Finding project management software for Mac that seamlessly integrates with their operating system can significantly enhance productivity and collaboration. From intuitive interfaces to robust features, the best project management solutions will elevate your Mac-powered project management experience. Here are our top picks:
| Our Pick | Best For | Pricing Starts At |
|---|---|---|
 Try ClickUp | Best Free Option for Mac Platform | Free to try • $7/user/month Read details |
 Try Wrike | Best for Any Size Project Team | Free to try • $9.80/user/month Read details |
 Try Smartsheet | Best for Fans of Excel Spreadsheets and Microsoft Office | Free to try • $7/user/month Read details |
 Try Merlin Project | Best Tool for Integration with Apple Products (and an Affordable Alternative to MS Project) | Free to try • $16.99/user/month Read details |
 Try monday | Best for Communication and Collaboration | Free to try • $8/user/month Read details |
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Our Picks: The Best Project Management Software for Mac
Best Free Plan for Mac Users
ClickUp is a top-rated project management tool that offers a wide range of features and benefits (even on its free plan) that make it worth considering for project managers who prefer using a Mac. Recent research and positive user review outline why ClickUp stands out as a must-be-considered project management solution. Robust collaboration capabilities, versatile task management, and streamlined project tracking, including agile project management support, make ClickUpthis a great option for focused project teams looking to integrate with other Mac productivity tools.
Read More: Our ClickUp Review
ClickUp Key Features
ClickUp stands out for Mac users due to its seamless integration with macOS, providing a native and optimized experience that enhances usability and performance. Its comprehensive feature set, including customizable workflows, agile methodologies support, and extensive integration capabilities, offers project managers a highly versatile and tailored project management solution. With a user-friendly interface and diverse project views, ClickUp empowers Mac users to manage tasks efficiently manage tasks, collaborate effectively, and gain actionable insights for successful project outcomes, surpassing competitors in functionality and usability.
- Native Mac Experience – ClickUp offers a native Mac experience, providing Mac users with a seamless and optimized interface that aligns with macOS design principles. This ensures a familiar and intuitive user experience, enhancing productivity and ease of use.
- Customizable Workflows – One of the standout features of ClickUp is its highly customizable workflows. Mac users can design and configure workflows according to their specific project requirements, enabling them to adapt the software to their unique processes and ensure efficient project execution.
- Versatile Project Views – ClickUp provides a range of project views, such as List View, Board View, Gantt Chart, and Calendar View, allowing Mac users to visualize their projects in different formats. This versatility provides project managers with a comprehensive overview of tasks, timelines, and resource allocation, enabling effective planning, tracking, and collaboration.
ClickUp Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Robust free plan features | Number of features can be overwhelming at first |
| Excels at facilitating collaboration and communication among teams | Complexity in customizations |
| Versatile and customizable | Performance on older devices |
| Supports agile project management methodologies | Pricing structure based on features and number of users |
| Mobile accessibility for iOS and Android to stay connected on the go | Lack of offline mode |
Why We Picked ClickUp for Project Management for Mac
As a project manager using a Mac, there are compelling reasons to consider using ClickUp to manage your work and teams. Our research and along with recent user reviews and shared project management professional testimonials have confirmed that ClickUp is a strong choice when it comes to managing work and teams in a Mac environment. For project management, ClickUp brings together all necessary features beautifully with a more generous free version than the competition that includes unlimited tasks and members, which is unusual for any project management solution.
Best for Any Size Project Team
Wrike is another best-in-class project management tool designed to empower project managers and teams with efficient and collaborative project planning, tracking, and execution. With its user-friendly interface and robust features, Wrike streamlines project management processes and enhances productivity. From task management and resource allocation to real-time collaboration and reporting, Wrike provides a centralized platform for project managers to efficiently organize and execute their projects. Its intuitive and customizable interface allows project managers to tailor the tool to their specific needs, creating seamless coordination, communication, and successful project delivery.
