .

The best free project management software at a glance

Best free project management software for visually managing projects, trello (web, macos, windows, ios, android).

Trello pros:

Super customizable boards with unlimited Power-Ups

Most visual UI of any of the apps I tested

Tons of templates to get you started

Trello cons:

Free users are limited to Kanban

User/team management features require an upgrade

Trello is simple project management software that gives you a way to organize your projects with Kanban boards. And with a generous free plan that allows for 10 boards per workspace and unlimited users, it's a tool that anyone can use. Freelancers can use Trello to plan their assignments on a personal board, and teams can use Trello to build a complete project workflow with visibility at every stage.

Start by creating a new board from scratch or choosing a template from dozens of options across marketing, sales, design, team management, and more. Add a handful of lists for your tasks (each list is a column), and customize those lists with the steps in your workflow (e.g., to-do, doing, and done) or as separate parts of your project (e.g., development, design, and distribution). Next, add your tasks as visual cards in each column—with labels, due dates, members, checklists, images, attachments, and comments to keep everything in one place.

As you start completing tasks, simply drag the cards to the appropriate list. You can keep track of all comments and tasks that mention you—or that you're watching—from the activity menu.

For more features, Trello's Power-Up options (now unlimited even on the free plan) let you view tasks on a calendar, add voting options on tasks, fade away old tasks automatically, and much more. And you can make Trello boards for everything —personal and work tasks alike—to get your work done in a way that best fits your needs.

For even more flexibility, use Trello's Zapier integrations to connect Trello with your favorite apps, like Gmail and Slack. Or check out these 6 ways to automate Trello .

Create Trello cards from new Typeform responses

Create new Trello cards from new Google Calendar events

Trello price: The free plan includes unlimited cards and members, 10 boards per workspace, unlimited Power-Ups, and 250 automated commands each month; upgrade for $5/user/month (billed annually) to the Standard plan that includes unlimited boards, custom fields, advanced checklists, up to 1,000 automated commands per month, and more.

Want to use Trello as a team? Learn how Trello uses Trello for its own project management needs. Want to use it as a personal to-do list? Here's how to use Trello for GTD .

Best free project management software for teams

Asana (web, ios, android).

Asana pros:

Flexible with project management methodologies between projects and users

Great, focused My Tasks view

To-do list style made better with team features

Asana cons:

Expensive upgrade

Your to-do list isn't bad—you just need a few more features to manage your team projects. Asana offers just that. It's a project management tool that lets you break projects down into sections and sub-lists, along with dashboards to see how much of the project has been completed already. You'll add, rearrange, and complete tasks the same way you would in a to-do list app, but with the collaboration and organization features you need to work as a team.

For your personal tasks—or the things at work that don't fit into a precise project—you can make extra lists in Asana that are only shared with specific people. Your own assigned tasks will also show up in your My Tasks view for a quick way to see the things you need to take care of.

Whether you're working solo or with a team, you can automate Asana with Asana's Zapier integrations , letting you connect project information to other apps. Try one of the workflows below, or get inspiration from these automations from real users .

Create Google Calendar events from new Asana tasks

Create Asana tasks from new Google Forms responses

Asana price: The free Basic plan includes unlimited projects, tasks, and storage; up to 15 users; and list, board, and calendar views. Upgrade for $10.99/user/month (billed annually) to the Premium plan that adds Gantt and timeline views, extensive reports, and Asana's "coming soon" AI feature.

Learn more about how to use Asana for GTD and how to take advantage of Asana's hidden features . Or see how ClickUp and Asana stack up in our comparison of ClickUp vs. Asana .

Best free project management software for customized task views

Clickup (web, ios, android).

ClickUp pros:

11 different task views and 4 page views to choose from

Super generous free plan

ClickUp cons:

More involved set-up process

Potential for some lag during testing

Most project management apps let you choose from only a handful of task views, like a list, calendar, or Kanban view. Additional views, especially Gantt charts, are usually a premium feature. ClickUp is different.

It's a simple and free project management app that lets you choose from 11 different task views, including Gantt charts and mind maps. There are also four different page views: Chat (which displays conversations alongside your tasks), Doc (which lets you create docs, wikis, and knowledge bases), and Embed (to add apps and websites next to your tasks).

ClickUp's dashboards are just as customizable, letting you choose from more than 20 different widgets, so you can only highlight the most important project information. Plus, with a newly revamped task details screen, you can view details, create subtasks, and add attachments more easily than you could before—you can even track time right inside the task.

There's a lot to parse when you're first getting started with ClickUp. The onboarding process won't be as simple as Trello, for example, but the extra customization is worth it—especially when it's completely free. Plus, the company has done a great job with guided in-app onboarding to get you started.

With ClickUp's Zapier integrations , you can connect ClickUp with your favorite apps. Try one of the automations below, or read about why ClickUp users love Zapier .

Create Google Calendar events from new ClickUp tasks

Add starred Gmail emails as tasks in ClickUp [Business Gmail Accounts Only]

ClickUp price: The free plan includes unlimited tasks and users, up to 100MB of storage, and up to 60 uses of Gantt charts, mind maps, dashboards, and timeline views. Upgrade to the Unlimited plan for $7/user/month for unlimited list, board, calendar, and Gantt views, unlimited dashboards, and guests and permissions.

Tip: If you're a HubSpot user, you can create new tickets from ClickUp, and then use contact or customer information to launch personalized marketing campaigns.

Best free project management software for spreadsheet-like features

Wrike (web, windows, mac, ios, android).

Wrike pros:

Spreadsheet-esque UI

Best-in-class project tracking features

Wrike cons:

More limited free plan than most

Less customizable

If it were up to you, would you manage your projects in a spreadsheet? If so, you might like Wrike. Wrike offers the same flexibility of a spreadsheet—with columns for every bit of info you want to track about tasks. (If you like spreadsheets but need even more customization, head down to our review of Airtable .)

Wrike lets your team update the status of tasks at various intervals—in-progress, on hold, canceled, or completed. Additionally, you can set the status of projects to green, yellow, red, on hold, or canceled, making it easy to create your weekly project status reports.

While you can do a lot with Wrike's free plan, its best features—including time tracking, Gantt charts, and custom dashboards—do require a premium plan. If you're running a small operation now but planning to scale in the future, Wrike grows alongside you, giving you all of the tools you need to run both a single small project and many concurrent large ones.

If you're interested in the free plan, Wrike's Zapier integrations can help you do more with the project management app, like automatically creating tasks in Wrike from other tools.

Share tasks in Wrike via Slack messages

Create Wrike tasks from Trello cards

Wrike price: The free plan includes unlimited projects for unlimited users; upgrade for $9.80/user/month (billed annually) to the Team plan that includes Gantt charts, shareable dashboards, and more.

