Best Project Management Software Of 2024

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Why We Picked ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management solution designed to help businesses in any industry optimize project cycles with a highly customizable interface, robust automation capabilities and extensive collaboration features. It helps you visualize tasks and project optimally with over 15 views including options like Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and calendars.

No-code automation with templates and drop-down menus for increased personalization mean you can build effective workflows. Other notable features include in-card comments, custom dashboards, sprint management, in-built documents and time tracking.

However, ClickUp’s feature-rich platform can also be a pitfall with some reviewers noting a steep learning curve associated with mastering its various functionalities. Additionally, the platform's tiered pricing structure might be a concern for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets.

During our test run, ClickUp scored points for its easy automation, customization to the nth level, reporting views and collaborative tools. We found it incredibly easy to build custom workflows, implement templates for a new space and keep assignees accountable with the activity stream in each card. Overall, we think ClickUp is a fantastic option for businesses of all sizes, especially if you’re looking for a highly customizable and collaborative project management platform.

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Pros & Cons

Easy To Use: Reviewers appreciated how easy the solution was to use and set up, even without extensive training or customer support.
Customization: Extensive customization options like task views, priority levels, color coding, and automations to create a unique product for their specific team were a plus for many users.
Collaboration: Users liked how easy it is to collaborate by assigning tasks, subtasks, comments and due dates with automated email notifications.

What Users Like

Versatility: “ClickUp lets you tailor tasks, projects, and views down to the smallest detail, which was perfect for our team since each project can look totally different. For example, we used its automation features to auto-assign tasks when certain stages were reached, which cut down on a ton of back-and-forth and kept everyone aligned.” - Victor André Enselmann, Founder of digital marketing firm Modeva
Centralization and Collaboration: “With offices across major U.S. cities, aligning everyone can be challenging. However, ClickUp’s customizable dashboards allow each team to organize tasks based on project demands while keeping a high-level view of overall progress. This flexibility has significantly reduced the back-and-forth between teams, saving time and ensuring that our large-scale projects stay on track.” - Steve Morris, Founder and CEO of NEW MEDIA

Cost: Reviewers mentioned expensive renewal fees after the free trial and upselling.
Learning Curve: Users noted it takes time for new users to get familiarized with so many features and how its navigation and customization work.
Notifications: An influx of email notifications for every change can cause some important alerts to get lost, according to some users.

What Users Dislike

Too Many Features: “We ended up with a cluttered dashboard full of features we didn’t need, and it actually slowed us down. Once we simplified and focused on just the core tools, it was a lot smoother. So, with ClickUp, the trick is to use what you need and ignore the rest, or it can overwhelm more than it helps." - Victor André Enselmann, Founder of digital marketing firm Modeva
Time-Based Automations: “Initially, the learning curve was steep, which led to some confusion and delays as we adapted. To address this, we created a custom onboarding process for new hires that guides them through the platform’s essentials before diving into more advanced functions.” - Steve Morris, Founder and CEO of NEW MEDIA

Key Features

Multiple Views: Get a bird’s eye view of your business with the everything view. Check your project’s progress in over 15 ways, including Kanban, board, Gantt, calendar, chat and activity views.
Custom Workspaces: Create (work)spaces for each project with your own set of workflow rules, automations, statuses, fields and even assignees. Move tasks in-between spaces and change priority, receive pop-ups if statuses are different and control space accessibility.
Task Management: Keep track of tasks using cards that you can build from scratch or create using custom templates and fields. Assign tasks, post points, due dates, assignees and statuses. View and add comments, create alerts for overdue tasks, use custom checklists and add task dependencies.
Sprint Management: Create sprints using templates from ClickUp or your workspace. Manage your sprint cycles by setting custom sprint dates, priority levels and points to your work. Auto-add unfinished tasks to your next sprint, duplicate sprint views and integrate sprints with GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket. Pace your sprints against a target using burndown charts and use burnup charts to see completed and pending work. Organize and manage sprint-specific settings via the sprint folder.
No-Code Automations: Create custom automations for tasks and processes without coding expertise. Use built-in recipes, ClickApps or build-your-own automations in each space using actions, triggers and conditions custom to your workflow and processes using drop-down menus.
Dashboards and Reporting: Click on the home icon to view a personalized dashboard of your recent projects, assigned tasks, reminders and comments. Create custom dashboards and reports from specific spaces using templates or by selecting the start from scratch option.
Time Tracking: Track time from multiple assignees using the built-in tracker in each card. Get an overview of user activity in your company and see when users are active using Pulse and the timesheets feature.
Document Creation: Create documents within the program’s word processor that are directly integrated into projects and tasks. Import documents from other word processors to add tags and use a robust tool library.
Goals and Targets: Set and organize goal trackers in folders to keep track of multiple projects at once. Set goal targets by monetary value, True/false conditions, or by number of units.

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Best Overall

Best for Platform Features

Best for Platform Security

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Best for Project Planning and Scheduling

Best for Time Tracking and Management

Wrike

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^$9.80

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Why We Picked Wrike

Wrike, a cloud-based project management platform, has attracted significant attention for its comprehensive features and ability to streamline workflows. Users frequently highlight its intuitive interface, robust functionality, and scalability as key strengths. The platform's customizability empowers teams to tailor their project management processes to their specific needs, enhancing efficiency and productivity. Wrike's Gantt charts, for instance, provide a clear visual representation of project timelines and dependencies, enabling project managers to track progress and identify potential bottlenecks. Additionally, Wrike's automation capabilities, such as automated workflows and custom request forms, free up valuable time for teams to focus on high-impact tasks.

However, some users note that Wrike's extensive features can lead to a steeper learning curve compared to simpler project management tools. Navigating the interface and discovering all the functionalities may require some initial investment of time and effort. Additionally, while Wrike offers various pricing plans to accommodate different team sizes and requirements, some users find the cost to be relatively high compared to other options in the market. Despite these considerations, Wrike remains a popular choice for teams seeking a powerful and versatile project management solution. Its ability to adapt to diverse workflows, coupled with its robust features and scalability, makes it particularly well-suited for larger teams and organizations with complex project requirements. Wrike's comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities further enhance its value proposition, providing valuable insights into team performance and project progress.

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Pros & Cons

User-Friendly Interface: Approximately 60% of users mention Wrike’s user-friendly interface and features in addition to easy installation.
Collaboration: According to 90% of users, it's easy to share files and collaborate with internal and external team members, stakeholders and business partners.
Support and Learning Materials: Wrike offers helpful customer support to help with implementation questions and any other concerns that arise as stated by 65% of users.
Customizable and Flexible: Approximately 75% of users say Wrike has a customizable and flexible system to fit their business needs.
Organization: There are plenty of folders and labels to keep files and projects organized, as reported by 85% of users.
Notifications: Wrike delivers various project notifications and alerts as stated by 61% of users.
Helpful Tools: Approximately 71% of users appreciate Wrike's various dashboards, Gantt charts, reports and other distinct modules.

Steep Learning Curve: Of the users who describe Wrike's user interface, 39% say the interface has a steep learning curve and is hard to understand.
Training: Approximately 35% of users iterate that implementation training and support is available but is difficult to learn.
Alerts: Of the users who discuss Wrike's alerts and notifications, 38% of them say there's no way to adjust how many they receive.

Key Features

Gantt Charts: Zoom out to see the full view of a project’s tasks, dependencies, timeline and scope. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to adjust task dates and add dependencies. It’s also easy to toggle between different views (day, week, month, etc.). Wrike facilitates data transfer for users switching from Microsoft Project, ensuring all elements are imported for MPP, MPX and XML formats.
Task Management: Wrike brings together all aspects of your project — tasks, schedules and team communications — into a single location for more efficient project management. The platform connects with Gmail, Apple Mail and Outlook, allowing you to manage tasks directly from your inbox. It also facilitates time tracking and reporting.
Project Templates: A range of pre-built templates allow teams to start with key elements already in place. Specific template types include agile teamwork, project scheduling, event management, product launches, Kanban projects, ticketing and helpdesk, sprint planning, and product roadmaps.
Reports: Wrike offers reporting capabilities to users with business and enterprise accounts. The report builder takes you through the four-stage process of creating a report, with inputs for type, source data, filters and layout (table or column). Report topics include weekly project status, unassigned tasks, active tasks by assignee and others.
Wrike Resource (premium add-on): This feature provides resource management and is available with Business, Wrike for Marketers and Enterprise plans. A visual, intuitive interface facilitates workload planning and changes, providing full visibility of team performance. You can also customize resource utilization analytics tools to track KPIs for better insight.
Wrike Proof (premium add-on): Streamline feedback processes and review cycles with visual tools and a centralized system that keeps version control in check. You can assign approvers internally as well as invite external reviewers. The software also connects with Adobe Creative Cloud tools, letting creatives review feedback and make updates from the app they work in.
Wrike Lock (premium add-on): Wrike provides cloud security and privacy with encryption keys. Both your data and the keys are encrypted, letting you determine who can access and edit the information stored on the platform. You have full control over the individual keys via a master key that’s stored by the Key Management Service from AWS.
Wrike Publish (premium add-on): This feature enables digital asset management (DAM). Integrations with DAM platforms provide a range of capabilities, including stakeholder collaboration and file proofing. You can also attach files to tasks, quickly search your workspace for the right asset and gain brand consistency across campaigns.