Read More: Our Complete Wrike Review
For Mac users, Wrike is an excellent project management tool that offers integration and optimal performance on the macOS platform. Whether you’re using a MacBook, iMac, iPad, or other Apple device, Wrike’s web and desktop applications provide a consistent and intuitive experience for Mac users. Wrike’s native macOS application is specifically designed to leverage the capabilities and features of the operating system, ensuring smooth functionality, responsiveness, and compatibility. With its clean and visually appealing interface, Mac users can easily navigate and interact with Wrike, taking advantage of its robust project management capabilities while enjoying a positive user experience that aligns with the macOS ecosystem. From creating and tracking tasks to collaborating with team members, Mac users will find Wrike to be a reliable and efficient tool for managing their projects from beginning to end.
Wrike Key Features
Wrike offers several top features for Mac users, making it an ideal project management tool on the macOS platform. First, its native macOS application provides seamless integration with the operating system, ensuring optimal performance and compatibility. Second, Mac users can take advantage of Wrike’s intuitive interface, allowing them to easily navigate and interact with the tool, whether through the web or desktop application. Finally, Wrike’s robust collaboration features enable efficient teamwork, with real-time updates, task assignments, file sharing, and communication tools, all designed to enhance productivity and streamline project management processes for Mac users.
- Native macOS application – Wrike provides a dedicated native application for macOS, offering seamless integration and optimized performance on Mac devices. The native app leverages the capabilities of the operating system, ensuring a smooth and efficient user experience.
- Intuitive user interface – Wrike’s user interface is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, allowing Mac users to easily navigate the tool and access its various features. The interface is visually appealing, providing a clean and organized workspace for project management tasks.
- Robust collaboration tools – Wrike offers powerful collaboration features, enabling Mac users the ability to collaborate with their larger project team. These tools include real-time updates, task assignments, file sharing, comments, and notifications, facilitating seamless communication and teamwork within projects.
Wrike Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Native macOS Integration | Difficult learning curve for novice users |
| Streamlined proofing and collaboration in one place | Complex pricing structure |
| Customizable workspace | Limited offline access |
| Cross-tagging for visibility across multiple work streams | Integration challenges |
| Deliver faster with new AI automated task prioritization recommendations | Performance and speed |
Why We Picked Wrike for Project Management for Mac
Based on professional real-world observations and the overall positive feedback from project managers using Wrike on a Mac, we recommend Wrike as a top project management solution for Mac users. Its user-friendly interface, collaboration features, task management capabilities, and integration options make it a powerful tool to enhance project efficiency, collaboration, and success. Wrike seamlessly integrates with Mac operating systems, providing an intuitive and user-friendly experience and an interface that is optimized for Mac users.
The system integrates with various Mac productivity tools, such as Apple Calendar, Mail, and Contacts, allowing project managers to streamline their workflow and centralize project-related information. Wrike excels in facilitating collaboration among any size team, enabling seamless communication, file sharing, and task management. Advanced features offered in the paid tiers will give you all you need to work smarter and to customize the system to the way you want to get work done.
Best for Fans of Excel and Microsoft Project
Smartsheet is a powerful project management and collaboration tool that empowers teams to plan, track, automate, and report on their work effectively. With a user-friendly interface and a range of features, Smartsheet enables seamless communication and streamlined workflows across organizations of all sizes. One of the highlights of Smartsheet is its flexible spreadsheet-like interface that closely resembles a cross between an Excel spreadsheet and the popular Microsoft Project, allowing users to organize and manage their projects and tasks in a familiar and intuitive manner. It offers a wide array of features, such as Gantt charts, calendars, resource management, and customizable templates, making it ideal for project planning and execution.
Read More: Our Complete Smartsheet Review
Smartsheet also provides robust collaboration capabilities, allowing team members to collaborate in real-time, share files, and communicate effortlessly. The platform supports automation through workflows and integrations, enhancing productivity and reducing manual tasks. Whether it’s managing complex projects, coordinating remote teams, or tracking progress, Smartsheet is a comprehensive solution that equips organizations with the tools they need to succeed in a modern dynamic work environment.
Smartsheet Key Features
Smartsheet packs in key features designed to streamline project management and enhance team collaboration. From flexible project organization and tracking tools to powerful reporting and data visualization capabilities, Smartsheet helps teams to work well together, communicate confidently, and achieve all of their project goals. Take a look at these key features of Smartsheet.
