People often give up on their dreams because they feel overwhelmed and don’t think they have the time or resources to make it happen. So here’s a list of the best free task management software out there (for small business and individuals).
We all know that there is a world of task management tools out there, and it can make the decision difficult when you need to pick one for your small business. This is where I can help, with my personal experiences and testing all these tools in use. I’ll show the best free task management software, and also outline good, cheap options good for teams.
Todoist
Todoist, as a task management solution, is a breeze for many.
Like the Swift to-do list app, it has a simple, no-frills interface built around a classic design. This task-tracking software is great for individuals, though they’ve recently expanded into teams and adapted to small business needs.
However, they still fall short when it comes to team management, as you can’t assign multiple people to a single task.
In Todoist, users get:
- Recurring due dates
- Subtasks
- Priorities
- Mobile apps available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices
Premium
- Task labels and reminders
- Email notifications
- Automatic backups
- Collaborate on tasks via email
Pricing: Free to $5/month per user.
Visit Todoist
Any.do
This is an interesting to-do list app and task management app. Any.do labels items as today, tomorrow, and upcoming, giving you a quick overview of the tasks that you need to complete.
Unlike other task or project management software, Any.do also has an intuitive calendar to help you see how your events and tasks fit together. This task management solution can also organize tasks and filter your workflow by due date or category.
In Any.do, you get:
- Calendar
- Time tracking add-ons
- To-do list reminders
- Daily planner to organize and prioritize to-dos
- Android and iOS mobile apps
Premium:
- Unlimited attachments
- Location-based reminders
- Task color-coding to organize your work
- Customized recurring tasks
Price: Free to $2.99/month per user.
Visit Any.do
Things
The Things app is another great task management software.
The key differentiator for this task-tracking software is that you can select a core focus for each day. Things lay on a small layer of project management that has sections on comments, tasks, and subtasks.
Do remember, every web-based task management feature is premium because there’s no free task plan for your desktop, iPhone, and iPad.
Things is only available on Mac and iOS.
In Things, users get:
- Calendar events
- Morning, afternoon, evening slots
- Section headings
- Checklists
- Mac OS shortcuts
Price: One-time charge of $49.99
Visit Things
Taskque
Taskque is one of the best task managers that’s a step up over a regular to-do list app. It’s a great tool for resource management and can assign tasks to the next available team member.
It works well for teams that are working on the same functions, with similar skills. Instead of being a broad management tool with no focus, Taskque can quickly assign tasks to zero down on your work.
So it’s perfect?
Unfortunately, it’s going to be a tough tasque working with its limited integrations and no time tracking.
In Taskque, you get:
- Automatic task assignment
- Discussions
- Calendar
- A powerful to-do list app
- Workflow management
Premium
- Groups
- Exclusive permissions
- Expanded workspaces
Price: Free to $5/user per month.
Visit Taskque
Hitask
Tasks and projects are front and center in this management solution. The central dashboard features all of your tasks and can be arranged by the due date, project, or team.
Your teammates are listed on the right side, and you can automatically drag tasks from the central task area to your team members. Once this is done, each teammate is assigned the task, and it becomes part of their workflow.
Speaking of your workflow, any good task management software should be able to offer you easy task planning and scheduling features to streamlines your workflow.
In Hitask, you get:
- Task management
- File storage
- Time tracking
- Email task creation
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Reports
Premium:
- Selective permissions on tasks
- Calendar sync
- Unlimited storage
Pricing: Free to $20/user per month
Visit Hitask
Trello
Trello is one of the largest Kanban task management tools. It’s no surprise that their Kanban boards are their main calling card. This customizable Kanban interface allows users to set up cards for different projects like they were post-it notes.
To make Trello efficient for complex projects, you’ll have to upgrade for features like Gantt charts or priorities.
Why do that when there are tools that offer that in their free plans?
In Trello task management, you get:
- Boards
- Lists
- Cards
- Checklists
- Attachments
- Android and iOS mobile apps
Premium
- Unlimited integrations
- Collections for teams
- Public/private boards
- More onboarding support
Price: Free to $17.50/user per month
Visit Trello
Quire
Quire breaks down online task management into its smallest components, giving you the most critical tasks to focus on first. Unlike other management tools, the way it does this is with “nesting” and Kanban boards.
