25 Best Free Project Management Software to Try in 2024

Looking for the most powerful project management software in 2024?

There’s no doubt that project management software helps you become more productive in managing your workflow.

How do we know?

Because you can track tasks completed, the time spent, and compare that to your performance over the long run.

And when you use project management software correctly, most of the challenges of managing virtual teams go poof.

Project success requires the right tools and processes, but you don’t have to break your budget to stay on top of projects. Instead, take advantage of these great project management software options that will keep your agenda organized and ensure your team is always on track.

If your team has never used any project management software or tools before, this list will give you a great head start regarding the different options to try out.

In this article, we’ll highlight the top options and help you find the best project management software that will fit your team, your personality, and your needs, no matter what task you need to accomplish!

Read our related articles on the best task management software and product management tools.

This Article Contains:

What is project management software?

Project management software is designed to assist in managing the activities, resources, information, and tasks related to a project. It offers structure and organization for projects of any size so that teams monitor project progress from start to finish.

Most project management tools typically include specialized features to streamline the project management lifecycle:

Resource allocation lets project managers match the appropriate resources to what the specific job needs
Task lists, whiteboards, and chat channels allow teams to work together in real-time or asynchronously
Reporting capabilities provide leaders with insights into the project’s progress

Teams have more projects taking up their work time. From meetings to deep work and informal projects to goal tracking, many things are moving simultaneously in a short amount of time.

Without best-in-class project management software, we essentially create more tasks, inefficiencies, and fear-based decisions.

25 Best Free Project Management Software in 2024

Here are the 25 best project management software to help you start managing projects right away.

1. ClickUp

ClickUp views — See the 15+ views in ClickUp to customize your workflow to your needs

ClickUp is project management software equipped to handle all your team’s workload. It simplifies the process of collaboration and multi-step workflow management. Thanks to its scalable Hierarchy framework, even the most complex of projects are neatly organized into manageable tasks and subtasks while providing teams the flexibility to toggle between different views of the same project data— right from a single, unified space.

ClickUp offers a plethora of customizable features that empower teams to transform ideas into action and structure project roadmaps centered around key milestones. Moreover, ClickUp’s impressive integration capabilities allow it to seamlessly connect with over 1,000 other work tools for free. These include Slack, Google Drive, Figma, Loom and more! This integration prowess of ClickUp not only refines your project management process but also propels your projects and brings your team a step closer to accomplishing their goals.

ClickUp best project management features:

Extensive online support, interactive webinars, and proactive customer service are all in place to help you maximize the use of the platform
ClickUp Task Tray to securely parks minimized tasks for easy access and reference at any time
Adaptable Project Time Tracking and report generation from any gadget. This allows you to seamlessly switch between tasks or even add time retrospectively
Comprehensive Start Dates, Due Dates, and Exact Times for pinpoint accuracy when establishing deadlines and key milestones
Use the watchers feature to keep team members and stakeholders updated automatically about any task-related activity
@mentions and assigned comments implemented in tasks, subtasks, and Chat View to engage everyone relevant in the discussion
ClickUp Hierarchy gives you more flexibility and control to organize everything from small teams to enterprise companies
Implement over 50 Task Automations to optimize any project management process
ClickUp AI for project management, which integrates machine learning capabilities to streamline tasks, automate repetitive actions, and intelligently analyze data for actionable insights

ClickUp AI for project Management — Use ClickUp AI to seamlessly organize, plan, and execute your projectsUse ClickUp AI to seamlessly organize, plan, and execute your projects

What you get in the free version of ClickUp:

Most companies demand premium prices for what ClickUp delivers for free.

You enjoy access to unlimited users, tasks, and multiple product features in the Free Forever plan. There are no limits to which task management options or which project management features you can use!

The result? An effective project plan, every time

Customized views: Do you prefer to see your tasks on a Scrum board or a list? Organize and view your tasks in a List, Box, Gantt chart, Board, Table, or Calendar view. Additionally, you and your team can switch between different views with just a click. Select a view that works best for you, and quickly find the task you’re working on
Workload Management: Easily allocate resources using Workload view and Pulse to gauge your team’s current workload. Recent studies show that nearly half of American employees feel burnt out. If you’re running a remote team, this can instantly boost your team productivity!
ClickUp Dashboards: Access high-level views of everything in your Workspace. With Dashboards, you can use Customizable Widgets to gain important insights on people, Sprints, projects, tasks, and more. Dashboards are also great for Agile project management and product development.
Assign Comments: Do comments slip through the cracks? Assign Comments as a task, and set up specific dates and times to follow up. This feature makes remote project management super easy
Priorities: Is your team unsure of which tasks are most important? Set up custom priority levels and collaborate on various tasks based on their urgencies and importance
Reminders: Don’t let important tasks, start dates, and due dates slip from your memory with ClickUp’s Reminders. Need to save time? Create Recurring Reminders instead
ClickUp Goals: Set Goals for your whole team. Track Targets like numbers or a simple yes/no. You can also use this to set weekly sprint goals for your Agile and Scrum software projects.
ClickUp Mind Maps: Visualize your thoughts and ideas with Mind Maps
ClickUp Whiteboards: Visually collaborate with your team in real time! Project management whiteboards are the fastest way to bridge the gap between brainstorming and getting work done. Link to tasks, files, Docs, and more.
Custom Fields: Set up project management the way you want it. Add columns for contact info, notes, project budgets, etc.
Custom Task Statuses: Create Custom Task Statuses to track project progress
Gantt Chart view: Create effective project plans, manage project closures, and manage dependencies with ease. Using Gantt Charts, you can also quickly schedule multiple small and complex projects
Drag and Drop: This is a key feature, especially if you have multiple teams in ClickUp. Drag, drop, move, and re-assign tasks to people, clients, or Teams in just a few steps, no annoying menus required.

