What is a project management software?
Project management software can level a team's productivity, aligning you all on goals and visions. Chances are you have tried some and keep trying to find the perfect fit. One of the big unlocks can be getting your team on the same page and with the same vision.
But sifting through, researching, and finding a tool to fit everyone's needs can be more complicated than it looks for team members hunting for one base to manage team projects.
Politics, features, and pricing all come into play when exploring the best solutions. Project management software is a tool that aligns team collaboration in one place, allowing team members to coordinate deadlines and assign tasks to others. They can come in many shapes and sizes, being used by small to medium-sized teams to large enterprise teams of 500+.
When choosing project management tools, you need to think about how your team actually works. Some teams are heavy on visual planning with Gantt charts and timelines, while others just want a clean task list they can knock through. The right software depends on whether you're managing simple internal projects or juggling complex client deliverables with dependencies everywhere.
In 2026, the landscape has evolved with automation capabilities and better integration ecosystems. But honestly? Most teams still just need the basics done well: task assignment, deadline tracking, file sharing, and a way to see who's working on what without endless status meetings.
How We Chose These Tools
We looked at dozens of project management tools to build this list, testing features, comparing pricing, and seeing how they handle real team scenarios. Here's what mattered most in our evaluation:
Ease of onboarding
How quickly can your team get productive without a PhD in project management? Tools that require weeks of training got dinged.
Collaboration features
Can your team comment on tasks, share files, and stay aligned without jumping to Slack every five minutes? Real-time updates and notification systems matter here.
View flexibility
Teams work differently. Some love Kanban boards, others need Gantt charts or calendar views. The best tools offer multiple ways to visualize work.
Pricing transparency
We hate hidden costs. Tools with clear pricing tiers and honest free plans ranked higher.
Integration ecosystem
Does it play nice with Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, and the other tools your team already uses?
Scalability
Will this tool still work when your 5-person startup becomes a 50-person company? We tested limits.
We also factored in things like mobile app quality, automation capabilities, and whether the tool feels overwrought or refreshingly simple. Not every team needs every feature, but you should have options when you need to level up.
monday.com
Best for All Round: monday.com
monday.com is one of the more structured yet flexible tools for project management. Over the years, it has become one of the most successful project management tools for all-round use.
When we say all-round use, it works as an excellent base for projects for everyone in a range of departments, meaning you won't get a sense of specialism unless you buy into monday's work offerings, which are designed for Sales CRM pipelines (called monday Sales CRM), marketing teams and development teams.
There are a fair number of features on monday, making it immediately difficult to learn but not as tricky to adopt as tools like Notion or SmartSuite. Special features in monday include the dashboard, which allows your team to express data, team project progress, or insights in a flexible place and see real-time updates.
Finally, we love the experience automation feature that allows you to create recurring actions on tasks that you and your team do every day that just waste time, like moving status and nudging someone after each time, that could be automated. monday is the best all-rounder on our list.
It provides most teams with 80-90% of what they need. It is not specialist software like Gantt chart software, but rather a solid, reliable, all-around experience that most teams will get on with.
Best for
Teams that need a structured but customizable work management platform. Marketing departments running campaigns with multiple stakeholders. Operations teams tracking recurring processes. Companies that want dashboards without building them from scratch.
Not ideal if
You need deep resource management or capacity planning. Your team hates learning new interfaces. You're a solo freelancer who doesn't need collaboration features. You want a free plan with real functionality.
Real-world example
A 15-person marketing agency uses monday to track client projects. Each client gets a board. Tasks flow through statuses: Briefing → In Progress → Review → Approved. The dashboard shows which projects are behind schedule, and automations notify the account manager when deliverables are stuck in review for more than 48 hours.
Team fit
Best for SMBs and mid-market teams (10-200 people). Startups can use it but may find the pricing steep for early-stage budgets. Enterprise teams often need the more expensive tiers for advanced permissions.
Onboarding reality
Moderate. Most teams need 1-2 weeks to get comfortable. The interface is colorful and visual, which helps adoption. Expect some hand-holding for team members who aren't tool-savvy.
Pricing friction
The free plan is basically a demo. Real functionality starts at Standard ($12/seat/month), but most teams need Pro ($19/seat/month) for automations and dashboards. The jump from Pro to Enterprise is steep.
