10 Best Free Project Management Software & Tools for 2024

Trello: Best for simplicity

Image: Trello

TechRepublic Rating: 4.5/5

Trello is this list’s astir easy-to-use escaped task absorption software. The interface is based connected kanban boards, making it casual to negociate and visualize projects.

The escaped program includes unlimited cards, lists and up to 10 boards per team. This means that if you request little than 10 boards, you tin usage the escaped program forever. The lone large regulation of the escaped program is that you lone get to upload files that are 10MB oregon less.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Team collaboration tools: Trello comes with a wide scope of connection tools, including papers sharing, comments and notifications. Users tin configure the notifications according to their preferences.
• Powerful mobile app: Trello’s app is well-designed, allowing users to execute assorted task absorption functions done the mobile app with conscionable a fewer clicks.
• ​​Integrations: Trello’s 190+ integrations, which they telephone Power-Ups, see Slack, Miro, Jira Cloud, Dropbox, Confluence, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams and Zapier.

Figure A: Trello calendar view. Image: Atlassian

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request precocious task absorption features: Trello whitethorn not person each the precocious features (Gantt charts, assets allocation oregon clip tracking) that immoderate businesses require.
  • Alternative: ClickUp’s escaped program includes each the indispensable features you request to negociate elemental projects. It includes Gantt illustration capability, clip tracking via integration and basal assets absorption features.
• Automations need: The escaped program doesn’t let you to execute immoderate automation actions, truthful if you request automations, see an alternative to Trello.
  • Alternatives: With the ClickUp escaped plan, you tin person 50 progressive rules, 100 automation executions and aggregate actions and conditions. Teamwork’s escaped program besides allows you to execute up to 100 automation actions per month.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid pains

The illustration beneath includes the monthly and yearly rates of Trello paid plans, arsenic good arsenic its halfway features and functionalities.

Why I chose Trello

Strictly wrong the confines of escaped kanban boards, Trello is arguably the apical tool. I chose Trello due to the fact that of however straightforward and intuitive its kanban boards are. Trello besides impresses with its Power-Ups, which are unlimited successful the escaped version, though immoderate whitethorn necessitate you to pay.

For a person look, cheque retired our in-depth comparisons of Trello versus Asana, Wrike, Airtable, ClickUp and monday enactment management.

Asana: Best all-around choice

Image: Asana

TechRepublic Rating: 3.9/5

Asana is simply a flexible task absorption and collaboration instrumentality offering aggregate views, customization tools, automation and more. Asana’s escaped program offers galore features, including unlimited retention and squad messaging tools. You besides get assorted task views, including calendar, kanban, lists, workload and more. However, the escaped program is constricted to 3 views, nary task timeline views and less admin controls.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Unlimited use: What makes Asana’s escaped program truthful outstanding is that you get entree to galore unlimited features, including enactment logs, messaging, record retention and more.
• Agile and scrum support: If your concern uses Agile philosophy, you would beryllium gladsome to cognize that Asana’s escaped mentation supports Scrum and Agile task management.
• Three task views: List, committee and calendar view.

Figure B: Asana committee presumption showing lawsuit stories. Image: Asana

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request a clip tracking feature: Asana escaped program doesn’t enactment time tracking capability; adjacent their lowest paid tier besides lacks this feature. If your institution wants to way employee, contractor oregon freelancer billable hours, see an alternative to Asana.
  • Alternatives: Teamwork’s escaped program includes a time-tracking feature, portion the ClickUp escaped program supports clip tracking done integrations.
• You privation to integrate with Salesforce and Tableau: Asana escaped program users cannot link the instrumentality with Tableau oregon Salesforce.
  • Alternative: ClickUp allows you to link natively with 50+ third-party apps, including Salesforce and Tableau.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans

When you bargain immoderate of the Asana premium plans, you volition automatically get entree to the disposable features that are lacking successful the escaped plan. See the outgo of Asana premium plans and their halfway features successful the array below.

