project management websites

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

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.

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• Project management |
• Project management software and tools: ...

Project management software and tools: Your best picks for 2024

Project management software connects teams, enabling everyone in the organization to prioritize the work that matters most. Software that fosters this type of high-level collaboration is essential for most companies. But at a glance, many of the tools organizations use have seemingly similar features. Use our guide to narrow down your choices and understand which tools are best for different types of companies.

If you manage work, you’re a project manager. But that wasn’t always the case. For many years, the only people responsible for managing projects were (unsurprisingly) project managers. These highly specialized roles used legacy tools that required extensive training and knowledge to use. 

Now, almost everyone is expected to manage their own projects, and these outdated tools are no longer practical. And while project manager roles and legacy softwares still exist, modern project management software has adapted to fill the needs of a more dynamic, collaborative workforce.

Whether you’re a brand new business owner who just needs help with invoicing or you're operating a multi-national company, there’s a project management software that’s right for you. Read on to see which project management software fits your company's needs.

What is project management software?

Project management software is a tool that helps teams to organize, track, and execute work. In its simplest form, you can think of project management software as an interactive workspace, where you coordinate the way you work, collaborate, and communicate with others. But the best project management software goes far beyond that—connecting your most advanced workflows across the company and helping you achieve your biggest, boldest goals. 

It’s a broad category, and can be as simple as digital checklists or as advanced as a full work management platform. The type of project management software you choose—and the way you use it—will depend on the size, needs, and overarching goals of your organization.

Why use project management software?

These days, everyone manages projects, but they don’t always have the tools they need to manage projects effectively. This often leads to teams using a spreadsheet, which is great for organizing work but doesn't show real-time updates. Spreadsheets are extremely manual, and can actually impede cross-functional collaboration. In short, they lack the capabilities of project management software. 

That’s why project management software is so crucial to today’s working environment. Among its many benefits, project management software serves as the connector for work, teams, stakeholders, goals, and everything in between.

The benefits of project management software

Focus your work. You’ll get more done—but more importantly, you’ll get the right work done. With project management software, you’re less likely to duplicate work or waste time searching for materials.

Reduce busywork. With project management software, you can connect every single task to goals that support the company’s biggest, broadest vision—so everyone knows how they’re driving the success of the company with every project. When employees understand how their day-to-day tasks impact the company, they’re even more motivated to produce their best possible work.

Create a system of record. Project management software serves as a system of record for all your projects and their related tasks. As a result, you can simultaneously store information while also making it easier for stakeholders and teams to access and use that information.

Increase cross-functional collaboration . Project management software is, at its core, a team collaboration tool. By bringing together work, goals, and people across projects, teams, and departments, project management software helps you build an interconnected, thriving cross-functional organization.

Store work safely. Ever delete a cell by accident in your spreadsheet? Or forget where you saved your latest to-do list ? Keeping everything cloud-based both helps you stay organized and reduces the chance of you losing work—all while maintaining your privacy. 

The 11 best project management software & tools in 2024 

There’s a wide range of project management software available in today’s market—choosing just one can feel overwhelming. That’s why we compiled this list of the best products in the industry today, and the types of businesses they’re most likely to help. See how each one compares, and the different ways project management software can streamline and enhance your work.

1. Asana: Best for enterprise companies

Asana goes beyond traditional project management software to provide a full work management solution that supports the dynamic, changing needs of enterprise companies. Asana doesn't just help you manage your tasks (although you can do that too)—it connects all the work your company is doing to your highest-level goals and business strategy. With Asana, you get so much more than project management software, including:

Integrations to all your favorite tools and systems, so you can keep your work organized in one platform.

Goals that connect to everyone and every task across your company, so you can ensure the work that gets done is always the most important.

Automations for tasks, scheduling, assigning work, and much more—all designed to reduce the amount of time you spend on low-priority busywork.

Ready-made project templates so you can get to work on your most important tasks right away.

Reporting dashboards that automatically update stakeholders and eliminate status update meetings.

Security, privacy, and compliance features that keep your data safe.

Discover even more of what Asana can do.

2. Trello: Best for simple project management

Trello is a Kanban-board style project management software , owned by Atlassian. In Trello, you nest project tasks under boards labeled with an overarching theme. For example, you might have a board for “Not started,” “In Progress,” and “Complete.” The setup makes it easy to track project progress from board to board, which is helpful when you need a simple tool for small projects.

3. Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet lovers

Think of Smartsheet as an advanced version of a spreadsheet, with more capabilities. This system can be intuitive for companies who traditionally used spreadsheets for project management, such as time tracking with timesheets. 

4. Jira: Best for Agile-specific project management

Designed specifically for software development, Jira comes ready to launch for teams that use the Agile methodology to do their work. Owned by parent company Atlassian, Jira is often used for common development projects like bug tracking, as well as projects that use the Scrum process .

5. Monday: Best for small businesses

Monday offers a broad spectrum of apps that make it easy to implement and get started right away. This works for small businesses who are new to project management software, though once you rev up your work, company size, or collaboration across teams, you might hit a threshold for what’s possible.

6. Clickup: Best for small teams or startups

Clickup’s intuitive and colorful interface makes it easy to understand and adopt. Clickup is a popular choice for startups with limited resources and smaller teams that may not need as many capabilities. 

7. Notion: Best for notetakers

Notion is an elevated system to create and store dynamic documents, sheets, and note taking. This works best for companies or individuals who just need a more organized space for thoughts and ideas, though Notion can feel limited in how you can work with others in the tool itself.

8. Airtable: Best for those who want to build it themselves

Airtable provides a flexible no- and low-code database you can use to build your own bespoke project management system (or other custom application). For those who prefer to oversee the backend development of their project management software, Airtable offers that option.

9. Wrike: Best for client management

Wrike offers stackable storage and security in an easy-to-use format, so both clients and internal teams can safely access information. This can be helpful when you’re working with external partners, such as clients, in addition to managing work as a company.

10. Workfront: Best for marketing-only teams

Workfront (owned by Adobe) is a project management software that was initially developed for marketers. They’ve built out their platform to be a tool for all teams, but because it’s so targeted, users may struggle to coordinate with other teams outside of the marketing department. 

11. Microsoft: Best for personal tools

Microsoft Office is often labeled as a project management tool, but that’s mostly because their products are a staple at any company. Because we already know and understand how to use them, Microsoft Office products are often the first tool managers turn to when they start experimenting with project management. But the reality is, Excel spreadsheets and docs weren’t built for collaboration, so you’re better off using them in conjunction with full-fledged project management software. 

Features to look for in your project management tool

Ready to buy? Each project management system will have different features and functionality, but we recommend you prioritize a platform with these features at a minimum:

Collaboration features that enable work between team members, departments, and across the company—including file sharing, project tracking, and resource management.

A platform that provides portfolio management capabilities and the ability to connect goals to actionable tasks, so the entire company can see how all work is connected.

A mobile app so you can send off approvals, receive timely notifications, and manage projects on the go.

Project and reporting dashboards that are easy to access and view.

Varying project view styles that support all your project types and operations, including Gantt charts , Kanban boards, Lists, and Calendars (so as your company grows, you know your software has the capability to grow with it).

Enhanced project scheduling to set due dates, create important milestones, and easily track time so everything stays on schedule.

Project management app integrations that fit your custom business needs.

Automations and dependencies that update you and stakeholders in real-time.

The best project management software is the one that grows with you

A lot of project management software claims similar features, and at a basic level, many of them are the same. But when you choose a project management solution, it shouldn’t just be another tool. It should be a full-fledged project management platform that enables you and your team to get their best work done, with less effort. 

This means you need a platform that continues to grow, expand, and adapt as your company does. The last thing you need is to hit a ceiling just when you’re getting into your ideal workflow. Asana is built for enterprise teams, which means it can support your project management work from the beginning—when you’re a one-person team with an idea—all the way through your Fortune 100 growth. In fact, more than 80% of Fortune 100 companies use Asana*.

With Asana, it’s not just about putting out more deliverables. Instead, Asana focuses on how you can connect and leverage every aspect of your company’s work, goals, and resources to produce the right work. 

Project management software FAQ 

Which software is best for project management.

The best project management software is the one with the features you need. Look for a tool like Asana , a full work management platform where you can integrate the apps you already use, connect goals to work tasks, break down silos between teams, and automate time-consuming busywork.

What type of software is project management software?

Project management software is a type of software used for every aspect of project management. Often, this includes everything from the project planning stages (resource allocation, setting due dates, and building and assigning work task lists) to project scheduling, tracking, and reporting. The best project management software will help you coordinate and automate work not just across projects, but also across portfolios, teams, and departments.

What’s the difference between project management software and task management software?

Task management software is used strictly to manage tasks and is focused on production. Often, this looks like a digital to-do list with more capabilities. Project management software goes beyond task management to the actual planning, coordination, and goals of a project. This incorporates the bigger-picture, high-impact work and the actionable tasks you need to get there. Good project management software will also have task management capabilities, but the reverse isn’t always true.

How does project management software work?

Project management software is a tool to help you coordinate everything you need for project management. Often, this includes capabilities to create and assign tasks, scheduling all aspects of a project, and coordinating with others in your project team. The best project management software will also enable you to work cross-functionally across all teams, departments, and projects within your organization.

Is project management software worth it?

The short answer: yes! Project management software has an almost endless list of benefits. Most people immediately think of productivity as the reason to purchase project management software, but the right project management software can do more than increase your output. If you invest in the best project management software, you can break down silos and connect your entire company to your largest visions and goals. This enables everyone to work better on the projects that matter most.

*Accurate as of September 7, 2022 . Asana makes no representations about updating this number.

Related resources

Waterfall, Agile, Kanban, and Scrum: What’s the difference?

New site openings: How to reduce costs and delays

8 steps to write an effective project status report

Provider onboarding software: Simplify your hiring process

• Best Project Management Software

Best Project Management Software Of 2024

Expert Reviewed

Updated: Aug 27, 2024, 2:15pm

Project management software makes it easy to plan projects, allocate tasks and keep teams organized so that deadlines and goals are met. With so many project management solutions on the market today—all with different pricing, plans and features—the decision on which to choose can be difficult. To help, Forbes Advisor analyzed dozens of the leading providers and selected the best project management software in 2024, based on pricing, features, customer support and more.

• Best Construction Project Management Software
• Best Project Portfolio Management Software
• Best Gantt Chart Software
• Best Task Management Software
• Best Kanban Software

Best Software for Project Management of 2024

Zoho projects, forbes advisor ratings, methodology, how to choose the best project management software, what does project management software cost, 2024 project management trends, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Featured Partners

From $8 monthly per user

Zoom, LinkedIn, Adobe, Salesforce and more

On monday.com's Website

Yes, for unlimited members

$7 per month

Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more

On ClickUp's Website

$9.80 per user per month

Salesforce, Adobe, Miro, Netsuite, Quickbooks, SAP

On Wrike's Website

Yes, for one user and two editors

$9 per user per month

Google Drive, Slack, Tableau, Miro, Zapier and more

On Smartsheet's Website

• ClickUp : Best agile project management software
• monday.com : Best for startups on a tight budget
• Asana : Best for collaboration tools
• Zoho Projects : Best for integrations
• Smartsheet : Best for workflow automation
• Notion : Best for content creators
• Teamwork.com : Best for Client-Facing Service Providers
• Wrike : Best for artificial intelligence (AI) features
• Jira : Best for product development teams
• Confluence : Best for Whiteboard Notes
• Airtable : Best for Data-Driven Companies
• Trello : Best for Kanban-Style Boards
• Coda : Best for Form Creation
• Todoist : Best for Task Management
• TeamGantt : Best for Gantt Chart Creation

Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Small Business

The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, hands-on testing, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content to guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.

Learn More:  How We Test Project Management Software

• 22 providers evaluated
• 34 metrics applied to each provider
• 7 weighted categories for scoring
• 680 data points collected
• 130-plus hours testing software

Best Agile Project Management Software

Starting price

(billed annually)

Integrations

Collaboration tools

Comments, @mentions, real-time edits

ClickUp is best for teams that rely on Scrum for product development. While it includes all the features you would expect from a great project management app, it goes further with templates and features that allow for an Agile software development process. Plans with these features start at free for startup teams and increase to $12 per member per month (if billed annually) for multiple teams.

General Features

ClickUp’s feature offering is robust. It offers collaboration tools (such as real-time editing, mentions, calendar sync, and role creation and permissions), preset and custom automation recipes, reporting dashboards, project-tracking tools (such as checklists, timelines, Gantt charts, Kanban boards and dependencies) and over 1,000 integrations. Use templates or customize dashboards so your team works on its own terms.

It also offers advanced task management, making it one of the best task management software options on the market. In my opinion, because of its advanced features. When testing ClickUp, I appreciated the clean layout of the dashboard. It was easy for me to find tasks I needed to complete, comments I’d been tagged in and which to-dos were most important to other people (in the Trending section). I don’t personally use Scrum to manage projects but ClickUp’s Scrum tools made it easy to run sprints and retros.

James Wilkinson, CEO and co-founder of Balance One Supplements, saw a lot of success from using ClickUp: “We had nothing but a Frankensteinian collection of spreadsheets, email chains and siloed communication. Since then, ClickUp has changed everything for us. The results have been dramatic: Before ClickUp, our product development process often suffered from bottlenecks. We would be reaching out to designers and engineers to get information on project status or request changes, and it would take seven to 10 days for us to get a response. It wasn’t uncommon to have missed deadlines and misunderstandings with people on our team. Since implementing ClickUp, we’ve reduced project completion times by 40%. This translates directly to increased output: We are now able to launch 20% more new product campaigns per month.”

Additional Features

I tend to prefer more visual representation of tasks, which is why I like Kanban and Gantt charts. With that said, I also appreciate linear representation, so I wasn’t too sure about the mind mapping tool but after trying it I found it was much easier than I expected (I wasn’t playing in an open field because there are still boundaries in ClickUp). I also really liked ClickUp’s reporting section because it caters to almost everyone: It includes charts, graphs and numbers.

As an individual user, the free plan from ClickUp was serviceable for my needs. I don’t think I’d ever need to upgrade because I tend to stick to a waterfall style of project management. With that said, $7 per user for the Unlimited plan might be worth it for the unlimited integrations and custom fields. The Business plan seems better for a more established and bigger team that needs timesheets and workload management.

Customer Service

If you’re like me and you work at odd hours of the day or night (sometimes the wee hours are the most creative), 24/7 support is handy. However, ClickUp’s promise of 24/7 support is a little misleading in my opinion. You have 24/7 access to the ClickUp help center, not to support agents. Plus, live chat support (there is no phone support) is only available to paid plan users. The chatbot is helpful but it isn’t perfect. When looking for actual support hours, I didn’t get my answer. So I requested a live agent and ClickUp was a bit buggy when connecting me (it never connected).

It’s rare that I use a mobile app for project or task management, but it is nice to have when I don’t want to pull out my laptop. I was able to easily respond to comments, check progress of tasks I’d assigned and create reminders for myself (or others). Not all features on the browser or desktop app are mirrored on the mobile app, but I doubt I’d want to use a whiteboard feature or Gantt chart from my phone.

Learn more: Read our ClickUp review .

Who should use it: 

With robust features, ClickUp is great for any team looking for advanced project management capabilities. But, it is best for companies with Scrum Agile product development, marketing or sales teams.

• Free forever plan for individuals
• Over 1,000 integrations
• Advanced task management
• Pre-built templates
• Top tiers can get pricey for small businesses
• Time tracking can be glitchy
• Can be overwhelming for new users

Best for Startups on a Tight Budget

$9 per seat per month, billed annually

(minimum of three seats)

Zoom, Google Docs, Salesforce, Slack and more

Document collaboration and comments

Regardless of budget limitation, monday.com offers something for everyone. Even if you are working on a team of two with no budget, monday.com can help you get your project done on time and with limited risk. If you are a small two-person team, you can enjoy monday.com for free. If you’re part of a growing team, use advanced project-tracking features, automations and integrations for as little as $9 to $19 per team member per month, if billed annually (minimum of three seats per plan).

Along with most project management software today, monday.com offers multiple project views, so it’s keeping up with its competitors. In my experience with monday.com, I found I preferred its table view for managing single projects. The color coding of statuses, customization of columns and inclusion of headshots or initials helped me know where each task stood and who was responsible—at a glance. In fact, the Kanban view was too cluttered for my taste because monday.com tries to give you all the fields in one card.

Jeffrey Weide, a project management expert and our advisory board member, likes the platform’s user experience: “It’s visually appealing and with UX designed for end users. It’s a flexible tool for a variety of processes and tasks for integrated teams.”

Creating automations was an easy task. It’s as simple as filling out fields to determine if this happens, then this happens, or condition triggers and actions. I was able to quickly create automated workflows for redundant work so I could focus on completing other work.

I also appreciated how easy it was to read reports but options are limited. The only way to see your data any way you want is to upgrade to the Enterprise plan and I don’t have the budget for that (which is fine because I don’t love creating pivot tables anyway). What I don’t love is that advanced features are mostly locked behind the higher-priced plans. In short: Love the automations; don’t love that they’re on the Standard plan and up.

We named monday.com one of the best free project management apps available, and it’s definitely a free all-in-one work management solution I’d choose for myself if all I needed were task and project management. However, its pricing structure could be frustrating for small teams that want to upgrade.

The free version is only good for two people, but paid plans have a three-person minimum, so you’re looking at paying at least $27 per month for the entry-level plan. Then, you have to purchase seats in five-seat increments up to 30 and then in 10-seat increments. So, it can get pricey.

Similar to ClickUp, monday.com offers 24/7 support but paid plan users do have access to live chat (not just a chatbot). You also have the option to request a call from an agent if nothing in the help center answers your question. I had no problem finding answers in the help center. In fact, I was able to search for “chat” and find out that monday.com doesn’t have a built-in direct messaging solution.

Although the mobile app theoretically allows you to create tasks and manage your work, it doesn’t always work as intended. I had a few issues with the app getting out of sync with the browser version and I had to force quit a few times. When it did work, I could do the basics, similar to most other project management mobile apps.

Learn more: Read our monday.com review .

Who should use it:

Startup businesses on a shoestring budget should consider monday.com. It offers a free version and free trials so users can test more advanced tiers as their companies can afford them.

• Free version available
• Attractive, easily customizable interface
• Two-factor authentication for all plans
• Collaboration across organizations and external teams
• Gantt and Kanban charts
• Limited features in the lower tiers
• Cluttered boards for in-depth or complex projects
• Limited reporting options

Best for Collaboration Tools

$10.99 per user per month

Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Slack and DocuSign

Comments and messaging

One of the main selling points for choosing Asana over other project management software is its multitude of collaboration tools. Along with most PM software, Asana allows you to comment on tasks and projects, but it also includes in-app chats for one-on-one conversations or even group chats. Aside from making communication easier for your team, Asana also gives you multiple project views, including Kanban-style boards, calendars, workload views and more.

Jeffrey Weide, our advisory board member, also noted Asana’s collaboration tools: “Asana is a communication-focused project software that helps with task management, team collaboration and streamlined workflows.”

I want to give Asana credit for how it handles task dependencies. I like a big-picture view but I also tend to work in the trenches of a project, so it helps to see specific call-outs when a task is blocked by another task. Asana makes this clear with its “blocked by” language and then points directly to the issue. Sure, it’s calling out a mistake I made in planning, but I’m going to take it as constructive criticism, thank you very much. Creating tasks and connecting integrations are intuitive so I was able to use Asana for many years for personal projects.

When I needed more advanced features to manage multiple projects and people, I needed to upgrade to a paid plan. This was the only way to access automated workflows and timeline views with task dependencies. Asana is more customizable at this point with custom fields and project templates. If I worked with more external collaborators, I’d probably spring for the Advanced plan because I really liked the approval feature, which allowed me to accept, reject or return work to a user if I wanted changes; this saved me time because I didn’t have to send an email.

There are a couple of ways you could interpret collaboration in project management software and for Asana, it’s all about communication. I like that I can add comments on a task, tag users or even have a chat without having to pull up a different app. Asana meets most of my collaborative needs admirably, I think, but it does so through integrations. I added Google Chat to Asana, which made the most sense for me because I tend to work in a project management app and my Google Workspace. Sure, I felt silly talking to myself in Asana via Google Chat, but this is how I test software.

The free plan from Asana worked well for me but only for small projects. The Starter plan is pricier than other project management software I’ve used but it offers a lot of features I needed for more advanced project planning, so I think it was worth the cost. I’d likely only upgrade to the Advanced plan if I was running an agency and I required proofing and portfolio management.

When you opt for a paid plan, Asana automatically sets your seats at five users, which might seem a bit misleading. I was able to edit the seats and choose monthly or annual payment but there is a minimum of two users for the Starter plan, which isn’t clear on Asana’s pricing page. That means it would cost me nearly $22 per month (billed annually) if I opted for the Starter plan for just me (and one other seat).

Although I recognize that beggars can’t be choosers, I didn’t love that I had limited access to live customer support with Asana. I tried using the chatbot to get a hold of an agent but it only offers to submit a ticket to support. Still, Asana offers 24/7 support access through its help center and chatbot. Most of my questions were answered in the help articles, anyway.

As with most project management mobile apps, everything in Asana’s mobile app is smaller or there are fewer features compared to the desktop/browser version. I had a few issues with the widgets and had to refresh a few times to make them reappear. I liked that I could update a project’s status or respond to a comment on the fly but that’s about all I’d use Asana’s mobile app for.

Learn more: Read our Asana review .

Asana can work for any size business, but it’s most ideal for midsize companies that need to collaborate with clients or across departments.

• Free plan available
• Built-in messaging tools
• Cross-team collaboration task management
• Integrates with hundreds of other apps
• Pricier than industry average
• May be too complex at the start for some users

Best for Integrations

$4 per seat per month

Microsoft Teams, Slack, Dropbox, Google apps, Github, Zendesk, Zapier and Zoho apps

Comments and @mentions

If you consider the list of third-party app integrations Zoho Projects allows, it may seem short, but if you add on the whole of the Zoho software ecosystem, you’ll likely find all the tools you need. Businesses that are starting out may prefer to choose Zoho for all of its apps to round out their tech stack for easy integration. Plus, Zoho Projects (and its complementary apps) are typically priced below the industry average, so it’s affordable for all business sizes.

Jeffrey Weide, our advisory board member, also finds Zoho affordable: “Zoho Projects is cost-effective programming that can link into other Zoho programs and mobile options to help you integrate these tools on the go.”

Beyond the affordability and native ecosystem of apps, I found Zoho Projects to be one of the easiest project management tools I’ve used. The dashboard had all my tasks listed at the top, with more granular views of what needed my attention below. Rather than show me how I screwed up a project plan (it’s been known to happen; please, no judgment), it didn’t even allow me to create conflicting task dependencies. I know Zoho Projects doesn’t offer a ton of integrations but I also use Zoho Invoice, so I was able to easily create invoices for work I’d done in my project management platform.

I’m a big fan of the shortcuts Zoho Projects offers such as the time tracking feature that you can access from the Kanban board—I didn’t even have to click into a task to start a timer. In fact, the only things I didn’t love about this project management software were the few bugs I came across (I had an issue with assigning a task to a user that appeared as an option but the platform told me there were no matches) and customer support (more on that below).

As useful as the free plan is, Zoho Projects is much better if you upgrade because you gain access to so many more features. The templates and recurring tasks saved me so much time setting up projects but I tend to create projects similar to each other, so this made sense for me. Time tracking helps with figuring out billable hours and I was able to use Zia, the AI chatbot. Zia was a bit like a virtual assistant for me by retrieving data when I asked for it.

As much as I like Zoho Projects’ free plan, I’d say its Premium plan offers one of the best value-to-cost ratios. For $4 per user per month (billed annually), I’d happily subscribe to it to unlock a lot of advanced features, though I was disappointed to see workflow rules are only available on the Enterprise plan. That said, the Enterprise plan only costs $9 per user per month (billed annually), which is even cheaper than Asana’s entry-level plan.

Unfortunately, my experience with Zoho Projects’ customer service wasn’t as positive as my experience using the platform. My attempts to get in contact were difficult, at best. The first time I couldn’t get through to anyone because I tried to contact support outside of their working hours (I never did get the actual range). So the 24/7 support it claims has more to do with the chatbot, help center and ticket submission.

All things considered, Zoho Projects’ support isn’t bad; I did get a response to my ticket within 24 hours and most answers can be found in the help articles.

Perhaps it was the recent update, but I had more bugs with the mobile app than the browser version of Zoho Projects. The app crashed for me a few times and I couldn’t easily access support tickets from the app. I expected the mobile app to not have as many features, so keeping that in mind, it’s fine for quick updates to tasks. I wouldn’t use it as my primary project management tool though.

Zoho Projects is a great pick for small businesses that want to integrate other Zoho apps. It’s especially useful if you’re just starting out and you want to stick to the Zoho ecosystem, as the integrations will be seamless.

• Connects to all Zoho apps and big-name software
• Offers a free plan
• Affordable paid plans
• No user minimum
• Includes built-in chat
• Lots of customization options
• Customer support is limited
• Must create project templates
• Storage space is limited (may require integration)

Best for Workflow Automations

Google Drive, Slack, Tableau, Miro, and Zapier

Real-time doc collaboration

Smartsheet is similar to Airtable in that it’s primarily a spreadsheet project management tool, but it comes with features to enhance it. It’s a highly customizable application, so you can use premade templates to create the type of project you need and then tweak the details to better suit your needs. Its workflow automation is available to all plan users and includes triggers, alerts, reminders and assignments.

Given that Smartsheet is essentially an enhanced spreadsheet application, it’s the automations that would sell me on signing up for it. One of the things that drives me crazy about collaborative spreadsheets is that I have no idea when someone’s changed something. With Smartsheet, I was able to create an automated alert for whenever someone added or changed a row. In hindsight, this isn’t the best idea unless you love constant alerts. But hey, I got what I wanted. And it was easy to create that automation.

A lot of my work requires me to do repetitive tasks, so I use copy and paste often. With Smartsheet though, I could set up rows with conditional formatting so I could apply the same format to each row. This cut down so much on the manual work I was doing so I could focus my attention on, well, other manual work that no project management tool can help with.

Another thing I liked about Smartsheet was its project dashboard. When I have to show stakeholders where I am with a project and how much work is left, I don’t want to create a new report every time. The dashboard shows automatically calculated completions and it’s easy to read, whether your stakeholders prefer pie charts or bar graphs.

There are a couple of features that are nice to have but only available on the higher-priced plans. I found it was much easier to manage a team and their work with the workload management feature. I could see my team’s workload in one window, determine who had too much going on, and then reassign a task from a project timeline.

In fact, Smartsheet offers a lot of additional features that help add functionality to its simple spreadsheet platform, but I don’t love that they’re all kind of à la carte. Most of these advanced features for data synchronization, resource management and advanced automations are costly add-ons.

Jeffrey Weide, a project management professional of 20 years, appreciates Smartsheet for its customization features: “There is a great drag-and-drop and customization element to their dashboards that is helpful if you are starting a PMO or other function that requires status updates to leaders across remote or disperse environments.”

The free plan only allows you two sheets and it lacks forms, template sets, API calls, proofing and other advanced features, so it’s really only suitable for my personal projects. I do like that there are 100 automations per month on the free plan. However, the Pro plan only costs $9 per user per month if you pay annually and it unlocks a lot of the advanced features from Smartsheet.

On one hand, Smartsheet is easy to use. Meanwhile, it’s a complex system and I needed help figuring out a few things at times, but live support wasn’t readily available. I had to make do with the help center. There’s no live support for the free or entry-level plan. It’s an add-on that costs more and is only available to Business and Enterprise plan users.

With all that said, the help center is useful and I was able to figure out how to do something without having to resort to sending an email or spending more money.

There are a few frustrations I’ve had with Smartsheet’s mobile app, such as project planning, but I think that’s just because of the medium. I like that I can access reports easily and it’s scaled well for my phone. Plus, the offline feature is fantastic for when you don’t have service or a Wi-Fi connection. And the times I’ve used the barcode scanner, it was quick and easy.

Learn more: Read our Smartsheet review .

Project teams that prefer spreadsheets for data and project management are likely to take to Smartsheet quickly. The automated workflows, forms and proofing features make it much easier to get work done quickly and efficiently, whether you’re collaborating with teammates, clients or both.

• Workflow automation for all plans
• Intuitive for spreadsheet users
• Real-time commenting
• Card, Gantt and grid views
• No live support
• Pricing adds up with time tracking and resource management add-ons

Best for Content Creators

$10 per user per month

Slack, Zapier, Jira, Asana, Google Drive, and IFTTT

Real-time document collaboration, comments and @mentions

Notion offers one interface to handle all of your content creation projects from start to finish. Not only can you design your content from the platform, but you can also create checklists, store your documents or rich content and share your content from one platform. With a free personal plan and small business paid plans that increase to just $8 per month per user (when billed annually), even freelance content creators can afford this luxury.

Notion is a wide-open playground for writers, but I appreciated the templates available because I need boundaries. Using Notion this way made it much easier for me to create project plans and wikis. Once I was comfortable with the tools and menus, I started to think of all the ways I could use it to my advantage. When I was freelancing, I would’ve loved this platform to create a knowledge base with unlimited files for myself and my virtual assistant so we could easily share samples of my work with clients.

