Tag: Best Options

If you’re running a small business and need help managing your team and projects, free project management software can help you dramatically. Manually managing your projects is both headache-inducing and highly inefficient. Luckily, there are plenty of options for free project management apps.

Best Free Project Management Software

• monday.com – Best Overall for Building Custom Workflows Across Teams
• ClickUp – Best for Fully Customizable Dashboards & Task Management 
• Hive – Best for Collaboration & Messaging
• GanttPro – Best for Gantt Chart Creation & Project Planning
• Easy Project – Best for Visual Project Management for Large Teams
• Microsoft Project – Best for Microsoft Based Businesses

Software

Price

Free Trial Available

Storage Included at Price Listed

Members Included at Price Listed

Time Tracking Included at Price Listed

Support Included at Price Listed

monday.com

From $0 monthly per user

Yes

500 MB

Up to 2

No

24/7 customer support

ClickUp

From $0 monthly per user

Yes

100 MB

Unlimited

Yes

24/7 customer support

Hive

From $0 monthly per user

Yes

Unlimited

Up to 2

No

Self-serve knowledge base

GanttPro

From $8.90 monthly per user

Yes

5 GB

1

Yes

Personal account manager

Easy Project

From $24 monthly per user

Yes

100 GB

1

Yes

Email & live chat support

Microsoft Project

From $10 monthly per user

Yes

Unlimited

1

No

24/7 customer support

monday.com: Best Overall Free Project Management Software

Pricing: Free (2 seats) to $27 per seat

4.95

★★★★★

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monday.com offers the most features out of every free project management software. Along with project management tools, you’ll also find HR tools with the ability to clearly organize and see others’ availability.

With more than 125,000 companies on its roster, monday.com is one of the more popular projects management tools today. Used by big names like Zippo, Unilevel, Hulu, and Uber, monday.com offers intuitive dashboards with hundreds of customizable templates to depict project status, estimates, priority, and resources by start and end dates. You can view data in the calendar, timeline, Kanbatt, Gantt, and map formats.

Why we chose it: We chose monday.com as the best overall free project management software because of the number of features included in the free plan. With the free plan, you get unlimited boards, unlimited docs, 200+ templates, and customizable notifications. monday.com is great for any size business.

• Tracks assignments for multiple people per project
• Sends updates and reminders via email or Slack, depending on your preferences 
• Offers multiple views for boards so you can manage up to C-suite level

• Limited reporting functionality
• Lack of a built-in chat function (can integrate with Slack)
• Higher learning curve as you dive into more features

Pricing: As for cost, monday.com offers five pricing plans – Individual, Basic, Standard (most popular), Pro, and Enterprise. Individual plans (free) allow up to two team members. The Basic plan ($8 per user per month) includes Individual features plus unlimited free viewers, unlimited items, and a dashboard with one board.

Standard ($12 per seat per month) and Pro ($27 per seat per month) plans add additional views (e.g. Timeline & Gantt) along with up to five boards and up to 250 automation and 250 integrations per month.

Lastly, the Enterprise plan features all of monday.com’s bells and whistles, including enterprise-grade security, advanced reporting, multi-level permissions, and premium support with the fastest turnaround times.

ClickUp: Best for Fully Customizable Dashboards & Task Management 

Pricing: Free “Free Forever” plan that lasts forever and allows unlimited members

4.91

★★★★★

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Most project management software demand premium prices for what ClickUp offers for free. With ClickUp, you can enjoy 11 different task views and 20 different dashboard widgets.

Over the past several years, ClickUp has made serious waves with its project workflow tools. Calling itself “one app to replace them all,” ClickUp works with the concept of “Spaces,” which are fully customizable dashboards based on a team’s needs. It also integrates non-project management-related items into the dashboard, such as emails (sending and receiving directly within the app) and document creation with a full-on document editor available within, easily replacing similar apps like Confluence, Evernote, and Google Docs.

Why we chose it: In short, ClickUp touts itself as a one-stop-shop where using separate apps like Google Docs, Smartsheet, Jira, and countless others is no longer necessary. Teams that rely tremendously on four or five third-party apps may decide to choose ClickUp over other free project management software options for this purpose. ClickUp is fully customizable for every type and size of team.

• Ability to create different views to track tasks/projects due in a specific time period
• Email integration for notifications and chat integration with Slack
• Ability to create multiple spaces or folders for simple organization

• Lack of dashboard customizability options
• Time tracking feature needs improvement
• The Free Plan features a limited amount of storage and goal-setting options

Pricing: With pricing, ClickUp is one of the more affordable options we’ve covered. There is a free version and an Unlimited version, costing $9 per user per month (paid monthly) and $5 per user per month (paid annually). The free version is good for 100MB of storage, unlimited tasks, unlimited members, and two-factor authentication. The paid version offers unlimited dashboards, storage, integrations, and dashboards along with the ability to invite guests.

There are also two higher-tier plans named Business and Business Plus. Business costs $12 per member per month (paid annually) and $19 per member per month (paid monthly. Business Plus costs $19 per member per month (paid annually) and $29 per member per month (paid monthly. The Business plan is for mid-sized teams whereas the Business Plus plan is best for multiple teams.

One of the most impressive features of ClickUp is its sheer number of available views. It offers more than 15 views in total, with list, board, box, and calendar views being the most popular.

Hive: Best for Collaboration & Messaging

Pricing:  Free “Hive Solo” plan that lasts forever and allows up to 2 seats

4.85

★★★★★

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Hive is the best project management software for collaboration and messaging because of its native email and group messaging features. Effective file sharing and resourcing capabilities enhance the collaborative nature of software even more.

Like monday.com, Hive offers a centralized workflow management system with powerful project and action templates for all kinds of tasks. It offers project calendar, Gantt, Kanban, Portfolio, calendar, and summary views, each customized to a work style preference (e.g. heavy drag-and-drop with powerful visuals over simpler linear formats).

Why we chose it: Hive is a beginner-friendly project management software that offers a robust amount of features in its free plan. These include unlimited storage, task management, project summary views, Hive calendar, and reporting. However, the easy-to-use communication and collaboration tools makes Hive stand out among all the free project management services. 

• Integration with 1000+ apps
• Especially user friendly and built for beginners
• Ability to turn any action into a task

• Needs improved reporting functions
• Inability to create dependent tasks within project actions that recur
• Difficult to track edits and modifications made by users

Pricing: Hive has three pricing plans – Solo, Team, and Enterprise. Solo is free and is for individuals and small teams of up to two users, with unlimited storage, community support, and a robust list of project management and collaboration features. Teams ($12 per month per user) allows for unlimited users, phone support, and flexible a-la-carte options for an additional fee per user per month, such as reporting and analytics, approvals reporting, single-sign on (SSO), enterprise security, and controls.

The Enterprise version offers all of the benefits of Solo and Teams, plus a dedicated customer success manager, ongoing coaching/adoption training, and specialized offerings such as security contract & legal review.

GanttPro: Best for Gantt Chart Creation & Project Planning

Pricing: No free plan but offers a free trial

4.81

★★★★★

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GanttPro gives teams the flexibility to organize complex tasks in a convenient and intuitive way that’s easy to understand. True to its name, GantPro’s main function is to provide effective project planning through Gantt charts.

Dubbed the “Online Chart Maker”, GanttPro is based on Gantt charting. Used by more than 700,000 project managers around the world across well-known brands like Booking.com, Sony, Intel, and Amway, it relies on the highly popular Gantt system, which uses stacked bar charts to show resources, schedule status, and task/subtask activity dependencies.

Why we chose it: GanttPro is an excellent project management app for small teams that need to visually enhance their project planning process through Gantt Charts. Although many project management apps include Gantt charts, GanttPro takes them to the next level with a heap of customizability options and features.

• Convenient and intuitive user interface
• Easy to track the progress of the team, the workload of each member and the total budget spent
• Ability to share and export data

• Mobile version needs improvement
• Exceedingly large projects with lots of tasks can get difficult to show on the screen
• Kanban view has limited column options

Pricing: As for pricing, GanttPro offers three packages—Individual, Team, and Enterprise. Individual costs $15 per user per month. Chosen by roughly 74% of businesses, the Team feature offers unlimited functionality for $8.90 per user per month, whereas the Enterprise version offers advanced management and security features such as AML Single sign-on & 2FA, increased API limits, and priority level support.

Both the Individual and Teams plans have the option for a free trial.

Easy Project: Best for Visual Project Management for Large Teams

Pricing: No free plan but offers a 14-day free trial

4.76

★★★★★

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Easy Project is the best free project management software for large teams because of its in-depth resource planning and reporting features. This allows managers to monitor employee and team workloads efficiently. Counting IBM, HP, and CenturyLink amongst its users, Easy Projects is one of the more popular project management tools today.