Best free project management software for freelancers and small agency teams

Activecollab (web, windows, macos, ios, android).

ActiveCollab pros:

Built-in features for time tracking, billing, and expenses

Capable user permissions

ActiveCollab cons:

Less flexible for use cases beyond client management

Free plan and Plus plans limited to 3 users

If you're looking to manage client projects and other details like invoicing and time tracking in one place, ActiveCollab is a great option.

Built for agencies and freelancers, the app includes thoughtful details to streamline client management. You can estimate and track time for each task, set the task as billable (or not), and manage expenses right from the task details screen.

Even the free plan includes capable user permissions that make it easy to let clients into your process without exposing anything you don't want to. Simply check the Hidden from clients box to hide any task from client users, or add the Client+ add-on to enable a more collaborative user role for more hands-on clients. Select Workload from the left-hand menu to manage assignments and team bandwidth, and click on Reports to get a pulse on client invoices and payments, projects and tasks across the team, and track time and expenses.

With ActiveCollab, you can quickly create and send professional-looking estimates and invoices and integrate with your payment processing or accounting software to streamline billing. You can also connect ActiveCollab with Zapier to automate task creation, notifications and updates, and more.

Create tasks in Active Collab from new labeled Gmail emails [Business Gmail Accounts Only]

Post new comments from Active Collab to Slack

ActiveCollab price: The free plan includes unlimited projects and tasks for up to 3 members, with task dependencies, and list and Kanban views. Upgrade to the Plus plan for $9.50/month (for 3 members) to add Gantt and calendar views, project templates and recurring tasks, and more.

While ActiveCollab has a more generous free plan, Paymo is another great option built for managing a client-centric workflow. I didn't include it here because the free plan is limited to one user and three clients. But if you have a smaller operation, Paymo is a user-friendly alternative with strong client and billing management features, including unlimited time tracking and invoices.

Best free project management software for building a customized app

Airtable (web, ios, android).

Airtable pros:

The most customizable app on this list

Lots of templates to help with initial setup

Airtable cons:

More involved setup process

Less familiar interface than most

Most expensive upgrade on this list

If you've tried other project management software and haven't found the one , Airtable will let you build it. The app is ready out-of-the-box with a default view similar to a spreadsheet, and it suggests a handful of templated projects based on your team within the company. You can start from one of the suggested templates, browse the rest, or build your own project (called a "base") from scratch.

But the real power of Airtable happens when you customize it . It will take some upfront effort to tailor Airtable to be exactly what you need—but if you're willing to spend the time, the sky's the limit. You can customize everything from the methodology and view type to column headers, field types, data validation, and more.

Head over to the Marketplace to choose from over 80 apps that help you integrate, analyze, and enrich your projects, or build your own custom apps. Airtable also integrates with Zapier , so you can do things like automatically track important information in Airtable, get notifications for activity in your Airtable base, and more .

Create detailed events in Google Calendar from new Airtable records in views

Add new Typeform entries to Airtable as records

Airtable price: The free plan includes unlimited bases, up to 5 users, 1,000 records per base, and 6 view options, including grid, calendar, and Kanban; upgrade for $20/user/month to the Team plan for 50,000 records per base, 20GB of attachments, Gantt and timeline view, and more.

Best free project management software for Agile software development teams

Jira (web, ios, android).

Purpose-built for developers and engineers

Prominent issue tracker

Over 1,000 integrations

Limited free plan

Not flexible for use across diverse teams

While the app also offers a Kanban view, Jira is built for Scrum and Agile workflows. When you first sign up, the onboarding flow asks a few questions about your team's projects, level of experience with different methodologies, and deadlines—then it recommends a methodology and project template for you.

For Scrum projects, you'll add epics to the Roadmap page. Then you can add issues to your backlog individually, filling in details and assigning them to sprints. Project tracking happens on a Scrum board, the homepage for each project—you can customize column headers and edit task details and status.

Jira's catering to developers and engineering teams doesn't stop there: the app also integrates with other development tools like GitHub, GitLab, Sentry, and Jenkins to make quick work of updating and tracking your backlog. And while you can't control user access on the free plan, it does include up to 10 users, so it's ideal for self-contained or smaller dev teams.

You can get more out of the free plan by using Jira's Zapier integrations to automatically create new issues in Jira based on Slack messages or GitHub issues. Try these Zaps and check out more ways to automate Jira .

Create Jira Software Cloud issues from new messages posted to a Slack channel

Generate Jira Software issues from new GitHub issues

Jira price: The free plan includes unlimited projects on one site, up to 10 users, and both Scrum and Kanban boards; upgrade to the Standard plan for $7.75/user/month for more granular user permissions, 250 GB of file storage, and more.

See how Trello and Jira stack up in our app comparison, or take a look at Asana vs. Jira .

Best free AI project management software

Height (web, mac).

Height pros:

Generous free plan

Genuinely useful AI features

Height cons:

Less flexible Kanban view

Height is a great option if you're looking for genuinely useful AI features. While some of the apps I tested offer AI-powered features, most either require a paid plan or just aren't that intelligent. Height is different.

The app doesn't overpromise on AI, but it definitely delivers. The feature (called Copilot) is still in beta and likely to be revamped in a major way when the company launches Height 2.0 (which I haven't tested). Even still, today's version can already generate a catch-up summary of a task's chat history, create subtasks from chat messages, auto-detect duplicate tasks, suggest task improvements, and more. (You can see auto-generated subtasks in the screenshot I took above.)

By this time next year, many of the other project management apps on this list may well offer these same features, but for now, they're a big stand-out for Height.

And with four clean view options (spreadsheet, calendar, Kanban, and Gantt) all available for free—plus unlimited users, 100 automation runs per month, and full access to Copilot—Height also offers a competitively generous free plan.

You can do even more with Height by connecting it to Zapier to automate task creation, notifications, and more. Here are some examples.

Create new Height tasks from Slack mentions

Create detailed Google Calendar events for new Height tasks assigned to users

Create height tasks for new or updated airtable records.

Height price: The free plan includes unlimited tasks and users, spreadsheet, Kanban, Gantt, and Calendar views, 100 automation runs, and AI task management features. Upgrade to the Team plan for $6.99/user/month to get unlimited lists and custom attributes, full search history, 100 MB file uploads, and more.

What's the best free project planning software?

Honestly, online project management tools are a dime a dozen. And a lot of them will advertise "free" plans that aren't really free—meaning you can't actually manage all your projects without upgrading. The best free task management software will let you do what you need to do without spending a dime. And, as your needs change, they'll support you with more robust features at higher tiers.