Carl Rodriguez is the founder and owner of NX Auto Transport and he shared with us how using Notion has helped his company:

“Notion stands out for its versatility and adaptability. While many users see it as a note-taking tool, it can be so much more. One unique feature I love is its ability to create interconnected databases. For example, I use it to manage both my project tasks and my team’s performance reviews. By linking these databases, I can see how individual tasks contribute to larger goals and track progress over time. This level of customization and integration is not something you find in many other tools.”

Karolina Gorska, a Senior HR Coordinator, has found success using Notion for HR-related work and as a CRM tool. “The first tool I’ve ever used for project management was Notion. We produce a lot of content as HR and Notion is especially helpful with that. I like the interface, as I’m not a very technical person and I still find it incredibly easy to get around in. Notion is also a great place to keep and build your CRM. One of the most important things about it for me is that it lets you tag each entry. This way I could create groups that are simple to filter out, according to my needs.”

One of the best things about Notion is the guest access it allows. Even the free plan allows up to 10 guests on your board. I really like Notion for its collaborative features. An upgrade to the Business plan unlocks collaborative workspaces, which is where the real magic happens, in my opinion.

I found this incredibly helpful when I was working with a colleague on a project where we both needed to brainstorm. We were able to work on the same block in real time. It’s an uncommon feature for a project management platform.

I’m also a fan of Notion’s AI assistant because it reduces the number of programs you have open and helps you create whatever you want in Notion. For example, rather than using a search engine to help me develop a content plan, I tried using Notion’s AI and got a few ideas. It’s also a fast way to find an obscure piece of data. I do these kinds of searches all the time in Slack because I remember I had a conversation with someone (but who?) on some date (when was that though?) but all I remember is the term “oscillating ostrich.”

I like Notion’s free plan, but it’s unlikely I’d use it as my primary project management tool because it’s so limiting. The thing is, I’d say the same about the entry-level plan because you really get the same features as the free plan but without limits and the addition of live support.

I’d rather spring for the Business plan that includes more security features and collaborative workspaces. And Notion’s AI assistant is great but it’s $10 per user per month in addition to the plan price, billed annually, which ups the cost considerably.

It’s nice to see that Notion uses its platform, too—at least that’s how it appears with Notion’s help center. Unless you subscribe to a paid plan, the help center is the only support you’ll get but it’s a useful knowledge base. I had to use it to figure out why I couldn’t delete an unused workspace (it turns out you can’t do that on mobile). Chances are you won’t need live support because the available documentation is pretty expansive.

I like that most project management software offers a mobile app but it’s never going to be the same as using the platform on your desktop or a browser. Notion’s mobile app includes a lot of the same features but the toolbar looks different. To me, it was a bit like learning a new version of the same thing (or learning two Latin languages) because of the differences and similarities.

I mostly used the mobile version for note-taking and quick status updates. I liked that I was able to add my workspace as a widget so I didn’t have to go through menus in the app to find the area I access most often.

Learn more: Read our Notion review .

Notion would be the best fit for content creators who are solopreneurs or have small teams.

• Free version with unlimited pages
• Highly customizable
• Share with guests and team members
• Unique productivity features, such as habit tracking
• Small business plans lack security features
• Mobile app can be tedious

Best for Client-Facing Service Providers

Teamwork.com.

$10.99 per user per month, billed annually

(minimum of three users)

Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint, QuickBooks, and Microsoft Project

In-app chat, @mentions and guest collaborators

Teamwork.com makes working with and managing client relationships seamless. Paid plans offer unlimited collaborators. This means service-oriented freelancers, consultants and agencies can work directly with clients within the interface to create a deliverable that uniquely meets client needs and expectations.

The biggest benefit I found using Teamwork.com as my project management platform is that it’s set up ideally for an agency. When working with clients, I need to keep information about those clients separate and I’m able to do that with Teamwork.com’s client view. With the option to add collaborators, I could share project progress with clients and not risk them changing anything or accidentally deleting something.

Another reason you might want to go with Teamwork.com for project management is if you need billing and invoicing features. Although being able to offer rate sheets and create invoices is uncommon for project management software, it’s a core feature of Teamwork.com. I could track billable hours and turn those into invoices for clients, which makes it clear why this software is meant for agencies.

Michael Ashley, the founder of AshleyInsights, likes the features offered by Teamwork.com. “Teamwork is great for small businesses. It offers a wide range of features, including task management, team collaboration, time tracking and project reporting. I believe Teamwork is especially useful for larger projects that require detailed planning and coordination among team members. One standout feature that I found with Teamwork, was its Gantt chart functionality, which provided a visual representation of project timelines and dependencies, making it easier for me to track progress and identify potential bottlenecks.”

I also liked that you don’t have to integrate a chat program to communicate with your team in Teamwork.com; there’s a built-in chat feature. Although I do find some of the prebuilt reports helpful, not all of them are necessary in my opinion. I suppose I could use them to share information with stakeholders who don’t want to look at project views but I found time, risk and planned vs actual reports the most helpful for my needs.

I’m never going to be a fan of user minimums or caps and Teamwork.com employs this across all of its plans. The free plan only allows up to five users, though that is generous, I’ll admit. To upgrade to the entry-level paid plan, you’re looking to spend more than $30 per month (billed annually) for three users. Solopreneurs wouldn’t get the biggest bang for their buck here; however, Teamwork.com makes up for this by offering some advanced features even on the lowest-tier plan.

Teamwork.com offers live chat or email support, along with its help center. Although I was able to find most of the answers to my questions from its support documentation, I did reach out for help one evening. I didn’t get a response the same night but I heard back from an agent the next morning. Support hours are 7 a.m. to midnight ET on weekdays, so I was a bit surprised it took nearly 12 hours for them to get back to me. Still, the agent was helpful and friendly.

One of the frustrating things for me about mobile project management apps is that they almost always have incomplete or buggy features. I was able to perform basic tasks using the app but it lacks some functionality compared to the browser version and the user experience isn’t the best. I found the app’s navigation to be a bit clunky, but to be fair, I find most project management mobile apps suffer from the same issue.

Learn more: Read our Teamwork.com review .

Client-facing professional service providers and agencies will find Teamwork.com uniquely meets their needs.

• Unlimited collaborators on paid plans
• Free 30-day trial on all plans
• Unlimited clients
• Abundant storage on paid plans
• Budget tracking
• Client-management features such as invoicing
• Few integrations
• Very limited free plan
• Pricier than many competitors
• Limited security features in lower tiers

Best for Artificial Intelligence Features

Google Drive, Slack, Salesforce, and QuickBooks

Request forms and @mentions

Wrike is a popular project management solution for all types and sizes of businesses, but it stands out with its commitment to automation with artificial intelligence (AI) assistance. There’s a whole category of features devoted to “smart” actions, including search, replies (via mobile) and text recognition. Nearly all of the AI-assisted features are available on all plans (even the free plan). Only AI-assisted project risk prediction is limited to the higher-paid tiers.

Jeffrey Weide, our advisory board member, mentioned why he likes Wrike: “It’s a project software focused on security, complex projects and high control. It’s a great option for larger PMOs or enterprises.”

At Wrike’s core are task and project management features, and I had zero issues learning how to use them. I’m a big fan of the customization of dashboards so I could create my personal “home page” for projects; I just chose the widgets I wanted, such as my tasks, tasks I was following and overdue tasks. The project views look and work as you’d expect, with drag-and-drop functionality on the board view and table view with color-coded status and priority tags.

I rarely notice role assignment features but I tried to invite a collaborator to work on a single task and I couldn’t set permissions at the task level. No big deal though; I just created a project with the one-off tasks and allowed collaborators access to that project only. For simple projects, Wrike worked well for me because I only needed a Kanban board to manage them.

Although I could go on and on about all of Wrike’s added value with its integrations and advanced analytics, I want to tell you about its AI features. They’re available for all plans (except risk prediction) and it’s a bit like having a built-in ChatGPT.

It was so easy to brainstorm and fill in with project plans and task descriptions. It wasn’t perfect by any means, and I certainly wouldn’t use the suggestions without adding specific instructions for my projects, but it was nice to have the assistance. As a caveat, it is worth noting that these features are still experimental right now.

The free plan may be enough for you regardless of team size because Wrike doesn’t limit your user count. And you still get most of the AI features, which is rare among most project management software that offer AI tools. However, it was a bit too limiting for my needs when I had a complex project to run.

For Gantt charts, better security and integrations, I’d have to upgrade to a paid plan. And most collaboration and resource planning tools require you to upgrade to the Business plan, which costs $24.80 per user per month (billed annually) and requires at least five users.

Support seems to have changed a bit recently. Many users have reported that live chat and requests for callbacks don’t work at all. Others have noted that email support is backed up by almost two weeks.

In my experience, I didn’t even have the option to contact support (I was using a free trial); I was only given the option to request a call from sales. I get why Wrike would do this but in its help center, there’s a note that even trial users should have access to live chat support. Any time I tried to log in to my account to contact support, I got an error and reloading only sent me back to my Wrike dashboard.

Wrike’s mobile app isn’t great but it isn’t the worst experience I’ve had either. In my opinion, it isn’t simple enough to be useful on a phone. Using a Gantt chart on a small screen is difficult, at best. And it takes too many clicks to get to a task so it isn’t a time-saving option. With all that said, I liked that I could stay on top of comments in real time.

Learn more: Read our Wrike review .

Wrike provides a lot of value for its free and low-priced plan users with its AI-assisted tools for mobile and desktop apps. However, the richest feature sets are limited by higher pricing, user minimums and added costs, which means Wrike is likely best for larger companies with bigger budgets.

• No user minimum on free plan
• Custom fields and workflows on all paid accounts
• Lots of AI-assisted features on all plans
• Two-user minimum on lowest plan
• User maximums on paid plans
• No real-time reports or time tracking on free or lowest plan
• Job roles and budgeting only available on highest-paid plan

Best for Product Development Teams

$8.15 per user per month (estimated cost)

Slack, Zendesk, Outlook, Google Sheets and GitHub

Given Jira’s history as a bug-tracking tool, it makes sense that it’s best used by product teams and developers. However, it is versatile enough to work for any type of project manager who needs to plan, assign, track and manage tasks and projects. Features such as roadmaps and dependencies make it clear that Jira is best suited for product developers.

Jeffrey Weide, our advisory board member, also sees Jira as a robust tool: “Jira is a great project management program to help with task and issue tracking, agile sprints and reporting for project progress.”

Although I’m not a product developer, I can appreciate the simplicity of Jira’s project management platform. Even the free plan includes most of what I need to manage a project, whether I want to use a Kanban board, list view or a timeline. In fact, I was kind of surprised to see a Gantt chart on Jira. Creating dependencies is as easy in Jira as any other Gantt chart software; I was able to simply drag and drop the link icon up or down to a task.

What I don’t love about Jira is the user experience and how I tend to interact with project management software. From the list view, I couldn’t just click on a task name to open the task, it would just allow me to edit the task name. Same with the timeline view; I had to click on the bar on the timeline, not the name of the task. To me, that’s not intuitive. But it didn’t take long to retrain my brain.

If anything is difficult about Jira, it’s the language it uses. Not everyone who needs project management software knows what issues or epics are but Agile teams will be familiar with the terminology. I didn’t have trouble using any of Jira’s core features but I could see how the issue feature would be a little confusing. With that said, creating a custom issue type is easy; I was able to drag and drop the fields I wanted to use to collect the information I’d need.

Other than commenting on tasks and using @mentions to bring others into a discussion, there isn’t a lot of collaboration in Jira. That’s likely because Confluence is Jira’s complementary program that brings real-time collaboration into the project management platform.

One of the best things about Jira is that it offers a feature-packed free plan for up to 10 users. I was able to create multiple project boards, plus automations, custom workflows and backlog management. It is a bit limiting as far as automations and user roles are concerned.

A Standard plan billed monthly requires at least 10 users and starts at $81.50 per month, or about $8.15 per user. This plan has the same features as the Free plan, but offers more security and admin features, such as advanced roles and permissions, audit logs and support during business hours.

I was a little surprised that Jira didn’t include a live chat option in its platform but the help center articles were useful for me. The best support options are only available to the high-tier plans, so free plan and entry-plan users are stuck with community forums or ticket support.

I think the phrase “your mileage may vary” works here for the mobile app experience. For me, Jira’s mobile app is easy to use for basic functionality. I had no trouble updating tasks and issues. Now if I wanted to create a whole new project and adjust settings, that’s something I’d do on the browser-based platform. I did run into a few errors and issues with tools not appearing as I expected (my keyboard didn’t show up when I tried to search for something) but bugs happen.

Learn more: Read our Jira review .

Who should use it: Although Jira offers a free and low-cost entry-level plan, it’s most useful at the Premium level and it’s intended for dev teams that need task dependencies, high-level project and resource planning and roadmapping features.

• Most features available for all plan levels
• Integrates with popular dev tools, such as GitHub and Figma
• Manage resources with capacity planning (higher tiers)
• Limited support for lower-tier plans
• Complicated guest access allowance

Best for Whiteboard Notes

$6.05 per user per month

Team Files, MacrosSuite, Copy Page Tree, and Comala Publishing

Whiteboard, @mentions and collaborative documents

Confluence is a robust project management tool that has four plans to choose from, one of which is free forever. In the Free plan, you can have up to 10 users with one site. You get unlimited spaces and pages, and access to whiteboards, databases and macros. It’s a unique type of project management software and may work best as a complement to a more traditional project management system. There is access to a structured page tree organization, page versioning and use of the template library. You also get access to the multitude of apps and integrations compatible with Confluence.

Jeffrey Weide, our advisory board member, shared why he likes Confluence: “It’s great for teams needing to share repositories of information such as versioning, tasks and documentation. You’re able to directly tag people in comments or pages, plus you get the ability to link up to other programs like Azure DevOps or Aha.”

One of the ways in which I’ve used Confluence is as a knowledge base for my work. I create style guides and documentation that I need to share with others who work with me. Confluence makes it easy for me to create these living documents and I’ve had editors collaborate with me on them.

The whiteboard feature is great. It’s so easy to work with others remotely on the same whiteboard and Confluence gives you standard shapes, sticky notes and emojis to use on the boards. The most notable features missing are traditional project and task management related.

Although Confluence isn’t a standard project management tool, it offers lots of templates to help you create projects for backlogs, budgets and project schedules. The templates helped me to create projects that work the way I expect but I still felt like the software was missing elements. It makes sense if you realize that Confluence is meant to work in conjunction with Jira. It’s really a collaboration tool that works well with the project management tools in Jira.

Given that I would use Confluence sparingly for brainstorming and documentation, I’d likely stick with the free plan. However, the Standard plan unlocks permissions and external collaboration. But that would cost $600 per year for up to 10 users (even if you only choose the software for a single user).

Support for Confluence is similar to Jira, which tracks because they’re both under the Atlassian umbrella. So, free plan users only get access to help files and community forums. I used some of the documentation to help me with the proofing feature.

Confluence’s app is usable enough, but I needed to wait a beat or two before doing anything because it runs slowly. I was able to comment on posts and tag others easily enough. I also like that I can upload images from my phone, which may be the only reason I’d use it because it saves me the steps of uploading and downloading from a cloud storage service and then to Confluence.

Learn more: Read our full Confluence review .

Whiteboards are useful in project management because they allow brainstorming and community notes to be maintained. Confluence has an easy-to-access whiteboard tool that managers and team members can utilize at all times.

• User friendly
• Easily share code snippets
• Template flexibility
• Document creation can be tricky
• Pricing can get high for large organizations

Best for Data-Driven Companies

$20 per seat per month

Salesforce, Google Calendar, Facebook, Mailchimp, and Slack

Airtable is a supercharged spreadsheet that allows the integration and management of traditional and rich data points (such as photos, videos and other files). While it is most famous for its spreadsheet-like interface, it also allows for other project views, including Kanban card stacks and gallery, grid, calendar and Gantt/timeline views.

Perhaps the best thing about Airtable is how incredibly flexible and customizable it is. That leads me to the worst thing about Airtable: It’s so open-ended that it can be overwhelming to set it up to work exactly the way you want it. I especially like the advanced filtering options so I can find exactly what I need.

As far as core functionality goes, Airtable is easy enough for task and project management at the user level. At the admin level, I found it incredibly time-consuming and complex to set everything up the way my team needed it. Automations are useful for my needs in that I’m able to create a task with all the fields I need to track different things such as status, due date, assignee, editor, publish date and URL. I’m also able to set it up so a document is created in Google Drive with an outline.

With all that said above, Airtable is difficult to use to meet the varied needs of different teams. Not every team uses the same outlines, fields or statuses, and Airtable gets increasingly more complicated when you try to make it work for everyone.

Airtable has a forms feature that I think is helpful for collecting data from external collaborators. It also offers an easy-to-read dashboard that I’ve set up to track the data that is important to me. I can see at a glance which tasks are in which stages, so I know where I need to focus my attention.

I touched a bit earlier on the integration with Google Drive but it’s worth mentioning that Airtable also integrates with Dropbox and Salesforce, which is helpful for importing data. I think one of the most frustrating issues with Airtable is for users who have no admin powers. You’re at the mercy of whatever the admins decide to set up for you, so it might not be the best option for larger companies unless they allow workspaces for each team.

Jeffrey Weide, our project management expert, also notes that “AirTable also has unlimited data-entry use for things that can be used by non-licensed team members to contribute information. You can also easily create data collection forms for anonymous or authenticated users for staff/status updates or minor customer relationship management (CRM) jobs.”

Airtable is expensive compared to most project management software. The free plan is enough for me to use it as a solopreneur but for teams it costs $20 per user per month (billed annually), and that’s the low-priced plan. To get the best of Airtable (customization), choose a paid plan.

As a user, not admin, I submitted a ticket via the support bot in the app. There was no option to contact a live support agent directly, which to me is an inconvenience at times and an issue when you have a business-critical problem with Airtable. I was experiencing slow loading times and errors. I received an email to let me know that I would hear back from support in six hours or less, which is pretty much the majority of a workday, which I find unacceptable.

The best use of the Airtable mobile app, in my opinion, is for viewing reports and data. As far as updating records and tasks, I find it’s hit or miss. I’ve added new tasks but found it difficult to input all the data. This is partly because I’m trying to do work on a mobile phone and app and partly because Airtable didn’t build as much functionality in the mobile app as the browser-based app, which is standard for most project management software.

Learn more: Read our Airtable review .

Airtable is known for its ability to help companies easily import, track and visualize data (even rich data). This makes Airtable ideal for companies with projects centered on traditional spreadsheet-compatible data.

• Easy to use
• Easy-to-use templates for various project types
• Limited features in free plan
• Plans get expensive
• Clunky automation features
• Limited internal communication features available

Best for Kanban-Style Boards

$5 per user per month

Slack, Salesforce, Marketo, NetSuite, and Box

Trello is a Kanban board-style project management tool. It has four plans to choose from starting with the Free forever plan. This plan is perfect for individuals or very small teams looking to stay organized with their projects. It is iOS and Android compatible with respective mobile apps and has two-factor authentication.

Jeffrey Weide, our advisory board member, shared when he likes Trello: “Trello is a great product for those not requiring a full subscription service to manage tasks or projects. They offer a multitude of simple options that include Kanban boards and Gantt charts, plus can work with small groups. There are advanced features in their paid subscriptions as well.”

Full disclosure: I’ve used Trello for years for personal projects. It’s one of the easiest-to-use project management systems I’ve come across and I’ve introduced it to many people I’ve worked with who had never used project management software before. Creating a project and tasks is intuitive and moving a card from stage to stage with the drag-and-drop functionality is quick and easy.

The 10 boards I get on the free plan are plenty for me, and I have yet to run out of automations for my workflows. The only reasons I might upgrade are for the custom fields and unlimited guests on the entry-level plan. Bigger teams would probably do well with Trello’s Premium plan which offers more project views. The timeline view is as easy to use as the Kanban board (with drag-and-drop functionality here, too).

A Power-Up is just Trello’s name for an add-on and these are unlimited and free for all users (any cost goes to the third party, not Trello). I found I was able to bypass some of the advanced features available on higher-paid plans by using integrations instead. For example, there’s an export Power-Up that costs $6 per month (or $18 for a year), so if that’s all you need, it can be more affordable than upgrading to Trello’s Premium plan.

Trello is one of the most cost-effective project management solutions out there. The free plan is robust enough for my needs and it only costs $5 per user per month (billed annually) for the entry-level plan. Double that cost for the Premium plan and you’ll get most of the advanced features Trello offers and unlimited automations.

Atlassian is the parent company of Trello (along with Jira and Confluence), so you can expect the same type of support. Free plan users get access to help documentation and community support while paid plan users can submit tickets. Phone support is only available to Enterprise plan users.

I was able to set up Trello easily enough but I did use the community forums to ask about admin issues. I got an answer from community users the same day and a staff member the following day.

Trello’s mobile app is one of the few I’ve kept on my phone because I use it for personal projects. I’ve used it to track my out-of-state moves and my international travel. I was able to access all of my boards, tasks and comments easily. Adding and editing tasks was easy. I also like that Trello includes quick actions so I can add an attachment or checklist without having to go through menus to find the features.

Learn more: Read our full Trello review .

Trello’s Kanban-style board with drag-and-drop features makes organizing a project and collaboration easy. It’s intuitive to use, and teams respond well to its format.

• Highly visual design
• Drag-and-drop usage
• Simplifies task and project management
• Limited free version
• Scalability is costly

Best for Form Creation

$10 per month per doc maker

Slack, Zoom, Jira, and GitHub

Collaborative documents, comments, @mentions and forms

Coda makes collaboration easy with an interface that feels like a doc but engages with collaborators like an app. There is a free plan you can start with, but if you upgrade to a paid plan, you only pay for document creators—editors are considered free collaborators. All plans get unlimited forms for collecting information.

At the core of Coda are collaborative documents and forms. There are plenty of templates to give you a quick start with the project management software. I chose a project dashboard because it makes the most sense for my team. It must be a lightweight system because it loads quickly. This is where I’ll admit I didn’t expect there to be any task or project management features in Coda and technically there aren’t; rather, you have to build the functionality yourself (or use a template).

When I first started with Coda, it seemed a bit too complicated to use but it’s really easy to edit layouts and documents to make it do what you want. To me, it’s like a cross between Notion and Airtable but much easier to use. Also, I found I could make as many documents and forms as I’d like on the free plan; the biggest limitation is I could only make big docs (50-plus objects and 1,000-plus rows) for myself. Smaller docs you can share with editors as you’d like.

Carl Rodriguez, founder and owner of NX Auto Transport, shared his thoughts with us on using Coda for his business:

“Coda excels in its ability to create interactive documents. It’s like combining a spreadsheet and a word processor but with the power to create dynamic workflows. One lesser-known feature I’ve found incredibly useful is the ability to embed live data from other sources. For instance, I can pull in real-time sales data from a Google Sheet and display it directly in my project planning document. This allows me to make informed decisions without switching between multiple tools or tabs.”

Along with most project management software, Coda offers integrations but similar to Trello, it calls them something different; in this case, they’re “packs.” There are hundreds of these connectors and the options range from communication tools like Zoom and Slack to inventory management systems and payment processors. Of course, they’re only available on paid plans.

There are AI tools included with all plans but the free plan only allows you to try it out with a single question, edit or automation. Each tier gets 2,000 to 12,000 AI tool credits (it works similarly to automations in other software). It’s a bit like having Grammarly or ChatGPT in the app with you.

I’m considering using the free version of Coda for personal projects because I like how customizable it is and the limitations aren’t that limiting. Given that Coda only charges per document maker, it can be an affordable option.

The Pro plan starts at $10 per user per month (billed annually) but you can share editable documents with as many users as you’d like. Think of it like admins and users; you pay for admins but not users, which makes this an affordable option. The Team plan costs $30 per doc creator per month (billed annually) but you also get advanced packs, private folders and document locking.

Customer support via live chat isn’t instant. Usually, there’s an estimation of how long an agent will take before they get back to you though (for me, it was two hours). The chatbot was actually helpful, though, because it directed me to an article that answered my question. All plans get access to live chat and email support but for in-document support, you need to be on a Team or Enterprise plan.

Unfortunately, the functionality of Coda’s browser-based app doesn’t translate well to mobile. I was able to edit my documents but it was a tedious process. Plus it was difficult to impossible to modify layouts. If I continue to use Coda, I’ll only use the mobile app for quick text additions or to answer a collaborator if I’m tagged and nowhere near my laptop.

When you want customized forms to gather information, Coda is the pick of the platforms. It allows you to create and brand forms to make information gathering straightforward.

• Free plan includes useful templates
• Powerful collaboration tool
• Easily monitor team performance
• More expensive than other platforms
• Difficult to use

Best for Task Management

$4 per month

Google Calendar, iCalendar, Toggl Track, Time Doctor and PomoDone

Comments and voice notes

Todoist is a great way to stay on track with personal and team projects. It’s similar to any other project management software in that you can create tasks, subtasks and multiple projects, and assign tasks to other users. There’s also an AI assistant to help reduce manual work. There’s a free plan available but it’s fairly limited.

Getting started with Todoist is easy with its walk-through as soon as you sign up for an account. For the most part, I found it intuitive to create a project and task but that’s where it ended. As I set priorities and added subtasks, the app seemed to change the priorities of my tasks. It also took several clicks for me to add labels; after creating a label, Todoist prompted me to add tasks to that label, which is not how I like to work. I wanted to create a bunch of labels that I know I’d use but I had to exit one label and click on the menu option to create a new one.

Adding a task to a board in Todoist is easy but along with filters, it’s tedious. You can’t really use keyboard shortcuts to set up a project. I had to click a lot to add due dates, labels and to add the task; tab and enter don’t work to move from field to field or to save a task. I also wanted more control over how tasks are treated in each column; for example, if I move a card into the final column, it should mark the task as complete. As it is, if you mark a task as done, it’s just gone to the archive.

Michael Ashley, the found of AshleyInsights, shared his thoughts on Todoist with us:

“Todoist is excellent for its simplicity and ease of use. I like its straightforward interface and intuitive task management features. It’s great for small business owners who need a no-frills task management tool that helps them stay organized and focused on their priorities. One feature I particularly liked about Todoist was its natural language input, which allowed me to quickly add tasks and set deadlines without navigating through multiple menus.”

The AI assistant can help by suggesting tasks or breaking down a task to make it easier to hit your goal or deadline. I tried using the AI assistant to apply filters to tasks but it didn’t work for some reason. Reminders are a nice-to-have feature but they’re only available on paid plans.

Todoist’s Beginner plan is free for up to five users, so it’s a good pick for ultra-small teams. However, you only get up to five personal projects, which isn’t the best for complex or collaborative projects. I’d likely use it for myself if I stick with Todoist.

The Pro plan is affordable at $4 per user per month (billed annually) and allows up to five people but this also includes the AI assistant, calendar views and up to 150 custom filters. If you need Todoist for a whole company, the Business plan is the most viable option at $6 per user per month (billed annually) because it has far fewer limitations and all the features available.

Todoist offers a help center so you can problem-solve on your own but if you need extra help, you can submit a ticket. There is no live support available. After a series of questions to categorize my question, I was able to submit a ticket. There was no estimation of when I would get a response but I did get an email from an agent about 10 hours later with instructions on how to use AI effectively.

If I were to keep using Todoist I might do so just to track my personal tasks. The paid versions can act as a reminder or habit app, so I like it for that purpose. However, I ran into some bugs with this app randomly closing. For project management, it leaves a lot to be desired. Sorting tasks seems to be broken at times (I could only sort once but after exiting the app and trying again, it worked) and it just feels like I have to find loopholes or workarounds to make the app do what I want.

Learn more: Read our full Todoist review .

Staying on track is the key to project efficiency and completion. Todoist is ideal for keeping organizations on task with ease.

• Inexpensive plans
• Easy to learn
• Seamlessly access tasks from various devices
• Lacks off-line functionality
• Not all features are intuitive to use

Best for Gantt Chart Creation

$49 per month per manager

Slack, Trello, Dropbox and Zapier

TeamGantt is primarily a Gantt chart project management tool that’s easy to use, even for beginners. In my opinion, the free plan is only viable for a solopreneur. The paid plans are much less limited with reporting, workload management, priority support and portfolio management.

If you’re just looking for Gantt charts, TeamGantt could be a good option for managing a single small project. The core features are included on all plans, so I was able to effectively manage a project with tasks, subtasks, dependencies and milestones. The dynamic Gantt chart is so easy to use to add tasks, set dependencies and track a project’s progress.

Admittedly, I’m familiar with Gantt charts but I prefer Kanban- and list-style project management. With that said, I’d say TeamGantt is easier to use than most Gantt chart software. My biggest complaint is that I can’t click on a taskbar on a chart or the line to the left to open a task, so I have to slow my roll with clicking to actually open a task window.

Erwin Vico, CEO of Slick Cash Loans, has found TeamGantt to be the best project management software for his company:

“We have been using TeamGantt for a few years, and we find it effective and efficient for implementing projects. The flexibility that it has for collaboration is excellent. TeamGantt is the best tool we have found to easily build and maintain project plans, with automation built in for resource planning. Being a browser-based tool allows for collaboration and seamless across our project management team as well as clients and other departments. The built-in integrations and open API allow us to sync our work in Team Gantt with other tools we use in our business. My favorite part is that the Team Gantt team is always accessible for customer support and working through user-voted enhancements.”

