25 Best Project Management Tools In 2023 (Latest Rankings)

The list of best paid and open source free Project management Software Tools for almost any type of project: 

What is Project Management?

Project management is the process of initiation, preparation, execution, and closure of the tasks which is followed to achieve the project objective.

“Project management” deals with managing the project activities like using advanced tools and innovative techniques, various skills, involving the experts who have application knowledge. Results of all these activities lead to meet the project requirements.

Managing a project from its starting stage called “Conception” till Completion involves five phases.

They are mentioned below:

1. Initiating
2. Planning
3. Executing
4. Monitoring & Controlling
5. Closing

Recommended read => Best Agile Project Management Software

To handle the Project Management System smoothly, effectively and efficiently we use Project Management Applications or Software.

With the help of such tools, one can keep track of the activities being carried out in the project like which task is assigned to which resource/team member, which phase of the project is completed and when it is completed, etc.

Project management approaches can be many like AGILE, WATERFALL, PMBOK, PRINCE2, etc.

Online Project Management Tools are also available like Web-based or Cloud-based and also like desktop applications.

To select a specific Project Management Software for a project we need to consider the below criteria

• Duration of the project
• Of people working with the project
• Budget to be spent on the tool
• Storage Capacity of the software tool
• PM Functionalities available like email communications, file sharing, tracking, etc.
• Usability

Our TOP Recommendations:

=> Contact us to suggest a listing here.

Based on the above-mentioned points, here is the list of top Project management software:

1. monday.com
2. JIRA
3. ClickUp
4. Nifty
5. Smartsheet
6. Wrike
7. Zoho Projects
8. Teamwork
9. MeisterTask
10. Freshservice
11. WorkOtter
12. Trello
13. ProWorkflow
14. Podio
15. Asana
16. Freedcamp
17. ServiceNow ITBM
18. Microsoft Project
19. Basecamp
20. ProjectManager
21. LiquidPlanner
22. Clarizen
23. Paymo
24. Hive

Also Read =>> Top Roadmap Software

Comparison of Top Project Management Software

Project Management SoftwareTaglinePlatformFeaturesFree TrialPrice

monday.com

monday.com can handle workflow management for any project. Windows
Mac
iPhone/iPad
Android
Web-based.Project development can be tracked through Kanban, Timeline, or Charts.
It has functionalities for planning sprints, and creating user stories and assigning to team members.
ReportingAvailableIt provides a free trial.
For 5 users;
Basic Plan: $25 per month.
Standard: $39 per month.
Pro: $59 per month.
Enterprise: Contact them to get a quote.

JIRA

The #1 software development tool used by agile teams.–Planning, Tracking, Releasing, and Reporting.7 daysUp to 10 users: $10/month. 11-100 users: $7/user/month.

ClickUp

One app to replace them all. Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web-based, etc. Visualize & plan, collaborate, track progress, etc. Available. Free plan, The price starts at $5/member/month.

Nifty

Nifty is a collaborative project management workspace to plan your projects, collaborate with your team & stakeholders, and automate your progress reporting.Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Web.Projects can be managed through Kanban-style Tasks that can be connected with Milestones. Project Overview provides a birds-eye view of progression of all your projects. Documents can be created directly within each project.AvailableStarter: $39 per month.
Pro: $79 per month.
Business: $124 per month.
Enterprise: Contact them to get a quote.

Wrike

Leading work management solution.Mobile and Desktop for Windows and Mac.Real-time updates, Cross-team collaboration, Resource and workload management, and Reporting.Available for each plan.Free: 5 user Professional: $9.80/user/month Business: $24.80/user/month Marketers: (Get a quote)
Enterprise:(Get a quote)

Zoho Projects

Project management, as effective as it gets.Mobile apps for iOS and Android.Task Management, Social project management, Reports, Time tracking, and Issue tracking and workflow10 daysFree plan: 2 Projects. Standard: $20/month. Express: $40/month. Premium: $85/month. Enterprise: $125/month.

