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10 Best Project Management Software 2024 Buyers’ Guide

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These are the 10 best project management software options for project managers of every experience level, based on our hands-on experience.

As always, our editorially independent picks are based on first-party research and hands-on experience of our writers and editors.

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Our Picks

These are our picks for the best project management tools on the market, recently updated with current pricing and expert insights to help you choose the best project management tool for your team. We’ve also identified the key difference maker for each pick—the key aspect of each selection that make it stand out from the pack.

Let’s dive in.


monday work management logo.

monday work management: Best All-Around Performer

monday.com’s monday work management is customizable for scalable teams, workflows, and use cases. The highly visual project management platform provides an intuitive centralized workspace for users across the organization. Easy-to-implement automations, notifications, and team collaboration simplify the assignment, tracking, and reporting of any kind of work.

monday.com allows users to modify views and create dashboards to display important project information to decision-makers. monday work management offers a free plan for up to two user seats and several paid plans for teams with different work requirements. It has ready-to-use templates, unlimited project boards, interactive documents, and custom fields. The software is mobile-friendly and includes features for file and project portfolio management, email integration, calendar sync, and in-depth analytics and reporting.

Screenshots

Standout features

  • Customizable workflows: Create and customize workflows to match the work you do, including specific processes and needs. This key feature helps support a platform that can adapt to any industry and project type.
  • Visual project tracking: monday.com has a highly visual interface, giving users a clear and intuitive way to track project progress. Easily view task status, timelines, dependencies, and other details for comprehensive project visibility.
  • Automation and integrations: Many easy-to-implement automations and a seamless experience integrating with third-party apps and tools allow you to build upon this solution to make it even better for your needs. You can reduce time-consuming manual work with the ability to streamline tasks, notifications, and reporting.
  • Collaboration and communication: Team collaboration is a top priority for this system, giving all users the ability to interact with other users through the ability to share files, comment, and @mention team members.
  • Customizable dashboards and reporting: Create custom dashboards and reports that clearly spell out project health and performance. Leaders can be confident in times requiring decision-making that will help keep goals and objectives on track.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Time-saving, easy-to-implement automations
  • Responsive support, with 24/7 support available in all plans
  • Industry-specific variations and templates

Cons

  • Visual user interface (UI) takes time to get used to
  • Gantt charts export as PDFs, which may be difficult to use in other applications
  • Tasks cannot be linked across boards

Why we picked monday

In working with monday, I found that this option stands out due to its remarkable flexibility and visual clarity. This tool’s flexibility allows users to customize their workflows to match the unique needs of their team and adapt to a wide range of industry-specific projects and use cases.

In addition, monday’s highly visual interface simplifies project management by providing an intuitive and centralized workspace. The visual representation of tasks and progress allows teams to quickly grasp project status and collaborate well. My overall positive user experience in reviews made choosing monday as the Best All-Around Performer an easy decision.

monday’s key differences: focus and features

monday Work Management stands out because its ultimate focus is on on flexibility, allowing users and their teams to take on and manage any type of work. Notable features include customizable boards, automations, and dashboards— features that make it ideal for managing various work processes, cross-departmental workflows, and project execution.

How much does monday work management cost?

  • Free Forever
  • $0/user/month
  • 2 users allowed in this plan
  • 500MB/user storage
  • 200+ integrations
  • Included with this plan:
  • Up to 3 boards
  • Unlimited in-app docs
  • 8 column types
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Basic
  • $9/user/month
  • Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 5GB/user storage
  • 200+ integrations
  • Includes everything in Free Forever plan, plus:
  • Unlimited free viewers
  • Unlimited items
  • Prioritized customer support
  • 1 dashboard per board
  • Standard
  • $12/user/month
  • Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 20GB/user storage
  • 200+ integrations
  • 250 automation runs
  • Includes everything in Basic plan, plus:
  • Timeline and Gantt views
  • Calendar view
  • Guest access
  • Create a dashboard that combines 5 boards
  • Pro
  • $19/user/month
  • Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 100GB/user storage
  • 200+ integrations
  • 25K automation runs
  • Includes everything in Standard plan, plus:
  • Private boards
  • Chart view
  • Time tracking
  • Formula column
  • Automations (25K actions per month)
  • Create a dashboard that combines 10 boards
  • Enterprise
  • Contact vendor for pricing
  • Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 1TB/user storage
  • 200+ integrations
  • Includes everything in Pro plan, plus:
  • Enterprise-scale automations and integrations
  • Multi-level permissions
  • Enterprise-grade security and governance
  • Advanced reporting and analytics
  • Tailored onboarding*
  • Enterprise support
  • Create a dashboard that combines 50 boards

Smartsheet logo.

Smartsheet: Best for Fast-Growing Teams Seeking a Secure, Scalable Solution

Smartsheet is a leading work execution platform with strong real-time work management features, advanced dashboard reporting, collaboration, and automation tools. Organizations dynamically plan, execute, and report on work at scale for any type of project. The tool allows different views of real-time data laid out in instant Gantt, card, grid, and calendar views to accommodate different types of works and teams.

