1
Miro
Free version available
Yes, for unlimited members
Starting price:
Free version available
Integrations:
Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more
Reviewed By
Reviewed By
Project management software makes it easy to plan projects, allocate tasks and keep teams organized so that deadlines and goals are met. With so many project management solutions on the market today–all with different pricing, plans and features, the decision on which to choose can be difficult. So we analyzed dozens of the leading providers to find the best project management software for small businesses in 2024.
1
Miro
Free version available
Yes, for unlimited members
Starting price:
Free version available
Integrations:
Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more
On Miro’s Website
Yes, for one member
INR 580.74 ($7) per member per month (billed annually)
Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more
Yes, for one member
INR 580.74 ($7) per member per month (billed annually)
Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more
ClickUp is best for teams that rely on Scrum for product development. While it includes all the features you would expect from a great project management software, it goes further with templates and features that allow for an Agile software development process. Plans with these features start at free for startup teams and increase to INR 995.55 ($12) per member per month (if billed annually) for multiple teams.
ClickUp’s feature offering is robust. It offers collaboration tools (such as real-time editing, mentions, calendar sync, and role creation and permissions), preset and custom automation recipes, reporting dashboards, project-tracking tools (such as checklists, timelines, Gantt charts, Kanban boards and dependencies) and over 1,000 integrations. Use templates or customize dashboards so your team works on its own terms.
ClickUp’s Agile Scrum features put this project management software over the top. Scrum is popular with software developers but is also used by sales and marketing teams. It allows teams to create products that customers love by gathering and incorporating customer feedback after each iteration, or sprint. ClickUp makes this process easy via features such as task progress boards, assignments, checklists, automation tools and collaborative tools to gather feedback.
Who should use it:
With robust features, ClickUp is great for any team looking for advanced project management capabilities. But, it is best for companies with Scrum Agile product development, marketing or sales teams. Learn more with our ClickUp review.
Yes, for up to two seats
INR 746.66 ($9) per seat per month billed annually
Zoom, Google Docs, Salesforce, Slack and more
Yes, for up to two seats
INR 746.66 ($9) per seat per month billed annually
Zoom, Google Docs, Salesforce, Slack and more
Regardless of budget limitation, monday.com offers something for everyone. Even if you are working on a team of two with no budget, monday.com can help you get your project done on time and with limited risk. If you are a small two-person team, you can enjoy monday.com for free. If you’re part of a growing team, use advanced project-tracking features, automations and integrations for as little as INR 746.66 ($9) to INR 1576.28($19) per team member per month, if billed annually (minimum of three seats per plan).
For small teams with little incoming revenue, the free version offers the ability to manage projects with customizable boards so your team works on its own terms. You can create custom boards using over 200 templates and unlimited docs. Your team members can even work on the go via monday.com’s iOS and Android apps. But, once you’re ready to move on to more complex, large-team projects, monday.com’s plans grow with your needs.
If you’re working with a growing or mature team, you can manage simple projects all the way up to multiple complex projects. Advanced integrations and plan features allow you to perform work using the tools that help your team best communicate, manage risk, plan and stick to a budget, allocate resources as needed and track your project’s progress, iterations, timing and completion.
For example, automations help your team stay on track with little added effort. With a few clicks, you can set a notification to alert you if any task is over budget or a team member has fallen behind. Further, Gantt charts show you how your project is progressing, and what needs to happen next. Zoom, Slack, synced calendars, Salesforce, Google Docs and other integrations allow for seamless and intuitive team collaboration across your organization.
Who should use it:
Startup businesses on a shoestring budget should consider monday.com. It offers a free version and free trials so users can test more advanced tiers as their companies can afford them. For more information, check out our monday.com review.
Yes, for up to 15 collaborators
INR 911.76 ($10.99) per seat per month (billed annually)
Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Slack, DocuSign and more
Yes, for up to 15 collaborators
INR 911.76 ($10.99) per seat per month (billed annually)
Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Slack, DocuSign and more
One of the main selling points for choosing Asana over other project management software is its multitude of collaboration tools. Along with most PM software, Asana allows you to comment on tasks and projects, but it also includes in-app chats for one-on-one conversations or even group chats. Aside from making communication easier for your team, Asana also gives you multiple project views, including Kanban-style boards, calendars, workload views and more.
There is a free version of Asana that can work well enough for up to 15 people and you get a fair number of features to enable you to manage projects, but you’ll miss out on some key features. A paid plan unlocks task dependencies, a timeline view, forms and milestones, a workflow builder and unlimited dashboards. Premium is the lowest-priced plan that costs INR 911.76 ($10.99) per user per month (billed annually). The Advanced plan costs INR 2073.23 ($24.99) per user per month (billed annually) and it includes features such as proofing, portfolio management, goals and the ability to lock custom fields.
Although Asana is packed full of features you’d expect of most PM software, there are still hundreds of integrations available, so you can connect software and data you already use to Asana. Cross-team collaboration is built into Asana, so you don’t have to duplicate tasks on separate boards, for example. Asana is easy to use but may not be super intuitive to learn at first.