Teamwork

The Best Platform for Client Work.Web-based, Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS.Workload,
Real-time collaboration, time tracking, Kanban boards, etc. Available for 30 days.Free plan & price starts at $10 per user per month.

MeisterTask

MeisterTask is the most intuitive task management tool on the web.Web-based,
Desktop version for Windows and Mac OS,
Mobile version for iOS and Android.Kanban view, Task automation, Gantt / Timeline view, Recurring tasks, Calendar view and many cool integrations with all your favorite tools such as: MindMeister, Slack, Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gmail, Zapier.AvailableBasic plan: Free,
PRO: $8.25/m,
Business: $20.75/m.

Freshservice

The complete Project Management Toolkit. Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, & iOSTask Management, Alerts, Filter tasks, & Watcher, etc. Available for 21 days.Blossom: $19 /agent/month,
Garden: $49 /agent/month,
Estate: $79 /agent/month,
Forest: $99 /agent/ month.

Trello

Trello lets you work more collaboratively and get more done.Web,
Mobile (iOS and Android), & Desktop(Windows & Mac OS).Boards and lists, Power-Up, Grouping & organizing team, Security.Forever free plan available.Free plan, Business Class: $9.99/user/month.
Enterprise: $20.83/user/month.

ProWorkflow

Project management software your team will love.Touch-screen based mobile devices.Task Management, Timesheets, Resource Management, File Sharing, Data Security.AvailableSolo: $10/month/user. Professional: $20 per month/user. Advanced: $30/month/user

Here we go! Review of each PM tool in detail.

monday.com will help you with project management with features like reporting, Calendar, time tracking, planning, etc. It is suitable for any business size.

Features

• Project development can be tracked through Kanban, Timeline, or Charts.
• It has functionalities for planning sprints, and creating user stories and assigning to team members.
• Reporting.

Pros:

• It provides good collaboration features.
• Integration with third-party applications.

Cons

• Price

Pricing Details

• It provides a free trial.
• Basic Plan: $25 for 5 users per month.
• Standard: $39 for 5 users per month.
• Pro: $59 for 5 users per month.
• Enterprise: Get a quote.

• Jira Software is one of the agile project management tools used for software development and various Project management activities like tracking the bugs and issues, reporting, release details, etc.
• Jira is a web application that needs to be installed on a server system so that the clients on the same network can interact with it through browsers.
• Jira can be available as an open-source for the few projects that satisfy certain criteria like non-academic, non-commercial, etc.
• The drawback of Jira is that one cannot easily customize the user interface.

=> Want to learn more about Atlassian JIRA? We have a detailed series of tutorials you can check here.

ClickUp is a customizable platform with hundreds of features such as process management and task management.

Features:

• ClickUp will let you select multiple assignees for a task.
• You will be able to add various task dependencies.
• Click offers many more features like recurring checklists, agile board view, sprint management, templates, etc.

Further reading =>> Asana vs ClickUp – A comparison

Pros:

• ClickUp supports all modern browsers, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.
• It is a completely customizable platform.
• A lot of integrations are provided.

Cons:

• You will not be able to export the dashboard.

Pricing Details:

• Free plan
• Unlimited: $5 per member per month
• Business: $9 per member per month
• Enterprise: Get a quote.

NiftyPM really does an amazing job at combining multiple tools to encompass the entirety of a project cycle. It strikes the perfect balance between big-picture planning (roadmap is fantastic) and the daily grind (tasks, files, and collaboration). 

Pros: Beautiful interface, very intuitive. The ease of use and transitioning is a huge plus. Rockstar support team.

Cons: Nothing significant enough to mention. 

Pricing Plans:

• Starter: $39 per month
• Pro: $79 per month
• Business: $124 per month
• Enterprise: Contact them to get a quote.

All Plans Include:

• Unlimited active projects
• Unlimited guests & clients
• Discussions
• Milestones
• Docs & files
• Team chat
• Portfolios
• Overviews
• Workloads
• Time tracking & reporting
• iOS, Android, and Desktop apps
• Google single sign-on (SSO)
• Open API

• Smartsheet is a cloud-based Project management system that is used to manage and automate mutual or shared work.
• It’s a perfect application to speed up the execution of the business and improve visibility.
• The main advantage of this tool is its integration with Skype for business.
• To get hands-on this software one needs a bit of training.