Integrations that matter
Slack (notifications), Google Drive (file attachments), Zoom (meeting links on tasks), HubSpot (CRM sync), Jira (dev handoffs).
Basecamp
Best for Remote Teams: Basecamp
Basecamp is developed by 37Signals, a company littered with opinion but developers of fantastic applications, they are the folks behind Hey Email too. Opinion oozes into Basecamp, and you can tell from day one when you land on their site. They want to be the hub for your team that defies standard work norms.
Their marketing efforts scream no more office, no more micro-management, and no more constant meetings.
Basecamp firmly belongs on our list for creating an opinionated, quality product. Basecamp isn't much like other project management applications. It doesn't offer real-time insights like monday.com, it presents you with a more fixed view to your work allowing your team to focus more on work, then on project management, if that makes sense.
This is a radical project management application. It defines the nature of project management software but for teams serious about moving to a fully remote, async world. This is going to be a serious contender to look at as Basecamp continues to break boundaries in this area. Each project can have "apps" as part of it, meaning you can build a project to your needs every single time.
This is similar to the interplay that ClickUp has with ClickApps.
Best for
Remote-first teams that value async communication over real-time collaboration. Agencies managing multiple client projects who want clear separation. Teams tired of notification overload and meeting culture. Companies that want flat pricing regardless of team size.
Not ideal if
You need Gantt charts, resource allocation, or advanced project views. Your team thrives on real-time collaboration and quick pings. You want granular reporting or time tracking built in. You need complex workflows with dependencies.
Real-world example
A distributed consultancy with 25 people across 6 time zones uses Basecamp as their central hub. Each client project gets its own Basecamp with message boards for async discussions, to-do lists for deliverables, and automatic check-ins that replace daily standups. No one needs to be online at the same time.
Team fit
Sweet spot is 10-50 person teams, especially remote or hybrid. Works for agencies, consultancies, and creative teams. Less suited for enterprises with complex approval chains or teams that need detailed analytics.
Onboarding reality
Easy. Basecamp is intentionally simple. Most team members figure it out within a day. The opinionated design means fewer decisions to make, which speeds up adoption.
Pricing friction
Flat $299/month for unlimited users. That's a steal for 50+ person teams but feels expensive for a 5-person startup. The Pro Unlimited tier at $349/month adds more storage and controls. No per-seat pricing means predictable costs as you grow.
Integrations that matter
Zapier (connects to everything), Google Calendar (scheduling), Slack (if you can't quit it), GitHub (dev notifications). The integration list is shorter than competitors, which is intentional.
Wrike
Best for Marketing & Sales: Wrike
Wrike is a long-standing project management tool, which doesn't mean it just gets included for its age. They have continued to produce reliable and stable project management software that is super popular with marketing teams and managers.
Wrike offers great ways for marketers to proof images, provide approvals, and even file approvals, which makes it a gem for marketing agencies with client-facing workloads.
Another reason we noted it in this list is its acquisition by larger company Citrix Systems. This could continue stabilizing Wrike; you can tell they are paying into their investment. It helps to give those exploring it more peace of mind. Calling it just a marketing agency project management software is a lie.
It expands beyond that and provides super views, grade-A management of comments and discussions, and even a more traditional feel that you'll get with tools like monday and ClickUp.
Also, Wrike offers "add-on" plans that enhance the experience and are worth considering. For marketing teams, there's something called "Marketing Insights," which provides better insight into the data they add to Wrike.
Best for
Marketing teams that need proofing and approval workflows. Agencies juggling multiple clients with different stakeholders. Teams that want detailed workload management and resource planning. Organizations that need cross-departmental visibility without sharing everything.
Not ideal if
You're a small team that doesn't need enterprise features. Your budget is tight since meaningful plans start at higher tiers. You want a simple, minimalist task management experience. Your team hates learning curves.
Real-world example
A 40-person marketing team at a SaaS company uses Wrike to manage campaign launches. Designers upload assets directly for proofing. Stakeholders leave feedback on specific parts of images. Once approved, the task automatically moves to the next stage. The marketing director sees workload across the team and reassigns tasks when someone is overloaded.