The good news: free project planning software is...free. So you can test your options, see what you like (and what you don't), and then decide. Here are more tips on how to choose online project management software .

Related reading:

RACI: A map for team structure (with template)

ClickUp vs. monday: Which should you use?

21 project management templates to organize any workflow

Asana vs. Basecamp: Which should you use?

Airtable vs. Trello: Which should you use?

Airtable vs. Asana: Which is right for you?

Originally published in May 2017 by Matthew Guay, this post has had contributions from Jessica Greene, Maria Myre, and Emily Esposito. The most recent update was in October 2023.

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Kiera’s a content writer who helps SaaS and eCommerce companies connect with customers and reach new audiences. Located in Boston, MA, she loves cinnamon coffee and a good baseball game. Catch up with her on Twitter @Kieraabbamonte.

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With Asana, you can drive clarity and impact at scale by connecting work and workflows to company-wide goals.

85% of Fortune 100 companies choose Asana¹

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Meet campaign goals

Streamline campaign management 

Enhance creative production

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Track work and see progress in real time

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What sets Asana apart

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Connect strategic goals to the teams that help achieve them. See progress in real time, update stakeholders, and keep the company on track.

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AI has joined the team to help every organization work smarter. Drive greater clarity, impact, and scale with Asana Intelligence, powered by the Work Graph®.

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Ensure your company's data is completely secure and that you're in compliance with the latest standards.

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The only platform that can support your company at any scale

1. Accurate as of December 2023, includes free and paid users.

3. See The Forrester Wave™: Collaborative Work Management Tools, Q4 2022 report . The Forrester Wave: Collaborative Work Management Tools, Q4 2022. The Forrester Wave is copyrighted by Forrester Research, Inc. Forrester and Forrester Wave are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. The Forrester Wave is a graphical representation of Forrester’s call on a market and is plotted using a detailed spreadsheet with exposed scores, weightings, and comments. Forrester does not endorse any vendor, product, or service depicted in the Forrester Wave. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change.

4. IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Collaborative Work Management 2023–2024 Vendor Assessment — Uniting Teams, Data, and AI for Flexible Work, Doc #US49434923, December 2023

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Free Project Management Software (2024 Rankings)

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Using a free project management software or app is a smart move for small businesses, solo entrepreneurs or tiny but mighty teams juggling multiple projects. With so many software companies offering free versions of software, teams can take advantage of essential project management tools without committing to a paid plan. 

While free versions of project management software often have limited features or a limited number of users, they give teams an easy way to test out new tools for streamlining project management, team communication and overall organization.

Top Free Project Management Software

These top project management solutions were chosen for the features, ease of use, customer satisfaction and support options available through their free plans. 

• Best Overall: ClickUp
• Best Customer Support : Smartsheet
• Most All-Inclusive: monday.com
• Best for Team Collaboration : Asana
• Best for Integrations: Jira
• Most Intuitive: Notion
• Best for Workload Management: Teamwork.com
• Best for Spreadsheet Based Projects: Airtable 
• Best for Strategic Planning: Wrike
• Best for Simplicity: Trello  

ClickUp: Best Overall 

ClickUp offers a free project management software that’s full of essential features for small businesses, with an emphasis on team collaboration. The free plan includes unlimited tasks for up to five “spaces,” which is ClickUp’s term for projects. Teams can visualize tasks within a space through multiple board views, including Kanban boards, calendars and lists. 

ClickUp’s team collaboration features include collaborative docs, digital whiteboards and in-app chat. This makes it an excellent option for remote teams planning projects and collaborating virtually in real-time, especially with the ClickUp mobile app for Android and iOS. 

One feature that sets ClickUp’s free plan apart is that it offers project board automations, though they’re limited to 50 active rules and 100 automation executions total. Despite these limitations, many free project management tools won’t include automation at all, so ClickUp’s free plan is great for teams that want to experiment with automating tasks for project management. 

ClickUp limits other features to a certain number of “uses” within the free plan, like a limit of 100 dashboard uses for reporting or up to 60 uses for time tracking. The free plan is also not compatible with ClickUp’s AI-powered features. However, many of the customization features are unlimited, such as checklists, dependencies, tags and more. 

ClickUp Pros and Cons

ClickUp’s free software is full of useful features like automations, but it does have some limitations. 

Pros  

• Team collaboration tools like whiteboards and chat
• Multiple project board views 
• Some automations included in free plan 
• Automations are limited 
• Reporting dashboards are limited 
• No AI functionality 

Smartsheet: Best Customer Support 

Smartsheet’s free plan offers limited versions of its major spreadsheet-style project management features. It’s limited to one user and two editors, meaning one person can set up sheets in Smartsheet and invite up to two people to collaborate without needing to upgrade to a paid plan. Smartsheet could be a natural upgrade for teams relying on Excel spreadsheets for project management. 

The free plan does include all of the Smartsheet task views, including the grid view, Gantt chart, calendar and card view. It also allows for unlimited reports and dashboards, which makes it a great option for teams looking for robust reporting features within a free software. Automations are limited to 100 instances a month, and the free plan does not include Smartsheet’s AI features. 

The free plan also allows for most of Smartsheet’s available integrations, including Microsoft Office, Google Workspace and Slack. However, teams won’t be able to integrate with Tableau, Power BI or Adobe Creative Cloud without upgrading to one of Smartsheet’s paid plans. 

Customer support is available through Smartsheet’s online web support, which is essentially its robust help center offering. Teams can also take advantage of the Smartsheet Community forums for help.

Smartsheet Pros and Cons

Smartsheet’s free plan has a ton to offer for reporting and board views, but it’s limited to a small number of users. 

• Ideal for spreadsheet view customizations 
• All board views are included in the free plan 
• Unlimited reports and dashboards
• Free plan is limited to one main user and two collaborators
• Not all integrations are included 
• AI tools are not included 

Monday.com: Most All-Inclusive

Monday workforce management includes a great project management solution for small teams. The free plan is limited to two users and includes up to three Kanban-style project boards, with teams being able to add up to 1,000 items or tasks to a board. Additional board views are not included in the free plan, so teams interested in a timeline, Gantt chart, calendar, map or chart view would need to upgrade to a paid plan. 

The free plan does include unlimited docs and collaborative whiteboards within the monday.com platform, as well as a variety of templates to help teams jump start project boards. However, the free plan does not offer any of monday work management’s reporting capabilities, integrations or automations. 

It’s also worth noting that teams using the free plan will only have access to customer support through the online knowledge base, as 24/7 customer support is only included in paid plans. Monday work management does offer a free trial of its Pro plan, so teams can test out some of the advanced features that are not included in the free plan. This can help give businesses a sense of whether the software will offer enough as a project management solution. 

