Best Project Management Software in 2023

The fact that we’re facing high levels of uncertainty in our economic outlook will come as no surprise to most of us.  While many organizations are reducing budgets and increasing prices, there’s one solution that’s rising above the rest: efficiency.

This was proven in Wrike’s 2023 Efficiency Report, a groundbreaking body of research that surveyed 1,005 business leaders and 2,002 knowledge workers across the UK and the US. It found that 77% of organizations are prioritizing efficiency this year, with 82% of leaders confirming that investing in new project management and work management solutions is the most effective way to improve efficiency.

But with a renewed focus on value, choosing the right project management software matters more than ever. The good news is that we can help, with a comprehensive review of 39 leading project management software solutions. It’ll include all the most important factors, including pricing, pluses and minuses, and key features. If you’d like to skip ahead and dive into the most powerful platform of them all, get started with a free trial of Wrike now.

What is project management software?

In practical terms, project management software is a digital solution that helps teams plan, manage, and deliver projects effectively. It provides a single centralized platform from which teams can manage all aspects of their project, from strategizing, scheduling, and planning to assigning, monitoring, and executing. More sophisticated solutions like Wrike will also allow teams to assign tasks on the go, track progress in real time, and manage budgets and resources easily. 

Communication is also a key element of good project management software, which should facilitate instant chat, in-context discussions, shared editing, and the ability to replace almost all email chains. A centralized, easy-to-navigate platform also allows organizations to securely store key assets and create one single source of truth.

Best software for project management in 2023

• Wrike: Best solution for all-in-one capabilities
• Jira: Best for product or software development 
• ClickUp: Best for teams using Agile methodologies
• Monday.com: Best for startups who hope to scale
• Asana: Best for creative teams or freelancers
• Smartsheet: Best for teams who prefer Excel-style UX
• Airtable: Best for companies managing high levels of data
• Teamwork: Best for client-facing service providers
• Zoho Projects: Best for budget-conscious teams
• Notion: Best for content management teams 

Top 10 project management software comparison

	PM features	Security	Support	Reporting
Wrike	✅✅✅	✅✅✅	✅✅✅	✅✅✅
Jira	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅
ClickUp	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅✅
Monday.com	✅✅	✅✅	✅	✅✅
Asana	✅✅✅	✅✅	✅	✅✅✅
Smartsheet	✅✅	✅✅✅	✅✅	✅✅✅
Airtable	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅
Teamwork	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅	✅✅✅
Zoho Projects	✅✅	✅✅	✅	✅✅
Notion	✅	✅✅	✅	✅✅

Top project management software in 2023

While it might look like there are a lot of project management software options available to you, the reality is that they’re all very different and offer a variety of valuable benefits to potential users. They also have their own drawbacks, of course, and it’s important we highlight these too so you get a complete understanding of the most highly rated project management software solutions in 2023. To help you on your way, we’ll break down the main features, pricing plans, and customer ratings. 

1. Wrike

Wrike is an industry-leading work management platform used by more than 20,000 companies in over 140 countries. With a suite of tools for everyone from project managers to marketing heads, Wrike caters to every department in your company.

Wrike project management software features

Kanban board task management

For many remote-first companies, Kanban boards have become a cornerstone of day-to-day operations. Where once you might have assembled in a meeting room and stuck post-its on a whiteboard, you can now use a virtual interface to drag and drop your task cards from one column to the next.

With Wrike’s Kanban board feature, you and your teams can access a real-time task management dashboard for quick and easy collaboration. The Kanban board promotes full transparency, with the ability to plug in real-time updates for each individual card.

You can build custom boards for different contexts, so the marketing team has an optimized workflow for producing content while the sales team can visualize what stage of the funnel a client is currently in.

Customizable Gantt charts

While laying out all your tasks in a Kanban board can illuminate your pipeline and help you identify potential bottlenecks, this process is best suited for a weekly view. If you want to schedule tasks and projects for weeks or months down the line, adjustable Gantt charts can be a useful visual aid. 

With Wrike’s customizable Gantt charts, you can stay one step ahead with your workload by visualizing your due dates and monitoring project progress in real time. 

The Gantt charts allow you to zoom out and get a broad overview of how long your projects will take to finish, so you can better manage your and your team’s time. Workload view provides further insight into productivity levels and where you may have allocated insufficient resources.

Templates for every use case

Ever find yourself repeating the same steps, tasks, and project plans? You’re not alone: every business will have certain activities that recur time and time again. Wrike can make your life easier by templating those tasks, helping you kick-start high quality work fast. With dozens of expertly developed templates available, you’ll find what you need for just about every use case, from onboarding new hires to drafting creative briefs and generating complete marketing campaigns.

Here are some examples of our most popular Wrike templates:

• Actionable meeting notes 
  With the actionable meeting notes template, you can sync your meeting notes with the Wrike platform to be automatically distributed among the team once the meeting’s over. The template provides a comprehensive framework for detailing the most important takeaways from each meeting, so whoever’s in charge simply has to fill in the blanks.

• Software development: Simplify and streamline your software development process with a ready-built software development template that can help with quick bug management, backlog grooming, cross-functional collaboration, and sprint execution with Kanban boards. You can automate recurring workflows to save time with Wrike’s industry-leading AI.

• Product launch: Make sure every product is launched successfully and smoothly with Wrike’s product launch template. Break down complex product launches into achievable phases, assign adjustable due dates to tasks, manage workloads via dynamic dashboards, and track progress on interactive Gantt charts.

Real-time analytics

For the ever-evolving business that’s always trying to stay a step ahead of the competition, Wrike’s real-time analytics provide valuable insights into company-wide performance. 

With customizable dashboards and reports, you can see all the most important metrics at a glance to make data-driven decisions that drive your business forward.

Never again will the time and energy spent on each project go unnoticed. Wrike’s data lets you keep tabs on every single project so you can decide how to prioritize and optimize for rapid scaling.

Resource planning

Without accurate resource planning, your projects are much more likely to exceed the financial budget, stretch your employees too thin, or take time away from other important tasks. 

Wrike’s advanced resource management features make it easy for team members to view and access resources. You can prioritize tasks to avoid the issues of under-utilization or time spent on less important tasks, optimize performance with smart assignments, and hit your targets every time by channeling your resources effectively. 

Highlights of Wrike project management software

• Create custom workflows for every department
• Track KPIs and OKRs with real-time analytics
• Use Kanban boards and Gantt charts to manage tasks and visualize progress
• Access dozens of templates to optimize day-to-day operations 
• View projects in different ways with customizable dashboards
• Get stakeholder input with 360-degree visibility

PROS	CONS
✔️Fast, easy onboarding and learning curve	✖️Complex capabilities require training
✔️Advanced AI and automation capabilities	✖️Gantt charts available on paid plans
✔️Scales easily for growing enterprises

Integrations

Wrike has more than 400 integrations so customers can toggle fluidly between the platform and other popular apps such as Google Drive, Zoom, Slack, and more.

Security

Wrike customers can enjoy world-class security and data protection, with double encryption, selective sharing, global server presence, and multiple privacy certifications.

Customer support

Wrike’s help center is renowned for going the extra mile. Choose the level of support you prefer, including callbacks, emails, and 24/7 access to qualified assistance whenever you need it.

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 
• Professional - $9.80 per user/month (billed annually)
• Business - $24.80 per user/month (billed annually)
• Enterprise - Custom pricing for large teams (billed annually)
• Pinnacle - Custom pricing for teams with complex needs

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.3/5 (2367 customers)

Customers enjoy how Wrike lets them create natural workflows and manage their projects effectively. For many, it has become an essential tool for project management, allowing for quick collaboration between internal teams. 

Some customers noted that there’s a learning curve to get the most out of the tool’s features. We find that while you can certainly get quite a bit out of Wrike “out of the box,” this sentiment becomes true as users experience some of our more nuanced and complex features designed to conquer the more difficult challenges set forth by scaling businesses. As a result, the learning becomes well worth the investment.

2. Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects falls within the Zoho suite of tools, which includes a CRM, recruitment system, and sales platform. It’s a useful project management solution for current Zoho users as data can be synced easily between the various tools for cross-functional collaboration. 

The software specializes in task management and automation, allowing project managers to oversee projects and team members to collaborate on individual tasks. It’s primarily geared towards the real estate industry, with a host of tools to facilitate optimal real estate management. 

Adding data to multiple custom fields can prove difficult with the lack of a multi-select option, and code often appears alongside the data.

Zoho project management software features

Blueprints: In the real estate industry, tasks can quickly get out of hand and require the input of many teams. Zoho Project’s blueprints let you set up tasks that require approval to move along the pipeline and allow for notifications once the approval has been granted.

Issue management: With Zoho Projects, you can easily identify and flag issues in your work. Add custom views to highlight the most important or time-sensitive bugs to address.

Highlights of Zoho project management software

• Use Gantt charts to identify and assign critical tasks with baselines to ensure consistent progress
• Create dependencies to map out relationships between tasks and complete them in a specified order
• Track tasks with drag-and-drop Kanban boards the whole team can use
• Identify and address key bottlenecks with issue management 
• Map out complicated tasks using clear blueprints that require approval and issue notifications once approved

PROS	CONS
✔️Strong mobile app available	✖️Limited integrations on lower plans
✔️Low price per user	✖️Adding data can be time-consuming
✔️Automations available on all plans	✖️No phone support

Integrations

It doesn’t have as many integrations as many of its competitors, but Zoho does connect to the big third-party platforms like Google and Microsoft.

Security

Zoho Projects offers a variety of security functions, including encryption, single-sign on, and multifactor authentication to add extra reassurance.

Customer support

Zoho Projects doesn’t offer telephone support, but help can be accessed via email. It also offers additional resources such as a knowledge base, FAQs, and tutorials.

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 up to 3 users
• Premium - $5 per user/month
• Enterprise - $10 per user/month

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.3/5 (307customers)

Customers praise how the software helps teams break down tasks and its suitability for more technical projects. Some customers noted that adding data could be cumbersome, with no multi-select option and lines of code appearing alongside data.

3. Asana

Asana offers a project management software platform for businesses of all sizes. The tool combines file storage, project roadmaps, dashboards, and more in one interface for comprehensive project management.

Asana has a solution for all things project management, though recurring tasks are more tricky to organize than others.

Asana project management software features

Workflow Builder: Asana’s Workflow Builder feature offers users a visual tool for creating custom workflows and connecting team members. Workflows allow team members to approve requests, coordinate tasks, and benefit from integrations.

Strategic goals: With strategic goals in Asana, project managers can provide direction to teams and set up metrics to track performance along the way.

Highlights of Asana project management software

• Workflow Builder provides teams with a convenient way of collaborating on tasks and projects
• Setting strategic goals within the app ensures all team members are on the same page
• Gantt chart timelines provide an insightful overview of resource allocation and overall progress
• Real-time data reports allow for course corrections before it’s too late
• 200+ app integrations such as Google Drive to help teams communicate, automate, and much more

PROS	CONS
✔️Feature-rich free plan	✖️Lacks BI-level reporting
✔️Attractive and easy-to-use interface	✖️Could be priced high for small teams
✔️Suits multiple use cases	✖️No phone support or live chat

Integrations

With more than 200 app integrations, Asana customers can switch between the platform and their favorite apps including Google Drive, Slack, and more.

Security

Asana protects its data and customers with platform-wide encryption, privilege access, and a “public bug bounty program.”

Customer support

Asana doesn’t have phone support or live chat, which might be a challenge for teams seeking fast answers to their queries. There is some training available, and “how-to” tickets can be raised if needed.

Pricing plans

• Basic - $0
• Premium - $13.49 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Business - $30.49 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (11,969 customers)

Customers praise Asana for how easy it is to keep team members informed and up to date with project information. Some customers claim that the interface can get hard to read, and it can be difficult to see who has access to information.

4. Notion

Notion is a workspace platform that allows teams to build custom dashboards and workflows from the ground up for different contexts. It’s best for design and engineering teams that value creativity and customization as core pillars of project management. 

While it offers many customization options, Notion’s collaboration features can be limited for teams that require constant communication on recurring tasks.

Notion project management software features

Sidebar index: One of Notion’s key project management features is its sidebar index, which acts as a quick reference point for every important task and project on your plate. You can customize your sidebar index to reflect your priorities and switch tasks and context easily.

Internal knowledge base: Notion allows users to build a comprehensive internal knowledge base so that all relevant information to the team or department is indexed and searchable.

Highlights of Notion project management software

• Custom Gantt and Kanban boards let you stay on top of tasks
• The sidebar index shows you your most important tasks or projects at a glance
• Search relevant information with an internal knowledge base
• Create custom wikis to share with your team, including any pertinent information for a particular client or project type

PROS	CONS
✔️Comprehensive free plan	✖️Security strongest on Enterprise plan
✔️Customizable Gantt charts available	✖️Lacks advanced project management tools
✔️Well suited for note-taking tasks	✖️Collaboration features could be improved

Integrations

Notion has some 71 integrations, with more available through third-party options such as Zapier. It features all the most popular platforms including Figma and Slack.

Security

Like Asana, Notion offers security protection that includes encryption, limited access, secure software development, and what it also calls a “public bug bounty program.” Some functions are only available on the Enterprise plan.

Customer support

Notion doesn’t offer telephone support, which means users will have to use email or chat or join a community group to get the answers they need.

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 
• Plus - $10 per user /month (billed monthly)
• Business - $18 per user /month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (1537 customers)

Customers enjoy using Notion for all the customization options and layouts it offers, allowing for fully personalized workspaces and workflows. The lack of collaboration features, especially for recurring tasks, can make it tricky for users to stay in touch for ongoing projects.

5. Adobe Workfront

Adobe Workfront is a marketing-focused project management solution. A feature-packed tool, Workfront can be overwhelming and a significant expense for SMBs, but serves enterprise-level businesses well.

Adobe Workfront project management software features

Scenario Planner: You can create scenarios and run outcomes with Workfront’s Scenario Planner to prepare for various situations.

Strategic goal-setting: Set concrete, measurable goals you and your team can work toward.

Highlights of Adobe Workfront project management software

• Set strategic goals for your team to follow
• Detailed dashboards for insightful analytics into business performance
• Use the Scenario Planner to stay one step ahead

PROS	CONS
✔️Part of popular Adobe group	✖️Learning curve can be steep
✔️Suitable for Enterprise-level customers	✖️Interface reportedly buggy or slow
✔️Useful Scenario Planner for projects	✖️Pricing could be expensive for small teams

Integrations

Adobe Workfront is part of the globally known Adobe group. As you might expect, this means seamless integration with most of its sister platforms, including the ever-popular Creative Cloud. However, it’s not nearly as strong with other third-party integrations, which might be challenging.

Security

Adobe Workfront employs the tried-and-tested security functions of its parent group, including PCI DSS-approved encryption algorithms to encrypt documents and assets at rest.

Customer support

Adobe Workfront’s standard support is only available five days a week, leaving customers lacking during the weekends and holidays. Plus, without a free trial, users will struggle to really understand if the platform suits them before they sign up.

Pricing plans

• Pro - Based on quote
• Business - Based on quote
• Enterprise - Based on quote

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.4/5 (1290 customers)

Many customers comment on how Workfront has powerful analytics and collaboration tools. For some customers, Workfront doesn’t offer enough tools for organizing projects beyond assigning due dates.

6. ClickUp

ClickUp is a conventional project management software solution that suits most remote work environments. Teams can collaborate effectively with task management features, though notifications can come thick and fast sometimes.

ClickUp project management software features

Document hub: Create your own internal documents, wikis, and knowledge bases to speed up the onboarding process and reduce overreliance on team leaders.