Beyond the basics are workload management, baselines, time tracking and hourly estimating. Time tracking is easy enough to use and I like that I can view multiple projects at once. Another great feature, which is common with Gantt chart software, is the ability to see planned versus actual time.

And although I’ve seen workload management handled in a similar way, I like how TeamGantt handles it. The workload window is minimized by default but you can pull it up at any time and it just resides below your project. This helps you reallocate resources without having to jump from screen to screen.

Depending on the size of your business, TeamGantt could get pricey; the Pro plan costs $49 per manager per month (billed annually). You do get unlimited collaborators per manager, however, so it’s affordable in that sense. To get the more advanced features, which I think are necessary for fully formed teams, you should consider the Unlimited Everything plan, which is custom-priced but allows you to have unlimited managers, projects, tasks and much more.

There is a phone number on TeamGantt’s website but it doesn’t seem to be for customer support. Rather there’s live chat and email support should you need it. Our experience was quick and our question was answered thoughtfully. In fact, the agent who responded in less than five minutes stuck around to answer a follow-up question.

Given that the mobile app is named “TeamGantt Companion” in the app store, you should probably expect it to be as such. I certainly don’t expect full functionality of a Gantt chart platform on mobile. I did just fine using it to view projects in list view and commenting on tasks.

Learn more: Read our full TeamGantt review .

TeamGantt is ideal for companies planning on using Gantt charts to stay organized and on task. It is the most user-friendly platform for Gantt chart creation.

• Easy Gantt chart creation
• Easy-to-navigate interface
• Visual representation of long-term projects
• Can be pricey for small businesses
• Limited number of projects
• Finished tasks still show up in progress reports

On ClickUp’s Website

On monday.com’s Website

Read Forbes’ Review

On Zoho’s Website

On Smartsheet’s Website

On Wrike’s Website

Read Forbes’ Review

This list was a result of careful evaluation of 16 popular project management software platforms that small businesses use. We looked at each contender using our rubric that considers seven categories of 27 project management factors important to small businesses. Next, we gave each criterion a weighted score and tallied all the scores together to land a final star rating.

Some factors we considered when choosing inclusions for this “best of” list include:

Read More:  How We Test Project Management Software

What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software is a digital platform/tool that businesses or individuals use to plan projects, allocate, track and manage project resources , schedule project timelines and tasks, assign tasks, track progress, capture and implement knowledge and ideas, and collaborate with team members for project completion. It further helps companies stay organized via document storage, search and organizational features.

To choose a project management software, consider each provider’s cost and added fees, overall features and functionality offerings, reporting, integration capabilities, necessary features vs. feature overload, customer reviews and customer support. In this section, we walk you through how to approach this assessment.

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How do I pick the best project management software?

Education Expert

Staff Reviewer

Rachel Williams

Small Business Editor

Ultimately, it is best to take the time to talk to end-users and team members on what is important to them in their project management roles. It is also critical to know if your clients or leadership need reports or dashboards for status updates. Knowing these features will help you dig into the features that may be exemplified for specific products.

Mostly it depends on the project management methodology your team or business uses, but there are other factors to consider. Though it’s tempting to choose software that’s highly customizable, you may need a team member that’s skilled at programming to customize the platform to do precisely what you need. Ease of use ends up being a major consideration because it means less downtime and more immediate adoption.

Assessing your team’s needs will help you pick the best software. For example, consider factors like scalability, ease of use, integration capabilities and security features. Take advantage of trials or demos before making a decision, and make sure the software aligns with your budget as well.

Essential Project Management Software Features

Project management software has basic features that most projects need to be successful. However, extra or unique features make some software options better for certain teams or businesses. It’s important to do your research to understand what unique features might make your project more successful based on your team approach, type of business or type of project. Some highly utilized project management tools and features include:

• Budget planning tools: Budget planning tools allow you to upload your set budget, then track expenses and invoices to compare project costs to the planned budget. By tracking this variance, you can determine if you are running into a budgeting problem. Financial forecasting tools further help you to ensure you don’t run over budget or, worse, have to stop the project because of lack of funds.
• Resource management tools: Resource utilization tools allow you to plan, track and record where resources—such as your talent—are used in the project’s execution. In doing so, it helps to reveal gaps in availability or when certain team members are overused (risking burnout), then adjust resource allocation to prevent problems.
• Task management features: Task management features include automations (that eliminate redundant tasks from to-do lists). Examples include automating invoicing, the identification of critical project changes and managing project workflows. Other task management tools include boards (to visualize moving tasks through their stages to completion), calendars, timeline views, scheduling, task tracking and task prioritization.
• Risk management features: Common project risks include finishing over budget, with a lower-quality outcome than expected or not finishing on time. Many tools within a project management software can help you balance competing demands to finish the project as intended, including critical path charts, checklists, scheduling tools, cost breakdowns, cost variance reports and timelines.
• Reports and charts: Project management software offers digital charts for planning, tracking and readjusting your projects’ timelines, budget and quality as needed. For example, Kanban charts show tasks on a timeline board and their status. Gantt charts also give an overview of a project’s timeline complete with its phases, tasks and outputs. You can gather or feed data into these charts to update in real time.
• Mobile app: Mobile apps help teams easily track, manage and deliver project deliverables from anywhere, helping to ensure all members are always in the know no matter where they are. Real-time knowledge can help them make smart decisions that keep projects progressing as planned. Apps also offer personalized content so team members know the tasks, activities and milestones they must complete each day.
• Integrations: Integrations help to boost a project management software’s performance and cater it to your needs. Slack and Google Drive integrations, for example, allow team members to collaborate within the software on project deliverables. Stripe also allows your team to invoice clients for deliverables. Many project management software offer hundreds or even thousands of integration options.
• Client management tools: Many project management software offer various features for including your clients in the project’s execution, keeping them up to date on the project’s status and maintaining a professional relationship. Such tools include video-conferencing tools, invoicing and the ability to add clients as users to the project management software while maintaining control over what they can and cannot see.
• Collaboration tools: Many project management platforms offer tools to help project execution team members work together seamlessly, even across locations. Some come in the form of integrations, such as Slack. Others, however, are built in. Such built-in tools often include shared calendars, group chats, document sharing, chat forums and team email.
• Demos and team feedback: Project management software may have all the right features but, if your team isn’t comfortable with it, it may underperform in project execution. For this reason, many software programs offer demos your team can use to test them, even allowing you to pilot them in a real project. From there, you can gather team feedback to learn the software’s appropriateness for your team and needs.

Ease of Use

Look for tools and designs that can help your organization use the software easier, despite barriers such as little knowledge of best practices or a cumbersome number of tasks that must be completed on a daily basis. Choosing the right ease-of-use features for your organization depends on many factors, including your company’s tech-savviness and size. However, some ease-of-use features commonly used by small to midsized companies are:

• Templates: Project management software templates incorporate project management best practices.
• Learning materials and opportunities: Software knowledge bases allow project managers and team members to learn how to expertly implement the software’s features based on layman’s terms definitions, videos and more. Demos are another opportunity to learn via often live interaction with software experts who know how to present its features and answer questions in layman’s terms.
• Automations: Automations make complex tasks instant and effortless by taking repetitive and often tedious tasks out of human hands. Less hands-on interaction makes the software’s involvement in project management easier to manage. Preset automation recipes make this ease-of-use feature even more intuitive.
• Mobile apps: Logistically, mobile apps make using the software easier by facilitating the gathering and dissemination of necessary information and helping team members complete tasks in a timely manner. Project field practitioners, for example, can update pertinent information on a project’s status without having to hold up the project to go back to the office to input such data.

Reporting and Analytics

Reporting within project management software presents key data in a meaningful way to help you understand the success or needed improvements in your projects. The best project management software offer dashboards that break down data in the form of graphs, tables and the like to make gleaning insights from the data instant and intuitive.

Determine the types of key performance indicators (KPIs) you may need to track and the types of needed reports to help you track them. Then, when evaluating your considered software, explore its reporting and analytics options and dashboards to determine if they have what you need.

Common reports that may be helpful in a project management software include project status, health, team availability, risk, variance and timeline reports. Common KPIs include percentage of tasks completed, return on investment (ROI), schedule variance, planned vs. actual hours and the planned project value.

Next, evaluate whether the software will continue to meet your needs by exploring whether you can customize the reports or dashboards to meet needs as they arise. Customization options may include the ability to add or remove columns or create new reporting views.

Customer Reviews

Customer reviews offer real-world insights into what it is like to use your considered software and do business with its provider. Search your considered software on tech review sites such as Capterra and TrustRadius. Read the reviews of past and current users. As you do, you are likely to learn the glitches the software experiences, hidden costs not highlighted on the provider’s website and how the software compares to competitor solutions.

Customer Support

Access to quality customer support ensures that, should a glitch happen in the software, your entire project isn’t derailed. To learn more about your chosen provider’s customer support, search for it on review sites such as TrustRadius and look at the company’s plans to understand what will be available to you and when. Aim to at least ensure support will be responsive during your normal business hours and via the mediums your team is accustomed to using.

Business Size Considerations

As you look at the feature set, remember that startups have different needs in project management software than do large enterprises. For example, enterprise companies may need to manage projects with execution steps that span the globe, while startup projects are more likely to span one or two locations. Demos can help you determine what tools are useful for your organization’s size and which will unnecessarily create a steeper learning curve.

Though one software plan or tool may be best for your organization at your current size, those needs are likely to change as you grow. For example, as you grow, you may need a software or plan with greater automation capabilities to scale operations or greater file storage capacity. So, while it is important to choose a software without unnecessary features, it is equally important to choose one that will continue meeting your feature needs as they grow.

[ Compare Best Project Management Software ]

Pricing for small to midsized business (SMB) project management software generally ranges from free to $20 per user per month, depending on the features you want. Most also offer a discount of between 15% and 50% for paying your bill annually. In addition, many companies can use such software for free, including startups, nonprofits and educational institutions. Free trials help users assess whether they want to upgrade from a free plan to a paid one.

More specifically, most providers offer a free plan with a limit on the number of users allowed. For example, monday.com allows two users on each free account. As plans scale up, more users are allowed. In addition, higher-tiered (and so, more expensive) plans offer more robust features, such as more storage, viewers, customer support, security, collaborative tools, automations, customizations and charts. Enterprises often have to request a custom quote.

Significant changes are occurring in nearly every industry as technology advances and attitudes surrounding work and leadership evolve. Project management is no exception, and the styles and strategies for managing both the technical and human aspects of team projects are being adapted to accommodate the new workplace landscape emerging in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Here are the 2024 project management trends that we anticipate growing in the year to come.

A Continued Shift Towards Digital and Remote Work

In our post-pandemic world, fully remote and hybrid work options are here to stay. Gallup reports approximately 56% of full-time employees can fulfill job requirements entirely from home. The transition to fully remote work during the pandemic further illustrated productivity and effectiveness in the workplace could be maintained, even when a majority of employees were working from home.

From a project management standpoint, this transition has its pros and cons. Working in the same physical location as other team members promotes team-building and spontaneous collaboration that can be otherwise limited in a virtual workspace. Despite the perks of in-person collaboration, however, remote employees enjoy the flexible nature of working from home and report increased satisfaction with their work. When given the choice, many remote employees would prefer to remain remote or partially remote instead of returning full-time to the office.

As we move into 2024, project managers are challenged with navigating team dynamics and productivity in an increasingly digital environment. Jeffrey Weide says part of this is finding project management software that meets your remote team’s needs, “but also helps integrate the existing products you use for communication, productivity and scheduling whenever possible.”

Project Management and Change Management

In recent years, companies have enacted increasing numbers of change initiatives to organizations and the structures within. Project managers are learning to integrate the requirements of these change initiatives into project management strategies and plans. It is crucial to create a flexible methodology for integrating change initiatives with specific steps and protocols that your team can follow. These skills will continue to be relevant in coming years as companies grow and conform to the ever-evolving workplace standards.

Hybrid Approaches

Project success strategies have traditionally relied upon adherence to a single project management methodology . Recently, an increasing number of companies have merged multiple approaches to project management in an effort to increase flexibility and create a style that’s adapted to the needs of the individual project. Hybrid approaches also work well when faced with the task of integrating the expectations of new change initiatives presented by company leaders.

Increasing Connection Between Projects and Strategy

Project managers increasingly are asked to expand the scope and scale of strategies in growing workplaces. Rather than simply focusing on individual projects in isolation, project managers are being tasked with learning how individual projects relate to one another and how they work together to advance the goals of the company. This type of understanding can promote the strategic use of a project manager’s skills and help them to consistently make decisions that align closely with the company’s vision.

Increasing Prevalence of AI and Automation

Artificial intelligence, automation, machine learning and data collection and analysis are rapidly becoming critical elements in project management strategies. According to PwC, 77% of high-performing projects utilize project management software to help streamline their work and meet their goals.

AI has the capacity to evaluate outcomes and provide insights into performance strengths and weaknesses, provide organized data to guide important decisions, predict outcomes, estimate timelines, analyze risk and optimize resource distribution. Project management tools and software can also automate time-consuming administrative tasks normally performed by the project manager, leaving the project manager free to focus time and energy on more critical or more nuanced tasks. “Many of the paid products are now offering AI or automation considerations, which can be a great time savings and help offset the costs from a staffing and overhead perspective,” says Weide.

Project managers who take the time to understand how the AI and automation processes in their organization can complement their role will be well-prepared to take advantage of this resource.

Why is project management important?

Project management is important in business because it helps you complete projects successfully and hit goals for yourself and your clients. Coordinating a multifaceted project for which several people owe deliverables, keeping everyone organized and ensuring the output meets expectations—all this while under the stress of a deadline—presents a challenge for even the most experienced project manager. These challenges become more feasible through project management best practices.

What is the best project management software for small businesses?

Companies should choose the best project management software based on their needs and budget. However, monday.com is a very popular project management software among small businesses for its breadth of features, price and available free version.

What are the three main types of project management software?

Individual project management software is set up by one person with one view, such as a spreadsheet view. Collaborative project management software offers one source of truth but also tools that allow people to work on their terms and within their individual roles, such as real-time editing and task-assignment capabilities. Finally, integrated project management software allows for the management and tracking of multiple projects.

What are the benefits of project management software?

Project management software helps you to plan, organize, budget and track the progress of a company project. It also unites a team around shared goals so all are working toward a successful project completion. In dispersed teams, growing businesses or across multiple departments, this can be difficult to do without a software people can join and access from their own devices wherever and whenever they work.

What are the different types of project management methods that are popular now?

There are several options available when it comes to project management methodologies. For example, there is the waterfall method, which follows a linear path and often has between five or six different phases that rely on the deliverables provided by the previous phase. Another option is the lean method, of which Kanban is a part. Kanban is the process of visualizing your workflow. The lean project management method is geared toward reducing waste and delivering value in a short period. Another commonly used method is scrum. Scrum references a simple framework employed by organizations, businesses or individuals, breaking down complex, overarching projects into smaller increments, with each part completed over a predetermined block of time which is known as a “sprint.” Others that you might consider include extreme programming (XP), critical path method (CPM) rapid action development, Six Sigma or a hybrid of two or more of these methods. All of these methods work well with project management software.

Is project management software secure?

As with most types of software, the best project management software programs offer many levels of security. When choosing this type of software, you want to look for security features that include two-factor authentication (2FA) or multifactor authentication (MFA), documentation that shows frequent security updates and patches, intrusion detection, the monitoring of user activities, data encryption and privacy protection.

Who are project managers, and what do they do?

For the best chance at success, every project needs an owner who is responsible for its completion and success. Project managers exist to fill this need, keep a team on task and ensure the project meets the needs of all stakeholders. This designation could be a subset of responsibilities—or an official job title.

A diverse range of industries requires the skills of a talented project manager. You can be a project manager in construction, publishing, finance, professional services, utilities and many other industries. Despite the final result of the projects looking very different across these industries, the steps and skills to keep a team organized fluently translate across the business world.

Next Up In Project Management

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• monday.com Review
• Asana Review
• Trello Review

Amy Nichol Smith spent more than 20 years working as a journalist for TV and newspapers before transitioning to software and hardware product reviews for consumers and small businesses. She has been featured in publications such as L.A. Times, Tom's Guide, Investopedia and various newspapers across the U.S.

Rachel Williams has been an editor for nearly two decades. She has spent the last five years working on small business content to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. She’s well-versed in the intricacies of LLC formation, business taxes, business loans, registered agents, business licenses and more.

Jeff Weide is the Academic Director of Health Informatics at University of Denver, Operations Manager for the COVID Rapid Response Program for CDPHE/Insight Global, and Owner/Founder of SHAPE Consulting, LLC. For 20 years, Jeff has been a project and program leader, strategic health leader, management consultant/coach, and process improvement facilitator. Other organizations that Jeff has worked with include Thomas Jefferson Health, Denver Health, STRIDE Health, PMI Mile Hi, Florence Crittenton, and the US Air Force. This variety of work has given Jeff insights on the multiple challenges facing project leaders, organizations, team members, and stakeholders.

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Refreshingly simple project management.

Basecamp’s the project management platform that helps small teams move faster and make more progress than they ever thought possible..

Got a process to track? Need to watch stuff move through stages? Basecamp’s Card Table is what you need. It’s our unique take on kanban.

Overseeing multiple projects? You could open each one to check its status. But there’s a better way to get the big picture view — it’s called Mission Control.

Leave the grind behind. Glide through projects instead.

It’s a struggle to juggle people, projects, clients, deadlines, and expectations — especially when you’re the underdog competing against larger companies. We’re like you, we get it. That’s why we built Basecamp .

In Basecamp, each project lives on a single page. With everything in reach, and every piece of information tracked and organized, everyone knows where to find what they need, and say what they need to say.

Here’s what project management in Basecamp looks like:

Not everything under the sun, just the stuff to get things done.

Besides unlimited projects, you’ll get pings for private conversations, reports to summarize the essentials, notification protections so you aren’t constantly distracted, a timeline showing you everything that’s happening, exceptional customer service , and plenty more to round it out.

Basecamp also helps you consolidate billing, cut costs, and simplify onboarding. When you use Basecamp you don’t need separate apps for chat, file sharing, tasks, or basic scheduling. No more bouncing around, losing stuff, wondering where someone put something, paying multiple bills or onboarding people in multiple places. Less isn’t more, it’s better.

With real-time Chat built into every Basecamp project, you can ditch whatever separate chat app you’re using (and save money, too).

With the Timesheet add-on, you can track time directly in Basecamp — no spreadsheets required.

Basecamp’s Lineup shows you where every project stands, from start to finish, all at once, on a single timeline. So clear.

A well-run company is part of the package, too.

Running a sane, sustainable business is part of our commitment to you. We’ve written bestselling books about our straightforward approach, and our employee handbook is public for everyone to see.

• 24 profitable, financially responsible years in business.
• Zero debt, privately held, and built to stay, not exit.
• 99.99% historical uptime , with full transparency.
• Gold standard, famously great customer service .
• Extensive learning library free for all customers .
• Full support for legacy products as well.

Email our CEO anytime, as well. He wants to hear from you.

Watch how a team of two organized and managed a company offsite for 80 people — simply using Basecamp for project management.

To-dos are straightforward, simple, and clear. Make lists, add items, delegate, discuss, and stay in the loop as work gets done (or know when it doesn’t).

Use a few other products too? No problem —  Doors let you link up other services you use right alongside Basecamp’s tools.

Schedule events, deadlines, and milestones so no one misses anything. Pull them right into the calendar of your choice, too.

The top choice of savvy teams looking for a big advantage.

Used by top notch marketers , ad agencies, designers, client services firms , consultants, software developers , freelancers, PR agencies , contractors, schools, non-profits , first responders, and many others. Over 75,000 organizations, across every industry imaginable, in 166 countries, use Basecamp for project management.

“I’ve used Basecamp for a million projects over the last decade and a half. It’s beautiful software that has resisted every wrong trend and stayed true to the things that mattered most. Highly recommended.” —Tobi Lütke, CEO, Shopify

Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell, a cartoonist for The New Yorker, used to keep her client notes, doodles, ideas, and invoicing scribbled on post-its, napkins, a pile of sketchbooks, emails and texts — then she discovered Basecamp for project management.

Instead of blasting emails across your organization, post messages on a centralized Message Board instead. Keep conversations centralized, organised, and accessible.

Instead of wondering what “73% done” really means, Basecamp’s Hill Charts give you a visual, intuitive sense of where projects really stand.

Every project has its own Docs & Files library to organize, share, and store docs, files, and images. Even if they’re in the cloud on other services.

Change for the better.

We asked our customers “What changed for the better since you switched to Basecamp for project management?” Thousands responded , here’s some of what they said:

“For the first time in a long time our team is truly collaborating, and everyone is moving in the same direction, with the same goals. It’s truly remarkable how quickly things have changed in just a week. ” Ryan Sullivan, WP Site Care

“This is the first time that the people in the organization are actually using project management app . And not looking at it as if it was a nuisance. It’s a tool, and a good one.” Evgeny Viner, Leadux GmbH

“ We are consistently meeting deadlines because all the facts, files and comments are in one place. And everyone is accountable for their contribution to the project. Very user friendly.” Kim Curry, Kim Curry Design

“ We have actually accomplished things that have been waiting forever to get done.” Danek Coffey, Coffey LLC

“I’ve tried a million things with clients. I work really closely with them, and finding something clients will use to collaborate with me is difficult. My clients just “get” Basecamp, right away, and use it all the time. ” Nathan Snelgrove, Wildfire Studios

“ Our company has grown immensely in organization and efficiency . We have everything organized according to clients, projects, employees, etc., resulting in clear and concise communication.” Katie Greathouse, Health Economic Advisors, Inc.

“The transparency across departments, and the ability to eliminate bottlenecks in projects that were not previously visible. Our throughput time on standard projects has decreased by 30% with Basecamp .” Rick Regole, iCONN Systems

“Simply put, we get more work done, quicker, and better. Productivity is up. Errors are down. Clients are happier. ” Patrick Sheffield, Moore Communications Group

“ Information is flowing like water. A lot more transparency. Everyone is on the same page and knows the same information at the same point in time. No more secrets, closed doors, and blindspots.” Aaron Bingaman, Penn State Office of Emergency Management

“It has eliminated the need for a lot of extra communication and reduced a lot of miscommunication between my team members .” Anthony Clark, Clark Partners Realty Group

“Execution of projects. Instead of drowning in an endless chain of emails, there is clear, and easy accountability meaning tasks actually get done! ” Roxanne Emery, LATE Nation & Gareth Emery

“Before Basecamp, I ran my freelance web development business basically from a spreadsheet, then I moved to Basecamp and my life is so much less stressful. Basecamp has increased my happiness exponentially. ” Patrick Krebs, Sad Robot Software

“I feel like I am better organized and more efficient because of Basecamp . It has also greatly increased our ability to collaborate on projects large or small and have a better idea of the project and all of its pieces, rather than just what I am responsible for.” Alex Jackson, Luther College

“I no longer have to wonder whether I’ve asked for something to be done or whether it has in fact been done. Every member of my team is more accountable than we were before Basecamp. ” John Drover, Roebothan McKay Marshall

With the “Timesheet” add-on, you can track time directly in Basecamp — no spreadsheets required.

View and filter timesheets across the account, and export the results as a CSV file.

Mission Control shows you which projects are on track and which ones need a helping hand.

Basecamp has chat built in so you don’t need to pay for a separate chat service like Slack.

Card Tables are for tracking work that moves through stages. It’s like kanban, only better.

Not everyone needs to know about things as they happen. Basecamp only notifies the people who need to know , so no one’s unnecessarily distracted.

Every project includes space to organize, share, and store docs, files, and images. Cloud or local.

Keep the entire conversation about a specific topic together on a single page.

In Basecamp, everyone sees the same version of the full conversation . This way everyone’s always on the same page. No more forwarding emails to bring people up to speed.

Since not everyone needs to know about things as they happen. Basecamp only notifies the people who need to know , so no one’s unnecessarily distracted.

Set up events, deadlines, and milestones so no one misses anything important — ever.

The powerful place to track work, deadlines, responsibilities, progress, and details.

Instantly understandable, impossibly powerful, Basecamp’s to-do lists do much of the heavy lifting for you.

Make as many lists as you want, assign as many people as you need, be notified when things are late or complete. It’s the full package in the simplest form.

We invented “Hill Charts” to give you a visual, intuitive sense of where projects really stand.

Progress is more like a hill than a straight line. Basecamp-exclusive Hill Charts provide a unique look into what remains to figure out (uphill), and what’s in production (downhill). Hmm, tell me more .

Invented here, and only available in Basecamp, Hill Charts are game changers. Once you use them you’ll never want to work without them again.

“The Lineup” shows you where every project stands, from start to finish, all at once.

Today’s always the line right down the middle , and each project has a start and end date on either end. This way you can see how much time remains on each one, relative to today, in a single glance.

Add a “Door” and link up other services you use right alongside Basecamp’s built-in tools.

Got a service you use that isn’t represented here? Get in touch and we’ll do our best to add it for you.

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15 Best Project Management Software Picked For 2024

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. I'm a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut!

Our reviewers evaluate software independently. Clicks may earn a commission, which supports testing. Learn how we stay transparent , read our review methodology , and tell us about any tools we missed.

As a project manager, I’ve tested, reviewed, and evaluated the most popular project management software to shortlist the best tools to manage and control projects and teams more effectively.

15 Best Project Management Software Shortlist

Here's my pick of the 15 best software from the 15 tools reviewed.

• 1. monday.com — Best for workflow automation
• 2. Celoxis — Best for Project Management with BI analytics and dashboards
• 3. Smartsheet — Best for stakeholder project views
• 4. Wrike — Best for large projects and scaling organizations
• 5. ClickUp — Best for task customization
• 6. Productive — Best for agency project management
• 7. Jira — Best for cross-team project tracking
• 8. Hub Planner — Best for resource scheduling
• 9. Bonsai Agency Software — Best for project, client, and finance management
• 10. Zoho Projects — Best for integration with Zoho Suite
• 11. Visor — Best for spreadsheet-based management
• 12. Quickbase — Best for process automation
• 13. Workzone — Best for comprehensive project visibility
• 14. Quire — Best for task breakdown
• 15. Shortcut — Best for uniting planning and development teams

Get free help from our project management software advisors to find your match.

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You need project management software to help your team manage, schedule, and organize tasks effectively. However, with countless PM software options available, finding the right tool for your team's unique needs and working styles can be both frustrating and time-consuming.

In this article, I leverage my experience with various PM tools to explore the project management software market on your behalf. Here, I have shortlisted the best software for project management on the market and determined their best use cases, making it simple and easy to find the right project management tool for you.

Why Trust Our Project Management Software Reviews

We’ve been testing and reviewing project management software since 2012. As project managers ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software.

We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different project management use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our project management review methodology.

Best Project Management Tools Comparison Chart

Review all the tools we just covered in this convenient table where you can see them side-by-side.

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

How To Choose Project Management Software

With so many different project management software solutions available, it can be challenging to make decisions on what project management software is going to be the best fit for your needs.

As you're building out your project management software requirements checklist , consider the following:

• What you want to use it for - Start by identifying the project management feature gap you're trying to fill. Then, clarify the features and functionality the PM software needs to provide. Once you do that, think of how that feature relates to your day to day activities. For example, you might need resource management (feature), but what you need it to do is let you identify which resource is free so you can assign work (activity). Even though most tools will have some flavor of RM, only a few will give you capacity planning filters.
• Who will need to use it - To evaluate cost and requirements, consider who will be using the software and how many licenses you'll need. PM software licenses usually include other types of read-only account access called guest accounts. Therefore, make sure you list how each potential user will be using the software so you can minimize costs.
• What other tools it needs to work with - Clarify what tools you want this tool to complement. This can include anything within your tech stack, such as communication, accounting, CRM, or HR tools. Then, list them from most important to integrate to least important and see if the tools you are considering connect with them. I would personally go one level deeper and ask/explore what type of information exchange is available once integrated.
• What outcomes are important - Consider the result that the software needs to deliver to be considered a success. Consider what capability you want to gain, or what you want to improve, and how you will be measuring success. For example, an outcome could be the ability to get greater visibility into project performance. Then, you could compare a) how long it takes you to get that information using your current methods vs the tool, and b) what decisions you currently make with that information vs the information that the tool can extract.
• How it would work within your organization - Consider the software selection alongside your workflows and delivery methodology. You will also need to analyze how tech-savvy and adaptable your organization is and if you have the right resources to handle the adoption phase. Remember every business is different—don’t assume that because a tool is popular that it'll work in your organization.

Honestly, it's a lot to digest—and there's a lot of pressure to get it right so I'd suggest using our project management software advisory service to help you shortlist software that'll be a good fit for you and your organization's specific needs.

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Best Project Management Software Reviews

Here’s my in-depth review and analysis of the best project management software. I’ll walk you through pros and cons, features and functionality, to help guide you to a better understanding of each tool’s capabilities and suitability for your projects.