Like most elite project management software, Easy Projects offers all types of views, such as Table, Gantt, Kanban, and calendar views. Each offers its own benefits, in terms of visual layout with different ways of viewing task hierarchy, critical paths, and start/end dates. Its Kanban board is arguably the most intuitive, using quick drag and drop motions to move tasks from one phase to the next (updating team members in the process)

Another area Easy Projects is strong in is Integrations. It allows data, information, and files from 2000+ third-party apps such as Outlook, Slack, and Jira to become centralized in one place.

Why we chose it: One of our favorite features with Easy Projects is its robust machine learning suite. It uses a proprietary algorithm that processes all historical data to determine how likely a project is to come to completion, highlighting all pre-emptive corrective actions earlier in the process to make task, resource, and dependency changes. This software is ideal for companies with 100+ employees because of how easy it is to keep track of and organize different projects and portfolios.

• Auto notifications to keep projects on track
• Helpful and friendly customer support 
• Effective charting and reporting features

• The user experience isn’t as strong as other free project management software
• Lack of documentation for different features
• Not very effective for small tasks

Pricing: Unlike Monday, Hive, and GanttPro, Easy Project’s pricing structure is a lot simpler, only offering the choice of Team and Enterprise options. The Team pricing tier ($24 per user per month) comes with most of its project management tools, including Kanban boards, milestone setting, time tracking, and portfolio management

The Enterprise pricing tier offers add-on project management features, such as resource loading simulations, payroll reports, and enhanced integrations and API functionality (e.g. 200+ integrations via Workato), and webhook compatibility. It also offers additional security and business intelligence services for larger businesses. No pricing is offered for Enterprise plans; a custom quote can be requested using its contact form based on your organization’s needs.

Microsoft Project: Best for Microsoft-Based Businesses

Pricing: No free plan but offers a free trial

4.74

★★★★★

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Microsoft Project is one of the most widely used project management software in the world. It is an excellent choice for businesses already integrating other Microsoft products into their workflow, such as Microsoft 365. Our favorite Microsoft Project features include its centralized home screen, support for multiple project management methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, and customized), and multiple views such as Kanban boards, and Gantt charts.

Why we chose it: Microsoft Project is one of the most powerful project management tools out today. In the right hands, this software is an excellent way to manage various company projects. However, the steep learning curve means that it isn’t for beginners. 

• Offers customizable features and well-documented APIs 
• Ability to select specific tasks or summary tasks for the timeline to see an overview of the project
• Great integration with Microsoft Office products and tools

• Advanced features require training
• Could improve its network diagram features
• Overall user interface needs improvement

Pricing: In terms of pricing, it offers an on-premise (software) or cloud-based solution, where projects can be managed using a web browser like monday.com and Hive. All plans include a Project Home centralized view per user, an ordered list of tasks in three views (Grid, Board, Gantt), and several collaboration tools for a flat fee per user per month with additional portfolio optimization, demand management, and enterprise resource planning tools.

There are tiered packages, starting with Project Plan one ($10 per user per month) up to Project Plan 5 at $55 per user per month.

Methodology for the Best 6 Free Project Management Software

We looked at 6 main criteria as we created this list for the best free project management app. In essence, we prioritized software that had user-friendly interfaces with additional features that improve productivity, communication, and organization. Let’s take a closer look at each essential rating criteria.

Scheduling and planning projects 

The primary function of any free project management software is to plan and schedule projects. Each software on our list is equipped with comprehensive team and individual dashboards. Dashboards will state all assigned tasks, as well as start and end dates. For example, monday.com features more than eight view options and ClickUp offers more than 15. The scheduling and planning function of each software heavily impacted its rating and overall usability. 

At a minimum, your free project management software should incorporate a minimum of three views (Kanban, Gantt, calendar). Kanban is a highly visual, drag-and-drop interface board that separates tasks into different categories, labeling them as “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Complete” to oversee a continuous workflow. Gantt Charts are much more conventional, using a horizontal axis to depict the project timeline and a vertical axis to depict where individual tasks should occur. Each view offers outstanding benefits as it pertains to project management.

Integrations 

Integrations allow third-party apps to work within the project management software’s ecosystem. For instance, monday.com allows 1000+ app integrations, including examples such as Dropbox, Slack, and Outlook. App integrations provide even more convenience to your team in terms of managing emails, files, and important information. The best free project management software should act as the only place you and your employees need to visit on a daily basis because of the integration capabilities. 

User Interface (UI) 

User interface is the design, functionality, and intuitive nature of a free project management app. Effectively designed user interfaces require minimum effort on the user’s end to receive the maximum desired outcome. The best free project management app has easy-to-understand dashboards, a high-level view of project statuses, assigned team members, start, and end dates. This extends itself to a healthy mix of view and chart types (e.g. calendar, box, Gantt, Kanban). Interfaces should also be uncluttered and visually pleasing on each page.

Monitoring

Successful project management does not rely on a “set it and forget it” approach. In reality, effectively run projects require constant monitoring. Although monitoring is frequently overlooked, it’s an essential part of a project’s lifespan. The best project management software should allow you to create systems for monitoring and evaluating projects, including the ability to organize all data in a centralized view, keep track of different project phases (e.g. Initiation, Planning/Execution), assign responsibilities, and record project bottlenecks. 

Another related aspect to monitoring is the ability to pull reports to measure performance against key performance indicators such as time spent, money spent, or resources dedicated. It’s the best way to understand why project deadlines might not be met.

Reporting

All excellent project management software features real-time reporting capabilities, allowing quick exports of every success metric imaginable from time spent expenses, project budgets, overrun forecasts, and deadline completion percentages by team members. Many of the best project management apps already have pre-defined reports to choose from with lots of customization options.

Cost

Each software on this list has a free plan that offers limited functionality or a free trial. However, most economic options range from $5 to $9 per user per month with the potential for additional a-la-carte style add-ons such as enhanced security/encryption, reports, and the ability to create and access an unlimited number of dashboards. Paid plans usually fall under Standard, Pro, Enterprise, or a combination of these payment types and allow for many more users. Some offer a 14-day free trial, with the ability to extend in some cases with a quick note to the customer support team.

Bottom Line on Free Project Management Software

With the rise of remote teams and collaboration, you need project management software to accompany your business. The right free project management software can quickly change a disorganized and dysfunctional business into an optimized and effective one. 

The best free project management software are monday.com and ClickUp. These two services provide a heap of free features that usually require a paid subscription. You’ll have more than enough tools to manage your team and business with these these two free project management software options.

Managing projects in a business of any size is no simple task. For startups, having the right project management tools can spell the difference between success and failure. In this article, we’ll look at the best project management software for startups and how to select the one you need to take your startup to the next level.

Quick View

• Teamwork: Best Overall 
• Wrike: Best for Scaling Organizations
• Trello: Best for Kanban Boards 
• Nifty: Best for App Integration
• Asana: Best for Teams
• Kissflow Project: Best for Simplicity
• ProofHub: Best for Flat Rates
• Basecamp: Best for Collaboration
• Jira: Best for Reporting
• Hubstaff: Best for Tracking Staff Progress

Software

Price

Task Management

Personnel Management

Collaboration

Reporting

Teamwork

From $0 to $22.50 per user per month with custom options

Several tools, including Kanban lists and templates

Can see employee availability and quickly assign tasks

Proprietary software that offers transparency and customizability

Profitability charts, time management, billing

Wrike

Free to $24.80 per user per month, custom plans available

Customizable dashboards, workflows, request forms, and more

Prioritize projects, Gantt charts

File sharing, tasks, and reports instantly

Track projects in real-time with 360° visibility

Trello

Free to $17.50 per user per month

Customizable cards using the Kanban boards system

Gantt charts for tracking how far along people and projects are

Every single part of cards can be shared with teammates

New dashboard view offers insights into projects

Nifty

Free to $25 per user per month, custom options available

Multiple views and automated tasks

Time tracking to follow workloads and billable hours

Discussions to facilitate ideas and take action

Overview and detailed management tools

Asana

Free to $30.49 per user per month

Multiple views to sort projects, assign due dates and personnel

Workload charts to show how each user is working among projects

Chat windows available within project tabs

Charts and graphs to pull in any data from any team

Kissflow Project

Free to $12 per user per month

Collaborative tools between $500 and $2000 per month

Simple, clutter-free, tailor-made interface

Attendance and project tracking tools

Private and group chat, channel posts, events

Prebuilt or custom reporting tools

ProofHub

Flat rate of $45 or $89 per month

Kanban and Gantt charts, calendar, file hub

Timesheets, custom roles, request forms

Discussions section to keep chat content in one place

Detailed resource and project reports in a single click

Basecamp

Free or a flat $99 per month

To-do lists, scheduling, priorities, Gantt charting

Automated check-in questions, time tracking, can create teams and groups

Group chat, instant messaging, message boards

No tools available

Jira

Free to $14.50 per user per month, custom options available

Kanban and scrum boards, roadmapping, automation tools

Time and budget planning

No internal integration options for other software

Agile reporting through multiple charts

Hubstaff

Free to $10 per user per month, custom options available

Timelines, roadmaps, to-do lists, Kanban lists

Payroll, expense tracking, daily and weekly limits, scheduling, and attendance

Limited to Kanban lists

Easy, customizable report charts

Quick Verdict 

Best Overall – Teamwork. Teamwork offers a range of features that help it find its place in any size business. The software makes it easy to schedule and keep tabs on teams and tasks. With several plan options, Teamwork will scale with you as your company grows.

