10 Best Free Project Management Software to Boost Productivity

Best overall: ClickUp Best for individuals: Wrike Best for scalability: monday.com Best for note-taking: Notion Best for spreadsheet collaboration: Smartsheet Best for visual task management: MeisterTask Best for simplicity: Trello Best for unlimited features: Asana Best for customization: Airtable Best for invoicing: Teamwork There is no doubt that project management solutions can help streamline workflows and boost team productivity. While the advanced features available have a wide variety of use cases, for many people a basic or free version is enough to get the job done.

A solopreneur or small team may opt-in for the free version of a project management tool as a way to get organized on a budget. There is also benefit to business leaders or project managers trying out a free version as a way to test workflows before upgrading to a paid plan This review highlights the best free project management tools , including who and what they are best for, their core features, and the limitations of the free tiers. You will also find information on the benefits and challenges of using free software for project management and my methodology for compiling this list.



Top free project management software and tools comparison This table compares the top free project management tools in terms of relevant features, support, user limit, and storage for free plans, plus the starting price for paid plans if you decide to upgrade. Standout features of the free version ClickUp Docs: You can create documents and connect them to workflows. You can also edit and share the documents in real time and set access permission rules for each document.

ClickUp Goals: With this feature, you can create trackable objectives for each task or project. You can also assign various objectives to a single goal. Integrations: ClickUp boasts over 1,000 tools, with some of the top native ones including ClickUp API, Slack, GitHub, GitLab, HubSpot, Toggl, Harvest, Google Drive, Figma, and Microsoft Teams.

ClickUp pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans The table below includes the core features you will get when you subscribe to any of ClickUp’s paid plans. When to use an alternative to ClickUp Though ClickUp offers a generous free plan, it only provides 100MB of file storage. If you need more storage space, you may need to consider using a ClickUp alternative that offers more storage capacity.

The Asana free plan gives you unlimited file storage with a limit of 100MB per file. Standout features of the free version Kanban boards: Users can check the progress of different projects using Wrike’s kanban boards. This feature also allows users to set up or edit the priority of tasks.

Customized templates: There are pre-built templates that can be customized for different types of projects, including project scheduling, complex projects, and professional service management. Integrations: Wrike’s over 400 integrations include Google Drive, Box, GitHub, Jira, IBM Watson Workspace, Bitbucket, and more. Wrike pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans Wrike tries its best to make its free plan feature-rich but the features it offers may be insufficient for the average team.

Hence, when you upgrade to the paid plans, you can expect to get additional options and benefits, such as: When to use an alternative to Wrike Wrike’s free plan lacks resource management features such as resource view, workload charts, effort allocation, resource assignment, time tracking and timesheets. Wrike’s free plan also doesn’t allow you to perform any automation actions. If you require resource and capacity management or automations, consider an alternative to Wrike .

Though limited, Teamwork offers basic resource management features, including workload capacity, time-tracking and timesheets. Teamwork’s free plan also allows you to perform up to 100 automation actions per month. Standout features of the free version Access to all main boards: In the free plan, you and your team get access to all monday.

com main boards. You’re limited to three total boards, and there is a limit to the total number of items you can create. Files and forms: In the free plan, you can see all of the files you uploaded in preview or full mode.

You can also convert any of the boards into custom forms to collect and track data. Templates: monday.com’s free plan gives you access to over 200 customizable templates, so you don’t have to create project boards from scratch.

monday.com pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans monday.com offers four paid plans.

Each plan caters to the needs of various users, depending on the features they need. In the chart below, I’ll outline the cost of each plan and its core features. When to use an alternative to monday.

com monday.com’s free plan doesn’t allow you to integrate with other premium applications that may be useful for your workflow. You’re able to access a large number of integrations with their paid plans, so this is only an issue if you want to remain on the free version.

Asana offers you over 100 free integrations, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Slack. Notion and Teamwork also allow you to connect with some third-party applications, including Zapier and Slack. Standout features of the free version Unlimited blocks: For individual users, the free plan offers unlimited blocks; however, there is a limited block trial for teams.

Guest invitations: You can invite up to 10 guests to collaborate, including team members, contractors, or clients. Integrations: A few integrations included in Notion are Jira, Slack, GitHub, Asana, Zapier, Make, Tray.io, Slapdash, Miro, Figma, Google Drive, and Webex.