Best for workflow automation

• 14-day free trial + free plan available.
• From $8/user/month, (billed annually).

monday.com is a work management platform that is highly customizable and can help you manage all kinds of projects and workflows.

Why I picked monday.com:  I picked this platform because it has the capacity to automate any type of workflow through customization. The automation center is a space where you can build automations from scratch, select templates that have predefined rules, and even leverage integrations to exchange information between monday.com and other tools in your tech stack.

However, while automations are great, you can also find plenty of features that support collaboration and wil help connect your team in many ways. Workdocs will invite teams to co-author documentation, forms will let you gather feedback from external stakeholders and users, and proofing features will allow your team to close feedback loops on deliverables.

monday.com Standout Features & Integrations

Standout features  include the workload view and App Views. Adding the workload view to your projects lets you see what all your resources are up to and a bubble chart indicates a resource's allocation. With App Views, you can bring your favorite apps directly to your project. For example, I was able to bring a Miro board as a view and have the results of my brainstorming session as a tab within my project.

Integrations  include pre-built connections to apps like Slack, Google Drive, DocuSign, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform and many more. Additionally, you can connect to thousands of additional apps via Zapier.

• Check out monday.com on their website
• Read my in-depth review of monday.com
• Explore best alternatives to monday.com

Pros and cons

• Easy to connect to other tools via integrations library.
• Automations are easy to create and require no coding.
• Can be customized to fit any workflow.
• Huge focus on collaboration
• The Gantt view cannot be used to build a project from scratch.
• Some views have trouble auto-updating.
• Most core project management features are in the Pro plan.

Best for Project Management with BI analytics and dashboards

• 14-day free trial + free demo available
• From $15/user/month (billed annually)

Celoxis is an all-in-one project portfolio management (PPM) software to seamlessly plan, track, and manage all your workflows on a customizable platform. It offers sophisticated analytics and dashboards, empowering teams to streamline their projects, resources, and workflows with business intelligence for making data-driven decisions. 

Why I picked Celoxis: I like that Celoxis allows users to create project plans, define tasks and milestones, allocate resources, and establish timelines. Furthermore, users can assign tasks to team members, track task progress, set priorities, and manage deadlines. Task dependencies and Gantt charts also help visualize the project timeline. 

Users can build dynamic project plans with automatic scheduling and inter-project dependencies to adapt to changing real-world conditions. You can also stay on top of your projects with health indicators, critical path analysis, and automatic email alerts for addressing problems. 

Furthermore, Celoxis' BI functionality is intrinsically aware of the project data, enabling users to quickly and easily prepare the necessary visualizations to support strategic decision-making. Celoxis also offers real-time visibility into budget spending, receivables, and profitability across projects and portfolios with profit tracking, revenue forecasting, and custom financial KPIs.

Celoxis Standout Features & Integrations

Features include resource management tools, budgeting, SOC 2 compliance, flexible deployment options, multilingual and mobile-optimized interfaces, and more.

Integrations include pre-built connections with Google Drive, Outlook, Microsoft Project, Excel, Salesforce and hundreds of other tools like JIRA, Azure DevOps, Slack & Trello.

Celoxis Plans & Pricing

Celoxis is one of the few project manager software programs to be available in both SaaS and on-premise. It offers flexible pay-per-use pricing tailored for teams of all sizes. 

• Check out Celoxis on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Celoxis
• Advanced reporting and analytics
• Highly customizable and flexible
• All-in-one solution
• No mobile app available
• May not be suitable for small teams or organizations with fewer than 5 employees

Best for stakeholder project views

• From $26/user/month (billed annually) + free plan available.

Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-like project management platform. It’s a nice platform if you’re comfortable working in Excel but want a break from complicated formulas, as Smartsheet performs all the calculations for you across multiple sheets.

Why I picked Smartsheet:  Despite its outdated UI, this is a robust platform with dozens of features and powerful functionality. The platform makes it easy for you to automate workflows and create work applications, which is the main reason I included it on my list. You have all the workflow automation capabilities that are available for all users. This module within the software lets you automate almost any activity you can think of in a visual drag-and-drop environment. A few examples include alerts for change of status, automated approval requests, and responding to update requests from your email or Slack.

Additionally, you have the software's work applications. WorkApps is a no-code platform where you can build apps from a template or directly from sheets, forms, reports, and even external content. I personally liked that it gives you the ability to tailor how each user or group of users gets to experience the project by having access only to the information that is relevant to them and presented in a way that helps them do their jobs.

Smartsheet Standout Features & Integrations

Features  include Bridge - a business process automation builder that can help you build workflows in a no-code interface and dashboards that can give you a real-time view of your KPIs, critical trends, and summary reports. Additionally, the tool has a Brandfolder integration available that can work seamlessly with Smartsheet if you need a digital asset manager. As part of the Smartsheet family, this is a differentiator for companies who produce large amounts of digital files and need to easily sort them and retrieve them with ease.

Integrations  include Microsoft and Google apps, as well as development essentials like Jira, and useful business apps like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Slack, Box, and Tableau. The platform is extensible through a REST API and webhooks.

• Check out Smartsheet on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Smartsheet
• Explore best alternatives to Smartsheet
• Easily customizable dashboards.
• Sheet-to-sheet linking.
• Integrated proofing and approval tools to collaborate with your team.
• Outdated UI that affects ease of use.
• Onboarding is non-existent when you first get your account.
• Can't customize chart colors.

Best for large projects and scaling organizations

• Freemium version available
• From $9.80/user/month, (min of 2 seats)

Wrike is an all-in-one project management software with powerful features that can support small and large projects at any organization as it scales.

Why I picked Wrike: I picked this tool because it has been in the market for almost two decades and is trusted by companies like Procter & Gamble, Lyft, and T-Mobile. Wrike has many features that I find useful in digital project management, like proofing and approval workflows and blueprints. This last one lets you save a project with its tasks and keep it as a template for future projects that follow the same structure.

Additionally, Wrike's automated workflows help teams with repetitive tasks. Its AI features can even make smart suggestions for workflow automation based on repetitive tasks that your team engages in. Its AI features also offer content creation, editing, risk predictions, task creation, and summaries of task comments. Wrike also offers 24/7 global support and assistance with onboarding for easier platform adoption.

Wrike Standout Features & Integrations

Standout features include its proofing comparison mode and access to Wrike Labs. Wrike’s comparison mode is incredible. It allows you to overlap two versions of the same file on top of each other and use a scrollable bar to toggle between one and the other. It is amazing when you need to provide feedback on subtle changes to a deliverable. Users can also fully personalize their dashboards with widgets like activity streams and pivot tables.

Integrations  in Wrike include 400+ pre-built native integrations that include Asana, Airtable, BambooHR, Chargify, Clearbit, HubSpot, Jenkins, Mailchimp, Replicon, Salesforce, and Slack. Additionally, you can build custom automations using its API.

• Check out Wrike on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Wrike
• Explore best alternatives to Wrike
• Worldclass onboarding through video walkthroughs.
• Right-click context menus allow you to do more with fewer clicks.
• AI features are available in all plans at no extra cost
• Wrike can quickly become expensive
• 2FA is locked behind the enterprise plan.
• Integrations come at an extra cost, regardless of the plan.

Best for task customization

• 14-day free trial + free plan available
• From $7/user/month

ClickUp is one of a handful of megatools in project management. It has hundreds of features, offers the flexibility to customize almost every aspect of its platform, and has the mission to help you be more productive so you can dedicate that extra time to more impactful work.

Why I picked ClickUp:  I selected ClickUp because of how well they approach the idea of making an app that replaces all others. The features included in this software make it an option for remote teams since they mainly encourage collaboration. From the ability to tag people in conversations to collaborative documents and whiteboards that help users co-create, I really believe that you won't need to leave this platform unless it's to bill the client.

I also thought it was cool that you can access an in-app chat and proofing features that can help you streamline approvals on marketing collateral with the client.

ClickUp Standout Features & Integrations

Standout features  include ClickUp Pulse and the tray dock. Pulse is a ClickApp that you can enable and will help you get your hand on the pulse of a remote team. This view allows you to see user's activity across the platform. It provides you with a breakdown of how many users were online at what time (in your timezone), who's online and who's not, and the tasks that they've recently worked on. The tray dock is one of my favorite features since the latest update as it is a space within ClickUp where you can keep documents and tasks pinned to a bottom bar for easy access. Saves you tons of time navigating the platform.

Integrations  include native ones with Slack, HubSpot, TogglTrack, Figma, Loom, Sentry, G Suite, Dropbox, Clockify, and Calendly. Additionally, you can connect to another 1,000+ apps using a paid membership with Zapier. Finally, if making custom integrations is within your reach, there is a public API you can use for it.

• Check out ClickUp on their website
• Read my in-depth review of ClickUp
• Explore best alternatives to ClickUp
• Improved performance after its latest upgrade to ClickUp 3.0
• Low price compared to the number of features it offers.
• Great knowledge base with helpful articles and tutorials.
• AI is available for an extra fee, regardless of the plan.
• Requires considerable time investment to set up the platform.
• Free version becomes read-only after reaching limits.

Best for agency project management

• 14-day free trial
• From $9/user/month

Productive is an all-in-one project management software designed for agencies. It offers comprehensive tools for managing projects, resources, budgets, and client relationships, all within a single platform.

Why I picked Productive:  Productive stands out as a good project management software because of its extensive and integrated features that cover the entire project lifecycle. The platform's project management capabilities include detailed task tracking, Gantt charts for visual timeline management, and a robust workload feature to balance team assignments effectively. 

The software also provides real-time budgeting and profitability tracking, enabling managers to stay on top of project costs and ensure profitability. Additionally, Productive offers tracking and invoicing features for accurate billing and financial transparency as well as resource planning for allocating team time and skills effectively.

Productive Standout Features & Integrations

Standout features  include a Sales CRM that helps manage client relationships and sales processes, providing a complete view of the sales funnel. The platform also includes a comprehensive reporting module, which offers customizable reports for in-depth analysis and decision-making. Furthermore, Productive’s automation capabilities help with repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more strategic activities.

Integrations  include Jira, Slack, QuickBooks, Xero, Trello, Zapier, Google Drive, Sage, BambooHR, Gusto, and HubSpot.

• Check out Productive on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Productive
• Robust resource planning and tracking capabilities
• User-friendly interface that simplifies project management tasks
• Comprehensive features for financial management and reporting
• Initial setup can be time-consuming
• Could have more integrations

Best for cross-team project tracking

• 7-day free trial + free plan available
• From $7.16/user/month (billed annually, min 5 seats)

Jira is a project management tool designed to facilitate issue and project tracking across various teams, providing a unified platform to plan, organize, and monitor work. Its ability to align tasks with company goals and offer customizable workflows makes it particularly effective for cross-team project tracking.

Why I picked Jira:  The platform can manage work with powerful agile boards, such as Scrum and Kanban, and provide out-of-the-box reports and insights. These features facilitate a clear visualization of workflows and help in breaking down complex projects into manageable tasks. The tool is versatile and can be used by various teams, including agile, bug tracking, DevOps, product management, business, and software development teams.

Jira supports multiple project frameworks and offers project flexibility, allowing teams to choose between team-managed or company-managed projects. It also integrates with other tools and platforms to facilitate collaboration and communication within teams. Furthermore, the ability to customize workflows is particularly beneficial for teams with unique processes.

Jira Standout Features & Integrations

Features  include timelines, drag-and-drop automation, milestones, dependencies, company objectives, lists, boards, backlogs, unified timelines, language and process customizations, and real-time data for project visibility. Additionally, the AI feature suggests tasks automatically to help teams accomplish their big ideas.

Integrations  include AdobeXD, Invision, Figma, Gliffy, Draw.io, Balsamiq, Lucidchart, Miro, Jenkins, GitHub, Slack, Zendesk, Trello, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, Confluence, and more.

• Check out Jira on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Jira
• Dynamic progress tracking
• Agile and scrum management
• Customizable workflows
• Initial setup may be challenging
• Learning curve for new users

Best for resource scheduling

• From $7/user/month (billed annually)

Hub Planner is a project management and resource scheduling software that helps you manage your team's projects as well as their time.

Why I picked Hub Planner: This software made my list because it's especially good for resource planning and employee time tracking. I like that you can plan your projects with the budgeting system, which covers internal and external billing rates as well as project spend. Dependencies also allow you to connect projects with one another and monitor overlap in resource utilization.

Resource planning is ultimately the heart of the platform, and where it truly shines. I think it's useful that you can create employee schedules and do capacity planning to make sure each project is well-resourced. Employees can track their time in the system, keeping track of billable and non-billable hours and the time required for various tasks.

Hub Planner Standout Features & Integrations

Features include the software's skills matching capabilities. You can find resources based on the specific skills needed for projects and tasks, and then assign staff to projects based on their workloads and capacity. I also found the drag-and-drop scheduler quite handy and easy to use.

Integrations include DIY options via the Hub Planner API and webhooks. Additionally, you can access thousands of apps using a Zapier account.

• Check out Hub Planner on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Hub Planner
• Project budgeting included
• Well-suited to professional service companies
• Resource management included
• Project management is not the primary functionality
• Somewhat rudimentary task management

Bonsai Agency Software

Best for project, client, and finance management

• Free trial available
• From $10/user/month

Bonsai is a comprehensive business management platform designed to consolidate multiple functions, from project management to client and financial management.

Why I picked Bonsai:  As a project management software, Bonsai uniquely caters to the multifaceted needs of agencies, consultancies, and professional service providers. Its streamlined interface allows users to manage projects from inception to completion, integrating tools for drafting proposals, managing contracts, and processing payments. This integration reduces the need to switch between multiple tools, enhancing efficiency and reducing errors. 

Furthermore, Bonsai stands out with its robust time tracking and financial reporting features. These tools help businesses keep a close eye on project hours and budgets, which is crucial for maintaining profitability. The platform also supports multiple currencies and tax settings, which is invaluable for those working with international clients. 

Bonsai Standout Features & Integrations

Features  include workload management and utilization to provide you with a clear picture of how your team and projects are progressing. Bonsai also offers automated invoice generation, which simplifies the billing process by allowing users to create and send invoices directly within the platform. Additionally, the task management tool enables users to assign tasks, projects, and clients to different team members and external collaborators, set deadlines, and track progress, ensuring projects stay on schedule.

Integrations  include Gmail, Google Calendar, Zapier, Slack, QuickBooks Online, Calendly, ClickUp, Trello, Google Drive, Google Sheets, Xero, HubSpot, and more.

• Check out Bonsai Agency Software on their website
• Automation for repetitive tasks
• Simple online scheduler
• Client portal available
• Lack of advanced features
• May not be best for scalability

Zoho Projects

Best for integration with Zoho Suite

• 10-day free trial
• From $4/user/month (billed annually) + free plan available

Zoho Projects is a project management application that can handle projects of all sizes and levels of complexity. The tool comes with features that imitate social networking sites such as feeds, forums, and discussions, and is available on mobile for iOS, Android, and other systems.

Why I picked Zoho Projects: For project planning and monitoring, Zoho Projects' Gantt chart features let you break large projects down into manageable sections and actionable tasks, plan and visualize different tasks and milestones, and create tasks lists to help you plan in better detail. Zoho Projects' Gantt charts can also be used for resource allocation, so you can visualize your project schedule and the team's workload. The resource usage table tells you who is available, who is busy, and who is overloaded.

With Zoho Projects, you can define dependencies between tasks and assign them to the right people, schedule events in your calendar, and monitor the percentage of work that's been completed once the work has begun. Automate routine tasks at regular intervals by setting up a recurring task, and set reminder emails for tasks.

You can also create or download project documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, as well as upload and share files for team collaboration. Record the hours spent on tasks and compare them with what you had originally planned. This can be done manually or with the help of an integrated timer. Entries are automatically recorded in your timesheet, and generating invoices from this information requires only a few clicks.

Zoho Projects Standout Features & Integrations

Features include task management, task automation, blueprints, time and issue tracking, reporting, and forums for detailed discussions with your team.

Integrations.  Being part of the Zoho ecosystem allows you to connect to several of Zoho’s other services such as Zoho Books and Zoho’s finance suite. The new Zoho marketplace allows 3rd party integrations as well, like Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Zapier, Zendesk, and ServiceNow. Integrations via Zapier and Zoho Flow are also supported.

Zoho Projects Plans & Pricing

Zoho Projects costs from $5/user/month and comes with a 10-day free trial. They have a freemium version for up to 3 users and 2 projects.

• Check out Zoho Projects on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Zoho Projects
• Time-track multiple tasks at once
• Robust communication features
• Easy workflow automations
• Unlimited number of projects
• Lack of file type export options
• Lacks some reporting features
• Does not integrate with Quickbooks

Best for spreadsheet-based management

• Free plan available

Visor offers a flexible project management platform with custom workflows, project roadmaps, and collaboration tools. The tool helps you create free and colorful Gantt charts and spreadsheets that connect to SaaS apps like Jira.

Why I Picked Visor: This software provides several collaboration features for busy project teams, including the ability to assign tasks and responsibilities to team members. I picked it because it allows team members to focus on specific project components while keeping others informed of their progress. With the drag-and-drop interface, task lists can be easily customized, due dates can be set, and notes or comments can be added for further context. I like that within the project workspace, users can share files, send messages, and make comments.

Visor offers a distinctive collaboration feature by displaying a comprehensive view of project progress. By showing completed tasks, upcoming deadlines, and potential roadblocks, team members can quickly identify areas needing attention and take appropriate measures. I find that this feature assists teams in staying on schedule, decreasing the possibility of missed deadlines or delays.

Visor Standout Features & Integrations 

Features include Visor's two-way syncing to SaaS apps ensures that your charts and reports stay accurate without manual work. Its 2-way sync also allows you to build workbooks that can combine information from multiple tools in one place and create multi-app workflows. 

Integrations include Jira Software, Salesforce, and Hubspot. You can also import data from Google Sheets and Excel.

• Check out Visor on their website
• Live support via phone & video call
• Free unlimited viewer-only accounts
• Free plan for 2 workbooks & 5 views each
• May cost extra for monthly integration sync credits
• Unlimited audit trail locked to highest plan

Best for process automation

• 30-day free trial + free demo available
• From $35/user/month (min of 20 users)

QuickBase is a project management platform that focuses on workflow design, automation, and compliance. It provides a no-code application builder to help you craft and manage various business processes.

Why I picked QuickBase:  This software made it onto my list because of its versatility and customizability. Because it's such a flexible tool, it can be applied in all different types of work settings and contexts. You can use it to build clear, streamlined processes for your teams, creating consistency and ensuring standardized best practices are followed.

In addition to outlining your core workflows, you can also automate parts of them. The builder allows you to not just map your applications but also to automate tasks and develop integrations with other tools as needed. This helps you alleviate manual workloads, reduce the risk of manual error, and streamline how work gets done across your organization.

QuickBase Standout Features & Integrations

Features  include the software's 'starter apps' and app 'components'. These are tools that help you speed up the creation process. Starter apps are ready-made applications you can implement quickly at your business, while components are pre-configured elements of applications you can piece together to build a bespoke app more quickly. This is super helpful for getting applications up and running in a timely manner.

Integrations  include Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Trello, Asana, Jira, Zendesk, and Docusign, among others.

• Check out Quickbase on their website
• Highly customizable and flexible to suit various contexts
• On-premise options with enterprise level plans
• FDA & HIPAA compliance with higher-tier plans
• Some features come as paid add-ons
• Not all integrations are available with all plans

Best for comprehensive project visibility

• From $25/user/month

Workzone is a great project management software for marketing, agency and operations teams of 10+ users. It's powerful yet still easy to use and adopt. It's been used and developed for 20 years, so the company has built some really useful features. If you’ve had difficulty adopting a tool in the past, Workzone provides every customer with unlimited support run by experienced trainers.

Why I picked Workzone: Some of Workzone's noteworthy features include a useful all-projects dashboard, personalized to-do lists, and an interactive Gantt chart. Workzone also offers secure file management and creative review tools, customizable project intake forms, workload management, time and expense tracking, and powerful reporting. Flexible permissions allow for giving different levels of access to different users, providing extra layers of security and control.

For new teams who aren't used to working with a project management software, Workzone is a smart choice because they assist in implementing the software—their team helps your team build the foundation, processes, and discipline you need to get the most out of the software and use it to manage projects successfully. Their level of support is hard to find—they offer needs assessment, success planning, setup and customization, training, and ongoing coaching.

Workzone Standout Features & Integrations

Features include a high-level project dashboard, task and budget management, built-in workflow templates, and unlimited adoption training for your teams.

Integrations are available with standard industry software, including various communication, IT, file sharing, time tracking, accounting, marketing, and CRM software. You can extend Workzone’s functionality through their extensive APIdeveloper API and Zapier.

• Check out Workzone on their website
• Easy template creation from existing projects
• Thoughtful collaboration so you don’t have to dig for comments
• Portfolio-to-task level visibility with robust filtering
• Waterfall and board views are separate
• No video mark-up tool
• Delayed tasks negatively affect independent tasks on the timeline

Best for task breakdown

Quire is an award-winning project management software for remote teams that aims to simplify workflows and encourage communication and collaboration. It is trusted by hundreds of thousands of users all over the world, including those from big companies across diverse industries such as Google, IBM, Dyson, Nasdaq, and Stanford.

Why I picked Quire: I chose this software because it's built for teams that struggle to take big goals and make them more manageable. I can see how it will help you with this by creating and tracking tasks and subtasks within each greater project item. Three main view modes in Quire include a nested task list view, Kanban view, and timeline view. Quire also helps users manage and track their tasks regardless if they are solo users or working as a team.

Quire Standout Features & Integrations

Features include a Gantt chart builder, task templates, sorting & filters, data search, and customizable tags, and task management. I like that the team collaboration and project management features include file sharing, attachments management, comments on tasks, multiple assignees, real-time updates, and a flexible reporting suite.

Integrations include Slack, Github, Google Workspace, Microsoft, and many more tools, as well as thousands of integrations through Zapier (paid plan required).

Quire Plans & Pricing

Quire is free to use for 16 projects and 10 users. Paid plans start from $8.95/user/month and come with a 30-day free trial.

• Check out Quire on their website
• Read my in-depth review of Quire
• Easy to customize
• Intuitive user interface & dashboard
• Excellent for time tracking
• Free to use
• More integrations needed
• Mobile app not as robust as web
• Additional communication tools welcomed

Best for uniting planning and development teams

• From $8.50/user/month

Shortcut is a comprehensive project management tool designed to integrate product and engineering workflows, offering features such as Kanban boards, sprint planning, roadmaps, and goal tracking. 

Why I picked Shortcut:  I picked Shortcut because it caters uniquely to product and development teams with its Kanban-style interface, which provides a clutter-free and intuitive experience for managing tasks and workflows. This visual approach to task management allows teams to easily track progress, identify bottlenecks, and ensure that projects stay on schedule.

The integration of Kanban boards with other tools like issue tracking and sprint planning also makes it easier for teams to manage their workflows and collaborate. The software also offers advanced reporting tools that provide data-driven insights into project progress, team performance, and potential roadblocks. These insights are crucial for project managers to make decisions, forecast delivery, and ensure that projects align with company goals. 

Shortcut Standout Features & Integrations

Standout features  include roadmaps that provide a comprehensive view of project timelines and workloads, facilitating effective communication and alignment among teams. The automation feature helps teams save time by automating repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on more critical work. Additionally, data-driven Insights offer valuable information to monitor team performance.

Integrations  include Slack, GitHub, GitLab, Google Drive, Dropbox, Google Calendar, Figma, Zapier, ProductBoard, Miro, Zendesk, Notion, and Box.

• Check out Shortcut on their website
• Clear project progress visualization
• Efficient workflow automation
• Good integration capabilities
• Free plan limited to one team
• Could offer more customization for workflows and dashboards

Other Project Management Software

Below is a list of additional PM tools that I shortlisted but did not make it to the top 15. Definitely worth checking them out.

• Microsoft Project
• MeisterTask
• Teamwork.com
• Planview Clarizen
• FunctionFox
• Tempo Portfolio Manager

Other Types Of Project Management Software

Check out our list of project management tools we've identified and tested for specific industry use cases or with particular features.

Project Management Software For

• Construction
• Consultants
• Freelancers
• Individuals
• MacOs Users
• Manufacturing
• Remote teams
• Small Business

Project Management Software With

• Cloud-Based Deployment
• Client Portals
• Google Calendar Integrations
• On-Premise Deployment
• Visual planning

Related Project Management Software

If you still haven't found what you're looking for here, check out these tools closely related to project management software that we've tested and evaluated.

• Resource Management Software
• Workflow Management Software
• Time Tracking Software
• Task Management Software
• Collaboration Tools
• Productivity Tools

Video Walkthrough Of Project Management Tools

Check out our video on the top project management tools:

Selection Criteria For Project Management Software

Selecting the best project management tool requires a detailed analysis of its features and how well it meets specific use cases. My approach is rooted in extensive personal experience, having tried and researched numerous online tools for project management. Here’s how I evaluate these project manager tools, broken down into specific criteria, each with its own set of weightings to reflect their importance in the overall selection process.

Core Features (20% of final scoring)

We test core features to see how well the project planning tools can perform the core functions and jobs to be done. This allows us to discount and discard project management tracking tools that advertise for a specific use case but don't have the functionality to back it up.

For project managing software, the core functionalities we test and evaluate are:

• Task Management Tools (4%)- The ease with which you can create tasks, subtasks, dependencies, and milestones. Also, the ability to track tasks, adjust assignees and due dates, and create custom fields.
• Collaboration (4%) - The ways in which the project tracking tool has added features to bring teams closer. This can include interactions and mentions in comment sections, collaborative docs, in-app chats, proofing modules, and forms to gather stakeholder information.
• Time Tracking (4%) - I analyze how the project planning tool has deployed time tracking features. This includes the availability of time tracking throughout the app, where the information is stored, if there are timesheets associated to it, and other forms of tracking work spent on tasks.
• Resource Management (4%) - The project manager tool's capacity to show you the people in your team, the tasks they are assigned to, and if they are overallocated or not. Therefore, this part of the evaluation looks at a combination of effort setup, time tracking, and reporting through workload views.
• Document Management (4%) - This section includes the management project tool's ability to handle attachments, filter through them, and create documents for your projects.

Standout Features (20% of final scoring)

We evaluate uncommon, standout features that go above and beyond the core features defined, and typically found in cloud-based project management tools. A high score reflects standout features that will make work faster, more efficient, or offer additional value.

Ease of Use (10% of final scoring)

We consider how quick and easy it is for the primary user to execute the tasks defined in the core features. High-scoring project management tool software will be well designed, intuitive to use, offer mobile apps, provide templates and make relatively complex tasks seem simple. A low score means the PM software is difficult to use .

Onboarding (10% of final scoring)

We know how important rapid team adoption is for a new online project planning tool, so we evaluate how easy it is to learn and use the software with minimal training. We evaluate how quickly a team member can get set up and start using the project management online tool with no experience. High scoring software indicates little or no support is required.

Customer Support (10% of final scoring)

We review how quick and easy it is to get unstuck and find help by phone, live chat, or knowledge base. Project tracking tools that provide real-time support score best, while chatbots score worst.

Integrations (10% of final scoring)

We evaluate how easy it is to integrate with other tools typically found in the tech stack to expand the functionality and utility of the project management tools online. PMO tools offering plentiful native integrations, and API access to build custom integrations, score best, those with no integrations score worst.

Customer Reviews (10% of final scoring)

Beyond our own testing and evaluation, we consider the net promotor score from current and past customers. We review their likelihood, given the option, to choose the program management tool again for the core functionality. A high scoring PMO tool reflects a high net promotor score from current or past customers.

Value for Money (10% of final scoring)

Lastly, in consideration of all the other criteria, we review the average price of entry level plans against the core features and consider the value of the other evaluation criteria. A project management tracking tool that delivers more, for less, will score higher.

Through this comprehensive approach, focusing on core functionalities, standout features, usability, onboarding, customer support, value, and customer reviews, I aim to identify tools for project management that not only meet but exceed expectations, ensuring teams have the best tools for project management that they need to succeed.

Trends In Project Management Software for 2024

As of 2024, tools for managing software are evolving rapidly, reflecting a clear trajectory toward more intelligent, flexible, and integrated tools in project management. Here, I have identified several key trends and features shaping the future of project management technologies.

• Increased Integration with Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is becoming a cornerstone of tools for project managers. These capabilities allow users to leverage natural language to generate status updates automatically and draft goals with AI assistance, enhancing decision-making and efficiency​ ​. Features like machine learning algorithms are also becoming critical for task prioritization, intelligent resource allocation, and proactive risk assessment. Tools like Hive are even using AI to create personalized templates so you don't have to spend much time looking for one that fits your needs. Simply state the type of project, a couple of your requirements, project duration, and the AI takes over creating a full project for you.
• Advanced Blockchain Applications for Security: The incorporation and adoption of blockchain technology in project management programs is a notable trend. Blockchain enhances project security and data integrity, offering tamper-proof project records and secure financial transactions. This increases transparency and accountability throughout the project lifecycle​.
• Enhanced Integration Capabilities: The seamless integration between project management systems and other key tools (e.g., CRMs, Accounting Tools, etc.) signifies a trend toward creating more cohesive ecosystems. This interoperability facilitates better collaboration between technical and non-technical teams and streamlines workflows by syncing tasks and communications across platforms​ ​. Monday even offers an interesting variation to integrations by making them into views that you can embed in your projects.
• Focus on Customization and Flexibility: Features like Capacity Planning, Goal Templates, and Custom Project Icons point to a growing emphasis on customization. These updates allow organizations to tailor the software more closely to their specific processes and goals, improving resource management and aligning success metrics across teams​ ​.