Who should use it:
Asana can work for any size business, but it’s most ideal for midsize companies that need to collaborate with clients or across departments.
Yes, for up to three users
INR 331.85 ($4) per seat per month (billed annually)
Microsoft Teams, Slack, Dropbox, Zapier and Zoho apps
Yes, for up to three users
INR 331.85 ($4) per seat per month (billed annually)
Microsoft Teams, Slack, Dropbox, Zapier and Zoho apps
If you consider the list of third-party app integrations Zoho Projects allows, it may seem short, but if you add on the whole of the Zoho software ecosystem, you’ll likely find all the tools you need. Businesses that are starting out may prefer to choose Zoho for all of its apps to round out their tech stack for easy integration. Plus, Zoho Projects (and its complementary apps) are typically priced below the industry average, so it’s affordable for all business sizes.
Zoho Projects offers a free version of its PM software, but it’s limited. You can create only up to two projects and have only three users on the same account. There aren’t many customization options and you only get access to basic reports. The Premium plan costs INR 331.85 ($4) per user per month (billed annually) and lets you create an unlimited number of projects and includes up to 100GB of storage total. It’s at this level you also get standard project management features such as Gantt charts, custom views and automated tasks. For INR 746.66 ($9) per user per month (billed annually) the Enterprise plan increases your storage by 20GB and gives you more customization, such as for fields, roles and profiles.
You can expect standard project management features, such as task management, subtasks, task dependencies and time tracking. Plus, Zoho Projects includes built-in messaging for personal or group chats. On the highest-paid plan, you can customize fields, set workflow rules and get resource usage reports across all projects.
Who should use it:
Zoho Projects is a great pick for small businesses that want to integrate other Zoho apps. It’s especially useful if you’re just starting out and you want to stick to the Zoho ecosystem, as the integrations will be seamless.
Yes, for one user and two editors (for 30 days)
INR 580.74 ($7) per user per month (billed annually)
Google Drive, Slack, Tableau, Miro, Zapier and more
Yes, for one user and two editors (for 30 days)
INR 580.74 ($7) per user per month (billed annually)
Google Drive, Slack, Tableau, Miro, Zapier and more
Smartsheet is similar to Airtable in that it’s primarily a spreadsheet project management tool, but it comes with features to enhance it. It’s a highly customizable application, so you can use premade templates to create the type of project you need and then tweak the details to better suit your needs. Its workflow automation is available to all plan users and includes triggers, alerts, reminders and assignments.
The biggest difference between free and paid plans is in limitations. The free plan gives you only two sheets and it’s lacking forms, template sets, API calls, the document builder and proofing. However, you get 100 automations per month. The Pro plan costs 580.74 ($7) per user per month (billed annually) and gives you forms, removes limits on viewers, increases storage and attachment file size and allows you to set up permissions for users. Plus you get 250 automations per month.
For more advanced features and fewer limitations, you’ll pay INR 2074.06 ($25) per user per month (billed annually and has a three-user minimum). It’s at this level that you get proofing, unlimited automations, forms with conditional logic and an activity log. Enterprise is meant for larger businesses that need a higher level of security with single sign-on, unlimited attachment storage and a directory integration. You need to contact sales for a quote for the Enterprise plan.
Who should use it:
Project teams that prefer spreadsheets for data and project management are likely to take to Smartsheet quickly. The automated workflows, forms and proofing features make it much easier to get work done quickly and efficiently, whether you’re collaborating with teammates, clients or both.
Yes, for one member
INR 663.70 ($8) per month (billed annually)
Slack, Zapier, Jira, Asana, Google Drive, IFTTT and more
Yes, for one member
INR 663.70 ($8) per month (billed annually)
Slack, Zapier, Jira, Asana, Google Drive, IFTTT and more
Notion offers one interface to handle all of your content creation projects from start to finish. Not only can you design your content from the platform, but you can also create checklists, store your documents or rich content and share your content from one platform. With a free Personal plan and small business paid plans that increase to just INR 663.70 ($8) per month per user (when billed annually), even freelance content creators can afford this luxury.
Per Notion, this software is a writing tool, albeit an elaborate one. Create a piece of content, design it and publish it all from one platform. Even add rich content such as images, videos and audio files to your creations. Freelancers who produce content for clients can invite guests (clients) to view, comment or edit pieces for free. Checklist, Kanban, gallery and timeline views allow you to manage the creation process as the professional you are.
To put your services over the top, as a freelancer, you can even create a knowledge base about your services to share with potential clients. For example, you can create packages or tiered pricing pages, your résumé and a branded portfolio to share on your website for potential client consideration. Or, create an internal knowledge base with unlimited files so you always have samples to share upon client request.
Learn more about what it has to offer with our Airtable vs Notion comparison.
Who should use it:
Notion would be the best fit for content creators who are solopreneurs or have small teams.
