10 Best Project Management Software for 2024

Project management is required for any business owner who wants to move toward their goals in a timely fashion. Tight deadlines, budget constraints, multiple projects, and resource allocation can all make this task more difficult.

However, the strategic use of project management software, including efficient time tracking software, can help resolve these challenges. That’s why it’s important to compare project management software. Choosing the best project management software for your specific challenges will make managing tasks and meeting your goals much easier.

Table of Contents

• FreshBooks
• Asana
• ClickUp
• Hive
• Jira
• Monday.com
• Notion
• Smartsheet
• Wrike
• Zoho Projects
• Project Management Software Comparison Table
• How To Choose Project Management Software

Finding the best project management tools is rarely a simple task. This project management software list should help you pinpoint the right project management solution for your unique needs. Please note that our price lists are converted to British pounds from USD, so the costs are approximate.

1. FreshBooks

FreshBooks offers a project management software tool that allows effortless collaboration by enabling contractors and employees to join projects, exchange files, and offer instant feedback​​. The platform also offers a centralised web-based file storage system, which eliminates any need to sift through emails for attachments​​. Additionally, FreshBooks includes profitability tools for insights into your project’s potential profitability.

Features 

• Web-based collaboration
• Centralised file storage
• Client feedback integration
• Profitability tracking with widgets and reports
• In-app communication tools
• Project and deliverable management
• File sharing within FreshBooks

Additional Features

• Time tracking: FreshBooks allows you to log hours, view detailed timeline breakdowns, and turn time logs into invoices instantly.
• Expense tracking: Automatically update your expenses by connecting FreshBooks to your bank account to ensure your spending records are always accurate and up-to-date.

Pricing

• Free project management software with all FreshBooks packages, even during trial periods
• FreshBooks pricing plans start at £15.00 per month

2. Asana

Asana is a comprehensive project management platform designed for teams of all sizes. It provides a range of features for task management, collaboration, and workflow automation. The platform is known for its easy-to-use interface and versatility.

Advantages 

• Multiple project views including Kanban boards, lists, and calendars
• Agile and Scrum support
• Over 100 integrations with third-party apps
• Process management automation
• User-friendly design

Drawbacks 

• Limited functionality on mobile apps
• Inability to assign tasks to multiple users
• Potential for email notification overload
• Time-tracking features are restricted to higher-tier plans

Pricing

• Free version with basic features available
• Premium plan starts at approximately £8.13 per user per month
• Business plan starts at approximately £18.52 per user per month

3. ClickUp

ClickUp is one of the most popular project management tools due to its intuitiveness and affordability. It allows team members from a wide range of remote locations to collaborate seamlessly, as it’s a cloud-based project management tool.

Advantages 

• Highly customisable platform
• Strong customer service with responsive support
• Flexibility to meet diverse needs
• Suitable for a wide range of industries and company sizes

Drawbacks 

• Inconsistencies in functionality
• Access and permissions features sometimes do not work properly
• Frequent notifications can be overwhelming and are not easily filtered by folder or task list

Pricing

• Free plan available
• £5.70 for unlimited version
• £9.77 for business version

4. Hive

Hive is a dynamic project management system that brings together various tools for planning, action, and collaboration. The platform also directly integrates communication tools like chat and email into your team’s workflow to foster rapid collaboration.

Advantages 

• Offers tools for various project management methods, like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and calendars
• Includes collaboration features
• Provides analytics and flexible project views
• Integration capabilities with third-party applications

Drawbacks 

• Some features have a steep learning curve
• Performance can lag with heavy data usage
• Limited mobile app functionality

Pricing

• Free trial available for new users
• Subscription plans start at approximately £12

5. Jira

Jira is a comprehensive project management tool by Atlassian. It supports customisable workflows, agile project management, and a range of features to help teams manage their projects efficiently. It’s suitable for complex projects as it allows project managers to create “Epics” and “Stories” that include all project tasks.

Advantages

• Highly customisable
• Users can create and manage detailed project roadmaps
• Task boards, user stories, and sprint planning help managers track project progress
• Extensive integration capabilities

Drawbacks 

• User-unfriendly interface that can be complicated to navigate
• Requires significant training to utilise effectively
• Advanced features require purchasing add-ons

Pricing

• Free plan for up to 10 users
• £7 per user each month for 11 to 10,000 users
• Premium plans require a custom quote directly from Atlassian

6. Monday.com

Monday.com is a versatile project management tool that helps teams organise and track their work with customisable workflows and a user-friendly interface. It’s one of the best choices for tight budgets and personal use. 