Wrike is a powerful project management software with impressive automation and real-time monitoring capabilities. For starters, you get tons of purpose-built templates to create and manage a variety of projects. You also get to organize your projects with the help of a Gantt chart or Kanban Board.

It also helps that this software offers you the ability to customize the dashboard, workflows, etc. as per your wish, thanks in large part to its drag-and-drop interface. Perhaps the best part about Wrike is the unparalleled visibility it offers you over projects across your organization’s various departments.

Features:

• Purpose Built Templates
• Kanban Board
• Gantt Chart
• Custom Request Forms
• Shared Team Calendars

Pricing:

• Free plan available
• Professional: $9.80/user/month
• Business: $24.80/user/month
• Contact for custom enterprise plan
• A 14-day free trial is also available

Pros:

• Drag-and-Drop customizable interface
• Advanced reporting and analytics
• Manual and automated time tracking
• Tons of pre-built templates to choose from for project creation

Cons:

• Not suitable for small businesses or individual users.

Verdict: Wrike is a project management software that shines because of its simplicity and excellent functionality. With strong integrations to boast, this is undoubtedly one of the best tools that mid-sized and large enterprises can use to monitor and manage their projects across multiple departments.

#7) Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is an online project management tool that gives a wide-ranging way out to day-to-day issues in project management activities. The value of every project lies in its planning. Project planning using Zoho Projects software requires less time so that the rest of the time can be concentrated on real-time work.

Zoho Projects software has an online forum where every team member can interact with each other even though they are geographically separated.

Features:

• For task management, it lets you break projects into simpler work items and offers features for issue management, Gantt chart, different task views, etc.
• It has the functions of timers, timesheets, invoicing, budgeting, and calendar for time management.
• It provides task reports, timesheet reports, issue reports, budget forecasting, etc.
• It allows designing workflows to automate task processes.
• It provides team collaboration features such as chat functionality, feeds, forums, etc.

Pros:

• Zoho Projects offers an easy-to-use interface.
• It supports integration with Zoho apps and third-party apps.

Cons:

• No such cons to mention.

Pricing Details:

• Free trial: 10 days
• Free plan for 3 users.
• Premium: $5 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $10 per user per month.

=> Visit Zoho Projects Website

#8) Teamwork

Teamwork is a flexible and all-in-one platform of project management for client work. It offers advanced features including task assignments to the entire team or the selective team members. It has powerful filters that make drilling down the information easier. It will let you organize the workflows as per your requirement.

Features:

• Teamwork offers multiple options for visual representation such as board views, project portfolios, list views, etc.
• It is a solution for agencies, creative teams, project managers, marketing teams, and professional services.
• It can be integrated with several applications such as MS Teams, HubSpot, Slack, etc. so that it will be easier for you to manage all tasks from a single platform.

Pros:

• Teamwork offers real-time collaboration features.
• It is an end-to-end solution for project management.
• It has robust reporting features.

Cons: No such cons to mention.

Pricing Details:

• Free Forever
• Deliver: $10 per user per month
• Grow: $18 per user per month
• Scale: Get a quote
• Free trial for 30 days
• Annual billing

=> Visit Teamwork Website

MeisterTask is one of Europe’s leading project and task management software applications largely because it is so simple, intuitive and easy to use.

Divide projects up into tasks, add them to customized workflows and display them on beautifully-designed, digital, Kanban-style boards – the ultimate way to visually track progress from conception to completion.

Add as many users to your project as required and interact with them using mentions and comments. This way, users are able to collaborate and work together more effectively, in real-time. All files, information, and documents are stored in the tasks themselves so they’ll never go missing.

Task management can also be done on-the-go using our mobile apps available for iOS and Android.

Pros: Task automation, mobile apps, and integrations with all your favorite tools such as Slack, GitHub, Zendesk, MindMeister, Freshdesk, Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, IFTTT Github, G Suite, Harvest and many more.