Checklists: Add task lists to break down tasks into bitesize activities and more accurately track exactly where each team member is at.

Highlights of ClickUp project management software

• Use mind maps to plot out projects and tasks visually
• The document hub can clarify details to save team leaders’ time
• Checklists allow for granular task tracking
• Task dependencies help you identify bottlenecks so you can eliminate them
• Google Calendar integration allows for two-way syncing, so your team is less likely to miss deadlines

PROS	CONS
✔️Attractive, colorful UI	✖️Platform performance is slow
✔️Quick onboarding period	✖️Limited marketing functionality
✔️Useful mind maps for project managers	✖️No reporting abilities on free plan

Integrations

ClickUp has a wide variety of integrations, linking the platform with all the biggest third-party apps including Slack, Google Calendar, Outlook, HubSpot, and more.

Security

As ClickUp is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), it enjoys built-in end-to-end security and privacy features including encryption.

Customer support

Like other competitors, ClickUp doesn’t have any phone support, which does limit users’ access to help. They can submit emails, but getting instant answers may be challenging without a user community. 

Pricing plans

• Free Forever - $0
• Unlimited - $9 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Business - $19 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Business Plus - $29 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (3634 customers)

Customers appreciate how ClickUp allows them to capture client feedback and track various tasks and projects. A common issue raised is how notifications can sometimes flood users’ dashboards and email.

7. Airtable

Airtable brings all the utility of the spreadsheet to project management, combining it with powerful task management features. The result is a solution for storing and displaying data, collaborating with team members, and setting up custom automated workflows.

With Airtable, there are plenty of useful technical features, though the UI can get disorganized quickly.

Airtable project management software features

Various project views: With Airtable, you can shift your perspective on projects and tasks with calendar, Kanban, and gallery views for displaying information in a way that makes sense to you and your team.

Custom workflows: Custom workflows are the lifeblood of many creative teams as they conform to the way you work and can factor in details important to your projects. Airtable’s workflows allow for automation, approval requests, and status updates.

Highlights of Airtable project management software

• Switch vantage points with calendar, Kanban, and gallery views to see your data in new ways 
• Set up custom workflows for each team so they can work to their strengths and adapt to each project’s specific requirements
• Use approval requests to get the green light on projects before setting them in motion
• Add status updates to inform others of risks, upcoming due dates, or other key information
• Allocate resources more efficiently with access to data and reports

PROS	CONS
✔️Strong option for data-heavy organizations	✖️Time-consuming learning curve
✔️Familiar UX for spreadsheet users	✖️Limited training and resources available
✔️Customization available	✖️Integrations necessary for complex needs

Integrations

Airtable has a limited amount of integrations — only around 30, compared to other competitors with 100+. However, more connections are available via programs such as Zapier.

Security

Although Airtable also uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) with its built-in security and privacy features, the data is hosted in the US only — it does not currently have a GDPR-compliant data center in Europe.

Customer support

Airtable does not offer phone support and its chatbot function isn’t as useful as one might expect. Users can, however, get an email response in 1–2 business days.

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Plus - $12 per seat/month (billed monthly)
• Pro - $24 per seat/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (1396 customers)

Customers praise Airtable for its features which allow for effective cross-functional collaboration between teams and departments. The UI can feel a little complicated to some users and makes it hard to find what they’re looking for.

8. Monday.com

Monday.com is a Work Operating System (Work OS) that provides developer-level workflow customization without requiring any coding knowledge. The project management software Monday.com offers includes various templates and tools to optimize operations and help your teams work toward higher productivity levels.

The software displays a lot of information for teams, yet sometimes it can get lost in long chains of events. 

Monday.com project management software features

Custom dashboards: Monday.com allows users to create custom dashboards and view project information from different angles. With these dashboards, project managers and team leaders can assess progress at a glance based on real-time data from timelines and budget information.

Automations: Monday.com offers powerful automation features to streamline work processes. Tasks can be set up with automatic reminders close to due dates, and team leaders can create ‘if this, then that’ scenarios to speed up progress.

Highlights of Monday.com project management software

• Access to over 100 different templates for smooth day-to-day operations
• Custom dashboards and views allow managers and team leaders to gain crucial oversight into progress and performance
• 40+ integrations with popular tools extend the utility of the software
• Automations help tasks move down the pipeline and eliminate bottlenecks along the way
• Kanban boards allow for straightforward task management functionality

PROS	CONS
✔️Engaging, attractive interface	✖️Limited native proofing features
✔️Large number of ready-made templates	✖️Some stability issues reported
✔️Strong workflow automation capabilities	✖️Display can become cluttered or complex

Integrations

Monday.com doesn’t have as many integrations as some of its competitors, but it still provides connections with all the most popular apps such as Salesforce, Slack, and Google. 

Security

All of Monday.com’s transmissions (including sign-on) are encrypted at 256-bit and hosted via Amazon Web Services (AWS). Additional security features are available at Enterprise level.

Customer support

Customers hoping to talk to a human about any issues they’re having at Monday.com might find themselves out of luck — there’s no inbound phone line and callbacks are limited to billing-related queries. 

Pricing plans

• Individual - $0
• Basic - $10 per seat/month (billed monthly)
• Standard - $12 per seat/month (billed monthly)
• Pro - $20 per seat/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (3823 customers)

Customers appreciate the automation and ease of collaboration with Monday.com, as well as the ability to track progress. For some, the layout can be hard to follow, and information is difficult to track.

9. Hive

Hive is a project management tool that combines messaging, time tracking, and automation with standard task management features. The platform is regularly updated with features requested by its users in the Hive community forum.

A hive of activity at times, the software can sometimes border on information overload with notifications and requests.

Hive project management software features

Time tracking: Hive allows team members to track the time they spend on individual tasks, while project managers can assess the overall time spent by the team.

Messaging: Hive offers an in-app messenger and integrates with Gmail and Outlook.

Highlights of Hive project management software

• Quick messaging through the in-app messenger or email integration 
• Community-inspired feature creation based on user feedback
• Time tracking for the whole team 
• Various project overviews for data at a glance

PROS	CONS
✔️Six different work views including Gantt	✖️Lacks built-in resource management
✔️Messenger facilitates easy communication	✖️Doesn’t offer portfolio-level reporting
✔️HiveMind AI capabilities	✖️Extra functionality comes with cost

Integrations

While more may be available, Hive lists just native 12 integrations, comparatively low when considering competitors’ offerings (Wrike, for example, has 400+ available integrations).

Security

Progressive user authentication, validated access control, and 256-bit Secured Socket Layer security are among Hive’s various security features.

Customer support

While instant chat is available, most of Hive’s customer support is provided via email, which may be frustrating if users would like to speak to a human. 

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Teams - $18 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (180 customers)

Hive facilitates all-in-one project management, and many customers comment on how easy it is to access everything in one place. For some, notifications and requests can get lost in all the information.

10. Jira

Part of the Atlassian Group, Jira originated as a software development solution, but has since grown to include Jira Software, Jira Core, and Jira Work Management. These are all tools that help organizations manage projects, collaborate with colleagues, and deliver work.

Jira project management software features

Dashboard view: Users can plan projects, measure progress, and track due dates using Jira’s dashboards.

Search functionality: Jira Query Language and specific filters make searching for tasks and projects quick and efficient.

Highlights of Jira project management software

• Build customized work request forms using drag-and-drop functionality
• Import and export data from other tools and spreadsheets with ease
• Track the time spent on each task and project to gauge effort and capacity

PROS	CONS
✔️Advanced search functionality	✖️Best suited to IT teams
✔️Built-in form builder	✖️No native Gantt charts
✔️Strong on issue management	✖️Add-ons incur extra expense

Integrations

Jira is part of the large Atlassian Group, which means it has a number of seamless integrations with sister sites. It’s not as strong with other third-party apps outside of the group, though.  

Security

The Atlassian Group provides robust security features, including Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), Single Sign-On (SSO), and the ability to specify where your data is hosted (via professional support).