Why I chose Asana

Even though it tin instrumentality a portion to accommodate to Asana’s immense features, Asana is simply a thorough task absorption instrumentality that perpetually surprises you with the breadth of its diagnostic set. You tin usage it to negociate astir immoderate benignant of project. You get unlimited projects, tasks, storage, comments and enactment logs successful its escaped version, with List, Board and Calendar views, positive escaped integrations with mundane apps.

For much information, cheque retired our full Asana review.

Teamwork: Best for lawsuit enactment and invoicing

Image: Teamwork

TechRepublic Rating: 3.7/5

Teamwork is simply a escaped task absorption instrumentality that is peculiarly well-suited for lawsuit work, which often involves selling teams, originative teams, agencies, consultancies and more. It has a batch of features, ranging from customizable templates to milestone tracking, which makes it adaptable for galore antithetic types of projects.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Milestones: You tin adhd milestones to task lists to way advancement successful the escaped version.
• Client enactment essentials: Though immoderate whitethorn beryllium limited, Teamwork has astir of the halfway task absorption features for lawsuit work, specified arsenic afloat clip tracking, successful its escaped plan.
• Integrations: Teamwork integrates with galore tools, which see HubSpot, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skyvia, Atarim, Stripe, Integrately and more.

Figure C: Viewing task details successful Teamwork dashboard. Image: Teamwork

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You person much than 5 users: If you person much than 5 radical connected your squad oregon successful your organization, it mightiness beryllium a bully thought to see utilizing an alternative to Teamwork.
  • Alternative: ClickUp supports an unlimited fig of escaped program users.
• Large record retention need: Teamwork gives escaped program users 100MB only.
  • Alternative: Consider Asana if you person precocious record retention demand, arsenic the instrumentality gives each its users — careless of their program — unlimited record retention with up to 100MB record limit.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans:

The pursuing are the halfway features you volition get erstwhile you bargain Teamwork paid plans.

Why I chose Teamwork

I chose Teamwork for its versatility. The level offers a scope of features that are peculiarly utile for agencies, consultancies and different client-focused teams. Its milestone tracking makes it casual to negociate projects from commencement to finish, portion its invoicing features marque it seamless to export invoices based connected logged billable hours from Teamwork to accounting software.

For much information, cheque retired our full Teamwork review.

monday enactment management: Best for scalability

Image: Monday.com

TechRepublic Rating: 5/5

monday enactment absorption often features connected the best task absorption software lists, arsenic it offers everything you expect from a apical task absorption solution. The escaped mentation of monday enactment absorption features each the main dashboards, but the fig of items you tin make is limited. You besides get a hunt function, squad collaboration tools, record upload, kanban view and respective different features connected the escaped plan. That said, you won’t beryllium capable to invitation clients oregon viewers connected the escaped plan, making it perfect for individuals and tiny teams.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Access to each main boards: In the escaped plan, you and your squad get entree to each of the main boards of monday enactment management. That said, you’re constricted to 3 full boards, and determination is simply a bounds to the full fig of items you tin create.
• Files and forms: In the escaped plan, you tin spot each of the files you uploaded successful preview oregon afloat mode. You tin besides person immoderate of the boards into customized forms to cod and way data.
• Templates: monday enactment absorption escaped program gives you entree to implicit 200 customizable templates, truthful you don’t person to commencement creating task boards from scratch.

Figure D: monday enactment absorption task overview, array view. Image: monday.com

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request much than 2 seats: monday’s escaped program is lone disposable to a tiny squad with 2 members. So if your institution needs much radical to enactment connected a project, see a monday alternative.
  • Alternatives: ClickUp and Wrike let unlimited escaped program members.
• You privation to integrate with third-party services: monday enactment absorption escaped program doesn’t let you to integrate with different applications that whitethorn beryllium utile for your workflow.
  • Alternatives: Asana offers you implicit 100 escaped integrations, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Slack. Notion and Teamwork besides let you to link with immoderate third-party applications, including Zapier and Slack.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans

monday enactment absorption offers 4 paid plans. Each program caters to the needs of assorted users, depending connected the features they need. In the illustration below, I’ll outline the outgo of each program and its halfway features.