Smartsheet also has automatic update requests and can be used for waterfall and Agile-based projects, product launches, sprint planning, and more. Its resource management feature provides real-time visibility into who is busy and who is available.

Screenshots

Smartsheet is a mature, feature-rich option that works well for a range of project types and processes. It is an excellent addition to project management offices, especially for teams with multiple project leaders who are responsible for providing management with detailed insights in larger cross-functional environments.

Standout features

  • Intelligent workflows: Powerful smart automation and workflow capabilities give users the ability to automate time-consuming, repetitive tasks, approvals, and notifications. Users enjoy enhanced productivity and save precious time by reducing manual efforts to stay focused on essential tasks.
  • Resource management: Tools to manage resources help project managers allocate work and track who is doing it. This helps teams optimize assignments and prevent overwork, resulting in efficient project execution.
  • Secure and confidential dynamic view: Business owners have the ability to granularly share confidential information with the right people at the right time for viewing and editing. With Dynamic View, you can maintain tight control over access to specific information, how it is shared, and who sees it across vendors, internal and external teams, and across the organization.
  • Dashboards and reporting: Present valuable information by creating and customizing real-time project dashboards using widgets to pull in information from sheets and even other tool plug-ins like Tableau, YouTube, Google Docs, and Power BI.

Read our complete Smartsheet review.


Pros & Cons

Pros

  • A familiar spreadsheet-like interface can simplify onboarding and implementation
  • Customizable automation are easy to set up and use
  • Users can instantly toggle between various project views

Cons

  • Requires some training to be able to use it at a basic level
  • Cost-prohibitive for small and midsize entities
  • The amount of information that can be shown may overwhelm some users

Why we picked Smartsheet

Fast-growing teams may outgrow the one-size-fits-most capabilities of other PM systems. Smartsheet delivers for teams that need the ability to customize and build more complex functions.

Extensive use of this fast-evolving solution makes it a must-have on our list of top software because Smartsheet’s developers have delivered a comprehensive set of tools needed to operate, from a basic set up all the way to a very robust and complex system of managing programs with multiple projects and with a lot of data pulling from multiple sources and tools.

Smartsheet’s key differences: Flexibility and scalability

Smartsheet is one of the top choices for project management software as it combines flexibility and scalability, with its impressive features specifically designed for teams that need to manage work of varying complexity. Smartsheet can scale from a single project to end-to-end work management. It connects businesses on a no-code, cloud-based platform, allowing anyone to create customized solutions. Unlike traditional tools, Smartsheet offers multiple views including Grid, Gantt, Calendar, and Kanban Card, plus timelines with dependencies, automated notifications, and Sights dashboards for portfolio visibility.

How much does Smartsheet cost?

  • Free Forever
  • $0/user/month
  • 1 user allowed in this plan
  • 500MB/user storage
  • 106 integrations
  • Included with this plan:
  • Up to 2 editors
  • 2 sheets
  • Gantt, Grid, Card, and Calendar view
  • Pro
  • $9/user/month
  • 10 users allowed in this plan
  • 20GB/user storage
  • 114 integrations
  • Includes everything in Free Forever plan, plus:
  • Up to 10 paid editors
  • Unlimited free viewers
  • Unlimited sheets, forms, and reports
  • Business
  • $19/user/month
  • 3 users allowed in this plan
  • 1TB/user storage
  • 114 integrations
  • Unlimited automation runs
  • Includes everything in Pro plan, plus:
  • Unlimited free editors
  • Timeline view
  • Admin capabilities
  • Workload tracking
  • Enterprise
  • Custom/user/month
  • Unlimited/user storage
  • 114 integrations
  • Includes everything in Business plan, plus:
  • SAML-based SSO
  • AI formulas, text, and charts
  • Directory integrations
  • Enterprise Plan Manager
  • WorkApps
  • Work Insights
  • Unlimited viewers and editors

The Wrike logo.

Wrike: Best for Customization

Wrike is considered by some to be one of the most powerful project management platforms available, designed to help teams adapt to new ways of working. I’ve found Wrike to be flexible enough to meet the disparate needs of just about any team, including marketing, design, professional services, product management, and business operations teams. The project management app can easily adapt to a variety of business needs, whether for managing Agile teams, clients, or remote workers.

Wrike offers a free plan to unlimited users with basic functionality that is sufficient for simple projects. Paid plans include more advanced features, such as shareable dashboards, interactive Gantt charts, time tracking, cross-tagging, custom fields and workflows, automation, and productivity integrations. Enterprise plans have additional security features like single sign-on (SSO), two-factor authentication (2FA), password policies, custom roles, and audit reports that are suitable for hybrid workspaces.