10 Best Project Management Tools for Startups

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the 10 best project management tools for startups currently available

Teamwork

From $0 to $22.50

★★★★★

4.5

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As the name implies, Teamwork is a project management tool your team members can rally around to get work done.

Teamwork effectively manages projects through tools such as Kanban task boards and templates with several custom fields. The number available depends on your membership level. The downside to all these project management tools is that team members can’t make changes while offline.

The software makes it easy to see what your entire team is working on at a glance. In the Workload section, you can scan how many different projects each individual is working on and quickly assign team members new tasks as needed.

As a project manager, you can gather information from ongoing projects to study things like profitability, time tracking, and billing. As you manage tasks, these tools are essential in discovering where you’re making the most impact.

Teamwork has team collaboration tools that allow team members to discuss project tasks and share feedback from one convenient location. Collaboration comes in the form of a software add-on included in Teamwork’s paid plans.

Small teams of fewer than five users can make use of Teamwork’s most basic features at no cost. As your group grows, Teamwork can scale with your business by offering more features that cost $12.50 or $22.50 per user on a monthly basis. To test things out, project managers can test Teamwork’s premium features for 30 days without cost.

Bottom Line: 

With access to it all, it’s no wonder that Teamwork is one of the best project management tools out there.

• Suitable for companies of all sizes.
• Quick and easy task assignment.
• Project management templates.
• Intuitive and flexible.

• Can’t make changes in offline mode.

Wrike

Free to $24.80

★★★★★

4.0

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Wrike offers stellar project management software for startups and small businesses that grow with your team.

Startup companies can take advantage of Wrike’s free plan that opens the door for unlimited users to make use of limited resources. It’s easy to jump to higher-tier plans at $9.80 or $24.80 per user per month to access the best project management tools the platform has to offer.

Each project management tool has a layer of customization that you can use to fine-tune your team’s specific needs. Once dialed in, it’s possible to view multiple tasks with Gantt charts or a Kanban task board. With so many options, it can be overwhelming at first to overcome the learning curve.

The software makes streamlining team collaboration a breeze by sharing files and tasks in one central location. While team members can chat within the same project, there are no other ways to communicate.

Wrike stands out with its reporting, as project managers can follow project progress in real-time. Detailed reports show project performance and team productivity that help facilitate effective project management.

Bottom Line: 

Wrike scales with enterprise companies to deliver the project management software needed at any stage of the game. Read the complete Wrike review for in-depth analysis.

• Task tabs allow for team discussion.
• Suitable for all business sizes.
• Quick file sharing.
• Detailed reporting.

• Steeper learning curve.
• Limited chat options.

Trello

Free to $17.50

★★★★★

3.6

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Trello’s project management system revolves around cards representing task progress that can be grouped into boards for different projects. Users can communicate on each card while providing updates and setting task status. This card approach makes it a breeze to manage tasks individually.

The fact that you can have unlimited cards even on the free plan makes Trello one of the best project management software for startups or small businesses. If you need more task boards or to access Trello’s new views, you’ll need to shell out $6 or $12.50 per user per month.

Speaking of views, Trello now offers the means to monitor progress via timelines, dashboards, and even a calendar to check current and upcoming tasks. The timeline view helps with time tracking, and dashboards are great for reporting.

If you’re going to use Trello, you’d better be a fan of the card system. It’s the only way to view tasks in this particular project management tool. Although tasks can be grouped into different boards, Trello doesn’t allow you or your team members to create subtasks.

At the premium level, the software allows the use of its Butler. Feed Butler your recurring tasks, and it will automate the processes for you. There’s no knowledge of coding required to make use of this service.

Bottom Line: 

Trello is one of the best visual PM software options available with an easy to create and update card system. However, this management software does have limitations that businesses can outgrow.

• Simple interface.
• Excellent Kanban tools.
• Scales well with company growth.
• Can automate tasks.

• Limited ways to view projects.
• Can’t create subtasks.

Nifty

Free to $25

★★★★★

3.9

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Nifty’s neat project management software package offers its suite of core features to an unlimited number of team members for free. As sweet as that sounds, you’re limited to just 100 megabytes of file storage and just two projects.

To tap into tools such as time tracking, automation, and unlimited projects, you’ll need to upgrade. Successive tier plans come at $9, $16, or $25 per user every month.

One of Nifty’s star features is the ability to integrate with your other favorite apps such as Slack, Google Calendar, and the Microsoft Suite of products. You may even be able to import tasks from other startup project management software. What Nifty can’t do, one of these other applications should be able to fill in the gaps.

As Nifty is one of the newest project management tools for startups, it still lacks on the feature front. While it offers time tracking, there’s no way for a project manager to look deeper into how different team members are doing without going task by task.

There are also limitations on how much you can customize the projects and the dashboard. The project management tool does have an excellent discussion section for team communication and collaboration.

Bottom Line: 

Although new, Nifty already has some solid task and team management tools. You’ll just need to look past the lack of flexibility to make use of these features.

• Direct messaging on projects.
• Multiple project view options.
• Pricing for businesses of all sizes.
• Seamlessly integrates with other popular apps.

• Still new, lacks features.

Asana

Free to $30.49

★★★★★

3.9

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Asana is one of the best project management software for startups, with several features available even at the free level. For startup companies of 15 people or less, you’ll get basic reporting, three views, and unlimited projects, tasks, and activity logs.

The most prominent benefits for upgrading to either the Premium plan at $13.49 or the Business plan at $30.49 are automated workflows, advanced reporting, scaled security, and priority support. These benefits make Asana appealing to software development teams.

You can streamline processes and manage multiple projects through up to six viewing options. Each task has a chat option that team members can use to converse. The platform also allows flagging urgent tasks that need immediate attention.

Asana may be a miss for enterprises with just a handful more than 15 employees, as prices escalate quickly. Being able to customize the calendar and view may soften the burn.

Similarly, Asana gives project managers the chance to generate charts and graphs from any team or task to aid in project planning. For on-the-go users, Asana features a convenient mobile app.

Bottom Line: 

Asana makes working with teams a snap with clear resource allocation, unlimited essential tools, and streamline communication.

• Can assign due dates and priorities to tasks.
• Create custom calendars and views.
• Chat option within each task.
• Uses Kanban view.

• The price may be high for small teams.

Kissflow Project

Free to $12

★★★★★

4.0

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Kissflow Project enters the mix with simple project management software for startups that’s a joy to look at and surprisingly clutter-free. Newer companies may eat this up, but mid-sized organizations may find the interface a little too basic.

The software platform starts out free to unlimited users while still offering all but the most advanced features. A paid plan to get endless custom views, limitless storage, and advanced reporting will run $5 per user per month. The extra security from the advanced plan will set you back $12 per user monthly.

Besides Project, Kissflow has other products such as Digital Workplace, Procurement Cloud, and Community tools. These integrate seamlessly with Project but come with a significant additional price tag.

In particular, the team collaboration software is some of the best out there, with private and group chat, channel posting, and events. Unfortunately, you’re looking at an extra $500 minimum per month to use it.

The service was known for an abundance of bugs in the past, but many of these are now under control. That won’t stop the occasional error message from appearing, though.

Even so, there are plenty of prebuilt tools for analyzing project timelines, tracking team attendance, and viewing tasks.

Bottom Line: 

Kissflow Project’s simple interface saves time and energy by making the data and information you need easy to locate.

• Prebuilt tools and automated tasks.
• Clutter-free interface.
• On the cheaper side.
• Kissflow has several other products besides Project.

• Collaboration tools cost extra.
• Occasional bugs.

ProofHub

$50 or $99

★★★★★

4.2

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ProofHub doesn’t have a free option for startups but does offer a relatively uncommon flat rate for its services. You can get access to core features for $50 per month, but ProofHub’s complete package runs $99 per month no matter how many users work with you.

A flat-rate option can speak to companies with a more extensive staff. As most other project management software companies charge upwards of $10 per user for advanced tools, even a business of 10 users can save some money here.

Depending on your needs, just the core features of the project management tool may suffice. The core package includes time tracking, discussion tools for collaboration, project templates, a calendar, announcements, and more. While announcements are a way to share achievements, they can quickly become overwhelming if used too often.

Some of ProofHub’s top features revolve around file sharing and proofing. Files are easy to transfer and remain in a central place for everyone to view. As the team reviews documents, ProofHub adds file versions to track updates.

Custom roles allow the project manager to create an organizational workflow, limiting what users can access. Tasks are visible in either Gantt or Kanban format depending on each user’s preference.

Bottom Line: 

ProofHub shares its features for one flat rate per month while simplifying tasks and working off uploaded documents.

• Unlimited projects and users for one flat rate.
• Project proofing.
• Easy file transfer and storage.
• Custom roles.
• Discussions section.