ClickUp is conscious of how work actually gets done, which sparked our motivation to obsessively create features to enhance productivity. And because ClickUp interacts with so many essential team collaboration tools, your team will hum along as it’s always done… just faster and more efficiently on multiple projects.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an individual user or project manager, ClickUp has you covered. 😊

There’s a free plan available to your team, along with an upgrade to unlimited storage for just a few dollars more a month. Feel free to try out the free version with all the features, and upgrade to unlimited storage at any time.

ClickUp Pricing

Free Forever Plan (best for personal use)
Unlimited Plan (best for small teams ($7/member per month)
Business Plan (best for mid-sized teams ($12/member per month)
ClickUp Brain: Available on all paid plans for $5/Workspace member/month

What people think about managing projects in ClickUp:

“Clickup has so many great tools to grow our team and I’m always finding better and faster ways to do things. We have seen tremendous productivity growth in our team since using Clickup.” – G2Crowd

“ClickUp has completely changed how I work. I cannot imagine not using it. It has almost gotten to the point where if it isn’t on ClickUp, I won’t be doing it. It takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it it becomes exponentially useful.” — G2Crowd

“While we had already been using ClickUp, we started implementing an agile approach and using sprints for our team. ClickUp has been invaluable in this regard! We are more productive, have better oversight regarding what everyone is busy with, more transparency and are better able to communicate with the rest of the company regarding expected completion dates. The online resources are brilliant to learn how to make the most out of ClickUp. I cannot recommend this tool enough!” — G2Crowd

Try ClickUp!

2. MeisterTask

meistertask project view example — *Via Meistertask*

Any Kanban board fanatics in the house? MeisterTask is the way to go for you guys. This project management software tool tries to make Kanban boards more practical.

Your tasks, comments, notes, due dates, etc, are all set up like Kanban boards in one place. It’s a flexible project board and cloud-based project management tool.

MeisterTask best project management features:

Task assignment and progress tracking
Kanban boards for task management
Unlimited automations
Gantt-style timelines for scheduling and assigning tasks

What you get in the free version of MeisterTask:

Unlimited projects and unlimited users
Two integrations (Slack or Zendesk)
Checklists, comments, tags, task and time tracking features
User-friendly interface
File sharing and attachments (up to 20MB)

What people think about managing projects in MeisterTask:

“The one thing I’m not really happy with is the inability to batch move tasks from one section to another. I don’t know why we can do that! You can only move one task at a time. Also, the scroll bar is pretty small and hard to click on because it’s pretty skinny. The free version doesn’t support recurring tasks, so that’s something to be aware of if you are not going to pay for it.” – Capterra Verified Review

“I wish the free version had more projects – something like 4 to 6 would be great. My budget may allow me to purchase the full (I think Pro) version. I am using this for just myself right now, but can see how a business could make use of it. Like most To-do apps, a decent snooze feature is lacking. Sometimes I am in the middle of working on a task and need a few more minutes to finish up – snoozing an upcoming item is always helpful.” – Capterra Verified Review

3. Nifty

Nifty Free Project Management software — Via Nifty

Nifty is a project management tool that aims to keep you focused on managing your work, not tool. Collaborate with your team and clients in one app with a variety of features like chat, tasks, docs, and calendar. Create a proposal for your projects and automate your progress tracking.

Set goals and timelines, collaborate on tasks, establish a knowledge hub, create docs and wikis and balance workloads.

Visualize your project in Nifty as Milestones (similar to Gantt view), or choose from its other three views including Timeline, its board-like Swimlane view, or from a birds-eye with Master overview.

Nifty best project management features:

Milestone tracking and project timelines
Task management with automated progress updates
Team collaboration tools
Task assignment and prioritization
Integrated communication channels

What you get in the free version of Nifty:

Unlimited team members, guests, and clients
100 MB storage space
2 projects
Tasks, Milestones, Discussions and Docs
Workflow Automations and Custom Roles and Permissions

What people think about managing projects in Nifty:

“Nifty is a product that excels in many client environments. Its ease of use makes it a powerful tool for managing our client portfolio.” — Stefan Schmidt, Executive Partner, Hemmersbach

“Nifty is still in its early days, you might find some bugs here and there, but the team is always very fast to respond when you report something or if you send a feature request. Regarding its interface, there’s nothing to dislike. I think Nifty is headed in the right direction, it just needs a bit of time to mature, but in the meantime, it’s perfectly functional and does what it says, making project management easy.” — G2Crowd

4. Trello

Trello has become a popular free project management app in the last few years by introducing the Kanban board approach to the masses. And you can use it even if you don’t use Agile or Scrum project management methodologies.