Screenshots

Standout features

  • Task and project planning: Teams are empowered to plan, create, assign, and track all tasks quickly and easily. Projects managed within Wrike are bound to stay organized and on schedule.
  • Collaboration and communication: Real-time communication features such as comments, file sharing, and @mentions allow teams to collaborate on just about anything. There should be no question as to the where, when, and why of details with this ability to link and communicate instantly.
  • Workflow automation: A smart suite of tools helps streamline repetitive tasks and manual processes. Save time, stay consistent, and minimize errors on all projects.
  • Customizable dashboards and reports: Users are free to create and customize dashboards and reports to showcase project progress, gain insights into work, and track KPIs to be shared confidently across the organization.
  • Integration and scalability: This tool integrates with many third-party apps and tools to make connecting the Wrike project management universe with other tools and software you are already using easier. Scale the platform as your team and business grows.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Comprehensive project management with a focus on transparency and tracking
  • Project and team organization can be easily customized to meet teams’ needs
  • Free plan is available for unlimited users

Cons

  • Mobile app needs UI/UX enhancements
  • Users feel the UI could add color for easier viewing
  • Difficult to locate custom rules to automate tasks

Why we picked Wrike

I tested the free version of this tool and picked Wrike to add to this list because of its robust and user-friendly features. Wrike’s built-in customizability means a single platform can meet the needs of most, if not all, of your various teams’ needs. Wrike is adaptable to the unique needs of different types of project teams and industries, making it an excellent choice.

Wrike’s key difference: Broad view of team productivity

Wrike stands out as a project management tool due to its holistic approach to team productivity. Unlike other solutions, Wrike covers a wide spectrum of functions—from work initiation and structuring to collaboration, reporting, and integrations. Its versatility makes it ideal for larger and diverse team needs. Wrike has features like dynamic request forms, templates, and custom item types that are the best fit for unique processes. The tool’s user-friendly dashboard, equipped with enterprise-grade tools, serves well for both one-time projects and ongoing or business-as-usual tasks.

How much does Wrike cost?

  • Free Forever
  • $0/user/month
  • Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 2GB/user storage
  • 51 integration
  • Included with this plan:
  • Web, desktop, and mobile apps
  • AI content generation
  • Board view
  • Table view
  • Team
  • $10.00/user/month
  • 2-25 users allowed in this plan
  • 2GB/user storage
  • 51 integrations
  • 50 actions/user/month automation runs
  • Includes everything in Free Forever plan, plus:
  • Unlimited projects
  • Unlimited tasks and subtasks
  • Unlimited custom fields
  • Unlimited request forms
  • 20 free collaborators
  • Interactive Gantt charts
  • Custom workflows
  • Chart view
  • Calendar view
  • Dashboards
  • Use case templates
  • Google sign-in
  • External requester collaboration
  • Integrations and open API
  • Business
  • $24.80/user/month
  • 5-200 users allowed in this plan
  • 5GB/user storage
  • 51 integrations
  • 200 actions/user/month automation runs
  • Includes everything in Team plan, plus:
  • Folder structure and nested projects
  • Cross-tagging
  • Project Blueprints
  • Custom item types
  • AI risk prediction and work creation
  • Approvals and guest approvals
  • File and video proofing (30+ file formats)
  • Resource management, workloads, and time tracking
  • Reports and unlimited dashboards
  • User groups and permissions
  • DAM Integrations and Cloud Content Connector
  • Adobe Creative Cloud extensions
  • Enterprise
  • Custom/user/month
  • 5 to Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 10GB/user storage
  • 51 integrations
  • 1000 actions/user/month automation runs
  • Includes everything in Business plan, plus:
  • SAML-based SSO
  • Two-factor authentication (2FA)
  • Password policies
  • Custom access roles
  • Customizable user types
  • Admin permissions
  • User audit reports
  • Pinnacle
  • Custom/user/month
  • 5 to Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 15GB/user storage
  • 51 integrations
  • 1500 actions/user/month automation runs
  • Includes everything in Enterprise plan, plus:
  • Locked spaces
  • Advanced reporting and BI
  • Team utilization and performance dashboard
  • Job roles
  • Budgeting and billable hours
  • Bookings (project-level effort and time planning)
  • SharePoint and HTML5 proofing and approvals

The ClickUp logo.

ClickUp: Best Free Option

Among a long list of project management software contenders, ClickUp stands out as the best free project management tool because of its robust free plan that allows for unlimited users and projects, with 11 different task views and new AI features. ClickUp is ideal for complex projects that involve critical dependencies across several mid- to larger-size teams. ClickUp’s features allow project teams to use a single platform to manage any type of work — at no cost.

Screenshots

Standout features

ClickUp’s free-forever plan includes an impressive list of features that make it stand out from other project management tools that also have a free tier. 