Notion pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans: The following are the core features you will get when you buy Notion paid plans. When to use an alternative to Notion Notion gives free plan users up to 5MB of file storage. If you plan to share and store large files, such as photographs, design files, or marketing decks, it would be a good idea to consider using an alternative to Notion that offers higher storage limits.

Asana’s free plan gives you unlimited file storage, plus unlimited teams and projects. It’s a great choice for small teams or departments that need to collaborate on large files. Standout features of the free version Two sheets: The free plan offers two sheets for project and task tracking and management.

Multiple views: Smartsheet’s free tier offers Grid, Gantt, Calendar, and Card View to enable teams to view their programs and projects in the formats that matter most to them. Integrations: Smartsheet offers 90+ integrations across communication, data visualization, content creation, automation, and security. They include Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Tableau, Power BI, DocuSign, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Zapier.

Smartsheet pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans: The table below includes the core features you will get when you subscribe to any of Smartsheet’s paid plans. When to use an alternative to Smartsheet Smartsheet’s free plan only allows you to share your project with two editors and viewers. The Smartsheet free plan gives you up to 500MB of attachment storage with a maximum attachment size of 30MB.

If you need additional user seats or storage, consider an alternative to Smartsheet . The Airtable free plan allows you to invite up to 5 editors, and gives you up to 1GB of attachment storage per base. Since it is also structured around spreadsheets, it’s also a good fit for teams that are more comfortable in that style of project management.

Standout features of the free version Collaborative notes: Has up to five notes to allow teams to organize their content. Unlimited tasks: The free plan offers unlimited tasks for your team to create as many tasks as they need. Integrations: MeisterTask offers integrations like Slack, Trello, GitHub, Zapier, MindMeister, MeisterNote, Gmail, Spark, Microsoft Teams, and Zendesk.

MeisterTask pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans: The following are the core features you will get when you buy MeisterTask paid plans. When to use an alternative to MeisterTask If you are a MeisterTask free plan user, you cannot run more than three projects. While this may not be an issue for an individual, it may pose a problem for teams.

With Asana’s free plan, you can run and manage an unlimited number of projects. For a small team or startup, having access to unlimited projects is likely going to be a deciding factor in your software choice. Standout features of the free version Team collaboration tools: Trello comes with a wide range of collaboration tools, including document sharing, comments, and notifications.

Users can configure the notifications according to their preferences. Powerful mobile app: Trello’s app is well-designed, allowing users to perform various project management functions through the mobile app with just a few clicks. ​​ Integrations: Trello’s 190+ integrations—which they call Power-Ups—include Slack, Miro, Jira Cloud, Dropbox, Confluence, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams, and Zapier.

Trello pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid pains The chart below includes the monthly and annual rates of Trello paid plans, as well as its core features and functionalities. When to use an alternative to Trello Trello may not have all the advanced features (Gantt charts, resource allocation or time tracking) that some businesses require. ClickUp’s free plan includes all the necessary features you need to manage simple projects.

It includes Gantt chart capability, time tracking via integrations, and basic resource management features. Standout features of the free version Unlimited use: What makes Asana’s free plan so outstanding is that you get access to many unlimited features, including activity logs, messaging, file storage, and more. Agile and scrum support: If your business uses an agile philosophy , Asana’s free version has features that support both scrum and agile project management.

Three project views: List, Board, and Calendar views. Asana pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans When you buy any of the Asana premium plans, you will automatically get access to the available features that are lacking in the free plan. See the cost of Asana premium plans and their core features in the table below.

When to use an alternative to Asana Asana’s free plan doesn’t support time tracking —even their lowest paid tier doesn’t offer this feature. The free plan also lacks the ability to connect with Tableau or Salesforce, which may be essential for some teams. If your company needs more access to advanced features and integrations, consider an alternative to Asana .

The ClickUp free plan supports time tracking through integrations, and allows you to connect natively with 50+ third-party apps, including Salesforce and Tableau. Teamwork’s free plan also includes a time-tracking feature, if that’s the only function you find lacking in Asana. Standout features of the free version Airtable apps and add-ons: There is an entire Airtable marketplace with a lot of options to choose from.

