Regardless of your business size, staying organized and keeping on top of tasks is vital to your success moving forward. So what’s an easy way to stay on task and track your time, projects and staff?
Enter the project management platform, a range of software options and tools that can help you and your team stay focused and have easy access to task lists.
A lot of businesses make the mistake of not prioritizing project management software to their own detriment. The majority of businesses use some form of project management tools in their company.
Using a project management system can help with your team’s time management, aid in file sharing, time tracking, managing work, and being your primary collaboration software.
Think of these project management platforms as a high functioning to-do list, with a ton of features that can help with your online project management and productivity. Tools like these have become even more prevalent in 2020 and beyond due to the increase in remote teams and work.
Table of Contents
What is the Best Project Management Software 2020?
There are a lot of different tools on the market, but below are some of my favorites for the best project management software available in 2020.
In this guide we’ll take a look at some of the best project management software on the market, doing a quick review and overview of each of these 16 tools.
1. Hive
One of the best project management software tools available, that is great for collaboration, real time managing projects, automating workflow and tracking progress.
With four major ways to view your work and tasks, it is incredibly user friendly, with Gantt charts, Kanban, calendar and table views.
Hive analytics helps you monitor your team and projects effortlessly, in a way a lot of project management software tools do not. Tracking team members and metrics such as overdue actions, individual work, and most productive days of the week.
Best Features
- Analytics are really useful and provide detailed insight
- Comments and notes on the tasks help micro-communications
- Track sheets help real-time tracking
- Up to 5 external users per account can be invited to collaborate (this could be clients, freelancers, or interested parties)
- Hive chat and Slack integration makes communication easier
- Alerts are sent when a task is sent to another member
| Pros | Cons |
| Free trial available | Charged per user / month so can become expensive for larger organizations |
| Demo can help you get more comfortable with the project management software | Doesn’t have a free option |
| Mobile app works with all major platforms | Base plan requires extra paid features for varying price points |
| Advanced security measures to protect you and your team members | |
| Exclusive discounts for non-profit organizations |
Pricing
Hive has two different options, the base plan at $12 per user/month and the enterprise package which is a quote-based plan including all add ons and features.
Therefore, the enterprise package can work out a better deal depending on the features you are looking at getting.
2. Wrike
Wrike is a project management software and team collaboration platform that utilizes a multi-pane UI and has a wide variety of project management features.
The ability to track employee availability, check up on ‘at-risk’ projects and tasks and team communication make it one of the best project management software tools in the SaaS industry.
Wrike’s customizable team sprint dashboards allow team members to view active, new, and completed tasks and projects in one area.
It is available in multiple languages and offers a lot of functionality for all users from small businesses to large organizations.
Best Features
- Easy to set priorities
- Drag and drop editor makes it easy to use from the get-go
- Advanced analytics and data insights
- User friendly and very visual
- Email integration and a wide range of different tools from CRM apps to Google Docs
- Simplify business planning with Dynamic Request Forms (DRF)
| Pros | Cons |
| Around the clock support via email, live chat, and phone | There is no free option available |
| Reliable and secure protocols for security and protection | Prices are charged per user on the two main plans |
| Build-in tools that help your project management in a range of ways | Free trial is only up to 5 users |
| Has automation features | |
| Encompasses a lot of different applications into one project management platform |
Pricing
Wrike has 5 plans, two with set rates, and the other three are on a quote basis.
Professional – Up to 15 users, $9.80 per user / month.
Business – Between 5-200 users, $24.80 per user/month with volume discounts available.
The other three plans, Marketers, Professional Services, and Enterprise allow for unlimited users and are tailored to your unique needs, each leaning to their related area with various tools and optimizations.
3. Monday.com
Monday.com was previously known as Dapulse but has been overhauled with a huge range of new updates, making it one of the premier project management software tools available.
The color coding and clean interface make this project management software accessible for pretty much anyone, and easy for project managers to set up for any size of the team.