Why I chose monday enactment management

I selected monday enactment absorption due to the fact that of however intuitive and adaptable its escaped mentation is. The 200+ templates it offers volition conscionable the needs of teams of each sizes, and its kanban boards are casual to acceptable up and follow. The escaped mentation besides offers up to 3 boards with up to 2 members.

For much information, cheque retired our full monday Work OS review.

ClickUp: Best for tiny teams

Image: Clickup

TechRepublic Rating: 5/5

ClickUp is simply a fashionable task absorption instrumentality known for its extended features. Even the escaped mentation of ClickUp is loaded with utile tools for task management. This includes unlimited users, enactment views and customized fields. The escaped program allows you to make up to 5 spaces, 1 for each task flow.

Standout features of the escaped version

• ClickUp Docs: You tin make documents and link them to workflows. You tin besides edit and stock the documents successful existent clip and acceptable entree support rules for each document.
• ClickUp Goals: With this feature, you tin make trackable objectives for each task oregon project. You tin besides delegate assorted objectives to a azygous goal.
• Integrations: ClickUp boasts implicit 1000 tools, with immoderate of the apical autochthonal ones including ClickUp API, Slack, GitHub, GitLab, HubSpot, Toggl, Harvest, Google Drive, Figma and Microsoft Teams.

Figure E: ClickUp Agile committee view. Image: ClickUp

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request much than 100 MB record storage: Though ClickUp offers a generous escaped plan, it lone provides 100MB of record storage. If you request much retention space, you whitethorn request to see utilizing a ClickUp alternative that offers larger retention capacities.
  • Alternative: The Asana escaped program gives you unlimited record retention with a bounds of 100MB per file.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans

The array beneath includes the halfway features you volition get erstwhile you subscribe to immoderate of ClickUp’s paid plans.

Why I chose ClickUp

ClickUp is specified a multifaceted task absorption tool, adjacent successful its escaped tier. It offers astir views you’d expect from a large task absorption tool, but speech from the task List, Board, Calendar, Table, Doc and Chat views, each the different views person restrictions oregon are unavailable for free. It is highly customizable and has tons of integrations, and speech from views, you get a sensation of workload management, dashboards, reminders, caput maps, whiteboards and customized fields successful ClickUp’s escaped tier.

For much information, cheque retired our full ClickUp review.

Wrike: Best for autarkic workers

Image: Wrike

TechRepublic Rating: 4.6/5

Wrike is an adaptable task absorption bundle suitable for each industries. It’s besides highly customizable and offers robust collaboration tools. The escaped program is perfect for solopreneurs and tiny businesses. Users get entree to Kanban boards, tables, spreadsheets and 2GB of retention space. An vantage of Wrike’s escaped program is that you tin entree artificial quality features, specified arsenic AI subtask creation.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Kanban boards: Users tin cheque the advancement of antithetic projects utilizing Wrike’s Kanban boards. This diagnostic besides allows users to acceptable up oregon edit the precedence of tasks.
• Customized templates: There are prebuilt templates that tin beryllium customized for antithetic types of projects, including task scheduling, analyzable task and nonrecreational work management.
• Integrations: With implicit 400 integrations, Wrike’s integrations see Google Drive, Box, GitHub, Jira, IBM Watson Workspace, Bitbucket and more.

Figure F: Creating task dashboard successful Wrike from abstraction tools. Image: Wrike

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request assets management: Wrike’s escaped program lacks assets absorption features specified arsenic assets view, workload charts, effort allocation, assets assignment, clip tracking and timesheets. If you necessitate assets and capableness management, see an alternative to Wrike.
  • Alternative: Though limited, Teamwork offers basal assets absorption features, including workload capacity, time-tracking and timesheets.
• Automations need: Wrike’s escaped program doesn’t let you to execute immoderate automation actions.
  • Alternatives: With the ClickUp escaped plan, you tin person 50 progressive rules, 100 automation executions and aggregate actions and conditions. Teamwork’s escaped program besides allows you to execute up to 100 automation actions per month.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans

Wrike tries its champion to marque its escaped program feature-rich but the features it offers whitethorn beryllium insufficient for astir teams. Hence, erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans, you tin expect to get further features and benefits, specified as:

Why I chose Wrike

While Wrike’s features for the escaped tier are limited, its incorporation of generative AI for accelerated contented procreation for its Work Intelligence solution saves tons of clip that would’ve been spent connected content, connection and workflows. Aside from the AI task hazard prediction feature, each its Work Intelligence features are disposable successful Wrike’s escaped plan.