• Notifications can be overwhelming.
• Limited customization options.

Basecamp

Free or a flat $99

★★★★★

3.5

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Basecamp prides itself on being a one-stop-shop for all of the tools your company needs to succeed.

For $99 per month, Basecamp’s entire portfolio of features is made available to you and your team. This one flat rate allows the creation of unlimited projects without placing a limit on the number of users you can have. The rate doesn’t increase no matter how many people you enlist, making Basecamp affordable for large and small businesses alike.

There’s also a free but minimal free version available. You can access basic features with up to 20 users, but all advanced tools are blocked.

The software itself really excels with collaborative tools. Within the platform’s umbrella, your team can chat in real-time privately, in groups, or on a message board.

With the ability to create an unlimited number of projects, you can structure or organize tasks any way you see fit. To-do lists, Gantt charting, and priorities make it easy to see which items need to be addressed first. The downside here is that Basecamp doesn’t allow the creation of task dependencies.

The software doesn’t offer any charts for reporting but provides the means to group your crew into specific groups and teams. With automated check-in questions, you can get updates straight from the source.

Bottom Line: 

Basecamp strives to incorporate everything you’ll need to manage your business at one flat monthly price. For a more comprehensive analysis of Basecamp, read the ultimate Basecamp review.

• To-do lists.
• Task history.
• Flat rate per month.
• Can assign project priority.

• No reporting tools.
• No customization options.

Jira

Free to $14.50

★★★★★

3.7

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Jira sets the bar high when it comes to staying on top of timelines and tracking progress. The project management software lets you create a seemingly endless number of reports and charts to ensure goals are being met. Best of all, you can bring all these reporting tools together in a single view with Jira’s dashboard tool.

All this reporting comes at the cost of collaborative tools. Jira lets you assign your staff to different projects using either Kanban or scrum boards, but there’s no way for those users to talk to each other. There are options to integrate with other programs, however.

There’s a free plan available for groups of 10 users or less that comes with basic management tools and limited storage. Jira’s Standard plan at $7.50 per user per month and Premium plan at $14.50 per user per month allow up to 20,000 users and get cheaper with the more team members you have. The number of features grows as you shell out the dough for the higher-tier plans.

In addition to reporting, Jira has an abundance of roadmapping and automation tools to make project management as stress-free and efficient as possible. You don’t need to be a programmer to excel at these features, as everything is handled through a drag and drop method.

Bottom Line: 

Jira’s reporting tools are second to none and marry well with roadmapping features to save you time.

• Roadmaps for project planning.
• Bug and issue tracker.
• Powerful agile reporting.
• Integrates with many third-party apps.

• No native collaboration tools.
• The interface can become cluttered.

Hubstaff

Free to $10

★★★★★

4.0

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Hubstaff’s base software is built around time tracking, payroll, and reporting for your team. The system logs hours worked based on activity levels and takes occasional screenshots of employees’ screens.

All this data is viewable through Hubstaff’s detailed and actionable time reports. It’s possible to track individual users or follow the progress of specific tasks your team is assigned to.

Businesses likely won’t benefit from the free option, which only allows for one user. Other plans start at $7 or $10 per user per month, depending on the features you need.

Hubstaff Tasks introduces Kanban lists, roadmaps, automated workflows, and more to make project management that much more straightforward. You’ll even be able to customize the dashboard to see what’s most important to you.

Bottom Line: 

Hubstaff has many impressive features split over multiple platforms, adding significantly to cost.

• Impressive resource management tools.
• Personnel scheduling.
• Screen monitoring.
• Customizable dashboard.

• No live chatting.
• Resource and task management each have monthly costs.

How To Choose Project Management Software for a Startup

Here are the six most important things to consider when choosing a startup project management software:

1. Scheduling and task management tools
2. Monitoring
3. User interface
4. Cost
5. Integrations
6. Resource management

Scheduling and Task Management Tools

Each project management software out there brings its own set of tools to the table. It’s important to factor in how your project management methodologies and business processes match what’s available.

Find something that’s large enough for your team now and in the future while ensuring the tools for both project scheduling and task management live up to your needs.

Monitoring

How much of your team’s progress do you need to see? Some platforms dive deeper into reporting than others with more complex charts and graphs. If preset reporting tools aren’t enough, consider project management software that allows customizability.

User Interface

All the information in the world won’t mean a thing if you can’t make sense of it all. Some project management software for startups provide simple, straightforward, intuitive interfaces that are easy to understand and navigate through. Others offer a more comprehensive approach for those needing to see a lot of data in short order.

Cost

Cost is always a heavy factor when considering the software you choose. Many platforms offer free-to-start plans but often limit available features. No matter where you start, ensure that the free software can scale with your business, both in terms of functionality and price.

Integrations

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you already have tools you enjoy using and are comfortable with. If you’re not aiming to replace those programs, it’s worth picking out a project management system that will integrate seamlessly with what you already use.

Resource Management

Tracking tasks is only half the battle. It’s just as important to be able to see what each team member is working on to ensure they’re sufficiently loaded with work and have the tools they need to succeed. The best project management software knows this and will allow you to effectively lead your team.

Conclusion: Best Project Management Software for Startups

Having the best project management tools at your fingertips can boost your company’s productivity while saving you time in one fell swoop.

Before making a purchase, ensure the software you’re considering meets your needs both now and in the future. We landed on Teamwork as the best project management software available with a large number of features and collaborative tools.

The best project management tools are the ones that meet your needs. However, the range of options and factors to consider can often be overwhelming. We’ve boiled down some of the most used and best options to help you make an easier, yet still informed decision.

Quick View

Product

Price

Features

Services and Support

Customization and Integrations

Mobile friendly

Asana

Free tier, or $13.49 and $30.49 per user per month pay plans.

Generate easy to read graphs, easy to use, lots of collaboration tools

Large library of tutorials and support docs

A range of integrations are available, including particular partnerships with Harvest, Power Bi, and others

Free Android and iOS apps

Trello

Free to $17.50 per user per month. Custom options available

Part of Atlassian App Ecosystem. Easy to use drag-and-drop interface, automatically generate reports and charts

Library of help article and tutorials, community help, Premium and Enterprise users get priority support

Lots of ‘Power-Up’ options to connect apps, integrate with Atlassian products

Free Android and iOS apps

Wrike

Basic tier is free, paid tiers are $9.80 and $24.80.

Time tracking and timesheets, workload charts, branded Workspace

Help docs, video tutorials, submit help tickets

Large library of common integrations

Free Android and iOS app

ClickUp

Free version, Unlimited for $9, Business for $19, and Business Plus for $29 per user per month

Unlimited file storage, branded views, time tracking

Library of docs, tutorials, and videos. Free one-on-one live coaching

Long list of integrations, some reserved for higher tiers. API for custom integrations

Free Android and iOS apps

monday.com

Free tier and paid tiers for $10, $12, and $20 per user per month

Collaborative documents, workload view, project health status

Library of support docs, videos, and tutorials

Long list of integrations, some limited to higher pay tiers

Free Android and iOS apps

Hive

Free plan, pay tier at $16 with optional add-ons or customizable tier

Time tracking and timesheets, collaborative docs, automated risk tracking

Library of support docs and intro webinar.

Short list includes commonly used apps

Free Android and iOS apps

Microsoft Teams

Free or Essentials for $4 per user per month

(Additional features require Microsoft 365 subscription)

Screen sharing, breakout rooms, meeting recordings, and transcripts

Microsoft support

Part of Microsoft 365, integrates with a long list of apps

Free Android and iOS apps

Flow

Basic is $8, Plus is $12, and Pro is $18 per user per month

Real-time chat, ‘Catch-up’ action log, add new tasks via email

Sparse library of videos and docs, email support

Handful of integrations, more through Zapier

Free Android and iOS app

Roadmunk

Starter is $19, Business is $65, and Professional is $129 per user per month

‘Roadmaps’ to organize projects, reviewers can provide feedback, customer feedback portal

Training videos, help docs, live-chat support

Integrates with AzureOS and Jira, API for custom integrations

No mobile app

Confluence

Free or paid plans at $5.50 or $10.50 per user per month

Plan projects in collaborative ‘pages‘, track page history, embed Jira roadmaps

Large library of guides, videos, and tutorials. Message support

Integrates with Atlassian apps. Loads of integrations and apps

Free Android and iOS apps

Quick Verdict

Best Overall – Asana. It’s easy to use with a range of valuable tools. Among the highlights are easy to create charts with status updates and a wide range of support options.

The 10 Best Project Management Tools

We’ve reviewed some of the best project management software options out there so you can find the right one for your business.

Asana

$0 to $30.49

★★★★★

4.4

Visit

There are few project management platforms that tend to show up a lot, Asana being one of the most common. It’s not just a coincidence. Asana is easy to use and offers some of the best project management tools available. It can work for small teams or scale to larger companies.

One of the most useful tools to the average project manager may be the Status Update feature. With it, you can easily generate graphics detailing project progress, workload, and a number of other key factors. You can also share them with team members, clients, or whoever you choose.