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monday.com

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^$9

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Why We Picked monday.com

monday.com is a cloud-based project management platform that caters to a wide range of industries thanks to its customization, user-friendly interface and templates. It allows users to build boards from templates or from scratch and view projects through multiple views like list, calendar, Ganntt and Kanban. During our test, we enjoyed using the platform's pre-built templates and drag-and-drop feature to set up projects and reorganize tasks.

Its task management features are stellar. We liked how easy it is to custom groups for tasks, assign them to specific team members, and leverage various communication tools like comments, mentions and board discussions. The updates feature means everyone is on the same page and the view option boosts accountability. On the automation front, we successfully used the built-in automation engine, which comes with both pre-made templates and no-code customization options, to build a custom automation for status changes with little to no difficulty.

On the flip side, monday.com may have a slight learning curve for users who aren’t familiar with project management tools. Additionally, some advanced features, such as custom notifications and time tracking, require upgrading to a higher pricing tier, which could become expensive for larger teams.

All in all, we thought monday’s intuitive interface, customization options and no-code automations make it a great option for users without a ton of technical expertise and a flexible budget.

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Pros & Cons

Task Management: Users appreciated how easy it is to monitor tasks with customized views, an activity feed and task updates.
Collaboration: Instant messaging, integrations, board discussions and easy scheduling and planning were a plus for reviewers.
User-Friendly: Reviewers said it was simple to set up and use for less tech-savvy users, and liked the attractive, colorful interface with helpful templates.

What Users Like

Project Tracking: "The ability to customize columns and task dependencies lets us create a clear, tailored workflow." - Jeffery Zhou, CEO and Founder of Fig Loans
Interface: "The timeline and calendar views were particularly useful when we had multiple projects running alongside each other, helping everyone stay aligned without a lot of back-and-forth." - Rob Stevenson, Founder of BackupVault
Notifications: “The automation features were especially useful in notifying different people responsible at different steps of the journey while maintaining transparency and accountability with the rest of the team and building a frictionless and trust-based culture.” - Alok Jain, CEO of Reveal

Cost: Reviewers noted that advanced features like customized notifications or time tracking required a plan upgrade which could become expensive.
Learning Curve: It takes time to get used to the navigation and features according to users.
Mobile App: Some users said the mobile app doesn’t have all the features available.

What Users Dislike

Complexity: “[monday.com] lacked some flexibility in handling complex, multi-step tasks that needed a lot of customization, which sometimes left us manually tracking those details elsewhere.” - Rob Stevenson, Founder of BackupVault
Time-Based Automations: “Creating an automation to notify a user three days after a certain date, for example, was more complex than it needed to be. We had to set up custom date columns to drive these instead of just being able to calculate it as a part of automation.” - Alok Jain, CEO of Reveal

Key Features

Custom Dashboard: Build your own custom dashboard using built-in widgets and third-party integrations. Get a bird’s eye view of your boards and teams along with individual team member and board views. Monitor workload, timelines, feed activity and custom charts, like in-progress tasks, from a central location.
Multiple Views: Toggle between different views to track your projects using Gantt charts, Kanban boards, calendar views, project reports and custom filters like task owner, status and timeline.
Task Management: Create tasks under custom groups like To-Do, In-Progress, On-Hold, and Complete and add personalized fields, assignees, due dates, labels, statuses and priorities. Mention assignees, add comments, files, links and tables directly in the tasks using the Updates tab. Drag and drop tasks and groups to reorganize things.
Automations: Streamline workflows with no-code automations using templates or building custom automations from scratch using conditions and actions. Apply automations to specific boards and save your custom automations as a template to use on other boards.
Templates: Create boards suited to your project needs by accessing the template center and choosing from a range of templates, including marketing, project management, sales and CRM, design, software development, and HR.
Workflow Management: Organize your processes by creating custom workflows. Search for the trigger you’re looking for and add it as a starting block. Build on those blocks by choosing from several options: action, if or else or delay. Select the board where you want the action to happen, add conditions and edit blocks. View active workflows and pause or edit workflows as processes change.

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Zoho Projects

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^$4

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Why We Picked Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects offers comprehensive solutions for its customers to tackle multiple business needs with ease. Users have full control of their projects as they can manage every stage of project progress, allocate resources, manage tasks, record timesheets and automate workflow processes for standardization. It offers an extensive knowledge base and fosters team collaboration for efficient project completion. However, its UI is clunky and difficult to use, it requires a steep learning curve to make optimal use of its full capabilities, comes with limited features in its basic version and offers sluggish customer support.

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Pros & Cons

Functionality: Zoho Projects offers robust tools to manage multiple business needs, including project management, resource allocation, efficient collaboration and timesheets, as reported by approximately 90% of the users who mention the product’s functionality.
Flexible: The system is highly flexible and can be configured for different purposes like marketing and other business requirements, noted nearly 85% of customers who talked about its flexibility.
Integrations: Approximately 75% of the reviewers who mentioned integrations observed that the solution offers multiple APIs and seamless integration with other Zoho suite products and popular external modules for project planning and implementation.
Centralized Communication: The system centralizes all project communication between teams, which makes it easy to search and fix issues, noted nearly 72% of the users who talked about its communication capabilities.

Not Intuitive: The system is not user-friendly with a clunky and unintuitive UI compared to its competitors, reported 88% of reviewers who mentioned the system’s usability.
Cost: Nearly 92% of the users who mentioned cost remarked that Zoho Projects is expensive for small teams looking for more features on a limited budget, doesn’t offer options to customize functionality and its package price is a costly investment for bigger teams with more users.
Data and Reporting: Data generated by the system is difficult to comprehend, and it doesn’t allow report customization using different fields and visuals, observed by about 86% of customers who mentioned reporting.
Support: Customer support is slow and doesn’t offer enough support documentation or tutorial videos to exploit the system’s capabilities fully, noted 80% of reviewers who talked about support.

Key Features

Task Management: Control important task details, add important information such as priority or duration with tasks and subtasks. Link tasks to create dependencies. Highlight each project phase with milestones. Organize tasks using drag-and-drop Kanban boards and custom layouts.
Social Project Management: Communicate and collaborate for effective project management. Create public or private chat rooms, pages for team knowledge base and forums to engage in discussion. Centralize project updates with feeds. Create new posts while adding comments to existing posts.
Charts and Reports: View project details and metrics using a variety of charts. Get a high-level view of project tasks and dependencies through Gantt charts while resource utilization charts break down each team member’s workload by day. Gain insights into project performance across a wide range of KPIs with over 50 out-of-the-box reports and dashboards.
Time Tracking: Let employees log their hours on a timesheet automatically or manually while allowing managers to view reports based on personnel, time or project. Transform a timesheet to an invoice with a few simple steps. Compare the expected task duration with the actual time spent on a task. Track each member’s availability, issues and milestones using calendar views.
Issue Tracking: Report issues with all the relevant details and assign them for attention. Importing issues in bulk keeps them all in one place, and you can then export them as an XLS or CSV file. Track all issues according to criteria using filtered views. View committed changes with all changeset details included.

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Asana

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^$10.99

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Why We Picked Asana

Asana is a work management platform designed to help users organize and streamline operations with a user-friendly, customizable interface, automation and AI. Key features include the ability to create custom fields, deadlines, and subtasks, utilize various project views like Kanban boards and timelines, and leverage AI for summarizing tasks and drafting workflows. During my test of the software, I liked how easy it was to create a task by email and create project and task summaries using their AI tool.

Customization was also a win. I built a task template for my Content Creation project with custom fields, relative due dates, assignees and a bulleted checklist. However, head’s up, adding task templates to existing tasks requires creating a new task with the template and merging it. Hands down, workflow management was one of my favorite parts of testing Asana. Adding in new sections (without having to go to the list view) and creating custom rules for transitions with a little help from their version of prompts was a breeze.

Collaboration is another plus, with in-card comments and mentions, an inbox, group and individual messaging in platform and guest accounts with custom permissions for external users.

On the downside, if you don’t have access to a free trial of the paid version (like I did), the free version may not be as effective. You won’t be able to access AI features, certain project views and resource management. The setup also isn’t exactly intuitive, and you may need training plus multiple visits to the help center to conceptualize your project and pick the right template.