For much information, cheque retired our full Wrike review.

MeisterTask: Best for ocular task management

Image: MeisterTask

TechRepublic Rating: 5/5

MeisterTask is simply a visually appealing task absorption instrumentality that offers a Kanban-style attack to task management. It prides itself connected simplicity, intuitiveness and information and is simply a worthy information for teams that find ocular workflows and interactive task and task absorption appealing.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Collaborative notes: Has up to 5 notes to let teams to signifier their content.
• Unlimited tasks: The escaped program offers unlimited tasks for your squad to make arsenic galore tasks arsenic they need.
• Integrations: MeisterTask offers integrations similar Slack, Trello, GitHub, Zapier, MindMeister, MeisterNote, Gmail, Spark, Microsoft Teams and Zendesk.

Figure G: MeisterTask projectboard kanban committee view. Image: MeisterTask

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request to tally much than 3 projects: If you are a MeisterTask escaped program user, you cannot tally much than 3 projects.
  • Alternative: With Asana escaped plan, you tin tally and negociate an unlimited fig of projects.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans:

The pursuing are the halfway features you volition get erstwhile you bargain MeisterTask paid plans.

Why I chose MeisterTask

There’s thing astir colorful designs and Kanban boards that conscionable fits. MeisterTask has understood the request to present a visually appealing and intuitive interface that makes task absorption a breeze. With these vibrant Kanban boards, teams tin bask a much interactive mode to negociate tasks.

For much information, cheque retired our full MeisterTask review.

Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet collaboration

Image: Smartsheet

TechRepublic Rating: 3.8/5

Smartsheet merges the functionality of spreadsheets with the capabilities of a coagulated task absorption platform. It brings a much-needed attack to managing analyzable projects utilizing almighty spreadsheets, making it peculiarly invaluable for teams that are comfy with spreadsheet-style interfaces but request much precocious task absorption features.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Two Sheets: The escaped program offers 2 sheets for project/task tracking and management.
• Multiple Views: Smartsheet’s escaped tier offers Grid, Gantt, Calendar and Card View to alteration teams to presumption their programs and projects successful the formats that substance astir to them.
• Integrations: Smartsheet offers 90+ integrations crossed communication, information visualization, contented creation, automation and security. They see Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Tableau, Power BI, DocuSign, Adobe Creative Cloud and Zapier.

Figure H: Smartsheet task dashboard sharing view. Image: Smartsheet

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request much than 2 editors and viewers: Smartsheet escaped program lone allows you to stock your task with 2 editors and viewers. If you request further idiosyncratic seats, see an alternative to Smartsheet.
  • Alternative: Airtable escaped program allows you to invitation up to 5 editors.
• You person a ample record retention need: The Smartsheet escaped program gives you up to 500MB of attachment retention with a maximum attachment size of 30MB.
  • Alternatives: Airtable gives you up to 1GB of attachment retention per base, portion Asana offers unlimited record retention with up to 100MB per file.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans:

The array beneath includes the halfway features you volition get erstwhile you subscribe to immoderate of Smartsheet’s paid plans.

Why I chose Smartsheet

Through its unsocial blend of accepted spreadsheet layouts with modern task absorption features, Smartsheet simplifies analyzable projects and makes it earthy to collaborate connected tasks with a spreadsheet interface. The escaped mentation has each the automated workflow features, though automation triggers are constricted to 100 per month. Smartsheet besides feels easier to usage than Airtable, the different spreadsheet-style task absorption instrumentality connected this list.

For much information, cheque retired our full Smartsheet review.