Bottom Line:

While a bit more expensive than some options, Asana can help keep control of even the most complex projects. Read our Asana review to learn more about its features and pricing.

• Automatically generate attractive graphs and charts
• Easy to use
• Large library of tutorials, courses, and other support docs

• Relatively expensive

Trello

Free to $12.50

★★★★★

4.2

Visit

Many people may be more familiar with another Atlassian project management offering, Jira. Trello isn’t as heavyweight an app, primarily offering a Kanban-style board with some additions. It might work best for small project teams that follow an Agile approach, but don’t need all the bells and whistles to keep things organized.

The features Trello does offer are useful and make it easy to see a project’s status at a glance. In particular, automations are easy to use and set up. 

Bottom Line:

Trello offers a streamlined project management app suited for small projects.

• Kanban board-based design
• Labels help organize at a glance
• Easy to use automations

• Limited tools

Wrike

Free to $24.80

★★★★★

4.0

Visit

Wrike just updated their interface, moving more information to the default view. As a result, you can see your inbox, list of to-dos, and current tasks all without clicking a button. It may sound overwhelming, but it’s actually nicely arranged in an easy-to-understand format.

Otherwise, Wrike follows a pretty standard model for online project management software. There are plenty of reporting options, including resource management, project planning, and tracking time. One nice Wrike feature is the ability to track time to specific tasks, making this the best project management software with time tracking on our list.

Bottom Line:

Wrike is well designed, with lots of useful features, though on the more expensive side. Read the Wrike review if you’re interested in this software.

• Easy to navigate
• Customizable reports
• Track time on specific tasks

• Pricey

ClickUp

Free to $29

★★★★★

4.0

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ClickUp is loaded with a number of helpful task management features, including native time tracking on tasks. One nice feature is the ability to create collaborative docs and wikis within the app, building a knowledge base for your project. 

Options for collaboration include proofing and document editing, and recording videos in-app. Other features are fairly standard for project management software, including project templates, task management, tracking, and analytics. To know more about its pricing and features, check out our ClickUp review.

• Lots of support options
• Create a wiki for your project
• Onboarding guides and services

• Limited uses of some features on lower tiers

monday.com

$0 to $20

★★★★★

3.8

Visit

Monday is one of the better-known and well-established project management apps out there. It offers a number of features like to-do lists, collaborative documents, and task assignments that can help keep complex projects organized. There are also options for communicating with team members either in groups or across your organization. 

However, a lot of useful features are reserved for more expensive tiers, like unlimited users, integration, dependencies, and others. While it may seem less expensive than a competitor like Asana, you’ll actually pay about the same for similar levels of service. As a result, it probably makes the most sense for larger teams that both need and can afford those costs.

Bottom Line:

Monday.com offers high-quality, if standard, features for a slightly higher cost. Read the monday.com review if you’re interested in going for this tool or the Monday vs Asana article.

• Well established
• Lots of useful tools
• Multiple ways to view info

• Useful tools reserved for costlier plans

Hive

$0 to $16

★★★★★

3.5

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Hive has a reasonably simple interface, though as with most project management tools, there is a learning curve. The basics include assigning ‘actions’ and mapping out deadlines with Gantt charts. There is also a collaborative document that can be used for brainstorming and to-do lists, among other things. 

Additional features can be added with apps and integrations. The number of integrations is quite small, but the ones on offer connect painlessly to your workspace.

The downside may be the pricing structure. There’s only the free Solo plan, paid Teams plan, and the Enterprise plan. Some Enterprise features can be added to a Teams subscription ala carte, and there is a small additional fee for each one. That could allow you to tailor your cost to your budget, but also pressure your project manager to do without and save money.

Bottom Line:

Hive is a nice platform with an unusual pricing structure, but a great advantage is that you can pay for individual services to tailor features to your needs.

• Tracking time options included
• Lots of features included with Hive Solo
• Tools for deliverable proofing and approval

• Complicated pricing structure

Microsoft Teams

Free

★★★★★

3.4

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Microsoft is ubiquitous in the business world, which can make using their product a no-brainer. While the brand name can prompt a few rants, the approach to software is already very familiar to most people. However, Teams isn’t a set of desktop and online project management tools. Microsoft Project fills that slot. Instead, Teams is a platform for teleconferencing and collaboration.

Despite that, Teams can work as a PM platform, as it integrates with a lot of common tools and also provides storage for project data through OneDrive.

Bottom Line:

Teams is an industry-standard for collaborating with team members, but may not have all the features a business needs in a project management platform.

• Easy to use teleconferencing
• Screen sharing, file sharing, and transcripts
• Part of Microsoft 365

• Doesn’t offer a number of project management features
• Focused on team communication

Flow

$8 to $18

★★★★★

3.3

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Several project management software options have updated their offerings in the last few years, including Asana and Wrike. Flow X, the newest iteration, was released in September 2021. It includes useful additional features like task priority and deadlines to help manage project timelines. Messaging and other new project management tools for collaboration have also been added.

Bottom Line:

Flow was once a personal productivity app that has grown into a full-blown project management platform.

• Workload by employee, team, or company
• Lower cost
• 30-day free trial

• No free tier
• Fewer support documents

Roadmunk

$19 to $129

★★★★★

3.0

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Many other project management software options try to remain flexible, while Roadmunk specializes in product management. It offers project management tools focused for that type of business, including a portal for customer feedback and tools for prioritizing new ideas.

The software offers plenty of team collaboration features and schedule visualization tools. Project managers can rank tasks according to priority, and manage teams by assigning permission levels to each member. 

Bottom Line:

Roadmunk offers a complete project management system for creating, releasing, and updating software products.

• Chrome extension
• Tools for idea prioritization
• Handles customer feedback

• No mobile apps
• Expensive

Confluence

Free to $10.50

★★★★★

3.0

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The standard, modern project management tool focuses on tasks and uses those as building blocks. It makes sense, but Confluence has a different take on how to manage projects. The project is the basic unit, with a page detailing the goal and steps along the way. Graphics, to-do lists, and other features are added to the page by team members with a range of easy-to-use tools.

For some teams, it might be a confusing way to work. However, it may work well for many projects, particularly creative tasks. 

Bottom Line:

Confluence takes a holistic view of a project that may work well for creative teams. Read our in-depth review on Confluence to find out if it’s the right choice for you.

• Based on pages rather than tasks.
• Spaces, sub-pages, and page trees keep things organized.
• Easy to use automations.
• Dedicated IP address.

• Unusual format.

Key Features of a Good Project Management Tool

While the offer to help you manage unlimited projects is a little grandiose, comprehensive project management software can actually make successful projects more likely. All the features they offer can help you manage tasks, track dates, and allow project tracking in a way that once required a large staff and reams of paper. 

Most platforms put their attention on project tasks, but it’s how those tasks are used, discussed, and reported that makes a quality project management tool.

Team Management

Most project management tools focus on managing your team to some degree. Whether you’re trying to communicate with your entire team, assign tasks, or manage their time with resource allocation tools, figuring out how to best use their talents is what makes a project a success. 

Project Delivery Management

Managers often have to take a larger view, as part of their job may involve project portfolio management. As a result, tools that aid in project planning and balancing multiple projects are vital. 

Methodology Suitability

Agile development has taken over in many sectors of business, while in others, traditional project management will probably always be on top. Many organizations are embracing hybrid approaches of one sort or another. Whatever your preference, the best project management platform is one that offers features for the methodology you use.

Risk Management

Risk can mean different things, like issue tracking in the software development process or production delays in manufacturing. Whatever it means to your project, good project management tools don’t just track progress, they help interpret project details and understand the causes of risk.

Reporting

One of the most important project management features is the ability to display information in a clear, understandable way. Gantt charts are often just the start. A quality project management tool can help you understand project progress, resource use, and a host of other factors that are required for informed decision-making. 

Perhaps even more importantly, good reporting tools help you communicate those factors to stakeholders and team members. 

Finance Management

Perhaps surprisingly, many project management platforms don’t include specific tools for expense tracking, billing, and other financial tasks. In many cases, it’s possible to use different project management tools instead. However, you may find that some platforms integrate with financial tools that you already use, making them more efficient and attractive options.

Collaboration and Communication

Good project management software in modern business requires far more than just task management. It is also often a key collaboration tool, serving as a meeting place and method of communication. Generally speaking, the more team collaboration tools a platform offers, and the easier they are for project team members to use, the better.

Integration With Other Apps

Even the right project management software, the perfect option for your needs, might not have every feature you’d like. The easiest way to pull in a new project management tool is often an integration. Additionally, you may find that some platforms work with apps you already use.

Usability

The ease of using a project management tool is obviously important, though a certain degree of complexity may be inevitable. Perhaps more importantly is whether the tool helps your team complete tasks by fostering team collaboration, reminding them of recurring tasks, and a host of other day-to-day features.

Support

The support offered by a platform is often an important factor for project managers to consider. Managing projects is hard when your PM software keeps going down. A team member flailingly trying to understand a feature is a drain on time and resources. Both ends of the support spectrum are important to keep in mind.