  • Unlimited users and projects: Every person on your team and beyond can take advantage of the tool’s features. And with no limit on the number of projects, you can manage all your work within one tool.
  • High level of customization: Manage projects better by customizing your dashboards according to your unique workflows and processes. ClickUp offers multiple task views as well, allowing you to tailor your workspace to your specific needs.
  • Outstanding collaboration features: Work with the rest of the team with ease with ClickUp’s real-time chat feature, in-app video recording for reviews and information sharing, and whiteboard designed for creative brainstorming and planning sessions.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Unlimited users can be added to any free ClickUp account
  • Unlimited projects with as many tasks as you require to get the work done
  • Various basic project views such as list view, calendar, board and gantt
  • Whiteboarding capability for collaborative planning
  • Real-time communication through chat with team members

Cons

  • Storage is limited to 100 MB which may not be enough for most projects
  • You can’t view the length of tasks in the Timeline view
  • No option to see recurring tasks in the future
  • Spaces are limited to 5

Why we picked ClickUp

ClickUp’s free plan is robust enough for most users to get started and learn more about the tool as they go. It’s feature-set covers all the bases that you would need for most projects to run successfully in the software.Whether you are choosing ClickUp for personal use, are a beginning testing out project management software options for the first time, or just want a free option to run your projects without the extra added overhead cost, ClickUp is an obvious choice for project managers and teams looking to organize and manage their work better.

ClickUp’s key difference: Great short-term solution

ClickUp’s free forever plan provides a solid solution for project management and a foundation for users to explore its features and decide if it’s the right choice before committing to a paid plan or exploring other options.

How much does ClickUp cost?

  • Tier 1 Free Forever
  • Tier 1 Price per User per month (in USD) = $0
  • Tier 1 User Limit (number of users or Unlimited) = 1
  • Includes:
  • 100MB Storage
  • Unlimited Tasks
  • Unlimited Free Plan Members
  • Two-Factor Authentication
  • Collaborative Docs
  • Whiteboards
  • Everything View
  • Real-Time Chat
  • Kanban Boards
  • Sprint Management
  • Calendar View
  • Custom Field Manager Basic
  • In-App Video Recording
  • 24/7 Support
  • Storage per User (number in MB/GB) = 100 MB
  • Native Integrations (# of) – N/A
  • Pricing Transparency (Yes/Limited/No) – Yes
  • Setup or other fees (in $, $0 if none) – $0
  • Tier 2 Unlimited
  • Tier 2 Price per User per month (in USD) = $7
  • Tier 2 User Limit (number of users or Unlimited) = unlimited
  • Includes Free Forever plan, plus:
  • Unlimited Storage
  • Unlimited Integrations
  • Unlimited Dashboards
  • Guests with Permissions
  • Unlimited Gantt Charts
  • Unlimited Custom Fields
  • Column Calculations
  • Email in ClickUp
  • Teams (User Groups)
  • Native Time Tracking
  • Goals & Portfolios
  • Form View
  • Resource Management
  • Agile Reporting
  • AI Compatible
  • Storage per User (number in MB/GB) = unlimited
  • Native Integrations (# of) – unlimited
  • Pricing Transparency (Yes/Limited/No) – Yes
  • Setup or other fees (in $, $0 if none) – $0
  • Tier 3 Business
  • Tier 3 Price per User per month (in USD) = $12
  • Tier 3 User Limit (number of users or Unlimited) = unlimite
  • Includes Unlimited  plan, plus:
  • Google SSO
  • Unlimited Teams
  • Custom Exporting
  • Advanced Public Sharing
  • Advanced Automations
  • Advanced Dashboard Features
  • Advanced Time Tracking
  • Granular Time Estimates
  • Timesheets
  • Workload Management
  • Timelines & Mind Maps
  • Goal Folders
  • Storage per User (number in MB/GB) = unlimited
  • Native Integrations (# of) – unlimited
  • Pricing Transparency (Yes/Limited/No) – Yes
  • Setup or other fees (in $, $0 if none) – $0
  • Tier 4 Enterprise
  • Tier 4 Price per User per month (in USD) = Custom
  • Tier 4 User Limit (number of users or Unlimited) = unlimited
  • Includes Business plan, plus:
  • White Labeling
  • Advanced Permissions
  • Conditional Logic in Forms
  • Enterprise API
  • Unlimited Custom Roles
  • Team Sharing for Spaces
  • Universal Search
  • Default Personal Views
  • MSA & HIPAA Available
  • Single Sign-On (SSO)
  • SCIM provisioning
  • Custom Capacity in Workload
  • Live Onboarding Training
  • Customer Success Manager
  • Access to Managed Services
  • US, EU & APAC Data Residency
  • Storage per User (number in MB/GB) = unlimited
  • Native Integrations (# of) – unlimited
  • Pricing Transparency (Yes/Limited/No) – Yes
  • Setup or other fees (in $, $0 if none) – N/A

Jira logo, rectangular, revised 5/24

Jira: Best for Agile Teams

Jira is a development work collaboration tool that’s part of the Atlassian suite of products. As such, its strength lies in its robust project and issue-tracking features for technical and development teams. Task management features in this project management app enable users across the organization to plan, track, manage, and complete tasks, including repeat tasks. It is free for up to 10 users with scalable paid plans for bigger teams.