Monday.com Pros and Cons

Monday.com’s free plan is limited compared to many of its paid plan options, but it’s still a solid free project management software for small businesses. 

• Simple Kanban board functionality 
• Unlimited docs 
• Collaborative whiteboards 
• Limited to two users
• No reporting, integrations or automation features 
• 24/7 customer support is included only in paid plans 

Asana: Best for Team Collaboration

Asana offers an extensive free version of its project management software for up to 10 users, which is more than many alternatives. It includes all of the essential features, like unlimited projects and tasks and the main project board views, like the Kanban, list and calendar view. Teams looking for a timeline or Gantt chart view must upgrade to a paid plan. 

Asana is ideal for businesses with multiple teams that collaborate cross-functionally, earning it the title of Best for Team Collaboration. Users can create boards for different teams or functions, move task cards between those different boards, and create dependencies between different teams. The free plan is a great option for small teams because its main project management features are still available, even if sometimes limited. 

The free plan does not include Asana’s automation features like custom rules, but integrations are allowed. Limited reporting capabilities are included, mostly allowing teams to export CSV and PDF files. None of Asana’s AI features are available with the free plan. Full 24/7 customer support is not available for the free version of Asana, but there is a robust help center for all users with video tutorials and live weekly training sessions.

Asana Pros and Cons

Asana is an excellent choice for free project management software, but consider your team’s specific needs when comparing it to other software. 

• Up to 10 users
• Customizable Kanban board, lists and calendars
• Integrations are allowed with the free plan
• Automations only in paid plans 
• Limited reporting capabilities
• No timeline or Gantt chart view in free plan 

Jira: Best for Integrations

Jira is an Atlassian project management software with a specific emphasis on software development teams, though it can be useful for any business. The free version of Jira is available for up to 10 users and gives teams access to unlimited project boards, a backlog, customizable workflows and integrations. Jira integrates with Atlassian’s marketplace of over 3,000 software apps, earning it the title of Best for Integrations. 

One benefit of Jira’s free plan is that it doesn’t exclude automations and allows for up to 100 rule runs a month. This allows teams to still automate tasks within project boards without needing to upgrade to a paid plan. Users can still take advantage of some reporting features as well, with Jira offering 12 default report options within the free plan. 

While Jira’s free project management software is full of useful features for small businesses, it does have its limitations. Teams won’t have access to AI features, and storage is limited to 2 GB. Additionally, customer support options are limited to Atlassian’s community support offerings. Teams must upgrade to a paid plan for more customer support options. 

Jira Pros and Cons

Consider the top features you’re looking for when evaluating Jira’s free project management software. 

• Up to 10 users 
• Automations are included (though limited)
• Tons of integration options
• No AI features 
• Limited file storage
• Limited customer support options

Notion: Most Intuitive

Notion is set up like a word processor with added project management features. Given that most people have used Google Docs and/or Microsoft Word before, Notion is intuitive and familiar enough to start using right away. Once you get more comfortable with Notion, you can start using its “blocks,” which are the different content and project elements that you can add to Notion pages. 

There’s no limit to the number of users for the free plan, but teams with more than one user will not have unlimited blocks within pages. Teams can also add up to 10 guest collaborators, which is great for teams communicating with contractors or clients. 

All project views are included, like the timeline, calendar and board view. Most project management functionality is accessible in the paid plan, like task dependencies or subtasks. There are some basic automations allowed, but the free plan is limited in terms of automating workflows within a project board. Custom automations are not included. However, teams can easily integrate with Zapier, Slack and other software with the Notion free plan. 

Customer support options are limited with the Notion free plan, as paid plan customers are prioritized. Teams can export workspaces as HTML or CSV files, but won’t be able to export to PDF. Overall, Notion’s reporting options are limited, but teams will have access to basic page analytics with the free plan.

Notion Pros and Cons

Notion offers endless customization options, but the free plan does have some limitations. 

• Super customizable boards and workflows
• Unlimited blocks for individuals 
• Integrations are available
• Limited number of blocks for teams
• No custom automations 
• Customer support is limited

Teamwork.com: Best for Workforce Management  

Teamwork.com is a team collaboration platform that includes many helpful project management templates and offers a free plan for up to five users and five projects. Teams can use simple task lists and budget templates, with time tracking and timesheets included in the free plan. This makes the free plan a great option for teams that work with clients, considering Teamwork.com’s combination of project management functionality with tasks like invoicing. 

Teamwork.com’s free plan includes all of their project board views, which are the list, table, Kanban and Gantt chart views. Teams can create task dependencies, milestones and task-level tags within project boards. Custom fields are available but not unlimited. The same goes for automated rules, with teams being able to run up to 100 automations a month. 

Reporting features are limited to dashboards with no way to create custom reports on the free plan. Many integrations are included with the free plan, such as Slack, Zapier and Microsoft Teams. However, the Teamwork.com free plan does not include integration with Google Drive, Microsoft Office or QuickBooks.

Teamwork.com Pros and Cons

Teamwork.com is great for all things workforce management, but look out for these pros and cons. 

• Free plan includes all project board views 
• Time tracking for tasks and projects
• Automations and integrations available
• Limited to five users and five projects
• Reporting features are limited 
• Not all integrations are available for the free version 

Airtable: Best for Spreadsheet-Based Projects 

Airtable’s advanced spreadsheet software is an excellent project management solution and earns it the title of Best for Spreadsheet-Based Projects. The Airtable free plan is available for up to five users, with unlimited databases and access to the main project views. These include the grid, calendar, form, Kanban, gallery and list views. Teams will need to upgrade for timeline and Gantt chart functionality. 

Teams can create projects, group tasks together, assign tasks to team members and then see insights about project progress. Airtable makes sense for Agile teams or cross-functional teams looking to stay on the same page from sprint to sprint.

While a team can create unlimited databases, each database will be limited to 1,000 “records.” Each record is essentially the same as one line of a spreadsheet. Teams can also run up to 100 automations per month. 

Beyond this, the Airtable free plan is limited in terms of customization options, AI features and integration capabilities. Full integrations with other work apps like Google Drive or Slack will require teams to upgrade to a paid plan. 

Airtable Pros and Cons

Airtable’s spreadsheet software is a great free project management solution, but consider its limitations to see if it’s right for your team. 

• Variety of task views for project management
• Unlimited databases, or spreadsheets
• Great for Agile teams working in sprints
• Free plan is limited to five users
• No integrations 
• No timeline or Gantt chart view 

Wrike: Best for Strategic Planning

Wrike offers many workflow management features that make it an excellent choice for a free project management solution. The free plan allows for unlimited users and a simple folder hierarchy interface for managing tasks and subtasks. The table view and Kanban board view are included for free, but teams will need to upgrade to access calendar views or Gantt charts. 