Most Rapidly Evolving Features

• Smart Workflows and Onboarding: AI-driven features are rapidly evolving, with developments in Smart Workflows and Smart Onboarding designed to automate and optimize project setup and team ramp-up processes. This reflects a push towards leveraging AI for not just task management but also for streamlining project initiation and team integration​ ​.
• Automated Time Tracking: Project tracking software solutions are increasingly offering Automated time tracking tools to ensure time tracking compliance from their teams. They provide real-time insights on team workloads, enhance project efficiency, and can contribute to accurate project budgeting and resource management.

Novel and Unique Functionality

• Smart Digests and Bundles: Unusual yet highly practical features like Smart Digests offer summaries of project changes over specified timeframes, providing quick catch-up capabilities. Bundles, which allow for the application of rules, fields, sections, and task templates across multiple projects, represent a novel approach to scaling project management practices efficiently​ ​.

Most Important and In-Demand Features

• Capacity Planning and Goal Setting: The ability to visualize staffing trends and create standardized goal-setting processes are among the most sought-after functionalities. These features cater to the pressing need for better resource allocation and clear, measurable objectives within project management​ ​.

Features Becoming Less Important

• Feature-Less Platforms: While not explicitly mentioned, the emphasis on AI and integration suggests that standalone, manually-intensive features are becoming less important. The shift towards automation and intelligence indicates a lesser demand for features that do not leverage these advancements to simplify or enhance user experiences.

The evolution of project management software in 2024 is characterized by a stronger reliance on AI, enhanced integration with other business tools, and increased customization to meet the specific needs of organizations. These changes emphasize efficiency, adaptability, and a holistic approach to team management using the tools of project management.

What is Project Management Software?

Project management software is a tool to help individuals and teams plan, resource, manage, schedule, and organize project tasks and resources to deliver projects efficiently and effectively. Collaboration features keep team and tasks organized, helping to hit milestones, align on deliverables, deliver within budget and timeline constraints, and ultimately meet project goals.

By consolidating project planning, task management, resource allocation, time tracking, and communication into a single tool, personal project management tools allows effective management and control of project variables. Project organization tools can also provide real-time visibility into project status, enabling project managers to make quick decisions and adjust a project to keep it on track.

Features of Project Management Software

PMO software tools stand as a cornerstone in the realm of project planning, execution, and monitoring. Simple project management tools can equip teams with the necessary tools to align their efforts, meet deadlines, and track progress effectively. Selecting the best tool for project management for your team involves understanding the key features that contribute to a streamlined project management process. Here, I highlight the most crucial features to look for when searching for a project managment tool to solve your specific needs.

• Task Management - This feature allows for the creation, assignment, and tracking of tasks. It's vital because it helps in breaking down projects into manageable activities, ensuring that every team member knows their responsibilities.
• Time Tracking - Time tracking enables the recording of the amount of time spent on tasks. It's essential for monitoring project progress, estimating future tasks more accurately, and ensuring time is efficiently allocated.
• Collaboration Tools - These tools facilitate communication and collaboration among team members. They're important because they ensure everyone stays informed and can contribute ideas and feedback in real-time, fostering a cohesive work environment.
• File Sharing and Document Management - This feature allows for the centralized storage, sharing, and management of project documents. It streamlines access to project materials, ensuring that all team members have the latest versions of documents. Some PM software even offer more complex DAM functionality.
• Resource Management - It's crucial to ensure that projects stay within budget and that resources are optimally utilized. Resource management helps in allocating and tracking resources such as budget, personnel, and project deadlines.
• Project Planning and Scheduling - Project timelines, calendars, and Gantt charts help you track progress and know where tasks fit within the broader scheme of a project. This includes features for creating project plans and schedules. It's important for setting realistic timelines, ensuring that projects have a clear roadmap to ensure that deadlines are met. Some PM software are even designed explicitly for project scheduling .
• Reporting and Analytics - Reporting tools provide insights into project performance, resource utilization, and more. They're essential for making informed decisions, identifying trends, and adjusting strategies as needed.
• Risk Management - Risk management features help in identifying, assessing, and mitigating project risks. They're vital for anticipating potential issues and implementing strategies to address them proactively.
• Integration Capabilities - The ability to integrate with other tools and software is important for ensuring a seamless workflow and minimizing the need to switch between different platforms.
• Project dashboards and reporting: Project tracking features are essential to successful project delivery. It’s essential to know how a project’s tasks are progressing—will it be delivered on time or not and what are major blockers that
• Mobile Accessibility - Mobile accessibility ensures that team members can access the project management system from anywhere. It's essential for maintaining productivity and allowing for real-time updates and communication, even on the go.

Choosing project software with these features can significantly enhance a team's ability to manage workloads, meet deadlines, and track project progress effectively. It's not just about managing tasks; it's about empowering teams to work more cohesively and efficiently, ensuring that every project is a step towards success.

Benefits Of Project Management Software

By leveraging the top project management software, businesses can effectively coordinate their resources, keep track of project progress, and ensure that their projects are completed within the stipulated time and budget. Here are five primary benefits of project organization tools:

• Enhanced Collaboration : Tools used in project management can foster a collaborative environment by providing a central platform for team members to communicate, share documents, and track project updates. This centralized communication eliminates misunderstandings and ensures everyone is on the same page.
• Improved Project Planning : Effective planning is crucial for successful project execution. The best tools to manage projects offer features for scheduling, resource allocation, and milestone tracking, enabling users to create more realistic and achievable project plans.
• Better Resource Management : Allocating resources efficiently is key to project success. Users can view resource availability, manage workloads, and prevent over-allocation, ensuring optimal use of both human and material resources.
• Enhanced Risk Management : Identifying and mitigating risks is easier with a software management tool. It can provide functionality for risk assessment, tracking, and response planning, which helps in minimizing the impact of potential issues on the project.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making : With real-time data and analytics, project planning software enables informed decision-making. Users can track performance metrics, analyze trends, and make adjustments to keep the project on track and within budget.

Good project management tools can have a transformative impact on how projects are managed and executed. Moreover, analysts predict that the project management platform market size will continue to expand as remote work becomes more prevalent.

Costs & Pricing For Project Management Software

Other than features, pricing is likely the biggest factor to consider when choosing project management planning tools. PM software costs can vary widely; however, pricing plans typically fall into similar categories and price points across the market.

It is important to understand these categories as you evaluate your options to balance the features you need with a price that suits your budget. The last thing you want is to pay a premium price for common features or features that you won't use.

Here's a breakdown of typical project management plan options and their pricing to help you determine which type of plan will be right for you:

Plan Comparison Table for PM Software

Take the time to analyze different plans, their offered features, and how they align with your organization's needs and growth to get a sense of the software market and determine what you are willing to pay.

As a general rule of thumb, it is a good idea for smaller teams or those new to project management to start with Basic plan or even a free project management tool, which can offer essential features without overwhelming complexity. As your team grows or your project needs evolve, upgrading to Intermediate or Advanced plans can unlock more sophisticated tools and customizations.

Common stages where your company may want to upgrade their pricing plan include:

• Team Expansion: When a company is hiring more employees or forming new teams, the current pricing tier might not support the increased number of users.
• Project Volume Increase: As a company takes on more projects simultaneously, they may move to a higher tier with more comprehensive project management features and higher data capacity.
• Advanced Feature Needs: A company will often upgrade when it requires advanced features such as enhanced reporting or security features.
• Storage Requirements: An increase in project-related files can push a company to upgrade to a tier that offers more storage capacity.
• Client Management: As a company scales and manages more clients, the need for advanced client management tools can prompt a move to a higher pricing tier.

Ultimately, the right project management software plan for you should balance functionality with budget, ensuring that the tool you select meets your current needs and can scale with your organization.

New & Noteworthy Product Updates

Below you’ll find our release notes and take on the latest and greatest project management software product updates. Discover what’s now possible through feature releases, improvements, and updates on web, desktop and mobile apps. Learn what’s new, if it’s hot - or not, and why it matters for managing projects. 

May 2024: Project Management Software Updates

monday.com Update Notes

On May 9, monday.com announced an update to WorkForms. With this update, forms now have an additional option within the 'form restrictions' section that allows you to set a password that will protect your form from unwanted access.

Protecting your forms might be of interest to you if you are using sensitive information in any of the fields.

ClickUp Update Notes

On May 9, ClickUp announced that you can finally import more document types into your ClickUp files. With this new option, you can import .docx documents, Google Docs, HTML, and markdown files.

The option to import documents can be found in a workspace's settings, the Docs Hub, the sidebar, or by going to the settings inside a ClickUp Doc.

March 2024: Project Management Software Updates

Monday.com Update Notes

On March 27, Monday.com released some great new filtering options for their burndown charts which now allow you to filter your burndown chart by People or Status Columns. This is a super handy and powerful tool for project managers to get better insight into the team and project.  

Being able to filter a burndown chart like this in Monday.com Dev can give you more detailed insights into individual contributions of the team and overall project progress. For you as the PM, this also now gives you the opportunity to optimize resource allocation, identify and address bottlenecks, and ensure tasks are evenly distributed, which can help you prevent burnout on the team. 

With this latest release from Monday.com Dev, you’re going to be able to use the data in predictive analysis for more accurate planning and better stakeholder reporting, ultimately giving you the chance to boost team morale by highlighting the impact of each team member's work on the project's success.

Verdict: Hot! Predictive analysis is getting big, so it's good to see Monday.com jumping on the bandwagon.

ClickUp released several updates on March 1st, including an enhanced GitHub integration for easier management within ClickUp workflows, real-time Sidebar updates for Lists and Folders without the need to refresh, and additional features for an improved user experience. These upgrades are excellent for enabling more efficient workflows, better collaboration, and keeping everyone on the same page with automated updates.

Like most integrations, ClickUp's enhanced integration with GitHub is primarily designed to save time. For example, being able to link GitHub issues and pull requests to ClickUp tasks allows users to manage commits, pull requests, and branches directly from ClickUp. This means that you can keep the information you need and track your projects all in one place.

Linking GitHub commits, pull requests, and issues to ClickUp tasks​ can also help you set automations based on GitHub triggers, such as changing ClickUp task status when a GitHub pull request is merged, meaning that you can stop focusing on mundane tasks and start focusing on bringing value to your project.

Verdict: Hot! Real-time updates are key to making an impact while working remotely.

Wrike Update Notes

On March 25, Wrike introduced a new option to create items directly from the context menu using blueprints. This enhancement is a big time-saver—it helps streamline the item creation process in both Table and Board views, making it easier to access and use blueprints across the platform.

As great as saving time is, though, it's useless if the product is no good. Luckily, this blueprints update also ensures that tasks, projects, and folders are created with a consistent structure, reducing errors and inconsistencies. This is particularly beneficial for teams that handle multiple projects or tasks that follow a standard procedure or template.

Having consistent, predefined blueprints can also help facilitate easier collaboration, since everyone can refer to the standardized templates for guidance on executing tasks and projects. This can be an especially helpful point of reference for new team members, making onboarding easier for everyone.

Verdict: Not. This update does save time, but automation is the bigger trend right now.

Zoho Project Update Notes

In March, Zoho Projects transformed its Resource Utilization chart into a new and improved Workload Report. This new report aims to optimize and understand a team's entire workload, not just basic resource utilization, making it an overall better resource for understanding your team's tasks and availability, making projects more efficient and keeping your team from burning out.

The Workload Report includes features to group tasks with a variety of filters, such as "task owner" and "roles", which can help you tailor your view of the project's workload to get the exact information you need, when you need it, to make crucial resource management decisions effectively and efficiently.

You can also determine exactly how you want to view this information so that it matches your working style. Specifically, if you just can't make heads or tails of a Gantt chart, there is a new timeline view to help you oversee your project resources quickly and easily.

Verdict: Hot! A complete makeover is ambitious, but definitely worthwhile!

February 2024 Project Management Software Updates

Kintone Update Notes

Kintone implemented a number of updates in February, including changes to prevent retrieving or replacing non-numeric values for numeric fields in the Kintone JavaScript API, introducing the API Lab as a dedicated space for new features in development, and releasing improved administrator settings with clearer role descriptions.

This upgrade is more technical, but it still offers significant benefits to the user. In short, this update introduces strict rules for what can be considered valid input for Number fields, including handling positive and negative signs, decimals, and exponentials using specific characters. Values that are not explicitly permitted are treated as invalid, and attempting to set such a value will result in an error. This is great for preventing potential data integrity issues that could arise from accidental non-numeric inputs— and helping you stress less about making mistakes.

The introduction of the API Lab in Kintone's February updates is also a strategic enhancement meant to improve the developer experience and foster innovation within the platform. It gives developers early access to upcoming features, offers a direct channel for them to provide feedback on new features, and allows them to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in application development.

Verdict: Hot! Giving developers what they need is vital for future success.

QuickBase Update Notes

In February, QuickBase introduced several enhancements and a new feature for Pipelines, including a show/hide feature for password inputs to enhance security, faster pipeline loading times, a makeover for the My preferences page in Pipelines, and a new token-based authentication method for the FastField Pipelines channel. These updates aim to make the Pipelines feature faster, easier, and more secure to use.

For example, the new keyboard navigation enhancements enable you to select field values and manage the canvas view without relying on mouse clicks, which means you can reduce your manual inputs and general interface interaction, streamlining the workflow overall and improving your personal productivity.

QuickBase has also modernized its user interface, offering a sleeker, more visually appealing, and user-friendly experience. In addition to being easier on the eyes, this update streamlines the process of adjusting preferences, making it more intuitive and less time-consuming so you can get on with your work.

Verdict: Hot! Automation is seriously trending right now.

On February 15, ClickUp released several new features, including ultra-fast Universal Search on mobile, customizable shortcut commands in search, improved inbox sorting and quick actions, and new integrations for developers. These features are great for making navigation and work management significantly easier.

For example, ClickUp's customizable commands in the Command Center allow you to create personalized shortcuts for common tasks, such as opening URLs and copy-and-pasting content. This makes performing common tasks significantly faster, meaning that you can devote your time and energy to more important work.

On February 23, ClickUp also introduced Timesheets for time tracking, the ability to create tasks in filtered views seamlessly, and integration of various apps to Universal Search for a unified search experience across all connected apps. All of these updates continue to help make ClickUp more customizable and efficient, helping you to be as productive as possible.

Verdict: Not. Having time tracking and project management features in one place is great, but not particularly innovative.

January 2024 Project Management Software Updates

V isor Update Notes

As of January 23rd, Visor now allows users to see the latest Jira comments in directly within the Visor platform. This integration is particularly great for teams that rely on efficient workflow and communication to manage projects and tasks.

In particular, having a centralized platform for both task management and communication minimizes the risk of miscommunication—a big issue rarely accounted for directly within technology. Comments and discussions being visible to all relevant team members also fosters a culture of transparency and accountability.

On January 25th, Visor also introduced an improved view orientation, which enhanced the platform's navigational interface and visualization capabilities, enabling users to customize and optimize their view of data and projects. This can help you adjust your views to your work style and help you navigate through large data sets and complex project timelines more easily, saving you a lot of time and frustration.

Verdict: Not. Improved communication and easy navigation are vital basics, but that's just what they are—basic.

QuickBase's January release made user token hashing available for the Business plan, improved the Platform Analytics API, introduced a new field in Admin Console for Access, added additional confirmation when adding encryption keys, and introduced formula checker improvements in open beta. It also announced a tighter FastField integration and a new email-building experience, with opportunities to participate in beta programs for these features.

QuickBase's improved Platform Analytics API is great for businesses and developers looking to leverage data analytics for better decision-making. After all, the improved API can help you get into the nitty-gritty of your data and pull comprehensive analytics directly from your applications, making application performance monitoring and general data analysis faster and easier, which can help expedite your decision-making process.

QuickBase's tighter integration with FastField can also simplify the process of collecting data from the field and managing it within QuickBase by automatically and seamlessly importing into QuickBase applications, reducing manual data entry and the associated errors and allowing you to analyze data in real-time.

Verdict: Hot! Who doesn't want better data and more security?

Zoho Projects Update Notes

On January 9, Zoho Projects introduced Zoho Projects 8.0. Compared to its previous iteration, Zoho Projects 8.0 introduces several notable improvements, including an enhanced user interface with a more intuitive and streamlined design, making it easier for users to navigate and access project information.

Zoho Projects 8.0 also provides advanced analytics and reporting capabilities to keep you consistently up-to-date on project performance, resource utilization, and budget tracking and allowing you to identify bottlenecks, optimize workflows, and make informed adjustments. Plus, customizable dashboards and personalized views can help you create a tailored and focused overview of their projects that can help you understand your key metrics in your preferred style.

Zoho Projects 8.0 has also expanded its integration options. Whether it's integrating with Zoho CRM for seamless customer data management, or connecting with popular tools like Slack or Google Drive, Zoho Projects 8.0 can be used as a central hub for project management, keeping everything you need organized and in one place.

Verdict: Hot! There's nothing like a new-and-improved fresh start.

Project Management Software FAQs

Here are some of the frequently asked questions I receive about project management software.

Why Use Project Management Software?

If you don't want to find yourself drowning in an ocean of notes, Slack messages, and spreadsheets, you need to use project management software. Successful project execution has never been more important and project management software provides the tools you need to streamline processes, optimize resource usage, and make data-driven decisions.

Let's review some specific reasons you should consider implementing a PM software solution.

Key Business Functions Supported by Project Management Software

• Resource Management:  See exactly who's working on what and ensure your team doesn't get overbooked. Identify resource bottlenecks early on and avoid costly delays.
• Collaboration and Communication:  These tools create a central hub for project updates, files, and communication. Stay aligned, reduce email overload, and improve team clarity.
• Scheduling and Task Management  Break projects into manageable tasks with clear dependencies and deadlines. Visual tools like Gantt charts provide a clear view of project timelines.
• Risk Management:  Anticipate potential issues and develop mitigation plans. Keep an eye on your project's health to avoid roadblocks that can derail progress.
• Budgeting and Cost Tracking:  See exactly how project spending aligns with your initial budget. Manage costs efficiently to prevent overruns and maximize profitability.
• Reporting:  Create dashboards, reports, and insights that inform stakeholders and help you make better decisions based on data.

Project management software is truly a game-changer, and here's why you, as a project manager, should be excited to use it:

• Enhanced Efficiency:  Streamline workflows to cut down on wasted time and resources. You'll get more work done with the same budget and team.
• Improved Visibility and Accountability:  Get a real-time picture of project progress. This transparency helps you make timely interventions and ensure everyone stays on track.

If you're not already using a tool to manage projects, I strongly encourage you to start exploring your options. It will equip you with the tools you need to consistently deliver projects on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

You can find more details on each of these items in the 8 reasons to use project management software .

How Do You Implement Project Management Software?

Implementing project management software will look very different depending on the size of your organization.

• For a small company , it’s counting how many people need access to the software, buying the licenses, and configuring the product.
• For a mid-sized organization , it triggers a change management project. You have to plan for a new tool because you may already have a system in place. This system (good or bad) currently works, and people are used to it. Therefore, a PM tool implementation involves meeting with the users affected by the change and getting buy-in from stakeholders.
• For a large corporation , it means change management plus strategy. At an enterprise level, your decision on a new tool implementation involves reviewing the tool and how it impacts the users, projects, company goals, and strategy. Add to that the security requirements of an implementation of this scale, and suddenly it’s not that straightforward.

Whatever the size of your organization, I suggest you schedule a demo and meeting with the vendor. Then, ask for available training services and if they support the initial product configuration. Finally, run some numbers and make sure you have enough money to support this implementation and a bit more (planning for growth).

Please note that this is the case for online project management software and not on-premise project management software . Hosting services on your servers will require extensive planning, no matter the company size.

What Can You Do With Project Management Software?

Project management platforms allow you to streamline your work.

• You can collaborate with your team in a centralized platform, comment on tasks, tag people who need to get involved in the conversation and have stakeholders interact with the project through portals or guest accounts.
• Using tools to manage a project can also give you visibility to everyone on the team of the project timeline. This will help keep your team aligned and alert them when the timeline has shifted.
• PM software lets you automate parts of your work that are repetitive, such as pinging individuals when a task is completed, or approvals are received. Nowadays, workflow automation is a feature that more vendors are trying to incorporate into their offering.

Should I Choose Software Based on My PM Methodology?

The short answer is yes. Your PM methodology will directly relate to the features you need to complete projects successfully. Therefore, it will influence your choice of software to use.

A traditional methodology like Waterfall, will demand you have access to a task list, dependencies, and milestones. Meanwhile, an agile methodology like Kanban will require a board view where you can visually arrange tasks according to project stages or collaboration features that allow your team to coordinate efforts better.

Having said that, if you are familiar with project management pricing, you can already tell that a Kanban board view is a feature that prevails in higher-tier plans. Consequently, it will impact your budget and, ultimately, your decision of which software to choose.

What is the Easiest Project Management Software to Use?

Easy project management tools are both that is easy to use and easy to learn. Although this might be different from person to person, I do have a list of some tools that fit this criteria, like Wrike, monday.com, and Hive.

In this list of the easiest project management software , I compare them and give them start ratings based on ease of use and available documentation.

What is the Best Project Management Software for Small Business?

The best project management software for small business is Zoho Projects or any other simple project management tool like it. A solution that offers a decent amount of features for a low price per user, and can scale with you as you grow.

What is the Best Project Management Software for Large Organizations?

The best software for large organizations is one like Adobe Workfront. A software that keeps your information safer than the secrets inside Area 51. Also known as enterprise project management solutions , this is the top-tier offering of any vendor and usually requires you to schedule a demo before you have access to pricing information.

Find Adobe Workfront's pricing here .

What is the Best Free Project Management Software

Honestly, there aren't any really good options for free project management tools if you are managing projects with a team. If you're managing a project by yourself, you'll find a few free online management tools that offer free plans for 1 user. If you are interested in a list of free and freemium options, have a look at our list of project management free tools. However, you'll often find that free project management software isn't really free - it always has its limitations. While some restrict the number of users, others limit the number of projects, file storage space, or offer less knowledge support for you to learn to use the software.

If you're really strapped for cash, you can use Google Workspace or Microsoft Office (Excel, PPT, and Word) if your company is already paying for it. But you're going to find it tough.

Otherwise, open source project management software exists, like ProjectLibre, but it comes at a cost, usually in terms of usability and functionality. Being community supported, free versions have limited functionality and without paying, do not have the customer support level of a paid tool. The open-source learning curve tends to be a little steeper since there's less support for community versions of the software.

Can Project Management Software Support Hybrid Work Models

Many modern project management tools are designed with flexibility in mind, accommodating both in-office and remote team members . These tools typically offer features like cloud-based access , real-time updates, and integrated communication tools to ensure that teams can collaborate effectively, regardless of location. Look for tools that emphasize collaborative features and have strong mobile and web interfaces.

How Do Project Management Tools Facilitate Team Collaboration

Project management software often includes features such as shared task lists, integrated messaging platforms, document sharing, and real-time editing capabilities. These features enable team members to communicate, update each other on progress, and work on documents simultaneously, thereby enhancing collaboration.

The best tools for facilitating team collaboration are those that provide a centralized platform where all project-related information and communication can be accessed easily.

Industry-Specific Tools

While most common project management tools are designed to be versatile and applicable across various industries, some tools cater specifically to certain sectors by offering specialized features.

For example, construction project management software might include tools for on-site reports, while software development project management tools might focus on code repository integration. It's beneficial to research tools that are tailored to your industry’s unique needs for more effective project management.

Security and Data Privacy Within Project Management Software

Security and data privacy are critical in online task management tools to protect sensitive information, comply with regulations, build trust, prevent unauthorized access, maintain data integrity, ensure business continuity, and minimize both internal and external threats.

Therefore, improper security measures mean this data can be vulnerable to unauthorized access, theft, or breaches, potentially leading to significant financial and reputational damage.

Here are some of the security features you can expect to see:

• Compliance with European standards:  With GDPR came a revolution in how SaaS companies handle data privacy for their customers. The common theme is for these companies to work with the hosting services of massive companies, like Amazon, and have servers in different parts of the world.

Author's Tip

Some vendors allow you to select the location where you would like your instance to be hosted. Make sure you ask.

• Data encryption:  Data encryption to keep your information hidden from 3rd parties. This encryption is normally in transit and at rest. This means your information is protected while being sent or simply stored.
• Security certifications:  Expect the vendor to be certified in ISO 27001, SOC2 Type I, Type II, CSA STAR, and similar.

Some vendors will be more transparent than others when displaying their security and data privacy information, but they all have it. If you cannot see that right away, ask for clarification during your demo call.

What's Next?

Choosing a project management software can be very hard. Remember that if you want to have more information about a specific use case, you can always schedule a demo with the vendor. This will clarify how the tool can solve the particular problems you are trying to solve.

The Digital Project Manager has tons of useful content to help you win at work! You can stay up to date by subscribing to the Insiders Newsletter. New content and interesting PM-related conversations will drop into your inbox every week.

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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: $9 per user per month billed annually, or $12 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available.
• Business: $19 per user per month billed annually, or $24 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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Manage projects, resources and tasks online as a team.

Project management tools for top performing teams

Gantt charts.

The most powerful, interactive and simple to use Gantt chart features.

Manage tasks with a straightforward list view.

Online project dashboards

Know instantly if your projects and your team are on track.

Kanban boards

Organize work with drag-and-drop cards and custom columns.

Portfolio management tools

See all your projects and keep them aligned with portfolio management.

Project timesheets

Online timesheets are easy for your team and even easier for you to approve.

Workflow automation

Automate workflows for quality control and faster processes.

Use the mobile app to manage your projects from anywhere.

Execute any project process or methodology on one platform

Project planning.

Create and share project plans online with multiple views for your team.

Project scheduling

Schedule tasks and review team workload across all your projects.

Critical path management

Quickly filter our Gantt charts to find the critical path for your project.

Project reporting

Build reports and monitor dashboards.

Resource management

Plan and schedule your resources for projects.

Project tracking

Monitor and track with features that make evaluating a project easier.

Task management

Empower your team with easy task management tools for all their projects.

Agile project management

Work together with multiple project views that help maintain flexibility.

Online project planning tools

Plan, schedule and share your projects online with award-winning Gantt charts by ProjectManager. As team members update their assigned tasks, their changes are shown across our project management tools.

• Schedule milestones and dependencies
• Drag and drop timelines for quick changes

More on planning tools

Web-based task management tools

Choose from a number of task management tools to manage your work, including task lists, kanban boards, sheets and calendars. With ProjectManager’s cloud-based project management tools, team members can collaborate on tasks from anywhere.

• Share files, add comments and attachments
• Organize tasks from multiple projects

More on task management tools

Real-time project dashboards

Project dashboards tell you at a glance whether your project is on track. Task, cost and time tracking data is displayed in charts that both project managers and team members can understand and use.

• Track tasks, budgets and teams
• No complex set up required

More on the dashboard

Award-winning project portfolio management tools

Manage multiple projects.

PPM tools like roadmaps and portfolio dashboards make it simple to manage multiple projects and programs. Get real-time business intelligence across your organization with our web-based project management tools.

• Organize projects into programs & portfolios
• Create plans with interdependencies

More on PPM tools

Resource management tools

Manage resources and team workload across all your projects. Know at a glance if the right resources have the right amount of work. Even account for holidays in the project schedule.

• Track resource utilization and project costs
• Set availability and balance workloads

More on resource management tools

Online timesheets that save time Track time, log hours and populate timesheets within one project management system. Timesheets can be auto-filled with last week’s tasks for fast, easy time tracking.

• Create timesheet reports for detailed analysis
• Streamline project budgeting and payroll

More on timesheets

Project reporting tools

Create project management reports with the push of a button. Project managers can report on status, availability, time, variance and more. Review and export as a PDF, Word or Excel file.

• Customize reports with interfaces
• Get the insights to hit your project goals

More on reporting tools

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Integrate with over 1,000 business & project management apps.

Manage tasks right in your Gmail app. Plus, sync to Google Drive & your Google Calendars.

Seamless importing and round-tripping of Microsoft Project plans, Excel files and CSV files.

Keep the data flowing when you connect with Salesforce via our Zapier integration.

Share all your project conversations in your favorite Slack channels.

View and update all your ProjectManager tasks in Jira for maximum efficiency.

For more advanced integrations, take advantage of our custom API.

Powerful for managers. Flexible for teams.

Trusted by 35,000+ users worldwide.

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Automations & AI

Mobile apps

Request forms

A range of views

Visibility is mission critical for project management, but everyone digests information differently. That’s why we provide a range of views so you can visualize project progress, adjust resources quickly, and keep stakeholders informed. Try our industry-leading Gantt charts or easy-to-use Kanban boards .