Team fit
Best for SMBs and enterprise marketing teams (20-500+ people). Works well for professional services firms with client deliverables. Not the right fit for tiny teams or solo operators.
Onboarding reality
Moderate to heavy. Wrike has a lot of features, and getting the most out of it requires setup time. Expect 2-4 weeks before teams are fully comfortable. Power users will need training on custom workflows.
Pricing friction
Free plan is very limited. Team plan ($9.80/user/month) is basic. Most teams need Business ($24.80/user/month) for workload views and custom fields. Enterprise pricing requires a call. Add-ons like Wrike Proof cost extra.
Integrations that matter
Adobe Creative Cloud (asset proofing), Salesforce (CRM sync), Microsoft Teams (notifications), Slack, Google Drive, and MediaValet (DAM).
Asana
Best for All Round: Asana
Asana is one of the best tools for managing projects. They've been doing this for some time, and you can tell. Asana brings an aesthetic, beautiful experience that lures product management and design-based teams in. But it isn't just product management teams that will love Asana - it works in many different situations.
For marketing teams with their timeline feature, for IT teams with their reports function, and for general teams with their workflow builder feature.
With a long history in project management, Asana is one of the best solutions for a wide range of use cases. It presents a well-rounded experience that doesn't require as much education as other tools like Wrike, ClickUp, and more. Asana is popular with teams in product management, IT, and operations. The design of Asana is one of the best in the world and offers a clean feel to the application.
It would again be a crime to restrict Asana to those industries because it is such an approachable application for those who want simple yet powerful project management software.
Best for
Product teams managing sprints and roadmaps. Design teams that appreciate clean interfaces. Cross-functional teams that need shared visibility without complexity. Companies that want strong mobile apps for on-the-go task management.
Not ideal if
You need deep customization like formula fields or database-style views. Your team requires built-in time tracking. You want everything in one tool including docs, wikis, and whiteboards. Budget is your primary concern.
Real-world example
A product team at a B2B startup uses Asana to run two-week sprints. Each sprint is a project. User stories are tasks with subtasks for dev, design, and QA work. The timeline view shows dependencies so the PM knows when a delay in design will push back the launch. Portfolios roll up all product initiatives for leadership reviews.
Team fit
Works across the spectrum from small teams to enterprise. Sweet spot is 10-100 person organizations. Startups love the free tier. Enterprises use it alongside other tools like Jira for dev work.
Onboarding reality
Easy to moderate. The interface is clean enough that most people pick it up quickly. Getting the most from workflows and automation takes longer. Asana's onboarding resources are excellent.
Pricing friction
Free plan is generous for up to 15 users. Premium ($10.99/user/month) unlocks timeline and forms. Business ($24.99/user/month) adds portfolios, workload, and advanced reporting. The jump to Enterprise is significant and requires annual commitment.
Integrations that matter
Slack (two-way sync), Google Drive, Figma (design handoffs), Zoom, Salesforce, and Jira (dev sync). The integration library is one of the largest.
Trello
Great Option
Since Atlassian acquired Trello, it has been on the warpath to add more views, build better infrastructure, and grow the project management software to new heights. Since the last major time many people considered Trello, they've added a timeline, dashboard, and map view, which give you a much better expression of your projects and tasks.
Add to this the growing abilities of "power-ups," which are Trello plugins that can connect with tools like voting, repeating cards, integrations like Google Drive, InVision, and Jira, and so much more.
The marketplace for Trello plugins is a great place to extend your use of Trello for each of the workspaces you create. The plugins have grown over time, making Trello accessible to many people thanks to the Trello developer platform, which has built more plugins for each scenario. Trello is great for a team between 20-50 that want something practical, reliable and easy to teach.
Thanks to the nature of Trello, it works like Asana where there isn't much education needed to get started with managing projects and tasks from day one.
Best for
Teams that think in Kanban boards and visual workflows. Small teams that want simplicity over feature depth. Marketing and content teams managing editorial calendars. Anyone who's used sticky notes on a wall and wants a digital version.
Not ideal if
You need Gantt charts or complex dependencies. Your projects require detailed reporting. You want built-in docs or wikis. You're managing enterprise-scale programs with hundreds of tasks.