Yes, for up to 5 users
INR 496.94 ($5.99) per user per month, billed annually
Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint, QuickBooks, Microsoft Project and more
Yes, for up to 5 users
INR 496.94 ($5.99) per user per month, billed annually
Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint, QuickBooks, Microsoft Project and more
Teamwork makes working with and managing client relationships seamless. Paid plans offer unlimited collaborators. This means service-oriented freelancers, consultants and agencies can work directly with clients within the interface to create a deliverable that uniquely meets client needs and expectations. While plans are a bit pricier than competitors’ plans, Teamwork offers a 30-day free trial for all tiers so you are sure of your choice before committing.
Teamwork’s free plan is limited and it is best to upgrade to offer the best client experience. Its first-tier paid Starter plan starts at INR 496.94 ($5.99) per user per month (with a minimum of three users) while its Deliver plan starts at INR 828.79 ($9.99) per user per month (with a minimum of three users) when billed annually.Its highest paid plan is INR 1,658.42 (19.99) per user per month (with a minimum of five users) and billed annually. Unlike competitor plans, the unlimited collaborators’ feature and 30-day free trial make these plans worth the price. And, if your project needs more hands for client satisfaction, you can hire freelancers to help without paying for extra seats.
In terms of client-facing features, paid plans offer team chat tools, a collaborative document editor, intake forms, client-access controls as well as the ability to track time spent on work and issue invoices. Clients can directly comment on project deliverables, task lists and milestones to ensure their needs are met throughout the project development process. This means more satisfied clients who are more likely to become repeat clients.
Who should use it:
Client-facing professional service providers and agencies will find Teamwork uniquely meets their needs.
Yes, for unlimited users
INR 813.03 ($9.80) per user per month (billed annually)
Google Drive, Slack, Salesforce, QuickBooks and more
Yes, for unlimited users
INR 813.03 ($9.80) per user per month (billed annually)
Google Drive, Slack, Salesforce, QuickBooks and more
Wrike is a popular project management solution for all types and sizes of businesses, but it stands out with its commitment to automation with artificial intelligence (AI) assistance. There’s a whole category of features devoted to “smart” actions, including search, replies (via mobile) and text recognition. Nearly all of the AI-assisted features are available on all plans (even the free plan). Only AI-assisted project risk prediction is limited to the higher paid tiers.
The free plan doesn’t limit the number of users you can add to your account, but there are other limitations that might make it only viable for a freelancer to use. There are no calendars, dashboards, custom fields or advanced reporting and views. Once you upgrade to a paid plan, you’ll unlock those features, plus workflow automations. The low-priced Team plan costs INR 813.03 ($9.80) per user per month (billed annually), but it requires at least two users and no more than 25 users.
To get to the most useful features, such as custom templates, task approval and resource management tools, you need at least the Business plan, which costs INR 2,057.47 ($24.80) per user per month with a five-user minimum (billed annually and caps at 200 users). For the best security and advanced reporting and planning features, you need to request a quote for the Enterprise or Pinnacle plan.
Keep in mind that costs go up if you need specific integrations, marketing tools or two-way sync for Jira or GitHub—Wrike charges for these add-ons.
Who should use it:
Wrike provides a lot of value for its free and low-priced plan users with its AI-assisted tools for mobile and desktop apps. However, the richest feature sets are limited by higher pricing, user minimums and added costs, which means Wrike is likely best for larger companies with bigger budgets.
Yes, for up to 10 people
INR 676.14 ($8.15) per user per month (estimated cost)
Slack, Zendesk, Outlook, Google Sheets, GitHub and more
Yes, for up to 10 people
INR 676.14 ($8.15) per user per month (estimated cost)
Slack, Zendesk, Outlook, Google Sheets, GitHub and more
Given Jira’s history as a bug-tracking tool, it makes sense that it’s best used by product teams and developers. However, it is versatile enough to work for any type of project manager who needs to plan, assign, track and manage tasks and projects. Features such as roadmaps and dependencies make it clear that Jira is best suited for product developers.
One of the best things about Jira is that it offers a feature-packed free plan for up to 10 users. You can create as many project boards as you need, plus automations, custom workflows and backlog management. Your automations are limited to 100 per month and to a single project. A Standard plan billed monthly requires at least 10 users and starts at INR 6,761.43 ($81.50) per month, or about INR 676.14 ($8.15) per user. This plan offers the same features as the Free plan, but offers more security and admin features, such as advanced roles and permissions, audit logs and support during business hours.
The most useful features come with the Premium and Enterprise plans. Premium monthly billing also requires you to pay for at least 10 seats and starts at INR 13,273.97 ($160) per month and unlocks advanced roadmaps, sandbox, project archiving, capacity planning and 24/7 support. Jira isn’t the most intuitive project management app unless your team is familiar with Agile project management tools, but there are pre-made templates that will make it easier for you to adapt to Jira’s style.
Annual subscriptions are also available for slightly lower rates over time. The standard plan starts at INR 65,540.22 ($790) per year for 1-10 users, or about INR 5,890.32 ($71) per month.
Who should use it:
Although Jira offers a free and low-cost entry-level plan, it’s most useful at the Premium level and it’s intended for dev teams that need task dependencies, high-level project and resource planning and roadmapping features.