Best Features
- Unlike a lot of project management software, has an undo button
- Has resource management tools
- Gantt chart gives easy visualization
- Workflows are highly customizable
- Gives external clients and parties access to a portal
- Map view feature for location-based tasks and or projects
| Pros | Cons |
| Free trial available | Additional users cost more for all plans |
| Kanban style visual layout | Creating sub-tasks can be tricky |
| Can handle complicated work | Steep learning curve makes it harder for beginners |
| Range of integrations (Slack, Excel, Jira, Outlook, etc..) | One of the most expensive project management software on the market |
| Unlimited boards and users | |
| One of the only project management software available in multiple languages (English, German, French, Dutch, and more) |
Pricing
There are four different plans for Monday.com, Basic, Standard, Pro, and Enterprise.
Basic – $25 / month for up to 5 users
Standard – $39 / month for up to 5 users
Pro – $59 / month for up to 5 users
Enterprise – quote based
4. Plan.io
Plan.io is based on an open-source project management software, with a focus on engineering and project creation. It helps at every step from building a product to shipping it to your customer.
This project management software generates charts to aid you in monitoring your progress and performance of both your team and your products.
The collaboration and team sharing tools are great and make team chats a lot less complicated and getting everyone on the same page.
Best Features
- Activities can be tracked in real time
- An innovative mobile app gives you the flexibility to work anywhere
- Team discussions are easy in the message forums
- All team members can manage tasks directly from their phone or via email integration
- Auto-generated Gantt charts give you an overview of your task’s progress
| Pros | Cons |
| 30-day free trial available | More focused on the European market |
| Free daily backups | Works best for product project management |
| Web-based platform so can be accessed anywhere | Lower cost plans have user, storage, and project limits |
| Secure with SSL encryption | |
| Customer support via live chat and help desk | |
| Can handle more than 100 projects |
Pricing
There are 5 plans available for Plan.io project management software, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Platinum, and Enterprise.
Silver – €19 / month (3 active projects, 5 users, 5GB storage)
Gold – €39 / month (7 active projects, 10 users, 20GB storage)
Diamond – €75 / month (15 active projects, 20 users, 40GB storage)
Platinum – €149 / month (40 active projects, 45 users, 80GB storage)
Enterprise – from €299 / month (100+ active projects, 100+ users, 100GB storage)
All these plans include SSL, updates, backups, and maintenance, customer support, unlimited issues and incidents, free imports of existing data, and more.
5. Backlog
Backlog is an online project management software and bug tracking tool, designed for teams and developers. It defines itself as an all-in-one project management app that brings code management and project management together.
Kanban-style boards can be used for quick and easy task tracking, Gantt charts and Burndown for project tracking, and custom Wiki style pages for sharing team knowledge.
Backlog makes it easy to track everything in one place with push notifications, comment history and drag-and-drop. Works great as a project manager and for teamwork projects.
Best Features
- Mobile app gives flexibility to work anywhere (on both Android and iOS)
- Kanban-style boards and Gantt charts make project management more visual
- Custom workflows and statuses for your projects
- Bug tracking, project version control, and task tracking tools in one place
- Built-in Git and SVN repositories
| Pros | Cons |
| Has mobile apps and web access, so you can access the software wherever you need | Free plan is very limited and more of an extended trial |
| Task tracking and bug tracking is great for coding tasks and projects | Works best if you utilize all the functionality (bug and project management) |
| Easily document team information in one place with custom Wikis | Limits on each plan up to the most expensive one |
| Lots of useful integrations (Dropbox, Jira, LinkedIn, Atlassian, Zapier, etc..) | |
| Ability to task and subtask makes organization easy |
Pricing
Backlog has four plans, Free, Starter, Standard, Premium each with their unique limits which we will have a quick look at.
Free – 1 project, 10 users, 100MB of storage
Starter – $35 / month, 5 projects, 30 users, 1GB of storage
Standard – $100 / month, 100 projects, unlimited users, 30GB of storage
Premium – $175 / month, unlimited projects, unlimited users, 100GB of storage
6. ProofHub
ProofHub gives its users all the project management tools you need in one tidy package that can help any business, project manager, and team organize their projects and tasks with ease.
It is a viable solution for finishing and tracking projects efficiently and effectively, ensuring your projects are done on time and with accountability.
ProofHub is very user friendly and defines itself as easy-to-understand and with a very short learning curve, so anyone can use it quickly.