However, Trello isn’t perfect. Especially for user’s looking for a free project management solution.

Starting in April, 2024, Trello Workspaces will be limited to 10 collaborators per workspace, making Trello an expensive option for larger teams.

Check out our Trello and ClickUp comparison and list of Trello Alternatives.

Trello best project management features:

Plugins to link to other apps and project management tools
Project views including Kanban boards, timelines, and calendars
Custom fields to structure information for the entire project
No-code automations in each Trello board
Project templates for repeatable workflows

What you get in the free version of Trello:

One integration per board
Up to 10MB for files

What people think about managing projects in Trello:

“So far Trello is doing a great job. What is advertised is done as expected. The only thing I will like to mention is the modern user interface. I would really like to have a new and fresh look for this software which will make the user experience more effective.” — G2Crowd

“Trello is a great tool, but it’s restricted in terms of the projects it can manage. Trello is ideal for little tasks, but not for large ones.” – Capterra Verified Review

5. Wrike

Wrike is a simple project management tool that works well for small teams.

They also have an activity stream dashboard that helps you see who’s working on what. Their issue tracking can help a range of development teams too.

But can its free version solve all your project management issues?

Unfortunately, no. Wrike’s free version is quite limited. You’ll lose out on their best features and a ton more until you upgrade to their premium plan.

Wrike best project management features:

Time tracking feature to compare actual time spent to estimated
Task priorities so teams complete tasks in the correct order
Project dashboards for better task management
Kanban boards allow complete visibility of tasks
Integrations with 400+ other SaaS apps

What you get in the free version of Wrike:

Tasks, folders, projects
File sharing
Table view
Inbox
iOS and Android apps
Unlimited users
No time restrictions
Board view and Spreadsheet view
Task & Subtask Management
File sharing

What people think about managing projects in Wrike:

“Sometimes changing some options will affect all the folders; other times you want an option to be applied to the sub-folders, but it will only be applied to your main folder. Setting up the tool can be quite a long process without adequate training” — Technology Advice

“Honestly, there is not much I would change or dislike about Wrike. The only that would be helpful is if there was an easier way to have conversations in wrike transfer over into our google emails. I sometimes forget to check my Wrike messages, and therefore wish I would get the messages synchronously in my email.” — G2Crowd

Not sure about Wrike anymore? Take a look at our Wrike and ClickUp comparison!

And for good measure, here are the top 9 Wrike alternatives.

6. Bitrix24

Projects updates in Bitrix24 — Via Bitrix24

Be a master of none or a niche player? That’s an age-old question.

Bitrix24 is an intuitive free planning software and project management solution that tries to solve multiple business needs at once. Great for some businesses, especially small businesses, but it kind of depends on both your personality and your team’s habits.

The annoying bit is, you’re probably using several of these tools already. In that case, integrating may be better than going all out for a one-stop-shop solution that’s confusing!

But as a free project planner, it offers you tasks, Gantt charts, and task dependencies. The only cap is with the number of users and storage.

Bitrix24 best project management features:

CRM integration for client project management
Task and goal setting with deadline reminders
Gantt charts for task progression
Real-time team collaboration tools
Project time tracking and reporting

What you get in the free version of Bitrix24:

Task management
Kanban boards
Resource management
5GB of storage
12 users

What people think about managing projects in Bitrix24:

“Bitrix is riddled with whimsical graphics that smooth over the transitions from page to page. They ultimately slow down the experience and draw the eye away from the more critical business elements of the page. On top of that, helpful reminders reminiscent of ‘Clippy’ show to block key functions of the page, making them hard to ignore and, at the end of the day, frustrating.” — G2Crowd

“I liked all the features and functionality it offers but since the interface was too cluttered with things my team didn’t need it had a negative impact on productivity since it took too long to find things.” – Capterra Verified Review

7. Hive

Hive is a project management platform that helps teams work together online, whether they are back in the office, fully remote, or mixing the two with a hybrid model. Hive Solo, the platform’s free-forever plan, offers full project management functionality for teams of 1 or 2. This makes it one of the best free project management software for small teams, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

With its simple user interface, Hive makes it really easy to get started right out of the box. And with all of the standard task management and collaboration features, there are plenty of useful tools to keep your team organized, no matter where you’re working.

Hive best project management features:

Project action cards for detailed task management
Gantt chart view for progress tracking
Integration capabilities with numerous apps
Collaboration tools including chat and email
Analytics dashboard for project overview

What you get in the free version of Hive:

Unlimited storage
Unlimited projects and tasks
Unlimited collaborative notes
Gantt, Kanban, calendar & table views
Email in Hive
Native chat messaging

What people think of managing projects in Hive:

“We recommend using Hive for project management for companies of all sizes and all natures. Hive can adapt to the nature of work you do and it can be easily adjustable to your work style. So, why not get a good platform that knows the project management work and will ease your life in the longer run.” – James Cooper, G2 Reviews

“You do not need to be a qualified project manager to get the immediate benefits of using Hive. The interface is very intuitive and it’s easy to see how your project is looking within 10-15 minutes.” – Gary Bright, G2 Reviews

8. nTask

nTask is a simple but powerful project management solution that makes it easy to manage complex workflows.