Yes
INR 4979.08 ($6.05) per user per month
Team Files, MacrosSuite, Copy Page Tree, Comala Publishing and more
Yes
INR 4979.08 ($6.05) per user per month
Team Files, MacrosSuite, Copy Page Tree, Comala Publishing and more
Confluence is a robust project management tool that has four plans to choose from, one of which is free forever. In the Free plan, you can have up to 10 users with one site. You get unlimited spaces and pages, access to whiteboards, databases and macros. There is access to a structured page tree organization, page versioning and use of the template library. You also get access to the multitude of apps and integrations compatible with Confluence.
The Standard plan brings more to the table and costs INR (4,979.08) $6.05 per user per month. You get everything in the free plan plus you can have up to 50,000 users. Additionally, there is space and page permissions, archive and unarchive pages, page insights and external collaboration for guests. The Premium plan is the next in line for INR 957.67 ($11.55) per user per month. In addition to everything in the Standard plan, you gain access to analytics, you can inspect permissions, archive in bulk and access team calendars. There are also automation features in the Premium plan.
If you still need more, you can access the Enterprise plan. For pricing, you have to contact sales. This plan allows you to have up to 150 sites. It has the most robust analytics with Atlassian Analytics, Data Lake and data connectors. It also allows access to product requests and user counts.
Who should use it:
Whiteboards are useful in project management because they allow brainstorming and community notes to be maintained. Confluence has an easy-to-access whiteboard tool that managers and team members can utilize at all times.
Yes, for up to five creators or editors
INR 1,658.31 ($20) per seat per month (billed annually)
Salesforce, Google Calendar, Facebook, Mailchimp, Slack and more
Yes, for up to five creators or editors
INR 1,658.31 ($20) per seat per month (billed annually)
Salesforce, Google Calendar, Facebook, Mailchimp, Slack and more
Airtable is best for companies that are used to managing projects using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets but want more capabilities. It is a supercharged spreadsheet that allows the integration and management of traditional and rich data points, such as photos, videos and other files. While it is most famous for its spreadsheet-like interface, it also allows for other project views, including Kanban card stacks and gallery, grid, calendar and Gantt/timeline views.
Its integration options make this software work for any data-driven company. You can, for example, import data from Dropbox or Salesforce. You can also create a form that can be sent out via a shareable link to collect data from project participants, target users or project beneficiaries. Then, use templates and drag-and-drop features to analyze data from different perspectives, track how the data is used and forecast resource needs for project completion.
Other ready-made extensions or scripts then allow you to visualize your project as it progresses for a more intuitive experience. Access Airtable Marketplace to create a virtual whiteboard for idea brainstorming or an examinable 3D model of your project. You can even use pivot tables, flow charts and other visual data- and project-reporting tools to showcase project progression and successes.
Who should use it:
Airtable is known for its ability to help companies easily import, track and visualize data (even rich data). This makes Airtable ideal for companies with projects centered on traditional spreadsheet-compatible data.
Yes
INR 414.58 ($5) per user per month (billed annually)
Slack, Salesforce, Marketo, NetSuite, Box and more
Yes
INR 414.58 ($5) per user per month (billed annually)
Slack, Salesforce, Marketo, NetSuite, Box and more
Trello is a Kanban board-style project management tool. It has four plans to choose from starting with the Free forever plan. This plan is perfect for individuals or very small teams looking to stay organized with their projects. In this plan, you get unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, unlimited Power-Ups (integrations), unlimited storage with 10MB per file, 250 workspace commands monthly, custom backgrounds and stickers and unlimited activity log. It also allows you to assign tasks and set due dates. It is iOS and Android compatible with respective mobile apps and has two-factor authentication.
The Standard plan is designed for small teams focused on collaboration. It costs INR 414.58 ($5) per user per month when billed annually. In this plan, you get everything in the Free plan, plus you can access unlimited boards, advanced checklists and custom fields. The unlimited storage is upgraded to 250MB per file and there are 1,000 allowed workspace command runs per month. Guests get a single board, and there are saved searches for convenience.
Organizations can upgrade to the Premium plan for INR 829.16 ($10) per user per month when billed annually. This plan offers everything that the Standard plan does and more. It expands views from the Kanban board to calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map views. There are unlimited workspace command runs. There are increased administrative and security features, workspace-level templates and collections. This plan allows observers and has a simple data export feature.
For organizations needing more connection across teams, there is the Enterprise plan. It costs INR 1,451.02 ($17.50) per user per month (billed annually) and comes with everything in the Premium plan and more. There are unlimited workspaces and organization-wide permissions to give better access to projects as needed. There are organization-visible boards for centralized work. It also includes public board management, multi-board guest views, attachment permissions and Power-Up administration.
Who should use it:
Trello’s Kanban-style board with drag-and-drop features makes organizing a project and collaboration easy. It’s intuitive to use, and teams respond well to its format.
