ClickUp is project management software designed to provide wall-to-wall solutions for teams to manage all types of work, collaborate on tasks, and streamline multi-step workflows. ClickUp's scalable Hierarchy infrastructure organizes the most complex projects into snackable tasks and subtasks while allowing teams to switch between views of the same project data—all in one place.
Leverage hundreds of fully customizable features to act on ideas and plan milestone-focused project roadmaps. Plus, ClickUp’s integration power connects 1,000+ other work tools for free, including Slack, Google Drive, Figma, and Loom, to improve your project management process, move things forward, and bring teams closer to their goals!
ClickUp best features
A detailed online Help Center, webinars, and support to help you use the platform to its fullest extent
Task Tray docks minimized tasks so you can quickly return to them at any time
Flexible project time tracking and reporting from any device—even jump between tasks or add time retroactively
Detailed Start Dates, Due Dates, and Exact Times for accuracy when scheduling deadlines and Milestones
Watchers to keep teams and stakeholders automatically in the loop when task activity occurs
@mentions and assigned comments in tasks, subtasks, and Chat view bring anyone into the conversation
Space, Folder, and List hierarchy to organize departments, teams, or projects
50+ Task Automations to streamline any project management workflow
ClickUp limitations
So many powerful collaboration tools can pose a learning curve
Not all views are available in the mobile app—yet!
ClickUp pricing
Free Forever Plan
Unlimited Plan: $5 per user per month
Business Plan: $12 per user per month
Business Plus Plan: $19 per user per month
Enterprise Plan: Contact ClickUp for custom pricing
And if you’re on a budget for your team, ClickUp is one of the best free project management software options in this list! Start a free workspace today!
ClickUp ratings and reviews
G2: Rated No. 1 Project Management Product and No. 1 Collaboration and Productivity Product on G2’s 2023 lists
Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,600+ reviews)
2. Monday.com
Monday is a project management tool for teams to collaborate, communicate, and manage projects. With custom views and planning features, teams can easily monitor all of the elements involved in their projects. It integrates easily with other applications, allowing users to quickly update and check project statuses.
Along with ClickUp, Monday is one of only a few project management solutions offering native time tracking. This is a major plus for small teams looking to track and optimize productivity without adding another time tool!
Monday best features
Unlimited automation recipes (with limitations) to support different workflows
Reporting and analytics to track all progress and create reports in real-time
Integrations with other popular project management solutions
Dependency tracking for managing projects
Customizable dashboards and automation
Monday limitations
Steep learning curve to familiarize with functions and interface (check out Monday alternatives)
Slow support response times, especially for live chat, despite it being available 24/7
The Time Tracking Column feature is only available in the Pro and Enterprise plans
Monday pricing
Individual: Free forever
Basic: $8 per user per month starting at 3 seats
Standard: $10 per user per month starting at 3 seats
Pro: $16 per user per month starting at 3 seats
Enterprise: Contact Monday for details
Monday ratings and reviews
G2: 4.7/5 (7,550+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.6/5 (3,700+ reviews)
3. Asana
Asana is a popular project management solution for organizing project tasks and processes. The tool makes integrating widely-used apps like Google Drive, Zoom, and Harvest easy to simplify project management processes and team collaboration.
Thanks to its convenient search feature, locating projects, messages, and tasks across the workspace is easy. And if you need something more than a basic search, Asana gives you the option to save any search criteria!
Asana best features
Color categorization in project calendars that double as a custom field value
Automation Rules to send requests to team members or projects
Several calendar views for personal projects or team projects
Expanded timelines to optimize resource utilization
Reports for insight into task and workflow progress
Asana limitations
Not ideal for complex projects with multiple workflows (find a flexible solution with Asana alternatives)
No visual collaboration features such as mind maps in its project management platform
No multiple assignees feature, so team workspaces are cluttered with task copies
Asana pricing
Basic: Free version
Premium: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually
Business: $24.99 per user per month, billed annually
Enterprise: Contact Asana for details
Asana ratings and reviews
G2: 4.3/5 (9,200+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (11,900+ reviews)
4. Wrike
Wrike is a collaboration and project management platform designed to help teams organize, prioritize, and manage tasks. This project management software makes it easier to keep tabs on tasks and assign them to the right people while allowing teams to collaborate and stay organized throughout the entire project process.