Made to bring project teams on one place, and collaborate to achieve business goals. The platform’s simple structure, and ability to create unlimited workspaces is loved by users. It gives a bird’s eye view for the project progress to help managers making effective decisions.

However, the basic free plan has no reporting tools and Gantt charts feature.

It is a useful tool to manage project budget, project planning, task management, time tracking, and managing risks.

The tool helps you to create custom fields and statuses for the project. We wish to see a better team communication feature in projects, rather than just task comments.

nTask best project management features:

Comprehensive task management with subtasks
Meeting scheduling and follow-ups
Risk management tools for project risks
Budgeting and cost management
Gantt charts for a visual project timeline

Here’s what you get in the free version of nTask:

Unlimited workspaces
Five team members
Timesheets
Issue tracking
Unlimited tasks
Meeting Management

What people think about managing projects in nTask:

“The good thing about this type of tools is that it centralizes everything in one place, the work is done in an organized way, with due planning and with the least number of errors, from the Gantt diagram view you can visualize the progress and determine the strategic line of your projects, and it is pleasant to look at.” – Capterra Verified Review

“nTask in generally is an awesome product but there are some stumbling blocks. It offers limited integrations and steep learning curve. One can face some problems when using it for the first time. The calendar view functionality should be more elaborated.” — G2Crowd

9. Asana

Asana is a very well-known project management software tool that’s used by a lot of teams.

Users generally like Asana because it’s a visually appealing tool that utilizes projects and sections to keep work organized and gives the team clarity about who’s in charge of what in your project planning.

This project management software is simple to use compared to most other project management software solutions. You can quickly move your task and assign work with their drag-and-drop feature.

What bothers us is Asana’s reliability with its rapid growth. And all we want for Christmas is less downtime!

Not sure about Asana? Check these Asana alternatives to compare Asana’s features with ClickUp, Trello, Monday and more!

Asana best project management features:

Color categorization in project calendars
Automation Rules to send requests to team members or projects
Calendar views for personal projects or team projects
Expanded timelines to optimize resource utilization
Reports for insight into workflows and tasks

Here’s what you get in the free version of Asana:

Unlimited tasks, projects, and conversations
Basic dashboards
Basic search

What people think about managing projects in Asana:

“Asana’s feature set and complexity require a relatively steep learning curve for the uninitiated. That hampered roll-out efforts in my organization, along with the fact there is no desktop app for Asana. After nearly a year, I’m still figuring out all the features and best uses, so it would be nice to have a variety of case studies/examples from which to glean best practices.” – Capterra Verified Review

“Overall, we love Asana as a robust project management tool for our team, but it takes a good deal of adapting and getting used to before you hit your stride with it.” – Capterra Verified Review

Take a look at our Asana and ClickUp comparison!

10. Todoist

In Todoist, it’s easy to quickly capture thoughts and ideas on your phone and then get reminded about them later.

You can plug in deadlines, like pay bills in three days, and the project management app will automatically remind you.

However, you don’t get any real-time collaboration features in the basic free version.

Also, did you know Todoist was built as a personal task management app and not as a project management app for businesses and team collaborations? So to easily manage your teams and their tasks, you’ll have to opt for the paid plan or a different tier version.

Read our take on Todoist vs. ClickUp and learn about other top alternatives to Todoist.

Todoist best project management features:

Task lists with priority levels and due dates
Project tracking through color-coded graphs
Collaboration features for team tasks
Integration capabilities with various apps
Task reminders via email, SMS or push notifications

Here’s what you get in the free version of the Todoist app:

Access on 10+ platforms
Recurring due dates
SSL secured connection
Sub-tasks & sub-projects
Task priorities (four levels)
80 Active projects
Five people per project

What people think about managing projects in Todoist:

“I haven’t found a way to get integration with Google Calendar in a way that works for me. It syncs tasks, but the manner in which it does so isn’t fluid with the way that I work, so that is probably due to user error or my personal preference and less likely a reflection of the program.” — G2Crowd

“I use ToDoist to keep track of tasks sent to me by clients. I don’t use it for project management, extensive notes, or workflow so much as a simple to-do list of projects that need to be completed. Sometimes you don’t need to write a lot of details – you just need to be sure you do the task and todoist is the best software I have found for that.” – Capterra Verified Review

11. Airtable

airtable project timeline view examples — Via Airtable

Airtable is a beautifully designed, table-meets-database solution. It takes what you love about Excel and Google Sheets and puts a modern web-based project on it.

Think of Airtable as a fancy spreadsheet that helps you track inventory, lists of reference items, or as a bootstrap CRM.

Essentially, Airtable is a super-friendly, non-intimidating database for the 21st century, disrupting traditional database management systems that rely on SQL or other complex languages.