Yes
INR $10 per month per doc maker
Slack, Zoom, Jira, GitHub and more
Yes
INR $10 per month per doc maker
Slack, Zoom, Jira, GitHub and more
Coda makes collaboration easy with an interface that feels like a doc but engages with collaborators like an app. Organizations can start with the Free plan, which has a lot to offer to begin with. You get unlimited document size for unshared documents, use of Coda AI and limited automations, such as 35 time-based and 100 event-based tasks. Attachments are limited to 1GB per document. It comes with “Packs” to connect your document with the apps you use most. Users can publish an unlimited number of forms. It syncs tables and sends edits across docs for efficiency and saves a document’s version history for up to seven days. It allows real-time collaboration, document sharing and page syncing. It also allows you to publish stats across unlimited folders.
The Pro plan is available for 829.16 ($10) per month per doc maker. This plan upgrades document size to unlimited. You get up to 2,000 credits per month for Coda AI tasks. It offers 100 time-based automations with 500 event-based automations per month and 36 pack integrations. Attachments are limited to 5GB per document. In addition, you can custom brand forms, cross-doc tables and maintain a 30-day version history of all documents. It also allows for hidden pages and custom domains to be added, which means you can publish directly to a URL.
The Team plan jumps to INR 2,487.47 ($30) per month per doc maker. This plan increases Coda AI usage to 6,000 credits per month per doc maker. It has unlimited automations and unlimited attachment sizes, and there are 64 integration packs to choose from. Users can sync across tables and actions to create a master doc, and the version history is unlimited. Users can lock pages and have access to advanced locking features. There are also private folders included.
The Enterprise plan is available upon a custom quote and allows up to 12,000 AI credits per month. There are 73 integration packs to choose from, and users can access page analytics with internal doc analytics. There is advanced user management to better oversee teams.
Who should use it:
When you want customized forms to gather information, Coda is the pick of the platforms. It allows you to create and brand forms to make information gathering straightforward.
Yes
INR 331.66 ($4) per month
Google Calendar, iCalendar, Toggl Track, Time Doctor and PomoDone
Yes
INR 331.66 ($4) per month
Google Calendar, iCalendar, Toggl Track, Time Doctor and PomoDone
Todoist is a great way to stay on track with personal and team projects. The Beginner plan is the free forever plan. It comes with the ability to create five personal projects and upload documents up to 5MB per file. There are three filter views, and it tracks one week of activity history so you can see where you started the week off and determine overall productivity.
Projects can have up to five collaborators in this plan. It’s a simple plan that can get anyone started quickly and easily.
The Pro plan is a reasonable INR 331.66 ($4) per month when billed annually. It offers everything in the Beginner plan and more. You get up to 300 personal projects, and files as large as 100MB can be uploaded. There are 150 filter views, and you get unlimited activity history to see various iterations of projects. There are task reminders and task duration clocks to track productivity for each and every project. It allows up to 25 collaborators per project and triggers auto backups.
For organizations that need more, they can upgrade to the Business plan for $6 per member per month when billed annually. In this plan, you get the project number upgraded to 500 team projects. There are unlimited collaborators on these, and you can assign admin and member roles to keep the organization on track. Admins also gain access to security controls to ensure the privacy of projects.
Who should use it:
Staying on track is the key to project efficiency and completion. Todoist is ideal for keeping organizations on task with ease.
No (free trial)
INR 1,575.39 ($19) per month per manager
Slack, Trello, Dropbox and Zapier
No (free trial)
INR 1,575.39 ($19) per month per manager
Slack, Trello, Dropbox and Zapier
TeamGantt doesn’t offer a free version, however, you can try the product for 30 days before making a commitment to a paid plan. TeamGantt has two paid plans to choose from: the Lite and Pro plans.
The Lite plan costs 1,575.39 ($19) per month per manager (if billed annually). It allows up to five projects per manager with a cap of 150 tasks per project. Projects can have up to five collaborators per manager. In this plan, you get Core Gantt features, a calendar, a list, and access to integrations.
If you need more, you can upgrade to the Pro plan for INR 4,062.86 ($49) per month per manager (if billed annually). In this plan, you get everything in the Lite plan plus more. It includes project boards, priority support, workload management, baselines and time tracking. To better manage projects, there is also time estimating, portfolio management and team segmentation.
Who should use it:
TeamGantt is ideal for companies planning on using Gantt charts to stay organized and on task. It is the most user-friendly platform for Gantt chart creation.