Customer support

Because of its original ticket-based model, Jira is still strong on this type of support. Users struggling to familiarize themselves with the more complex facets of the platform can also access website-based resources. 

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 per user/month
• Standard - $5 per user/month (billed monthly; on average)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.4/5 (13,166 customers)

Many customers are happy with Jira’s wide range of integrations and note that it’s great for issue management. Some users have reported that advanced functions can be difficult to learn, though, especially if you are not experienced with these tools.

11. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a visual-focused project management platform. The software uses cloud-based spreadsheets and automated workflows to cater to different teams and contexts.

If you’re comfortable with handling data and technical processes, Smartsheet can be an invaluable tool, though the causes behind user errors aren’t made obvious within the software.

Smartsheet project management software features

Process management: With Smartsheet, you can view all your projects in one place, manage approval requests, and use blueprints to set up tailored workflows.

Content management: For creative businesses that produce content consistently, Smartsheet offers tools such as task management, automated alerts, and dashboards that offer full visibility.

Highlights of Smartsheet project management software

• Data-rich dashboards allow you to visualize all project information
• Set up automated workflows for your projects using blueprints
• Create automated alerts to ensure deadlines are always met
• Manage resources and assets and track them for performance

PROS	CONS
✔️Familiar to Excel users	✖️Limited views beyond a data table
✔️Multiple templates available	✖️Data not updated in real time
✔️Workflow automation available	✖️Some add-ons incur extra expense

Integrations

With more than 100 integrations available, Smartsheet has good connections to the most sought-after apps, as well as additional integration options via Zapier and Automate.io.

Security

While Smartsheet does provide enhanced security functions, Enterprise users might be surprised to learn there’s an additional cost to purchase local hosting in the US or EU instead of the AWS cloud.

Customer support

Smartsheet provides extensive training and comprehensive how-to guides to help users get to grips with its more complex UX, but users preferring phone calls or live chat may be disappointed.

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Pro - $9 per user/month (billed monthly; max 10 users)
• Business - $32 per user/month (billed monthly; minimum 3 users)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (2875 customers)

According to customers, Smartsheet is a great option for quickly creating forms and applying workflows. With the lack of transparency over the causes behind user errors, some customers believe it can sometimes be hard to know what went wrong.

12. Trello

Trello is a Kanban-based tool that allows for simple drag-and-drop project management. The platform is excellent for optimizing team-based productivity but perhaps falls short for department or company-wide project management.

Trello project management software features

Kanban boards: Trello is one of the best Kanban board tools for simple project management. 

Custom cards: Add due dates, comments, and more to individual task cards to pass on all the relevant information to other team members.

Highlights of Trello project management software

• Fast team-based project management with drag-and-drop Kanban boards
• Create custom task cards to minimize bottlenecks
• Use workflow automation to free up time

PROS	CONS
✔️Attractive, customizable Kanban boards	✖️Integrations necessary for complex needs
✔️Part of popular Atlassian Group	✖️May not suit large, complex projects
✔️Short learning curve for new users	✖️No phone support available

Integrations

Over the years, Trello has established more than 200 integrations with the most commonly used work platforms including Google, Slack, and more.

Security

Although there have been some concerns about public boards over the years, Trello does feature Atlassian-standard security, including Amazon Web Services hosting and 128-bit advanced encryption.

Customer support

Trello offers email support, but only during normal business hours from Monday to Friday. Users do find the community forum helpful, though, especially if they have a problem during the weekends.

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Standard - $6 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Premium - $12.50 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - $17.50 per user/month (billed annually)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (22,443 customers)

Many customers praise Trello’s straightforward Kanban task management and ease of use. For some customers, Trello can be awkward compared to other project management tools.

13. Teamwork

Teamwork is a project management platform designed for client work, particularly marketing, creative, and professional services teams. It has a short learning curve, which helps users get started quickly, and excellent customer service if help is needed. However, it doesn’t rate quite as strongly as other options for its collaboration functionality.

Teamwork project management software features

Billable and cost rates: Because it’s built with clients in mind, Teamwork has strong time and budget management features, including the ability to set rates for each team member or project.

Burndown reporting: This feature calculates the rate at which tasks are completed, helping to measure if a task is on track for on-time completion. 

Highlights of Teamwork project management software

• Set up a custom domain for your team, along with custom logos for a site or project
• Lean on pre-built templates or create custom templates with additional fields
• Grant unlimited access so clients can view, edit, and comment on tasks

PROS	CONS
✔️Useful task burndown tracking	✖️No native statuses or workflows
✔️Built-in budget management	✖️Limited proofing features
✔️Freemium plan for up to five users	✖️No phone support available

Integrations

Although Teamwork offers more than 2,000 integrations, many of these are provided via third-party solutions such as Zapier.

Security

While higher security functions are available for Enterprise customers, all of Teamwork’s data is encrypted and hosted by Amazon Web Services within the US and the EU.

Customer support

Teamwork.com’s support team is available via email and live chat, although only Monday to Friday, with what the company calls “limited weekend cover.”

Pricing plans

• Free - €0
• Starter - $8.99 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Deliver - $13.99 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Grow - $24.99 per user/month (billed monthly)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (805 customers)

Customers are fans of Teamwork’s ease of use and ability to keep track of multiple projects, programs, and portfolios. Some customers feel that it is still lacking in some advanced features, though, compared to other project management solutions. 

14. Basecamp

Basecamp is a digital HQ that works well for small teams seeking complete project management functionality, but at scale, it lacks core features for cross-functional collaboration between teams.

Basecamp project management software features

To-do lists: Set up to-do lists for different projects with notes and file attachments.

Message boards: Message boards allow team members to stay in constant communication regarding a particular project.

Highlights of Basecamp project management software

• Communicate according to context or specific projects with message boards
• Use to-do lists to break projects into achievable tasks
• Schedule future projects with due dates and calendar integration

PROS	CONS
✔️Easy onboarding process	✖️No native Gantt charts or Kanban boards
✔️Centralized message boards	✖️Limited ability to scale
✔️Strong basic project management	✖️No phone support available

Integrations

Basecamp provides a limited amount of integrations with third-party apps that can provide additional software development, project management, and reporting capabilities.

Security

While Basecamp provides extensive encryption, it doesn’t currently offer SAML or SSO as part of its standard plans. Their data centers are also located in the US only. 

Customer support

There is currently no phone support available at Basecamp, although its site does promise to respond to enquiry-form questions within four minutes.

Pricing plans

• Basecamp - $15 per user/month
• Basecamp Pro Unlimited - $349 per month (billed monthly; unlimited users) 

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.3/5 (14,131 customers)

Customers appreciate how Basecamp acts as a digital hub for them and their teams to track and complete projects. For some customers, the various versions of Basecamp can make things complicated. 

15. GanttPro

GanttPro is project management software that uses Gantt charts to display relevant data and help you organize tasks among teams. As a browser-based tool, GanttPro can be prone to refresh rate issues, which could affect the real-time accuracy of timelines.

GanttPro project management software features

Budget tracking: You can use GanttPro to set a budget for individual projects and ensure you stay within your spending limits. Track labor and material resources, and set values per item, per hour, or by cost.

Custom displays: View tasks and projects in Gantt charts, grid view, board view, or portfolio view for a holistic perspective on your progress.

Highlights of GanttPro project management software

• Various ways to view and visualize your data and assess team progress 
• Budget tracking reduces the risk of overspending
• Real-time data syncing allows you to collaborate effectively with coworkers
• Track time in the platform as a valuable performance metric

PROS	CONS
✔️Dedicated Gantt chart software	✖️Browser-based with refresh issues
✔️Easy-to-navigate user experience	✖️Limited integrations
✔️Ready-to-go Gantt chart templates	✖️No phone support available

Integrations

GanttPro has very limited native integrations (including Slack and Jira) although others are available via platforms such as Zapier.

Security

GanttPro uses MS Azure cloud to host its data, and also offers encryption, SSO, and two-factor authentication to enhance its own security.