If you’ve used Excel as a project management tool in the past, then you may want to look at Airtable. However, we don’t recommend spreadsheets for project management.

Why?

Because dedicated top free project management tools do the job better!

Bonus: Read about Airtable’s best alternatives.

Airtable best project management features:

Integrations with Box, Salesforce, and Google Calendar to pull in other data
Interface Designer tool to build and share custom interfaces
Shareable forms to populate records into the Airtable base
Software development tools to build robust reporting systems
Automations with Javascript functionality

Here’s What You Get In The Free Version of Airtable:

Unlimited bases
Unlimited scheduling views
Rich field records
Commenting
2GB of storage
Two weeks of historical data

What People Think About Managing Projects in Airtable:

“I love Airtable because I am able to build simple but useful custom programs and databases while knowing basically zero code. Although there are really key features that stop Airtable just short of perfect, it is still leagues better than a normal spreadsheet for sure.” — Capterra Verified Review

“I hate that it doesn’t have reminder/follow up capabilities especially knowing they advertise as a team collaboration tool that’s used for customer service.” — G2Crowd

Compare Airtable and ClickUp for project management.

12. TeamGantt

Like how Gantt charts make everything clear as day?

Then TeamGantt is made for you.

It’s a free project management software with a sole focus only on Gantt charts.

This software tool is impressive at building out and visualizing Gantt charts so you can see what tasks may overlap and who’s responsible for what.

It’s also a great tool for measuring team and individual progress against project milestones.

The funny thing is for a software that takes pride in their Gantt charts, you get just ONE Gantt chart in the free plan. Yikes!

TeamGantt best project management features:

Easy-to-read Gantt charts for scheduling
Task assignment with dependencies and milestones
Team availability management
Time tracking for better productivity analysis

Here’s what you get in the free version of TeamGantt:

One project
Basic project planning and collaboration
Three users
Team availability and workload

What project managers think about TeamGantt:

“The free version only allows one project. The next step up is not that expensive though.” — G2 Crowd

“I like the versatility and easiness when using this program and managing tasks.” — Capterra Verified Review

Looking for great Gantt chart software? Read our article on the top free Gantt Chart software and if you’re a construction company, our article on the best construction project management software.

Check out these TeamGantt alternatives!

13. Teamwork Projects

Teamwork Board View Content Dashboard Example — Via Teamwork

Teamwork Projects is a very well-known project management system or software geared more for audiences needing enterprise management with single sign-on, HIPAA compliance, and premium support.

Their paid plans have many feature options for teams and offer a suite of tools such as billing and invoicing.

However, their free tier is quite limited.

Many clients and teams will pony up for those advanced features, but it’s a risk if you don’t want to be locked into a long-term pricing plan. For instance, in the Pro plan, you get lots of integrations such as Dropbox and Slack, way more storage, and up to 50 users.

Teamwork Projects best project management features:

Task and sub-task creation and assignment
Gantt chart for project timeline visualization
Time tracking and billing features
File storage and versioning for effective document management
Inbuilt team communication tools

What you get in the free version of teamwork projects:

Two active projects
Limited task boards
Subtasks
Color themes

What people think of Teamwork Projects:

“The software seems to be popular just in Europe, so there are a few third-party apps which have developed something connected to Teamwork, but it has access to the API and webhooks to compensate.” — G2Crowd

“Teamwork excels at tasking and basic project management, but don’t count on it for any company or portfolio insights and/or big picture views. This is a good tool for small teams that worry about pipeline and traffic control but not for large interconnected teams that require account management, efficiency evaluation or budget oversight.” – Capterra Verified Review

Try out these Teamwork alternatives!

14. Freedcamp

freedcamp project list view — Via Freedcamp

Freedcamp gives you multiple views, including a list, Kanban board, and Gantt chart view.

It also has a wall for social communication and private tasks, along with white labeling for client spaces, invoicing, and CRM capabilities.

But here’s the thing, the free plan is very limited, and the paid plans begin at $1.49 per user per month.

And in their own words, it’s a “minimalist” plan!

We wish that they went even more minimalist with a free plan, though.

Freedcamp best project management features:

Task lists with sticky notes for instant information capture
Calendar view for easy task scheduling and monitoring
Dedicated discussion boards for team collaboration
Issue tracker for efficient problem management
Cloud file storage for hassle-free document management

Here’s what you get in the free version of Freedcamp:

Unlimited users and tasks
Time tracking
Discussion boards
Password manager
Personal task manager
Subtasks

What people think about Freedcamp:

“Freedcamp does not update as often as I would like. Software should constantly be changing to stay relevant with trends and industry needs.” — Capterra Verified Review

“I don’t like the fact that it has no mobile application. That would be great to communicate and manage tasks straight from the mobile.” — G2Crowd

15. Redbooth

Need to streamline your team’s work and to help them focus on your most important tasks? Redbooth has you covered.

It features a simple, user-friendly interface that helps teams feel comfortable right away. Managers feel empowered to change workloads and resources very easily.