The project management tool offers powerful analytic reporting for project managers, including:
A global report: Analyzes data from your tasks for over eight categories. It's useful for project tracking and calculating future resource management
A performance chart: Displays a visual representation of your project's progress over time
Wrike best features
Time tracking feature to compare estimated versus actual time spent
Task priorities so teams complete tasks in the correct order
Project dashboards for better task management
Kanban boards allow complete visibility of tasks
400+ integrations with other SaaS apps
Wrike limitations
Lacks a document management system (explore better options in Wrike alternatives)
No independent note-taking feature
Gantt charts are a paid feature
Wrike pricing
Free version
Team: $9.80 per user per month
Business: $24.80 per user per month
Enterprise: Contact Wrike for details
Pinnacle: Contact Wrike for details
Wrike ratings and reviews
G2: 4.2/5 (3,200+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.3/5 (2,300+ reviews)
5. Jira
Jira is a bug-tracking and issue-management software for teams working in Agile development. It provides features like advanced reporting options, including user workload, average issue age, and recently created issues. This allows project managers to analyze project performance, manage issue backlogs, and make data-driven decisions to plan efficient Sprints.
Development teams using Jira for project management benefit from integrating with other project management tools. The Atlassian Marketplace provides a selection of 3,000+ apps and integrations to help teams enhance their Jira experience, from automating workflows to improving reporting and visualization.
Jira best features
Incident Investigation Dashboard to resolve code deployment issues faster
Assign tasks or create Jira issues directly from your pull request
Time tracking with a color indication for visual project management
Scrum boards to break down complex tasks
Project tracking templates
Jira limitations
Teams will need multiple applications to simplify work management and avoid overly complex workflows (ClickUp has you covered with a Jira integration!)
A dedicated administrator is necessary to set up and regularly maintain workflows
No multiple assignees feature
Jira pricing
Free version: For 10 users
Standard: $7.75 per user per month (estimated)
Premium: $15.25 per user per month (estimated)
Enterprise: Contact Jira for details
Jira ratings and reviews
G2: 4.3/5 (5,100+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.4/5 (13,100+ reviews)
Read about user-friendly Jira alternatives.
6. Teamwork
The main advantage of Teamwork is its task management capabilities. Teams can track their tasks, deadlines, resources, and milestones and assign tasks to team members while sharing files and viewing project history. The project management software helps team members facilitate communication among team members in real-time and track tasks.
Teamwork also offers a range of collaboration tools to support both internal teams and clients to reduce administrative work. The software allows users to share files, assign tasks, and collaborate on project timelines.
Teamwork best features
Prebuilt project management templates for all types of use cases
Tasks and subtasks for day-to-day project planning
Budget management with invoicing capabilities
Advanced privacy levels and permissions
Gantt charts and Kanban board views
Teamwork limitations
Steep learning curve to train and apply across workflows
Dashboards and goals are paid features
Minimal chat functionality
Teamwork pricing
Free Forever
Starter: $5.99 per user per month, billed yearly
Deliver: $9.99 per user per month, billed yearly
Grow: $19.99 per user per month, billed yearly
Scale: Contact Teamwork for details
Teamwork ratings and reviews
G2: 4.4/5 (1,000+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (790+ reviews)
7. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-based project management software to help teams manage, track, and plan several projects in real time. It supports collaboration so teams can assign tasks, establish timelines, and share updates with others.
Since spreadsheets aren't the easiest to work with on a mobile phone, Smartsheet has optimized mobile apps for managing projects. However, the project management app only works well for conversing with your team—not necessarily for creating a project planning schedule.
Smartsheet best features
Document generation to build custom PDFs for multiple rows in a sheet
Extensive administrator controls to manage users and access
Project budgeting to see planned versus actual hours spent
Portfolio management features to build efficient projects
Activity Log to view audit trails and daily reports
Smartsheet limitations
Limited calendar view and scheduling tools (check out Smartsheet alternatives)
Limited team reporting and high-level project management dashboards
Lack of global automated time tracking
Smartsheet pricing
Free version
Pro: $7 per user per month (max 10 users), billed yearly
Business: $25 per user per month, billed yearly
Enterprise: Contact Smartsheet for details
Smartsheet ratings and reviews
G2: 4.4/5 (11,000+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (2,800+ reviews)
8. Trello
Trello is a Kanban-based, free project management software designed for planning and tracking projects. Each project is represented by a board divided into columns to organize different stages from left to right.
The tool has a drag-and-drop interface and includes task management features such as checklists, attachments, labels, and comments. It also features an interactive calendar tool so users can easily set and view upcoming deadlines.
Trello best features
Power-Ups (plugins) to link to other apps and project management tools
Project views including Kanban boards, timelines, and calendars
Custom fields to structure information for the entire project
No-code automation built into every Trello board
Project templates for repeatable workflows
Trello limitations
Not as flexible for larger teams or multiple projects (find better solutions for complex workflows with Trello alternatives)
Task layers can easily pile up when you’re managing robust projects
Relies on external integrations for functionality
Trello pricing
Free version
Standard: $5 per user per month
Premium: $10 per user per month
Enterprise: Starting at $17.50 per user per month and up
Trello ratings and reviews
G2: 4.4/5 (13,000+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (22,300+ reviews)
9. Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is a free project management tool to help teams plan, track, and collaborate on their projects. Teams can create tasks, set up milestones, and assign them to your team. With its intuitive interface, it’s simple to track progress, collaborate on tasks, and stay informed about project updates.