Quire nests tasks within cards in a Kanban board to unfurl your next steps within each card.
This online task management software also has powerful filtering options to help you pick out the tasks that need to be completed first.
As perfect as it sounds, it has a-Quire-d its share of flaws. The most striking one is its lack of a built-in chat feature!
In Quire task management, you get:
- Tasks and subtasks
- Progress reports
- Recurring tasks
- Apps for iOS and Android
- Calendar
- Kanban boards
Price: Free
Visit Quire
Infinity
Infinity was born out of a burning need to create the most flexible and adaptable task management software out there. So, whether you’re looking to coordinate your entire company or you’re a freelancer trying to manage multiple clients, Infinity’s flexible interface will let you collaborate with your team easily and organize anything you need.
But what is it that makes Infinity so special? The infinite structure and powerful customization features that can help you avoid clutter at all cost? Or the fact that you get to define what boards, folders, and items are, and what you want your attributes to be?
Depending on what you need Infinity for, it can be one reason or—hey—all of the above.
So, how can Infinity help you when it comes to task management? To start with, by making sure you have all the features you need to organize and complete all of your work smoothly.
Key Features
- Multiple Views
- Folders & Subfolders.
- Custom Attributes
- Attachments & Links
- Public Boards
- Assigned Tasks & Comments
- Notifications
- Board Overview
- Zapier & Clockify Integrations
Pricing
If you’re still not convinced, then the pricing is undoubtedly going to make your day. Instead of paying per user or per workspace, Infinity is currently running a lifetime deal, which translates into “Pay once, use Infinity forever.”
The lifetime plan for up to 10 collaborators is $249.
Asana
Asana is—without a doubt—one of the most popular task management tools out there. If you’ve ever worked in a large team, chances are you have ran into this useful task manager.
Asana comes with a clean and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to understand. This task management software also has an offline feature to update your tasks on the go, so it automatically syncs once you’re back online.
What Asana lacks when handling more complex tasks (e.g., budget and cost calculations) makes up for many third-party integrations to automation apps such as Zapier, timer tools like Hubstaff, and more.
Asana works well for task managers with multiple projects and teams. Each project can have a list of tasks under it and task dependencies, all attached to a third-party timer app. However, Asana often requires integrations with other software, and when including a client or more team members, commenting from multiple sources becomes cluttered and creates clogs in the process.
As it is the case with Infinity, Asana offers project templates to fit your project’s specific industry.
Key Features
- Team Collaboration & Conversation
- Task Tracking & Management
- Drag & Drop Interface
- Document Management
- List, Kanban, Gantt, and Calendar Views (depending on the price)
- Shared/Private Access
- Subtask Checklists
- Data Export
- Task Analytics & Forms (depending on the price)
- Mobile App
- Third-Party Integrations (Slack, Zapier, Hubstaff, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc.)
Pricing
Asana’s basic package is free for ten members and includes a limited set of features. A free option does not include Task Analytics, Dashboard, Private teams & projects, and Gantt views. Their premium package starts at $10.99 per user, per month (when paid annually).
ProofHub
If you need a versatile business task management software, ProofHub offers a bunch of tools under one roof. You can manage team tasks and easily delegate them to team members while limiting access to sensitive data by using custom roles.
When it comes to task planning, ProofHub lets you switch between table view, Kanban boards, and Gantt charts so you can get an overview across a certain timeframe or simply group tasks into columns using Kanban. The Custom Workflows feature enables creating as many project stages as you need and get notifications every time a task within a certain stage progresses.
If you manage a marketing team, you’ll love the Proofing feature that lets you use markup tools and threaded comments to leave feedback on designs and written documents. There are several ways to communicate with team members including chat, discussions, mentions, announcements, and email-in.
Besides letting you organize tasks within a calendar or manage tickets and support queries, ProofHub is great for reporting. Present task progress to the stakeholders by using project and resource reports, workload reports, or project progress reports.
Key Features
- Task Management
- Time Tracking
- Gantt Charts, Tables & Kanban
- Proofing and File Approval
- Discussions
- Calendar
- File Sharing
- Private Items
- Group Chat
- Third-Party Integrations
- Announcements
- Request Forms
- Custom Roles
- Reporting
Pricing
ProofHub offers flat pricing without per-user fees. There are two plans available: Ultimate Control that costs $89 per month, when billed annually (this is a limited time offer, lowered from $150), and Essential that costs $45 per month when billed annually. They also offer a free trial.