Cons: The time tracking feature could use some improvements and there is no desktop app for Linux.

Freshservice is a complete project management toolkit that can manage the projects from planning to execution. From beginning to wrap up, Freshservice will help you to prioritize, manage, and track projects.

Features:

• Using task management features you can organize projects into tasks and nested subtasks.
• Dashboard’s calendar view will give you an overview of daily tasks.
• It provides the features to collaborate, brainstorm ideas, and share context across teams.

Pros:

• You will be able to manage the projects from planning to execution.
• It provides the features to track and manage all your tickets, changes, and assets related to a project.
• As the projects can be organized into tasks and sub-tasks it will be easier to assign to individual owners or collaborators.

Cons:

• As per reviews, its customization features are not suitable for small businesses.
• It has limited integration capabilities.

Pricing Details:

• Free trial available for 21 days
• Blossom: $19 per agent per month
• Garden: $49 per agent per month
• Estate: $79 per agent per month
• Forest: $99 per agent per month

With WorkOtter, you get agile cloud-based project management software that is rich in features and suitably affordable.

It can help you quickly create workflows, forecast resources and assign them accordingly, track project completion time via interactive status boards, and so much more. It also helps that WorkOtter is highly-customizable and features advanced reporting capabilities.

Features:

• Built-in project logs
• Multiple options to plan projects
• Project-by-project reporting
• Built-in customizable dashboard
• Forecast project by Team, by Workplan, by Spreadsheet, or by Hybrid option.

Pros:

• 24/7 Customer Support
• Resource forecasting and assignment
• Highly customizable dashboard
• Interactive workflow map and status boards
• Bank-grade security protocol
• Easy to use and implement

Cons:

• Report generation can sometimes take too much time.

Price: WorkOtter follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model, you’ll need to contact them for a quote. A free demo is available upon request.

#12) Trello

• Trello is an extremely flexible tool that makes project management easier. It is the best tool for personal business or an organization with large teams.
• Using Trello we can have a visual overview of the activities of a project like which resource is engaged in which task or phase of the project.
• The drawback of Trello is its simple way of handling the project activities. Sometimes users need to download some extensions to cope up with their tasks.

You can check the pricing details and other features of this tool from here.

#13) ProWorkflow

• ProWorkflow is a web-based technology/application used for managing project activities like tasks & time tracking, creating task lists for employees, and watching real-time activities.
• One can attain complete knowledge regarding the performance of the company using the report’s manager feature.
• Its main disadvantage is the lack of risk and issue management.

Explore the site from here for more features.

#14) Podio

• Podio is a web-based tool that uses cloud service to enable its users to collaborate in an online environment.
• Project teams can create their own apps for businesses by using a drag-and-drop feature of Podio.
• As this tool supports mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android it will give you the flexibility to work from anywhere anytime. It can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
• It offers four pricing plans. It is free for five employees. The other three plans are Basic ($9), Plus ($14), and Premium ($24).

Visit the Podio site from here for further details.

#15) Asana

• Asana is the web (SaaS) as well as a mobile application used for managing the project activities by users without emails.
• Without forwarding an email or setting up a meeting one can view the progress of the project in a single glance.
• The application’s complexity is its main drawback.
• Asana is available for a free trial. It has three pricing plans, Premium ($9.99 per user per month), Business ($19.99 per user per month), and Enterprise (Get a quote).

Visit the Asana website from here for more features.

#16) Freedcamp

• Freedcamp is a web-based tool that uses cloud computing for resource & task management, learning, teamwork, tracking the issues, budgeting, etc.
• Freedcamp is able to send SMS notifications to concerned users for updates.
• The only disadvantage with Freedcamp is its mobile platform which is not yet modernized or updated perfectly.
• It offers five pricing plans Free plan, Minimalist ($1.49 per active user per month), Freelancer ($3.49 per active user per month), Business ($7.49 per active user per month), and Enterprise ($16.99 per active user per month).

