I’ve been working as a freelance project manager for over 3 years now, and in that time have used a range of different tools when it comes to managing clients. In this post, I am going to tell you about the best project management software free and also tell you about the project management software.
Whether you’re a project manager or a business owner looking to get a better handle on how projects are handled, there’s a good chance you’re interested in using user-friendly software that fits your specific needs. There are so many project management applications available, however, that it can be difficult to make a choice. The good news is that there are some free options out there for small businesses or personal use — ones that can act as an effective substitute for some of the more complex and high-priced PM tools out there.
Trello
Trello is a simple project management software. With Trello, you can manage projects using visual task boards. You can also visualize your projects as timelines, tables, and maps.
With Trello boards, you can create custom task workflows. Each board is divided into workflow stages. To change a task’s status, you simply drag and drop the task to the next workflow stage.
Tasks in Trello can have custom properties, one or more assignees, and color-coded labels.
In addition, you can visualize a Trello board in different ways by switching to the timeline, map, or table views.
If you don’t fancy Trello, you can consider other Trello alternatives as well.
Additional Features
- Add add-ons (called powerups) to improve a Trello board’s functionality.
- Set up automatic if-then automation rules to manage repetitive tasks.
- Integrate with other popular third-party applications.
Trello Pricing
With the free plan, you can manage unlimited personal boards and up to 10 team boards. And, you can add a maximum of one powerup for each board.
Trello’s paid plans range from $12.50-$17.50 per user per month. When you upgrade to a paid plan, you can manage unlimited team boards. Plus, you get access to automation rules, unlimited powerups, and board collections.
Wrike
A Dull but Effective Project Management Solution
More details about Wrike:
- Pricing: Free, or $9.80 per user per month on the Professional plan
- Website: wrike.com
Pros:
- Solid free plan
- Old-school feel
- Great reporting features
Cons:
- Not the belle of the ball
- Tutorials are a bit short
- Big jump in prices
Our third place is reserved for Wrike. At first, we were going to give the post to nTask for its budget plans, but then we figured Wrike’s great reporting features may be more useful for smaller businesses. If you like to quickly gather detailed information about what’s going on in your company, then Wrike may be the program for you; check out our full Wrike review.
Besides reporting, Wrike also offers a full suite of project management features, like a list, board and even a pretty decent Gantt chart, though nothing that would blow away a dedicated tool like our honorable mention, TeamGantt. It also comes with a spreadsheet view, which is great for old-school project managers but will likely puzzle people new to the job.
The downside to using Wrike are its looks, or rather lack of them. Even after you change up the main template and tweak some other settings, it’s still a bit drab to look at. Though it shouldn’t be a reason not to use it, we always feel a faint torpor descend when using it for any extended period of time. Your mileage may vary, but we prefer the pretty colors of monday.com.
Wrike’s Free & Professional Plans
That aside, Wrike is a solid pick, made even more solid by its free plan, which offers basic functionality for up to five users. Check out our article on Wrike pricing for the details.
If you decide to go the paid route, the basic Professional plan is good value at just under $120 per user per year, but the Business plan is quite the leap at almost $300 per user per year. You can judge for yourself whether that’s worth it using the 14-day free trial.
Toggl Plan
Toggl Plan is beautifully simple project management software. It’s a tool that needs no training. And, your team can start using it from day one to plan and manage projects.
Toggl Plan comes with three primary features — plan timelines, team timelines, and boards. Depending on your PM method, you can either use timelines or boards to manage your project.
Plan timelines make planning projects a breeze. To plan project tasks, simply drag and drop tasks on the timeline. Also, you can add color-coded milestones to the timeline.
Team timelines help plan your team’s availability and workloads. They offer similar features to the Plan timeline. In addition to the Plan timeline, you can see if your team members are over or underworked on the team timeline.
If you prefer Agile methodologies, you’ll find boards helpful to manage task workflows. Plus, boards are fully customizable. So you can adapt boards to your way of working.
You can assign timeline and board tasks to one or more team members. Team members can work together on tasks using file attachments and comments.
Additional Features
- Manage recurring tasks.
- Track time spent on tasks with the Toggl Track integration.
- Grant role-based access to guests and external team members.
- Get in-app notifications when tasks and plans change.
- Mark a timeline/board as favorite for quick access.
- Track personal work from the “My Work” screen.
Toggl Plan Pricing
Toggl Plan’s free plan is perfect for individuals. You can manage unlimited projects and keep track of unlimited tasks with the free plan.