Advantages

• Ease of use for users of any level of technical expertise
• Highly customisable
• Good customer support
• Effective automated notification system

Drawbacks

• The mobile app lacks functionality and flexibility
• Setting up recurring tasks and projects is not straightforward
• Some users report difficulties with backing up and restoring data

Pricing

• Individual Plan: Free, but with limited features
• Basic Plan: Starting at £7 per user/month
• Standard Plan: Starting at £9 per user/month
• Pro Plan: Starting at £14 per user/month
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on your organisation’s needs

7. Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace designed for note-taking, project management, and collaboration. It offers a flexible platform that combines the functionality of databases, Kanban boards, wikis, calendars, and reminders. Like Monday.com, Notion is one of the best free project management tools for personal use.

Advantages

• Clean and user-friendly interface
• Supports integration with other apps and services
• Multiple tools in one
• Real-time collaboration and sharing capabilities

Drawbacks

• Requires a learning curve before it can be used to its full capability
• Occasional lag and performance issues
• Limited offline functionality

Pricing

• Offers a basic free version for personal use
• Personal Pro plan starts at around £4 per month
• Team plan is approximately £8 per user per month
• Enterprise plans for custom pricing are available

8. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a cloud-based project management tool that offers extensive flexibility and customisation. It’s designed to help teams plan, track, and report on their work. Smartsheet includes various industry templates and integrates with many other management tools.

Advantages

• A simple, spreadsheet-like interface
• Customisable templates with features like critical path analysis and real-time commenting
• Integrates with many third-party applications
• Allows users to leverage reporting and analytics

Drawbacks

• May be complex for users who are not familiar with spreadsheets
• Lacks real-time time tracking and invoicing tools
• There is no refund for the unused portion of a subscription upon cancellation
• On the expensive side

Pricing

• Free version is limited to 1 user, 2 editors, and only 2 sheets
• Pro version is £9 per user per month and supports up to 10 users
• Business plan is £32 per user per month or £300 per user per year, making it more suited to larger organisations

9. Wrike

Wrike is a project management and collaboration tool that helps teams manage projects and ongoing work. It offers a range of features, including task management, time tracking, document sharing, and real-time communication. It also includes work intelligence features that can predict project risks and offer solutions. 

Advantages

• Easy-to-use interface once you get the hang of it
• Management features for both projects and tasks
• Uses machine learning to alert teams when projects are at risk of falling behind
• Excellent for team collaboration

Drawbacks

• On the expensive side, so may not be suitable for smaller businesses
• Steep learning curve for new users
• Lacks budgeting and invoicing tools
• Frequent notifications that can get overwhelming

Pricing

• Free plan that offers very basic features
• Professional plan starts at £7.40 per user per month billed
• Business plan averages at £18.70 per user per month billed

10. Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is part of the larger Zoho suite of business applications. It includes features for planning, tracking, and collaborating on projects for teams of all sizes. It integrates well with other Zoho products, making it a good choice if you already use it.

Advantages 

• Seamless integration with other Zoho applications
• Customisable features like task lists, Kanban boards, and Gantt charts
• Includes communication and file-sharing capabilities
• Time tracking for billing features

Drawbacks

• May require the use of additional Zoho products to access all desired features
• The free version is limited compared to competitors
• Some users report issues navigating the interface

Pricing

• Free tier with basic features
• Premium tier is approximately £4 per user/month
• Enterprise tier is approximately £8 per user/month

Project Management Software Comparison Table

Project management software costs can differ significantly depending on your chosen tool.                                                                            

The following table provides a quick overview of the different pricing tiers.

Company	Best For	Starting Price
FreshBooks	Best for Small Businesses	Free Trial – Sign Up Now!
Asana	Best for Collaboration Tools	£8.13 per user per month
ClickUp	Best for Remote Work Teams	£5.70 for unlimited version
Hive	Best for Collaborative Project Management	Starts at approximately £12
Jira	Best for Product Development Teams	£7 per user each month for 11 to 10,000 users
Monday.com	Best for Startups on a Tight Budget	Starts at £7 per user/month
Notion	Best for Content Creators	Starts at around £4 per month
Smartsheet	Best for Workflow Automation	£9 per user per month for up to 10 users
Wrike	Best for Scaling Organisations	Starts at £7.40 per user per month
Zoho Projects	Best for Integrations & Add-Ons	Approximately £4 per user/month

How To Choose Project Management Software

Great project management hinges on the right tools. It’s essential to choose the best project management software and tools for your needs. Here’s what to look for in project management apps.