Company | Company – Logo | Forbes Advisor India Rating | Forbes Advisor Rating | Free version available | Starting price | Integrations | Learn More CTA text | Learn more CTA below text | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ClickUp | 4.9 | Yes, for one member | INR 580.41 ($7) per member per month (billed annually) | Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more | View More | ||||
Monday.com | 4.9 | Yes, for up to two seats | INR 746.24 ($9) per seat per month, billed annually (minimum of three seats) | Zoom, Google Docs, Salesforce, Slack and more | View More | ||||
Asana | 4.6 | Yes, for up to 15 collaborators | INR 911.24 ($10.99) per seat per month (billed annually) | Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Slack, DocuSign and more | View More | ||||
Zoho Projects | 4.6 | Yes, for up to three users | INR 331.66 ($4) per seat per month (billed annually) | Microsoft Teams, Slack, Dropbox, Zapier and Zoho apps | View More | ||||
Smartsheet | 4.5 | Yes, for one user and two editors (for 30 days) | INR 580.41 ($7) per user per month (billed annually) | Google Drive, Slack, Tableau, Miro, Zapier and more | View More | ||||
Notion | 4.4 | Yes, for one user | INR 663.32 ($8) per user per month (billed annually) | Slack, Zapier, Jira, Asana, Google Drive, IFTTT and more | View More | ||||
Teamwork | 4.4 | Yes, for up to five users | INR 496.66 ($5.99) per user per month, billed annually (minimum of three users) | Dropbox, Google Drive, SharePoint, QuickBooks, Microsoft Project and more | View More | ||||
Wrike | 4.4 | Yes, for unlimited users | INR 812.57 ($9.80) per user per month (billed annually) | Google Drive, Slack, Salesforce, QuickBooks and more | View More | ||||
Jira | 4.3 | Yes, for up to 10 people | INR 675.76 ($8.15) per user per month (estimated cost) | Slack, Zendesk, Outlook, Google Sheets, GitHub and more | View More | ||||
Confluence | 4.2 | Yes | INR 501.64 ($6.05) per user per month | Team Files, MacrosSuite, Copy Page Tree, Comala Publishing and more | View More | ||||
Airtable | 4.2 | Yes, for up to five creators or editors | INR 1,658.31 ($20) per seat per month (billed annually) | Salesforce, Google Calendar, Facebook, Mailchimp, Slack and more | View More | ||||
Trello | 4.2 | Yes | INR 414.58 ($5) per user per month (billed annually) | Slack, Salesforce, Marketo, NetSuite, Box and more | View More | ||||
Coda | 4.1 | Yes | INR 829.16 ($10) per month per doc maker | Slack, Zoom, Jira, GitHub and more | View More | ||||
Todoist | 4.1 | Yes | INR 331.66 ($4) per month | Google Calendar, iCalendar, Toggl Track, Time Doctor and PomoDone | View More | ||||
TeamGantt | 4.0 | No (free trial) | INR 1575.39 ($19) per month per manager | Slack, Trello, Dropbox and Zapier | View More |
1
Miro
Free version available
Yes, for unlimited members
Starting price:
Free version available
Integrations:
Slack, Microsoft Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Timely, Google Drive and more
On Miro’s Website
This list was a result of careful evaluation of over 40 popular project management software that small businesses use. Some factors we considered when choosing inclusions for this “best of” list include:
We looked at each project management software using our own rubric that takes into account ten project management software factors we know are important to small businesses. Next, we give each software factor a score, then tally all the scores together to land a final star-rating score.
Project management software is a digital platform/tool that businesses or individuals use to plan projects, allocate and track project resources, schedule project timelines and tasks, assign tasks, track progress, capture and implement knowledge and ideas, and collaborate with team members for project completion. It further helps companies stay organized via document storage, search and organizational features.
To choose a project management software, consider each provider’s cost and added fees, overall features and functionality offerings, reporting, integration capabilities, necessary features vs. feature overload, customer reviews and customer support. In this section, we walk you through how to approach this assessment.
Essential Project Management Software Features
Project management software has basic features that most projects need to be successful. However, extra or unique features make some software options better for certain teams or businesses. It’s important to do your research to understand what unique features might make your project more successful based on your team approach, type of business or type of project. Some highly utilized project management tools and features include:
Ease of Use
Look for tools and designs that can help your organization use the software easier, despite barriers such as little knowledge of best practices or a cumbersome number of tasks that must be completed on a daily basis. Choosing the right ease-of-use features for your organization depends on many factors, including your company’s tech-savviness and size. However, some ease-of-use features commonly used by small to midsized companies are:
Reporting and Analytics
Reporting within project management software presents key data in a meaningful way to help you understand the success or needed improvements in your projects. The best project management software offer dashboards that break down data in the form of graphs, tables and the like to make gleaning insights from the data instant and intuitive.
Determine the types of key performance indicators (KPIs) you may need to track and the types of needed reports to help you track them. Then, when evaluating your considered software, explore its reporting and analytics options and dashboards to determine if they have what you need.
Common reports that may be helpful in a project management software include project status, health, team availability, risk, variance and timeline reports. Common KPIs include percentage of tasks completed, return on investment (ROI), schedule variance, planned vs. actual hours and the planned project value.
Next, evaluate whether the software will continue to meet your needs by exploring whether you can customize the reports or dashboards to meet needs as they arise. Customization options may include the ability to add or remove columns or create new reporting views.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews offer real-world insights into what it is like to use your considered software and do business with its provider. Search your considered software on tech review sites such as Capterra and TrustRadius. Read the reviews of past and current users. As you do, you are likely to learn the glitches the software experiences, hidden costs not highlighted on the provider’s website and how the software compares to competitor solutions.
Customer Support
Access to quality customer support ensures that, should a glitch happen in the software, your entire project isn’t derailed. To learn more about your chosen provider’s customer support, search for it on review sites such as TrustRadius and look at the company’s plans to understand what will be available to you and when. Aim to at least ensure support will be responsive during your normal business hours and via the mediums your team is accustomed to using.