One of the key features of Zoho Projects is its ability to integrate with other Zoho apps, such as Zoho CRM and Zoho Books. This integration gives teams a seamless connection to their project management system with other business areas within their organization. This can help teams streamline their workflows so everyone is on the same page regarding project progress.
Zoho Projects best features
Timeline view lets you see what team members are doing within a specific period
Ability to track the time and consumption costs of each project in real-time
Gantt charts to visualize task dependencies, deadlines, and task lists
Resource utilization chart for managing projects and resources
Employee timesheets to log billable and nonbillable hours
Zoho Projects limitations
Limited project management integrations with non-Zoho software like Zoom
High-learning curve, especially during the initial setup process
Template creation is limited to organization administrators
Zoho Projects pricing
Free version
Premium: $5 per user per month
Enterprise: $10 per user per month
Zoho Projects ratings and reviews
G2: 4.2/5 (300+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.3/5 (300+ reviews)
10. Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a project management tool designed to help manage schedules and key milestones between stakeholders and the entire team. It provides features for tracking progress, creating budgets, and setting deadlines.
Teams who already use other Microsoft apps, such as Excel, Word, and Teams, will benefit from Microsoft Projects as it integrates seamlessly with these apps. For example, users can import Excel data, create documentation in Word, and communicate updates in Teams.
Microsoft Project best features
Dynamic scheduling based on project efforts required, project duration, and allotted users
Pre-built reports to track progress on your projects, resources, programs, and portfolios
Customizable project management templates for different use cases
Grid, Board, and Gantt charts to oversee schedules
Resource utilization and management
Microsoft Project limitations
External stakeholders and project collaborators will need a project management app or compatible program to view Microsoft files
Limited integrations with other non-Microsoft products (check out Microsoft Project alternatives)
Additional Microsoft apps are required to be a powerful project management software
Microsoft Project pricing
Cloud-based pricing options: Starts at $10 per user per month and up
On-premises solutions options: Starts at $679.99 and up
Microsoft Project ratings and reviews
G2: 4/5 (1,500+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.4/5 (1,700+ reviews)
11. Basecamp
Basecamp is a project management tool with features such as to-do lists, message boards, file sharing, event scheduling, and notifications that remind users of tasks and updates. But one of the key project management features of Basecamp is its ability to provide transparency and accountability across teams.
Users can track project progress, monitor project timelines, and view team member activity. The project management tool also offers a range of customization options so project managers can tailor the interface to their specific workflows and preferences.
Basecamp best features
Lineup project management timeline to view everything from start to finish
Hill Charts to visually see progress uphill or downhill over time
The Hey! menu streamlines notifications in a single menu
Check-in with an automatic poll for the team
Real-time chat and messaging system
Basecamp limitations
A heavy reliance on to-do lists makes it unsuitable for complex project management
Limited project tracking functionality for basic project management needs
No task priorities (check out Basecamp alternatives)
Basecamp pricing
Basecamp: $15 per user per month
Basecamp Pro Unlimited: $299 per month, billed annually
Basecamp ratings and reviews
G2: 4.1/5 (5,100+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.3/5 (14,000+ reviews)
12. Notion
Notion is a customizable platform that offers a unique approach to managing information. While it can be used for project management, it’s primarily a database tool for users to create and manage various types of tables, lists, and calendars. The software also offers the ability to link databases together, creating a powerful way to organize and connect different types of information.
Unlike traditional project management software, Notion provides a high degree of flexibility. It’s ideal for capturing content, such as marketing campaigns and product roadmaps. The tool’s flexibility and customization options make it a popular choice among individuals and small teams looking for a more personalized approach to managing their work.
Notion best features
Database views, including calendars, boards, tasks, lists, galleries, and timelines
Bi-directional linking to connect wikis and knowledge hubs within the platform
Synced blocks for automatic content updates across all spaces
Integrations with Slack, Figma, Jira, ClickUp, and more
Locked page content to prevent accidental edits
Notion limitations
Manual exporting is required to back up data (find advanced export features you need in Notion alternatives)
High degree of flexibility can also be challenging to know where to start or how to organize information effectively
Lacks task-oriented and reporting capabilities
Notion pricing
Free version
Standard: $8 per user per month
Premium: $15 per user per month
Enterprise: Contact Notion for details
Notion ratings and reviews
G2: 4.7/5 (1,700+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.7/5 (1,400+ reviews)
13. ProofHub
ProofHub is project management software to help teams stay organized and on track with their projects. It offers task planning, time tracking, discussion boards, file sharing, task assignment, and multiple project views.
Templates are available to speed up the creation process for projects with similar processes, deliverables, or assigned team members. There’s also the option to categorize project managers versus assignees within the template!