The free plan does not include customization features like custom fields or workflows. However, teams can still make the most of email integration and notifications with the Wrike free plan, in addition to all of Wrike’s Work Intelligence AI features. This is worth noting, as many software companies do not include their AI features in free versions of project management software. 

The Wrike free plan also allows for integration with common cloud storage apps like Google Drive, but integration with other apps like Slack, Microsoft Office or Salesforce is not included for free. 

Wrike also has unique capabilities that many of the other project management software solutions on the list do not. For instance, resource management, time tracking, risk prediction and budgeting are all features in the top paid plans that help team leaders with the strategic planning and execution of projects.

Wrike Pros and Cons

Wrike’s free plan is available for unlimited users, but its features are pretty limited compared to paid plan options. 

• Unlimited users 
• Access to AI features 
• Email integration and notifications
• Integration options are limited 
• No team scheduling 
• No calendar or Gantt chart views 

Trello: Best for Simplicity

Trello is an Atlassian project management software similar to Jira but with an emphasis on simple, visual project boards. Trello’s free plan is available for an unlimited number of users and allows for unlimited task cards organized within up to 10 project boards. 

Small teams can take advantage of the Trello free plan’s unlimited storage and unlimited “Power-Ups” for project boards. Power-Ups are widgets and quick integrations that teams can add to projects to help automate or enhance their workflows. 

Trello allows teams to create tasks and organize them within a simple Kanban board view, which is why they’re named Best for Simplicity. However, the Trello free plan does not include additional project views, such as the timeline, table, calendar or map view. If your team is just looking for an easy-to-use Kanban board, Trello is a great fit. However, for visualizing task cards beyond a simple board, the free plan may not be enough.  Trello does offer built-in automations in every project board for all plans, making it easy for teams to streamline workflows within the platform. 

Trello Pros and Cons

Trello is a top choice for free project management software, but it’s key to make sure the free plan includes the features you’ll need. 

• Unlimited users
• Lots of integration options for Power-Ups
• Built-in automations 
• Limited to 10 project boards
• No timeline, table, calendar or map view 

Methodology

Choosing the appropriate project management (PM) software is critical for business owners and project managers, as it directly impacts efficiency and collaboration. To help customers make  the right selection, we at the MarketWatch Guides team researched 15 of the most widely used project management tools, including Airtable, Asana and Trello.

We conducted a survey in 2024 of 200 professionals who were currently using PM software or had used PM software within the past year. We analyzed the results of this survey to determine the following rating criteria:

• Features (58%)
• Reputation and Reviews (15%)
• Customer Support (12%)
• Pricing (8%)
• User Experience (7%)

Visit the full PM methodology page for more details on our rating system.

What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software helps teams organize every task involved in a particular project and usually involves shared project boards or lists where tasks can be assigned to different team members. Project managers and team leaders can visualize all tasks within a project and keep track of due dates, assignees and task dependencies.

How Much Does Project Management Software Cost?

Many task management solutions will offer free software versions, usually limited to a certain number of users or a certain level of functionality. Regardless of whether a software has a free version, most companies offer per-user pricing, with starter plans ranging anywhere from $5 to $20 per user per month. 

Types of Project Management Software

There are three major categories that project management software will typically fall under, mainly depending on how they were designed and their core functionality. 

Traditional Project Management Software

Traditional project management software helps teams document tasks, plan for capacity and keep up with project due dates. They often include board views like Gantt charts or timelines so teams can visualize overlapping tasks and task dependencies to stay on track.

Smartsheet and monday work management are both examples of software with great features for traditional project management, including advanced timeline views and customizations for task dependencies. 

Agile Project Management Software

The Agile approach to project work is designed to break projects into smaller tasks before moving them through the project workflow and constantly evaluating the process. Typically, software designed for Agile work will include task cards organized into views like Kanban boards, with the ability to visualize the multiple due dates and tasks within a particular sprint. 

Software like Jira, Airtable and Wrike are examples of Agile-friendly software that are easy to use in scrum meetings or daily stand-ups to align the team. Jira and Airtable are especially helpful for creating task backlogs. 

Visual Collaboration Software

Visual collaboration software helps teams work within a digital space, like shared docs or whiteboards. For project management, teams can gather ideas and updates, particularly in the case of remote team meetings, and then build out project boards within the same platform. 

Software like ClickUp and Notion are examples of project management tools that prioritize visual collaboration and brainstorming. ClickUp’s whiteboard features make it easy for teams to create roadmaps together, and Notion’s customizable templates and docs make it easy for teams to share ideas and visualize different projects. 

How To Choose the Best Project Management Software

If you’re deciding between different free project management software options, consider the main problems the software will solve for your team. What are you trying to solve by implementing a new software for project management? Use these pain points as your starting point for identifying which features are must-haves for your team. 

Identifying Workflows 

The best project management software for you will depend on your team and industry. Consider how a software supports different work styles, like on-site, remote or Agile workflows. Small businesses will have an easier time implementing a new project management software if it fits in well with the team’s existing workflow. 

Project management software can help you visualize tasks and stay efficient when it comes to project planning, but if it doesn’t make sense for how your team tackles projects, it may end up just further complicating your projects. 

Free software will often include just the essentials compared to paid plans, but some free plans are more robust than others. It’s important to make sure that the free version of a project management software has the core features you need. Look for multiple project board views for tasks, like Kanban boards, checklists or timelines. Consider how customizable task cards are as well. Can you add subtasks, assignees and dependencies? It’s also a good idea to see if you can create rules for automations in a project board to help with this. 

Another thing to keep in mind is how your team can communicate through the platform. Some software will allow team members to leave comments on task cards, while others allow for in-app group chats and messaging. Finally, consider the reporting capabilities you’ll need, and check for easy integrations with work apps you’re already using, like Slack, Zapier or Microsoft Teams 

Ease of Use

Most project management tools will offer intuitive interfaces, often with drag-and-drop functionality and highly visual project boards to get information at a glance. A major plus of free software is that you can test it out before fully implementing it. If you’re unsure how easy it may be for your team to adopt a new project management tool, consider a “test run” and gather feedback. 

Reporting and Analytics

For free plans, it’s likely that reporting and analytics features may be limited or excluded from project management software. This may mean integrating with another tool for the reports and analytics functionality your team needs. Check to see if the free software you’re considering allows for integrations if there are no built-in reporting features included. 