Jira allows users to create and manage unlimited tasks and projects. Users can access multiple views, such as lists, timelines, calendars, and boards, for different perspectives. A drag-and-drop builder lets users create forms to standardize work, and automation rules offer multiple actions to choose from. Thousands of integrations with apps, plug-ins, and add-ons make this a customizable app to fit many different project scenarios.

Screenshots

Standout features

  • Agile boards: A variety of agile boards are a part of Jira, including Scrum and Kanban boards, providing dedicated environments for teams immersed in agile project management. Each board is highly customizable, giving entire teams the ability to plan, track, and visualize their work in a way that aligns specifically with agile methodologies.
  • Advanced workflow customization: Create and customize desired workflows that match your unique requirements and processes in a flexible yet precise way.
  • Integration with other development tools: Integrations with top dev tools like Bitbucket and GitHub help simplify the software development lifecycle and support collaboration between development teams that manage the projects.
  • Sprint and release planning: Tools for sprint planning and release management give agile teams the upper hand when setting sprint goals, prioritizing tasks, and monitoring progress. They support iterative development practices, ensuring timely software releases.
  • Powerful reporting and metrics: Built-in features like burndown charts, velocity tracking, and cycle time analysis provide accurate reporting and metrics so Agile teams can gain insights into their performance and identify areas for improvement.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Robust dev team-specific views, including requirements and test case management
  • Multiple view options
  • Free plan available that’s suitable for small teams

Cons

  • Complicated user interface
  • The calendar view needs enhancements
  • No built-in timeline to track progress

Why we picked Jira

If your team works in iterative software development, engineering, or a similar field, Atlassian’s numerous solutions are likely already part of your tech stack. Seamless integration with Confluence, Slack, Microsoft Teams, HubSpot, and more than 500 other available integrations puts Jira on numerous shortlists. We love Jira because it is a part of the Atlassian suite of products and teams that use one of their products are likely to use a few others and seamlessly use them together.

Jira’s key difference: Integration with software development tools

Jira carves out its own space in the project management tool category with its robust integration with software development workflows, particularly Agile methodologies. Designed specifically for software development teams, Jira offers powerful features for managing tasks, sprints, and releases using frameworks like Scrum and Kanban. This tailored approach empowers teams to plan, track, and deliver software projects more consistently, boosting collaboration and visibility throughout the process.

How much does Jira cost?

  • Free Forever
  • $0/user/month
  • 10 users allowed in this plan
  • 2GB/user storage
  • 1000+ integrations
  • Included with this plan:
  • Unlimited goals, projects, tasks, and forms
  • Backlog, list, board, timeline, calendar, and summary views
  • Reports and dashboards
  • 100 automations per site per month
  • Support from Atlassian Community
  • Standard
  • $7.16/user/month
  • 50,000 users per site allowed in this plan
  • 250GB/user storage
  • 1000+ integrations
  • 1,700 automation runs per site per month
  • Includes everything in Free Forever plan, plus:
  • User roles and permissions
  • External collaboration
  • Multi-region data residency
  • 9/5 regional support
  • Premium
  • $12.48/user/month
  • 50,000 users per site allowed in this plan
  • Unlimited/user storage
  • 1000 automation runs per month
  • Includes everything in Standard plan, plus:
  • Generate, summarize, and search content with Atlassian Intelligence (AI)
  • Cross-team planning and dependency management
  • Customizable approval processes
  • Unlimited storage
  • 24/7 support for critical issues
  • 99.9% uptime SLA
  • Enterprise
  • Custom/user/month
  • 50,000 users per site allowed in this plan
  • Unlimited/user storage
  • 1000+ integrations
  • Unlimited automation runs
  • Includes everything in Premium plan, plus:
  • Cross-product insights with Atlassian Analytics and Data Lake
  • Advanced admin controls and security
  • Enterprise-grade identity and access management
  • Multiple instances (up to 150)
  • 24/7 support for all issues
  • 99.95% uptime SLA

Asana bog logo.

Asana: Best for Remote Teams

Asana enables more effective project and task management across the organization in one interface. It provides an organized workspace where users can look at project data using different work views, such as lists, timelines, and boards. Users can create and assign tasks, build plans, customize workflows, and track project progress over time.

Asana offers one of the best free plans available, with feature-rich access for teams of up to 15 people for an unlimited time. With Asana, users can easily track bugs, manage sprints, and plan and run campaigns, events, and product launches. The project management app includes built-in messaging, file storage, a workflow builder, unlimited dashboards, custom fields, forms, automation, mobile apps, portfolios, workload management, approvals, and proofing.

Asana has one of the most robust feature sets available, but we found its inability to assign tasks to more than one user created occasional speed bumps in more complex workflows. As a workaround, other individuals can be tagged in a task. This wasn’t a dealbreaker, but we’d welcome the addition of multi-user assignments.