Overall, Asana is a fantastic all-in-one project management solution for users looking for a flexible tool with AI assistance and don’t mind springing for one of the paid plans.

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Pros & Cons

User Friendly: Reviewers appreciated that the system is easy to use and intuitive with a clean UI, even if you’re new to projects.
Overall Functionality: Workflows and automation, task management and collaboration are everything you’d look for in a project management system, according to users.
Customization: Users liked the customization options for unique team needs, projects and workflows.

>Cost: Users mentioned Asana’s paid plans were too expensive for smaller businesses making it difficult to upgrade from the limited free version.
Set-Up: Getting started can be overwhelming with so many customizations and task options. Users said you may need extra time to implement it effectively.
Advanced Features: Reviewers noted some features like AI, advanced project views, resource management and multiple task assignees require expensive plan upgrades.

Key Features

Task Management: Create tasks with custom fields, deadlines, tags, subtasks, dependencies and descriptions during setup, adding tasks to the section you want when you create your first project or forwarding an email to [email protected]. Save time by converting your custom tasks into a template you can apply to new tasks and using AI to summarize tasks and draft subtasks. Switch between list, board, timeline, calendar and Gantt views to optimize visualization and drag-and-drop tasks between sections.
Project Planning and Scheduling: Kick your projects off with a plethora of templates ranging from product rollouts to hiring pipelines, or import your project from a spreadsheet. Convert tasks into milestones on the card and add details about why it’s a milestone. Add tasks to multiple projects and organize strategic initiatives by creating a portfolio where you can track the updates of all your projects.
Resource Management: Keep track of what’s on everyone’s plate by switching to the workload view. Drag and drop tasks to manage timelines and assignees and assign custom values like hours or points to tasks to accurately factor in employee effort.
Sprint Management: Hit the ground running by applying the sprint template to a new project. Add custom fields, use the timeline tab to map out sprint tasks and deadlines and set start and finish dates in the project view.
Collaboration Features: Add updates, questions and notes into the description. Comment on cards with mentions, files, lists, code blocks and even AI assists. Send messages directly to individuals or teams using the inbox. Keep your clients in the loop by creating guest accounts and sharing specific tasks and projects with them.
Reports and Insights: Tap into a bird’s eye view of your project by clicking on the dashboard tab where you can monitor overdue, complete and incomplete tasks and burnup charts and create custom charts with their AI tool. Visit the reporting tab to view trends, progress, resourcing and work health.
Custom Automations and Workflows: Build a workflow that’s a perfect fit for your project in the workflow tab by adding sections for each step in the process with custom transitions and rules when tasks are moved. Add custom automations and rules from scratch, use the options provided as a starting point or get a helping hand from the AI studio. Check out the automations we built in depth below.

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Airtable

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^$20

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Why We Picked Airtable

Airtable has revolutionized the way businesses handle data, offering a unique blend of spreadsheet simplicity and database power. Reviewers consistently highlight its user-friendly interface, making it accessible to individuals with varying technical backgrounds. Unlike traditional spreadsheets, Airtable allows users to establish relationships between data sets, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of complex information. This feature proves invaluable for project management, as it facilitates the tracking of dependencies and the visualization of workflows.

Airtable's flexibility is another standout feature. Users can customize their databases with various field types, including attachments, checkboxes, and formulas, to tailor the platform to their specific needs. Additionally, Airtable's extensive template library provides a starting point for various use cases, such as content calendars, product roadmaps, and CRM systems. Reviewers appreciate the ability to seamlessly integrate Airtable with other popular applications like Slack, Google Drive, and Zapier, streamlining workflows and enhancing productivity. While some users note that Airtable's pricing can be higher than some competitors, the consensus is that the platform's robust features and scalability justify the cost, particularly for growing businesses with evolving data management requirements.

Airtable is an excellent choice for teams and businesses seeking a versatile and user-friendly solution for managing and organizing their data. Its intuitive interface, coupled with its powerful features and integrations, makes it suitable for a wide range of use cases, from simple task management to complex project workflows. Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, Airtable can empower your team to collaborate effectively and make data-driven decisions with ease. Please note that software features and pricing structures can change over time, so it's always a good idea to check the official Airtable website for the most up-to-date information.

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Pros & Cons

User Friendly: The system is easy to use and intuitive, as noted by approximately 90% of users who mention the system’s usability.
Functionality: Airtable offers a robust suite of successful business management tools, as reported by 88% of the users who mention the product’s functionality.
Customizations: About 90% of users who referred to customization noted that this system is easy to customize as per their business’s needs.
Collaborative: About 100% of users who mentioned the platform’s collaborative capabilities noted that it facilitates and encourages team interactions.

Limited Project Management Features: Airtable lacks native Gantt charts and other robust project visualization tools, making it less suitable for complex projects.
Learning Curve: The interface, while flexible, can be overwhelming for new users due to its unique spreadsheet-database hybrid approach.
Customization Challenges: Extensive customization often requires familiarity with formulas and scripting, potentially hindering users with limited technical expertise.
Mobile App Limitations: The mobile app offers reduced functionality compared to the desktop version, which can impact on-the-go project management.

Key Features

Bases: Based on databases that are similar to spreadsheets, and each base supports multiple tables. Lets users view the information in each table in several ways. Can be used to create content calendars, product roadmaps and event plans, among others.
Blocks: Blocks add functionality to bases, letting users build workflows that fit their team’s needs. The WYSIWYG editor lets users create a host of layouts and interactive interfaces, such as timelines, charts, time trackers, pivot tables, 3D model explorers, page designers and countdown clocks. Also gives users the ability to send group SMS messages or connect via video chat.
Templates: Out-of-the-box templates cover the gamut of project types and are suitable for different departments. Lets users choose from categories like content production, creative, event planning, marketing, project management and more.
Layout Configurations: Displays project details using four different views: Kanban, grid, calendar or gallery. The grid layout provides an overview of different tasks that include priority level, department, deadline and other elements. Kanban and gallery views have similar functionality but are more visual and less detailed. Calendars display tasks based on deadlines for a visual overview.
Integrations and Extensions: Integrates with popular apps, including other project management tools like Asana and Trello. Connects with Zendesk, Box, Evernote, G-Suite tools, GitHub, Dropbox and others. Teams can use Zapier for extended capabilities to configure integrations with more than 1,000 apps and websites.
View Data: Lets users create different views for different cases. Grouping, sorting and power filtering gives users the right view for their content. Save views for easy access.
Airtable Apps: Airtable marketplace has over 50 pre-built apps. The Gantt app helps users tackle project dependencies and visualize progress. Its Page Designer app helps users pull data to create slides, catalogs and invoices.

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Smartsheet

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^$9

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Why We Picked Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a cloud-based work management platform that helps users streamline and organize processes with a spreadsheet-esque interface, flexible templates, multiple views and team collaboration. Apart from the grid view, you can visualize projects using a Gantt chart, Kanban board, calendar view, card view or timeline view. No-code automations are another note-worthy feature, where you can build from templates or scratch.

It streamlines project creation with templates suited to different industries and end goals, so you have a jumping-off point instead of going in blind. Team collaboration is another area where Smartsheet shines, with comments, conversations and file and sheet sharing (even with people outside your organization). It also offers a customizable dashboard view, although I did find some of the chart widgets a little tricky to work, without training.

Highlights for me were definitely the familiarity of spreadsheet formatting (but with more views and automations), robust collaboration capabilities and guided explainers throughout the setup. However, user reviews noted limited filters and integrations, lags and expensive add-ons as downsides.

Overall, Smartsheet is a great option for teams familiar with spreadsheets but are on the lookout for more visualization and collaboration, along with the budget to spend on advanced features.

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Pros & Cons

Automation: Reviewers appreciated the no-code automation and said that it helps to eliminate productivity killers and saves time.
Collaboration: Users liked the sharing option with level-based permissions that allow collaboration with non-users and help coworkers and external stakeholders stay up-to-date on projects and processes.
Ease of Use: A user-friendly interface and templates make it easy to set up, customize and access multiple views, according to reviewers.

What Users Like

Customization: “We can customize it to fit various projects, whether we’re tracking client cases, managing document revisions, or planning team tasks. For instance, I created a project tracker for a major client contract negotiation. The ability to set deadlines, assign tasks, and update statuses in real time has streamlined our communication and kept everyone on the same page.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal
Collaboration: “We had this one job in a high-rise condo that put Smartsheet to the test. The sliding door system was an older model with custom-sized panels that aren’t easy to source, and it needed specific adjustments due to the unique structure of the frame. Typically, coordinating the right parts, tools, and technician experience for something like this would require several phone calls and a lot of back-and-forth. With Smartsheet, we were able to set up the job details to track not only the special parts needed but also assign a technician who was experienced with that model. When the parts came in, the technician was notified directly through Smartsheet, so he knew the moment everything was ready. It saved us from potential delays and kept the customer fully updated on when the work could be done.” - Gal Cohen, Business Development Leader and Field Area Manager JDM Sliding Doors

System Integration: Limited integrations and complex configurations were an issue for reviewers.
Premium Add-Ons: Reviewers noted that advanced features come with a price tag that can be prohibitive for some businesses.
Slow Loading Time: Users reported it takes time to display screens export formats occasionally.