Privacy

Great project management software isn’t so great if your information isn’t secure and under your control. In an age of cloud computing, adequate security is important to everyone.

Choosing the Best Project Management Tool

A project manager often has to use whatever online project management tool their company has chosen. However, when you get the chance to make that decision, follow a few simple steps to find the best project management tools for you:

• Shortlist features that are important for you
• Define what good project management is for your team
• Consider costs and fees

Shortlist Features That Are Important for You

A good project management app will have the features that meet your team’s needs. The best tool for software development teams may not be the best project management software for startups, for example. The best construction project management software would probably be different than either of those.

Define What Good Project Management Is for Your Team

Project managers often have their own approach to problems and it’s important to find a platform that reflects that approach. Are you looking for an option for business process management software, or do you need help herding cats on a creative project?

Consider Costs and Fees

Consider the size of your team and your project planning needs. For individuals and smaller projects, the free plan for project management software tools may be all you need. There are also a range of price points for PM software, so look for one that meets your needs and budget.

Conclusion: Best Project Management Tools

It would be nice if free project management software covered all the bases, but just about all of the most important tools come with a cost. Managing that cost and choosing the platform that fits your needs is the first step to successfully managing a project. 

Good project management may be more art than science, balancing human needs, budgetary concerns, and the constraints of scheduling. However, the right tool can make the task a lot easier. 

The very best simple project management software is the simplest that also does everything you need it to. However, making simple but useful tools may be even more difficult than managing a project well. Find out how each of our choices measures up, and which is best for your needs.

Quick View

• Easy Project – Best Overall 
• Wrike – Best Free Option
• TeamGantt –  Simplest Tool
• Monday – Best Value
• Hive – Most Customizable
• Teamwork – Widest Range of Integrations
• GanttPro – Best for Individual Projects
• Clickup – Best for Collaboration
• Microsoft Project – Best for Largest Projects
• Asana – Best for Small Teams

Software

Price

Features

Services and Support

Customization and Integrations

Mobile Friendly

Easy Project

Three levels of cost with different features, at $7.90, $14.90, and $29.90

Essentials level has basic PM tools, including project mapping, time tracking, and task management

Customer support and help implementing tools

A range of popular integrations and possible customizations

Free mobile app on iOS and Android

Wrike

Basic tier is free, while more expensive tiers are $9.80 and $24.80

Free tier has unlimited users, task management, and collaboration tools, but limited tasks

A range of professional services. Also, support and training available

Free integration with Google, Microsoft, Slack, and more

Free mobile app for Android and iOS

TeamGantt

Basic tier is free, Standard tier is $24.95 and Advanced is $29.95

Customizable Gantt chart, with some other options

Tutorials, classes, and guides available

No integrations and little customization

Android and iOS mobile apps

Monday

Free tier offers unlimited project boards and docs, but only two team members. Pay tiers cost less than average at $8, $10, and $16

Task management boards; varied methods for visualizing data; project templates

Guides, tutorials, and community support

Integrates with many common apps; create your own automatic functions

Free iOS and Android apps

Hive

Free plan limited to two users. One pay tier at $16 with optional add-ons or customizable tier

Full range of project management, time tracking, and scheduling tools

Limited support; Enterprise tier gets a dedicated team

Common integrations available, at an extra cost

Android and iOS apps

Teamwork

Unlimited projects with free version. Full function has a reasonable price at $12.50 or $22.50

Free tier doesn’t have some basic features, like no templates

Phone, chat, and email support

Popular integrations available, limited customization

Mobile apps for Android and iOS

GanttPro

Individual tier for $15 a month, Team tier for $8.90 per user, free trial available

Task managing, time tracking, and collaboration via Gantt charts

Personal account support

Limited integrations; API available to create your own

Mobile and iOS app free

ClickUp

Free version with unlimited tasks and members, Unlimited is $5, Business is $9 and Business Plus is $19

Task oriented project management app, time management, tracking, and more 

Standard online support at all but Enterprise tiers

Many native integrations, API available for custom integrations, limited API calls at some tiers

Android and iOS app

Microsoft Project

3 tiers at $10. $30, or $55 per person, per month; separate plans for on-premises options

Gantt chart scheduling, Agile or Waterfall project planning, closely integrated with Microsoft products

Part of Microsoft general support

Closely integrated with Microsoft tools, Automations require an additional subscription

No available mobile app; build your own w/Azure

Asana

Free tier, or $13.49 and $30.49 per user per month pay plans

Free tier allows you to manage tasks and progress; strong collaboration tools, unlimited tasks, and projects, up to 15 users

Standard support

Wide range of popular integrations

Android and iOS app available

Quick Verdict

Best Overall – Easy Project provides all the essential tools you’ll need to manage a successful, professional project. Whether you’re working on your own or with a whole company, you’ll find everything you need to get the job done efficiently.

The 10 Best Simple Project Management Software

We’ve reviewed some of the most popular project management solutions and best project management tools so you don’t have to.

Easy Project

4.4

★★★★★

$7.90, $14.90, or $29.90

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Easy Project’s Essential tier is well named, as it is an affordable option for basic project management tools. It offers options for planning your project, including tools for breaking a project down into tasks, identifying critical path tasks, and creating baselines for assessing performance. 

Work management, tracking time, and personalized dashboards are also available. Additionally, Agile project management specific tools are also available in the Essential tier.

Higher tiers also include resource and financial management tools. Support is also included, as are a range of custom options.

• Several different price points.
• Enterprise solutions available.
• A service team provides support and customization.
• More expensive options add resource, finance, and customer resource management.

• No free tier.
• Helpful tools cost more.

Wrike

4.6

★★★★★

Free, $9.80, or $24.80

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The trend these days is for online, free project management software with added functions costing more. Wrike is a great example of this concept, with a limited, free tier for small projects, while professional tools add a small cost. Free project management apps can be integrated so you can use your Google or Microsoft accounts easily.

Its main selling point is the many project templates that can help you get a variety of projects started. You can make your own templates for your team members as well. Read our in-depth Wrike review to learn more about this software.

• Free tier.
• Many free integrations.
• Agile project management tools.
• Customizable templates.

• Limited tasks for free tier.
• Deployment services cost more.

TeamGantt

2.8

★★★★★

Free, $24.95, or $29.95

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Gantt charts have been used in business for about a century, which is a testament to their usefulness. They are designed to help monitor project progress and visualize which tasks are dependent on others. TeamGantt also adds task management options and collaboration tools. 

In some ways, this is a cheap project management software, as there is a free option. However, it’s only suited for small projects with only a few people. Professional and business tools come with a higher price tag.

• Free plan for small projects.
• Customizable Gantt charts.
• Guides, templates, and classes to get the most out of it.
• Calendar view and task lists alternatives to Gantt chart.

• Pay tiers are more expensive.
• No integrations.
• Lacking customer support.

Monday

4.2

★★★★★

Free to $20

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Monday may be the worst day of the workweek, but it’s far from the worst project management app. Whether it’s the best project management software with time tracking, automation, many charting options, and much more will depend on your budget. All of those and a few more features can only be found in the pay tiers.

You may need to spring for the subscription even if your project team is fairly small, as the free plan is limited to two users. However, the price is lower than some other options, so it may be a good choice. Read our complete monday.com review to learn more about this software.

• Unlimited boards and docs on free tier.
• Wide range of common integrations.
• Customizable automizations.
• Several ways to view info.
• Pay tiers are less expensive than other options.

• Free tier limited to two users.

Hive

3.4

★★★★★

Free to $16

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Hive offers unlimited projects on the free plan, but only for two users, which is a common limitation. Its single pay tier offers a lot of useful functions. However, many extras come with an individual price tag of between $4 and $6. To get them included in the subscription price, you’ll have to go to Enterprise-level service.

It might be worth the cost, though, as that gets you a priority support team and a range of extra project management software tools, including a Kanban board and other Agile tools.

• Free tier.
• Pay tier with a la carte options to fit your budget.
• Free trial for pay tier.
• Able to request new features.

• Limited users for free tier.
• Pay an additional fee for some individual features.

Teamwork

3.3

★★★★★

Free, $12.50, $22.50

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Similar in many ways to Monday, Teamwork allows users to assign tasks and track progress. Unlike other options, the free version doesn’t limit assigning tasks or users. It does have far less functionality overall, however. You’ll have to pay or find yourself lacking a critical project management tool.

Teamwork offers plenty of integration opportunities to ensure a seamless workflow, from Google Drive and MS Office to Slack and Dropbox. Plus features such as tracking time, budget management, file sharing, and status updates are beneficial to all project managers. 

• Unlimited users and tasks at free tier.
• Pay tiers are lower cost than competitors.
• Common integrations available.
• Free trial for paid tiers.

• Critical tools only available at paid tier.
• Limited templates, tasks, and integrations even with paid plans.

