Naturally, there are lots of tools for project management. This makes it tricky to spot the best solution that will help you keep your projects on track, without paying a cent. The first challenge is to find reliable platforms. Most platforms can be overwhelming due to their complexity.
We made this selection of simple project management tools with ease-of-use in mind. Browse these free project management tools and make the most of what they have to offer.
Smartsheet
Want to manage a sales pipeline, a production schedule, or a team task list, etc.? Try Smartsheet that directly works on the web via Google Apps and with Salesforce.com. The tool helps in recording and organizing data with an unlimited number of free collaborators such as Amazon Mechanical Turk and Livework.
Smartsheet provides notifications and alerts for any tasks updated/created through the tool.You can also generate Gantt charts and reports to view the progress of the project.
Smartsheet allows file sharing and Crowdsourcing management at an affordable rate. You can also have a free 30-day trial with no credit card and then can continue the tool at $15.95/month.
Airtable: Offers 200+ pre-designed templates
Airtable is a cloud collaboration and project management tool that helps you plan and organize your projects as well as set a roadmap for you and your team.
The tool helps you distribute projects based on use cases and offers advanced filtering and sorting options to arrange unlimited tasks according to your preference. Airtable also contains built-in applications such as a scheduler, webpage designer, and an email marketing tool.
Additionally, you can also automate routine tasks such as sending and approving project requests, scheduling team meetings, and processing bills and invoices.
Airtable offers phone, email, and chat support. The tool has a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices.*Analysis accurate as of September 2021AirtableRead reviews
Key Features:
- Agile methodologies
- Alerts/notifications
- Asset categorization
- Brainstorming
- Brand management
- Campaign planning
Trial/Free Version:Free TrialFree Version
Wrike
Wrike stands out as an exceptional project management tool for teams who want the option to customize workflows and edit and revise projects from within the platform itself. The tool offers the ability to color code and layer calendars, and its mobile app allows colleagues to update project information on-the-go. You can add comments to sections, videos, or documents, and create custom fields to export data most relevant to your company.
Features include:
- Security measures to ensure only authorized personnel can access information
- Activity Stream to allow project managers to micromanage small tasks, see activities in chronological order, and tag team members
- The option to unfollow activities to declutter your own personal Stream
- Email and calendar synchronization
- Built-in editing and approval features
Pricing: Free; $9.80/user/month (Professional); $24.80/user/month (Business); Custom (Enterprise)
Paymo
Paymo’s free version only allows access for one user, but if you’ve got a small team or you’re a freelancer, this could be an efficient option for tracking billable hours and invoicing clients. Along with tracking finances, Paymo also allows you to organize project timelines, create to-do lists, and stay on top of your budgets for multiple projects at once.
Features include:
- Kanban boards for easy, at-a-glance project updates
- Time tracking to keep everyone on the same schedule
- File sharing and Adobe CC extension for easy sharing of assets
- Timesheet reporting to keep stakeholders in the loop
- Project templates to jumpstart projects with a click
Pricing: Free; $9.95/user/month (Small Office); $15.79/user/month (Business)
Trello
Trello is a drag-and-drop tool that lets you move projects — personal, or professional — through workflow stages, all the way to completion.
You define what those stages are — whether it’s work project statuses like ‘On Hold,’ or personal project categories like ‘Things to buy!’ — with tasks represented as ‘cards.’ Each card can be given a name, assigned to an individual, given a due date — and have files, such as images, attached to it.
Features include:
- Templates for a range of different project types, from business to education to personal productivity
- Ability to add attachments such as images to any card on any board
- Customise your workflow stages to reflect your actual process
- Simple drag-and-drop movement of cards through workflow stages
- HubSpot integration for syncing marketing, sales, and service workflows into to-do lists
Pricing: Free; $10/user/month; Custom (Enterprise)
Todoist
Todoist is a simple but powerful tool that lets you create powerful, interactive to-do lists. To-do items can be assigned priority levels, assigned to people in your team and flagged — with customizable reminders (although these are a premium feature). Actionable items can also be categorised into different projects, making a simple, easily understandable structure where each ‘list’ has a title (project name) and a series of actions. This all makes it an extremely flexible, customizable tool to get work done.