What Users Dislike

Integration: “Despite its many benefits, integrating Smartsheet with other systems posed some challenges. Initially, we experienced issues with data syncing between Smartsheet and our CRM software, leading to discrepancies in our financial reporting. Recognizing this, I allocated specific time for thorough testing before our full implementation, allowing us to identify and resolve any integration issues early on.” - Austin Rulfs, Founder of Zanda Wealth Mortgage Brokers
Learning Curve: “While Smartsheet is powerful, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. I found that investing time in training sessions helped bridge that gap, making it easier for everyone to adapt and use the tool effectively.” - Russ Johnson, Founder of Linx Legal

Key Features

Dashboards and Reports: Customize your dashboard by adding widgets like reports, project-specific charts, shortcuts, images and text. Consolidate data from multiple sheets into a summary view using system reports. Track sheet changes using bi-directional functionality. Send reports via collaborative tools and change statuses to recur.
Multiple Views: View your tasks using the grid view, akin to a spreadsheet, a Gantt view as an add-on to your grid view, a Kanban board where you can drag and drop tasks and group them by assignee or status, a timeline view, a card view with customizable lanes and a calendar view that displays your tasks across its duration or by start dates only.
Task Management: Add your tasks and subtasks into each cell and use the indent and outdent buttons to divide tasks into groups that can be minimized to provide a project overview. Create or modify custom fields with your own text, dropdown lists and symbols to show status, assignees, priority, dates and latest comment. Attach files and proofs, write comments and mention users and set reminders for tasks.
Automations and Workflows: Save time with custom processes and workflows you can build by modifying templates for reminders and alerts, document generation, row changes, sheet changes and updates, and approval requests. Build your own workflow automations from scratch by choosing your trigger, setting conditions and adding actions. Manage automations by deactivating, deleting, duplicating or unsubscribing.
Templates: Use pre-built templates ranging from event management to HR workflows and marketing to streamline project creation. View complexity, task management and process before you apply a template. Build and save your own templates by customizing pre-built templates or creating them from scratch.
Integrations: Drive productivity with integrations like Office 365, Dropbox, DocuSign and Google Workspace and use iCal or Google Calendar to track project statuses.
Team Collaboration: Communicate with team members by commenting and mentioning users in individual tasks, adding files for additional information and chatting via the conversations tool where everyone with access to the sheet can see your comments. Integrate with Slack or Microsoft Teams to receive updates about your sheet and send messages to channels.

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Teamwork

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Why We Picked Teamwork

Teamwork has carved out a niche for itself in the project management software market, attracting a loyal following of users who appreciate its balance of user-friendliness and robust functionality. Reviews highlight Teamwork's intuitive interface and ease of use as major advantages, making it accessible to teams with varying levels of technical expertise. This ease of use is often contrasted with the steeper learning curves associated with competitors like Asana and Monday.com, where the abundance of features can initially overwhelm new users. Teamwork's emphasis on client work management also sets it apart, with features like time tracking, budgeting, and resource allocation directly addressing the needs of client-facing teams. This focus on client work is a key differentiator from more general project management tools like Trello or Basecamp, which may require additional integrations or workarounds to achieve the same level of client management functionality.

While Teamwork receives praise for its core feature set, some users note that it may lack the depth of advanced features found in some competing platforms. For example, while Teamwork offers basic reporting capabilities, it may not provide the same level of customization and in-depth analytics as tools like Zoho Projects or Wrike. Similarly, Teamwork's resource management features, while helpful, may not be as comprehensive as those offered by dedicated resource management solutions. Despite these limitations, Teamwork's strengths in ease of use, client work management, and value for money make it a compelling choice for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly those in client service industries such as marketing, consulting, and design. Its intuitive interface and focus on client-centric features enable teams to efficiently manage projects, collaborate effectively, and deliver exceptional client experiences.

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Pros & Cons

Functionality: Teamwork standardizes operations, offers an overview of a company’s performance and is suitable to manage small and large projects, as reported by nearly 89% of the users who mentioned the product's functionality.
Collaborative: Approximately 80% of users who talked about collaboration noted that the system streamlines team collaboration with tabs to add messages, notes, links and comments for each project.
Time-Tracking: Teamwork’s built-in time logging makes billing easier; it monitors project status, time spent on each project and keeps tabs on individual contributors, as reported by 90% of reviewers who referred to time-tracking.
Reporting: The system offers powerful reporting tools with graphical representations and identifies high and low-performing employees, which helps companies support them, as reported by nearly 84% of reviewers who referred to reporting.

Non-Intuitive: Nearly 77% of reviewers who mentioned usability noted that the system is not intuitive or easy to navigate and requires a steep learning curve and training to understand its capabilities.
Customization: Teamwork doesn’t offer many customization options, custom templates are difficult to locate and menu changes for every function, reported nearly 86% of users who mentioned customizations.
Integrations: The system doesn’t integrate seamlessly with third-party modules, and features like integration with external financial applications are not offered in the free version, as reported by nearly 84% of users who mentioned system integration.

Key Features

Boards: Organize tasks and create workflows that fit with Scrum and Kanban methodologies or your team’s unique processes. Configure column details, set up notifications that trigger with certain actions, set a color for each column, collapse columns and more. Move tasks between columns with simple drag and drop.
Teamwork Timer: Accurately track time spent on projects. Track time automatically; and pause when a computer goes idle and resume when active. Edit the time log to ensure accuracy. Import tasks or add new timers for comprehensive tracking.nbsp;
Dashboards: Get a real-time stream of project updates and notes. Get easy access to data like late tasks, events and milestones. Track project metrics by building dashboards for individual KPIs, including top risks, tasks, logged time (billed vs. unbilled), milestones and more. Position the panel layout with drag-and-drop functionality.
Integrations: Integrate with over 45 popular modules to allow teams to work with their favorite applications. Connect with G Suite programs, Slack, QuickBooks, Zendesk, HubSpot, Dropbox and more. Plug in Zapier to access over 1500 additional applications.
Mobile Apps: Work from anywhere with mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. Desktop apps work with macOS and Windows too.
Risk Register: Minimize potential risks by recording and tracking events that may jeopardize a project. Set probability, impact, status and impact areas for every risk. Include notes on how to mitigate risks. Export the risk register as a PDF or Excel spreadsheet.
Task Management: Create tasks and subtasks that can be assigned to multiple users. Prepare task dependencies, track task history for reporting purposes, add dates, leave comments and more.
Templates: Create reusable templates for a number of different use cases. Include task lists, full projects, default categories, welcome emails for new members, default board columns and default user permissions. Choose items to include in the new project while copying like invoices, time logs, milestones, tasks and more.

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Jira

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Why We Picked Jira

Jira is an agile-based project management platform that caters to a vast range of industries thanks to its all-in-one functionality, customization and flexibility. It allows users to fully customize workflows, issue types, fields and automations.

After watching a few tutorials, I personally found it quite simple to create my own projects using the templates and modifying it to meet my needs. Although some of the automation actions and issues have some programming language involved, it’s not a huge roadblock and I created and tested multiple automations successfully.

Task (or issue) management was on point, with multiple views, custom workflows, task assignment, in-card collaboration and time tracking and custom fields. It offered comprehensive (but not overly advanced) reports and a helpful summary dashboard.

Sprints were intuitive and easy to execute, and I especially appreciated the drag-and-drop feature for planning. Some users mentioned a learning curve, and I would agree, as I relied on videos to guide me through some parts of the setup lest this test take weeks not days.

Overall, Jira is a match made in heaven for agile enthusiasts and users who want a flexible, customizable project management platform and don’t mind getting into the weeds with learning courses and tutorials.

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Pros & Cons

Functionality: Users appreciated the ability to customize workflows, issue types and fields and the flexibility to navigate complex projects and problem-solve.
Collaborative: The system helps users collaborate with other teams, projects, and stakeholders and efficiently bridges gaps between remote teams, noted reviewers.
Integrations: Reviewers liked the extensive integrations with most third-party modules like Slack, Bitbucket and more to complete workflows and processes.

