What is the best project management software, and why does it matter? Find out what software to choose and why in the latest review. Read on and get started today.
Most software solutions are convinced they are the best project management software on the market, but that doesn’t make it true. Many of these project management tools are indeed excellent, but often what makes them the best is subjective to the nature of the organization.
Start-ups and small businesses might have a small team and presently use open-source software such as the Google suite to organize projects. In this case, stepping onto a growth-oriented platform that fails to support immediate goals doesn’t make sense. In this case, a company would be better off with software such as Smartsheet or GanttPRO to get started.
On the other hand, a medium to large-sized business has different priorities and needs a more suitable software solution. GanttPRO and Smartsheet are not the best options for a growth-orientated business because they have certain limitations. A growth-orientated company might better use software with expansive features such as Basecamp, Airtable, or Smartsheet.
To determine whether a software solution is best for your business, you need to think about the nature of your projects, how many people work collaboratively, and what integrations you need to create more efficiency and productivity in your business. The good news is that after you have the raw data, there are plenty of software options to help you streamline and automate.
In this review, we have rounded up the ten best project management software options and closely examined them side-by-side. Forget about searching the internet for spurious reviews on project management tools; simply cast your eye over ten of the best and think about how your business could benefit. Nowadays, software such as this is an indispensable aspect of growth.
Table of Contents
Best Project Management Software
While it’s true that the best project management tool is a subjective choice, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. This software tool is effective regardless of the size of your business; it is competitively priced and supports growth aspirations. Please put your hands together for SmartSuite, a project management tool that delivers results at any scale.
The SmartSuite platform is loved by businesses of all sizes because it has a wide range of features to support different business styles and offers excellent collaboration tools for remote working environments. Not only that, SmartSuite has effective pricing, so if you need a project management solution on a budget, you can partner with the best without breaking your budget.
1. Monday.com
Monday.com is a highly rated project management platform that’s used by businesses of all sizes. The platform offers intuitive dashboards; excellent integrations to support functionality, with effective task management capabilities. Monday.com is also visually appealing software.
Not only does Monday.com offer a useful platform for organizing your company workflows, it gives you real-time insights into your projects that help you make better business decisions. Benefit from at-a-glance data insights that help you assign tasks efficiently and intelligently.
- PRO: Task Management – Although Monday.com is not the best project management platform on the market, it offers intuitive and reliable task management functionality with its multiple charts. The charts on Monday.com are as attractive as they are functional, so you can stay on-brand within your projects, helping to cultivate the right corporate culture from the inside.
- PRO: High Customization – Whether you need to customize a template for your project or an app for your workflow patterns, you can do this with Monday.com without any technical skills.
- CON: Advanced Functionality – Monday.com is an excellent platform for task management and organization, but it lacks the advanced features of similar software, such as task tracking.
- CON: Price Plans – While Monday.com has a free pricing tier, that’s a good way to try the platform; it’s limited if you want to use it seriously. Overall, the pricing options are a little complex which puts some buyers off investing in the platform; that said, if you’re willing to declutter Monday.com pricing, it could be an effective software option for the right business or project.
2. Nifty
Nifty is a centralized project management platform that integrates communication, project workflows, task management, and scheduling. Using a range of dashboards and charts, Nifty helps businesses to streamline projects by creating effective timelines and better productivity.
Nifty is a complete project management solution that integrates a full range of fragmented tools such as spreadsheets, documents, and files and collaboration software with app integrations. Additionally, Nifty has task tracking technology that helps to micro-manage corporate projects.
- PRO: Integrations – If you have project data stored in other places, you can import it into Nifty and view it on one of the many chart options. Nifty offers Kanban, Swimlane, Calendar, and many more making it one of the best software options for charting and streamlining workflows.
- PRO: Onboarding – Some project management tools require special onboarding processes that can slow down your business and take you offline. That’s not the case with Nifty software.
- CON: Task Management – While Nifty is an effective platform for task management, it could be better. If tasks could be broken down into subtasks, it would help to improve project outcomes.
- CON: Notifications – If there is an issue with a task or project, it can be helpful to send notifications to the team automatically or manually. Sadly, this is not possible using Nifty.
3. Basecamp
Basecamp is an integrated project management solution designed to help teams work smarter and better. Import files and documents into spreadsheets, schedule meetings, and assign tasks from a single platform. Basecamp also has excellent integrations for communication and chats.
Open-source software has its benefits, especially when it comes to pricing, but projects have a tendency to become disorganized quickly, especially when you’re working on multiple projects at once. Basecamp allows you to work on multiple projects simultaneously and stay organized.
- PRO: Integrated Platform – Basecamp lives up to its name by covering all the basics when it comes to project management. While there are still updates and advanced features that it could benefit from, at present, it’s a versatile and integrated solution for virtual teams of all kinds.