Real-world example
A content team uses Trello to manage their blog. Each card is an article. Columns are: Ideas → Assigned → Writing → Editing → Published. Writers drag cards across as they progress. Due dates trigger reminders. The editor sees at a glance what's in the pipeline without asking anyone.
Team fit
Best for small to mid-sized teams (2-50 people). Freelancers and solopreneurs use it heavily. Enterprises use it for specific lightweight workflows but rarely as their primary task management software.
Onboarding reality
Very easy. Trello is one of the simplest project management tools to learn. Most people understand it within minutes. The mental model of cards and columns is intuitive.
Pricing friction
Free plan is solid for basic use. Standard ($5/user/month) adds unlimited boards and custom fields. Premium ($10/user/month) unlocks views like timeline and dashboard. Power-ups are mostly free now, which removed previous friction.
Integrations that matter
Slack (card creation from messages), Google Drive, Dropbox, Jira (Atlassian ecosystem), Confluence, and Zapier for custom workflows.
ClickUp
Best for Flexibility: ClickUp
ClickUp is talked about so much, and it is likely even before landing, you know what it is and how it wants to be everything. This is very much true. For many people, that can be quite overwhelming, but for others, that makes ClickUp their powerhouse tool for managing everything without leaving ClickUp. Think of ClickUp as the Everything project management application.
If you're on the hunt for something super flexible and willing to learn the tricks of the trade, ClickUp can offer you an enhanced experience above tools like monday by offering whiteboards and chat that adds less context-switching for your team as they work across their days.
ClickUp is a great all-rounder, but there will be a lot to absorb for new team members getting used to the software - they still offer great templates to save time, however.
Best for
Teams that want one tool to rule them all. Startups that can't afford multiple subscriptions. Power users who love customization and views. Companies with diverse departments needing different workflows in the same platform.
Not ideal if
Your team is change-resistant or easily overwhelmed. You need stability more than features since updates are frequent. You want a simple, focused task management experience. Mobile usage is critical as the apps lag behind desktop.
Real-world example
A 30-person startup uses ClickUp for everything. Marketing manages campaigns in one Space. Engineering runs sprints in another. HR tracks hiring pipelines. Docs replace Google Docs for internal wikis. Whiteboards are used for brainstorming. Dashboards give the CEO visibility across all departments without switching tools.
Team fit
Works for teams of all sizes but shines with 10-100 person organizations. Freelancers love the free tier. Enterprises use it but may struggle with complex permission requirements.
Onboarding reality
Heavy. ClickUp has a steep learning curve. The flexibility that makes it powerful also makes it confusing at first. Budget 2-4 weeks for real adoption. Consider assigning a power user to configure spaces before rollout.
Pricing friction
Free Forever plan is genuinely usable. Unlimited ($7/user/month) removes most limitations. Business ($12/user/month) adds advanced features like goals and timelines. The feature list at each tier is long, so compare carefully.
Integrations that matter
Slack, Google Drive, GitHub (commits linked to tasks), Figma, Zoom, HubSpot, and native email. ClickUp's built-in features often replace integrations other tools need.
Smartsuite
Best for Solution Building: Smartsuite
According to their website, SmartSuite is used by 5,000 businesses worldwide and are very much the most recent of the software on this list in terms of project management.
They are making a name for themselves by offering a very flexible experience that resembles if Airtable and monday had a child, a combination of project management and record management in which Airtable currently is the market leader.
As a base for managing projects, tasks, schedules, milestones, timelines, reportings, forms and more, SmartSuite has packed in a lot of features into their core experience and names these areas you create solutions. Solutions provide you with a workspace for each focus. To be honest, SmartSuite is a strange breed. The range of views and features is amazing but the records can limit you.
It is sort of like having an all-you-can-eat buffet with a range of cuisines, but there's a limit to how many items you can have per cuisine.
Best for
Teams that want Airtable's flexibility with better project views. Operations teams building custom workflows from scratch. Companies that outgrew spreadsheets but find monday too rigid. Teams comfortable with database-style thinking.
Not ideal if
You want an established platform with years of stability. Your team doesn't like learning new systems. You need extensive third-party integrations. You prefer proven tools over newer entrants.
Real-world example
An operations team at a manufacturing company uses SmartSuite to track inventory, manage supplier relationships, and run production schedules. Each "solution" handles a different area. Linked records connect purchase orders to inventory to production tasks. Custom dashboards show real-time status across the operation.