Best Features
- Cloud-based project management app
- Multiple languages available
- Can review multiple files at the same time
- Group chats and 1-1s for easier collaboration
- Kanban style boards for easier project management
- Highly secure software
- White labelled so you can have custom branding
- Proofing tool makes editing and feedback easier
| Pros | Cons |
| No per user fee and simple pricing plans | Despite what it says, can be tough for beginners |
| Detailed tutorials and introduction to the project management software | Certain tools and overly complex and hard to master |
| 1 month free trial of the software | Workflows need a little improvement |
| Lots of command shortcuts for quicker working | They don’t offer phone customer support |
| Tasks and subtasks are easy to allocate | |
| Highly customizable |
Pricing
The pricing plans are really simple. They start out at $45 / month for the basic version (40 projects, unlimited users, 15GB storage) and go up to $89 / month (unlimited projects, unlimited users, and 100GB).
Both of these prices are when billed annually.
7. GanttPRO
As the name suggests, this project management app is forced on using Gantt charts making it a highly visual project management software, which is easy for anyone to follow and understand.
These charts give an easy overview of your tasks, due dates, projects, team members, and priorities for your business. The best project management software will always let you work how you want, so with that in mind, GanttPRO also toggle navigation to be in a grid view, portfolio view, and board view.
Best Features
- Time log reports and time trackers
- Three different budget tracking options
- Project templates (custom and standard)
- Advanced user settings and permissions
- Project management calendars, change history and tracking
- Time estimations and project duration
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy project sharing to keep clients updated | Per user pricing can be expensive for smaller companies |
| 24/7 support via email with weekday business hours live-chat support | Lacks advanced capabilities compared to other project management apps |
| Top-tier security with private VPN, Microsoft Azure Cloud, and SSL | Some task management is a bit simplistic |
| Project managers can be the opener/closer to give a single source / point of reference | |
| Very user friendly and easy to use software | |
| Economies of scale, so price goes down for each user when you have more |
Pricing
The pricing structure is fairly simplistic which makes it easy to understand.
GanttPRO can be bought for one user at $15 / month and $8.90 per person for 5 users, and scales up from there, for 100, for example, would be $4.50 each.
8. ClickUp
ClickUp positions itself as one app to replace them all, and can really help organizations solve a lot of problems in one of the best project management apps around. It helps with docs, chats, timelines, reminders, tasks, projects, and more.
One of the best parts is not just its high profile client list, from Google to Nike, to Netflix, but its highly customizable interface, that can really be as much or as little as you need.
Best Features
- Lots of integrations so it can link up with your software
- Great contact management tools
- Wide variety of templates
- User friendly with drag and drop
- Goal and time tracking tools
- Ability to set priorities for projects and tasks
| Pros | Cons |
| Highly customizable | The free version is fairly limited |
| Freemium plan offers flexibility for the project manager and company | Cost is per person as opposed to fixed |
| Very customer focused | |
| Dashboard is very straightforward | |
| Customer service is really helpful |
Pricing
Outside of the free option, there are three paid plans for ClickUp.
Unlimited – $5 per person / month
Business – $19 per person / month
Enterprise – Quote based, tailored to your team’s needs
9. ProProfs Project
ProProfs is a straightforward project management app that focuses on keeping things simple and has a very simple learning curve. Taking away some of the more advanced tools and keeping things your focus on what you need.
The collaboration keeps your tasks on time, track, and organized, regardless of if your employees work local or remote.
Best Features
- Has ability to invoice, and create financial summaries
- Great for budget management and managing expenses
- Recurring tasks and templates make work simplified
- ‘Task Dependency’ allows for bulk moving and customizing task dates and deliverables
- Can set timers to keep track of work
| Pros | Cons |
| Secure simple billing for all work | Despite being branded as simple, the software can be tough for beginners |
| Instant file sharing | Forever free option is very limited |
| Gives an easy platform for collaboration | Only has free trial period of 15 days |
| Can custom brand, access live training, and import CSV data | |
| Easy integrations with lots of apps and software |
Pricing
There are four choices available for ProProfs, that range from free, to $199 a month.