- PRO: Pricing – Basecamp pricing is simple and straightforward; it is also competitive for business or personal use. Basecamp pricing is separated into personal and business categories with a 30-day free trial available. Basecamp is the only project management software you need.
- CON: Time Tracking – Basecamp allows you to assign tasks and create schedules from the dashboard, but it’s less easy to monitor task progress due to the lack of time management capabilities. While this is certainly a disadvantage, it’s something the software is looking to add.
- CON: Features – Basecamp has an excellent range of features in general, and you won’t feel shortchanged; however, there are a few minor feature issues that could be improved, specifically in relation to archiving. Basecamp doesn’t have a suitable archiving feature.
4. Airtable
Airtable is a simple and functional project management platform. Essentially, Airtable is a spreadsheet, but in practice, it’s much more. Whether you need to view data in a visually appealing format, automate workflow patterns, or create accurate reports, Airtable works well.
Airtable not only organizes projects using centralized spreadsheets and task assigning features, but it’s also an excellent collaboration tool allowing you to communicate with other team members and leave notes on projects. Feel free to change views to suit different project styles.
- PRO: User Friendly – Airtable is an integrated software platform that accomplishes many of the tasks associated with open-source spreadsheets; still, Airtable is a profitable solution that allows you to attach files and organize workflow patterns with drop-down menus and checkboxes.
- PRO: Templates – One of the strengths of Airtable is its wide range of templates that are tailored to specific projects. Templates can also be designed from scratch if you have the skills.
- CON: Learning Curve – Forget about open-source software for your business, it might be free, but it’s not integrated in the same way as a project management solution such as Airtable. That said, you will probably still have to read a few articles in the knowledge base to use it properly.
- CON: Pricing – Most project management software has multiple pricing tiers, and Airtable is no different; however, unlike the others, Airtable charges per user instead of per organization.
5. SmartSuite
SmartSuite is one of the market’s most feature-rich project management software tools. Plan, track, and manage workflows for large projects or everyday tasks. Use the integrated dashboards, charts with templates, automation, and cross-platform conversations and chats.
Regardless of the size of your company or project, you can set up tasks quickly using the pre-fabricated templates making project management faster and more reliable than ever before. Centralize your business workflow and import data into SmartSuite templates conveniently.
- PRO: Project Management – Naturally, SmartSuite is an excellent project management solution, but it stands out due to its extensive tool-set that beats similar market software.
- PRO: Visualization – Whether it’s employees or clients, people can be more responsive to visually appealing presentations. That’s why SmartSuite offers a variety of views and charts.
- CON: Chart Limitations – While SmartSuite has a strong range of visually appealing views, it has its limitations, especially with regards to Gantt charts or time-sheets that can be built.
- CON: Learning Curve – SmartSuite is a substantial software solution which is generally a good thing; the trouble is that it’s more to learn for inexperienced users who need extra support.
6. Teamwork
When it comes to choosing project management software for your business, you need to make the right choice as it’s counterproductive to switch software intermittently. That’s why Teamwork attempts to compete at both ends of the market with comprehensive project software options.
Whether you need templates, kanban boards, or time tracking capabilities, you can benefit from Teamwork software. Choose from four different pricing tiers, including a free version depending on the size and requirements of your organization. Teamwork is tailor-made to suit anybody.
- PRO: User Friendly – Teamwork’s platform is intuitive and easy to navigate, so even if you don’t have much experience with project management software, you can learn it easily while using it.
- PRO: Excellent Features – When it comes to features, you could do a lot worse than Teamwork; in an attempt to reach a broad market base, Teamwork has overextended its capabilities.
- CON: Learning Curve – While Teamwork is reasonably simple to use once you have the know-how, getting there can take some time. However, there are plenty of resources to help.
- CON: Custom Fields – It’s a fortunate complaint to have, but Teamwork might not benefit from its extensive range of custom fields that offer more functionality but take extra time to fill out.
7. Asana
Asana is a comprehensive and flexible project management software platform suitable for any team that wants to stay in sync and meet its targets. While Asana is a comprehensive option, it works a little differently from other software of its kind. Asana uses app integrations more widely.
Whether you want to collaborate on tasks or manage your workflow patterns, Asana has a simple, user-friendly interface to support your objectives. Some companies might view the integration model as a disadvantage, but overall it’s a viable way to build flexibility into projects.
- PRO: Displays – Asana is a clean and user-friendly interface with options to support workflow patterns. Asana benefits from archiving that allows users to store project-specific files for teams.
- PRO: Timeline – The Asana timeline is clear, functional, and easy to use. The timeline feature uses a flexible Gantt chart view allowing users to see data clearly and to update projects easily.
- CON: Integrations – Many project management tools have built-in features that don’t require any integrations, but that’s not the case with Asana. Many features require third-party apps.