Screenshots

Standout features

  • Task dependencies and timeline view: Users create tasks and task dependencies and can visualize project timelines using Asana’s signature Timeline view.
  • Work automation with rules: Asana “rules” define its automation capabilities, allowing users to automate repetitive tasks and actions based on triggers. Simplifying workflows through automation saves time by reducing manual effort and adding consistency to a myriad of tasks.
  • Collaborative workspaces: Teamwork is top of mind with the ability to share information, assign tasks, set priorities, and communicate across teams easily and from anywhere.
  • Advanced reporting and analytics: Create dashboards that visualize data and project information using charts, templates, and filtered results. Seeing the big picture at a glance helps in staying on track and hitting business goals.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Flexible views and customizations give teams maximum control over their project organization and task management environments
  • A comprehensive set of features, including in-app collaboration and approvals
  • Robust free plan for individuals and small teams

Cons

  • Does not allow tasks to be assigned to more than one user
  • Needs better data export functionality
  • Users want more how-to guides and case studies

Why we picked Asana

Asana is a familiar favorite that I’ve put to the test both professionally and personally to manage and track tasks and workflows, from the simple to-do list to full project and team functionality. A full-featured free-forever plan makes it easy to try Asana on for size. Then, as your team grows, Asana easily scales with your company through a range of pricing plans, varied permissions and access controls, and flexible workspace designs and hierarchies.

Asana’s key difference: Intuitive interface

What makes Asana unique is its interface that is designed with a focus on visual task management and team collaboration. Asana’s interface includes intuitive drag-and-drop functionality, customizable project views, and visually appealing task boards. This focus on visual task management increases team productivity and engagement by providing a clear and obvious way to organize tasks, track progress, and communicate priorities. The visual nature of Asana makes it easier for teams to determine project status at a glance, identify bottlenecks, and collaborate for better project outcomes.

How much does Asana cost?

  • Starter
  • $10.99/user/month
  • 1 user allowed in this plan
  • Included with this plan:
  • Timeline
  • Reporting
  • Custom fields
  • Asana Intelligence (150 actions per month)
  • Rules (250 actions per month)
  • Workflow builder
  • Forms
  • Task dependencies
  • Project dashboards and custom charts
  • Private projects
  • Start dates and times
  • Advanced search
  • Comment-only projects
  • Google SSO
  • Advanced
  • $24.99/user/month
  • Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • Includes everything in Starter plan, plus:
  • Universal reporting
  • 100 portfolios
  • Asana Intelligence (1,500 actions per month)
  • Rules (25,000 actions per month)
  • Portfolio workload
  • Forms branching and customization
  • Lock custom fields
  • Onboarding and training options with Customer Success
  • Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Enterprise
  • Custom/user/month
  • Includes everything in Advanced plan, plus:
  • SAML
  • Unlimited portfolios
  • Asana Intelligence (unlimited actions per month)
  • Rules (unlimited actions per month)
  • Workflow bundles
  • Universal workload
  • Capacity plans
  • User and group provisioning and deprovisioning (SCIM)
  • Block integrations
  • Admin announcements
  • Integrations with Salesforce, Tableau, and Power BI
  • Custom branding
  • Service accounts
  • 24/7 support

Trello logo.

Trello: Best for Smaller Projects and Teams

Trello’s kanban-style list-making application is a web-based and highly visual tool for organizing projects and phases into cards and boards. With a single glance, Trello tells you exactly what’s being worked on, who’s working on it, and where certain tasks and subtasks are in progress.

Trello can be thought of as digital sticky notes (cards) on a whiteboard divided into project phases. This kanban design makes it quick and easy to add details as tasks or lists, and then organize, move around, and prioritize those tasks or lists. Trello is great for when your team is starting with a list of tasks and deadlines that needs to be built into an immediate action plan.

Screenshots

Standout Features

  • Kanban board interface: A highly intuitive and visual display of work and items makes it easy to plan and organize smaller teams and projects.
  • Customizable boards and lists: Begin with a simple list and convert it into a custom board with cards laying requirements out visually. A flexible interface allows users to structure their workflows as needed.
  • Integration ecosystem: A wide range of integrations with top apps and tools enhances Trello’s functionality, so users can connect this software with other tools they may already be using to streamline project management.
  • Task attachments and collaboration: The ability to attach files, images, and links to cards makes it very easy to share information with others within tasks.
  • Activity tracking and notifications: Keep informed about project updates and changes to status with real-time visibility into who is doing what in relation to the latest project developments.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Flexible, easy to use, and, dare we say it … a fun way to track project status?
  • Simple and intuitive drag-and-drop interface
  • Add tasks and lists easily, then quickly organize and track them

Cons

  • New items get added to the end of a long list which can be inconvenient for an organization when creating many cards at once
  • Easy to create too many boards and lose track of things
  • Not ideal for larger teams or projects

Why we picked Trello

Making sweeping generalizations is dangerous, but we’d hazard a guess that nearly every project manager has used Trello at some point in their career. While it may be best suited for smaller-scale projects, Trello’s nearly non-existent learning curve makes it an attractive option for teams of all backgrounds. It’s especially helpful for those who don’t have the operational advantages of a trained project manager and who need a PM solution that’s ready to use out of the box.

