You may have come across action tracking tools before and felt they were to be expensive and not worth your time. After all, why pay every month to do something that you could do on your own? Google Analytics is a great FREE tool…but! There are several limitations with the free tool: no conversion tracking, no email collection and no referral traffic tracking capabilities.
There are a lot of tools out there that promise you can track your website’s marketing success. It can be difficult to choose one which is why we’ve created this ‘super duper tracker’ list of the best free online tools to measure the success of your online marketing.
What is Action Tracking?
Action Tracking is an essential part of work projects —and for most of our personal lives too. Some people may think that it is just controlling their daily to-dos with checklists. But no.
Since your tasks are the building blocks of plans, projects, and whatever necessary to keep life in order, managing them requires a few steps. The main steps are tracking, adding deadlines and delegation, when it comes to collaboration inside teams.
That’s why notebooks, pens, or even spreadsheets aren’t enough for more complex contexts anymore. These are too simple solutions when you need to collaborate with other people or organize your to-dos in a way you can easily track their progress.
Task management software is built specifically for the purpose of improving your experience while managing your to-dos, and they are essential for people who want to organize your work and enhance your productivity.
Why use a Action Tracking tool?
There are many benefits of switching from a simple way of listing your tasks on a software:
Organize workload
Usually, information is split into many channels, and you are always switching between tools to figure out your tasks. It decreases your productivity and makes you lose a lot of time. By managing your tasks in just one software, you can easily keep your workload organized, gathering all the information necessary to work on them.
Facilitate team collaboration
Many tasks need to be assigned to other people, and for that action, you need to take many steps when you don’t have a specific tool. On task management software, you are just one click away from sending a task with its details to a teammate.
Track work progress
Without a due date and development stages, it becomes challenging to track your performance in a project. A task manager will provide features to help you meet the deadlines, and make clear what are the next steps for a particular task.
20 best free Action Tracking management software
Here is a complete list with the best task management software in the market, for both individuals and teams, with their respective features. All of them have free versions, some with limited, but functional features to manage tasks.
Most of these task management freemiums are more suitable for individuals, freelancers, and small teams and businesses. Check out our top 20 of task management tools so you can analyze the pros and cons and make the best choice.
You can quickly navigate between them to see further details:
- DragApp
- MeisterTask
- Nifty
- Todoist
- ClickUp
- Hitask
- Basecamp
- TasQue
- Trello
- Wrike
- ProProfs
- Podio
- Quire
- Freedcamp
- nTask
- Any.Do
- Asana
- Bitrix24
- Infolio
- Wimi
1. DragApp
DragApp is more than a task management platform. It is a shared inbox solution with a lot of features to help teams manage their entire workflow.
It is the only software on this list that works inside Gmail. After all, most tasks start and end as emails in your inbox, so Drag was developed to eliminate the back and forth between your Gmail and another task management tool. When you manage your projects inside Gmail, you gain more productivity, saving steps on the processes you would need to take with third-party tools or extra browser tabs.
Everything inside your Drag boards is customizable. First, there are two views available: Kanban and list. So you can choose the one that better suits the way you need to handle your tasks inside a board.
You can add notes and due dates to your cards, and mention teammates on the private chat, centralizing all the communication necessary on a specific task. Also, you can drag your cards easily between columns to help you with tracking the steps of a project.
Drag is forever free for individuals and teams, with essential, but limited features. Still, it is functional, and it can be of great help on organizing not just your tasks but your email inbox. For more advanced and unlimited features, you can acquire a paid plan that starts at $8 user/month, billed yearly.
Main features:
- Unlimited Users Available
- Shared inboxes
- 10 boards
- Unlimited integrations (Google Groups, Google Calendar)
- 100 cards per board/month
- Unlimited collaboration (delegation, collision detection, reply as an alias, and more.)
- Unlimited productivity (checklists, notes, color coding, tags, sort & filter)
- Limited workflow
2. MeisterTask
MeisterTask is a multi-platform collaboration tool focused on task management. You can use MeisterTask to organize and manage individual tasks in a customizable environment that adapts to your needs. It works with Kanban boards, and it allows you to fill your duties with all the information you need.
This software will allow you to build automated workflows to help your team be more productive while managing a lot of project tasks at the same time.
It offers a free version that small teams can benefit a lot from, but its paid plans start at $4.19 per month.