- CON: Setup – Some companies like the open-ended design of Asana that allows them to tailor the software to their requirements, while others prefer an easier setup and view this as a con.
8. GanttPRO
GanttPRO is an excellent option for smaller teams ready to move away from open-source software. While it doesn’t have the same level of features and functionality as Asana, Teamwork, and SmartSuite, its focus on Gantt charts and customization is a big incentive.
- PRO: Organization – If you want to maintain a close perspective on your projects, then the Gantt charts offered by GanttPRO are ideal. There Gantt charts are familiar and flexible; they organize everything in neat horizontal rows and offer custom fields for tasks and sub-tasks.
- CON: Limitations – While it’s possible for GanttPRO charts to handle larger projects, this isn’t always suitable. When you operate a large project on GanttPRO, it can become complex quite quickly. It’s possible to break the project into multiple Gantt charts, which isn’t always desirable.
9. Smartsheet
The Smartsheet platform is a comprehensive software solution with advanced functionality. With Smartsheet, you can automate workflow patterns, manage content, streamline business applications, and more. However, you must be prepared for a steep learning curve at the start.
- PRO: Spreadsheets – Most software solutions have one or the other – a database or a spreadsheet. Typically, spreadsheets require more hard drive space since they are not located on the cloud. The hybrid system offered by Smartsheet allows cross-department data sharing.
- CON: Learning Curve – Smartsheet is an advanced spreadsheet tool with high functionality; if you want to get the most out of it, you have to know what you’re doing. Smartsheet has plenty of resources to help you get up to speed, but you can expect a steep learning curve.
10. Zoho Projects
Whether you need software for time tracking or customer relationship management, you can benefit from partnering with Zoho. While it’s not the first software brand you come across, it is fairly comprehensive, with a wide range of features and a simple, user-friendly interface as well.
- PRO: User Friendly – Zoho simplifies project management with its user-friendly dashboard and CRM system. Unlike other solutions in the marketplace, Zoho manages to combine a host of features with an effortless interface reducing the learning curve overall.
- CON: Customer Service – While the Zoho platform is straightforward to use and there is plenty of resources in the knowledge base, that doesn’t mean you will avoid issues altogether. In the event that you encounter feature issues, you might encounter service response issues.
Compare Pricing
| Project Management Software | Pricing as of October 2023 (*The pricings below are for plans billed monthly. The same plan costs less if billed annually.) |
| Monday.com | Free: Free forever up to 2 seats Basic: $10 per seat per month Standard: $12 per seat per month Pro: $20 per seat per month Enterprise: Custom plan as per requirement |
| Nifty | Free: Free forever for unlimited members Starter: $49 per month (10 members) Pro: $99 per month (20 members) Business: $149 per month (50 members) Unlimited: $499 per month (unlimited members) |
| Basecamp | Basecamp: $15 per user per month Basecamp PRO UNLIMITED: $349 per month (unlimited users) |
| Airtable | Free: Free forever for up to 5 editors Team: $24 per seat per month Business: $54 per seat per month Enterprise: Custom plan as per requirement |
| SmartSuite | Free: Free forever for up to 3 users Team: $12 per user per month Professional: $28 per user per month Enterprise: $41 per user per month |
| Teamwork | Free: Free forever for up to 5 users Starter: $8.99 per user per month Deliver: $13.99 per user per month Grow: $25.99 per user per month Scale: Custom plan as per requirement |
| Asana | Basic: Free forever Premium: $13.49 per user per month Business: $30.49 per user per month |
| GanttPRO | Basic: $9.99 per user per month Pro: $15.99 per user per month Business: $24.99 per user per month Enterprise: Custom plan as per requirement |
| Smartsheet | Free: Free for 1 user Pro: $9 per user per month Business: $32 per user per month Enterprise: Custom plan as per requirement |
| Zoho Projects | Free: Free for up to 3 users Premium: €5 per user per month Enterprise: €10 per user per month |
Verdict
Before you invest in project management software, understand your business and your project needs. It’s easy to go with the most highly rated brand name, but that doesn’t make it the best fit for your business. Understanding your requirements helps you to make the right choice initially.
Small to medium-sized businesses might not need the range of features offered by Asana and SmartSuite, that’s not to say they won’t benefit, but it might be more cost-effective and economical to work with narrower parameters. Simple software is also faster to learn and use.
Start-ups and small businesses looking to manage projects and team collaborations can benefit from the features and integrations available on GanttPRO, Teamwork, and Nifty. Not only are they easier to learn, but they have some expansive features to facilitate any growth aspirations.
Regardless of your business size or objectives, partnering with a software option from the top 10 best project management solutions is effective. The main things to keep in mind are the complexity of the platform for learning and whether the features are aligned with project goals.