What Users Like

Customization: “We were able to tailor the workflow to fit our specific needs, which greatly enhanced our efficiency. For instance, we created custom issue types that aligned with our unique project phases, making it easier for team members to understand their tasks at a glance.” - Balázs Keszthelyi, Founder and CEO at TechnoLynx
Project Visualization: “[Jira’s robust roadmapping and dependency tracking capabilities are] invaluable for coordinating multiple product launches. Also, the premium version's Advanced Roadmaps feature lets us visualize our entire product pipeline so that's from sourcing to launch, but you've got to invest time in learning the system, and I think for smaller operations, it might be overkill.” - Dennis Sanders, Founder and CEO of Burning Daily
Task Management: “Jira has given us the structure to break down our complex workflows into clear, manageable steps, which was exactly what we needed as we expanded our customer base. With Jira, we can create specific 'boards' for each client’s SEO campaign, where every task is detailed and assigned to the right team member. Each board has phases, like keyword research, content writing, and on-page optimization, with clear deadlines. Having this setup has helped us catch any bottlenecks early. If the content team takes longer to deliver, for instance, we can adjust the timeline for the next steps right away instead of rushing it.” - Mushfiq Sarker, CEO of LaGrande Marketing

Lags: Reviewers noted that the system sometimes lags and takes time to load, especially for multiple projects and large data sets.
Learning Curve: Its UX can feel complex, and it takes time to set up, customize and use to its full ability. An internal Jira expert may be required, according to some users.
Administration: Users mentioned that the system is difficult to administer, and its back-end is hard to manage.

What Users Dislike

Slow Loading Time: “Its interface moves like molasses.” - Dennis Sanders, Founder and CEO of Burning Daily
Learning Curve: “We had some initial challenges with team members who were not familiar with the platform, which required additional training sessions to ensure everyone was on the same page. However, once they became accustomed to the interface, the benefits outweighed the initial hurdles.” - Balázs Keszthelyi, Founder and CEO at TechnoLynx

Key Features

Agile Boards: Manage your tasks, or issues using Scrum and Kanban boards with custom statuses, fields and transitions. Create new issues using the button below each status. You can view projects using a list, board or timeline view.
Reports and Insights: Get insights into where your team is at throughout every stage of the project by generating custom reports like the average age report, created vs. resolved issues report and sprint report. Manage workloads with the time tracking report, user workload report and version workload report. Use the summary view to monitor activity, status overview, priority breakdown and related projects.
Collaboration Features: Communicate with team members and assignees directly on the issue card with comments and mentions. Attach files, view card activity and add descriptions for additional instructions. Integrate with Outlook, Slack and other communication tools.
Custom Automations: Build custom automation rules by setting a trigger with the option to add an action, a condition or a branch. Get a helping hand by searching for triggers related to what you want to automate and selecting recommended actions and conditions.
Sprint Management: Use the Scrum option to run sprints. Fill in project details like name, duration and scope and add tasks and drag and drop them to your sprint using the backlog. Complete your sprints and auto-add pending tasks to the backlog or to a new sprint and run a sprint report for insights.
Task Management: Manage tasks by creating customizable issue cards under each status or by importing issues from CSV files. Add assignees, due dates, time tracking, comments, descriptions, teams, labels, status and priority to issues. Move tasks from status to status using transitions and workflow automation.
Customizable Workflows: Create custom workflows for your tasks and subtasks by going to project settings and clicking on issue types. Set statuses based on the type of task you’re completing or from the project template you select. Automate actions by setting rules for transitions from one status to another.

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ProofHub

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Why We Picked ProofHub

ProofHub is a cloud-based project management solution designed to help teams of all sizes with its user-friendly interface and focus on collaboration. Its core strengths include quick adoption, customizable workflows and simple project creation. Additionally, its built-in chat browser, in-file comments and approvals for proofing and central file management are a plus for teamwork and communication. Flat-fee pricing for unlimited users sets it apart from other tools.

During our free trial, we appreciated the pop-up explanations and didn’t feel like there was a steep learning curve to conquer before we kickstarted our projects. We liked the time tracking and time estimation feature and thought it offered a useful way to provide a baseline and more accurate time estimations. It was simple to toggle between multiple task views, although we wish we could modify groupings by, say, assignee instead of just sticking to workflow stages.

On the flip side, reviewers weren’t awed by the basic training modules, 14-day free trial and occasional slow customer support responses. Additionally, limited integrations might be an issue if you’re a business with complex integration needs.

Overall, ProofHub offers a solid collaborative project management tool that’s easy-to-use and is a fantastic option for budget-conscious users.

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Pros & Cons

Pricing: Reviewers appreciated the flat fee pricing for unlimited users.
Team Collaboration: The built-in chat feature and centralized files were perks mentioned by users.
Proofing: Users liked the online proofing, feedback and approval without having to leave the platform.

What Users Like

Visibility: “Since implementing ProofHub, we have observed a 30% decrease in project delays, mostly due to the fact that all teams now have immediate access to project boards that monitor the progress of each task. In the past, we often faced gaps in communication that delayed installs due to missed emails or miscommunications. With ProofHub’s custom workflows, every department has a clear view of deadlines, dependencies, and priority tasks, significantly reducing project holdups.” - Greg Arnold, General Manager at Kitchen Mania
Task Management: “ProofHub lets us break down each job into detailed steps, assign them to the right people, and set deadlines that everyone can see. On a big installation project, for example, I can outline each part of the process: starting from the initial site inspection, moving to wiring, handling equipment setup, completing safety inspections, and finally, testing and handover. Each stage has its own set of tasks that can be assigned and tracked independently, so everyone knows what’s next and who’s handling it. If there’s a delay in any part, we can make quick adjustments, reschedule tasks, and instantly notify the rest of the team. It saves us from having to make constant calls or send reminder emails, which can be very time-consuming.” - Daniel Vasilevski, Director and Owner of Bright Force Electrical

Pricing: Reviewers appreciated the flat fee pricing for unlimited users.
Team Collaboration: The built-in chat feature and centralized files were perks mentioned by users.
Proofing: Users liked the online proofing, feedback and approval without having to leave the platform.

What Users Dislike

Learning Curve: “The initial setup and adaptation period presented some challenges. Some team members found the range of features overwhelming, especially those less familiar with digital tools. As a solution, I organized targeted training sessions focusing on the specific functionalities that would benefit our workflow most.” - Dr. Maria Knobel, Medical Director at Medical Cert UK

Key Features

Task Management: Start creating tasks using the basic template during onboarding that you can modify to fit your workflow by adding subtasks, custom statuses, fields and color-coding. Assign tasks to users, track time, add timelines using start and end dates and elaborate on tasks using descriptions, comments and files. Create recurring tasks to automate due dates and reminders.
Multiple Views: Visualize projects in the format you’re comfortable with, by toggling between the standard list view and Kanban board and filtering tasks by stages, status, assignee, label or date. Use the Gantt chart to filter based on date, find the critical path and set and show the baseline. Keep tasks, events and milestones on track using the calendar view.
Team Collaboration: Communicate with your team using discussions and create topics, kinda like channels, that are open to all or private to certain teams or members. Share files and proofs, and get approvals without ping-pong rally emails. Chat in real time with team members using the built-in messaging tool for private and group chats and save important messages. Send announcements on the dashboard for deadlines, personal milestones and wins.
Time Tracking: Improve time management by tracking time directly on your cards and adding an estimated time to compare actual versus projected times and make more accurate estimates in the future. Monitor team performance using timesheets with every single time entry in the Everything tab.
Dashboard and Reports: Use the Me tab as a personalized dashboard with your agenda, shortcuts, tasks, tracked time, notes and announcements. Visualize project performance with the project report dashboard. Identify inefficiencies, resource utilization and project progress with reports about time and tasks, resources, project progress snapshots, milestones and burn-up charts. Identify projects that are not on track through ‘slipping reports.’ Use data to analyze tasks, resources utilized, time logged and project completion roadmap.
Workflows: Streamline project creation by creating your own templates from scratch. Add time frames, enable custom fields like time tracking and set up a personalized workflow that you can add to other projects.
Proofing: Make feedback seamless using the proofing tool. Get real-time feedback on proofs by adding comments directly into your PNG, PDF and JPEG files and highlighting issues with mark-up tools. Allow users to reply to comments and view comments as a thread after revisions.

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Pricing & Cost Guide

See the Price/User for the top project management software… plus the most important considerations and questions to ask when shopping.

Buyer's Guide

The Best Project Management Software Is All About Effective Organization

By Kriti Sahay, Technical Writer at SelectHub

Project Management Software BG Intro

Whether revamping a client’s website or launching a space shuttle, every initiative needs efficient management. Project management software puts managers in control of teams, enhances communication and improves progress tracking. Because you can’t just get it done — you need to get it done right.

Looking for a way to streamline your project planning and delivery? This buyer’s guide will cover what PM software is, how it could help your business and how to pick the best solution. We’ll also give you a detailed project management software comparison to help you find the best tool for your needs.