Main features:
- Up to 3 projects
- Unlimited project members
- Customizable project boards
- Import from Asana, Trello, Wunderlist
- File attachments up to 20 MB per file
- Mobile apps
- Email support
- Time tracking
- Task from emails
3. Nifty
Nifty is a free task management and project management software that enables an individual and team to manage their tasks in a very customized and tailored fashion. One is able to manage the tasks of an entire team in Nifty or the personal tasks in his day to life to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Tasks in Nifty can be managed in two views either a typical kanban board that can be portrayed in dark mode, light mode or classic mode or teams can use the list view to provide a more rigid approach in the form of a modern spreadsheet. On its free plan Nifty also enables time tracking and custom fields on tasks to provide an optimal experience
The free version of Nifty enables access to unlimited team members and expands to only paying for what you actually end up using so admins can avoid overpaying
Main Features:
- Recurring tasks
- Calendar integration
- Custom fields
- Time tracking
- Subtask
- Collaboration
- Documents
- Unlimited Team Members
4. Todoist
Todoist is a free task management app that helps you to keep in control of everything, either in your personal or work life. It allows you to create sections and subtasks, improving the way how you can keep track of your projects. It’s also possible to favorite tasks and highlight them as priorities.
If you need to work with a team, Todoist allows you to delegate tasks and receive notifications on new actions in the assignments. Moreover, it’s also possible to add comments, so everybody on the team can stay on the same page about what has to be done.
The free version meets the needs of individuals and small teams. In case you need an upgrade, the prices start at $3 per month on the annual plan.
Main features:
- Up to 80 active projects
- Recurring due dates
- Sections and subtasks
- Task delegation
- Integrations
5. ClickUp
ClickUp has features to customize your experience inside the tool. This way, all the team members can manage individual and shared tasks according to their preferences. It is a software that provides functionalities for all kinds of teams —sales, marketing, development.
With ClickUp, you can choose between 5 views: Board, List, Box, Calendar, and “Me Mode”. This way, you can easily visualize and manage your tasks, organizing them based on priority. Besides, you can assign tasks to other members of your team to keep your projects up and running.
The freemium version if for unlimited users and unlimited tasks with limited storage of 100 Mb. And if you want an upgrade to paid plans, with more features, the prices start at $5 per user per month.
Main Features:
- Recurring tasks
- To-do lists
- Automations
- Gantt Charts
- 50+ Native Integrations
- Time Tracking
- Mind Maps
6. Hitask
Hitask is a simple task management app, straightforward to use, that doesn’t require a complicated onboarding process. Because of that, it can be ideal for many companies, or even for individuals.
It has one single screen, with everything you need to manage a project in just one place. It’s possible to arrange your tasks by due date, team, or plan, as also assign them to other teammates.
The free version fits the needs of small teams (up to 5 members), and individuals. One striking aspect of this freemium is the unlimited number of tasks and projects that can be created. For bigger teams that need more complex features, the prices start at $5 per user per month.
Main features:
- Task management
- Document storage
- Time tracking
- Shared calendar
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
7. Basecamp
Basecamp works with an “all-in-one” concept, which means it serves as an organizer to keep all of your work in one place rather than going crazy for having it in every other area. So to make your life easier and don’t be irked: consider using Basecamp. Utilize its task management features to get done what is needed and be more efficient.
The freemium version of Basecamp is called “Personal”, ideal for students, freelancers, personal projects, and similar types of light uses. You can have up to 20 users and three projects on your free account. But if you need an upgrade, the price is $99 per month.
Main features:
- To-to lists
- Schedule with a calendar
- Share your documents and files
- Group chat
- Recurring tasks
- My stuff- for your individual work
- 1Gb storage space
8. TaskQue
TasQue is an online task manager that exceeds the concept of a simple to-do list app. It helps teams and individuals to simplify their daily processes, allowing them to track task progress.
You have access to insights about your projects, to help the team stay on the same page and finish everything on time.
Besides being a task management solution, TaskQue allows you to manage the resources of projects.
The free plan is great for teams with up to 10 people and offers a 5Mb Attachment limit and 1Gb of space. If you need to upgrade to the business plan to have access to more features, you will pay $5 user/month.
Main features:
- Automatic task assignment
- Recursive task
- Workflows & Templates
- Task Comments
- Calendar view
- Quick Insights
- Integrations with third-party tools
9. Trello
Trello is maybe one of the most known task management software of all the ones that offer a kanban interface. Using it is pretty straightforward for any team because it provides a wide variety of templates for each one of them —sales, marketing, business, HR, support, and others.