On the downside, Redbooth doesn’t let you assign tasks to multiple people.

Clearly, the fact that there’s no “I” in “team” doesn’t apply here.

Redbooth best project management features:

HD video conferencing for effortless team collaboration
Detailed Gantt charts for task flow visualization
Time tracking to ensure project timelines are met
Task templates to streamline repetitive processes
Easy file sharing for seamless document access

Here’s what you get in the free version of Redbooth:

Assigned users
Tasks
Gantt charts
Conversations
2GB of storage
Community forums/email support

What people think about managing projects with Redbooth:

“Redbooth is really just good for a supplemental side kick role software. Like in our company we use it is supplement to Procore. It defintely has its limitations, but it serves its purpose.” — Capterra Verified Review

“It’s super fresh and flexible. Seems like the best thing since sliced bread when you start using it! My team thought it was going to be great.” — Capterra Verified Review

Check out how ClickUp compares to Redbooth.

16. Basecamp

basecamp project management software — Via Basecamp

Basecamp is a popular project management and team communication software for easy team collaboration.

One of the main cons of Basecamp is that it does not provide the same level of customization and flexibility as some other project management software. While basecamp is designed to be an easy-to-use platform, its rigidity can make it difficult to tailor the software to specific projects or teams.

If you’re looking for a simple task manager with real-time communication features for your team members, then Basecamp can be a great pick.

Basecamp best project management features:

Project management timeline to view everything from start to finish
Hill Charts to visually see progress uphill or downhill over time
The Hey! menu streamlines notifications in a single menu
Check-in with an automatic poll for the team
Chat and messaging system

Here’s what you get in the free version of Basecamp:

20 users
Three projects
Storage space of 1GB

What people think about managing projects with Basecamp:

“When it was used for a small team to collaborate, it was great. When I started using it for client communication and deliverables, it frustrated both me and my team.” — Capterra Verified Review

“Overall, Basecamp is a solid product that I use almost daily to manage projects. I haven’t had any major issues with the software but would like to be able to easily reference tips and tricks to improve my workflow.” — Capterra Verified Review

17. ActiveCollab

Activecollab Free Project management — Via ActiveCollab

If you’re a fan of simple design, Kanban boards and a sleek UX, take a look at ActiveCollab. An easy-to-use tool that allows you to streamline projects, communicate with your team, and collaborate with clients.

Divide projects into tasks with flexible start dates and deadlines that you can assign to the team or invite clients to view as needed.

ActiveCollab can be visualized as a list or in Kanban view, has an integrated stopwatch to track time on tasks and has an integrated app to chat or share files.

ActiveCollab best project management features:

Timekeeping functionality with interactive Gantt chart
In-app communication tools and file sharing
Task dependencies and automated rescheduling
Budget tracking to monitor project finances

What you get in the free version of ActiveCollab:

Up to three members
Unlimited projects and clients
Task dependencies and automated scheduling
Mobile&Desktop app

What people think about managing projects with ActiveCollab:

Our team manages all of our projects through ActiveCollab, and that includes budgeting, tasks, and time management. Without it, we’d be lost in a sea of emails and Slack messages.” — Capterra Verified Review

“I wish it would connect to other project management tools such as basecamp, asana, etc. I work with many contractors and vendors and if I could do everything in active collab, then it would create a ticket in their platforms, it would be awesome.” — Capterra Verified Review

18. Paymo

paymo project management software kanban view — Via Paymo

Paymo is a free project management software for single users and team managers looking at resource management. It also offers Kanban boards and time tracking that allows freelancers to keep track of time tracked for every client easily.

Paymo best project management features:

Real-time task comments for effective team communication
Visual project timeline with Gantt charts
Advanced task management with multiple users
Time tracker widget for better time management
Invoice creation to manage project finances

Here’s what you get in the free version of Paymo:

One user
1GB of space
Reporting
Time tracking
API

What people think about Paymo:

“Absolutely love the granular control on the reports and ability to manage users, projects, tasks and more.” —Capterra Verified Review

“I would recommend this service to every middle sized company, which is looking for a good solid isseu tracking software.” — Capterra Verified Review

19. Podio

Podio is almost like a cocktail of free project management software and messaging tools. It offers conversations in the app, and you get an overview of all your tasks.

It supports numerous integrations with popular software like ZenDesk, Evernote, and Google Drive.

Podio best project management features:

Integrated team collaboration tools with file sharing
Reporting capabilities with visual project dashboards
App integration for expanded functionality
Automated workflows to streamline tasks

Here’s what you get in the free version of Podio:

Five users
Integrations
Unlimited workspaces
Chat capabilities

What people think about managing projects with Podio:

“Reliable communication with the team through the chat function. Good personal task management and also knowledge management. Even though we stored our files in a cloud service, we ‘indexed’ and sorted our knowledge through Podio.” — Capterra Verified Review

“The Podio CRM system is customizable to your personal needs. You can easily create separate workspaces and add the apps needed for ease of access and organizational needs.” — G2Crowd

20. Hitask

hitask project management software — Via Hitask

If your team isn’t large and don’t want to pay for a project management tool, take a look at Hitask. This free project management software is free for up to five users and gives you unlimited tasks and projects.