GanttPro

4.0

★★★★★

$15 or $8.90/user for teams

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While there is no free version, GanttPro may be a great option for individual projects. Unlike other options with limited free tiers or costly options better suited to running a business, this simple project management software offers all functions even at the basic level. 

Gantt charts are useful, but a project manager may need more. However, an offered API allows you to create your own integrations if you need added functions.

• Individual tier has full functionality.
• Customizable and multi-functional Gantt charts.
• Common integrations.
• API available to create your own integrations.

• No free tier.
• Functions heavily focused on Gantt charts.

ClickUp

4.1

★★★★★

Free, $5, $9, $19

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ClickUp is a great option if you like being able to track project progress at a glance, as it allows custom workflows. Other project management tools allow collaboration within each task, as well as tracking time spent. 

There are some significant absences on the free tier, including timesheets. You’ll also have to pay if you want to integrate with Google Calendar, Drive, or other products. 

On the other hand, if you don’t think ClickUp is a good project management tool, you can get a refund within 30 days. Other pros include features such as tracking time, management for resources, visual representations of workloads, and many sprint options. Read our in-depth ClickUp review to learn more about this software.

• Unlimited tasks and members even on the free tier.
• 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
• Two-factor security on all tiers.
• API for wide customization.

• Some useful integrations not available on free tier.
• Pay per ‘workspace’ or project.

Microsoft Project

2.2

★★★★★

From $10, $30, or $55

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MS Project may not have the best free project management tools, as you’ll end up paying a fair amount no matter the plan you choose. However, Microsoft has been creating new project management tools for years, even being considered an influence on Agile methodologies. 

The price may be worth it for medium or larger businesses, while small businesses may not want to pay for such heavy-duty management software. Remote project management and communicating between team managers in different locations may also be a challenge and require additional costs.

• Integrated with Microsoft products.
• On-premises solutions for brick-and-mortar businesses.
• Use Azure to create own functions.

• Requires Microsoft 365 tools.
• Power Automate for automated tasks.
• Steep learning curve—not very simple.

Asana

4.0

★★★★★

Free, or $13.49 and $30.49

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Asana may actually be one of the best free project management tools. It has a lot of the same functionality as other project management software, including task lists and collaborating with an entire team. It’s in the collaboration area it may shine, particularly when working with small groups.

Some of those functions require one of the paid plans, including the ability to build a new project management tool you may need. To learn more about this software, read our complete Asana review.

• Free tier has lots of functionality.
• One view to track several projects.
• Easy collaboration—suited for Agile projects.

• Some basic tools not available on the free tier.

Choosing the Right Simple Project Management Software

Finding a simple project management tool that also provides everything you need can be a challenge. Rather than there being a lack of options, however, there may be too many to choose from. 

Every project will have its own needs. Considering these basic project details may help clarify what precisely those needs are.

Scheduling and Task Management Tools

At the most basic level, project planning has two requirements: breaking down and assigning tasks; and scheduling their start and end dates. Any project management tool will therefore cover these basic needs.

However, real-world, complex projects can quickly become a rat’s nest of interdependent tasks. The ability to schedule recurring tasks automatically, or a critical path feature to identify important tasks, can help keep things straight.

Monitoring

Trying to track project progress can be a little like keeping a couple of dozen plates spinning. Even when every team member is doing their best, due dates and task assignments can require finessing. Additionally, time tracking and monitoring project data is a requirement for managing budgets and other logistics. 

User Interface

Though perhaps not often considered, one of the most important project management features can be controlling what everyone can see and do. There are several ways to manage that aspect, including project templates and permissions. For some projects, that sort of customization for the user interface can be key.

Team Collaboration Tools

A traditional approach to organizing a team’s tasks is often required to manage projects. However, modern methods of managing projects have focused ever more on collaborating with team members and away from top-down concepts of how to assign tasks. Any project organized along Agile concepts will need easy-to-use and effective collaboration features.

Integrations

New project management software can have a steep learning curve or there may be one app that would be perfect, if only it wasn’t lacking that one project management tool. Integrations allow you to move data easily back and forth between apps, allowing a smooth project management process. Many apps will even allow you to create your own integrations to fill unique needs.

Resource Management

Trying to manage projects’ resources can both be one of the most difficult and critical tasks. Juggling multiple projects makes it even more difficult. Without the right resources, however, project tasks don’t get completed. A simple project management tool should still have tools to track project budgets and more.

Conclusion

Even simple project management tools may still be pretty complicated. Juggling requirements, while getting a group of people of any size to do what you need means balancing many factors. The software has to be at least that complex to keep up.

A great project management tool, however, manages to handle that complexity in an intuitive way. A better goal may be software that clarifies that complexity, offering ease of use that masquerades as simplicity.

The world of project management is forever changing. From new software to resource planning to technological development, keeping up to date with relevant blogs and resources is critical. We’ve listed some of the best blogs for staying aware of ideas and updates in the industry. Find your new favorite project management blog below.

Interested in the best project management tools out there? You should check out this list:

1. Project Management

As the name might suggest, Project Management is your first port of call for an overview of everything project management-related. The website contains numerous helpful features, many of which are listed in the drop-down menus. These include everything from information about affiliate programs and integration to community discussion spaces. 

This site is run by the Project Management Institute. They’ve been working since 1969 in seeking to demystify and uncomplicate the many different aspects of project management which, inevitably, can become difficult to navigate. 

The fact that this site encourages a large amount of participation and discussion within the community is very beneficial for people at all levels of project management. There is space to learn and share advice or opinions. The opportunity to attend webinars and download resources for project managing is another useful feature. 

2. Eye On the Workforce

Eye on the Workforce is a sub-blog operating off ProjectManagement.com, written by Joe Wynne. He has been producing content since 2000 for people in the project management profession. As the name suggests, this blog specializes in workforce management, which Wynne believes to be a key component in project success. 

The posts on this project management blog specialize in tips for managing and creating a sense of community within the workforce that improves productivity, morale, and profit. He provides a lot of depth in his posts on this topic, ranging from employee communication to human resources and leadership tactics. There’s something here for every project manager.

Joe Wynne is a project management professional himself, having worked in many different areas of the industry. The variety of work he has done reflects the plethora of experience he divulges in his informative blog posts. 

3. PMStudent

The blogger at PMStudent aims to teach and inform, whether you already have experience in the project management field or you’re just learning about the five project management phases. To be able to learn something new or take away information that you will use at work is something many of us take for granted when we aren’t actively engaging with blogs and resources like this. 

PMStudent offers posts on a range of topics, from building and maintaining a good relationship with your team to project strategy and software advice. The scope of writing means there is something everyone can take away, allowing everyone to grow in the field. 

The blog is run by Margaret Meloni, who focuses on IT Project Management and leadership. She seeks to build a community through sharing skills and ideas that everyone in the industry can benefit from. She also teaches project management skills.

4. The Girl’s Guide to Project Management

The Girl’s Guide to Project Management came about as a result of the lack of women who have historically spoken and advised others on project management. The blog was created by Elizabeth Harrin, who has over twenty years of experience in the industry. 

The purpose of the blog is to teach skills that are essential in project management, on a wide variety of topics, including responsibility, networking, task delegation, and tools like Agile. There are over 1,000 articles on the blog, written over the past decade, and the community which has grown from the blog means there is plenty you can do to grow.

As well as the numerous skills to be gleaned from this blog, there are a variety of workshops and templates available to help you organize tasks effectively and hone your skills as a project manager.

5. Simpletivity

You’ll find Simpletivity specializes in several particular aspects of the project management field, namely efficiency, productivity, and time management (ever heard of scope creep?). Run by Scott Friesen, Simpletivity aims to improve skills like focus and simplify the tasks of a project manager on a day-to-day basis. 

The resources available through the Simpletivity blog enable you to cut down on a lot of administrative details, which may become a hassle in any project management role. By slimming downtime spent on producing work behind the scenes, you can simply focus on what matters.

By utilizing Scott’s time-saving tips, you’ll undoubtedly be able to improve the productivity of yourself and your whole workforce. Creating effective, standard practices in the office is a great way of maximizing your output and minimizing excess tasks, which is what Simpletivity is all about.

6. Helping Project Managers Help Themselves

Here’s another offshoot of ProjectManagement.com: Helping Project Managers Help Themselves. It’s run by the highly experienced Lonnie Pacelli, with over 35 years spent in the industry. That time has been used working for companies like Microsoft as well as working for independent consulting groups and companies. 

Pacelli aims to provide practical information for project managers, the kind of information that you can retain and use when you need it. These tips revolve around communication and seamless collaboration of projects within teams, as well as transferable leadership skills surrounding many aspects of project execution. 

This blog is imperative reading for nuggets of wisdom you’ll apply in the long term. Pacelli’s approach to project management is dynamic and covers many spheres of the industry, much like his own experience. Learning good leadership can be as much about gaining your own experience as it is about taking advice from others.

7. Projects at Work

Another sub-blog of ProjectManagement.com, the purpose of Projects at Work is to explore the dynamism required to overcome challenges in project management and produce more effective results. Run by Aaron Smith, this blog for project managers is all about learning the hurdles of the job and finding ways around them. 