You can make your projects more flexible and custom-built, although Trello may be better for simple workflows.
Trello’s freemium provides some unlimited features. But in case you opt for more advanced functionalities, the paid plans start at $9.99 per user per month.
Main features:
- Unlimited Personal Boards
- Lists (unlimited)
- Cards (unlimited)
- 10 Team Boards
- Checklists
- Attachments
- Android iOS mobile apps
- Simple automations
10. Wrike
Wrike is a project management tool that can be used for several other purposes, such as marketing or product development. Due to this flexibility, a variety of teams can use this software to collaborate and communicate while handling tasks.
With this tool, you can customize your workflows, applying color code, and creating custom fields to export data.
Wrike offers a free task management plan, ideal for up to 5 users. If your team has more people, you may want to upgrade to a paid plan, with prices starting at $9.80 user/month.
Main Features
- Board view
- Task Management
- File sharing
- Real-time Activity Stream
- Spreadsheet view
- Integrations with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, MSFT Office 365 and OneDrive
- Desktop & mobile apps
- 2Gb of storage
11. ProProfs Project
ProProfs Project is an all-in-one task management software. It offers solid features such as task prioritization, instant messaging, and file-sharing that let you run multiple projects simultaneously.
You can track milestones in real time and ensure that the project progresses at the desired pace. Besides, you can track and manage your team’s workload with the tool’s customizable workflows.
ProProfs offers an intuitive dashboard that allows you to collaborate with people across teams and departments. Also, with insightful project reports to back you up, you can identify and fix any gaps if needed.
The free 15-day trial version of ProProfs offers robust features to help you deliver multiple projects successfully. Its paid plans start from $2 per user per month.
Main features:
- Workload management
- Task prioritization
- Task automation
- Instant messaging
- Real-time alerts and notifications
- Seamless document sharing
- Time tracking
- Gantt charts and Kanban boards
12. Podio
Podio is a task management system that helps to centralize all your business processes in just one place. It is flexible and easy to use and is even an award winner in the world of task management.
The free version offers all the functionalities to manage your tasks. In case you want to unlock more features, you can upgrade to a paid plan. The prices start at $7.20 per month in the annual program.
Main features:
- Task management
- Apps and workspaces
- Mobile Apps
13. Quire
Quire combines both Kanban style and to-do lists to allow businesses to control their workflow correctly. It offers a nested task list that helps teams to address big projects by separating them into smaller steps.
For now, Quire is entirely free, with all its features available. They are settling their paid plans, and you can use it with no costs until the third quarter of 2020.
Main features:
- Reminders
- Gantt Chart
- Multiple Assignees
- Recurring tasks
- Teamwork in real-time
- Instant messaging
- Health Stats
- Apps for iOS and Android
- Calendar
14. Freedcamp
Freedcamp is a platform to help you plan, organize, and act on your projects. It offers task lists, subtasks, and you can make them private or public. There’s also a Kanban board, where you can easily manage your tasks, dragging them between columns.
You can also share and assign your to-dos, upload files, and join in discussions with team members inside the tool. Moreover, you have a calendar view that displays all tasks, milestones, and events of your projects. Freedcamp’s free plan offers all the core features. If you need additional ones —such as start dates for tasks, issue tracker, project templates, and Gantt charts— the prices start at $1.49 per user/month, billed annually.
Main features:
- Task
- Calendar overview
- Upload files
- Discussions
- Milestones
- Time tracking
15. nTask
nTask is another free, straightforward software, that doesn’t present a steep learning curve. It means that any team can use it to manage their tasks.
It presents a variety of features for project and task management, suitable to an individual or a team. You can create tasks, assigning them to other teammates. Also, you can have checklists, manage priority, repeat tasks, get notifications, use task timer, set due dates, and other essential features for collaboration while managing your complex projects.
nTask’s free version offers a limit of 5 members, but with unlimited workspaces and tasks. If you need more in-depth features, the paid plans start at 2.99 users/month.
Main features:
- 100 MB Storage
- 5 Members per Team
- Unlimited Workspaces
- Unlimited Tasks
- Meetings
- Timesheets
- Issues Tracking
16. Any.do
Any. Do is a to-do list app, where you can quickly build checklists and fill task cards with all the information necessary. It was designed to help you organize your life, achieve your goals, and never forget a thing.