Customer Service and Support

Customer support options may be limited if you decide to use a free version of a software. Most options will offer at least a chatbot, and some may have highly robust help centers with guides and video tutorials. Not every software company offers customer support via phone, email or live chat. Make sure to consider a company’s customer support offerings for free plan users while comparing your options.  

AI and Automation

Many project management software companies are exploring AI functionality, though it’s sometimes rare to see AI tools included in free software. AI tools for project management are designed to help automate certain tasks to eliminate routine steps in the project management workflow. Free project management software will often still allow for automated rules and integrations, even if they don’t include AI features. 

The Bottom Line

Free project management software can be a major help for small teams trying to stay organized and efficient as they tackle projects. While free versions of most project management will be limited in some way, there are many options that allow for a lot of the project management essentials. 

For solo entrepreneurs or individual users especially, free project management software can be a great solution. Solo users won’t need to worry about some of the limits placed on the number of users that can use free software. Small businesses that are looking for a simple solution to project management will find that free software covers most of what they need, even if it lacks advanced functionality for reporting, automations or integration capabilities. The best free project management software for your team will depend on your goals, the number of projects you’re juggling and the tradeoffs you’re willing to make to avoid upgrading to a paid software plan. 

Luckily, with so many options for free project management software available, it’s easy for teams to compare standout features and find what works best for them. Using a free-forever software can make managing projects that much easier, especially when it comes to keeping all stakeholders in the loop, from clients to freelancers. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Free Project Management Software

What are the main differences between project management software and task management apps.

Project management software is designed to handle larger projects that are groupings of smaller tasks. Task management apps act more like a to-do list or a simple way to keep track of smaller tasks without the full functionality of a project board.

Do project management tools offer a free trial?

Yes. Many project management tools offer a free trial of their paid plans in addition to their free plan offerings. The length of the free trial and the plans it’s available for will depend on the software.

Which project management tool is the easiest to use?

Most project management tools offer intuitive and user-friendly interfaces. Software like Trello is ideal for teams who want a simple user interface, while options like Notion or ClickUp might make sense for teams who want easy customization options.

Do free project management tools exist?

Yes. Many project management tools have free software available for small teams to use, often limited to a small number of users or including only limited functionality. Still, these free tools can be immensely useful for solo entrepreneurs or small business owners.

If you have questions about this page, please reach out to our editors at [email protected] .

Website project management best practices: 10 fundamentals for success

Learn how to implement project management best practices, streamline organizational workflows, and adopt a proactive approach to delivering projects.

Discover key challenges today's marketing teams are facing, as well as opportunities for businesses in 2024.

Introduce project management tools and techniques from the outset of a web design project and prepare your team for success.

Every website project has its fair share of ups and downs. That’s inevitable, with multiple departments and team members coordinating to deliver on several components while working toward a common goal.

Whether your challenges lie in resource allocation, managing potential risks, or implementing new technology, working without organized structures can lead to chaotic and inefficient processes.

However, project management best practices let you streamline your operations on all fronts so you can complete web projects quickly and successfully. Here’s how to manage projects while empowering teams to achieve more with your current resources.

What’s project management for websites?

Website project management is the ongoing process of planning, organizing, carrying out, and monitoring tasks to achieve web and business objectives within a defined timeframe. This involves guiding initiatives from conception to completion and ensuring teams allocate resources judiciously, stay within budgets, and collaborate effectively toward overarching objectives.

Consider a scenario where a project manager oversees the development of their company’s new online store. They begin by collaborating with stakeholders to define the project’s goals, scope, and requirements. Together with the marketing team, they understand the branding guidelines and the target audience’s needs and expectations. Simultaneously, they coordinate with the IT department to determine the kind of infrastructure and technical support required.

After defining the project scope, the manager delegates tasks to web developers and UI/UX designers , ensuring alignment with timelines and objectives. Developers work on back-end coding, while designers create wireframes and prototypes for how the site should look and feel.

Throughout this process, the manager monitors each department’s progress, addresses any issues, and adjusts deadlines and resources to keep the project on track.

As the website takes shape, the project manager ensures different departments collaborate efficiently by hosting regular meetings and status updates so everyone remains informed and aligned with various milestones. Eventually, effective project management ensures the company launches the website successfully while meeting all requirements and staying within budget.

The benefits of project management for a web design project

Systematically managing projects helps you organize and simplify complex business operations and multiple moving parts into fine-tuned, effective workflows . Here are several benefits that project management strategies provide:

• Defined and aligned goals. Website projects stall without clear objectives. Project management establishes and communicates well-defined goals from the get-go to align the team’s efforts and provide benchmarks for measuring success. A meticulous management approach also lets you break larger projects into smaller pieces to easily track milestones and monitor successful task completion. For example, instead of creating multiple webpages simultaneously, you can divide a website into different pages and work on each section at a time.
• Improved collaboration and communication. Effective project management encourages team members to work together and share ideas openly. It breaks organizational silos by ensuring all members are on the same page and establishes methods for sharing information, updates, and feedback. Creativity shines with two-way communication and heightened collaboration, leading to streamlined workflows and smoother project completion.
• Clear roles and responsibilities. Overlapping or ambiguous roles and responsibilities cause delays and waste resources. Project management ensures each member knows their position and responsibilities, which reduces errors and optimizes team skills. For instance, a manager will delegate specific tasks, like instructing the marketing team to create heatmaps , while the designers use those heatmaps to modify site interfaces.
• Increased efficiency and output. The right project management techniques help you maximize your time and resources. By creating structured timelines, setting milestones, and deploying streamlined workflows , project managers ensure you use resources effectively to deliver web projects on time.

Regardless of your organization’s size, you can use project planning and management techniques to your advantage by implementing best practices and transforming how you approach your next website-building initiative.

10 effective website project management practices

Whether you’re preparing for a single project or taking on multiple simultaneously, there are some fundamental components to factor into your project management approach. Here are 10 best practices to help you organize teams at all levels and deliver projects successfully.

1. Communicate effectively

Clear, timely, and open communication ensures all departments and team members access the latest information and updates. Effective correspondence not only promotes two-way collaboration and transparency but also guides everyone toward the same goals without misunderstandings or misalignment.

Project management software , like ClickUp and Asana, lets you organize and delegate tasks across multiple projects, while cross-functional design tools like Webflow serve as a centralized creative hub where teams can update and communicate milestones across different initiatives simultaneously.

2. Set realistic objectives

Setting lofty goals might drain resources, delay projects, compromise quality, and overwhelm team members. On the other hand, setting realistic goals fosters a sense of achievement and motivates employees to deliver high-quality work.

Before starting a new project, conduct a feasibility study to consider the project’s complexity, available resources, and potential issues — especially if you’re kick-starting multiple projects, as this only increases the risk of scope creep and budgetary hiccups. Align your objectives with these constraints and assign realistic tasks to set your team up for success.