Based on my experience using Trello for many agency-level technical projects, this is a stand-out option for smaller teams needing to see what is coming up next and stay connected and up to date with the click of a button.

Trello’s key difference: Kanban boards

Trello’s strength lies in its simplification and representation of tasks and their priority. Users organize tasks on Kanban boards using cards. These customizable boards represent different projects, with lists indicating workflow stages and cards representing individual tasks. Trello’s visual organization simplifies project management so teams can easily understand project status, track progress, and collaborate to get work done.

How much does Trello cost?

  • Free Forever
  • $0/user/month
  • 1 user allowed in this plan
  • Unlimited storage (10 MB/file)
  • 207 integrations
  • Included with this plan:
  • Unlimited cards
  • Up to 10 boards per workspace
  • Unlimited Power-Ups per board
  • 250 Workspace command runs per month
  • Custom backgrounds and stickers
  • Unlimited activity log
  • Assignee and due dates
  • iOS and Android mobile apps
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Standard
  • $5/user/month
  • 1 users allowed in this plan
  • Unlimited storage (250 MB/file)
  • 207 integrations
  • Includes everything in Free Forever plan, plus:
  • Unlimited boards
  • Advanced checklists
  • Custom fields
  • 1,000 Workspace command runs per month
  • Single board guests
  • Saved searches
  • Premium
  • $10/user/month
  • 1 users allowed in this plan
  • Unlimited storage (250 MB/file)
  • 207 integrations
  • Includes everything in Standard plan, plus:
  • Views: Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, and Map
  • Workspace views: Table and Calendar
  • Unlimited Workspace command runs
  • Atlassian Intelligence (AI)
  • Admin and security features
  • Workspace-level templates
  • Collections
  • Observers
  • Simple data export
  • Enterprise
  • $17.50/user/month
  • Custom
  • Unlimited storage (250 MB/file)
  • 207 integrations
  • Includes everything in Premium plan, plus:
  • Unlimited Workspaces
  • Organization-wide permissions
  • Organization-visible boards
  • Public board management
  • Multi-board guests
  • Attachment permissions
  • Power-Up administration
  • Free SSO and user provisioning with Atlassian Access

nOtion logo.

Notion: Best for Creative Teams

Notion is one of the most adaptable, multi-functional project management platforms available to users today. With features that support project management, task management, team wikis, vision boards, and more, teams can customize Notion to meet various needs.

The colorful, aesthetically pleasing design of Notion coupled with an easy-to-use interface makes it simple for creative teams to brainstorm, execute, track, and organize within one central application.

Standout features

  • Drag and drop organization: Virtually all commands within Notion can be launched by typing “/” and dragging and dropping elements to rearrange and organize.
  • In-page linking: You can easily link to other pages within your workspace by using the “@” command, making it easy to navigate.
  • Scheduling tool: New for 2024, users can now schedule meeting times directly from their personalized calendar within Notion, keeping busy creative teams on schedule.
  • Robust AI features: Notion has extensive AI capabilities, including generative AI for quick drafts and copy. AI features are paid features that can be added in addition to any plan.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Notion includes hundreds of free templates for projects, wiki, docs, and even personal use.
  • Up to 10 guests can use Notion for free, with integrations, basic analytics, and more.
  • Users can add emojis, custom labels, headers, and more to every project and wiki page.

Cons

  • Notion lacks some of the more advanced project management features some teams may require, like dashboards.
  • Some users report issues with the mobile app, particularly with the app crashing and lagging.
  • Notion’s export options are extremely limited compared to other solutions.

Why we picked Notion

Notion is a great all-around option for fast-moving creative teams that need project management in combination with other resources for brainstorming, planning, and scheduling. Its generous free plan makes it easy for even smaller teams to access powerful project management capabilities and added AI features help resource-constrained teams do more with less.

Notion’s key difference: All-in-one workspace

Notion takes the trophy as an outstanding all-in-one workspace for managing work. From note-taking, document collaboration, knowledge management, and database management, Notion can handle it all seamlessly within a single platform. Its versatility streamlines workflows, eliminating the need to juggle multiple tools. Teams can tailor their workspace to their specific task and collaborate with ease no matter the industry or team size. 

How much does Notion cost?

  • Free Forever
  • $0/user/month
  • 1 user allowed in this plan
  • Included with this plan:
  • Collaborative workspace
  • Integrate with Slack, GitHub, and more
  • Basic page analytics
  • 7 day page history
  • Invite 10 guests
  • Plus
  • $8 per seat/user/month
  • 1 user allowed in this plan
  • Includes everything in Free Forever plan, plus:
  • Unlimited blocks for teams
  • Unlimited file uploads
  • 30 day page history
  • Invite 100 guests
  • Business
  • $15 per seat/user/month
  • 1 user allowed in this plan
  • Includes everything in Plus plan, plus:
  • SAML SSO
  • Private teamspaces
  • Bulk PDF export
  • Advanced page analytics
  • 90 day page history
  • Invite 250 guests
  • Enterprise
  • Contact vendor
  • Custom guests
  • Security & Compliance integrations
  • Includes everything in Business plan, plus:
  • User provisioning (SCIM)
  • Advanced security & controls
  • Audit log
  • Customer success manager
  • Workspace analytics
  • Unlimited page history
  • Invite 250 guests

The Basecamp logo.