Nifty
Nifty is a popular new wave modern day task management software empowering the workflows of thousands of forward-thinking teams across the globe.
It has a very user-friendly interface and enables team to get started managing their tasks in under 10 minutes! Nifty’s features include milestones, tasks, discussions docs and files serving as an all in one workflow management hub so a team can avoid using multiple overlapping softwares to manage a single project.
Tasks in Nifty can be managed in list view or kanban depending on user preference and users have the ability to share their kanban boards as public links similar to the way many teams use Trello.
Teams tend to really enjoy Nifty’s custom field functionality, time tracking on individual tasks and custom tags which help lead to a very tailored and personal workflow experience. You can use this task management software on your iOS and Android devices and your desktop as well and manage your to-do lists with ease wherever you are.
Key Features
- Milestones
- Task Management
- Kanban Boards
- List View
- Custom Fields
- Time Tracking
- Built-in Docs
- Superior Team Collaboration
- Subtasks
Pricing
Nifty has plans for both small teams of up to 10 members ($39/month) and large, multinational teams ($399/month). Additionally, all guests work for free on Nifty in all of their pricing plans.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a project management software trusted by over 20,000 companies and 6,000 agencies to help manage their tasks. It’s simple to use yet allows you to manage multiple complex tasks with ease. Not only is it powerful and boasts a user-friendly interface but is also very flexible allowing you to customize your workflow.
One of the main benefits of Teamwork is that it is a great solution for an expanding business, allowing you to access the platform’s more powerful features yet still allowing you to reap the benefits of its user friendly interface in the meantime. It is also very effective if you have many team members who work remotely due to its excellent time tracking and resource management features.
Multiple complex projects can be managed easily and projects can be tracked as gantt charts, lists or board views so you can adapt the tool to how you work. It’s also a great choice for agencies due to the client permissions feature which allows you to manage client permissions to areas of the platform such as time tracking and invoicing.
Key Features
- Project Management
- Team Collaboration
- Individual workload Management
- Time Tracking
- Client Permission Management
- Third Party Integration
- Team chat
- Gantt Charts
- Templates
Pricing
Teamwork has a tiered pricing system ranging from free, to customized quotes at the Enterprise level.
- Free: For individuals and small teams getting started with project management.
- Pro: £10 per user per month (billed annually). Allows users to multiple projects.
- Premium: £18 per user per month (billed annually). A great option for larger teams.
- Enterprise: Contact them for a tailored quote.
Airtable
With the data manipulation capabilities of a spreadsheet powered up by the scalability and flexibility of database software, Airtable is a different kind of task management software. It is a low-code platform for building collaborative applications that fit your project needs. Some users call it ‘Excel on steroids.’
Airtable starts with a database that can be anything from a content calendar to a roadmap and lets you customize it by adding views such as Kanban, grid or calendar, and over 50 pre-built apps.
Airtable Apps marketplace features some familiar task management tools, e.g., Gantt chart, with some exciting editions such as image markup, video snippets, URL preview, JSON editor, collaborative whiteboard, and many more. On top of this, the Airtable community offers over 150 open-source apps on GitHub.
If you’re a task manager who handles big teams, multimedia, and multiple-step tasks, then you might find that Airtable’s architecture can support those needs. Just be ready to allocate some time to go through a bit of a learning curve.
Key Features
- Project Templates
- Functional, Mix & Match Blocks
- 3D Model Explorer
- Map & Geocode Integrations
- Page Design
- SMS Integration
- 50 Airtable Apps (Gantt charts, URL preview, etc.)
- 150 Open-Source Apps
- Task Calendar, Kanban, Grid, and Gallery Views
- Form Builder & Forms
- Task Tracker
- Access/Permission Control
- Data Import/Export
- API & Third-Party Integrations
- Social Media & Email Integrations
- Mobile App
Pricing
Airtable is free to use for teams of any size provided they don’t exceed 1,500 records (rows), 2GB file space, and (just?) 2 weeks worth of revision history.