Automations

Intuitive automations

We’re in the business of cutting out busywork so you can focus on the work that matters most. Turn repeatable workflows into automatic processes with just a few clicks. Check out Wrike’s full suite of Work Intelligence® features to take your team’s productivity to the next level.

Android and Apple app

Fully functional mobile apps

Access the entire Wrike platform from the palm of your hand, online and offline. Packed with every powerful feature and functionality, the Wrike app helps you access real-time updates from anywhere. Work your way via a laptop, desktop, tablet, or cell phone — the choice is yours.

Analytics & Dashboards

Real-time dashboards and analytics

Our project dashboards help teams drive results. Understand plans, progress, analytics, and more — focus on minute details, or get the big picture fast. Create reports with a variety of metrics, calculations, and KPIs so you can quickly visualize key results.

Proofing and approvals

Streamlined proofing and approvals

Proofing assets and seeking approvals sucks up time that could be better used to accelerate growth. Our proofing tools allow for side-by-side comparisons and real-time feedback on your document or video, so you can then automate approvals to maximize your time.

Custom request forms

Get the information your team needs to hit the ground running with our customizable request forms. Automatically generate projects, tasks, workflows, and more with dynamic request forms that are designed to save your team time and energy.

Powerful enterprise-ready solutions

Wrike is the all-in-one platform that allows teams to scale smoothly with global support, industry-leading security, and a wealth of resources to help teams tackle complex work.

Enterprise-grade security

Every Wrike user can enjoy complete peace of mind with Wrike’s enterprise-class security — included in all plans. 

Integrate Wrike with your existing security functions and choose your preferred level of protection including double encryption, role-based access control, user authentication, and multiple privacy verifications. Need extra comfort? Add Wrike Lock so you can own and manage your own encryption keys.

24/7 global support

Wrike offers award-winning support to customers around the world in different time zones — up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Choose the perfect package that meets your needs, size, and budget.

Maximize Wrike’s benefits by accessing a wide range of in-depth guides, articles, webinars, and demonstrations on all the latest productivity-boosting features.

Easy onboarding

Get started with Wrike in a matter of minutes, with an intuitive interface that features natural navigation, attractive design, and effortlessly smooth adoption. 

Our professional services team will ensure a smooth onboarding process including migrating from current work management tools, sharing best practices, and providing support as needed.

Your all-in-one solution for every team

Every day, Wrike eliminates inefficiencies for 2.4 million people. Imagine what you could do with 360° visibility, seamless collaboration, and time-saving automation.

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Marketing and creative.

Wrike supports marketing and creative teams as they create projects, campaigns, and assets of every kind — all from one place.

Streamline incoming requests, customize briefs, and automatically assign ownership

Collaborate with internal colleagues and external clients to accelerate feedback and signoff

Visualize results, plans, and workloads through detailed dashboards and powerful analytics

Wrike helps professional services teams, consultants, and agencies organize multiple projects and clients in one single source of truth.

Manage incoming requests and streamline workflows with automation

Track billable hours, monitor budgets, and issue internal and external reports

Visualize resources, manage allocations, and balance workloads with ease

Wrike equips project managers of all types with everything they need to align strategy and OKRs with the execution of projects and programs.

Visualize progress using Gantt charts, Kanban boards, calendars, tables, charts, or reports

Reduce risk and avoid roadblocks with intelligent AI recommendations

Standardize processes with automation, blueprints, and customizable workflows

IT and Engineering

Wrike helps IT ops, software engineers, and more streamline, manage, and automate service requests to deliver better work faster than ever.

Automate routine IT processes to accelerate time-consuming manual tasks

Manage sprints, support tickets, and security approvals with custom fields and workflows

Execute sprints, maintain continuous momentum, and unify communication in one source of truth

Wrike provides end-to-end support to product management teams who need to centralize work and communications in a single source of truth.

Design your own unique workspace with custom fields, statuses, and workflows

Manage sprints, backlogs, and user stories with custom fields and customized workflows

Optimize Agile workflows to assign tasks easily, hit targets consistently, and deliver quickly

Wrike enables marketing, business, and product operations teams to accelerate approvals and collaborate seamlessly with other teams.

Create 360° project visibility with customizable dashboards, Gantt charts, and Kanban boards

Standardize teams’ processes using blueprints, templates, automation, and more

Balance team workloads and keep burnout at bay with our easy-access Workload view

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Save time and launch projects or campaigns in seconds with Wrike’s range of pre-built templates — all fully adaptable to help you get to work faster than ever.

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Wrike’s award-winning Work Intelligence® engine is purpose-built for work, helping organizations manage complex cross-functional workflows, reduce manual tasks, and focus on their most important work.

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Connect your existing apps and workflows with pre-made integrations available for 400+ popular apps, plus custom integrations for more advanced users.

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Stories from our customers

“Everyone is in Wrike daily; we’ve built one story and one version of the truth. And that is a game changer for us. Now we do our project reviews in Wrike: no more need for presentations, word documents, or any of this additional work.“

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Project Management

• Best Web Based Project Management Software in 2024

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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: 01 Sep'24 2024-09-01T14:56:32+00:00

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

• 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 

Facts & Expert Analysis

• 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.

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 based project management software.

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.

Check out our project management courses and grab a limited-time offer. Registration available now!

Top Web Project Management Services

What Makes the Best Web Based 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.

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 — Overall Best Web Based Project Management Software

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; All prices per user
• Enterprise-level features.

2. ClickUp — Solid Web Project Management Software for All Business Types

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

3. Asana — User-friendly Web Project Management Software

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 — Web Project Management Software With Automation Features

More details about Smartsheet:

• Pricing : $9 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 — Affordable Web Based Project Management Software

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! 

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15 Best Project Management Tools in 2024

Praburam Srinivasan

Growth Marketing Manager

May 15, 2024

Start using ClickUp today

• Manage all your work in one place
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As a project manager, I’ve learned one thing for sure—this job is not for the faint-hearted. 

A typical day in my life is a constant whirlwind of racing after deadlines, juggling resources, and engaging stakeholders—each of these is an uphill climb (especially the last one when you have tricky clients). 

In my early career years, I struggled with even the basics. Between scrambling to meet client and stakeholder requests and trawling through reports and analytics, I’d end up missing an important to-do or two. Or three. You get the drift. 

Luckily, I eventually figured out how to make work (and life) easier with project management software. I now have solid processes and systems in place and use tools and automation to do a lot of the heavy lifting for my projects. 

Based on my experience and the research and testing done by our team at ClickUp, we’ve compiled a list of 15 best project management tools.

So, without any further ado, let’s get started!

Benefits of Using Project Management Tools

Top features to look for in a project management tool, 5. zoho projects, 6. monday.com, 8. basecamp, 9. smartsheet, 10. adobe workfront, 11. microsoft project, 12. teamwork, 13. celoxis, how to choose a project management tool, organize work with project management tools.

I’ll start by providing some information about the importance of this kind of software and what to look for when making your tool shortlist.

Here’s an overview of why I cannot over-stress the importance of project management tools . 

Increased efficiency

Project management tools will help you maximize your efficiency and productivity. They can simplify complicated workflows and automate repetitive tasks, freeing up your time to apply your mind to real work.

Moreover, they help you build a single source of truth for everybody involved in the project. This way, you won’t have to deal with differences in reports from different sources or field conflicting information requests from teams. 

I have used this software to set reminders for pending tasks, set up automated workflows based on conditional logic, and create custom access to project documentation for different stakeholder types. Think of them as an extra pair of hands for your project management assignment.

Enhanced organization

Organization is the backbone of efficient project management. Whether managing documents related to project planning or implementing change management, project management tools help me stay organized. Pair such a level of organization with project visualization capabilities, and there’s your formula for success! 

Work centralization

I shudder when I remember toggling between Google Sheets, Outlook email, Slack, Microsoft Word, Notion, Jira, and a few dozen other tools in a typical workday. Life gets easier when all project-related activities and information are available in one centralized hub . From project briefs to progress updates to meeting invites, these tools consolidate information in one place and make it accessible to authorized stakeholders. 

I don’t have to coordinate with different teams and departments for data or updates. Everything is available in a single location because everybody uses the same platform. There’s a lot to be said for not switching screens constantly!

Faster and improved collaboration

Many hands make light work has been my motto, and I’m sure all project managers will agree. However, orchestrating a collaborative work platform is no easy task. Interestingly, project management software gets this job done, too. Many tools today include features like file sharing, chat, and other forms of communication between teams. This brings teams together in a shared workspace where they can work as a team. 

This can be a huge advantage, especially among remote teams. I work with people distributed across three continents, and I like that we can communicate async without messing up anybody’s schedule.

Improved resource management

Project management systems are project managers’ eyes and ears. I’ve used them to track team workloads (you want to ensure balance), identify resource requirements, address bottlenecks, and allocate resources dynamically to keep things moving.

By keeping my finger on this pulse, I can offer my teams the proper support at the right time to ensure success. Plus, I no longer have to worry about anybody burning out from overwork.

Proactive risk mitigation

Having done this for a few years, I have had my fair share of run-ins with risk. Fortunately, you can avoid risk to a large extent with the right project management solutions. They offer a bird’s eye view of the project and its underlying activities, and you can set things up so you get notified if something is off.

Having a clear overview of the progress made and holdbacks, if any, helps me prepare for any risks or offset them proactively.

Data-driven insights

When you manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders, you’ve got to know your numbers. We use project management tools to track project performance, health, and status. I like to set up dashboards for all critical metrics and benchmark performance.

With interactive dashboards that update in real-time, you can also ensure your team and stakeholders are on the same page. It enables sharper decision-making and course correction. Also, it’s hard to doubt yourself (or your capabilities) when you have data by your side!

Transparency and accountability

I don’t like—or want—to micromanage my team, but I do need to know things are on track. I’ve found that the best project management tools can help create a sense of ownership . Accountability is automatically built when you’re tagged on the platform as the task owner.

Using project management software also promotes transparency since all updates and performance data are available to the team. You’ll find team members stepping up and showing their leadership qualities.  

Resilience and adaptability

Projects can be unpredictable; sometimes, what starts as a plan for a minor feature turns into an entire product revamp or release. In such cases, I want a solution that meets my changing requirements . Most project management tools scale with your needs. This allows you to build on existing features and capabilities and cherry-pick the additional functionalities as your team or business grows.

Not all project management tools are created alike. 

Project managers may use free project management tools for simple projects or enterprise-grade resource management tools for complex requirements. They may use them for time tracking or project planning. The possibilities are endless.

For this reason, you must select a suitable set of features. To simplify this selection, I’ve categorized the top features to look for in a project management tool into three themes: core functionalities, advanced features, and additional considerations. 

Core functionalities

The core functionalities of such a tool include:

• Task management: We use task management features to create, assign, and manage tasks, set due dates, define priorities, and highlight dependencies. Breaking larger projects into smaller tasks helps in effective task management
• Collaboration features: As projects become more participative, you want project management software with collaboration tools. The platform should bring teams together on the same virtual page, sharing documents and conversing. Pick something that helps teams be teams. In fact, I’d recommend getting a few team members to do the product trials with you before finalizing the tool
• Knowledge management: Any project management tool contending for the top spot must offer intuitive and customizable ways of creating, managing, and sharing documentation . I have often found searchable, editable, and sharable project briefs, SOPs, templates, wikis, etc., to be a game-changer in a project’s success 
• Planning and scheduling: Remember what I said about project management tools being your eyes and ears? In that vein, you want project planning and scheduling features so you can see all the tasks at various stages. At the very least, you want to have Gantt charts, task lists you can translate your WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) into, time tracking, budgeting, workload analysis, and the ability to add milestones and dependencies
• Artificial intelligence: AI tools were once a nice-to-have feature for a project manager but are table stakes now. All leading project management software today comes with AI capabilities to help you get more out of available data and resources. From fueling informed decisions to automating and accelerating workflows —AI in project management is an absolute game changer

Advanced capabilities

The advanced features take care of project complexities to cover:

• Resource management: Project managers must allocate and move resources around based on changing project demands. Whether it is shared resources like tools and platforms or limited resources like talent or budget, resource management features are a must in a tool for productivity and performance. This also includes time tracking, goal tracking among others
• Reporting and analytics: Data analysis and reports help track and manage project health and performance against goals. It is helpful to have data-backed real-time reports and dashboards that calculate time spent, cost incurred, value earned, etc. Interventions powered by this data keep everything on track
• Automation: “I love spending hours on grunt work,” said no project manager yet! We love productivity tools that help us automate routine and repetitive tasks. Automated updates and workflows minimize manual work without compromising on speed or accuracy
• Customization: The ideal project management software will let you customize workflows, dashboards, and project views to fit your team’s specific preferences or needs. For example, we use custom fields to capture project-specific information and define access control to manage project details

Additional considerations

Project managers looking for the best solution will also have additional considerations like:

• Integrations: Working with tools that connect easily with each other is another level of peace. Check if the project management software integrates with other apps, platforms, and systems like CRM, accounting software, etc. Also, see if these are native integrations or will need a third-party tool
• Data security and privacy: If you’re late to this party, consider this: 7 out of 10 global consumers are worried about their data privacy. So, ensure that the platform offers adequate data security and privacy controls to enjoy absolute ownership of your data
• Scalability : I touched upon this earlier. Whether working on a product or a feature, you want something that will grow with your project—and vice versa. So, evaluate whether the project management tool can scale up or down in response to your changing needs. Also, scalability can be horizontal and vertical; review the software on both lines to get more bang for your buck
• Ease of use: You may be a digital native comfortable with technology and project management tools. However, you will also be working with stakeholders who may not be as technologically adept. Test your preferred project management tools for intuitiveness and user-friendliness (to ensure adoption) and simple navigation (to maximize usability)
• Pricing: Whether you select a pay-as-you-use subscription model or a license fee, accounting for the face value investment would be a rookie mistake. Calculate the comprehensive cost —including one-time costs, recurring expenses, and even add-ons—and check whether it fits your budget and team size

Read more: The different types of project management software

The 15 Best Project Management Tools to Use in 2024

We’ve tested several project management software solutions to identify the best of the lot. Here’s a high-level view of the project management tools at a glance:

With that out of the way, let’s examine each of the 15 project management solutions and see what makes them special.

Best AI-powered versatile project management tool

I stumbled upon ClickUp’s project management solution by accident. It was circa 2020 when everyone was looking for remote project management tools to get work done, even in the middle of a global pandemic. I was weighing my options around that time, and ClickUp was also finding its feet.

Despite my initial hesitation, ClickUp impressed me with some neat project and task management features, document organization, progress tracking, etc. I liked that I could do a lot even with a free account—you can add unlimited users and tasks to their Free Forever plan.

That said, what I most appreciate about ClickUp is how it has developed over the years. The speed of updates and new releases at ClickUp is amazing. I’ve witnessed features being added and the user experience becoming more user-friendly, and now they’ve added AI, too. The 3.0 version feels like their best yet.

However, what truly stands out is the AI tool—ClickUp Brain.

AI-powered project management

While some of the other project management software we’ll discuss later have AI baked into them, ClickUp Brain , the AI assistant, is in a league of its own.

ClickUp Brain connects your entire digital infrastructure—from people to tasks to documents within ClickUp and even all connected apps. This has helped our business tech stacks become increasingly navigable and searchable. 

The AI Knowledge Manager can give us contextual and instant answers about anything within and connected to ClickUp. 

As an AI Project Manager, ClickUp Brain automates tasks, shares progress updates, fills data into tables, and generates summaries. It can even automatically suggest and create sub-tasks for your tasks and remind you when something is overdue. I love being able to generate stand-ups and meeting summaries in a single click. 

The AI Writer for Work has made my work 10x easier. Here’s how:

ClickUp Brain can write and edit for you based on your prompts. If you don’t have one, you can choose from the collection of 100+ role-based prompts . It also improves your writing with built-in grammar and spell checks, generates quick replies to messages, and transcribes audio files.

But that’s not all ClickUp offers; its other project management features are just as powerful.

Effective task management

ClickUp allows you to organize your project details in a hierarchical format across Space, Folder, Lists, Tasks, and Subtasks. It also lets you add checklists, subtasks, and custom fields to tasks for granular tracking .

I like being able to define relationships and interdependencies at a task level so I never miss an essential to-do. The priority flags also help my team determine which tasks to pick up first.

What’s more, ClickUp helps you speed up day-to-day processes. It offers over 50 customizable automation recipes you can connect to actions, triggers, or conditions. You can also tailor the user experience with 35+ customizable ClickApps that add capabilities to the project management software.

Collaborative working

ClickUp Docs helps teams create, edit, and share documentation with each other and with external stakeholders. You can add comments, make rich edits, and link docs to tasks for easy knowledge-sharing.

Whiteboards in ClickUp help you ensure that all stakeholder inputs are incorporated into the project scope. I use the Whiteboards to build out my workflows (as I am a visual thinker!). I can even embed docs, web links, and images to add depth and context to a Whiteboard.

Resource management

Tracking progress is easy in ClickUp; set up your objectives within ClickUp Goals , assign each to relevant owners, and build your customized ClickUp Dashboard for real-time tracking. Add widgets as you see fit and share the dashboard with relevant stakeholders. 

I also like being able to switch between different View types in my projects; the Gantt Chart view gives me a high-level overview of projects, while the List view shows me each task with its status, owner, priority, etc., and the Board view lets me drag and drop tasks into ‘in progress,’ ‘done,’ ‘to start,’ etc. Kanban-style. 

Over 1000 different templates are also available in ClickUp, which can help you hit the ground running. 

One that I find super-useful is the ClickUp Project Management Template . It gives you a head start on your projects. It includes advanced features for complex project needs and will set up an organized workspace for you with a few clicks. Essential views like List, Kanban, Form, etc. are included. 

The template makes it easy to organize tasks by pre-setting fields such as priority, time estimate, success metrics, etc. Use it to avoid planning from scratch and execute your projects efficiently.

ClickUp makes life easier every day. 

And I’m not the only one who feels that way— a G2 review says,

“ I am obsessed with everything. The AI tool is such an amazing value add. I love the variety of view options under each space. I love the inclusive options for repetitive tasks. I love the easy and clear commenting features, it makes it very easy for my team to all stay in the loop while collectively working on various tasks. It is overall just the best task management software on the market and I have tried them all! “

ClickUp best features

• Manage project workflows and organize your work effectively with ClickUp Tasks  
• Visualize, track, and manage your Tasks with more than 15+ ClickUp Views ranging from Gantt charts to Lists to Kanban boards and more
• Collaborate with your team in the ClickUp Chat View —discuss ideas, share updates, and directly Assign Comments as action items to your team members
• Find anything within and connected to the app with ClickUp’s Universal Search
• Centralize and organize project information with AI-powered ClickUp Docs —write, edit, share, and collaborate in real-time 
• Plan and manage schedules precisely with the native ClickUp Time-tracking app that you can even use from the Chrome extension
• Track and benchmark project status with rich and interactive ClickUp Dashboards that you can customize as you need and share with stakeholders
• Connect and track company, team, and individual goals with ClickUp Goals  

ClickUp limitations

• The mobile app doesn’t have all the features of the desktop app yet
• New users may find the exhaustive list of features overwhelming

ClickUp pricing

• Free Forever
• Unlimited: $7/month
• Business: $12/month per user
• Enterprise: Custom pricing
• ClickUp Brain: Add to any paid plan for $5 per Workspace member per month

ClickUp ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5.0 (‎9,400+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5.0 (4,000+ reviews)

What users have to say about ClickUp

One spot for project management for ALL my tasks associated with my business and CLIENTS. ClickUp has reduced the noise in my inbox by allowing me to have client portals where 95% of client communication is housed. My Virtual Assistant and I have streamlined our SOPs in ClickUp, too!

Best project management software for hassle-free teamwork

With Asana, what truly stands out is its user-friendly, decluttered user interface. I don’t have to navigate through clunky menus or overwhelming dashboards, which I appreciate. It’s quite a time-saver, in fact. Its UI is divided into five parts—Sidebar, Header, Top bar, Main pane, and Task details pane.

I liked how each layout element is intentional and intuitive , allowing you to jump right in and get started with project management. You can add your Favorites to the sidebar in Asana for quick navigation.

We liked that Asana helps you start your project quickly with pre-built project templates and an easy-to-use workflow builder . Managing projects is also pretty easy with features like progress tracking and due dates. And the playful animations when you mark a task done will make you smile.

You can easily add your team to tasks and communicate with them using comments. Asana will cut through the clutter and keep you and your team focused on what matters most—getting things done!

However, I realized that Asana doesn’t give you custom task statuses or roles. You also can’t create task checklists or have multiple assignees in a task, which we found limiting.

Asana best features

• Gain a comprehensive view of your project as Boards, Lists, Timelines, Calendars, and Gantt charts
• Set up workflow automation using Forms, Rules, Bundles, and Templates
• Manage resources effectively with features like workload management and time tracking
• Leverage AI in project management with Asana Intelligence for smart fields, summaries, editing, statuses, answers, and digests
• Centralize project management by connecting Asana with 200+ apps (including ClickUp) while enjoying unlimited projects and file storage

Asana limitations

• Building and managing a knowledge base, although doable, is challenging
• Lacks a comprehensive set of project management templates
• Asana Intelligence is not available in the free project management software plan

Asana pricing

• Personal: $0
• Starter: $13.49/month per user
• Advanced: $30.49/month per user
• Enterprise+: Custom pricing

Asana ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5.0 (9,900+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5.0 (12,500+ reviews)

What users have to say about Asana 

The tool is very intuitive and easy to reference. The interface is great, very in line with other tools which helps if you are transitioning from a different tool. A big plus is the multiple animations when completing tasks, which break the monotony of a work day.

Best project management software for Kanban Board-style visualization

Trello will suit you perfectly if you’re a visual thinker like me who enjoys managing projects using Kanban Boards.  Trello is an uncomplicated tool that lets you turn complex projects into simple Kanban Boards and ease workflow visualization. The interactive digital Kanban Board helps you quickly update project and task status by moving cards between stages like ‘To Do,’ ‘Backlog,’ ‘In Progress,’ and ‘Done.’

This is an easy way to see progress, problems, and resource constraints. We also found we could use power-ups to add advanced project management features to it without cluttering the interface.

You can use custom fields to personalize and labels to prioritize tasks.  

The tool is simple, but then, it might be too simple. With no custom statuses and the inability to create and track goals, Trello might not fit complex projects. 

Trello best features

• Get a quick project overview with a simple, Kanban-style layout
• Visualize your project’s details as Boards, Lists, and Cards
• Organize project data, such as member details, due dates, attachments, etc., in one place
• Tailor Trello cards to meet specific business requirements using custom fields
• Set automated rules for various actions to automate workflows using the nifty AI assistant called Butler

Trello limitations

• Doesn’t offer real-time chat or smart notifications
• The simple card system may not work for larger and more complex projects
• Collaboration tools and views other than the Board are behind paywalls
• Does not have 24/7 support

Trello pricing

• Standard: $6/month per user
• Premium: $12.50/month per user
• Enterprise: $17.50/month per user for 50 users

Trello ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5.0 (13,500+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5.0 (23,100+ reviews)

What users have to say about Trello 

It’s an exceptional app with Kanban boarding. Fantastic with the use of drag and drop for task updates. Extensiveness with task scheduling. Reliable with visualization of projects using charts.

Best project management software for client and team management

We found Wrike to be an excellent project management software for managing stakeholders and keeping them updated. Whether you’re collaborating with internal teams or external clients, Wrike keeps everyone informed and happy, even if they don’t have a paid account themselves. 

I found this particularly useful while dealing with a client who didn’t wish to create an account on our project management tool for status updates.

I’ve used it to build interactive dashboards with different permission levels to share information without compromising data privacy and security. While testing the tool, we liked being able to build custom reports and different types of project views. 

What also stood out for us is how Wrike eliminates communication silos. With its real-time updates and proofing tools, you can keep everyone in the loop and promote transparency.

However, I wish they’d also add an ‘Everything’ view and a way to make quick notes like a Notepad.

Wrike best features

• Get through your work faster and smoother with Wrike’s Work Intelligence, an AI tool for project management
• Initiate tasks or projects using a simple request form
• Organize projects into dedicated Spaces and catalog data in projects, folders, tasks, and subtasks
• Visualize work in different layouts like Calendar view, Kanban board, Table view, Gantt charts, and Workload charts
• Simplify stakeholder management using features like cross-tagging, live document editing, proofing, external collaborators, etc. 

Wrike limitations

• The free version of the project management software lacks features like Gantt charts, dashboards, and automation
• New users will find it hard to learn and use initially
• Some users have found the interface clunky, which gets in the way of work

Wrike pricing

• Team: $9.80/month per user
• Business: $24.80/month per user
• Pinnacle: Custom pricing

Wrike ratings and reviews

• G2 : 4.2/5.0 (3,600+ reviews)
• Capterra : 4.4/5.0 (2,600+ reviews)

What users have to say about Wrike

I like that I can communicate with my team and easily see the overview of a larger project. Once you understand the structure of Wrike, it’s easy to communicate with stakeholders and teammates.

Best project management tool in the Zoho environment

Dedicated Zoho users don’t have to look far and wide for a project management tool. Zoho Projects is a native task management system for when you wish to stay within the Zoho platform. It also works out to be pretty affordable if you’re already invested in the Zoho ecosystem. 

I liked how Zoho Projects integrates smoothly with other Zoho applications and third-party tools that my team uses daily. But with a UI that’s not very intuitive and no focus on reporting features, it might not be your best option. Plus, investing in the Zoho environment only works if you have large-scale and complex requirements.

Zoho Projects best features

• Implement hands-on task management with work breakdown structures, universal add, task lists, reminders, and recurring tasks
• Customize layouts, fields, views, statuses, templates, tags, etc.
• Collaborate with others using feeds, chat, mentions, forums, emails, and documents
• Design automated workflows to match business rules and logic
• Simplify time management for invoicing and workload management 

Zoho Projects limitations

• The Zoho dashboard and UI needs a lot of work and lacks basic reporting features
• Organizing, sorting, and searching data is painfully unintuitive
• Customization is tedious and time-consuming

Zoho Projects pricing

• Premium: $4/month per user
• Enterprise: $9/month per user

Zoho Projects ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5.0 (‎400+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5.0 (500+ reviews)

What users have to say about Zoho Projects

Zoho One is a good CRM and suite of tools for small businesses that are price-conscious. It’s easy to use for people unfamiliar with CRMs. It lacks many of the integrations and functions you can get with Hubspot or Salesforce but works well if you just need basic email marketing, a way to manage contacts, and simple subscriptions and products .

Also read: The best tools for managing construction projects

Best project management software for businesses of all sizes

Whether you’re a high-growth, high-potential startup or a well-established enterprise, Monday.com can fit your changing needs. We discovered that the project management software’s intuitive UI scales well, allowing teams of varying sizes to perform a range of functions.

Whether you’re managing a simple to-do list or creating a work breakdown structure of a complex project, Monday.com allows you to do it with relative ease . It also lets you switch from the Gantt chart view to calendar views to Kanban boards, depending on the project. 

Unfortunately, you’ll need one of the higher-priced paid plans to access critical features like integrations and automation. Monday.com also doesn’t offer a screen capture feature that’s essential to remote teams.

Monday.com best features

• Take help from Monday AI assistant to automate work and generate content
• Make smarter decisions with customizable dashboards with 30+ widgets
• View your project the way you want with 10+ project views like Gantt charts, Kanban board, etc.
• Leverage no-code building to customize and automate business workflows
• Implement end-to-end task management to match your projects, goals, and workflows
• Collaborate seamlessly using Whiteboard, embedded documents, update section, etc.

Monday.com limitations

• Some users have indicated that the free project management software is heavily watered down, making it feel like a colorful Excel
• A steep learning curve paired with costly pricing is discouraging
• Guzzles high volumes of data, which affects performance and makes the platform laggy

Monday.com pricing

For 3 to 49 seats:

• Basic: $12/month per seat
• Standard: $14/month per seat
• Pro: $24/month per seat

Monday.com ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5.0 (10,600+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5.0 (‎4,700+ reviews)

What users have to say about Monday.com

Overall Monday is a good tool for project management. I would highly recommend it to those in startups or high-volume companies.

Got the Monday blues? We have Monday alternatives for you 🙌

Best project management software for agile and IT teams

Jira is a popular project management software for agile development and IT projects. IT and project managers use it to track issues and bugs , set up a collaborative development space, and orchestrate sprints. 

We found Jira impressive but more suited to seasoned IT professionals. It is pretty effective for managing agile projects where developers create user stories and track progress visually. 

However, though it’s great for tracking bugs, we didn’t find it easy to use for other project management tasks. Also, adding plugins to increase capabilities will quickly increase Jira’s costs. 

It does offer a fair selection of templates to get you started fast. 

Jira best features

• Create Scrum boards to break large, complex projects into smaller, manageable tasks
• Keep track of projects with out-of-the-box dashboards and reports 
• Use the intuitive drag-and-drop feature to set up automation
• Let developers focus on code development with DevOps visibility and repository access
• Set up Open DevOps to integrate Jira with Atlassian and partner tools automatically

Jira limitations

• The search and filtering systems could be more intuitive
• The subscription costs keep rising without any tangible value addition
• The rigid interface and difficulty in customization make Jira inflexible

Jira pricing

For 10 users:

• Standard: $8.15/month per user
• Premium: $16/month per user

Jira ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.3/5.0 (5,800+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5.0 (14,000+ reviews)

What users have to say about Jira 

I absolutely love JIRA, their support is lacking but mannnn the customization available is top notch. We eliminated a ton of manual tedious work with automation rules and the dashboards that can be built are pretty nice .