Team fit
Best for SMBs (10-100 people) who need customization without paying enterprise prices. Startups experimenting with workflows. Teams migrating from complex spreadsheet setups.
Onboarding reality
Moderate to heavy. If you've used Airtable or Notion databases, you'll adapt faster. Building solutions from scratch takes time. Templates help but expect a 2-3 week ramp-up.
Pricing friction
Free plan has meaningful functionality. Team ($10/user/month) unlocks more records and solutions. Professional ($25/user/month) adds advanced features. Record limits can catch you off guard as you scale.
Integrations that matter
Zapier (essential since native integrations are growing), Google Workspace, Slack, and Make (Integromat). The integration ecosystem is smaller than established players.
Smartsuite is an all in one platform for businesses to manage projects and processes.
Coda
Best for Automations: Coda
Coda is one of the most underrated project management software options. Collaborative documents don't seem like much, but the powers inside of Coda are crazy and can be enhanced with automations, which can only mean one thing: more robust information for you and your team.
Think of Coda as a live document that you and your team build documents into projects into task management lists into anything you want.
The canvas is expansive and you choose what you do with that. Each document has a way to add micro applications within it to visualize better projects, items, records, tasks and more. One of the most powerful features of Coda is formulas and packs. Formulas are a great starting point. Each little micro app you build within Coda workspaces, you can setup formulas to help enhance them.
These are little automations that can do jobs for you or narrow down filtering too. You can then use packs to enhance them externally by connecting Coda's wide array of integrations. Coda is probably best for those who use Google Docs, spreadsheets or trying to hack a system together with several applications.
The best way to think of Coda is a "no-code document builder" allowing your team a wide range of possibilities to create the workspace of their dreams, and with one of the best template galleries we've ever seen, that'll save you time.
Best for
Teams that live in documents but need interactivity. Ops teams that want to build custom tools without code. Companies replacing multiple spreadsheets with one connected doc. Product teams managing specs, roadmaps, and tasks together.
Not ideal if
You want a traditional project management interface. Your team isn't comfortable with formulas or building. You need native mobile apps with full functionality. Quick setup is more important than long-term power.
Real-world example
A product team uses a single Coda doc for everything. The roadmap table links to feature specs. Each spec page has task tables that roll up to a master project view. Packs pull data from Jira and GitHub. Weekly standups are automated summaries sent via Slack pack. One doc replaces four tools.
Team fit
Best for small to mid-sized teams (5-50 people) with at least one builder personality. Startups love the flexibility. Less suited for enterprises needing strict governance.
Onboarding reality
Heavy for builders, easy for users. Someone needs to set up the docs. Once built, end users find it straightforward. Expect the builder to spend 2-4 weeks getting everything dialed.
Pricing friction
Free tier is generous for small teams. Pro ($10/doc maker/month) unlocks more automations and history. Team ($30/doc maker/month) adds advanced controls. Only doc makers pay; viewers are free, which is clever.
Integrations that matter
Slack (two-way sync), Jira, GitHub, Google Calendar, Figma, and Salesforce. Packs are Coda's superpower since they bring data into docs.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet, we didn't just include it because it is a McLaren F1 sponsor as of 2023. However, according to their website, it is used by 90% of the Fortune 100 companies.
Primarily because Smartsheet is a reliable and easy-to-use project management platform, it is sort of if Wrike and monday.com had a baby, a blend between the two in features and looks.
Smartsheet is probably much more suitable as a scalable team that is growing beyond 100 people and are looking for much more in-depth functionality with their project view customisation. Smartsheet is like traditional Microsoft Excel but on fire.
Best for
Teams that think in spreadsheets but need collaboration features. Enterprise PMOs managing portfolios of projects. Construction, manufacturing, and operations teams with complex schedules. Organizations already in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Not ideal if
You want a modern, visual-first interface. Your team is small and agile. You hate spreadsheet-style layouts. Budget is limited since pricing skews enterprise.
Real-world example
A construction company uses Smartsheet to manage 50+ active projects. Each project has a sheet with Gantt timelines, resource allocation, and budget tracking. Dashboards roll up status for executives. Automated workflows alert PMs when tasks slip. Forms collect updates from field teams without Smartsheet access.