Hitask best project management features:

Task assignment with deadlines and priority levels
Shared calendars for team scheduling
Document management with file attachment to tasks
Team collaboration through chat and comments
Project reports and analytics for task overview

Here’s what you get in the free version of Hitask:

Up to five users
Unlimited tasks and projects
Shared task lists, projects, and calendars
0.5 GB of space

What people think about Hitask:

“This product is very easy to use, but the user interface is not very intuitive. The pricing is fair, considering what you will get in return. If you plan to use this for a personal reason, then this tool may be sufficient.” – Capterra Verified Review

“Hitask is a great and reliable solution for project and task management. It has a very intuitive and user-friendly interface which makes it easy to use. It integrates with other great softwares like Google Calendar, Gmail which makes it more effective.” – Capterra Verified Review

21. Zenkit

When looking for the best project management software, consider Zenkit. With Zenkit, you’ll get a decent spread of features and templates for easy workspace setup.

While they do make setup easy, the 5000 item limit can be a barrier to entry for most busy teams.

Zenkit best project management features:

Multiview planning with Kanban, table, list, or calendar
Task hierarchy and dependencies setup
Collaborative tools with team assignments and mentions
Time tracking for better productivity management
Integration capabilities for project management

What you get in the free version of Zenkit:

Unlimited collections
3 GB of storage
Up to five members
Up to five teams

What people think about managing projects with Zenkit:

“It is easy to use from day one since most tools are structured very user-friendly. I like the efficiency it provides for sharing information and tasks with my team.” — Capterra Verified Review

“For free users the data storage is very low, that’s the only dislike I have regarding Zenkit. Also the user interface gets too cluttered at some phases, there’s a lot of scope to improve the interface.” — G2Crowd

22. Toggl Plan

toggl plan project view — Via Toggl Plan

Toggl Plan is one of the best project management tools for effective team planning and task management.

The software is very easy to use, and suits project managers managing small teams.

Toggle Track best project management features:

Timeline view for streamlined project planning
Taskboard for team workload management
Easy drag-and-drop interface for task adjustments
Shared timelines and taskboards for team collaboration
Color-coded tasks for better task categorization

What you get in the free version of Toggl Plan:

Up to five users
Unlimited tasks
Unlimited project milestones
Shared timelines

What people think about managing projects with Toggl Plan:

“I felt the mobile experience was lacking. It’s amazing for long term planning, even weekly planning, but gets awkward when it comes to daily planning or planning in fine detail for timetabling. It’s great for regular arrangements, but gets messy when it comes to extraordinary events.”— Capterra Verified Review

“Toggl has made some great UI changes in recent years, but a more robust way of customizing your interface and views would be a bonus, especially since this is a program I use nearly all day and check in with frequently. Some additional timer views or even color themes would be fun.” — G2Crowd

23. Zoho Projects

zoho project kanban view — Via Zoho Projects

Zoho project is another efficient project management software. Whether you need to manage documents, collaborate with your team conveniently, or have bugs fixed with an issue tracker, Zoho can handle it.

Zoho Projects best project management features:

Comprehensive task management with custom fields
Gantt chart view for project scheduling
Time tracking tools and timesheet approval process
In-depth analytics with customizable reports
Integrated document management systems

What you get in the free version of Zoho Projects:

10MB file storage
Two projects
Viewer for Gantt chart
Calendar & Forums
10 users

What people think about managing projects with Zoho Projects:

“User interface can be a little confusing (difficult for newbies).”— Capterra Verified Review

“The thing which I like about Zoho projects is that it helps me in maintaining my efficiency of completing the task in a given time frame with its time tracking feature. This software is easy to integrate with other Zoho softwares and helps us in tracking the progress and maintaining the productivity of our team.” — G2Crowd

Try out these Zoho alternatives!

24. Yodiz

Last on this list of project management software is Yodiz. This software aims to simplify project planning and project tracking with smarter insights.

Yodiz is a great option for teams who use Agile and Scrum methods. You can also use Yodiz’s Zapier integrations to connect with apps like Slack and GitHub or calendar apps like Google Calendar.

But for a tool that aims to simplify project planning, Yodiz doesn’t offer Gantt charts even on their starter paid plan.

Yodiz best project management features:

Agile project management with Scrum and Kanban boards
Issue tracker for efficient problem resolution
Backlog management for effective project prioritization
Real-time chat and discussions for team collaborations
Visual release board for tracking project releases

What you get in the free version of Yodiz:

Unlimited projects
Up to three users

What people think about managing projects with Yodiz:

“Help documentation is basic – Comparatively Fewer integrations, but with Zapier integration – now it is possible to connect hundreds of applications.”— Capterra Verified Review

“It does everything I need: bug tracking, Kanban wall, user story tracking, Github integration, notifications. It’s cheap, it’s effective, and it’s easy to use.” — G2Crowd

25. Jira

Jira Issue Navigator Example — Via: Jira Software

Jira is a free project management tool used for bug-tracking and issue-management. It provides software development features like advanced reporting options, including user workload, average issue age, and recently created issues. This allows project managers to analyze project performance, manage issue backlogs, and make data-driven decisions to plan efficient Sprints.

