The role of the project manager is crucial to the success of a project in every industry. Why wouldn’t it be? After all, a project manager is the person responsible for the intended initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling and closure of a project.
But that’s not all, along with all these known-to-all project management responsibilities, a project manager also has many other important aspects to look into. For example: making people gel in so that they can work together without conflicts, track each individual’s work, ensure optimum motivation within the team at all times, keeping teams and clients on the same page, just to name a few.
Sounds quite difficult, right? Well, it is, which is why it is important that they have the right kind of tools and strategies in place to make their work easy and effective. Fortunately, there are a wide array of software applications out there to aid the specific requirements of project managers (and their team as well). However, considering the number of project management software and team management apps available out there, it is a task in itself to make the right choice.
Don’t worry! Below, we’ve compiled a list of project management tools that every project manager should consider using today to facilitate effective project and team management.
Let’s begin
Best Online Project Management Tools For Project Managers
ProofHub
ProofHub is a project management and collaboration platform that brings people in one place to discuss plans, create to-do lists, lay down Gantt chart, calendar milestones, track progress/time meet daily deadlines, and celebrate success. This tool comes with scalable features well-integrated, reasonably priced, and comes with scalable features that make it an ideal alternative to Basecamp, Asana, Trello and many other leading PM solutions.
Key features:
- Chat and discussions
- Task management
- Workflows & Boards
- Events & milestones
- Gantt charts
- Custom reports
- Custom Roles
- Files and notes
- Recurrent tasks
- Online proofing and approval
- Announcements
- Mentions
- Time tracking
- White labelling
- Multiple languages
- Advanced search
- Mobile and tablet compatibility
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
ProofHub Essential – $50/month or $45/month (billed annually) (Discounts on subscriptions for non-profits)
ProofHub Ultimate Control – $99/month or $89/month (billed annually)
2) Zoho Project
Zoho Projects is a project management software designed to help you plan and collaborate on projects in a less complicated manner. The software also allows you to streamline your project workflows with automation, customization, as well as integration.
Key features:
- Time logging
- Project budgeting
- Expense tracking
- Resource utilization
- Kanban board
- Forums and discussions
- Global/Project dashboards
- Custom widgets, views, and fields
- Custom permissions
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Standard – $25 per month ($20 per month if billed annually)
Express – $50 per month ($40 per month if billed annually)
Premium – $100 per month ($85 per month if billed annually)
Enterprise – $150 per month ($125 per month if billed annually)
3) Trello
Trello is a project management and collaboration system that utilizes the concept of boards (which represent projects) and cards (which represent tasks). It simplifies project management and collaboration by organizing all your project-critical details in one place.
Key features:
- Instant overview on front and back of cards
- Drag and drop functionality
- In-line editing
- Easy uploading of files and attachments
- Data filtering
- Archiving of card records
- Deadline reminders
- Email notifications
- Activity log
- Assign tasks
- Information retrieval and back-up
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Business Class – $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)
Enterprise – $20.83 or less per user/month (billed annually)
4) Wrike
Wrike is one place for all of your work. It’s a project management solution that comes packed with team collaboration and business management features to eliminate your everyday hassles at work.
Key features:
- Task management
- Gantt chart
- Document collaboration
- Discussions in tasks
- Task prioritization
- Customized reports
- Recurrent tasks
- Workload management
- Time-tracking
- Google Docs, Dropbox, Box integrations
- Email integration
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Professional Plan – $9.80/user/month(billed annually)
Business Plan – $24.80/user/month (billed annually)
Wrike for Marketers – $34.60/user/month (billed annually)
Enterprise Pricing – by quote
5) Smartsheet
Smartsheet is an extremely powerful project management tool that provides you with targeted solutions for your business.
Key features:
- Dashboards
- Calendar view
- Card view
- Gantt chart
- Alerts and automated actions
- Activity log
- Filters
- Resource management
- Reports
- Custom branding
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Individual Plan – $14/user/month (billed annually)
Business Plan – $25/user/month (billed annually)
Enterprise Plan – customized (contact vendor)
6) Clarizen
Clarizen is an enterprise-grade solution that addresses every challenge a team might face while collaborating or managing work. It empowers teams to achieve better efficiency across the entire project management lifecycle by streamlining work and automating processes.