Features include:
- Template lists to inspire and guide you
- Recurring due dates for regularly recurring tasks
- Productivity visualizations and ‘Karma’ points for completed tasks and streaks
- Labels, notification and discussion feeds to keep you organized
Pricing: Free; $3/user/month (Pro); $5/user/month (Business)
MeisterTask
MeisterTask is a project management tool that allows you to create Kanban boards, set recurring tasks, track project times, and create custom fields. You can automatically import data from other tools such as Trello and Asana, allowing you to get immediately to work without losing time.
Features include:
- Up to 3 projects on the free version
- File attachments for projects
- Custom project icons to make tasks stand out
- Time tracking so that no deadlines fall through the cracks
Pricing: Free; $8.25/user/month (Pro); $20.75/user/month (Business); Custom (Enterprise)
Bitrix24
Britrix24’s project management software includes Kanban boards, Gantt charts, task counters for easy prioritization, and reports for analyzing the time intensiveness of different tasks. You can also create to-do lists within tasks.
Features include:
- Recurring tasks for easy task creation and automation
- Integration with Billable Hours, which is especially useful if you work with freelancers
- Task statuses to easily keep track of progress
- Monthly reports on time spent on tasks
Asana: Features a focus mode and individual task lists
Asana is a task management and project management software solution that helps you manage your daily tasks and plan strategic initiatives. The tool helps bring your team together to collaborate on projects and track independent assignments on a single platform.
With Asana, you can track your progress with projects and assign tasks to individual members of your creative team. It helps to map out goals and set deadlines so you can stay on schedule.
You can also submit work requests and review their completion status. The tool offers integration with third-party communication, payment, and cloud storage tools, making it easy to access important files and client data in one place.
Asana offers email and chat support for customers, and it has a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices.*Analysis accurate as of September 2021AsanaRead reviewsVISIT WEBSITE
Key Features:
- Agenda management
- Approval workflow
- Audit trail
- Backlog management
- Budget management
- Bug tracking
Trial/Free Version:Free TrialFree Version
Basecamp: Creates automatic check-ins for teams
Basecamp is a project management software tool designed for freelancers, creative teams, and small businesses. It helps you organize your projects in one place and split work between team members.
The tool offers a message board that you can use to pitch ideas, as well as send and receive progress updates and project feedback from your team. With Basecamp, you can create checklists and to-do lists to assign items to team members and set due dates for projects.
Another convenient feature is the schedule manager which integrates with your calendar to automate setting up meetings and subscribing to events.
Basecamp offers phone, email, and chat support and has a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices.*Analysis accurate as of September 2021BasecampRead reviewsVIEW PROFILE
Key Features:
- Brainstorming
- Calendar management
- Collaboration tools
- Customizable templates
- Document management
- Live chat
ClickUp: Integrates easily with third-party tools
ClickUp is a project management tool that brings all your projects into one single project management app. The tool helps you organize, view, and collaborate on projects with team members.
Tracking all your projects from start to finish and creating customized workflows becomes possible with ClickUp. You can also add and assign comments on any task or document and stay aligned with your team. The tool offers a global timer that automatically tracks how much time gets spent on each project.
With the ability to create mind maps, you can plan your project ideas and distribute tasks into different project phases. You can also create visual outlines of assignments for your team members.
ClickUp offers phone, email, and chat support. The tool has a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices.*Analysis accurate as of September 2021ClickUpRead reviewsVISIT WEBSITE
Key Features:
- Agile methodologies
- Alerts/escalation
- Audit trail
- Billable and non-billable hours
- Brainstorming
- Budget management
Trial/Free Version:Free TrialFree Version
Conclusion
There are many tools in the market today that can help you in managing your projects, but there are some tools that free. There are free project management tools for teams, but nowadays, with collaboration coming into play in most work environments, I really think that there needs to be an online and collaborative version of project management applications to aid teams and individuals.