Free trial of this tool is available here

#17) ServiceNow ITBM

ServiceNow IT Business Management (ITBM) is a leading strategic portfolio management tool with extensive project management capabilities according to the Forrester Wave report.

It delivers features for planning and scheduling development efforts, managing resources based on project priorities and tracking task execution. Besides, ServiceNow ITBM allows monitoring project costs and offers analytics capabilities for high-level project and portfolio management efforts.

ServiceNow ITBM helps to cut project costs, speed up development processes, and better align IT to business needs.

Visit ServiceNow ITBM here

#18) Microsoft Project

• Microsoft Project is a strong tool for the agile type of project management.
• It supports customization, tracking of issues and reporting, resource & task management, learning, and team collaboration, etc.
• MS Project is a most excellent tool for Project Portfolio Management (PPM).
• Difficulty in learning this tool is its main drawback.
• MS Project is available as a desktop application.

For additional information on MS Project, access from here

#19) Basecamp

• Basecamp allows real-time management of project activities like event organization, productivity reporting, and project archiving, etc. using cloud-based management software.
• Basecamp keeps the users on the same page as everyone is working towards the completion of the project.
• Lack of task management is the main disadvantage of this tool.
• The free trial is available for 30 days.

About Basecamp Personal: Basecamp Personal is our 100% free Basecamp plan that’s tailor-made for freelancers, students, families, and personal projects.

What you get: Three projects, 20 users, and 1GB of storage space.

Visit Basecamp Website Here

#20) ProjectManager

• ProjectManager is an online tool for planning, budgeting, scheduling, executing, and reporting.
• It provides the features of real-time dashboards, task management, online creation of project plans, instant reports, timesheets, managing multiple projects, and many more.
• ProjectManager offers a free trial of 30 days for Business plan. It has three pricing plans, Personal ($15 per user per month), Team ($20 per user per month), and Business ($25 per user per month).

Free trial of this tool is available here

#21) LiquidPlanner

• LiquidPlanner is an online project management software.
• It offers features like Smart Schedules, Resource Management, Cross-Project Visibility, Contextual Collaboration, Integrated Time Tracking, and Advanced Analytics.
• The free trial is available for 14 days. It offers two pricing plans Professional ($45 per user per month) and Enterprise ($69 per user per month).

Check out the website here for further information.

#22) Clarizen

• Clarizen will help you with every step of your work lifecycle, from strategy, planning to execution.
• It provides the features of resource management, financial planning, time & expense management, and Reports & Analytics, etc.
• It offers a free trial of 30 days. It has two pricing plans Enterprise Edition and Unlimited Edition.

Check out the website here for further information.

#23) Paymo

• Paymo is a project management software that will let you manage the projects through the complete lifecycle.
• It provides the functionalities of planning & scheduling, time tracking, Monitoring team & work, and invoicing.
• A free plan is available for freelancers. Small Office plan will cost you $9.56 per user per month. For large teams, there is a Business plan which will cost you $15.16 per user per month.

Check out the website here for further information.

#24) Hive

Hive will allow you to organize the projects in multiple project layouts like the Gantt chart, Kanban board, table, and Calendar. All the updates will get reflected across all project views. Even you can switch between views easily. It is a productivity platform and supports integration with thousands of applications.

Features:

• Hive provides the features of automated workflows, summary views, and action templates.
• For execution, it provides the features of proofing & approvals, action cards, and forms.
• Hive analytics will give you actionable insights by making use of AI and Machine learning.
• It has time-tracking functionalities that can record time spent on specific projects.

Pros:

• Hive provides a fully integrated email inbox, using which you can send and receive emails.
• It provides the functionalities for monitoring like Hive analytics.

Price:

• Hive’s Basic Package: $12 per user per month.
• Free trial available.
• Add-ons price starts at $3 per user per month.

#25) Favro

Favro is an all-in-one agile tool for collaborative writing, planning, and organizing your work. It offers all the features and functionalities to suit your unique way of working.

It is suitable for your agile requirements, no matter how fast your team members, goals, or priorities change. To help you manage the projects, it offers cards, boards, collections, and relations.