Jira best project management features:

Incident Investigation Dashboard to resolve code deployment issues faster
Assign tasks or create Jira issues directly from your pull request
Time tracking with a color indication for visual project management
Scrum boards to break down complex tasks
Project tracking templates

What you get in the free version of Jira:

Unlimited customers
100 email notifications a day

What people think about managing projects with Jira:

“Overall, Jira is just a great tool with a fantastic user friendly interface, which overall provides a nice user experience.” — Capterra Verified Review

“Admittedly, Jira can be a bit overwhelming at first, especially for new users. The myriad of features might take some time to fully explore and grasp. But once you get the hang of it, it’s a powerful tool at your fingertips.” — G2Crowd

Check out these Jira alternatives!

Features to Look for in Free Project Management Software

We’ve covered the best project management software to choose from. Now let’s take a deep dive into the must-have features to add to your team’s productivity toolbox!

Collaborative docs

Today’s documentation management systems are a cloud-based repository of project documentation, SOPs, and meeting notes. This level of knowledge sharing promotes consistency and high-quality content to leverage across the organization. As a result, businesses accomplish three things:

Documenting processes, procedures, and best practices so critical information is not lost when team members leave or move to different roles
Reducing the time required to search for information or complete tasks
Meeting regulatory requirements and maintaining audit trails for legal compliance

Ideation tools

Teams use ideation in their projects to develop fresh, creative solutions to the problems they face. When managing projects, these project management software solutions are as valuable for marketing and sales teams as they are for product teams.

Resource management

Teams have distinct ways of organizing their tasks, as every project comes with its own set of objectives, scope, and resources. Resource management gives teams control over capacity planning and resource leveling.

Task management

If you need a platform to scale both task management and project management, project management tools like ClickUp deliver what teams need within reach to manage personal to-do lists, complex projects, and everything in between.

Goal tracking

As a business grows, it’s harder to proactively communicate the company strategy from the top level to the team and individual levels. For this reason, department leaders turn towards goal tracking apps like ClickUp to break down high-level initiatives into granular tasks.

Communication channels

With 69% of people working from home during the pandemic and 16% of companies hiring remote workers only worldwide, it’s clear a hybrid workforce is here to stay. The best approach to sustain effective communication in a partial or fully remote workplace is to use multiple communication solutions to cover a variety of common use cases. Most organizations will need:

A chat tool like Slack for day-to-day communication, as well as for team and organization-wide announcements
A screen recording tool like Loom for troubleshooting bugs and walking through complex processes
A video conferencing tool like Zoom for daily stand-ups, weekly all-hands, and impromptu syncs

Time tracking

Tracking time on tasks, meetings, and any work-related activity (looking at you, compliance training) is an essential practice for every single team member.

Time tracking will help team collaboration so you finish faster when managing projects. At its best, time tracking will provide data to make better business decisions and automation opportunities.

Automations

Automations replace the repetitive work that’s draining creative energy with powerful in-app workflows for any type of job.

Benefits of Free Project Management Software

Project management software offers numerous advantages that can streamline your team’s workflow and boost productivity. Through these tools, teams can effectively organize tasks, track project progress, and foster a collaborative environment.

Project management software comes equipped with features like tasks, shared calendars, document management, team chat, and comprehensive project reporting. These functionalities not only help in structuring the project’s tasks but also in monitoring each team member’s workload, ensuring that all tasks are allocated efficiently.

Benefits from the best project management software include:

Reduced labor costs: Eliminating redundancies and automating repetitive tasks will reduce the time and effort required to complete tasks. As a result, fewer hours are required to complete the same amount of work
Enhanced accountability and ownership: Documenting clear expectations and task goals in the project management tool holds team members accountable for their work
Faster time-to-market: Aligning communication and cross-functional workflows under one platform will help teams manage and deliver projects faster
Improved time management: Scheduling and prioritizing higher value tasks frees up headspace to put energy into the most important work and less on administrative tasks
Better resource allocation: Assigning tasks to the right people distributes the skills and expertise across projects and reduces delays caused by work overload
Increased collaboration: Commenting and discussions within a project management app gives teams and stakeholders a dedicated space to ask questions, provide feedback, and align on critical project decisions
Centralized information: Storing and sharing information reduces the likelihood of lost or miscommunicated data. Teams also benefit from having project records, pocketed ideas, and documentation within reach under one platform

Find the Best Free Project Management Software for Your Team

Your chosen project management software should be able to do the job. At the same time your whole team should be able to get on board and use its advantages without even considering opting for the paid plan.

The worst situation is when you enthusiastically embark on a new project tool, only to be stymied by its lack of features and functionality, baiting you into the solution’s paid plan.

So why not try ClickUp?

It’s got more free features than any other best project management tools we listed here.

Whether you want to Assign Tasks, create Goals, Time Tracking, use Automations, the possibilities are endless.

So try ClickUp for free today because you deserve efficient and easy project management that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.

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