Only some of the apps and add-ons are available in the free version. Unlimited viewers and commenters: The free plan allows an unlimited number of viewers and commenters in your workspace. You can upgrade this feature in the paid plans if you want the user to have editing capabilities.

Integrations: Airtable has some quality integrations, the most popular being Slack, Google Drive, Salesforce, Jira, and Zendesk. Airtable pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans Airtable’s free plan has many limitations and a very low file storage space of 1GB. If you want to enjoy Airtable’s top-tier features, which make it one of the top-rated project management software choices, you should subscribe to one of the company’s paid plans.

When to use an alternative to Airtable While Airtable is highly customizable, it can quickly get overwhelming and clunky as you add more team members and collaborators. If you need something a bit more intuitive and user-friendly, consider an Airtable alternative . Notion and Trello are both simple, straightforward, and easy-to-use project management tools.

They are ideal for individuals, startups, and SMBs looking for a user-friendly project management tool to manage basic projects that don’t require a lot of customization. Standout features of the free version Milestones: You can add milestones to task lists to track progress in the free version. Client work essentials: Though some may be limited, Teamwork has most of the core project management features for client work, such as full time tracking, in its free plan.

Integrations: Teamwork integrates with many tools, which include HubSpot, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skyvia, Atarim, Stripe, Integrately, and more. Teamwork pros and cons What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans: The following are the core features you will get when you buy Teamwork paid plans. When to use an alternative to Teamwork If you have more than five people on your team or in your organization, it might be a good idea to consider using an alternative to Teamwork .

The free version of ClickUp supports an unlimited number of free plan users, which is ideal if your team is already larger or you anticipate it growing. Other free project management tools Though they did not make it to our top 10 free project management tools list, here are two other free project management solutions worth checking out: ​​ Zoho Projects : Zoho Projects offers a comprehensive set of project management tools, including task tracking, reporting and collaboration features, all within a user-friendly interface. Jira : Jira’s free plan offers several top-rated capabilities, including unlimited projects, issues, and forms.

It allows up to 10 users and supports up to 100 automations per month. What are the benefits of free project management software? The most significant benefit of free project management software is that you get to try the software without having to pay anything. The best project management software offers a variety of features in the free version, so for some businesses or users, the free plan will be all they ever need for their project management.

In addition, the free version provides a feel for the user interface and overall functionality of the software, so if you want to upgrade, you have a good idea of what to expect from the software. What are the limitations of free project management software? The limitations of free project management software are specific to each solution. Some of the more common limitations may include: Integrations: Most free versions of project management apps offer minimal or no integration capabilities with third-party applications.

Access limits: There are sometimes limits on the number of projects, users, file storage, activity logs, and other parameters. Fewer advanced features: In most cases, there is a limit to the number of project views, reporting and analytics, and other advanced features. How to choose free project management software When choosing the best free project management software for your needs, you must decide which features are most important.

For example, if you need software with 24/7 customer support or Gantt charts , you should shortlist vendors offering those features. Once you have narrowed it down to a few solutions based on specifications, you need to dig deeper through expert reviews and customer ratings. You should also test out the software to make an informed decision about whether it is the right fit for your needs.

Review methodology I used the software’s features, pricing, customer support, usability and other criteria to compile the best free project management software list. Each software’s popularity, user ratings, expert reviews and hands-on experience were evaluated. The evaluation was focused on the features offered in the free version of each software.

This includes features such as file sharing, project views, collaboration tools, and mobile app. Frequently asked questions (FAQs) What is the best free tool for project management? After reviewing various tools, I found ClickUp to be the overall best option, because they offer a generous free plan that includes premium features like time tracking, which many other tools reserve for paid tiers. Other popular tools include Wrike, monday.

com, Smartsheet, and Trello—each offering unique strengths but with varying free plan limitations. How do I choose project management software? To choose the right PM software, consider your team’s specific needs, such as task management, collaboration features, file storage, and integrations. Testing a few options through trial runs will help determine which one aligns best with your workflow.

What is a normal project management fee? The cost of project management software varies based on the features and number of users. Free plans are common, but premium versions typically range from $7 to $25 per user per month, depending on the platform and the features included..