Customer support

Customers appear to be limited to email-based support at GanttPro, although there are additional resources and guides available via its learning center.

Pricing plans

• Basic - $9.99 per user/month (billed monthly; minimum 5 users)
• PRO - $15.99 per user/month (billed monthly; minimum 5 users)
• Business - $24.99 per user/month (billed monthly; minimum 5 users)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.8/5 (408 customers)

Customers appreciate the visual aspect of GanttPro and how it allows them to see their data at a glance. Many customers note that the browser-based version can suffer from refresh rate issues.

16. MeisterTask

MeisterTask offers users a Kanban system for straightforward drag-and-drop project management. The platform is excellent for simple project management needs yet doesn’t provide comprehensive data and analytics for advanced use cases.

MeisterTask project management software features

Kanban boards: MeisterTask allows team members to communicate and collaborate directly through task cards. Add comments, labels, and more to keep coworkers in the loop.

Project timeline: The calendar timeline provides team leaders with an insight into progress and shows if the team is on track to meet its targets and hit deadlines.

Highlights of MeisterTask project management software

• Kanban boards allow for asynchronous communication between coworkers
• The project timeline provides a visual overview of team progress
• A built-in time tracker lends an additional metric to track performance

Pricing plans

• Basic - $0
• Pro - $12.49/month (billed annually) 
• Business - $22.49/month (billed annually) 
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (1114 customers)

Customers like the simplicity of MeisterTask, citing its user-friendly features and collaboration tools as highlights. The tool has less data and analytics than similar project management tools in the view of some customers.

17. Xebrio

Xebrio is a project management platform bringing requirements management into the fold to streamline workflows subject to approval from various parties. It can be complicated to get to grips with Xebrio, but it provides many useful features for businesses.

Xebrio project management software features

Requirements management: Xebrio allows users to get stakeholders and key decision-makers involved from the start of any major project. Outline requirements from the outset, finalize them with stakeholders, and begin the project with the express permission of all parties involved. 

Milestone tracking: Set regular milestones to show stakeholders how each project is progressing.

Highlights of Xebrio project management software

• Get full approval and input from stakeholders for each major project
• Use milestones as a measure of progress
• Monitor the status of individual tasks

Pricing plans

• Requirements management - $5 per user/month
• Requirements and test coverage - $10 per user/month
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5 (2)

Customers like how you can easily group tasks and manage your schedules with Xebrio. Some customers feel the tool is complicated to use.

18. ProWorkflow

ProWorkflow is a solution for managing tasks and customizing workflows according to your business and brand needs. The tool allows for external and internal collaboration, though navigating projects and showing clients where to go can be time-consuming.

ProWorkflow project management software features

Workload view: Use the project board view to visualize each team member’s workload and allocate resources effectively.

Timesheet reporting: With ProWorkflow, you can use a live time tracker or manually enter hours into a timesheet to create detailed reports for tracking this important performance metric.

Highlights of ProWorkflow project management software

• View each team member’s workload for effective resource management
• Log time with various options to track performance
• Create custom workflows based on each team’s needs

Pricing plans

• Professional - $20 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Advanced - $30 per user/month (billed monthly)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (248 customers)

ProWorkFlow receives a lot of praise for its clear task assignments and priority filters. Some customers find it difficult to read the data with the table view.

19. TeamGantt

TeamGantt offers Gantt chart visualization for planning and managing complex projects. It’s a powerful data visualization tool, even if navigating through the charts can take some getting used to.

TeamGantt project management software features

Timeline customization: Due to TeamGantt’s Gantt chart-based project management, managers can view individual tasks and project progress at a glance. Team leaders can also edit as necessary, changing start and end dates and reordering tasks.

Team visibility: With a comprehensive overview of everything your team is working on, you can accurately assess workload and team availability. 

Highlights of TeamGantt project management software

• Map out your tasks and projects on a timeline you can edit whenever you need to
• See team availability and workload for real-time resource management
• Quickly share updates with both internal and external stakeholders
• View reports to see if your team is meeting its targets

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 up to 3 users
• Lite - $24 per manager/month (billed monthly)
• Pro - $59 per manager/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - $99 per manager/month (billed monthly)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (194 customers)

Customers like how TeamGantt lets them track the resource use of team members. A common complaint is that it’s tricky to navigate the software and find the right project.

20. Accelo

Accelo offers project management features tailored to your business needs. It offers a wide range of features, making it well-suited to businesses with several departments and perhaps less so to individuals and SMBs.

Accelo project management software features

Retainer management: Manage your client contracts and recurring revenue streams with the Accelo platform.

Project billing: Issue accurate invoices to your clients upon the successful completion of a project and track them all in one place.

Highlights of Accelo project management software

• Accounting features to help balance the company books
• Manage client contracts without relying on various third-party tools
• Draw up invoices and view them in one place

Pricing plans

• Plus - $30 per product/user/month (billed monthly; minimum five users)
• Premium - $49 per product/user/month (billed monthly; minimum five users)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.4/5 (155 customers)

Customers appreciate how Accelo lets them set up front-to-back automation to streamline work operations. For some customers, the software has too many features, and some can feel diluted.

21. ProjectManager

ProjectManager serves up a plethora of features, from planning to tracking projects. It caters to many business needs, though a lack of automation in some areas makes manual data entry a necessity.

ProjectManager software features

Agile sprints: ProjectManager lets you set up Agile sprints with milestones so you can track your team’s progress effectively.

Resource planning: Allocate your resources and see exactly how they’re being spent to inform future decisions.

Highlights of ProjectManager software

• Set up Agile sprints to streamline task progress
• Visualize your resources and allocate them within the platform 
• Schedule tasks and projects and assign team members to them

Pricing plans

• Team - $16 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Business - $28 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.1/5 (336 customers)

Customers appreciate how easy it is to track consistent tasks and projects with ProjectManager. Many customers note that poor customer service led to issues.

22. Planview AdaptiveWork

Planview AdaptiveWork offers a suite of tools for enterprise-level project management. The software has many planning features, yet not as many integrations as some other tools.

Planview AdaptiveWork project management software features

Agile planning: Make the most of Agile practices to scale your business and upgrade your team’s productivity. Kanban boards, interconnected teams, and business strategy can all help you hit your enterprise goals.

Portfolio management: Analyze your portfolio in real time with detailed analytics and embedded reports, including KPIs. 

Highlights of Planview AdaptiveWork project management software

• Enterprise-level Agile features allow for project management at scale
• Manage your portfolio with real-time data
• Automate professional services for smoother workflows

Pricing plans

• Enterprise - $45 per user/month
• Unlimited - $60 per user/month

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.2/5 (173 customers)

Customers praise Planview AdaptiveWork for how it supports teamwork and different work methods. For some, there aren’t enough integrations with third-party tools.

23. Todoist

Todoist is a to-do list app that allows users to organize their tasks with labels, categories, and more. The lack of an in-app calendar can make it tricky to visualize future events with due dates, but you do have the option of syncing data with Google Calendar.

Todoist project management software features

Quick Add: Capture all your thoughts and tasks quickly and efficiently, then arrange them into categorized to-do lists.

Range of integrations: Todoist offers 60+ third-party integrations, including Google Calendar, Gmail, and voice assistants.

Highlights of Todoist project management software

• Quickly add tasks to categorized to-do lists
• Use integrations to add action items to your email or calendar
• Add comments or labels for clarity

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Pro - $5/month (billed monthly)
• Business - $8/month (billed monthly)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (2201 customers)

Customers enjoy the sense of accomplishment Todoist facilitates with every task completed. Some users found the software complicated to use effectively in the beginning.

24. Scoro

Scoro is project management software that provides detailed project breakdowns, including milestones and real-time data. Scoro’s pricing is better suited to big businesses and could be too steep for SMBs or freelancers.

Scoro project management software features

KPI dashboard: The KPI dashboard shows potential bottlenecks and opportunities and can help you create a roadmap for future success based on real-time data.