Learn practical insights on effectively scaling processes and enhancing workflows in this free webinar.

3. Establish a project scope

Defining project scope involves creating a comprehensive outline of objectives, deliverables, timelines, budgets, and success criteria. Suppose you’re redesigning a mobile application’s user interface. Your project scope might include goals such as adding interactive features and calls to action (CTAs) in two months to increase downloads by 15% over the next quarter.

Ask department heads and relevant team members for input when drafting a project scope to factor in various opinions and needs for optimal alignment. Consider holding a kickoff meeting to set expectations and ensure everyone understands their specific part in the bigger picture. These measures are critical because a well-forecasted scope allows you to accommodate multiple tasks without compromising the quality and delivery of any project.

4. Assign clear roles and responsibilities

When drafting multiple project plans or conducting kickoff meetings, assign each team member a role that suits their abilities and brings out the best in their skills and work style. You can also pair team members who work well together or create teams whose individuals have complementary skill sets. These well-defined roles promote collaboration and accountability while preventing confusion and miscommunication.

Create an organizational chart outlining specific roles and responsibilities, and make a digital diagram available to everyone on your centralized communication platform to streamline cross-functional workflows. For a web design project, for instance, you’d specify who’s responsible for content, coding, and quality assurance. You can also use webinar platforms to record videos outlining roles and responsibilities and distribute them for team members to view at their convenience.

5. Develop a resource plan

When drafting your resource plan, ensure your team receives critical support throughout a project’s lifecycle. You can also develop an overarching plan for multiple sub-projects. By optimizing workforce efficiency, you can prevent bottlenecks and ensure the right people and assets are available at the right time.

To draft a plan, identify and allocate human, financial, and technological resources for all milestones. You might plan for a website’s peak development period, like an A/B testing and feedback loop, and assign more resources during these times, such as adding extra developers and UI/UX designers to handle increased workloads.

6. Monitor scope creep

Scope creep occurs when a project’s deliverables and requirements change or increase beyond the initial agreement. This leads to delays, increased costs, and unnecessary burdens on team members.

Say the product team wants to add a new feature to the ecommerce store mid-project, like creating two additional webpages or adding a payment portal. While the idea may add value to the product, you must determine whether its required resources and time will fit within your schedule, budget, and team capabilities.

You can avoid scope creep by thoroughly assessing agreements and contracts before the project begins and inserting clauses against additional work. If you surpass the established limits, initiate a formal change request process — document new timelines, budgets, and other resources, and incorporate them into a renewed contract that all parties agree to.

7. Create a risk response team to mitigate threats

Handling multiple projects gives rise to several internal and external risks. For example, cross-functional teams may not collaborate effectively, leading to miscommunications and overutilized resources.

Having a proactive risk management team is an agile project management methodology that helps identify potential threats from the outset and reduce their impact. This team involves executive-level risk owners who monitor scope creep and anticipate the cross-functional impacts of potential risks.

For instance, you may face delays from a third-party vendor delivering new inventory. A risk response team can consider this challenge in advance and determine impact areas, like timely project completion and strained workflows. The team can then proactively develop a contingency plan to implement if needed to help steer your project back on track and minimize damage.

8. Leverage technology and data

Project management software and data visualization tools streamline the project lifecycle by providing actionable insights and analytics tools to gather information on key performance indicators (KPIs). These tools come in handy when managing multiple projects and departments, since you might receive huge data volumes from various sources.

For example, Google Analytics and Google Search Console monitor website traffic, bounce rate, and other valuable metrics. If your marketing team discovers high bounce rates and low scroll depth, they can ask designers and developers to implement changes, like including revised CTAs or redesigning the visual hierarchy , to improve user flow. And you can create charts and graphs to monitor progress on these changes and help team members grasp this complex data at a glance.

9. Follow up and ask for feedback

Schedule regular meetings and feedback sessions to discuss progress and improve workflows. Encourage colleagues to share their thoughts and create an open environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and constructive criticism.

Consider hosting a weekly feedback session for your design, development, and marketing teams where the project manager and each member can provide input based on customer feedback and data insights. And if you have several ongoing projects, ask department heads to conduct routine checks before sharing their insights.

10. Conduct a project conclusion meeting

A concluding meeting lets the team reflect on successes and improvement areas. When conducting a post-project meeting, include everyone involved in the initiative and document each department’s strengths and weaknesses.

For instance, the marketing team may have feedback on a specific landing page design, which the design team can consider during the next project. This way, effective collaboration continues after the project and sets the tone for future initiatives.

Empower your projects with Webflow

Implementing website project management best practices helps managers bring teams together, make data-driven decisions, and approach tasks proactively. With the right tools and techniques — like a powerful site and robust content management system — you can steer your organization to success.

Webflow Enterprise lets your teams unleash their creative potential and maximize available resources. Manage your web projects with precision and reassurance using Webflow.

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Best free project management software of 2024

Manage your projects for free

• Best free project management software in full

Best overall

Best content marketing tool, best for simplicity, best for remote working, best for small business, best for tracking, how we test.

Project management is an essential activity within the workplace. It is the application of known processes and methods to achieve project goals within some defined constraints.

1. Best overall 2. Best content marketing tool 3. Best overall 4. Best for simplicity 5. Best for remote working 6. Best for small business 6. Best for tracking 7. How we test

Every project must have a leader (or multiple leaders) that assigns tasks to each team member, and everyone must contribute to the project’s success. It can be difficult to manage projects manually, but the good thing is that many software platforms make it easier. 

Project management software makes it easy to plan, organize, and manage human resources to achieve project goals, and you’ll find it being used in virtually every serious enterprise. We scoured the web to identify the best free project management software so that you don’t have to. All the platforms we’ll mention are good choices to adopt for project management within your organization.

We've also listed the best free office software .

Reader Offer: Save 18% on Monday.com annual memberships Monday.com is an easy-to-use and customizable work management platform, enabling teams of all sizes to plan, manage and centralize work. Get started now and boost your team's communication and productivity.

Preferred partner ( What does this mean? )  

Best free project management software of 2024 in full:

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Trello is arguably the most popular project management tool worldwide. It was created in 2011 by a company called Fog Creek Software (now Glitch) and sold to Atlassian in 2017 for over $400 million. 

Trello offers a free plan for individuals and teams that want to manage their projects effectively. With the free plan, you can create up to 10 boards per workspace and unlimited project cards. You get unlimited file storage, although the size of a single file is capped at 10 MB. You can access the platform via the web or download the app on your mobile device, and Trello is notably friendly to mobile users.