Paid plans range from $9-$15 per user per month. When you upgrade, you get team timelines, recurring tasks, time-tracking, and role-based access. Also, all paid plans have a 14-day free trial.
Get started with Toggl Plan for free.
Asana
Great Features, and an Even Better Free Plan
More details about Asana:
- Pricing: Free, or $10.99 per user per month for the Premium plan
- Website: asana.com
Pros:
- Great free plan
- Colorful interface
- Great advanced features
Cons:
- Pricey
Our second pick is Asana, and for two reasons. On the one hand, it’s the best free project management software out there, allowing up to 15 people to use a good chunk of its features without spending a penny. On the other, it has some amazing advanced features, making it a good pick for small companies that aspire to future growth.
The free plan is likely the biggest draw, as it’s just that good. Users get most of the features found in the Premium plan, but with a cap at the aforementioned 15 users and 1,000 tasks. Some smart planning can keep you under that limit, easy. We go into more detail in our article on Asana pricing, but do note that the free plan includes unlimited storage, which is generous.
Using Asana is pretty easy. It works much like monday.com in that you use the list to enter tasks and then sort them through different views. We like monday.com’s interface a smidge better, but that’s likely down to taste. What sets Asana apart aren’t its run-of-the mill features (read our Asana review for more on these), but rather its advanced ones.
Advanced Business Plans & Features
The Business and Enterprise plans include a number of really cool functions for larger companies, like setting milestones and plotting timelines. Though they’re likely not on the top of a small business’ list, it makes Asana an interesting option for a company planning for growth.
That said, these advanced plans are pretty pricey and, truth be told, so is the Premium plan, which is the upgrade from the free plan. With Asana, it seems you either pay nothing or a lot. Still, it’s good value for the money, and we recommend either giving the free version a spin or trying out one of the paid plans with a 30-day free trial.
Basecamp
Basecamp is a remote team collaboration tool with simple project management features. If you need collaboration features with simple task lists, Basecamp may be suitable for you.
With Basecamp, you can manage projects using simple task lists. You can assign a task to a team member. Also, you can set a due date for each task.
Task workflows are not customizable in Basecamp. So, tasks are either in the to-do or done status. Team members can discuss tasks using comments. Also, you can schedule milestones or critical events on the project calendar.
Basecamp comes with three ways to collaborate — message boards, team chat, and shared files.
Besides, you can also set up automatic check-ins. So, you don’t have to ask team members for status updates every day.
If Basecamp’s simple to-do lists are a no-go for you, take a look at other Basecamp alternatives as well.
Additional Features
- Get pop-up notifications when tasks and projects change.
- Set work hours to prevent notifications from popping up during non-work hours.
- See everything on your plate on the “My Stuff” screen.
Basecamp Pricing
With Basecamp’s free plan, you can manage up to 3 projects and 20 team members.
The paid plan costs $99 per month. With the paid plan, you can manage unlimited projects and team members. You also add unlimited clients and get access to ready-made project templates.
Kissflow Project
Best for ease of use
Kissflow Project allows users to plan their team’s work, see who’s working on what, and deliver great results with minimal tracking.
Kissflow Project is a lean project management tool for small businesses that focuses on hyper-customization over clutter when it comes to feature prioritization. It’s designed to be simple to use and navigate for digital project managers and non-PMs alike. You can access multiple project views—like list, Kanban, and matrix—according to your organizational preference.
Kissflow lets you design tasks, flag priorities, and assign items to team members with simple status labels for assignments that are on hold, in progress, or done. Managers can build a personalized dashboard to grab a quick view of where different tasks stand, what’s coming due, and where roadblocks have appeared. A centralized communication hub with chat and commenting ensures you can solicit updates and provide feedback without departmental silos blocking your way.
Kissflow lets you attach files to your projects and tasks for basic digital asset management and document management; up to 10MB per file for most plans. Their easy analytics suite lets you build visual reports according to flow, time, or tasks. However, they don’t yet have dependencies/linked items (quite a hiccup) but it’s on their future roadmap.
Kissflow integrations include native Microsoft and Google Workspace integrations, and the platform offers a REST API and webhooks.
Kissflow Project costs from $7/user/month for up to 3 projects.
Conclusion:
As a project manager, you’ll always be looking for the best software for project management. There are numerous options out there and you might find yourself wondering what the best project management software free is. But, before deciding on a project management program, you have to know what project management is so that you can make an informed decision.