Real-time Gantt chart: Use the Gantt chart to track progress in real time, monitor tasks and their dependencies, and gain insights into team performance.

Highlights of Scoro project management software

• Access to real-time data insights with the dashboard
• Visual overview of projects and performance with Gantt charts 
• Built-in time tracker and manual entry timesheets allow you to track time effectively

Pricing plans

• Essential - $28 per user/month (billed monthly; minimum five users)
• Standard - $42 per user/month (billed monthly; minimum five users)
• Pro - $71 per user/month (billed monthly; minimum five users)
• Ultimate - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.6/5 (218 customers)

Customers like how Scoro offers an all-in-one solution for project management that works for most businesses. Some customers feel the pricing is too expensive for SMBs.

25. Project.co

Project.co is a platform for managing projects with external contributors. The platform provides an all-in-one interface that can help you see everything involved in a project but can become busy at times.

Project.co project management software features

Overview dashboard: With complete visibility, users can see every aspect of a project on the dashboard.

Complete project management: Project.co allows you to manage tasks, attach files, and organize payments and people for creating and completing projects.

Highlights of Project.co project management software

• View everything related to a project in one interface
• Manage every aspect of a project 
• Communicate and collaborate with coworkers through in-app tools

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 (up to 5 users)
• Team - $10 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Agency - $14 per user/month (billed monthly)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.9/5 (199 customers)

Customers like using Project.co as it offers useful time management features for scheduling projects. Some say that the interface can be busy at times.

26. Confluence

Confluence, an Atlassian product, is designed for knowledge management and project management and mostly caters to the DevOps space. The software is ideal for technical use cases, though there aren’t many ways to export data effectively.

Confluence project management software features

IP allowlisting: Designate a trusted IP range to secure your work and protect it from users without permission to modify it.

Sandbox: Get hands-on with apps and products before they go live in Confluence’s sandbox area. This feature lets you see a product from every angle and put it through various tests to understand how it might feel to the end user.

Highlights of Confluence project management software

• Robust security measures such as IP allowlisting ensure your work is protected at all times
• The sandbox gives you the option to rigorously test products before releasing them
• Access to Atlassian analytics allows you to make data-driven decisions
• Team calendars help schedule your workload and manage your resources

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 up to 10 users
• Standard - $5.75 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Premium - $11 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.4/5 (2873 customers)

Customers like how easy Confluence is to use and how quickly employees can start using it. Its documentation-sharing features are often mentioned as a highlight. A common reservation among customers is the difficulty in exporting data from the platform.

27. RoboHead

RoboHead is a platform for in-house marketing teams and creative agencies. The project management software offers analytics for marketing, yet the data can be difficult to extract for detailed reports.

RoboHead project management features

Project requests: RoboHead streamlines the process of starting new projects — clients can make a request with unlimited fields, which is then passed on with automated workflows.

Creative collaboration: Annotation and approval tools make it easy for teams to review projects and pass on feedback.

Highlights of RoboHead project management software

• Receive custom client requests for projects and immediately start work on them
• Annotate and approve projects to remove bottlenecks
• Schedule tasks and projects using team availability information 

Pricing plans

• Contact for pricing

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (128 customers)

Customers enjoy how RoboHead allows them to add comments and attach photos to tasks. For some customers, it can be tricky to collaborate without subtasks.

28. Float

Float is a platform for managing tasks and resources. With access to a wealth of financial data, businesses can meticulously manage resources, though scrolling through the large grid interface can be time-consuming.

Float project management software features

Resource scheduling: Find out what resources you have to work with for various projects and search for anything on your schedule through the platform.

Capacity management: Schedule employee time off and allocate tasks and projects according to each team member’s capacity.

Highlights of Float project management software

• Stay within budget with resource scheduling 
• Assign tasks to team members based on their capacity
• Manual time entry gives you access to an important KPI

Pricing plans

• Resource planning - $7.50 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Resource planning + time tracking - $12.50 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Plus pack add-on - $7.50 additional per user/month (billed monthly)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (1403 customers)

For many customers, Float offers convenient scheduling and in-depth reporting. Some customers feel the software falls short with its integrations.

29. Timely

Timely is an automatic time-tracking tool for logging time spent on various tasks and projects. The tool allows for idle time detection and accurate payroll, but it can take a while to get up to speed due to a lack of training resources.

Timely project management software features

Billing: Timely offers accurate client billing with reports based on hours logged.

Team tracking: Monitor teams and individuals with an insightful dashboard that provides a bird’s-eye view of important data.

Highlights of Timely project management software

• Guarantee accurate payroll and client billing with hours logged
• Track team productivity via time spent on various tasks and projects
• Get notifications for project updates, such as budget movements

Pricing plans 

• Build - $20/month
• Elevate -  $30/month
• Innovate - $35/month

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (649 customers)

Customers comment that Timely is a straightforward solution for timekeeping and invoicing accurately. For some customers, the client-facing feature, due to many notifications and reminders, caused communication problems.

30. TimeCamp

TimeCamp offers project profitability combined with time tracking. The software makes billing clients straightforward, though there’s no option to filter reports to sort through the most relevant data.

TimeCamp project management software features

Project profitability tracking: Users can visualize the budget spent on particular projects over time with a line graph. 

Productivity insights: Team leaders can keep tabs on team productivity according to how many hours each member spends on different tasks.

Highlights of TimeCamp project management software

• Monitor how profitable a project is over time
• Access time data that can inform team productivity and individual performance
• Separate billable and non-billable hours for accurate billing

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Basic - $8.99 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Pro - $11.99 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (584 customers)

According to many customers, Timecamp’s best feature is showing the profitability of specific projects. Some customers found the software’s lack of data filtering to be a problem.

31. Celoxis

Celoxis offers a data-driven platform for collaboration and project management. The platform can help teams execute every aspect of a project, but the busy interface can sometimes get in the way of clarity.

Celoxis project management software features

Project request tracking: Receive project requests from clients, sort them based on KPIs, and assign employees based on capacity.

Project accounting: Celoxis allows users to track their profits and margins, forecast revenue, and set up custom financial KPIs.

Highlights of Celoxis project management software

• Use financial data to create accurate forecasts 
• Track project requests and assign work based on capacity
• Plan projects with automatic scheduling and project dependencies

Pricing plans

• Cloud - $25 per user/month (billed monthly)
• On-Premise - Custom (billed once)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.4/5 (288 customers)

Customers praise the ease of tracking projects and progress with Celoxis, especially for SMBs. For some customers, the UX caused navigation problems due to its complexity.

32. Nifty

Nifty combines various project management features in one platform. Though it provides chat, calendar syncing, and many more features, this is reflected in Nifty’s pricing, which may deter small businesses.

Nifty project management software features

Discussions: Discussions allow users to share files from various sources with team members and create context-specific conversation threads.

Gantt chart milestones: Gantt chart milestones act as visual indicators of project progress.

Highlights of Nifty project management software

• Use Discussions to manage project-based communication
• Visualize progress with milestones
• Track data with the project overview dashboard

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Starter - $9 per member/month (billed monthly)
• Pro - $16 per member/month (billed monthly)
• Business - $25 per member/month (billed monthly)
• Unlimited - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (396 customers)

Nifty offers excellent milestone configuration and project management features in the eyes of many customers. Some customers note that Nifty’s pricing can be steep for SMBs.

33. Forecast

Forecast is a resource management platform with project-related features. The tool enables sophisticated resource planning, provided you have time to put things into place and set everything up first.

Forecast project management software features

Auto schedule: Auto schedule automates project planning, mapping out future tasks visually.

Resource management: Workload balancing and time registration features help managers manage resources efficiently.

Highlights of Forecast project management software

• Budget appropriately for projects with resource management features
• Auto schedule does the heavy lifting of planning future projects 
• Create custom data dashboards to monitor KPIs

Pricing plans

• Lite - $29 per user/month (billed annually)
• Pro - Custom
• Plus - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (59 customers)

Customers enjoy the time-tracking features of Forecast and how easy it makes creating and following processes. Time entry has been an issue for some customers.