ProofHub best features
Categories for project managers to group multiple projects under one heading
Resource allocation and task management tools
Calendars to plan projects and schedule work
Interactive Gantt charts to plan projects
Customizable dashboard
ProofHub limitations
Limited integrations with popular tools like Evernote, Calendly, and Slack
No additional project management software functionality like budgeting
No custom roles or workflows in the Essential plan
ProofHub pricing
Essential: $45/month, billed annually
Ultimate Control: $89/month, billed annually
ProofHub ratings and reviews
G2: 4.5/5 (70+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (70+ reviews)
14. Airtable
Airtable is a cloud-based solution designed to help individuals and teams manage data, collaborate, and get work done faster. The project management software offers a range of views, including a grid, calendar, and gallery so teams can visualize their data from different perspectives.
The interface is highly customizable. Users can create databases and customize the fields, layouts, and colors to suit the project team and their workflows. The project management software also offers a range of templates to use as a starting point, making it easy for small teams to kick off new projects faster.
Airtable best features
Integrations with Box, Salesforce, and Google Calendar to pull in other data
Interface Designer tool to build and share custom interfaces
Shareable forms to populate records into the Airtable base
Software development tools to build reporting systems
Automations with Javascript functionality
Airtable limitations
Limited ability to handle separated team and individual workflows (check out other project management platforms in Airtable alternatives)
Basic time tracking feature compared to other team collaboration tools
Limited customization options for workspace appearance
Airtable pricing
Free version
Plus: $10 per user per month
Pro: $20 per user per month
Enterprise: Contact Airtable for details
Airtable ratings and reviews
G2: 4.6/5 (2,100+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.7/5 (1,700+ reviews)
15. Kantata
Kantata is a marketing resource management solution with a centralized platform for teams to keep track of all projects, tasks, resources, and time constraints. With Kantata, users plan, execute, and track activities in one platform to increase the team's visibility and collaboration.
With a clear overview of project status, teams identify areas where resources are needed and make informed decisions about how to allocate them. This level of coordination helps projects stay on track, and all team members work toward the same goals!
Kantata best features
Project portfolio information to check the status of any task or deliverable
Automated data entry to find where teams spend most of their time
Customizable dashboards to help identify unstaffed demand
Drag-and-drop tools and reusable components
Segment reporting for targeted metrics
Kantata limitations
Lacks advanced task management features compared to other leading project management software tools
Granular project permissions are potential blockers for cross-functional teams
Steep learning curve for teams to learn, implement, and adopt for daily use
Kantata pricing
- Contact Kantata for pricing details
Kantata ratings and reviews
G2: 4.1/5 (1,300+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.2/5 (500+ reviews)
The benefits of project management software
For leaders and managers who aren’t in the day-to-day operations of an Agile team, it’s more challenging to see the value of updating their organization’s IT stack. And in some cases, company-wide software is embedded into their business model, making them more resistant to audit and change.
But if your project management software doesn’t provide a productive experience for your talent, it creates more tasks and inefficiencies for everyone.
The cost of project management software
Investing in premium quality project management software is a game-changer for teams and businesses, as it promises greater efficiency, increased productivity, and improved project results.
From Trello and Asana with their basic plans to Jira and ProofHub with their more expensive packages, software prices range from hundreds to thousands of dollars yearly.
However, the pricing model (subscription-based, freemium, perpetual license, pay-as-you-go, and custom pricing) is only one consideration of the purchasing process.
Choosing project management software to transform project data is essential for organizations approaching growth and expansion. Across industries, teams are moving to skills-based hiring in the workplace. This new operating model redefines how people work and collaborate today to meet business goals and priorities.
In 2021, 38% of employed workers did some or all of their work at home. This is up from 24% before the pandemic. As teams become globalized and projects become more complex, aligning all tasks into a central work management platform is essential
Benefits from the best project management software include:
Reduced labor costs: Eliminating redundancies and automating repetitive tasks will reduce the time and effort required to complete tasks. As a result, fewer hours are required to complete the same amount of work
Enhanced accountability and ownership: Documenting clear expectations and task goals in the project management tool holds team members accountable for their work
Faster time-to-market: Aligning communication and cross-functional workflows under one platform will help teams manage and deliver projects faster
Improved time management: Scheduling and prioritizing higher value tasks frees up headspace to put energy into the most important work and less on administrative tasks
Better resource allocation: Assigning tasks to the right people distributes the skills and expertise across projects and reduces delays caused by work overload
Increased collaboration: Commenting and discussions within a project management app gives teams and stakeholders a dedicated space to ask questions, provide feedback, and align on critical project decisions
Centralized information: Storing and sharing information reduces the likelihood of lost or miscommunicated data. Teams also benefit from having project records, pocketed ideas, and documentation within reach under one platform