Business Size Considerations
As you look at the feature set, remember that startups have different needs in project management software than do large enterprises. For example, enterprise companies may need to manage projects with execution steps that span the globe, while startup projects are more likely to span one or two locations. Demos can help you determine what tools are useful for your organization’s size and which will unnecessarily create a steeper learning curve.
Though one software plan or tool may be best for your organization at your current size, those needs are likely to change as you grow. For example, as you grow, you may need a software or plan with greater automation capabilities to scale operations or greater file storage capacity. So, while it is important to choose a software without unnecessary features, it is equally important to choose one that will continue meeting your feature needs as they grow.
Standard | Airtable | ClickUp | |
---|---|---|---|
First-tier plan price | Free | Free | Free |
Second-tier plan price | INR 746.66 ($9) per user per month (when billed annually) (minimum three users) | INR 911.76 ($10.99) per user per month (when billed annually) | INR 580.74 ($7) per user per month (when billed annually) |
Third-tier plan price | INR 995.55 ($12) per user per month (when billed annually) (minimum three users) | INR 2073.23 ($24.99) per user per month (when billed annually) | INR 995.55 ($12) per user per month (when billed annually) |
Discounts | 18% discount when billed annually; 10 free users for nonprofits | 50% off plans for nonprofits and educational institutions; save when billed annually | About 45% discount when billed annually, with slight variances depending on plan |
Free version | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Free trial of paid plans | 14-day | 14-day | No |
Pricing for small to midsized business project management software generally ranges from free to $20 per user per month, depending on the features you want. Most also offer a discount of between 15% and 50% for paying your bill annually. In addition, many companies can use such software for free, including startups, nonprofits and educational institutions. Free trials help users assess whether they want to upgrade from a free plan to a paid one.
More specifically, most providers offer a free plan with a limit on the number of users allowed. For example, monday.com allows two users on each free account. As plans scale up, more users are allowed. In addition, higher-tiered (and so, more expensive) plans offer more robust features, such as more storage, viewers, customer support, security, collaborative tools, automations, customizations and charts. Enterprises often have to request a custom quote.
Significant changes are occurring in nearly every industry as technology advances and attitudes surrounding work and leadership evolve. Project management is no exception, and the styles and strategies for managing both the technical and human aspects of team projects are being adapted to accommodate the new workplace landscape emerging in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are the project management trends that we anticipate growing in the year to come.
A Continued Shift Towards Digital and Remote Work
In our post-pandemic world, fully remote and hybrid work options are here to stay. Gallup reports approximately 56% of full-time employees can fulfill job requirements entirely from home. The transition to fully remote work during the pandemic further illustrated productivity and effectiveness in the workplace could be maintained, even when a majority of employees were working from home.
From a project management standpoint, this transition has its pros and cons. Working in the same physical location as other team members promotes team-building and spontaneous collaboration that can be otherwise limited in a virtual workspace. Despite the perks of in-person collaboration, however, remote employees enjoy the flexible nature of working from home and report increased satisfaction with their work. When given the choice, many remote employees would prefer to remain remote or partially remote instead of returning full-time to the office.
As we move into 2024, project managers are challenged with navigating team dynamics and productivity in an increasingly digital environment.
Project Management and Change Management
In recent years, companies have enacted increasing numbers of change initiatives to organizations and the structures within. Project managers are learning to integrate the requirements of these change initiatives into project management strategies and plans. It is crucial to create a flexible methodology for integrating change initiatives with specific steps and protocols that your team can follow. These skills will continue to be relevant in coming years as companies grow and conform to the ever-evolving workplace standards.
Hybrid Approaches
Project success strategies have traditionally relied upon adherence to a single project management methodology. Recently, an increasing number of companies have merged multiple approaches to project management in an effort to increase flexibility and create a style that’s adapted to the needs of the individual project. Hybrid approaches also work well when faced with the task of integrating the expectations of new change initiatives presented by company leaders.
Increasing Connection Between Projects and Strategy
Project managers increasingly are asked to expand the scope and scale of strategies in growing workplaces. Rather than simply focusing on individual projects in isolation, project managers are being tasked with learning how individual projects relate to one another and how they work together to advance the goals of the company. This type of understanding can promote the strategic use of a project manager’s skills and help them to consistently make decisions that align closely with the company’s vision.
Increasing Prevalence of AI andAutomation
Artificial intelligence, automation, machine learning and data collection and analysis are rapidly becoming critical elements in project management strategies. According to PwC, 77% of high-performing projects utilize project management software to help streamline their work and meet their goals.
AI has the capacity to evaluate outcomes and provide insights into performance strengths and weaknesses, provide organized data to guide important decisions, predict outcomes, estimate timelines, analyze risk and optimize resource distribution. Project management tools and software can also automate time-consuming administrative tasks normally performed by the project manager, leaving the project manager free to focus time and energy on more critical or more nuanced tasks.
Project managers who take the time to understand how the AI and automation processes in their organization can complement their role will be well-prepared to take advantage of this resource.