Executive Summary

The best project management software organizes processes while enhancing visibility.
Project management systems offer capabilities like task management, resource allocation, document centralization and time tracking. Businesses need clear strategies and prioritization processes to meet project goals.
Artificial intelligence will automate repetitive tasks and drastically transform the PM landscape.
Determining your must-have features and planning a strategy for your selection is an essential first step.
When choosing a vendor, prepare a standard list of questions to help determine the right fit for your team.

What This Guide Covers:

What Is Project Management Software?
Primary Benefits
Implementation Goals
Basic Features & Functionality
Advanced Features to Consider
How To Choose the Best Software
Current & Upcoming Trends
Helpful Questions To Ask Yourself
Helpful Questions To Ask Vendors
FAQs
Next Steps
Product Comparisons
Additional Resources

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What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software is a suite of solutions that plan and schedule tasks, allocate resources and manage change. It consolidates the core requirements of team project management, like file sharing, communication tools, reporting and task monitoring, in one single project management platform.

These solutions also manage resources to eliminate unnecessary expenditure while keeping team goals on track.

The Project Management Institute defines project management as "the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to deliver something of value to people." So, the best project management software is one that:

The best project management systems:

Enhances team collaboration and communication.
Offers macro-level project progress.
Monitors tasks while understanding priorities.
Controls costs and manages budgets.
Allocates resources and prevents team burnout.
Facilitates remote collaboration for geographically distributed teams.

Types of Project Management Software

Alan Zucker, the founding principal of Project Management Essentials, had this to say when we asked him about his thoughts on selecting the right project management system:

Currently, there are many project management system options, from large-enterprise tools to single-user and everything in between. Many online collaboration tools have become popular in the past few years. Select a tool that fits your needs, is compatible with your operating environment, and provides some room to grow.”

So, before buying a system, you need to know whether it's the right type of tool for your needs. Let’s look at the three main types of PM software.

Individual

Individual project management software is used by individuals to manage their personal projects and goals. Independent contractors, freelancers and students are some of the target markets for individual project management systems.

These types of PM software contain fewer features and are less comprehensive than an enterprise level solution, but are useful for managing and maintaining personal productivity.

Collaborative

Collaborative PM software focuses on team-based project management and is commonly used by teams within various organizations. The focus on collaboration makes it easy for teams to communicate and handle various dependencies attached to both individual and team tasks.

These project management systems tend to be more comprehensive and offer tools for agile PM, like scrum, Gantt charts, Kanban boards and more.

Integrated

Integrated project management systems offer the best of both worlds. These tools offer features for both individual productivity management as well as team collaboration. They have personal dashboards for individual users to view and manage their tasks, as well as team dashboards and other collaborative tools for better communication and team project management.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

Primary Benefits

Handling multiple factors that influence project success, like resource allocation, collaboration, scope, project size, timelines, cost, quality, risks and client considerations, is challenging.

Overcoming these difficulties requires tools designed to offer project visibility, facilitate communication and optimize task management. The following are some core benefits of project management systems.

Benefits of Project Management Software

Improve Planning and Scheduling

Project planning and scheduling are crucial to managing projects. These modules simplify access while developing consistent task prioritization plans.

Project management platforms streamline resource allocation, dependency determination, deadline setting and deliverable preparation. They lay down robust project delivery foundations.

Enhance Collaboration

Project teams often comprise employees across departments, sometimes even locations, and can have multiple phases. It's challenging to attend all stakeholder meetings and stay updated. Communication breakdown challenges can squander valuable resources.

Project management solutions simplify collaboration across teams by centralizing all communication. They facilitate information access like status updates, project timelines and important notifications.

Control Costs

A multipurpose system efficiently utilizes all resources while curbing scope creep. Managers can track expenditures in real time and identify costly areas using project reporting tools to prevent budgets from skyrocketing.

You can make better decisions, making adjustments as needed or distributing hours differently. Project management platforms keep you fiscally responsible while meeting deadlines.

Mitigate Risks

Every new initiative involves risks that managers have to identify and mitigate. Neglecting possible risks can have catastrophic implications, including project failures. Analyzing potential risks and deploying effective countermeasures is crucial for projects to succeed.

Project management systems identify potential hazards using Gantt Chart modules and Kanban boards. Monitoring deviations in real time makes it easier to respond and nip risks in the bud.

Increase Process Standardization

PM software standardizes teams' processes, making them teachable to newly onboarded employees. Standardization simplifies information and document management systems for teams to store, build and search from workflow database processes.

Often, these are in the form of process management wikis. Sophisticated systems automate process workflows and customize project request forms that employees can trigger while performing specific actions. Automated triggers ensure appropriate next steps.

Streamline Remote Work

With remote work becoming a reality in the post-COVID era, physical workplaces or departments don't bind current projects. Project management platforms help managers lead remote teams effectively while setting clear goals and targets.

Since most PM applications are cloud-hosted, remote and hybrid teams can track project progress and work from any location while onboarding new initiatives.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

Implementation Goals

Most businesses looking to implement a project management system share a few common goals. Make sure your business objectives align with the goals we’ve listed below. If not, you may need something different, like a PSA system or an ERP.

SelectHub talked to Elizabeth Harrin, the director of Otobos Consulting and author of the blog A Rebel’s Guide to PM. For her, better visibility and transparency of workloads, reporting tools and performance analytics are the top goals for implementing PM software. With that in mind, let’s look at these and some other common implementation goals.

Goal 1 Improve Progress Visibility	Project management systems offer enhanced visibility into project progress. Since you can manage tasks at a granular level, you know exactly how things unfold and what exactly people are working on. You can also see what’s taking the most time and whether or not it’s important.
Goal 2 Optimize Resource Utilization	Project management platforms track employee attendance and time to achieve optimal resource utilization. Time tracking clarifies which employees can take on more work and who needs a break to avoid burnout. Software breaks down each employee's accomplished tasks and planned work. Task visibility keeps teams on track while ironing out company expectations.
Goal 3 Improve Communication	PM software offers collaborative space to work and communicate more efficiently than email and spreadsheets. Clients can use these spaces to provide feedback and input.
Goal 4 Centralize Documentation	PM applications offer centralized workspaces to store documents, track projects and communicate. Centralization helps estimate billable hours accurately based on historical data and predict project profitability.
Goal 5 Better Performance Reporting	Project management systems also come with reporting features that make it easier to view, summarize and analyze performance on a team and individual level. It allows you to identify high and low performers and incentivize them accordingly.

Goal 1

Improve Progress Visibility

Project management systems offer enhanced visibility into project progress. Since you can manage tasks at a granular level, you know exactly how things unfold and what exactly people are working on. You can also see what’s taking the most time and whether or not it’s important.

Goal 2

Optimize Resource Utilization

Project management platforms track employee attendance and time to achieve optimal resource utilization. Time tracking clarifies which employees can take on more work and who needs a break to avoid burnout.

Software breaks down each employee's accomplished tasks and planned work. Task visibility keeps teams on track while ironing out company expectations.

Goal 3

Improve Communication

PM software offers collaborative space to work and communicate more efficiently than email and spreadsheets. Clients can use these spaces to provide feedback and input.

Goal 4

Centralize Documentation

PM applications offer centralized workspaces to store documents, track projects and communicate. Centralization helps estimate billable hours accurately based on historical data and predict project profitability.

Goal 5

Better Performance Reporting

Project management systems also come with reporting features that make it easier to view, summarize and analyze performance on a team and individual level. It allows you to identify high and low performers and incentivize them accordingly.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

Basic Features & Functionality

Every project management solution should contain a baseline of capabilities, regardless of the industry or company size it serves. Here are some standard features most project management systems offer:

Task Management	PM software creates tasks from scope and work breakdown structures (WBS). You can track and manage project progress while letting employees know what to do next. In addition to tasks, it creates sub-tasks to keep smaller assignments grouped with more significant work. It automates processes while setting due dates, milestones, priority levels, flags and task reminders.
Resource Management	PM software outlines all planned and scheduled resources while computing costs. Resource management avoids possible conflicts and over-assignments. You can set limits for resource utilization to avoid overwork. Setting boundaries and tracking resource usage helps achieve optimal utilization for teams to complete tasks.
Templates	PM applications offer pre-built and custom templates like WBS and project plans. They also offer industry-specific templates for HR or finance departments and methodology-specific to suit Agile, Scrum, Waterfall and Kanban. Pre-built templates are configurable to suit multiple project types and reduce repeatable tasks while creating new projects.
Task Dependencies	Project management platforms set up tasks dependent on other tasks, both within and outside the project. Task dependencies allow project managers to identify and resolve bottlenecks while helping multiple teams working on the same project avoid dropping the ball.
Reporting and Analytics	Project management solutions offer custom dashboards for reporting at a glance and in-depth business metrics. Advanced solutions provide visualizations like pie charts, workflow diagrams and Gantt charts. Software with project portfolio management (PPM) capabilities generate reports that offer insights into larger business objectives like billable and non-billable hours, on-time milestones and unfinished tasks. In-depth reports help strategize the next business move and improve current processes to reduce budget and time waste.
Budgeting, Expense Tracking, Billing and Invoicing	Enterprises handling large-scale projects like construction and manufacturing require capabilities to individual budget projects, track time and monitor each project's expenses. Budgeting and expense tracking features follow bids, expenses, budgets and revenue. Many systems offer comprehensive accounting modules that help users manage billing, invoices and project accounting.
Third-party Integrations	The best project management systems integrate with your current business modules, like financial management systems, directly or with the help of APIs. They can integrate with multiple popular applications like the Google suite, Outlook Calendar, iCal, Microsoft 365, Dropbox and Salesforce to manage projects effectively.
Time Tracking	This capability tracks the time each employee spends on tasks. It measures individual and team productivity, lets organizations set achievable goals for a project and integrates with a payroll application or timesheet. You can manage part-time employees, remote teams and multiple contractors. It also provides valuable archival data for businesses to forecast completion dates for similar projects and tasks.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

Advanced Features & Functionality

Advanced features help administrators customize project management platforms fully. These features are essential to customizing workflows for specific business needs.