Basecamp: Best for Collaboration

Basecamp is a project management tool with integrated team communication that’s suitable for all types of work environments, especially remote work. It helps companies, teams, and individuals organize tasks, find the information they need quickly, and get real-time project progress updates. Everyone involved can collaborate with dedicated tools for planning projects, sharing files, and discussing ideas.

After a 30-day free trial, Basecamp’s lower-tier plan is available for $15 per user per month and includes all features for unlimited users and projects. The solution also includes a to-do list, scheduling, docs and files, charts, and automated reports. Users can choose to communicate with message boards, group chats, and/or direct messages.

Standout features

  • Centralized collaboration hub: Every team needs a centralized hub for team collaboration and Basecamp does not disappoint. Create to-do lists, document sharing, messaging, and project scheduling all within the same platform.
  • Message boards and campfires: Conduct asynchronous discussions and utilize Basecamp’s Campfire feature for real-time chats. This combination of communication tools accommodates both scheduled and impromptu discussions.
  • Document and file sharing: Find a file store and sharing feature that gives teams the power to upload, organize, and collaborate on documents, images, and other file types directly within Basecamp.
  • Client access: Invite clients, external vendors, and collaborators to specific projects while controlling their access to information. This is an ideal solution for agencies and businesses that need to collaborate with multiple project-related parties in a secure environment.

Read our complete Basecamp review.


Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Seamless communication and collaboration
  • Configurable notifications
  • Robust feature set for free plan allows teams to try out the full version before committing to a paid plan

Cons

  • No free-forever plan available for small teams/freelancers
  • A single pricing plan is not ideal for all teams
  • Limited drag-and-drop capabilities
  • No time tracking

Why we picked Basecamp

While we wish Basecamp’s free trial lasted longer than 30 days, the fact that Basecamp makes all of its features and capabilities available with that trial should give teams more than enough opportunity to put the system through its paces.

My experience using this software in a creative agency setting proved that instant and easy collaboration between the in-house team, external freelancers and vendors, and the client can be accomplished seamlessly in an all-in-one multi-level yet intuitive project management solution.

Basecamp’s key differences: Simplicity and ease of use

Basecamp is a popular choice among project teams because of its focus on simplicity and user-friendliness. It offers a streamlined interface and straightforward features that minimize complexity, providing a smooth learning curve for users. Teams can quickly onboard and instantly utilize the software to manage their work without having to navigate intricate features. Its built-in tools foster real-time communication across teams.

How much does Basecamp cost?

  • Basecamp
  • $15/user/month
  • 1 user allowed in this plan
  • 500GB/user storage
  • 83 integrations
  • Included with this plan:
  • Unlimited projects
  • Invite guests for free
  • Client access
  • 24/7/365 support
  • Complimentary classes
  • Chat
  • Project schedule
  • Store, share, discuss files
  • Track work To-dos
  • Messaging
  • Mission control
  • Kanban style views
  • “Door” link to other services
  • Polls
  • “The Lineup” view of projects
  • Reports and charts
  • Basecamp Pro Unlimited
  • $299/user/month
  • Unlimited users allowed in this plan
  • 5TB/user storage
  • 83 integrations
  • Includes everything in Basecamp plan, plus:
  • 10x file and document storage
  • First-in-line 24/7/365 support
  • 1:1 onboarding tour with our team
  • Option to pay annually by check
  • Annual billing for simplified accounting
  • Admin Pro Pack

GanttPRO logo

GanttPRO: Best Option for Beginners

GanttPRO is a great choice for beginners and those new to project management and software tools to manage projects. It offers a packed free plan and a user-friendly interface and is proven to be a scalable solution for when users are ready to evolve into a more complex and supportive environment.

Screenshots

Standout features

ClickUp’s free-forever plan includes an impressive list of features that make it stand out from other project management tools that also have a free tier. 

  • Beginner-friendly interface: GanttPRO offers a sophisticated Gantt chart view within an accessible user interface, which is unlike other more complex tools that make tracking work difficult without getting lost in a busy and complicated workspace.
  • Task prioritization: With GanttPRO you can organize and prioritize tasks visually and easily using drag-and-drop functionality.
  • Useful export options: GanttPRO allows exporting and importing information to and from other sources and use them offline for added ease and convenience.

Read our complete GanttPRO review.


Pros & Cons

Pros

  • User-friendly intuitive interface for all skill levels
  • Visualization to see the big picture better
  • Dependencies between tasks to connect the order in which to perform items