Forever Free – $0 (3 projects, 10 users, unlimited guests, ProProf branding)
Soloprenuer – $19 / month (10 projects, unlimited users, unlimited guests, ProProf branding)
Team – $49 / month (50 projects, integrations, reporting & charts, task dependencies)
Unlimited – $199 / month (Unlimited projects, everything the software has, custom branding, dedicated support)
10. Workzone
Workzone is another option in the cloud-based project management software space, and the fact that it is white labelled, means businesses can have the app showing their own branding and logos.
Outside of that, its core focus is on enabling simple collaboration between different work units and being a straightforward project management tool.
Best Features
- Wide range of different templates
- Extensive document management
- Budget and expense tracking
- Great integrations with a variety of apps, software, and plugins
- Project management dashboard helps organize easily
| Pros | Cons |
| Phone and email customer support available 24/7 | Pricing plans are all on a quote basis |
| Useful for companies who work with lots of different clients | Can be difficult for new users |
| Ability to create external accounts | Doesn’t allow for an external client portal |
| Collaboration is really easy | Time management isn’t very smooth |
Pricing
Although there are 3 plans, all of them are on a quote basis so you’d have to get in touch with the Workzone team to access the prices and a demo.
11. Asana
One of the best project management software, named after the yoga pose, Asana is popular software that can run on Windows, iOS, Android, and Linux.
The addition of multiple languages makes it a really useful choice for your task management. There’s a ton of integrations so it can really easily work around your other software and teams.
Best Features
- Templates make it simple to create tasks for your teams
- Custom fields give you access to metrics tracking
- My Task list helps you focus on what’s on your plate
- Over 100 integrations, one of the best in the industry
- Automatic email updates on tasks
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy priority tasks and visualization | Live chat and phone support aren’t available |
| Highly customizable | Designating teams tasks can be difficult |
| Instant updates and file sharing | |
| Information sharing is effortless | |
| Email training, tickets, and support |
Pricing
There are four plans for Asana:
Basic – Limited options, but is a freemium choice good for beginners
Premium – $10.99 / user per month (billed annually)
Business – $24.99 / user per month (billed annually)
Enterprise – Quote based option that can be customized to your needs
12. Trello
Trello is one of the best project management software and leans into the basic list making formula, and although it's simple, it’s really effective.
It is a cloud-based app that makes task management really easy to understand and track, making it a really popular project management software. Tools are available for free on a basic option that helps you get a feel for the software.
Best Features
- Easy to use with drag and drop
- Lots of integrations with popular third party apps
- Voting tool is useful for quick planning and decisions
- Inline checklists, editing, and attachments
- Regular alerts and updates on deadlines
- Unlimited personal cards, boards, and lists
| Pros | Cons |
| Quickly syncs across all devices | There isn’t a client portal available |
| Mobile optimized (iOS and Android) | No phone support |
| User-focused | Free option doesn’t have integrations |
| Sync with Slack for easy communication | |
| Extremely customizable | |
| Great for multiple teams and work |
Pricing
Trello has a simple pricing structure with three choices, free, business class, and enterprise, each with unlimited personal boards, cards, and lists.
Free – limited, but no user cap so great for beginners
Business Class – $9.99 / user per month (when billed annually)
Enterprise – $20.83 / user per month (when billed annually)
14. Podio
Another web-based project management tool which is easy to use and implemented by a ton of prestigious organizations across the globe.
Podio leans more towards workflow management but still can hold up with other software, project management or otherwise.
It also is in the minority, as it offers a free version, which not many project management tools do, albeit with limited project management features and options.
Best Features
- Extensive task management features
- Integrations with a lot of popular apps (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Etc..)
- Highly secure storage with SSL certification
- Great communications options for instant messaging, audio, video and meetings
- Work management features to keep your teams organized
- Filter and reporting options
| Pros | Cons |
| High level of customization | Lack of good customer support options |
| Intuitive templates | Cannot use markup tools |
| The free option is one of the best a project management tool offers | Tracking options are limited |
| Unlimited storage regardless of your plan, teams, or tools | |
| Easy user interface | |
| Great option for small businesses |
Pricing
One of the better valued project management tools, with 4 different plans, here’s a quick breakdown of the options for this software.