Webhooks	Webhooks help customize project management platforms. Configured through an API, they provide real-time data on events through push notifications. They leverage other applications while configuring email or message notifications. Webhooks send data to third-party applications to increase the number of modules you can use.
Custom Fields	Custom fields help enter data into the software that doesn't fit elsewhere. Managers can create customizable checkbox fields to indicate project status. There are also several other field types for details like dates, currency and department. They incorporate data into reports and analytics. For example, a custom field created to indicate project status will enable users to see it on their dashboard. They customize the type of information you receive from your solution.
Bug Tracking, Product Roadmaps, Backlogs and Git Hosting	IT project management systems offer specialized tools and features to meet the unique requirements of IT projects. Bug tracking modules help detect, track and log bugs at every stage of software development. Product roadmaps help teams visualize the bigger picture and motivate them to work towards common goals. Backlogs create tasks in story form related to an issue or feature. Git hosting removes dependencies on external repositories managing code within the platform.

Webhooks

Webhooks help customize project management platforms. Configured through an API, they provide real-time data on events through push notifications.

They leverage other applications while configuring email or message notifications. Webhooks send data to third-party applications to increase the number of modules you can use.

Custom Fields

Custom fields help enter data into the software that doesn't fit elsewhere. Managers can create customizable checkbox fields to indicate project status.

There are also several other field types for details like dates, currency and department. They incorporate data into reports and analytics.

For example, a custom field created to indicate project status will enable users to see it on their dashboard. They customize the type of information you receive from your solution.

Bug Tracking, Product Roadmaps, Backlogs and Git Hosting

IT project management systems offer specialized tools and features to meet the unique requirements of IT projects. Bug tracking modules help detect, track and log bugs at every stage of software development.

Product roadmaps help teams visualize the bigger picture and motivate them to work towards common goals.

Backlogs create tasks in story form related to an issue or feature. Git hosting removes dependencies on external repositories managing code within the platform.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

How To Choose the Best Project Management Software

We’ve talked extensively about the top project management systems on the market, what they do, what they’re best for, and their pros and cons. But sometimes a general software comparison is not enough. You need to know which tool is ideal for you and for that you need to know your exact requirements.

Define Requirements

While lists of features and goals are helpful, every business is unique and has unique needs. Before buying a project management system, you need to be sure of your needs and that you’re buying the right product to address them. When asked for her top tips on buying PM software, Elizabeth Harrin had this to say:

My top tip for buyers wanting to find new project management software is to fully understand why you need it so you can match features to the pain points expressed by the people who will be using it.

Do they really need another tool for document sharing and chat, or will those collaboration features simply dilute what you already have in the enterprise? Do they need planning, scheduling and task management features? Go through all the problems and complaints people have with their current tools and then look to address those with your new product.”

Buying Considerations

Before you make a buying decision, consider whether the software matches the following factors for your business.

Buying Considerations of PM Software

Business Size

Small, medium and large businesses have different PM needs. In general, larger businesses with multiple departments and teams will need a more comprehensive project management solution. A small business has less complex needs and can do with simpler software.

Use Cases

Different kinds of projects may need different tools. Your marketing team may need a very different software from your IT team or customer service team. It’s worthwhile to investigate whether a general project management system will do for your employees or if you need a more specialized solution.

For example, a software like Teamwork is designed primarily for client work, so it’s a good choice if that’s the bulk of your team’s work. Similarly, Jira is well-known for agile PM capabilities and issue tracking, which your IT team may appreciate.

For certain use cases, you may need even more specialized software, like construction management software for construction projects.

Integrations

Most projects within any given organization involve multiple teams, multiple dependencies, different phases and the expertise of people from different departments. Integrations and plugins help people across teams and departments collaborate together on one single platform, even if they’re using different programs and tools.

Integrations not only help with everyday functions like file sharing and data export/import, but they also often provide extra functionality of their own. They can expand the scope of your project management software to add tools beyond what’s built into your PM system.

Customer Support

Every organization knows that the customer is the heart and soul of a business — and every customer knows that nothing ruins their day like bad customer service. Before you commit to a product, research the kind of customer service offered by the vendor. Go through reviews, ask your colleagues and ask the vendor what support channels they offer and what their track record is like.

Pricing Considerations

Cost is a big factor when making a software purchase, and it can vary significantly depending on your deployment strategy. While some vendors are upfront in displaying pricing information on their sites, others provide specialized quotes per an organization's needs.

Project management system vendors offer two pricing models: perpetual licensing for on-site deployment and subscription hosting plans for cloud-hosted models.

Subscription Plans

If you want to spend less on IT and backend infrastructure, opt for a subscription-based pricing model where the vendor hosts the software on their server.

The method follows a standard pricing structure of payments per user every month. Most vendors offer scalable plans based on the types of features included and the number of users in each plan.

While many subscription plans don’t require any contractual commitments, others might come with a contractual arrangement. Cloud-based systems offer different plans to suit the needs of small, medium and large-scale businesses.

Perpetual Licensing

Organizations with complex needs and data security concerns usually want to host data in-house, which requires on-premise infrastructure. A perpetual license usually requires you to pay an upfront licensing fee. You may incur additional expenses for regular product upgrades and support. Licensing fees for this strategy vary depending on factors like the number of users.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

Current & Upcoming Trends

The industry is evolving rapidly to sync with current and upcoming trends while offering the best project management solutions to meet challenges. The PM world stepped-up to survive post-COVID challenges while adjusting to handle the changing work landscape.

For an in-depth look at where the industry is headed, check out our full project management trends article.

Project Management Software Trends

AI and Data Analytics

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data analytics have made major waves in the PM landscape. AI will automate administrative tasks like project balancing, resource allocation, schedule creation and budget updates.

Automating repetitive and low-impact tasks will increase organizational efficiency and move employees away from mundane tasks. Project managers have realized that leveraging AI simplifies execution while building meaningful relationships with team members.

According to a recent study, organizations will increasingly adopt advanced digital technologies by 2026. "Organizations will continue to invest in AI to augment skills like decision-making, risk management, data analysis and knowledge management," it says.

Soft Skills and Emotional Intelligence

As projects become more complex and interconnected, managers must satisfy larger stakeholder groups. Along with technical skills, soft skills and emotional intelligence are crucial to PM and delivery.

Project management is much more than handling deadlines, budgets, tasks and scope. Managers must focus on managing people (stakeholders, clients and employees) to yield better results. Zucker had this advice to share:

Organizations often make the mistake of buying project management systems, hoping it will improve their project outcomes. It is important to remember that software enables the process. It does not create it.

The first step should be to define a set of repeatable processes that fit your business needs and context. Execute these processes using your existing tools. Identify and implement ways of improving the process. Then research software that meets those needs.”

Organizations need to help their managers become proficient in soft skills and domain knowledge while hiring people with social skills. Strong managers lead and understand the hopes and needs of their teams, locate frustrations and remove roadblocks that could hamper project progress.

Hybrid Project Management

Having a uniform methodology to tackle projects is a thing of the past, with organizations realizing the complexity of all initiatives and that they can't be equal. Hybrid project management results from merging multiple methodologies to cater to a unique project or industry requirements.

With the growing adoption of Scrum, Lean, Agile and Kanban, the shift to alternative methodologies was imminent. Implementing hybrid models tackles challenges by organizing tasks, projects, communications and resources in one place. Managers are combining agile methods with traditional PM approaches to drive results.