- Collaboration sheets – Smartsheet encourages easy collaboration through the use of sheets, a format unique to this tool. With customizable permission levels and the ability to attach files, add comments, set reminders, and share project details, Smartsheet’s collaboration options make for effective team coordination and information sharing.
- Varied project views – Smartsheet offers four distinct views for work and project planning, allowing users to easily switch between them with a single click. The Grid View provides a spreadsheet-like interface with sortable columns and draggable rows, while the Gantt View offers a familiar timeline visualization of project tasks. The Card View enables visual organization and prioritization using drag-and-drop cards, and the Calendar View allows users to track milestones and publish to external calendar plugins.
- Project dashboards – With Smartsheet, you can create a project management dashboard that provides a comprehensive view of program status, individual projects, and associated documents. This allows executives who don’t usually use these types of tools to gain insights into work alignment with their goals, while keeping stakeholders informed through real-time updates and accurate data for informed decision-making.
Smartsheet Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Customizable dashboards and templates | Dependent on internet connectivity |
| Collaboration and communication | Challenging learning curve for novice users |
| Automation and workflows | Limited features in free version |
| Scalability and flexibility | Interface is complex and not as user-friendly as other tools |
| Integration capabilities | Pricing structure for some organizations |
Why We Picked Smartsheet Project Management Software for Mac
Smartsheet is a highly regarded project management tool that is worth considering due to its extensive features and positive user feedback. Personal and professional use has proven that it does it all and then some. It offers a user-friendly interface, robust collaboration capabilities, and versatile project views like Gantt charts and calendars. Through its automation and integration options, users can streamline workflows and improve productivity. Smartsheet’s customizable dashboards and reporting tools let users track project progress in real time.
Reviews and observations from users highlight its ability to enhance team collaboration, improve project organization, and provide real-time visibility into project status for users, stakeholders, and executives, with tailored information for each audience. With its range of capabilities and positive reputation, we view Smartsheet as a stand-out and reliable option for project managers and their teams, no matter the size or industry.
Best Tool for Integration with Apple Products (and an affordable alternative to Microsoft Project)
Merlin Project is a powerful and feature-rich project management tool that caters specifically to Mac users, offering a seamless and optimized experience. With its robust set of features and intuitive interface, Merlin Project empowers project managers on Mac to efficiently plan, execute, and track their projects whether they use a Mac laptop, desktop, iPad, or iPhone.
One standout feature of Merlin Project is its comprehensive project planning capabilities. Mac users can leverage its Gantt chart and timeline views to visualize project schedules, dependencies, and resource allocation. The software supports task dependencies, critical path analysis, and resource leveling, enabling project managers to effectively manage project timelines and ensure timely delivery.
Merlin Project also offers seamless collaboration and communication features for Mac users. Project teams can easily share project files, track task progress, and exchange feedback within the software. The integration with macOS native apps like Calendar, Contacts, and Reminders enhances productivity and ensures a seamless workflow integration for Mac users.
Merlin Project Key Features
Merlin Project is a great tool for project managers using a Mac due to its seamless integration with the macOS ecosystem, providing a native and optimized experience. Its robust project planning features, including Gantt charts, critical path analysis, and resource allocation, enable efficient project scheduling and management. With its intuitive interface and collaboration tools, Merlin Project empowers Mac users to effectively track progress, communicate with teams, and achieve project success. The following key features are worth noting.
- Comprehensive Project Planning – With its robust capabilities, such as Gantt charts, task dependencies, and resource allocation, Merlin Project empowers project managers to create detailed project schedules, visualize dependencies, and effectively allocate resources. This level of planning precision ensures better project coordination, helps identify potential bottlenecks, and enables timely decision-making, resulting in improved project outcomes. Compared to competitors, Merlin Project’s planning feature offers a more holistic and powerful approach, providing Mac users with a toolkit to meticulously plan and execute their projects.
- Collaboration and Communication Tools – With features that enable seamless sharing of project files, task assignments, progress tracking, and feedback exchange, Merlin Project facilitates effective teamwork and promotes clear communication among project teams. Its integration with native macOS apps enhances workflow integration and streamlines collaboration for Mac users. Compared to competitors, Merlin Project’s collaboration and communication tools offer a complete and user-friendly platform that fosters team collaboration, improves project transparency, and enables better team coordination throughout the project lifecycle.