Best project management system for online collaboration

For me, Basecamp is an example of ‘how to keep things simple.’ 

Unlike other project management tools that pack quite a punch, Basecamp has an easy-to-use interface with basic features. 

This project management software concentrates on online collaboration , connecting small teams, and maintaining their focus on goals. It helps teams communicate better with message boards, file sharing, to-do lists, etc. 

I liked how Basecamp is a central hub for sharing files, updates, resources, and other mission-critical materials. Think of it as an internal forum for your organization. Moreover, teams can collaborate easily without feeling overwhelmed by project management features. In our opinion, this makes Basecamp one of the best no-fuss collaboration tools.

However, without essential features like custom fields and status, native docs, tags, Gantt charts, and the like, we found the software somewhat limited. Also, there isn’t a free plan, only a free trial.

Basecamp best features

• Organize tasks, assignments, and schedules in a single-page dashboard 
• Stay updated through Messages, a centralized location for team discussions 
• Build to-do lists and track work, deadlines, progress, and responsibilities
• Interact with team members using collaboration features like Campfire
• Create, store, share, and discuss files and images—physical or on cloud

Basecamp limitations

• The forum-like layout is great for smaller projects but unravels when larger and more complex projects are involved
• Lacks basic features like Gantt charts, task assignments, etc., present in most project management tools
• The messaging board and chat are prone to freezing

Basecamp pricing

• Basecamp: $15/month per user
• Basecamp Pro Unlimited: $299/month per user

Basecamp ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.1/5.0 (‎5,200+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5.0 (14,400+ reviews)

What users have to say about Basecamp 

Basecamp is very user-friendly and offers many features for our team. It allows us to collaborate on projects/events as well as everyday communication. The people on our team who have been most successful with Basecamp use it throughout the day, every day.

Best project management software for spreadsheet lovers

If your team is comfortable working on spreadsheets, implementing project management software doesn’t mean you have to divert from this working style.

Smartsheet’s spreadsheet layout simplifies your work with task tracking, comments,  and deadlines. It also offers project management features like automated workflows , Gantt charts , real-time dashboards, and collaborative working—all built into the spreadsheet environment. It’s pretty useful if you’re trained to work in an Excel-like environment! Moreover, it integrates with many of the tools you’d use at work. 

We liked the AI tools for formulas, text, and summaries, but they are only offered in the Enterprise plan. I also found the inability to create notes and docs and build goals quite a downer.

Smartsheet best features

• Visualize your projects in multiple views like Grids, Gantt charts, Cards, Calendar, etc.
• Generate formulas or text in spreadsheet cells with AI tools
• Simplify collaboration with document sharing, proofing, notifications, and conversation threads
• Leverage pre-made templates for budget and resource management, etc.
• Build and track critical paths while managing task dependencies and workloads

Smartsheet limitations

• You cannot add multiple spreadsheets within a single Smartsheet file
• Project visualization and graphing can be improved
• Lacks adequate support for formula and data storage capacity

Smartsheet pricing

• Pro: $9/month per user
• Business: $32/month per user

Smartsheet ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5.0 (15,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5.0 (3,200+ reviews)

What users have to say about Smartsheet

What I like most about Smartsheet is its versatility and ease of use. Since the program features an intuitive interface, it’s very easy to create and customize spreadsheets and dashboards according to my desires and the needs of the projects I’m involved in.

Also read: Comparing Excel and project management tools

Best project management platform for marketing teams

I’m all for using one tool instead of many different systems or platforms. However, whenever I’ve had to work on a creative or marketing project, Adobe Workfront has been the go-to option—and I’ll tell you why. 

Adobe Workfront and other Adobe products, such as Illustrator and Photoshop, can build a cohesive creative environment for your team. Its project management features, such as asset management, resource scheduling, and digital proofing, are tailored to creative project needs .

It provides a complete set of tools for any kind of creative requirement. This focused approach frees up artists for their creative pursuits. That said, I’ve found its extensive feature set and somewhat complex workflows rather overwhelming. 

We believe Workfront might only suit large organizations that need dedicated creative management tools.

Adobe Workfront best features

• Plan, assign, and deliver work while on the move with dynamic task management 
• Use automation to prioritize tasks and assign them to the right teams quickly 
• Track project progress and identify hold-ups with real-time dashboards
• Connect distributed teams with centralized communication and an online approval process
• Integrate with other Adobe products like Adobe Experience Cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud, Marketo Engage, etc.

Adobe Workfront limitations

• Uses outdated techniques like self-guide recording and community-driven forums for onboarding and training
• The UI is rigid, clunky, and cannot be customized to match business requirements
• Tends to flood your inbox with unwanted notifications, even if you change the settings to restrict it

Adobe Workfront pricing

• Select: Custom pricing
• Prime: Custom pricing
• Ultimate: Custom pricing

Adobe Workfront ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.1/5.0 (900+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5.0 (‎1,400+ reviews)

What users have to say about Adobe Workfront 

Before Workfront my Marketing department struggled to communicate marketing tasks with multiple people in multiple locations. We researched several tools before deciding that WF had the best processes, workflow, and reports for a creative department. The proofing tool alone is first-rate.

Best project management tool for effective resource planning

Soon to be rebranded as Microsoft Planner , Project is geared toward enterprises working on multiple projects with complex resource requirements. Established businesses use it to plan, execute, and easily track large-scale projects. In fact, I would call it a portfolio management tool. 

Microsoft Project’s powerful scheduling features help you develop detailed project timelines, manage task dependencies, and optimize resource allocation to prevent conflicts. Naturally, these problems are more pressing in large-scale operations.

We really liked its comprehensive reporting capabilities; the platform lets project managers track project health, budget performance, and earned value at every project stage. The integration with the Microsoft suite is an added plus, especially if you’re already working in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. 

Microsoft Project would be a good choice for an enterprise looking to manage multiple projects. However, I would not recommend it for other use cases. 

Also, the waterfall style of project management may pose problems to agile project teams that are more iterative in their approach. In other words, the Microsoft Project market is pretty niche.

Microsoft Project best features

• Deploy as on-prem or cloud-based project management software 
• Manage dynamic schedules depending on project duration, effort required, team strength, etc.
• Collaborate with team members using Microsoft Teams to share files, chat, host meetings, etc.
• Create interactive dashboards with Power BI to track project progress and dependencies
• Integrate smoothly with other Microsoft 365 experiences like Loop, Outlook, Viva Goals, Teams, etc.

Microsoft Project limitations

• Since it’s more of a portfolio management software, it isn’t ideal for smaller projects
• Has a steep learning curve, making it unsuitable for new users
• Does not integrate with third-party applications, software, and platforms

Microsoft Project pricing

Cloud deployment

• Planner Plan 1: $10/month per user
• Project Plan 3: $30/month per user
• Project Plan 5: $55/month per user

On-premise deployment

• Project Standard 2021: $679.99 one-time purchase
• Project Professional 2021: $1,299.99 one-time purchase
• Project Server: Custom pricing

Microsoft Project ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.0/5.0 (1,600+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5.0 (1,800+ reviews)

What users have to say about Microsoft Project 

Their neat feature of capacity planning simplifies our work in allocating resources efficiently. Also, the scheduling and planning tools are outstanding – visual timeline (Gantt charts) and dependency tracking, which help us monitor the project’s progression .

Best project management tool for tracking and reporting

If you’re looking for simple project management software to monitor performance and timelines, TeamWork should be your pick. 

While all project management tools share real-time project insights, we found that TeamWork goes the extra mile with its customizable reporting . You can build tailored dashboards in TeamWork to track metrics related to project finances, timelines, workloads, and much more. 

Such vigilant tracking of project health helps you identify problems before they crop up. In addition, you get comprehensive reports to share with stakeholders to keep everyone updated. 

However, we realized that you will need one of the paid plans to access the tool’s more critical features. 

TeamWork best features

• Efficiently manage and juggle resources and workloads
• Track time using a built-in time tracker for effortless invoicing, expense handling, budget management, and calculating billable or project costs
• Organize tasks and subtasks using custom fields, tags, and versions
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders through comments, messages, documents, and proofs
• Set up workflow automation and create projects from customizable templates

TeamWork limitations

• Admins may find it hard to track access and permissions across multiple projects
• Lacks support for real-time chat
• The free version of the software is more limited than other tools

TeamWork pricing

• Deliver: $13.99/month per user
• Grow: $25.99/month per user
• Scale: Custom pricing

TeamWork ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.4/5.0 (‎1,100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5.0 (800+ reviews)

What users have to say about TeamWork

Love the way we can see all the reporting and stats about each project and each user. Lets you plan a project in detail and make sure you have the necessary information all in one place. 

Best project management software for portfolio handling

If you’re tired of juggling multiple projects, Celoxis should be a part of your project management tech stack. This project and portfolio management tool centralizes various projects, highlights dependencies, and connects tasks to overarching goals.

Celoxis has an intuitive interface that provides a holistic overview of project health and resources. It helps project managers meet portfolio objectives while expertly managing resources. 

At the same time, it offers a high degree of granularity . You can connect the smallest tasks or activities with the larger goal, ensuring everyone feels engaged. 

I don’t have extensive experience with this tool, as it is pretty new to the market. However, we had a largely positive experience, and I’m keen to see how Celoxis develops in the future.

Celoxis best features

• Centralize project requests from various sources to match demand with capacity
• Develop dynamic project plans that scale to match market conditions and project requirements
• Track project progress in real time and address problems without leaving the dashboard
• Manage account receivables, spending, profitability, and other budgetary metrics across projects and portfolios
• Keep track of resources and provision them based on demand, availability, and skill

Celoxis limitations

• Does not offer a free tier or freemium version
• Lacks an undo button, and if you delete a project element—it is gone forever
• You’ll have to pay for accounts for external stakeholders

Celoxis pricing

• Manager: $25/month (billed annually)
• Team Member: $15/month (billed annually)

Celoxis ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.5/5.0 (140+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5.0 (300+ reviews)

What users have to say about Celoxis

The new PPM has dramatically transformed the project delivery, making 4 tools redundant, bringing new visibility to the project portfolio, significantly improving the internal collaboration across 5 departments, and accelerating the end-to-end delivery.

Best project management platform for whiteboard-based ideation

Miro is all about creative problem-solving. Its interactive whiteboard has often helped me think outside the box by allowing online brainstorming sessions .  My team collaborates in real time, creating mind maps, digital drawings, and sticky notes—essentially doing what makes them a team. I’ve found that an online brainstorming tool can encourage participation, even from the introverts on the team.

Miro also helps store and organize the output of such idea exchanges for later reference. Whether you’re exploring the UX design of an app or having a collaborative meeting, Miro can set it up in just a few clicks.

While it makes whiteboarding and mind mapping simple, we found that Miro couldn’t help with other crucial dimensions of project management. It’s a fancy (but very nice) whiteboard, which may pinch your pockets when you consider that’s all it does! 

Miro best features

• Create wireframes, project estimations, product plans, dependency maps, journey maps, and simplified flowcharts 
• Harness Talktrack, an advanced facilitation tool for asynchronous collaboration
• Use Miro Assist to auto-generate diagrams, mind maps, code, and summaries
• Improve team collaboration with remote-friendly features

Miro limitations

• Navigating to a particular area is tricky, as you’ll have to scroll past all the content on the whiteboard
• The interface tends to slow down as you embed content, links, documents, etc. or collaborate on the whiteboard
• Has poor access control with little to no transparency about who has whiteboard access

Miro pricing

• Starter: $10/month per user
• Business: $20/month per user

Miro ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.8/5.0 (5,500+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5.0 (1,500+ reviews)

What users have to say about Miro

I’ve tried virtually every whiteboarding tool to come on the market over the years and Miro is by far my favorite. I use it for a lot more than just pushing around sticky notes, it’s actually become my go-to design tool for visual maps like journey maps and the like.  

Best project management system for virtual teams

Nifty is a powerful project management tool for remote teams. This virtual work operating system addresses the unique challenges of working with virtual or hybrid teams. Nifty connects remote teams with task management tools, centralized communication channels, and synchronous and asynchronous discussions.

Teams can collaborate on tasks, exchange ideas, and stay updated on project progress regardless of time zones or locations. Additionally, it includes some nifty features (see what I did there?) for social recognition and team chats to create a feeling of belonging. 

However, we found that Nifty hides several crucial features behind paywalls. Even the Business or Unlimited plans don’t offer key features like goal tracking and team workload management.

Nifty best features

• Build project roadmaps using Gantt charts that display in a timeline and swimlane view, and master overview
• Connect teams, exchange ideas, share files, and collaborate using Nifty Discussions
• Set task priorities and build trigger-based automation to suit project requirements
• Create, edit, organize, share, and proof documents in Nifty using Google Docs, Sheets, and Presentations
• Build custom forms to collect and collate inputs over a centralized repository

Nifty limitations

• Significantly higher price than comparable software
• Migrating data can cause a loss in integrity and quality
• Some users have found customer support to be painfully slow
• Slow loading times prevent hands-on project management

Nifty pricing

• Starter: $49/month
• Pro: $99/month
• Business: $149/month
• Unlimited: $499/month

Nifty ratings and reviews

• G2: 4.7/5.0 (430+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5.0 (400+ reviews)

What users have to say about Nifty

I appreciate the simplicity and elegance of Nifty’s interface. Its sleek design, high level of customization, and practical features make it a great choice for any project or organization looking to reduce the time spent organizing documents and managing their workflow. 

This list of top solutions for managing projects may leave you wondering how to pick just one. After all, each has a unique value proposition! 

To make it easier for you, we’ve compiled a simple 5-step process that goes something like this:

• Step 1: Define your project management needs depending on project types, team size and structure, workflow, collaboration styles, etc.
• Step 2: Divide your wish list of project management capabilities into four groups: must-have, advanced features, future requirements, and other considerations
• Step 3: Shortlist the available options and research their features, pricing, capabilities, reviews, etc., to match your priorities from Step 2 (the list above is a great starting point!)
• Step 4: Sign up for free trials or product demos to test the project management software in a real-world and practical setting
• Step 5: Analyze your findings and select the best fit

Start small while implementing the project management solution. You can always scale operations and add features as your needs evolve.

This brings us to the end of our list of the best project management tools. 

While there’s no clear winner, you have 15 impressive contenders that can suit your project, team, and workflow requirements. Whether you’re a small startup aiming at rapid growth or an enterprise aiming for hands-on resource management, you will find a tool that meets your requirements.

I encourage you to explore our shared options and make an informed decision based on your first-hand experience. Your choice of project management software could be the difference between chaos and organization, so choose wisely!

Or, you can skip the process and just go with ClickUp, which we know you’ll love. To learn more about Clickup, sign up for a free account .

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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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

What makes the best free project management tool, how we evaluate and test apps.

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.

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.

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 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.

The best free project management software at a glance

Best free project management software for visually managing projects

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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

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.

Create Trello cards from new Typeform responses

Create new Trello cards from new Google Calendar events

Best free project management software for teams

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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

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.

Create new Asana tasks from new Google Calendar events

Add new Typeform entries to Asana as tasks

Best free project management software for customized task views

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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).

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.

Create Google Calendar events from new ClickUp tasks

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

Best free project management software for spreadsheet-like features

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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

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.

Share tasks in Wrike via Slack messages

Create Wrike tasks from Trello cards

Best free project management software for freelancers and small agency teams, .css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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.

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

Post new comments from Active Collab to Slack

Best free project management software for building a customized app, .css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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

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

Add new Typeform entries to Airtable as records

Best free project management software for agile software development teams, .css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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

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.

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

Generate Jira Software issues from new GitHub issues

Best free AI project management software

.css-12hxxzz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']{color:var(--zds-text-link, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:var(--zds-text-link, #2b2358);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);outline-color:var(--zds-text-link-hover, #3d4592);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-5, #a8a5a0);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);outline-color:var(--zds-gray-warm-1, #fffdf9);}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-12hxxzz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} 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.

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, 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.

Related reading:

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 Abbamonte

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.

• Project management

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13 Best Project Management Software For Freelancers in 2024

We've tested countless project management tools, and we've found one that truly stands out for freelancers. It keeps us organized, integrates seamlessly with our favorite apps, and offers flexibility we need to juggle multiple projects without stress. Trust us, this software makes freelancing a breeze.

Our team independently evaluates software. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps fund our testing process. Learn more about our review standards and transparency.

Ever felt swamped with juggling multiple freelance projects at once? Choosing the best project management software for freelancers can transform the way we work, making it easier to stay organized and meet deadlines.

In this article, we’ll explore top project management tools tailored for freelancers, helping us find the perfect fit for our needs. From budget-friendly options to feature-rich platforms, let’s uncover the tools that can help streamline our workflow and boost our productivity.

13 Best Project Management Software for Freelancers in 2024

• Trello : Best for Simple Task Management
• Asana : Best for Advanced Project Tracking
• Basecamp : Best for Team Collaboration
• Notion : Best for All-in-One Workspace
• ClickUp : Best for Customizable Workflows
• Miro : Best for Visual Collaboration
• Zoho Projects : Best for Comprehensive Project Management
• Paymo : Best for Time Tracking and Billing
• Indy : Best for Freelancers
• Todoist : Best for Personal Task Management
• Bonsai : Best for Freelance Project Management
• nTask : Best for Basic Project Planning
• Worksuite : Best for Agency Management

We use these tools to enhance productivity and improve client collaboration. Each software has unique features like time tracking , mobile app support, and dashboard customization. By choosing the right one, we can manage our projects more effectively.

Trello offers a streamlined project management solution focusing on Kanban boards. It is ideal for simple projects and task management. Its ease of use and vibrant design make it a popular choice for freelancers.

Pros & Cons

• Best pure kanban app
• Stellar free plan
• Unlimited integrations
• Easy to use
• Mobile apps could be better
• Not the most versatile tool
• Relies heavily on integrations
• Poor for complex projects

Our Experience

Using Trello has been a smooth experience for us, especially for managing tasks with its visually appealing kanban boards. We appreciate how easy it is to add cards, set due dates, assign tasks, and integrate various tools.

The kanban boards are intuitive and clear, making project visualization straightforward. Trello’s design keeps things organized, which is invaluable for freelancers juggling multiple tasks.

However, we’ve noticed a few limitations. The mobile app isn’t as robust as we’d like, and Trello’s simplicity sometimes means it can’t handle more complex project needs without heavy reliance on third-party integrations.

Additionally, the communication tools are basic, with only @mentions for team collaboration, which might not be sufficient for larger teams requiring real-time collaboration.

Despite these drawbacks, Trello’s simplicity and effectiveness for straightforward task management make it a solid choice for freelancers who need a reliable and user-friendly tool.

Pricing Plan

Trello offers four pricing plans designed to cater to different needs:

• Free Plan: This includes unlimited users, cards, power-ups, and storage (10MB per file). It supports up to 10 boards per workspace and provides basic automation with 250 commands per month.
• Standard Plan: At $5 per user/month, this plan adds unlimited boards, advanced checklists, custom fields, and larger file uploads (250MB per file). You also get 1,000 automation commands per month and access to Trello support during business hours.
• Premium Plan: Priced at $10 per user/month, it builds on the Standard plan with additional views like calendar, timeline, map, and table. Other features include advanced admin and security tools, unlimited automations, and priority support available 24/5.
• Enterprise Plan: This plan is designed for larger teams and costs $17.50 per user/month. It includes all prior features plus unlimited workspaces, advanced permissions, public board management, and more comprehensive admin controls.

Each plan is crafted to offer a range of features that suit various team sizes and project complexities, ensuring flexibility for different types of freelance work.

Asana is a highly intuitive project management platform offering many features for freelancers looking to streamline their workflow, enhance collaboration, and manage tasks effectively. It includes tools like Gantt charts and Kanban boards, making it perfect for simple and complex projects.

• User-friendly interface
• Powerful task management features
• Extensive integrations with other tools
• Effective for both individual freelancers and small teams
• Advanced features in the paid version like dependencies and custom labels/tags
• Some advanced resources are available only in the paid version
• Tasks can get lost or buried in a heavy workload
• Limited functionality on the mobile app, such as copying tasks to another project

We found Asana to be a very effective tool for managing freelancing projects. The platform is quite intuitive, making it easy for new users to get started with minimal training.

The ability to reduce email clutter through built-in communication tools has been a significant benefit. Using Asana, we could keep all project-related conversations in one place, making it easier to track project progress.

The paid version’s features were particularly helpful for larger and more complex projects. We appreciated the custom labels and task dependencies, which added another layer of organization.

However, we did find that it’s easy for tasks to get buried if not managed carefully. This typically occurred during peak workload periods and seemed more a matter of user error than a flaw in the software.

One downside we noticed was the mobile app’s limitations. For example, we couldn’t copy tasks to another project using the mobile app. This is something that might inconvenience freelancers who manage most of their work on the go.

Asana offers several pricing plans to accommodate different needs:

• Basic : Free – Includes essential task management features suitable for individuals or small teams.
• Premium : $10.99 per user/month – Adds advanced features like timelines, reporting dashboards, and more.
• Business : $24.99 per user/month – Suitable for larger teams, offers more sophisticated tools like portfolios, workload management, and integrations with advanced tools.
• Enterprise : Custom pricing – Designed for very large organizations, includes advanced administrative controls, and more specialized features.

These plans make Asana flexible enough to be valuable to freelancers at different scales and varying project complexities.

Basecamp is a project management software designed to simplify project tracking and enhance team collaboration. It offers tools such as to-do lists, message boards, and chats to centralize project work and reduce dependency on multiple communication tools.

• Easy and intuitive navigation with a paper-stack interface.
• Internal chat feature for focused project conversations.
• Permissions can be tailored to each user’s needs.
• Keyboard shortcuts enhance usability.
• It lacks a traditional grid/list view and timeline view.
• Basic reporting features.
• Limited workflow automation.

Using Basecamp has been a mostly positive experience for us. The interface is user-friendly and intuitive, which allows team members to get up to speed quickly. We appreciate the internal chat feature (Campfires) that keeps project dialogues organized and focused.

The message boards are also a great way to maintain clear communication and gather feedback from the team.

One downside we’ve noticed is the absence of a traditional timeline view. This can make it challenging for project managers who prefer visual task tracking. The reporting features are also quite basic, requiring manual monitoring of tasks and progress.

Despite these limitations, Basecamp excels in fostering collaboration and keeping project-related information in one place.

Basecamp offers straightforward pricing plans:

• Basecamp Personal: Free – Limited features suitable for personal projects or very small teams.
• Basecamp Business: $99/month flat rate – Includes all features and unlimited users.

These plans are designed to cater to different user needs, from solo freelancers to growing businesses. The flat-rate pricing for Basecamp Business is particularly appealing for larger teams, eliminating the need for per-user fees and allowing unlimited user access.

For more detailed information, you can visit their pricing page .

Notion is an easy-to-use tool praised for its ability to handle various aspects of project management. It’s especially useful for freelancers needing a flexible workspace that supports collaboration and detailed documentation.

• Highly customizable
• Strong collaboration features
• Integrated note-taking and task management
• Steep learning curve for beginners
• Limited offline features
• Performance can suffer with heavy data load

We’ve found Notion to be a powerful tool. Its ability to combine elements like kanban boards, calendars, and task lists makes it excellent for managing complex projects.

One of the best features is its ability to create a collaborative workspace. Freelancers can invite clients and team members to view or edit projects in real-time. This helps in maintaining transparent schedules and documentation.

The initial learning phase can be challenging. The interface, while intuitive for experienced users, might overwhelm newcomers. Yet, the vast library of templates aids in quicker adaptation. On the downside, we noticed that syncing issues sometimes occur, especially with large files.

Notion offers several pricing plans to fit different needs:

• Free Plan: Great for personal use with unlimited pages and blocks.
• Plus Plan: Priced at $8 per user per month, this plan offers additional features like version history and priority support.
• Business Plan: At $15 per user per month, aimed at teams needing advanced admin controls and security.
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for organizations needing advanced features such as custom permissions and dedicated support.

These pricing structures make Notion accessible for individual freelancers and growing teams alike, ensuring that there’s a plan to fit various budgetary needs.

ClickUp is a comprehensive tool that combines features, collaboration capabilities, and ease of use. It is ideal for remote and distributed teams thanks to its suite of tools.

• Feature-rich with custom fields and reporting tools
• Advanced collaboration features
• Competitive pricing with a Free Forever Plan
• Multiple project views (15+)
• Excellent mobile app
• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• The sheer number of features can be overwhelming
• Certain advanced features require additional payment
• Some features can feel incomplete at launch
• Limited advanced time tracking to higher pricing tiers

We have used ClickUp extensively to manage our projects and tasks. The platform’s strength lies in its flexibility and the array of tools it offers. For instance, the custom fields and 50+ widgets enhance the flexibility and functionality of project dashboards. Time-tracking features help keep track of billable hours and manage time efficiently.

Collaboration is where ClickUp truly shines. We found that real-time editing of documents and instant chat features made teamwork more seamless. Remote teams can stay connected easily, and task updates are reflected immediately, ensuring everyone is always in the loop.

However, ClickUp can be overwhelming for new users. It takes time to master all its capabilities; sometimes, navigating through the many features can feel daunting. Additionally, the extra cost for AI features can be a downside for budget-conscious users.

Despite these issues, the useful feature set makes it an invaluable tool for complex project management needs.

ClickUp offers several pricing options to suit different needs. The Free Forever Plan is a fantastic starting point, providing basic features and unlimited users.

For those needing more advanced tools, the Unlimited Plan at $7 per user per month adds features like unlimited dashboards and integrations.

The Business Plan is priced at $12 per user per month and includes advanced time tracking, goal folders, and custom exporting.

For larger teams, the Business Plus Plan at $19 per user per month provides additional capabilities like custom role creation. Finally, the Enterprise Plan offers custom pricing for organizations needing extensive controls and support.

These plans ensure flexibility and scalability, allowing teams of various sizes to benefit from ClickUp’s capabilities.

Miro is an easy tool that combines diagramming, flowchart creation, presentation, mind mapping, and video conferencing. It excels in collaborative project planning, brainstorming, and visual project management.

• Easy to pick up and use
• Supports video and audio calls
• Strong integration options
• Extensive templates and shapes library
• Real-time collaboration features
• Limited offline support
• Higher cost for advanced features
• May feel overwhelming due to numerous features

Using Miro has significantly enhanced our collaborative project planning. The platform’s intuitive interface allows team members to contribute seamlessly. The built-in brainstorming tools, such as sticky notes and mind mapping, make team ideation sessions more effective.

We found the visual project management features like Gantt charts and Kanban boards particularly useful for tracking progress. The ability to integrate with other apps like Jira and Trello is a major plus, streamlining our workflow.

However, the tool can feel overwhelming initially due to the vast array of features available. Offline support is another area where Miro could improve, especially for those who travel frequently and need access to their boards without an internet connection.

Miro offers several pricing plans . The  free  tier allows the editing of up to three boards with basic features. The  Starter  plan costs $10 per person per month or $96 per person per year and offers unlimited boards and higher-resolution exports.

The Business plan , at $20 per person per month or $192 per person per year, includes all Starter features plus additional integrations, security features, and unlimited workspaces.

Finally, the  Enterprise  plan has custom pricing and provides premium support and advanced administration tools. Each plan supports different levels of user collaboration, making Miro scalable for growing teams.

Miro’s pricing is competitive with tools like Mural and Lucidchart , especially considering its extensive feature set and integration capabilities.

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is a budget-friendly project management tool with a wide array of features. It supports task management, client collaboration, and detailed reporting and budgeting.

• Affordable pricing : Suitable for small teams and freelancers.
• Task management : Comprehensive task tracking and assignment capabilities.
• Client collaboration : Allows clients to have read-only access to project information.
• Reporting and budgeting : Tools for tracking project budgets and generating detailed reports.
• Limited free plan : Only supports three users and two projects.
• No invoicing tools : Requires integration with other apps for billing.
• Feature restriction : Some advanced features are only available in the Enterprise plan.
• No local desktop app : Only accessible via web and mobile apps.

We found Zoho Projects to be incredibly user-friendly. Setting up an account was straightforward, and adding tasks and milestones was a breeze. The web interface is intuitive, making navigation simple even for those who aren’t tech-savvy. Invite team members easily and customize the dashboard with widgets that track task status, budgets, or timesheets.

The task management system is comprehensive. You can assign multiple people to tasks, set start and end dates, and use built-in timers for time tracking. The Gantt chart view is interactive, allowing you to create task dependencies and adjust timelines effortlessly.

One drawback is the limited features in the free plan, which restricts the number of users and projects. Additionally, there are no invoicing tools, so we had to rely on third-party integrations for billing. The absence of a local desktop app limited us to web and mobile interfaces only.

Zoho Projects offers three main pricing plans with a 10-day free trial of the Enterprise plan:

• Free Plan : Suitable for up to 3 users and 2 projects, with 10MB of storage.
• Premium Plan : $5 per person per month, or $48 per person per year. Includes 100GB of storage and more project management features.
• Enterprise Plan : $10 per person per month, or $108 per person per year. This plan offers all features, including advanced reporting, task dependencies, and resource management.