Free – allows up to 5 users and has core features
Basic – $7.20 / month
Plus – $11.20 / month with automated workflows
Premium – $19.20 / month with the full suite of advanced Podio features
15. MeisterTask
MeisterTask is a project management solution that can help manage and organize tasks in a highly customizable environment and aids your ability to keep track of your teams, tasks and time.
It’s a web-based project management tool that is updated automatically and doesn’t need any downloading to get started. This project management software helps your team get more organized and manage a range of different tasks with ease.
Best Features
- Time tracker feature helps with real time tracking for work and resource management
- Kanban boards help task management
- Huge amount of integrations available (Dropbox, GitHub, Gmail, Zendesk, and many more)
- Available as a mobile app for both iOs and Android
- Utilize the checklist features to break down long lists into smaller pieces
- Highly secure and safe compared to other project management apps
- Easy project management tool for any amount of team members or business size
| Pros | Cons |
| Fluid user experience and easy to use | Phone support is not available for all plans |
| Workflow management aids in effortless team member collaboration | Doesn’t have a Linux compatible version |
| Ability to set up recurring tasks | Subtasks can’t be seen instantly |
| Highly customizable | There’s no native reminder feature |
| Shallow learning curve due to the tutorial videos and guides |
Pricing
There is a free version with limited functionality but can help give you a feel for this project management software.
Paid plans start at $8.25 per user / month up to $20.75 per user / month. There is also a tailorable ‘Enterprise’ plan that can be suited to your business needs and flexible to your team members.
16. BaseCamp
One of the best project management solutions, Basecamp is used by teams across the world and is a cloud-based online project management software tool. It helps organize your teamwork projects in one place and eliminates the need for excess software.
Basecamp is great for resource management and segments your projects into smaller parts so you can focus on them separately. It’s a great and versatile project management tool and one of the leaders in the industry for project management. Teams of all sizes use this tool.
Best Features
- Ability to share documents, spreadsheets, files, etc..
- Lots of integrations available
- Business metrics are easy to access via the Klipfolio features and single dashboard
- Build-in file management for different projects
- Great chat features for both individual and group chats
- Efficient scheduling options
- Has a variety of different project templates
- Message boards help managing projects and aid in workflow management
| Pros | Cons |
| Doesn’t charge more based on users | Customer support is not available via phone |
| 30 day free trial | Free plan has limited functionality |
| Works with Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android | Cloud-based software may not be practical for businesses who use in-house project management tools |
| Promotes collaboration between different teams and business units | |
| Highly customizable to fit your project management needs |
Pricing
The BaseCamp paid plan is $99 / month, with a limited version available for free. VIP customer support is only accessible for the paid plan users.
Teamwork
Teamwork is a project management, team collaboration, and task management tool. It is web-based but is also available on iOS and Android. The free plan offers a good amount of versatility and the platform has a wide range of cloud-based applications too.
Best Features
- Has great integrations from Microsoft Office, to Google Drive, to Hubspot and more)
- Teamwork Timer helps track time
- Gantt chart view give easy visualization of your project tasks
- Chat option allows easy team communication
- Ability to create tasks and sub tasks
- Dashboard is easy to customize to see key metrics
Pros
- Free plan for up to 5 users
- 30-day free trial
- Great 24/7 customer support
- Lots of free tutorials and guides
- Uses Kanban boards
Cons
- Interface is busy and cluttered
- Has a fairly steep learning curve
Pricing
Teamwork PM software has a free option for five users, then plans range from $9 – $15 / user per month. You can save up to 20% with an annual plan and there’s a quote-based plan option available for customization too.
Summary – Best Project Management Software 2020
Deciding on what is the best project management software for your business in 2020, is dependent on what you are looking for.
All of the project management apps and software on this list are viable solutions for any business, project managers, and any range of team members.
Hopefully, after reading the summary of each of these project management software you will know which is the best task management option for you and your teams and teamwork projects.
As most things in life do, it comes down to your needs, budget, and personal preference, there’s no doubt that all of these are great options, it just depends on what’s best for you.