- macOS Integration – By seamlessly integrating with native macOS apps like Calendar, Contacts, and Reminders, Merlin Project allows project managers to leverage their existing workflows and synchronize project data effortlessly. This integration enhances productivity, eliminates duplicate data entry, and promotes collaboration between Merlin Project and other macOS applications. Compared to competitors, Merlin Project’s macOS integration provides a more streamlined and efficient experience for Mac users, allowing them to work with ease within their familiar macOS environment.
Merlin Project Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Mac-friendly support | Extensive feature set may be excessive for simple or small-scale projects |
| Flexibility and customization options for planning and defining workflows and templates | May require higher system specifications to run smoothly, making older devices an issue |
| Resource management for effective work allocation and tracking | No free version |
| Integration and synchronization with macOS apps such as Calendar, Contacts, and Reminders | Some users may face a steeper learning curve to tackle and use all features |
| Visually impressive Gantt chart can be exported in any resolution or vector-ready files | Challenging to find exact settings when using the Inspector |
Why We Picked Merlin Project
Merlin Project for Mac is a project management tool worth considering for project managers seeking a comprehensive and user-friendly solution on a Mac. This is a new solution that was well worth the investigation. Merlin Project for Mac It provides a comprehensive and powerful project management solution tailored specifically for Mac users. Its robust planning features, seamless Mac experience, collaboration tools, resource management capabilities, reporting and analytics functionalities, and Mac-friendly support make it a compelling choice for project managers looking to streamline their project workflows and achieve project success. The reviews are good, and the demos are intriguing, making this a solution that we will definitely be testing out more for a better first-hand experience.
Best for communication and collaboration
monday work management (often shortened to monday) is a popular project management platform known for its user-friendly interface and extensive collaboration features. With monday.com, teams can effectively plan, track, and execute projects with ease. The platform offers customizable boards where users can create and manage tasks, set deadlines, assign responsibilities, and track progress. It also provides various project views, such as Kanban boards and Gantt charts, allowing teams to visualize and manage their projects in different formats.
Read More: Our Complete monday Review
monday.com excels in its collaboration capabilities, supporting communication and file-sharing features for teams. This platform provides a solid project management solution that simplifies task management, enhances remote team collaboration, and helps teams stay organized and productive throughout the project or program lifecycle.
monday Key Features
monday offers Mac users a range of top features for project management, including a user-friendly interface optimized for macOS. Users can create and manage tasks, set deadlines, and track progress with minimal training. The platform’s collaboration tools provide real-time communication, seamless file sharing, and team collaboration, empowering Mac users to stay organized and productive throughout their projects. These three top features make monday stand out from other top tools.
- Customizable project data visualizations and dashboards – monday excels in project data visualization and dashboard features, providing users the ability to create visually stunning and informative representations of project data. With customizable dashboards, users can easily track key metrics, monitor project progress, and gain insights into overall performance, providing a clear and comprehensive overview of their projects at a glance.
- Automation and workflow management – monday’s automation features give users the power to automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows, saving time and increasing productivity. With a wide range of automation options, users can create custom automation recipes to automatically trigger actions, update statuses, send notifications, and synchronize data, ensuring that processes are executed consistently.
- Collaboration and communication – monday has robust collaboration tools that facilitate tight communication and teamwork. Users can leave comments, tag team members, and have real-time discussions, fostering collaboration within projects. The platform includes easy file sharing so users can access and collaborate on important project documents with their team, further enhancing collaboration and information sharing.
monday Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Provides a clear visual representation of project timelines | Cost is high for larger organizations |
| Visually stunning and well-designed interface | Steep learning curve for novice users |
| Customer support is sometimes subpar | Customer support is sometimes slow to respond |
| Great for a variety of industries | No built-in chat |
| Wide range of customizations | No offline capabilities |
Why We Picked monday
monday is a compelling choice for project management for Mac users due to its robust features and positive user feedback. With its user-friendly interface optimized for macOS, users can navigate and utilize the platform seamlessly. monday stands out with its extensive customization options, advanced collaboration tools, and automation capabilities. It provides a visually appealing and intuitive project management solution, allowing Mac users the ability to track tasks, communicate with ease, and streamline complex workflows. User reviews highlight its ability to enhance team collaboration, increase productivity, and provide a centralized platform for project management.