Client users cost the same as regular users. The plans offer a lot of value, especially for small teams and freelancers looking for a cost-effective solution.

Paymo is a project management tool designed for freelancers and small to medium-sized teams. It offers a range of features, including cost management, team collaboration, and resource management, making it a valuable asset for streamlined project handling.

• Comprehensive time tracking
• Efficient project planning
• Easy invoicing features
• Integrates with popular tools
• Limited free plan capabilities
• Learning curve for beginners
• Occasional slow performance

We’ve found Paymo to be highly effective in managing various project aspects. The intuitive design makes it easy for team members to navigate. One standout feature is its time tracking tool, which ensures accurate billing and productivity tracking.

Its project planning and task management tools are helpful, allowing precise tracking of deadlines and tasks. We appreciated the invoicing feature, which simplifies the billing process and makes it easy to send professional invoices directly from the platform.

On the downside, the learning curve can be a bit steep initially, especially for new users. There were occasional lags in performance, but overall, it handled our project management needs efficiently. The integration with other popular tools helps in maintaining seamless operations.

Paymo offers several pricing plans to cater to different needs:

• Free Plan: Limited to one user and basic features
• Small Office Plan: $9.95/month per user, includes advanced task management and time tracking
• Business Plan: $15.79/month per user, offers comprehensive project management tools, financial management, and team collaboration features.

These plans are designed with flexibility in mind, making it easier for freelancers and small teams to find a plan that suits their specific requirements. The paid plans provide more extensive features, making them worth the investment for growing businesses.

For more detailed information on Paymo’s features and user experiences, visit their official website .

Indy is a comprehensive freelancing app designed to help freelancers manage their proposals, clients, projects, and other tasks efficiently. It combines multiple tools into one platform, making it easier to handle different aspects of freelancing.

• All-in-one platform for freelancers
• Intuitive and user-friendly interface
• Efficient invoicing and time tracking features
• Ready-to-use templates for proposals and contracts
• Limited integration options with other software
• Some features may require a learning curve
• Advanced features might be behind a paywall

Using Indy has significantly streamlined our workflow. The interface is  intuitive  and designed with freelancers in mind. Thanks to the ready-to-use templates, proposals and contracts became easier to manage .

Invoicing clients directly through the app saves time and reduces errors. The time tracking feature is also efficient, allowing us to log hours for each project seamlessly. We found the project management app beneficial as it provides clear overviews of tasks and deadlines.

However, we noticed limited integrations with other tools we frequently use, which could be a drawback for some users. The initial setup might be slightly challenging for new users, but once accustomed, the platform offers responsive support.

Indy offers a variety of pricing plans tailored to different needs. The Free Plan includes basic features like proposals, invoicing, and tasks. For more advanced features, you can opt for the Pro Plan at $12/month, which adds more functionality like custom branding and priority support . There is also an Annual Plan at $96/year, which provides a discount for those who commit long-term.

• Basic features
• Limited templates
• Advanced features
• Custom branding options

Annual Plan:

• $96/year (savings of $48)
• Comprehensive feature set

This tiered approach ensures that freelancers of all scales can find a suitable plan.

Todoist is a solid tool for managing to-do lists and setting deadlines. It is available on multiple platforms, making it accessible and convenient for freelancers. Let’s look at some specific aspects of Todoist.

• Cross-platform availability (web, mobile, desktop)
• Easy to use and intuitive interface
• Task automation features
• Strong collaboration tools
• Customizable labels and filters
• Syncs across all devices
• Some advanced features only available in paid versions
• Free version limits number of projects and collaborators
• Subscription prices have increased over time

We have found Todoist to be an excellent tool for both personal and professional task management. The app’s interface is simple yet powerful, making it easy to organize tasks and projects.

Setting deadlines and creating to-do lists is straightforward, and the ability to color-code projects helps keep everything organized.

The mobile app is particularly useful for managing tasks on the go. Syncing is seamless, ensuring that updates on one device reflect on all others. One feature we love is the natural language input, which makes adding tasks quick and intuitive.

However, some advanced functionalities like reminders and productivity reports are only available in the Pro and Business versions. While the free version offers a decent experience, the missing features can be a drawback for heavy users.

Todoist offers three tiers:

• Free : Basic task management with up to 5 projects and 5 people per project
• Pro : $5 per month or $48 per year, includes reminders, labels, filters, productivity reports, automatic backups, and more. Allows up to 300 projects and 25 collaborators per project
• Business : $8 per person per month or $72 per person per year, includes all Pro features plus team inbox, admin roles, centralized billing, and up to 500 projects with 50 collaborators per project

Discounts are available for students, educators, and nonprofits, making it more affordable for those groups. The pricing offers fair value considering the features, though the recent price hike is something to keep in mind.

For more details, you can check out the pricing plans for Todoist .

Bonsai Agency Software

Bonsai offers useful tools for freelancers and small agencies. It focuses on simplifying administrative tasks like invoicing and contract creation. Although its project management features are basic, it excels at automating workflow.

• Excellent contract builder with pre-written and customizable templates.
• Automated invoicing process saves time.
• Integrated time tracking.
• User-friendly interface with easy navigation.
• Handy financial tools for tracking expenses and generating tax estimates.
• Smooth client relationship management (CRM) features.
• Limited project management capabilities.
• No support for tasks with dependencies or sub-tasks.
• Only available in English.
• Not very intuitive for less tech-savvy users.

Using Bonsai was quite a positive experience for us. The interface is clean and easy to navigate. Setting up a project was straightforward, although the lack of an intuitive onboarding process might be challenging for some.

We loved the contract builder and its pre-vetted templates, which made it quick to create legally binding agreements. The time tracking feature integrated seamlessly, and generating invoices directly from tracked time was a breeze. The automated invoicing, which pre-filled client and project details, was a significant time-saver.

However, we found the project management features lacking. The absence of various project views and task dependencies made it unsuitable for complex projects. Despite this, Bonsai is highly efficient for managing invoicing and contracts.

Bonsai offers several pricing plans:

• Starter Plan : $24/month – Includes unlimited clients and projects, invoicing, proposals, contracts, and tasks.
• Professional Plan : $39/month – Adds tools like workflow automation, client portal, and priority support.
• Business Plan : $79/month – Ideal for small agencies, includes additional user seats, subcontractor management, and custom branding.

A 14-day free trial is available to test any of these plans, allowing you to explore Bonsai’s features without immediate commitment. All plans are billed annually for a discount, which may be beneficial for long-term users.

nTask is an all-in-one project management tool suitable for freelancers and small to medium-sized businesses. It offers various features, such as task management, team collaboration, time tracking, and resource management, all within a user-friendly interface.

• Affordable plans
• Intuitive Gantt charts
• Real-time collaboration
• Easy-to-use Kanban boards
• Efficient workload system
• Limited knowledgebase
• Few third-party integrations
• Not suitable for large teams
• Lacks advanced automations

In our hands-on experience with nTask, we found it to be a well-rounded project management tool. The interface is clean and straightforward, making it easy for beginners to navigate. The Gantt charts are particularly intuitive, helping us to plan projects efficiently.

We appreciated the real-time collaboration features, which allowed for seamless communication within the team. The time tracking tool enabled us to monitor the time spent on each task accurately, leading to better resource allocation.

However, we noticed some limitations, especially in third-party integrations. While nTask works beautifully for smaller teams and simpler projects, it lacks some advanced features necessary for more complex workflows.

We also encountered a few minor bugs, although the nTask team seems committed to regular updates and improvements.

nTask offers several pricing plans to cater to different user needs. For individuals and very small teams, the Basic plan is free and covers essential task management features.

To unlock more advanced functionalities, you can upgrade to the Premium plan, which costs $3 per user per month. This plan includes features such as project management, custom fields, and priority support.

For larger teams needing extensive project management capabilities, the Business plan is available at $8 per user per month. It offers advanced integration options and comprehensive reporting features.

These plans provide flexibility depending on the complexity of your project and the size of your team, making nTask an affordable solution for freelancers and small—to medium-sized businesses alike.

Worksuite is a powerful platform designed to manage freelancers and contractors worldwide. It simplifies client management, project tracking, and reporting through a cloud-based system.

• Efficient project tracking
• Comprehensive client management
• Excellent reporting tools
• Scales well for large teams
• Intuitive user interface
• Pricey compared to competitors
• Occasional system lags
• Limited customization options

We’ve found Worksuite to be one of the most comprehensive tools for freelance project management. The platform excels at client management, allowing us to keep track of all interactions and documents in one place. Project tracking is seamless with clear timelines and task assignments that keep everyone on the same page.

The reporting feature is reliable, giving us detailed insights into project progress and resource allocation. However, we did experience some system lags during peak usage times.

While the interface is user-friendly, we wished for more customization options to tailor the platform exactly to our needs. Despite these minor issues, Worksuite offers a solid experience for managing freelance teams effectively.

Worksuite offers several pricing plans to meet different needs:

• Starter: $299/month – Includes all basic features and supports up to 50 users.
• Professional: $499/month – Adds advanced reporting and supports up to 150 users.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing – Includes priority support, dedicated account manager, and unlimited users.

These plans make it easier for businesses to choose the right level of service based on their size and requirements.

Final Verdict

After reviewing several options for the best project management software for freelancers, one tool stands out: ClickUp .

ClickUp offers a comprehensive solution with a wide range of features. It allows users to customize their workflows, manage tasks, and collaborate easily. The interface is intuitive, making it accessible for freelancers who may not be tech-savvy.

Key Features:

• Customizable task management
• Time tracking
• Integrated calendars
• Collaboration tools

ClickUp offers a free tier in terms of pricing, which is perfect for freelancers on a budget. The free plan includes many core features, making it a cost-effective choice.

Comparison with Other Tools:

• Trello is great for visual task management but lacks some advanced features.
• Asana offers better project tracking but can be more expensive.
• Monday is highly customizable but may be overwhelming for beginners.

ClickUp strikes a balance between usability, features, and cost. Its usability makes it a solid choice for freelance project management software.

Our Process for Research and Testing

We began by scouring the market for the top project management tools tailored for freelancers. This involved analyzing various resources and expert opinions.

We used a set criteria to evaluate each option, including:

• Collaborative Features : Tools that promote teamwork and communication.
• Cost-Effectiveness : Affordable or free plans suitable for freelancers.
• Freelancer’s Needs : Flexibility, ease of use, and scalability.

After our initial screening, we narrowed it down to several tools: Asana, ClickUp, Zoho Projects, Miro, Indy, Paymo, and Todoist.

Next, we tested each product head-to-head. We set up individual and team projects to understand how each tool handles different workflows. We measured:

• Ease of Setup : How quickly and easily we could get started with the software.
• Task Management : The ability to create, assign, and track tasks.
• Time Tracking : Features for logging hours worked.
• Integration : Compatibility with other tools commonly used by freelancers.

We then assessed how each tool supports collaboration , noting the quality of communication features like chat, file sharing, and collaborative documents.

For cost-effectiveness , we compared free plans and paid tiers to see which offered the best value.

This comprehensive approach ensured we identified the most effective project management tools for freelancers’ specific needs.

What to Look for in Freelance Project Management Software

When selecting project management software for freelancing, there are key features to consider.

Task Management : It’s vital to have an easy way to create, assign, and track tasks. This helps keep projects on schedule. Look for software with a user-friendly interface.

Gantt Charts : These charts are useful for visualizing project timelines. They show task dependencies and help manage deadlines.

File Sharing : The ability to share files within the platform simplifies collaboration. Everyone can access necessary documents without needing a separate tool.

Team Collaboration : Even as freelancers, we sometimes work with others. Features like chat, comments, and video calls facilitate seamless communication.

Reporting Features : It’s helpful to get insights into our progress. Good software should offer reports on task completion, time spent, and other metrics.

Affordable Paid Plans : Budget is always a concern. Look for software with various pricing tiers so we can choose an option that fits our needs.

Free Plans : Free plans are excellent for testing the waters. They let us explore the software’s capabilities without commitment.

Here’s a quick table summarizing what to look for:

By focusing on these features, we can find a project management tool that meets our freelance needs.

Benefits Of Freelance Project Management Software

Using freelance project management software brings many advantages. These tools help us keep track of our work and manage tasks effectively.

Increased Productivity: These tools help us stay on top of our work. With everything in one place, we spend less time searching for information and more time working.

Efficient Task Management: We can create tasks, set deadlines, and assign them to team members. This helps ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Improved Communication: Many of these tools have built-in chat features or integrate with communication apps. This makes it easier for us to stay in touch and share updates.

Effective Time Tracking: It is crucial to keep track of how we use our time. Many project management tools include time tracking so we know where our hours are going.

Streamlined Project Management: By using one tool for all our project needs, we can simplify our workflows, making it easier to manage our projects from start to finish.

Collaboration: These tools often include features like file sharing and collaborative documents. This allows us to work together more easily, even if we are in different locations.

Here is a list of some features that help us:

• Task creation and assignment
• Deadline setting
• Built-in chat
• File sharing

Using the right freelance project management software can make a big difference. It helps us stay organized, work efficiently, and keep our clients happy.

Frequently asked questions

Is project management good for freelancing.

Yes, project management can be very helpful for freelancers. It allows us to organize our tasks, manage deadlines, and communicate effectively with clients. Using project management tools can help improve overall productivity and keep projects on track.

How do freelancers manage projects?

Freelancers often use project management software to handle different aspects of their work. Tools like Trello, Asana, and ClickUp help us keep track of tasks, collaborate with clients, and manage multiple projects.

How much to charge as a freelance project manager?

The rate for freelance project managers varies based on experience, industry, and project complexity. On average, rates can range from $50 to $150 per hour. It’s important to research industry standards and adjust rates accordingly.

Is Excel a project management tool?

Excel can be used as a project management tool, though it’s not specifically designed for that purpose. We can create spreadsheets to track tasks, deadlines, and budgets. While not as robust as dedicated software, it works for simple projects.

Is there a Google project management tool?

Yes, Google offers Google Workspace tools like Google Sheets and Google Calendar for project management. While not as specialized, they provide useful features for organizing and tracking project tasks.

The PM² Project Management Guide v3.1 is now available in Portuguese

The Portuguese translation of the PM² Project Management Guide version 3.1 was published in August 2024, and it is now available for download from the Publication Office of the EU website. 

The Portuguese translation of the latest version of the PM² Guide was the result of the collective effort and contribution of our Open PM² community, with a translation team comprising passionate individuals with expertise in Project Management and PM².

“I am honoured to have led the Portuguese translation of the PM² Project Management Guide v3.1. The dedication and expertise of our translation team have been invaluable in ensuring the accuracy and clarity of this translation”, said Professor José Luis Ferreria.

This achievement marks one more milestone of the Open PM² community to making the PM² Methodologies accessible to a wider audience. It also empowers Portuguese-speaking project managers and organisations, in particular public administration.

“After releasing the latest version of the PM² Project Management Guide (v3.1) in December 2023, the efforts of the Methodologies Office in 2024 are focused on validating various translations of the guide. This will allow for both public and private sector actors from the EU and beyond to benefit from the open-source project management methodology of the European Commission.”, said Bogdan Musat, Head of Sector for Portfolio, Methodologies & Tools at DG-DIGIT.

More translations of the PM² Project Management Guide (v3.1) are planned for publishing in the upcoming months by the Methodologies Office. This includes updated versions in Spanish and Italian and new translations in German, Greek and Polish.

Download the Portuguese translation of the PM² Project Management Guide v3.1 from the Publication Office of the EU website, section "Download and Languages".

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Project manager i – disaster preparedness and anticipatory action.

• Catholic Relief Services

Job Title: Project Manager I – Disaster Preparedness and Anticipatory Action

Department: Programs – Emergency Response

Report to: Program Manager II - Emergencies

Job Location: Kampala/Uganda

Vacancies: One (1)

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.

CRS has been working in Uganda since 1965 and has a vibrant portfolio of projects, serving over a million vulnerable Ugandans and refugees each year through the Country Program 2030 Strategy . CRS programs in Uganda currently support five strategic priority areas, including Health and Social Services Systems Strengthening, Resilient Food Systems, Emergency Preparedness and Management, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Local Leadership. CRS Uganda implements its programs through partnerships with local organizations, including international and local NGOs, Ugandan government departments and ministries, the Catholic Church, and community-based organizations for maximum impact and sustainability.

About the Project:

CRS in partnership with Local Partners with anticipated funding from CRS headquarter will be implementing a Strengthening Disaster Preparedness and Anticipatory Action project in Butaleja and Bududa Districts which will be complemented by CRS initiative Preparing for Enhanced Protection in Disasters (PrEPD) for a period of one year to leverage on its past learning from Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programs implemented in the same locations.

Job Summary:

The Disaster Risk Reduction and Anticipatory Action (DRR/AA) Project Manager will be responsible for managing and contributing to high-quality implementation of disaster preparedness and anticipatory action programming within CRS Uganda, as well as successful management of CRS’ relationships with local partners and stakeholders. Under the supervision and guidance of the Program Manager for Emergencies, and supported by local Partners, the DRR Project Manager will be responsible for overall management, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of project activities as per the project scope of work, results framework, and M&E plan. S/He will provide technical support to local partner to operate in all geographical areas as assigned by the grant/project. The Project Manager will lead the project team and maintain relationships with other program staff in CRS Uganda and will ensure that the CP delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of this project.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Lead on overall project management, budget management, monitoring and reporting activities throughout the project cycle - start-up, implementation and close-out - in line with CRS program quality principles and standards, donor requirements, and good practices.
• Effectively manage talent and supervise local partner Staff. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, contribute to the recruitment process of project staff, and complete performance management for direct reports.
• Ensure learning properly accompanies project activities throughout the project cycle. Support accountability through coordinating project evaluation activities following MEAL Policy. Proactively identify issues, report them to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Provide technical leadership on DRR and Anticipatory action and PrEPD Toolkit to the overall project and the Local partner, including strengthening capacities through mentorship and accompaniment.
• Represent the organization with donors, INGO working groups, UN, relevant local partners and relevant local government and community actors for the technical sectors of disaster preparedness and anticipatory action
• Coordinate activities required for ensuring the financial, material and human resources for the quality implementation of the project. Conduct periodic budget reviews and follow-up with partners on timely submission of financial reports to facilitate proper tracking of resource use.
• Identify staff capacity needs and technical assistance needs of partner organizations and contribute to capacity strengthening and required interventions to support quality project implementation.
• Assist with preparation of trends analysis reports and disseminate results. Review project documentation to ensure project file is complete with all required documentation and is filed per agency and donor requirements.

Basic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in disaster management, urban planning, climate adaptation, resilience, water/natural resource management or similar field would be a plus.
• Minimum of 5 years of work experience in project management, ideally in the field related to DRR, natural resource management and environmental impact mitigation.
• Good and demonstrated knowledge of Anticipatory Action is a must.
• Basic understanding of protection principles to ensure safe and dignified programming in DRR is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant grant management experience, especially for or other public donors, a plus.
• Staff supervision experience.
• Experience working with stakeholders at various levels and strengthening community partnerships.
• Ability to contribute to the development of technical proposals, a plus.
• Experience analyzing data and contributing to evaluation reports.
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with ability to make sound judgment.
• Strong relationship management skills and the ability to work effectively with local stakeholders. Representation abilities.
• Ability to contribute to written reports
• Proactive, results-oriented, and service-oriented
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities.
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented, and results-oriented.

Required Languages: Strong written and verbal communication skills in English with ability to write technical reports. Strong written and spoken communication skills in local languages spoken within Mt. Elgon sub – region would be a plus.

Required Travel: The position will be based in Kampala with frequent travel to the project location (30%-50%) for training and coordination with local partner as required.

Key Working Relationships

• Supervisory: The PM DRR will supervise the assigned project officer assigned by the local partner.
• Internal: CRS Sr. Program Manager for Emergencies, CRS All Right Project Manager, Country Representative, Head of Programs, Regional and Headquarters technical staff.
• External: Local partner staff, representatives from for-profit and other non-profit organizations and relevant national, district, sub-county, parish and other government stakeholders, community leaders.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff)

Agency competencies clarify expected behaviors and attitudes for all staff. When demonstrated, they create an engaging workplace, help staff achieve their best, and help CRS achieve agency goals. These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Personal Accountability –Consistently takes responsibility for one’s own actions.
• Acts with Integrity - Consistently models values aligned with CRS Guiding Principles and mission. Is considered honest.
• Builds and Maintains Trust - Shows consistency between words and actions.
• Collaborates with Others – Works effectively in intercultural and diverse teams.
• Open to Learn – Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.

Agency Leadership Competencies:

• Lead Change – Continually looks for ways to improve the agency through a culture of agility, openness, and innovation.
• Develops and Recognizes Others – Builds the capacity of staff to reach their full potential and enhance team and agency performance.
• Strategic Mindset – Understands role in translating, communicating, and implementing agency strategy and team priorities.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding related topics.

How to apply

All candidates who meet the requirements are encouraged to apply by following the provided instructions.

• This position is open for Uganda Nationals only.
• The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, September 20, 2024 , no later than 5:00pm .
• Applications are received electronically through this link https://form.jotform.com/242471728467566 only.
• Kindly be aware that this position is contingent on proposal. Its availability is subject to CRS successfully obtaining funding from the donor.

ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.

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An official website of the United States government

Program Manager

Organizational Location: This position is with the Department of Homeland Security, within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Facilities and Asset Management, Mission Support Facilities Division, located in Washington, DC. This announcement will be open for 10 business days OR until the first 75 applications have been received, whichever happens first.

• Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

09/04/2024 to 09/17/2024

$163,964 - $191,900 per year

Pay scale & grade

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Washington, DC

Telework eligible

Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required

25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type, work schedule.

Competitive

Promotion potential

Job family (series).

• 0340 Program Management

Supervisory status

Security clearance.

Not Required

Financial disclosure

Bargaining unit status, announcement number.

OFAM-SMP-12520240-ALK

Control number

This job is open to.

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

Current or former competitive service federal employees.

Certain current or former term or temporary federal employees of a land or base management agency.

Clarification from the agency

Current Federal employees with competitive status; Current and former Land Management employees who meet the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act; Veterans eligible under VEOA.

• Evaluating, directing, and coordinating with various MSF Program Management Offices (PMO), delegating the execution of tasks to ensure the complex mission is met.
• Frequently travels to sites across the country to meet with managers and employees, oversee construction progress, and review construction plans and schedules in conjunction with project managers, engineers, and service providers.
• Ensuring employees have the tools and funding to execute projects, including training, safety equipment, procurement options, and information about alternative resources, to enable them to determine the most cost-effective solutions for project execution; and, Liaising with officials in other Federal agencies and various governing boards/committees.
• Working with service providers, such as the General Services Administration (GSA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and National Parks Services (Housing), and customers in the following capacities: briefing customers on project execution, translating operational needs presented by customers into projects that can be executed, problem resolution, and recommending solutions to challenges identified by customers.
• Evaluating and determining actions for forward progress in terms of project execution, challenges, funding risks, and policies; and ensure proper support is provided for project execution, this position coordinates with all directors within the Division.

Requirements

Conditions of employment.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this position
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service
• Primary U.S. residency for at least three of the last five years (additional details below)
• You may be required to pass a background investigation
• CBP follows the DHS Drug-Free Workplace Plan for drug testing procedures
• As an employee of CBP, you will be joining a workforce that is dedicated to accomplishing our mission while maintaining the trust of our Nation by strictly adhering to all government ethics standards. Your conduct will be subject to the ethics rules applicable to all Executive Branch employees, and to CBP employees specifically, as well as the criminal conflict of interest statutes. Once you enter on duty, these rules include obtaining approval for outside employment or business activity, to ensure such employment or business activity is not prohibited and does not interfere or conflict with performance of your official duties. Please review further details via the following link .
• DHS uses E-Verify, an internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Managing facilities operations programs or project management.
• Managing a collaborative project environment between multiple stakeholders and partners to obtain or commit resources and support for program or project execution.
• Providing oversight, advisory, and technical guidance on facility project planning, contract administration and overall project implementation
• Overseeing and coordinating construction progress by reviewing plans and schedules in collaboration with project managers, engineers, and service providers.
• Meet all qualification requirements, including education if applicable to this position, subject to verification at any stage of the application process; and
• Meet all applicable Time in Grade requirements (current federal employees must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent grade band in the federal service) by 09/17/2024.
• Working for the U.S. Government as a federal civilian or as a member of the military
• A dependent who was authorized to accompany a federal civilian or member of the military who was working for the U.S. government
• Participation in a study abroad program sponsored by a U.S. affiliated college or university
• Working as a contractor, intern, consultant or volunteer supporting the U.S. government

Please see the Qualifications and Required Documents sections for more information if education is applicable to this position.

Additional information

• Military spouses Effective until December 31, 2028, any spouse of a member on active duty may be eligible
• Individuals with Disabilities The proof of disability documentation must specify that you are eligible to apply using Schedule A. It does NOT need to detail your specific disability, medical history or need for accommodation. For more information visit this link .
• Peace Corps and VISTA
• Land Management Hiring Flexibility Act : The following documents are required at the time of application: SF-50s to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility requirements and the most recent performance rating signed by your supervisor or a statement from your supervisor documenting acceptable performance.
• O ther miscellaneous hiring authorities

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits .

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

• Knowledge of methods and techniques to optimize resources, processes and program outcomes.
• Ability to build consensus and gain cooperation from stakeholders.
• Knowledge of financial management principles (e.g., budgeting, securing funds, cost-benefit analysis).
• Skill in project management.
• Ability to deliver effective verbal communications.
• Accountability
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

• Your resume : A resume describing your job-related qualifications is required and will be used for the purpose of reviewing your qualifications and determining what training, if any, would be required when placed. A resume in English is required. It must contain your full legal name, address, phone number, complete work history including a detailed description of your duties, the dates you performed those duties (MM/DD/YY), your hours worked per week, job title, as well as series, grade, and salary (if applicable). For additional required items, see the link. *Note- It is recommended that you upload your resume as a PDF instead of a Word document to ensure document quality. Ensure that your uploaded resume is not a password protected document, to include Office 365 passwords.
• Your responses to the job questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12520240
• Your responses to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment
• Current CBP Employees are encouraged to submit an SF-50(s) for CBP experience; however, additional SF-50(s) are required when using federal experience outside of CBP to receive credit towards the requirements above. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, within-grade increases, and accessions.
• Retired former federal employees must submit your retirement SF-50 and encouraged to submit your most recent annuity statement.
• Are you claiming special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP)? You must submit a separation notice; your most recent SF-50 (noting your current position, grade level and duty location); a copy of your most recent performance rating; an agency certification that you cannot be placed after injury compensation has been terminated; an OPM notification that your disability annuity has been terminated; or a Military Department of National Guard Bureau notification that you are retired under 5 U.S.C. 8337(h) or 8456.
• Are you a veteran? If you are applying under a veteran appointing authority, you must submit documentation to support eligibility such as a DD 214 listing the character of service and either qualifying medal(s) or service period, a VA Disability Award letter dated 1991 or later, and/or supporting documentation as listed on the Standard Form 15 . If you are currently serving on active duty, you must submit a written statement from the armed forces certifying your dates of service, your rank, expected type of discharge and anticipated date of separation. If you apply with a written statement at this stage, your preference will be verified by a DD 214 (Member Copy 4) upon separation from the military. To learn more click here .
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? Submit a copy of your initial and termination SF-50s.
• If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here .
• You may be asked to provide a copy of your recent performance appraisal and/or incentive awards. Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3). Additionally, if you are a former federal employee, and have been separated from Federal service for over 52 weeks, it is recommended that you submit your most recent rating of record (performance appraisal) when applying.
• Click the Apply Online button.
• Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
• Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement 09/17/2024.
• If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
• Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
• Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Action of 1973 as amended.
• Set aside at least 3 hours to take these assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use your unique assessment link.
• Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future application you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Agency contact information

The open period for this job opportunity announcement may be extended to allow for a sufficient applicant pool. Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments. Once the job opportunity announcement has closed, we will assess your experience and training, identify the best qualified applicants, and refer those applications to the hiring manager for further consideration and interviews. You will be notified by email after each of these steps has been completed. Stay informed of changes to your application status by signing up for automatic email alerts with your USAJOBS account . If you are referred, you will receive a final notification of the disposition of the announcement. We expect to make a tentative job offer within 60 days after the close of the announcement. If you are selected, we may conduct a suitability/security background investigation. If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment , and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Criminal history inquiries
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Financial suitability
• New employee probationary period
• Privacy Act
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Selective Service
• Signature and false statements
• Social security number request

Required Documents

How to apply, fair & transparent.

This job originated on www.usajobs.gov . For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/807638000 . Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.

Learn more about

Customs and Border Protection

• Secure and facilitate trade and travel while enforcing hundreds of U.S. regulations, including immigration and drug laws
• Screen passengers, vehicles, and shipments entering our country
• Seize illegal narcotics, vehicles, and agricultural products and prohibited goods.
• Prevent unauthorized entry into the country
• Rescue individuals who fall into dangerous conditions traversing our border

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Customs and Border Protection, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

http://www.cbp.gov/

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