Pros:

• Real-time collaboration from one place.
• Configurable boards.
• Collections will provide an aggregated view of multiple boards.
• Relations will provide a view of the interaction between teams and verticals.

Cons:

• No such cons to mention.

Pricing Plans:

• Free trial for 14 days
• Lite: $25.5 per month
• Standard: $34 per month
• Enterprise: $63.75 per month.

All Plans Include:

• Unlimited boards and backlogs.
• Apps for iOS and Android Devices.
• OAuth through Google and GitHub.
• Support
• Collections (5 to Unlimited, based on the plan).

#26) Backlog

Backlog is an all-in-one project management tool with mobile apps designed and built for development and cross-functional teams.

Features

• Projects are easily managed with tasks and subtasks. Useful task attributes include versions, milestones, priorities, categories, assignees, and progress.
• Gantt and Burndown charts are available.
• Built-in project Wikis allow users to document processes, organize meeting notes, and track changes.
• Both web-based and self-hosted versions are available.
• Native iOS and Android apps.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and start running quickly.
• Easy download and log in from your mobile device and fully integrated with your desktop version.
• Simple interface that new users find quick to learn and use. As a result, this tool is useful for non-development teams for their task or project management purposes.
• Backlog has both Wiki and Git/SVN built-in; users do not have to purchase these separately, unlike Confluence and Bitbucket.
• Backlog comes with an unlimited user plan, which is cost-effective for larger (or smaller) teams.

Cons:

• It has some integration limitations.

Pricing: Backlog offers a free version, while the next level is $35/month which includes 30 users. A self-hosted version is also available, starting at $1,200/year for 20 users.

Below are additional project management platforms that can be used to manage the projects.

#27) Bitrix24

Visit the official website from here

Bitrix24 is an online Project Management software that supports Gantt charts, group chat, video conferencing, document management, task automation, etc.

#28) Insightly

Visit Insightly from here for more details on this tool.

Insightly is an online customer relationship management tool. It is useful for small and emerging businesses. It is a commercial tool but it offers a free trial. It helps businesses in being strong and powerful.

#29) Redbooth

You can visit the website here for further information.

Teambox Project Management Software is now rebranded as “Redbooth”. Redbooth is a web-based and on-premises (within a network) tool used for task management and project management. You will get the status of the respective projects at a glance. The task management feature of this tool makes the processes easy with the help of checklists and templates.

#30) Open Projects

Visit here for more details.

Open Project is an open-source project management application. Open Project can exchange and use information between Gantt charts, Pert charts, Projects, etc. It helps across the entire life cycle of the project for Planning, task management, timeline reports, etc. It also ensures Privacy and Data Security.

#31) Redmine

Visit the official website from here

Redmine is an open-source, free, and web-based tool that supports multiple projects and subprojects. Users of the tool including Clients can access it.

Also read =>> How to use Redmine project management tool.

#32) Taiga

For further queries or information on this tool, access from here

Taiga is an open-source, dominant, and spontaneous tool. It is used by project managers, design teams, and agile developers. It can be integrated with a video conferencing tool using third-party services.

#33) GanttProject

Visit the official website from here

GanttProject is an open-source Project Management system used for scheduling projects. This software can be used without the internet as it is a desktop-supported application.

#34) Confluence

Visit the official website from here

Confluence is a Project Management software that supports team collaboration by maintaining the team’s work in an organized manner at a central place.

#35) ProjectLibre

Visit the official website from here

ProjectLibre is an open-source tool that is an alternative to MS Project. It supports features like task management, Gantt charts, tracking, and resource allocation, etc.

Conclusion

In this article, we have included a complete and comprehensive list of the most popular Project Management Tools.

Suggested reading =>> What is Project Management Office

Selecting the tool for a project may vary from project to project. It is based on the project requirements, development methodology, Client’s preference, software cost, etc. factors.

Considering the entire criteria, one can compare and select the best tool from the above list.

Further reading =>> Top software for Construction Process Management

=> Contact us to suggest a listing here.