Flexible Work

The pandemic ushered in a revolution in how organizations function and employees work. Remote work and flexible working schedules became much more commonplace, and, as we slowly emerge from the shadow of COVID19, employees don’t seem to want to go back to the old ways of work.

In the spring of 2022, McKinsey conducted their American Opportunity Survey and the results speak for themselves. 87% of employees opted for remote work and offered the ability. Flexible work arrangements also feature among the top three reasons for switching jobs.

Flexible work is also associated with better productivity. In 2023, Slack found that productive workers are more likely to embrace flexible work.

Cloud-based project management software and mobile apps can help employers provide more options for flexible work. These applications allow users to access their workstations from anywhere and ensure productivity even when working from home.

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

Helpful Questions To Ask Yourself

Choosing the right project management systems should involve a long-term strategy that ensures the solution can adapt to your organization’s growing needs. Use these questions as a starting point for internal conversations:

What PM challenges do I face today?
How many projects do I handle currently?
How will software address my problems?
What’s my budget?
Who will use the application?
Do I need resource management tools?
Am I looking for a more specialized PM software, like construction management or IT service management?
Do I need a project management system that’s capable of multitasking?

Project Management Software Key Questions

Helpful Questions To Ask Vendors

Here are a few questions to ask potential vendors to help you learn more about the software and vendor.

About the Software

Does it integrate with my current applications?
Is it customizable, and do customizations cost extra?
How can your software’s capabilities benefit companies in my industry?
What’s your product roadmap?
What are the core strengths of the software?

About the Vendor

How many years of expertise do you have in the industry?
What customer support and training do you offer?
How do you handle issues and important updates?
How long will the implementation take?
Is the software complex/simple enough for my organization?

Expert recommendations and analysis on the top software

FAQs

What's the best free project management software?

ClickUp, Wrike, Teamwork, monday.com and Jira all offer free plans for limited users and personal use. You may want to check out our article on the best free PM software for a more detailed overview.

What's the easiest project management system to use?

monday.com was rated as intuitive by 91% of reviewers talking about ease of use, according to SelectHub research.

What's the best project management system for small business?

ClickUp is the most highly rated app suitable for small businesses, according to SelectHub data and analyst research.

What does project management software cost?

The price of PM software usually depends on the size of your organization and the number of people using the platform, since most apps charge based on the number of users. For small teams and personal use, a lot of platforms like ClickUp, Wrike and Jira even offer completely free plans.

What's the best project management software for construction?

CMiC is the best construction project management software. You can also check out our construction project management software buyer’s guide for more detailed insights into tools for construction management.

Next Steps

Need more help streamlining your project workflows? PM software can improve the quality and speed of your standard initiative delivery and help you gain valuable business performance insights.

If you need further help, check out our free PM software comparison report for more detailed insights on industry leaders. Good luck on your software selection journey!

Product Comparisons

Additional Resources

Thought Leaders

	Elizabeth Harrin Founder of Project Management Rebels Elizabeth Harrin is the founder of Project Management Rebels, a community for project managers. She is the author of several project management books including Managing Multiple Projects. A sought-after speaker, Elizabeth also delivers training and mentors project managers. Elizabeth is a Fellow of the Association for Project Management and has spent over 20 years in the profession, delivering technology and business projects large and small. She also writes the award-winning blog, Rebels Guide to Project Management.. You can find Elizabeth online at RebelsGuideToPM.com or on Twitter @rebelsguidetopm.
	Shane Anastasi Founder & CEO, PS Principles Shane Anastasi is the Founder & CEO of PS Principles, a leading provider of professional services skills development and certifications. He is the author of the industry's recognized framework, The Seven Principles of Professional Services and an entrepreneur with experience at startups such as BigMachines, Kimble PSA, Vignette Corporation, Badgeville, CirrusOne and Simplus. Added to this, his many years of experience at large enterprises such as IBM, SingTel and Salesforce.com, he brings a level of planning and scalability that helps small companies accelerate their growth as effectively and efficiently as possible.
	Alan Zucker Founding Principal, Project Management Essentials, LLC I share my passion for project management and leadership through keynote speaking, training and advisory services. With over 25-years of managing project execution organizations and strategic programs I have a wealth of experience. I have: Managed an organization of eleven managers and 150+ project management professionals—delivering over 250 releases per year Managed large programs with budgets up to $125M and over 600 resources, spanning multiple business and technology organizations Led an Agile transformation—implemented Agile accelerators that prepared the organization, trained resources and converted 50% of the work to Agile within 18-months Built a culture of “execution excellence” and “leadership” that: reduced costs, increased quality and improved client satisfaction Through Project Management Essentials, I provide customized training, keynote speeches, coaching and consulting services to clients across the country
	Brett Harned Director Of Education, TeamGantt Brett Harned is a digital project manager with a deep investment in the practice, its value in the larger digital industry, and the growing community. He has over 15 years experience in strategizing, building, and managing digital projects of all shapes and sizes—from flash banner ads to iOS apps, responsive websites, touch kiosks, and more. He takes pride in managing project teams and projects managers alike, finding the right communication tactic to smooth over difficult situations and inspire teams to do their best work. Brett actively writes about digital project management for various publications, has spoken at several events on the topic, and has taught a course on digital PM at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. In 2012 he founded the Digital PM Summit, an event that draws digital project managers from across the world to one location to learn about and discuss the practice of managing projects.
	Bill Dow Director of Enterprise PMO at UW Medicine Bill Dow, PMP is a recognized expert in Project Management by the Project Management Institute (PMI) for specifically developing and managing Project Management Offices (PMOs). His extensive experience with Project Management and PMOs have enabled him to co-author several comprehensive books available through Amazon.com. Bill has taught at the college level for more than 15 years in Washington State, British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, and has worked at Microsoft for more than 14 years. Bill is now the PMO Director at the University of Washington Medical. He has spoken at multiple Project Management Institute (PMI) conferences, breakfasts and events nationally. projectmanagement.com and projecttimes.com host numerous articles by Bill.
	Mike Clayton CEO & Founder at OnlinePMCourses.com Mike Clayton is the Founder of OnlinePMCourses.com to help build Project Management careers. Mike is a business trainer, author, speaker with 25 years of delivering projects, integrating complex change, training and speaking on these subjects. He has spent the first half of his career managing projects and people. Formerly a Senior Manager with 12 years at Deloitte Consulting, where he managed large and small projects. Prior to that, Mike had an academic career in Physics, from The University of Manchester. Since 2002, he has focused on speaking and training, delivering practical tools and insights based on his experience of complex change. Mike is one of the most successful and in-demand project management trainers in the UK.
	George Jucan Managing Partner at Organizational Performance Enablers Network George Jucan is well known in the project management community as a successful management consultant, captivating speaker at public events, motivating trainer and author of high-impact project management articles. He has over 25 years of experience in complex environments, both in public and private sector, providing consulting services in methodology definition and capability assessment, business reengineering and organizational restructuring, projects audit and recovery, as well as hands-on management of strategic programs and projects. Many of his endeavors won provincial and national awards and/or were profiled in specialty magazines. An internationally renowned expert in standards and methodologies, George is leading the Canadian Standards Mirror Committee at International Organization of Standardization (ISO) for the establishment of Project, Programme and Portfolio Management family of standards (TC258). He also participated in the creation of many PMI standards such as PMBOK® Guide 6th, 5thand 4th Edition, PMCDF - 2nd Edition, and Government Extension to PMBOK 3rd Ed).

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

By Kriti Sahay

Technical Content Writer

Kriti Sahay is a Technical Content Writer at SelectHub, writing content for Help Desk and Call Center Software. Kriti is based out of New Delhi, India. When she's not handling Buyer's Guides and other informational articles, she can be found experimenting in her kitchen, street shopping, or painting!

Technical Research By Joan Akash

Senior Analyst

Joan Akash, a Senior Research Analyst at SelectHub, holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management with a specialization in Marketing. Her expertise as a researcher and reviewer spans diverse software categories, including Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, Live Chat, and Help Desk. Beyond her professional pursuits, Joan is spiritually driven, with a passion for teaching children and a penchant for reading biblical blogs and crafting poetry.

Technical Review By Manan Roy

Principal Analyst

Manan is a native of Tezpur, Assam (India), who currently lives in Kolkata, West Bengal (India). At SelectHub, he works on categories like CRM, HR, PPM, BI, and EHR. He has a Bachelor of Technology in CSE from The Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Master of Technology from The Institute of Engineering and Management IT, and an MBA in Finance from St. Xavier's College. He's published two research papers, one in a conference and the other in a journal, during his Master of Technology.

Edited By Dianna Dragonetti

Content Editor

As an editor, Dianna Dragonetti leads a team of five writers in writing about a variety of software, with an emphasis on how these tools empower businesses. Categories include accounting, learning management systems, content management systems, supply chain management, and electronic data interchange.