Project management software has basic features that most projects need to be successful. However, extra or unique features make some software options better for certain teams or businesses than others. It’s important to do your research to understand what unique features might make your project more successful based on your team approach, type of business or type of project.
For example, most project management software have tools to plan, schedule, assign tasks around and report on project status and completion. Most include views such as Kanban or Gantt to track progress and dependencies.
Each also has extra or a unique set of features that make one a better fit for some teams than other options. For example, these may include social and collaboration tools, design tools, advanced analytics, databases, unique integrations, invoicing tools, time or habit tracking, customizable automation tools, publishing capabilities and knowledge bases.
Project management apps are used to manage the development and completion of a project from anywhere via the web and iOS and Android devices. Most of the time, a project management app is used in conjunction with the desktop version of the same project management software. This partnership simply allows for more flexibility around when and where team members can work on and stay up to date on the project.
Using your app, you can organize projects, create overviews and timelines for them, assign tasks or roles, manage resource allocation and track your project to completion. You can even invite a team to your project app so everyone can collaborate on it together. And, you can integrate other apps for added features that enable ease or success of project completion.
However, small screens often make project management apps a bit more tedious to use. For this reason, large or complex tasks are often easier to accomplish via the software’s desktop version while the Android or iOS version allows team members to complete small tasks while on the go, receive reminders around their tasks and roles, and track progress. Still, in a pinch, iOS and Android app access allows for any task completion anywhere and anytime.
To choose the right project management system, first, consider what monthly or yearly budget you have to spend. Many project management software options require you to pay by the user. So, count how many people will need to use the software, then calculate the per-person cost you can afford.
Next, make a list of the basic features you need to complete projects with your team. Also consider the level of tech experience your team has. For example, consider if your team needs drag-and-drop builders, pre-built templates and ample integration apps to choose from, or if it is tech-savvy enough to build its own apps using an API.
Based on your project and company, make a list of unique features you may need. For example, do you need your chosen software to integrate with Trello or Asana? Or, do you need a project management software that will also help you invoice clients or collaborate with external teams on documents?
Finally, research “best project management software” and make a list of software that meets your above-described criteria (or at least close to it). Test your list of software via free versions or free trials to decide which is best for your team. You can do so, for example, by inviting a sampling of your employees to try out the software and then provide feedback on which they would prefer and why.
Project management is important in business because it helps you complete projects successfully and hit goals for yourself and your clients.
Coordinating a multifaceted project for which several people owe deliverables, keeping everyone organized and ensuring the output meets expectations—all this while under the stress of a deadline—presents a challenge for even the most experienced project manager.
These challenges become more feasible through project management best practices.
Companies should choose the best project management software based on their needs and budget. However, monday.com is a very popular project management software among small businesses for its breadth of features, price and available free version.
Individual project management software is set up by one person with one view, such as a spreadsheet view. Collaborative project management software offers one source of truth but also tools that allow people to work on their terms and within their individual roles, such as real-time editing and task-assignment capabilities. Finally, integrated project management software allows for the management and tracking of multiple projects.
Project management software helps you to plan, organize, budget and track the progress of a company project. It also unites a team around shared goals so all are working toward a successful project completion. In dispersed teams, growing businesses or across multiple departments, this can be difficult to do without a software people can join and access from their own devices wherever and whenever they work.
There are several options available when it comes to project management methodologies. For example, there is the waterfall method, which follows a linear path and often has between five or six different phases that rely on the deliverables provided by the previous phase. Another option is the lean method, of which Kanban is a part. Kanban is the process of visualizing your workflow. The lean project management method is geared toward reducing waste and delivering value in a short period. Another commonly used method is scrum. Scrum references a simple framework employed by organizations, businesses or individuals, breaking down complex, overarching projects into smaller increments, with each part completed over a predetermined block of time which is known as a “sprint.” Others that you might consider include extreme programming (XP), critical path method (CPM) rapid action development, Six Sigma or a hybrid of two or more of these methods. All of these methods work well with project management software.
Like most types of software, the best project management software programs offer many levels of security. When choosing this type of software, you want to look for security features like two-factor authentication (2FA) or multifactor authentication (MFA), documentation that shows frequent security updates and patches, intrusion detection, the monitoring of user activities, data encryption and privacy protection.
For the best chance at success, every project needs an owner who is responsible for its completion and success. Project managers exist to fill this need, keep a team on task and ensure the project meets the needs of all stakeholders. This designation could be a subset of responsibilities—or an official job title.
A diverse range of industries requires the skills of a talented project manager. You can be a project manager in construction, publishing, finance, professional services, utilities and many other industries. Despite the final result of the projects looking very different across these industries, the steps and skills to keep a team organized fluently translate across the business world.
Over the last decade, Alana has served as a business operation, technology, and marketing consultant for countless businesses — from start-ups and mid-sized businesses like Fit Small Business to Fortune 500 tech firms like Adobe. She currently serves as a business consultant, operations manager, and content strategist at Doubting Thomas Research Foundations’ Afghan Liberty Project, a small non-profit organization. She graduated with an MBA in leadership from Excelsior College.