For more functionality, such as custom blocks, forms, and more (that you will need very soon once the project starts flying), the Airtable Plus plan starts at $10 per user per month when billed annually.
If you are budget savvy, have a look at how Airtable compares to flexible and more affordable Infinity.
ClickUp
ClickUp is a task management software with a bold promise: to be the one organizational app to replace them all. It’s often referred to as the “best free project management software”—which does sound impressive—but it’s good to keep in mind that the “free” part relates to a limited set of features.
What users find great about ClickUp is that it serves well for private and business projects and has a robust set of features with the ability to customize everything—from workspaces to views.
On the other hand, the number of options in ClickUp can make one feel overwhelmed and confused, and that is one of the main issues with it—there is a learning curve one needs to go through to acquire terminology and how the system works.
ClickUp aspires to be more than just a task management software by offering many options to approach your project organization: docs, reminders, goals, calendars, scheduling, and an inbox.
Key Features
- Task Management
- Time Tracking
- Templates
- Unlimited Users
- Custom Task Statuses & Custom Fields
- Custom Views
- Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, To-Do List, Notepad, Form, Activity
- Goals
- Portfolios
- Dashboard
- Numerous Integrations
- Reminders, Tags & Inbox
- ClickUp Apps Integration
- Mobile App
Pricing
The way ClickUp pricing is formulated sends a bit of a tricky message. They claim to be “free forever,” which is valid only for unlimited tasks and users for up to 100MB of storage.
Many customizable features that make ClickUp special (views, calendar, unlimited dashboard, and integrations) are actually starting at 5$ per user per month (paid annually).
Basecamp
Basecamp is a reasonably simple task management tool with one dashboard that everyone involved can see, divided into teams and projects for quick navigation.
A deeper organizational structure occurs within a project with to-do lists, message boards, schedules, documents & file storage, and group chat. Basecamp has an interesting ‘big picture tool’: a project tracking method called Hill Charts for tracking the progress of a project in time, with defined goals.
Basecamp comes with all the basics to help you organize your project: task lists, task assignment, task management, commenting, deadline reminders, team collaboration, file storage, file search, and more. We have also included in our review of business management software.
However, some flexibility across features is what seems to be missing in Basecamp. A solid structure may become too rigid and limited once your team or projects start to grow and vary. Basecamp’s different versions have different essential features (such as time-tracking), and some users find that task and task-bulk update takes too long.
Key Features
- To-Do Lists
- Task Management & Scheduling
- Team Management
- Project Templates
- Notifications, Message Board, Direct Messages & Chat
- Recurring Tasks & Deadline Reminders
- Activity View (for managers) & My Stuff View (for individuals)
- Documents & File Storage
- Scheduling
- Various Third-Party Integrations (Basecamp 3)
- Message Boards
- API (Basecamp 3)
Pricing
Basecamp lets you start with a free 30-day trial. A fixed paid plan is $99 per month for unlimited users, projects, and 500 GB of storage.
Flow
Thanks to its signature dashboard, Flow gives task managers a bird’s eye view of all the to-dos, deadlines, and accomplishments of their team.
You can easily view tasks in a structured list view while having navigation both on the side and on the dashboard’s top. Project managers can create and assign tasks by email, add custom tags, labels, and colored categories.
Interestingly, this task management software does not attempt to tackle all project management issues but instead focus on specific issues only, such as simplifying the workflow by letting users concentrate on priorities a lot easier.
However, problems start occurring once you begin needing more versatile task management software. Recently, users reported it slowing down due to certain integrations in FlowX (such as a version of Slack). One of the major downsides is that there are few options to customize various views and other features.
Key Features
- Task Management
- Visual Project Timelines
- Task Tracking Timelines
- Kanban Board & Calendar
- Custom Themes
- Workload Tracking & Management
- Team messaging & collaboration
- Task Commenting & Notifications
- Public/Private Sharing
- Project Filters
- Project Templates
- Export to PDF, CSV, or HTML
- Universal Task Search & Filter
- Third-Party Integrations
- Mobile App
Pricing
Flow offers a 30-day free trial, and paid plans start at $5.95 per user per month when paid annually.
Conclusion
Having too much to do and not enough time to complete the tasks quickly leads to weak performance and lost profits. Task management software solves this problem by helping you organize your tasks for optimal analysis.