34. LiquidPlanner

Now part of the Tempo group, LiquidPlanner is a predictive project management and resource management tool that helps businesses control and manage risks across multiple projects.

LiquidPlanner project management software features

Dynamic timeline view: the most popular method of viewing ongoing workflows, this Gantt chart updates in real time.

Forecasting engine: this powerful tool helps management resource teams to predict project performance, assess risk, and establish completion dates with up to 90% accuracy.

Highlights of LiquidPlanner project management software

• Automatic resource leveling optimizes schedules, avoiding burnout and downtime
• Align people, projects, and priorities in a shared portfolio
• Track time, cost codes, and rate sheets for better billing management

Pricing plans

• Essentials - $15 per user/month (billed annually)
• Professional - $25 per user/month (billed annually)
• Ultimate - $35 per user/month (billed annually)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.3/5 (659 customers)

Customers enjoy the dynamism of LiquidPlanner, as it constantly updates and shifts in response to changing circumstances. However, some customers find the learning curve somewhat steep. 

35. Height

Height is a project management tool that allows users to visualize and manage tasks in one centralized platform. It’s younger than some of its competitors, so it’s still growing in terms of its capabilities and features. 

Height project management software features

Chat: Users can share status updates, conversations, in-context messages, inline replies and additional media.

Kanban boards: Visualize task and project lists, filter by priorities, and customize Kanban boards from a library of icons and colors.

Highlights of Height project management software

• Keep tasks up to date with no-code automations
• Organize and streamline incoming requests with task forms
• Plot projects and timelines visually with Gantt charts

Pricing plans

• Free - $0
• Team - $6.99 per member/month
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Apple Store rating: 4.9/5 (8 ratings)

There are very few reviews available for Height, but those available indicate that Height is off to a strong start. Some customers find that its functionality is limited for now, but it’s growing fast.

36. Vogsy

Vogsy is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that allows users to plan, track clients, quotes, projects, resources, timesheets, and invoices. Its platform was built on Google Workspace, which helps to accelerate what can be a lengthy learning curve for some users.

Vogsy project management software features

Automated quoting and signing: Vogsy can accelerate sales by emailing quotes, asking for e-signatures, and initiating projects automatically.

Client and portfolio management: Keep track of all engagements, project schedules, payment terms, contact details, and more.

Highlights of Vogsy project management software

• Track revenue and margins with client profitability charts
• Monitor business data, sales progression, and project performance
• Forecast resourcing needs with quick-view utilization boards

Pricing plans 

• Free - $0 per user/month
• Lite - $13 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Full - $28 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Super - $42 per user/month (billed monthly)

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.5/5 (22 customers)

Customers appreciate the fact that Vogsy integrates cleanly with the Google ecosystem, including Gmail, Google Docs, etc. Some customers would prefer improved reporting abilities. 

37. Zenhub

Designed for software developers and closely integrated with GitHub, Zenhub is a project management platform that helps users plan work, track progress, and measure productivity.

Zenhub project management software features

Board view: Customize your board view with filters, labels, team workspaces, and more. 

Reporting: Visualize progress, predict problems, and issue real-time reports

Highlights of Zenhub project management software

• Help technical and non-technical teams work together in one platform
• Automate workflows to facilitate smooth handoffs between teams
• Agile teams will likely find Zenhub Sprints and HitHub Issues familiar

Pricing plans

• Free - $0 per user/month 
• Growth - $12.50 per user/month (billed monthly)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 4.4/5 (33 customers)

For teams using GitHub, Zenhub is a great addition to their toolkit. However, some customers feel constrained by its Kanban-style view and slightly confusing user interface. 

38. Kissflow Project

Kissflow Project uses data and task management features to fuel better decision-making for your team’s projects. It’s a good option for creating workflows, though migrating them can cause users some issues.

Kissflow Project project management software features

Task states: Use Kissflow Project’s task states feature to keep everyone on the team updated on the status of each task.

Data reports: Data-driven decisions are the best way to drive your business forward, and Kissflow Project provides multiple report types to display useful data.

Highlights of Kissflow Project project management software

• Use flow efficiency charts, cumulative flow diagrams, and other reports to display useful data
• Manage tasks and assess progress with task states
• Use four different views to visualize your projects and tasks

Pricing plans

• Small business - $15 per user/month (billed annually, 50 users minimum)
• Corporate - $20 per user/month (billed annually, 100 users minimum)
• Enterprise - Custom

Customer ratings and reviews

Capterra rating: 3.9/5 (36 customers)

Customers say that Kissflow Project has allowed them to complete their work faster with workflows. For many, workflow migration proved difficult and ineffective.

39. Kintone

Kintone is a project management platform for centralizing your data and creating custom workflows for different teams. The software offers data management alongside core task management features. Kintone provides insights into data yet has limited customization options.

Kintone project management software features

Data management: With Kintone, you can convert spreadsheets into live databases that every team member can view and update.

Centralized project management: Manage all your projects in one place with Kintone’s drag-and-drop builder, which helps turn complex projects into digestible workflows.

Highlights of Kintone project management software

• Take control of your data and display it in databases for the whole team to see
• Centralized project management allows you to create custom workflows
• Generate reports to visualize your sales pipeline 
• The Kintone mobile app allows you to plug into the ecosystem on the go

Pricing plans

• $24 per user/month (minimum five users)

Customer ratings and review

Capterra rating: 4.7/5 (142 customers)

Customers enjoy using Kintone to build accurate data reports for monitoring progress and performance. Some customers believe that there’s a lack of customization options.

How to choose the best project management software for your business

As you can see, there are a lot of project management software options available to organizations. While we’ve selected just 39 here, there are in fact many more, of varying efficacy. It’s vital that you choose a solution that solves your biggest challenges, improves your way of working, and delivers real bottom-line results — today and in the future.

To avoid the headache of onboarding your whole organization with a tool only to find a few months later that it lacks the features you need, it’s worth first exploring the reasons you need project management software.

Once you have a clear picture of what you’ll use the software for, you’ll be in a better position to make the right call. 

What are the main types of project management software?

Elementum identifies four types of project management software: individual, collaborative, integrated, and cloud-based. Of course, each one has its own merits, suitable for different types of people and teams.

Individual software, like spreadsheets, is controlled by a single project manager and best suits smaller organizations. Collaborative software engages multiple stakeholders, allowing data to be accessed and edited by anyone with access, promoting teamwork. However, not all such solutions can process multiple users’ data in real time.

Integrated software solves this issue, allowing users to work on different projects concurrently, with data stored centrally for easy analysis and controlled access. Cloud-based software, the most popular type, hosts services and data in the cloud, allowing remote access from anywhere with an internet connection. It offers security and flexibility with customization.

Wrike combines all four types, providing a platform suitable for individuals to large enterprises. It features real-time collaboration, scalability, and cloud-based data storage that’s protected by enterprise-grade security.

What are the main benefits of project management software?

If you too are interested in building resilience and driving growth during challenging times, project management software is going to be absolutely crucial, particularly in improving efficiency.

According to the business leaders surveyed as part of the Wrike 2023 Efficiency Report, the top five causes of inefficiency within an organization include:

• Poor communication and collaboration across your organization
• Poorly designed or outdated processes 
• Time wasted on activities like meetings and duplicative work 
• Ineffective use of technology
• Too many projects and lack of prioritization
• Lack of alignment on organizational goals

The right project management software solution can tackle each of these challenges in one fell swoop — without the need to add to a towering tech stack. It can illuminate your entire operations, shedding light on the estimated 42-45% of a company’s activity that’s unaccounted for; what Wrike calls “The Dark Matter of Work”. This hidden work and unnecessary complexity isn’t just frustrating to deal with, it’s expensive too — costing organizations up to $52m every year. Enhanced visibility is the first step in challenging this, bringing immediate benefits such as the ability to map projects, manage resources, and improve communication and collaboration — all of which are explained in more detail below. 