It’s possible to organize your to-do’s in lists and projects, color tagging them to categorize and set priorities. You can add notes, subtasks, due dates, and attachments to make your tasks thorough before assigning or sharing them with teammates. It also has a calendar to display your events and tasks straightforwardly.
Any. Do’s free plan offers enough features for personal and team use. An upgrade to a more customizable version costs $5.99 per month, billed annually.
Main features:
- Calendar
- Time tracking
- Reminders
- Daily planner
- Android iOS mobile apps
17. Asana
Asana is one of the most used task management software available on the market. It is a software focused on managing not only tasks but entire customizable workflows.
Asana’s interface is easy to use and flexible, which makes it possible for teams that need to work with different assortments. It allows you to follow almost every stage of your projects. You can also coordinate all your groups and assign work effortlessly inside this software.
In case you may be wondering if Asana is for free, now you found your answer. Its free deal is suitable for individuals, freelancers, or teams that are just getting started with project management software. For an upgrade of features, the prices start at $10.99 per user per month.
Main features:
- Unlimited tasks and projects
- Unlimited activity log
- Collaborate with up to 15 teammates
- List, board, and calendar view projects
- Assignee and due dates
- iOS and Android mobile apps
- Time tracking with integrations
- Unlimited file storage
18. Bitrix24
Bitrix24 is a complete platform for companies. It helps you with managing tasks, projects, CRM, communications, contact center, and website building. So if you are looking for a tool that will help in most of the aspects of your daily operations, Bitrix will be a great choice.
When it comes to online task management, you can expect to have a wide range of features such as an interactive Gantt chart view, task dependencies, and reports.
The freemium version of Bitrix is unlimited, offering all the core features, including the ones for task management. For special features, you can purchase plans with prices starting at $19 per month.
Main features:
- Tasks and projects
- Planner
- Subtasks
- Checklists
- Reminders
- Integration with CRM, workflows, calendar, and drive
- Mobile functions for iOS and Android
- Project Kanban
- Gantt
- Task time tracking
19. Infolio
Infolio is a project collaboration suite, to manage tasks, and track their progress in kanban view boards, with custom lists and statuses.
One key feature is the built-in chat, to help teams keep connected and communicate in the same place where their projects take over. Moreover, it’s possible to add project notes, web links, documents, and images inside the boards.
Infolio’s free plan includes all the standard features, and only the storage space is limited. For a space upgrade, the paid plan is 4.99 per user per month.
Main features:
- Unlimited projects, team members, boards and spaces
- Cloud services integrations
- All the features you can eat
- Custom fields
- 1GB storage
20. Wimi
Wimi offers more than online task management. You can also manage docs and even have access to a messaging system inside this tool. Its interface is very similar to a web browser with tabs, which allows you to go back and forth between tasks.
It offers a Kanban board to help you visualize and handle your tasks through their several stages. Moreover, you can track tasks and add deadlines, with a timeline feature to manage task dependencies.
Wimi is free for up to 3 users with 8 workspaces and 10Gb of storage space. If you have a bigger team, it may be necessary to acquire a paid plan that starts at $15 per month.
Features:
- Channels
- Document Management
- Drive
- Task Management
- Shared Calendars
- 100+ Integration
How to choose the best free Action Tracking software?
A decision like this requires analyzing your needs, expectations, and how your current workflow is settled right now. What features are essential for you? How many people are going to use this tool?
For example, if you are part of a team of 10 people, you can already eliminate some of the tools on the top 20. Besides, for team collaboration, you need to check if the software is easy to use; if it has a delegation feature, and how straightforward the onboarding is going to be. After all, no one wants to spend long weeks learning a new sophisticated tool and losing essential time because of that.
Another essential advice is to check the tool reviews in directories like G2 and Capterra. In websites like these, you can easily find the pros and cons, as also use cases that may apply to a similar situation to yours.
CONCLUSION
Action tracking tools are great for measuring the success of your PPC or SEO campaigns down to a keyword level. These tools go by many names, including reporting, page tagging, and analytics. If you haven’t considered using one in your business, then think again. Action tracking tools will do wonders for you both as an SEO or an advertiser.
Action tracking is a painful thing. It requires you to take the time to track everything you do for yourself. Thankfully there are tools out there that can turn this painful process into something much easier and enjoyable. The focus of this post is to highlight some of these tools for you to use so you can see how much time you actually spend doing certain tasks. Seriously, I used to spend an entire week doing nothing but writing reports for projects I was working on — that is until I discovered what exactly I was doing while working on my projects and spent more time on the things that were important.