The free plan supports two-factor authentication for extra security. Enabling this feature means that access won’t be granted to any user’s account except two modes of identification are provided (the first is the username and password and the second is usually a one-time pin sent to the user’s phone number or email address). 

With Trello, a lead project manager can easily assign tasks to their subordinates and track their progress in real-time. The free version alone provides ample features to manage projects effectively, but you’re free to subscribe to a premium plan to get access to advanced features such as organization-wide permissions, public board management, and single sign-on.

Read our full Trello review .    

• ^ Back to the top

2. Monday Work Management

If you're looking for a way to keep your team organized, Monday.com is the way to go. It's a great way to plan, monitor, and manage your work. You'll get access to your own workspace, and then you can use boards to keep track of all the stuff you need, from tasks to projects to workflows. 

You can customize the boards with columns that show all the info you need, like task titles, dates, who owns what, status, and what's most important. Plus, you can use the collaboration features on Monday.com to make it easier for your team to communicate with each other. This helps you better understand what needs to be done, make better choices, and work faster with pre-made automations. Finally, you can keep track of the whole project with a dashboard that can bring all the info from different boards together. 

We love that there are five different plans to pick from, with the lowest one being free forever which has two seats and three boards. The others start with the Basic plan, which has at least three seats and costs $8 a month, but you can get a discount if you pay annually. To get access to automations, you need to move up to the Standard plan, which costs $10 per seat and has a maximum of 250 seats per month. Finally, there's the Enterprise plan, which is totally customizable. 

The company offers a range of support services, including chat, email, and phone calls. Additionally, a free trial is available for the paid plans, as well as smartphone apps for iOS and Android devices.

Read our full Monday Work Management review .

3. Microsoft Planner

Almost everyone knows Microsoft , the company behind the Windows operating system . Apart from Windows, Microsoft offers many other consumer and business software, including some that don’t require extra payment. Microsoft Planner is bundled for free for every organization already subscribed to the Microsoft 365 software suite. It’s a simple, visual tool for organizing teamwork in professional settings.

The main draw to Microsoft Planner is its simplicity. There’s no struggle to set it up; just access it via the web link or download the app on your iOS or Android device, then sign in with your Microsoft account. Note that personal Microsoft accounts aren’t permitted to use Microsoft Planner, but only organization accounts under Microsoft 365.

Microsoft Planner works using the Kanban project management methodology, which was developed by Japanese automaker Toyota to improve manufacturing efficiency. The Kanban system involves dividing a project to-do list into three sections; the backlog, the list of items currently in progress, and the list of completed tasks. As the project proceeds, you can move items from one section to another with ease. This methodology helps companies keep tabs on a project’s progress in a visual, interactive way.

With Microsoft Planner, lead project managers can monitor everything about the progress of their project in one place, and the same applies to the other employees tasked with fulfilling the project. The platform automatically visualizes project tasks into pie and bar charts to make them easy to monitor.

This platform is famous for its ease of use and simplicity, but it doesn’t offer as many advanced features as you can find on other competitors such as Trello. 

Remote work took off rapidly after the Covid pandemic of 2020 and increased the need for companies adopting this model to have suitable project management systems. Fortunately, Nifty, an app launched in 2017, fulfills that need.

Nifty is much more than project management but nonetheless excels in this sector. It makes it easy for project leads to assign tasks to their subordinates and monitor the progress of the project in real-time. You can choose from one of several project management visualization methods including Kanban, List, Swimlane, and Timeline. This gives users the ability to choose the method they prefer instead of being locked to one method as with many other apps.

The "My Work" section of this app is where you keep track of all task assignments, activities, and time logs. You can filter tasks by important factors such as due dates, assignees, and milestones to see exactly how a project has progressed. You can even automate task assignments if you don't have the time or patience to do that manually. Likewise, you can set up recurring tasks based on specific dates or statuses.

The free version of Nifty supports a maximum of 2 active projects, which is quite small. But, if you pay for a premium subscription, you can manage as many projects as you want and get unlimited storage.

5. Zoho Projects

Zoho is an Indian software company famous for providing affordable alternatives to popular software tools. It offers a project management tool called Zoho Projects , with a free plan that offers many features. If you wish to upgrade, the premium plan is relatively affordable, making it an ideal option for small businesses with tight budgets.

With Zoho's free project planner, you can easily map out your project goals and identify the progress as your team works on them. You're free to assign tasks to other members of your team in a few steps; you can do that manually or automate the process. You can create timesheets to log billable and non-billable hours, which is useful for consultancies working on projects for external customers. There's built-in integration with Zoho's invoicing tool, so you can automatically generate invoices from your timesheets.

You can access Zoho Projects either via the web platform or by downloading the app on your iOS or Android device. The platform has an intuitive interface that makes it easy and enjoyable to use, but we observed that the task search function didn’t work well.

Zoho Projects has integrations with many third-party software tools to provide extra functionality. For example, you can link it with your Slack account for instant workplace communication and Dropbox for file storage.

Read our full Zoho Projects review .  

Asana is a popular web or mobile-based “work management” platform. It offers an extensive feature set and makes it easy to manage and collaborate on projects in professional settings. 

The premium version of Asana starts at $11 per user per month, which is costly, but, fortunately, there’s a free plan that anyone can adopt. The free Asana plan lets you assign unlimited tasks and manage an unlimited number of projects. You can also store an unlimited number of files, although each file is capped at 100MB. 

The free plan supports collaboration for up to 15 team members. Anything above that number, and you’ll need to pay for a premium plan. 

You can access Asana via the web interface or by downloading the mobile app on iOS or Android. The platform has integrations with over 100 third-party apps to offer extra functionalities, e.g., Microsoft Teams for audio and video conferencing or Okta for single sign-on. 

Asana has a lot of project management and collaboration features, which is good. However, this means that new users may find it difficult to navigate their way around the platform. Too many features to manage and understand can be overwhelming, but the good thing is that you can get used to the platform with time. 

Read our full Asana review . 

We've also listed the best productivity tools .

The first thing we considered was the features that each platform offers. Does it have features that enable teams to manage and collaborate on projects? What unique features set it apart from the competition?

We also considered the ease of use because that’s important for every software, especially those that’ll be used by non-technical users. Pricing also played a part, although all the platforms we mentioned offer free versions. Other important factors we considered include customer support, cross-platform compatibility, performance, and security. 

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Stefan has always been a lover of tech. He graduated with an MSc in geological engineering but soon discovered he had a knack for writing instead. So he decided to combine his newfound and life-long passions to become a technology writer. As a freelance content writer, Stefan can break down complex technological topics, making them easily digestible for the lay audience.

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