Notion: Best for note-taking

Image: Notion

TechRepublic Rating: 4.5/5

Notion is simply a escaped task absorption bundle instrumentality that excels successful note-taking and offers a layout whose customizability proves to beryllium impressive. It is adaptable capable to beryllium utilized by individuals, tiny businesses and enterprises crossed design, engineering, merchandise and absorption teams. Teams that request a flexible workspace for some task absorption and documentation indispensable see Notion.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Unlimited Blocks: For idiosyncratic users, the escaped program offers unlimited blocks; however, determination is simply a constricted artifact proceedings for teams.
• Guest Invitations: You tin invitation up to 10 guests to collaborate, beryllium they friends, contractors, household oregon clients.
• Integrations: A fewer integrations included successful Notion are Jira, Slack, GitHub, Asana, Zapier, Make, Tray.io, Slapdash, Miro, Figma, Google Drive and Webex.

Figure I: Notion task absorption dashboard. Image: Notion

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You person a ample retention need: Notion gives escaped program users up to 5MB of record storage. If you person a ample retention request and necessitate much than 5MB of record storage, it would beryllium a bully thought to see utilizing an alternative to Notion that offers higher retention limits.
  • Alternative: Asana’s escaped program gives you unlimited record storage.
• You request a higher enactment bounds per synced database threshold: Notion gives its escaped users a 100-row bounds per synced database.
  • Alternative: Airtable provides a generous bounds of 1000 records per base, making it a suitable enactment for users who request to enactment with larger datasets oregon person much extended databases.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans:

The pursuing are the halfway features you volition get erstwhile you bargain Notion paid plans.

Why I chose Notion

I chose Notion for its unparalleled flexibility and specialized note-taking abilities. The level allows you to make a workspace that’s arsenic elemental oregon arsenic analyzable arsenic you request it to be. Its escaped program is particularly generous for idiosyncratic users, with tens of templates and astir nary restrictions connected blocks and basal integrations.

For much information, cheque retired our full Notion review.

Airtable: Best for customization

Image: Airtable

TechRepublic Rating: 3.8/5.

Airtable is simply a task absorption bundle that evolved from spreadsheets, but implicit clip it has changed its interface to beryllium much modern and streamlined. The fantabulous escaped mentation of Airtable offers a big of features and aggregate views, including kanban boards, assemblage presumption and grid view. With the escaped plan, you get limitations connected revision past and record storage.

Standout features of the escaped version

• Airtable apps and add-ons: There is an full Airtable marketplace with a batch of options to take from. Of course, lone immoderate of the apps and add-ons are disposable successful the escaped version.
• Add views and commenters: The escaped program allows an unlimited fig of viewers and commenters successful your workspace. You tin upgrade this diagnostic successful the paid plans if you privation the idiosyncratic to person editing capabilities.
• Integration: Airtable has immoderate prime integrations, the astir fashionable being Slack, Google Drive, Salesforce, Jira and Zendesk.

Figure J: Airtable calendar view. Image: Airtable

Pros and cons

When to usage an alternative

• You request a elemental task absorption tool: While Airtable is highly customizable, it tin rapidly get overwhelming and clunky arsenic you adhd much squad members and collaborators. If you request thing a spot much intuitive and user-friendly, see an Airtable alternative.
  • Alternatives: Notion and Trello are simple, straightforward and easy-to-use task absorption tools. They are perfect for individuals, startups and SMBs looking for a user-friendly PM instrumentality to negociate basal projects that don’t necessitate a batch of setup oregon customization.

What you get erstwhile you upgrade to the paid plans

Airtable escaped program has galore limitations and a precise debased record retention abstraction of 1GB. If you privation to bask Airtable’s top-tier features, which marque it 1 of the top-rated task absorption software, you should subscribe to 1 of the company’s paid plans.

Why I chose Airtable

For spreadsheet-style task management, Airtable is highly customizable and has a great, user-friendly interface. You tin usage this escaped task absorption app to make databases without having to constitute a azygous enactment of code. Airtable’s escaped tier offers unlimited databases and each views but for Gantt illustration and task timeline.

For much information, cheque retired our full Airtable review.