Task Management

Task management allows users to organise and prioritise tasks effectively. This feature tracks progress, assigns tasks, and sets deadlines, which are key for timely project completion. It also ensures that team members know what needs to be done and by when so no one misses a deadline.

FreshBooks provides easy task management to speed up teamwork and improve results. With FreshBooks, managing tasks is straightforward, and you can easily finish more projects on time.

Team Collaboration

Collaboration is all about bringing people together to work toward common goals. One of the benefits of project management software is that everyone can communicate, share ideas, and make decisions quickly, leading to better teamwork and timely project completion.

FreshBooks supports team collaboration software by offering tools that allow team members to chat, share files, and manage tasks in one place. This functionality makes it easier for teams to work together and deliver great results.

Key Features

Before implementing project management software, ensure it has all the key features you need to perform your tasks effectively. Seek features for tracking time, sharing files, and reporting on project health. Weigh the pros and cons of additional features to see if they’re worth the cost for your business.

FreshBooks has many key features for managing projects effortlessly. You can share files, discuss work, and track your project’s progress. Our tool makes it easy to keep your team’s work organised and moving forward.

Integrations

Integrated project management software allows you to connect with other tools you use to make your workflow smoother. That means you can save time switching between apps by completing all your work in one place.

FreshBooks Projects integrates with many tools, including everything else in the FreshBooks suite. This connectivity ensures that FreshBooks fits right in with your workflow in a way that cuts out the time you spend clicking on other project management tools.

What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software is a tool that helps teams plan, execute, and monitor projects efficiently. Good project management software offers task assignments, progress tracking, project templates, and resource management features. Tools like these better facilitate collaboration and transparency.

Project management software provides a structured framework for managing projects. Having this framework ensures that all team members have a clear understanding of their roles and deadlines. It also serves as a central hub for project-related information, which helps decision-making and streamlines workflows.

Why Use Project Management Software?

Project managers can make their jobs much easier with the right project management software. Such tools simplify project planning, management, and tracking. A project manager can simply drag and drop tasks onto team members’ boards to assign their duties. 

Small businesses often operate with limited resources and prioritise allocating time, money, and labour. For this reason, small business project management software is beneficial. It provides small businesses with the tools to maximise efficiency and productivity without the complexity or cost of an enterprise project management software system.

If you have more questions on how project management software can better manage your team and tasks, read on to learn more.

What are projects in FreshBooks?

Projects in FreshBooks allow teamwork and client collaboration. They offer a consolidated view of the time logged by your team, along with all invoices and expenses tied to a particular project. This feature makes it easy to show clients how much time goes into deliverables.

Do I need a team to use projects?

You may use Projects in FreshBooks to manage individual work. You are not required to have a team to use the feature. However, if you do get team members, FreshBooks ensures that managing your projects remains as simple as when you were working on your own.

Can I give my projects due dates?

Projects in FreshBooks can be given due dates. In fact, we encourage you to use this functionality. A well-placed due date is an excellent way to keep your team on track and ensure deliverables are sent to your clients in a timely fashion.

What is the best project management tool for small businesses?

The top project management tool for small businesses is FreshBooks. The reason is it is built specifically with small business needs in mind. Using FreshBooks for project management, you can also access several other incredibly useful tools for different aspects of your business.

Who uses project management and why?

Project management is widely used by businesses and government organisations to streamline complex tasks. It helps ensure efficient resource allocation, collaboration, and on-time, on-budget project delivery. FreshBooks is an excellent option for any small business owner seeking an easy-to-use project management software tool that offers all those benefits.

Simplify Your Project Management with FreshBooks

If you’re ready to look for a project management app, we hope this guide gave you a great head start. Whether you’re a small start-up or a large enterprise, the right tool is out there for you. One of the best a small business can get is FreshBooks. Our project management functionality makes it much easier for businesses to stay organised, collaborate efficiently, and meet deadlines.

If you’re interested, try FreshBooks free to get started.

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