Better project mapping

Once a project makes its way onto your desk, you’re faced with many details to iron out before it can be delivered to the client. There’s the issue of who will take charge of each aspect of the project, how you’ll manage your resources effectively, and how you can keep stakeholders in the loop every step of the way.

The best project management software wraps up the solutions to all of these problems into one easy-to-use platform. As a result, you can oversee project progress without needing to micromanage dozens of tasks due to avoidable silos and bottlenecks.

With Kanban board tools, you can move tasks from one column to the next to indicate progress along the pipeline, whereas Gantt charts will help you visualize your progress and make sure you’re working to schedule.

Most project management software will provide you with everything you need to plot out a major or minor project from start to finish. Here are some of the core features that help you in the planning phase:

• Task management for assigning and tracking individual tasks
• Labels, comments, and due dates for each task card to easily monitor progress 
• Automation to reduce bottlenecks and free up time

Effective resource management

One of the toughest challenges of project management is working with time and money constraints. Poor resource management is listed as the third largest project management challenge by the Wellingtone State of Project Management Report 2021. 

For both human and financial resources, you need a system that’ll give you accurate indicators of whether you’re working within your means.

Resource management is much easier when you have project management software to set budgets for projects, view how much work your team members currently have on their plates, and track key metrics in real time.

The best project management tools provide a wealth of useful data you can use to glean valuable insights about allocating your resources.

Improved communication and collaboration

Among the many changes that have occurred in the workplace over the last few years, the biggest is the shift from face-to-face interactions to virtual communication. Coupled with this is the increasingly disparate nature of teamwork, which might involve some members in the offices, others at home, and still more working a hybrid model. 

The best project management software unites all these threads smoothly, allowing instant communication through chat functions, in-context discussions, live editing, cross-functional tagging, and real-time updates.

It also provides a centralized location for seamless collaboration. Tasks can move from one stage to the next smoothly, with automatic tagging, proofing, and reminders. Version control, multiple file-type storage, and 400+ integrations mean all this can take place in one powerful platform.

These enhanced communication and collaboration capabilities should virtually eliminate the need for email, making searching for key information in endless chains and varying platforms a thing of the past. It will also reduce the need for meetings, which will come as welcome news to almost everybody in a busy working environment. 

With Wrike, all of this functionality is available via its platform and mobile phone apps, so teams can communicate and collaborate anywhere, any time. 

Three practical steps to make the right decision

We know that it can be challenging to choose the right project management software for your team or organization. You’re probably trying to weigh up multiple factors including pricing, functionality, and ease of onboarding. To make it a little easier for you, here’s a three-step process for narrowing down your options and selecting the right software for your business:

1. Identify the core needs of each department

First, gather the team leaders and department heads and open a discussion on what the main pain points are for each group. Once you’ve drawn up a list of the most common gripes, you should be able to identify the main trends and build a solid idea of what areas need to be addressed. For example, it’s likely that the issue of communication will come up in some form. 

Maybe the marketing department head finds it hard to open the floor on individual tasks and invite input once they’ve already been assigned. Or it could be that sales reps have a hard time feeding information about clients back and forth without creating unnecessarily long email chains. Perhaps another team leader reports an issue with information being lost or hard to find.

With all this feedback, you can inform the next step of this process, which is market research. If you identify that communication is the most significant pain point, then you can rule out software that doesn’t facilitate efficient communication.

2. Explore the options

There are hundreds of project management platforms on the market, which makes it tricky to shortlist the few that will be most appealing to you.

That’s why it’s wise to go into the research process with a list of important criteria for you and your teams. There’s a wealth of content online compiling and comparing project management tools based on different criteria, so finding high-authority sites that pit solutions against each other is the best place to start.

Once you’ve zeroed in on a handful of viable options that satisfy your criteria and come highly recommended within your industry, it’s time to get hands-on and test them.

3. Make the most of free trials

Many project management solutions will offer either a free trial or a freemium model for you to try within your teams to get a feel for them.

During the trial, use the tools extensively to see if they effectively address the main pain points you outlined with your team leaders. Here are some questions that can help you rank the software:

• How is communication within the software?
• Do silos and bottlenecks persist when you use the tool?
• How can team members collaborate?
• Is there a way for stakeholders to see what’s going on?
• What data can you view, and can you download it into digestible reports?
• Does the task management system speed things up or make it more difficult?
• How long does it take to get familiar with the main features?

Project management software across different industries

Project management is a pretty big umbrella term. It can be applied to everything from a video production by a small team of freelance creatives to a global product launch by a multinational corporation. 

However, project management software can benefit every type of project and every size of project management team. It makes the process smoother, more streamlined, and ultimately more successful. Let’s look at how the software and its features might benefit you and your industry:

• Project management offices: It goes without saying that PMOs must have top-quality project management software in order to align strategy with execution, visualize ongoing projects, and ensure on-time and on-budget delivery.
• Software development: Project management software can tie multiple teams, tracks, and tasks all together in one place, facilitating Agile and Waterfall methodologies alike with sprints, scrums, and powerful bug tracking features. 
• Construction: The right software can help to make a building or renovation project stress-free with resource allocation, job costing, and site management features that can be applied and accessed anywhere at any time. 
• Marketing: Modern marketing is complex, but good project management software can make it easy to manage collaborative asset creation, campaign management, and results tracking in one place. 
• Creative: Project management software helps single freelancers and major creative agencies alike by centralizing all collaborative work, integrating with vital tools like Adobe, and offering internal and external proofing and approvals.
• Healthcare: Suitable for small practices and major units alike, project management software can assist in patient care coordination, resource management, compliance tracking, and instant communication.
• Education and research: All over the world, educational institutions and research bodies use project management software for course planning, resource allocation, collaborative learning, and secure data storage.
• Professional services: Law firms, accountants, and consultancies rely on good project management software to deliver to their clients seamless services, including internal and external reports and trusted time tracking and billing.

Is free project management software worth it?

From SMBs to freelancers and contractors, many people in business might be reluctant to sign up for a monthly fee to use project management software. Fortunately, there are many free plans available that accommodate those without a budget for software and still provide several features to streamline productivity.

Here are several models of free project management software:

• Open-source: Software that’s free to download, edit, and redistribute under license
• Freeware: Software that’s free to download but can’t be modified or redistributed
• Shareware: Software that offers an initial free version but requires a small fee for continued use

By far, the most common free models are “freemium,” which provides a limited range of features of a premium software solution, and the free trial, which offers all the features of the premium software at no cost for a short period.

In some cases, it can be worth using free project management software if you have a startup or small business. However, once your business grows to a certain size, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium solution to access more features and add more users to the software. Plus, some free project management software can have hidden costs.

Let Wrike help you manage your projects, teams, and more

If you’re already inundated with projects, you want a platform that eases your burden and does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. You’ll also need a modern solution, with advanced capabilities, robust security, and future-proofed features. Wrike provides all of this and more — in one easy-to-use platform.

It’s packed with built-in resource planning, time-tracking, and budgeting tools that help modern teams do more with less. It’s leading the way in the field of automations, saving time and resources through automated workflows, request forms, and Blueprints. After a decade of machine learning, Wrike’s AI can predict project risks, generate expansive reports, and even start your day with full to-do lists, based on smart prioritization.

Wrike is also ideal for disparate teams, with real-time updates, award-winning collaboration software, and top-rated mobile apps. Built for every industry in every country, Wrike has myriad use cases for marketing teams, IT departments, professional service firms, project management offices offices, and many more. It offers so many features, benefits, and automations that it’s a no-brainer if you’re comparing project management tools. Don’t pay for multiple basic options that do little but add to your tech stack and complicate your day — Wrike is the one-stop solution you’ve been looking for..

Wrike’s onboarding process is also super simple: you can get started in seconds, with ample customer support and community resources to help you. Sign up for a free two-week trial today, and see for yourself why Wrike is the best project management tool for 2023.