Methodology
Key Features of Project Management Software & Tools for Mac
When shopping for project management software and tools for use on a Mac, project managers should prioritize identifying key features that align with their specific project management needs and enhance their workflow efficiency.
Benefits of Project Management Software & Tools for Mac
As project managers and users operating on a Mac, recognizing the indispensable benefits of utilizing project management software and tools tailored specifically for your platform is crucial for achieving enhanced productivity, seamless collaboration, and streamlined project execution.
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Wrike
Wrike is the most powerful work management platform on the market, enabling teams to plan projects and collaborate in real time. Our award-winning software is trusted by 20,000+ companies across the globe, including Sony, Estée Lauder, and Siemens.
Wrike’s customizable features include Gantt charts, request forms, dashboards, cross-tagging, time tracking, and proofing. Integrate with 400+ apps from the likes of Microsoft, Google, and Salesforce. Automate repetitive tasks and achieve 50% faster planning. Work from anywhere with 100% access to your files via our mobile and desktop apps.
Whether you’re a small startup or an established brand, Wrike has the solution for you. Paid plans start at $9.80/user/month. Join our community of 2.3 million — start your free two-week trial today.
monday.com
monday.com Work OS is an award-winning no-code work management platform that helps teams manage projects and workflows more efficiently.
Used by 152,000+ customers worldwide, this fully customizable software lets you plan, manage, and track every project in one place. monday.com offers time-saving and easy-to-use features such as automations, time tracking, document sharing, and real-time collaboration. Multiple board views such as Gantt and Kanban help you structure and navigate tasks and projects the way you prefer, and dashboards give a high-level overview of your progress.
In addition, integrations with apps such as Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, and Excel, allow you to easily continue working with your favorite tools from within the platform. monday.com also offers dedicated solutions, such as monday dev and monday sales CRM, designed to answer the needs of specific industries.
Productive
Start and deliver each billable and non-billable service by centralizing communication. Collaborate with teammates on tasks in real-time, streamline best practices, and let clients in on progress.
Stop spreading work across platforms. Subscribe to tasks to track progress, assign date ranges and deadlines, and check granular steps off with TODOs.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a leading work execution platform that has real-time work management features, collaboration and automation tools. Users are presented with a familiar and easy-to-use spreadsheet-like interface. However, it has enterprise-grade capabilities that even Fortune 500 companies like Cisco, Bayer, HP, and PayPal are confident to adopt in their business. Strong project management features enable teams to utilize different views of real-time data, and switch easily from Gantt, card, grid and calendar views. Smartsheet has automatic update requests, and can be used for waterfall and agile projects, product launch, sprint planning, and more. The resource management feature provides users the visibility who is busy, and who is not, in real-time. They can also attach files, share sheets, get notified, view the activity log, export, email, and print.
BigTime
BigTime is a leading Professional Services Automation (PSA) software that helps you scale your business by giving you the ability to track and act on your operational metrics. Even with remote work, easily manage time, expenses, and billing for multiple projects all at once, and quickly identify areas of opportunity with advanced features like resource allocation and custom reporting. With BigTime Wallet and client portal, you can get paid faster using custom invoicing and payment processing.
FAQs: What Are the Most Important Questions to Ask When Evaluating PM Software for Mac?
How to Choose the Best Project Management Software Solution for a Mac
When choosing project management software for use on a Mac, project managers should consider several crucial factors. First and foremost, compatibility with macOS and optimization for Mac devices is essential to ensure a seamless user experience. In addition, evaluating the software’s key features and functionalities, such as task management, collaboration tools, and integration options, helps determine its suitability for specific project requirements. Data security and privacy measures are critical considerations to safeguard sensitive project information. Understanding the pricing model, scalability, and potential additional costs of the software is crucial to make a cost-effective decision. Ultimately, conducting thorough research, reading reviews, and testing software through trial periods or demos can aid in selecting the best project management solution for a Mac.
Remember, compatibility with macOS and a user-friendly interface are crucial factors to consider when selecting project management software for use on a Mac. By taking these factors into account, you can maximize the benefits of your software, enhance collaboration, and drive successful project outcomes.