Smith is a writer who focuses on project management skills after 25 years of experience in editing and publishing. Having worked for a variety of areas within his industry, he knows the common challenges of managing projects inside out and explores these problems in his blog. 

This blog is full of interviews and advice pieces about practical issues and ideas within project management that can help you to think further about coordinating a team, arranging resources, and creating outstanding results. What’s great about this blog is how it extrapolates PM problems into real-world ideas and creates food for thought about industry challenges.

8. PM Network

PM Network is another resource that has grown from the Project Management Institute, sourcing advice, and information from some of the most informed and experienced people in the industry. This journal is published monthly and contains a lot of really helpful advice. 

What’s so great about PM Network is how it draws on so many different voices from within project management, providing content now only about practical challenges in the industry but modern theory and cultural ideas that ultimately have a big impact on work, whether you work in construction, marketing or advertising. 

But PM Network doesn’t stop at just articles. It has a database chock-full of downloadable content, tools, and webinars that will keep you informed and up to date about everything going on in project management. The resources available go back over a decade, as a result covering every imaginable base within the job. 

9. NTask Blog

In project management, NTask is known best for its software, but there is also a very helpful blog available on their website with additional resources for management, regardless of your experience level or industry. This is one of the best-organized blogs of its kind, with many categories and fields of information. 

What kind of information are you looking for? NTask offers articles on productivity, collaboration, resource management, and multi-project management. As well as this, it is certainly well-designed and highly readable in layout and design. 

The articles on this project management blog often act as handy guides to different areas of project management, they are informative and clear. The clarity of the writing would lend itself well to beginners and provides plenty of introductory knowledge about topics like software and integration, which aren’t always super accessible. 

10. The Lazy Project Manager

The Lazy Project Manager blog is one of the most informative out there, not only in terms of the content produced, but the resources easily found within blog posts. Curated by Peter Taylor, who has a wealth of experience in the project management role, it’s understandable that this blog is so full of valuable information.

Content on the blog spans back over a decade, covering the basics of the project management role to more complex issues in business and management altogether. Peter Taylor’s message revolves around the idea of how to be an effective manager; finding your role satisfying, working well with a team, and utilizing the best tools to maximize your success and output. 

More recently, Taylor has converted a lot of his knowledge into widely available books, but this does not detract from the sheer volume of information available on this blog for free which will undoubtedly help even the most seasoned project managers overcome hurdles at work. 

11. Project Management Basics

You’ll find Project Management Basics provides lots of in-depth information about the realities of working in project management as well as useful advice and tools that span many aspects of the job. Much of the content is written by Dmitriy Nizhebetskiy, who has over ten years of experience in IT project management, and who has founded his course on the subject. 

Nizhebetskiy’s approach focuses on his own experiences, rather than research or academia. He prides himself on providing relatable and realistic glimpses of what makes a good project manager and how leadership skills can be gained. 

Examples of his posts include real examples of what the role of a project manager involves and interview samples to help you advance yourself into a managerial role. As well as educating on different approaches to the job, he also provides advice on tools like Agile which can maximize your output as a manager.

12. Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice

Easy in Theory, Difficult in Practice is a blog that specializes in maximizing your chances of success in project management. It is run by Kiron Bondale, who writes weekly posts on the site, musing on a variety of topics and conundrums that come with being a project manager. 

Unlike some sites, this blog is arranged in a more personal, conversational way. This makes the page thoroughly accessible but has less of the professional tone that many project management sites have. Like it or loathe it, this site is based on Bondale’s plethora of experiences managing many projects, and he is a great source of wisdom. 

Bondale often writes on the topic of Agile, which is very useful for project managers. As well as this, he shares personal advice about productivity and resource managing, portfolios, and the psychology behind project management jobs.

13. Gina Abudi

This site aims to share knowledge that applies to a wide variety of industries and clients that are dealt with in project management. Based on her work in Abudi Consulting, Gina Abudi’s blog details wisdom from her personal experiences in management, and Gina is a frequent speaker within forums where she also shares her knowledge. 

Abudi has over 25 years of experience in various roles within project management, for organizations ranging from non-profits to global companies, she is a member of several associations within business. Clearly, her experience cannot be understated. 

With over a decade of advice available on this blog for project managers, there’s information to be gleaned about the realities of project management that can help managers and team members alike. Abudi focuses on producing intelligent strategies that work to produce results around client satisfaction, team productivity, and return on investment.

14. The Digital Project Manager

The Digital Project Manager site is full of resources, some free and some paid, but their archive of articles is especially helpful. Spanning a number of topics and issues, this blog is especially informative, and the layout is crisp, making it easy to navigate and very accessible. 

The articles on this site come from several contributors and all have something fresh to say about project management, no matter the angle they take. The blog also spans an impressive variety of topics, from career development to communication, time management to stakeholders, risk management to methodologies, and Agile processes. 

Undoubtedly, this is a one-stop location for so many project management queries, and the scope of writing and topics makes it one of the most useful and diverse spaces for writing on management across the internet. The resources here are invaluable for new and experienced managers alike.

15. Musings on Project Management

Musings on Project Management is a more abstract and personal blog about the challenges of project management, but a super valuable page, nonetheless. The writer, John Goodpasture has been managing projects for decades, resulting in reams of advice to share with his audience. In fact, this blog spans more than a decade of regular posts on the topic. 

For any people new to the job or looking for career advancement advice, this project management blog also provides a very helpful and extensive definition of what project management means and how interesting the work can be. 

Goodpasture may be one of the most knowledgeable people writing content on project management today, his writing is always fresh and engaging, and above all, his posts remain regular. This blog is not one to be missed if you’re interested in Agile, risk management, or more general musings on the realities of project management industries today.

16. Finding Marbles

Unlike many of the blogs on this list, Finding Marbles is no longer updated. Despite that, it’s definitely worth a peruse for relevant information about project management, especially Agile, Lean, and Scrum methodologies. The site is run by Corinna Baldauf, a German web developer with a degree in computer science. 

Baldauf has a lot of experience with very popular methodologies. As a result, her blog posts are definitely worth reading. She offers advice on when these systems work, and what to do when they don’t. She also has more general advice for working in project management that is friendly and relatable. 

If you’re looking for valuable information about developing a project management career concerning methodologies like Agile, Lean, and Scrum, you need to look no further than Finding Marbles for the answers. 

17. PMHut

PMHut offers a lot of practical articles detailing lists and advice on making the right choices as a project manager, whether that be choices in the correct technology and software or more general management decisions regarding teams and resources. 

It remains ambiguous whether this blog is going to be updated or not, but the information which remains available is still highly valuable. There’s relatively up-to-date advice about quality tools for project management and a helpful guide for choosing software for project management tasks that considers plenty of the relevant decision factors. 

Although this is a more simplistic blog and less sophisticated than many of the other ones out there, the information remains astute and well thought out. This is an especially ideal blog for anyone new to project management software solutions. 

18. PMI Global Insights

The Project Management Institute’s Global Insights blog is an overarching space featuring some of the most well-known names in the project management world. Here, these experienced writers and speakers share insights about a variety of issues common in management. 

You probably won’t find another blog that contains so much experience and influence in the whole sphere of project management. With dozens of contributors sharing their wisdom and advice, the content spans software, metrics, HR, resource management, and leadership lessons.  

While some blogs explore the insights of just one experienced project manager, the scope of the guests writing on this blog is something to be admired. Whether you’re looking for something specific or mere life lessons from people in management, you’ll find what you need when you look here. 

19. Project Bliss

Leigh Espy’s Project Bliss is a blog that approaches a variety of topics within project management, it remains regularly updated and has plenty of essential resources. She aims to make the journey into management easier for other people, exploring her career along the way. 

What’s so impressive about this blog is how informative it is, and how much knowledge is shared by one woman on her project management journey. It’s informative and helpful without being hard to take in. Throughout writing the blog, Espy has covered dozens of useful management topics that encroach on many different industries. 

As well as the variety of article topics presented in the blog, there are also resources available, like downloads and free templates, perfect for those relatively new to project management and those looking for specific advice on methodologies and systems of management.

20. ProjectSmart

ProjectSmart is a website with dozens of resources about the development of insights in project management. Their clean interface is easily navigated, and their articles are very easy to come by. They’ve been providing access to project management information since 2000 and are easily one of the most reputable sources in the business.

By way of articles, they have an impressive archive spanning almost 15 years, and you can search by specific categories to find information that you need. As well as this, they offer tools and white papers that aim to inform on plenty of valuable topics. 

All articles on ProjectSmart are quality assured, so you know that what you’re getting is the right information. This is undoubtedly an invaluable resource, especially for those more experienced or managing highly professional projects. 

Bottom Line on Project Management Blogs

Project management blogs are an excellent way of gaining awareness for tools and techniques in the industry, growing your knowledge as a manager or a team member. Because industries like marketing and advertising are so dependent on developments in technology, finding accurate sources of information is essential to stay ahead.