Key features:
- Gantt chart
- Task management
- Issue tracking
- Project portfolio management
- Personal calendars
- Time tracking
- Budget tracking
- Resource management
- Role and assignment per project
- Document sharing
- Risk management
- Workforce management
- Executive Dashboards
- Knowledge management
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Enterprise Edition – By quote
Unlimited Edition – By quote
7) Workzone
Teams can use Workzone to keep projects organized by tasks/subtasks, gain clarity over responsibilities, and connect together to quickly identify when a task is due or needs immediate attention.
Key features:
- Email alerts
- Gantt chart
- Group calendar
- Individual to-do lists
- Project templates
- Projects overview dashboard
- Time tracking
- Automated reports
- Custom branding
Pricing:
Free trial – Not available
Team – By quote
Professional – By quote
Enterprise – By quote
8) Backlog
Backlog is a project management tool exclusively designed for marketing and software development teams. The aim of this solution is to boost collaboration, coordination, and communication between team members so that they can be more productive with their project/tasks.
Key features:
- Project management
- Project progress tracking
- Task management
- Gantt charts
- Burndown charts
- Team collaboration
- File sharing
- Bug tracking
- Milestones
- Custom fields
- Notifications
- Private repositories
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Free Plan –$0/month
Starter Plan – $35/month or $350/year
Standard Plan – $100/month or $1,000/year
Premium Plan – $175/month or $1,750/year
Enterprise Plan –$1,200 to $8,500/year
9) Jira
Jira is a project management software with a simple, intuitive interface that enables effective collaboration within teams and allows them to manage every aspect of project management in one place.
Key features:
- Customizable workflows
- Unlimited custom fields
- Seamless source/issue integration
- Advanced search and filtering
- Advanced reporting
- Customizable dashboards
- Advanced security
- Mobile interface
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Cloud Up to 10 users – $10 monthly flat fee
Cloud 11 – 100 users – $7 per user/month
Self-hosted Server – $10 one-time payment for 10 users
Self-hosted Data Center – $12,000 per year for 500 users
10) Hive
Hive is a cloud-hosted project management platform that caters to the specific needs of your team. It offers a multitude of features that let you create, assign, track, and complete tasks in one place.
Key features:
- Multiple views
- Chat
- File sharing
- Analytics
- Time tracking
- Powered to do lists
- Status view
- Project tracking
- Gantt chart
- Automatic updates
- Files & folders
- Integrations
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Professional – $12/user/month
Enterprise – Contact vendor
11) ProWorkflow
ProfWorkflow is a project management system that helps you collaborate seamlessly and have better project visibility. The software works for freelancers and all small, medium, and large enterprises.
Key features:
- Templates for reports and forms
- Dashboards and status summaries
- Easy-to-use scheduling
- Messaging tool
- Branding & configuration
- Permission-based access
- File sharing
- Time tracker
- Notifications & alerts
- Gantt style timeline
- Free basic training and support
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Solo – $10 per month, ideal for freelancers
Professional – $20 per month per user
Advanced – $30 per month per user, perfect for enterprise
12) Flock
Flock is a robust collaboration and management application that simplifies the process of working together. It manifests a central hub for modern teams to work together to achieve the desired goals.
Key features:
- Productivity tools
- Multiple Integrations
- Communication management
- Search functionality
- Video and audio calls
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Pro Plan – $6/user/ month or $4.5/user/month billed annually
Enterprise – quote based
13) Podio
Podio is a work management platform that keeps everything closely tracked and organized. This is an ideal tool for team collaboration, task management, information sharing, project scheduling, and automated workflows.