Team fit
Best for mid-market and enterprise teams (50-5000+ people). Popular in industries like construction, healthcare, and finance. Not the right fit for startups or small creative teams.
Onboarding reality
Moderate. If your team knows Excel, they'll adapt quickly. Power features like automations and dashboards take longer. Enterprise deployments often involve professional services.
Pricing friction
Pro ($9/user/month) is limited. Business ($19/user/month) unlocks meaningful features. Enterprise requires a call. The per-user pricing adds up fast at scale, which is why procurement gets involved.
Integrations that matter
Microsoft 365 (deep integration), Salesforce, Jira, Slack, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Tableau. The integration ecosystem is built for enterprise needs.
Notion
Best for Builders: Notion
Notion Projects are pre-built templates with databases that can be applied to a range of situations like sprint management, tasks, projects and internal wiki and knowledge management. Notion has long been known for wiki based management along with management of databases but now they want to cater with these pre-made templates.
Notion Projects and Notion as a whole are super for those who want a custom-build to their project management experience, for those who are more hands-on.
But if you find that person in your team, Notion becomes a super weapon for customising it to how you and your team use the experience.
Education with Notion is very helpful, so check out "Tiny Teams" by top Notion builder and team management expert Marie Poulin to unlock Notion for your team.
Notion is the best for those who can handle learning the ways of Notion. Things like databases and blocks will take getting used to, but the general flexibility and open-canvas nature does appeal to many teams for handling internal documents alongside projects.
This is very different to more traditional tools like ClickUp and monday but presents an approachable, easy to use, and fun-to-learn tool that can be shaped to fit the needs of almost any workspace, similar to Coda and SmartSuite.
Best for
Teams that want docs and projects in one place. Startups building processes from scratch. Companies that hate rigid structures. Teams with a builder who enjoys setting up systems.
Not ideal if
You need advanced project management features like resource leveling or dependencies. Real-time collaboration at scale is critical since it can lag. You want out-of-the-box project templates that just work. Time tracking is essential.
Real-world example
A 20-person startup runs their entire company in Notion. The wiki holds company policies and onboarding docs. A projects database tracks initiatives with status, owner, and due date. Meeting notes link to relevant projects. New hires get a single Notion page that explains everything.
Team fit
Best for small to mid-sized teams (5-100 people). Extremely popular with startups and tech companies. Less common in traditional enterprises, though that's changing.
Onboarding reality
Moderate for basic use, heavy for builders. Anyone can edit a page. Building databases and relations takes practice. Marie Poulin's course genuinely helps teams unlock Notion's potential.
Pricing friction
Free plan works for individuals. Plus ($10/user/month) unlocks unlimited blocks and guests. Business ($15/user/month) adds advanced permissions. The value is clear but teams sometimes stall on which plan they need.
Integrations that matter
Slack (notifications), Google Drive, Figma, GitHub, and Zapier. Native integrations are growing but still lag behind dedicated project management tools.
Final Thoughts
Choosing project management software comes down to how your team works today and where you're headed. If you want something reliable that covers most needs, monday.com or Asana will serve you well. If your team is remote-first and values async communication, Basecamp's opinionated approach might click.
For teams that want maximum flexibility and don't mind a learning curve, ClickUp or Notion let you build exactly what you need. Marketing and creative teams with approval workflows should look hard at Wrike. Enterprise teams comfortable with spreadsheets will find Smartsheet familiar.
The honest truth? Most of these tools can work for most teams. The difference is in the edges: pricing models, specific features, and how the tool feels day-to-day. Start with free trials. Get your actual team using it for a real project, not just a test.
Don't overthink the decision. Pick a tool, commit for 90 days, and evaluate honestly. Switching costs are real but not insurmountable. The worst outcome is analysis paralysis while your team struggles with scattered spreadsheets and email chains.
If you're still stuck: teams under 15 people should start with Asana or Trello. Growing companies (15-100) do well with monday.com or ClickUp. Enterprises usually land on Smartsheet or Wrike. Remote teams should seriously consider Basecamp.
The best project management software is the one your team actually uses. If you want to explore even more options, check out our full project management software category.