Key features:
- Project Management
- Automated Workflows
- Data Visualization
- Social Collaboration
- Task Management
- Calendar
- Unlimited Storage
- Personal Dashboards
- Connected CRM
- Integrated Chat
- Full Customization
Pricing:
Free trial – Available
Basic: $9 or $ 7.20 (annual)
Podio Plus: $14 or $11.20 (annual)
Premium: $24 or $19.20 (annual)
Enterprise: Custom plans
14) ClickUp
ClickUp is a hybrid project management platform with all the features you need to streamline your processes and work efficiently. The platform works seamlessly for many industries, including sales, marketing, design, and development.
Key features:
- Project management
- Task management
- Multiple assignees
- Threaded Comments
- Custom Statuses
- Agile Board View
- Progress Percentage
- Custom Notifications
- Mentions
- Drag and drop reordering
- Smart Search
- Gantt Chart
- Calendar
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Business – $9/user/month or $5/user/month (annual billing)
15) Airtable
Airtable is a management solution equipped with exceptional organization and collaboration functionalities. It works like a typical spreadsheet and allows you to organize all your project related information into a centralized system.
Key features:
- Customized views
- Email integration
- Third party integration
- Calendar management
- Collaborative workspace
- Communication management
- Records management
- Data synchronization
- Automatic backup
- Templates
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Airtable Free – Free
Plus – $12/user/mo
Pro – $24/user/mo.
Enterprise Plan – Contact vendor
16) Paymo
Paymo is a project management tool that helps your team achieve their goals through measured steps. It keeps everyone on the same page and helps them stay organized, productive throughout the project management process.
Key features:
- Project management
- Task management
- Team management
- Resource management
- Financial management
- Time tracking
- Timesheet reporting
- Mobile apps
- Adaptable dashboard
- Personalization
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Small Office Plan – $11.95/user/mo (billed monthly) or $9.56/user/mo (billed annually)
Business Plan – $18.95/user/mo (billed monthly) or $15.16/user/mo (billed annually)
17) Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a work management solution we all have used or heard at some point. It enables individuals, teams, and enterprises to get started, manage a project, and deliver it successfully with the intended value.
Key features:
- Planning and scheduling
- Project timeline view
- Real-time communication
- Reporting
- Different views
- Resource management
- Project portfolio management
- Anywhere, anytime access
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Essentials – $7 per user/month
Professional – $30 per user/month
Premium – $55 per user/month
Standard – $589.99
Professional – $1159.99
Server – By quote
Project Pro For Office 365 – $25.00 user/month
Online – $33.00 user/month
18) LiquidPlanner
LiquidPlanner is a collaboration and project management software for the new generation. It offers specific features to match the project needs of all small and large teams.
Key features:
- Priority-based scheduling
- Built-in collaboration
- Time tracking
- Project analytics & reporting
- Document management
- Access controls
- Baseline view
- Checklists
- Cross-reference tasks
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Small Team – $9.99/user/month billed annually
Professional – $45/user/month billed annually
Enterprise – $69/user/month billed annually
19) Aha!
Aha! is a comprehensive road mapping and project management software. It implements a framework that allows teams and project managers to connect and facilitate easier, faster achievement of business goals.
Key features:
- Business model generator
- 360 tracker
- Idea management
- Visual reports and detailed charts
- Notebook
- Product notes
- Third-party integrations
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Premium – $59/user/month (billed yearly) or $74/user/month (billed monthly)
Enterprise – $99/user/month (billed yearly) or $124/user/month (billed monthly)
Aha! Enterprise + – $149/user/month (annual only)
20) ProjectManager.com
The last tool in our list is ProjectManager. It’s an end-to-end project management solution that takes project management and collaboration to a whole new level.
Key features:
- Real-time dashboards
- Gantt charts
- Task management
- Timesheets
- Resource management
- Chats & discussions
- Online file storage
- Project templates
- Advanced reports
Pricing:
Free Trial – Available
Personal – $15 per user/month
Team – $20/user/month
Business – $25/user/month
Enterprise – by quote
If you have a tool in mind that would make a perfect addition to our list of top project management tools for project managers, let us know in the comments below!