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The Best Project Management Software Deals This Week*
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Let’s say you build houses. It’s a complex process, and most of the tasks must be done in an exact order. You can’t install windows if you haven’t put up the walls. You probably have dozens of specialists working on the buildings and you have to know which days they’re available to pour the foundation, lay the tile, wire the electricity, and so forth. And what if it rains one day? The whole schedule may change. The way to manage task scheduling and dependency in a complex project like this is to use project management software.PCMag has been testing project management apps since 2015. In that time, we’ve tested (and retested) more than 25 project management tools. Here, we tell you about those services that scored the highest in our ratings, with a few notes about what makes them different. Below our recommendations is more information on what project management software is, how we classify it for the purpose of this article, and advice on how to shop for the right app for your business or team. If you manage less complex projects, you can save a lot of money and get a better tool for your needs by exploring the best collaboration software instead.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
GanttPro
Best for Beginners
Why We Picked ItWith reasonable pricing, an interface that anyone can learn to use, and a good balance of features, GanttPro is one of the best project management tools. We also appreciate that it includes custom fields for tasks, a kanban board view, a critical path feature, and a save history that allows you to do multiple undos.Who It’s ForGanttPro is one of the best project management apps for beginners. That also means it’s an excellent pick for teams, especially small teams, that need to organize work and get projects done when they don’t have a dedicated project manager on staff. However, GanttPro does not have customizable reports and dashboards that larger teams may need.
PROS
Competitively priced
Well designed and easy to learn to use
Includes custom fields for tasks, kanban board view, critical path feature
Saves history for undo
CONS
No customizable reporting tools or customizable dashboards
No billing or invoicing
Light on integrations
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
9.99
Storage Included at Price Listed
5GB
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
N/A
Number of Projects in Free Account
N/A
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
GanttPro Review
Teamwork
Best for Client Work
Why We Picked ItBefore Teamwork became focused on organizations that take on client work, it was already a superbly designed project management platform. If you are new to project planning, you could spend a bit of time using Teamwork and watching some of its excellent video tutorials to learn enough to use it in practice.Who It’s ForIf your small business takes on projects for clients, then Teamwork is one of the best project management apps you’ll find. It comes with billing and invoicing included, so it’s easy to track hours worked on a project and know what to bill.
PROS
Simple and intuitive design
Great customization options
Billing and invoicing included
Free account available
CONS
No PDF or image markup tools
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
$12.50
Storage Included at Price Listed
100GB
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
100MB
Number of Projects in Free Account
2
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
Teamwork Review
Zoho Projects
Best for Small and Growing Teams
Why We Picked ItWe picked Zoho Projects as one of the best project management apps because it offers excellent value. It’s easy to set up and navigate, offers deep configuration options, and includes the option to track time worked. You can make your own project templates in Zoho Projects, but the app does not come with its own set of templates.Who It’s ForZoho Projects is a low-cost project management app with an array of helpful features, which makes it an attractive option for small and growing businesses. Its tiered pricing, with attractively low rates, is also targeted at organizations that are on a budget and those that expect to grow quickly.
PROS
Excellent value
Generally easy to set up and navigate
Multiple ways to communicate in the app
Deep configuration options
Strong time-tracking tools
CONS
Does not include premade templates
Slightly unusual resource management view
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
$5 (Premium)
Storage Included at Price Listed
100GB
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
10MB
Number of Projects in Free Account
2
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
Zoho Projects Review
Why We Picked ItCeloxis is reasonably easy to use with a short setup time. Medium to large businesses will like that it includes time tracking, budgeting, and resource management tools. Celoxis offers two plan types, a cloud-hosted one and an on-premise option that comes with custom pricing. You need a minimum of five users for any plan type, and the company now provides custom price quotes for potential customers. It used to cost $25 per person per month, which is a good price. The company formerly sold the on-premise plan for a flat per-person-per-year rate but no longer does. We still believe Celoxis offers high value among project management apps for medium and large organizations.Who It’s ForCeloxis is one of the best project management apps for medium and large organizations. This app provides ample reports and other tools that give decision-makers and business owners value. For example, you can use Celoxis to not only work most efficiently by adjusting project schedules, but also to forecast revenue.
PROS
Ample reports and other tools for decision makers
Excellent value
Easy to use and short setup time
Includes time tracking, budgeting, and resource management
CONS
No proofing tools
No billing or invoicing features
No free version
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
$25
Storage Included at Price Listed
2GB per User
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
N/A
Number of Projects in Free Account
N/A
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
Celoxis Review
LiquidPlanner
Best for Automated Scheduling
Why We Picked ItLiquidPlanner is impressive at managing projects, tasks, workloads, and more. It can automatically and dynamically schedule work for your whole team, even as factors change—which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re open to what LiquidPlanner offers, this app can project best- and worst-case scenarios for projects and tasks, dish up rich management and insight tools, and give you the tools you need for time-tracking—as long as you opt for a Professional or Ultimate plan.Who It’s ForWhile LiquidPlanner can be a great project management app for teams of any size, we think it’s especially well suited to larger enterprise teams working on complex projects. One reason is because LiquidPlanner’s area of specialization is automated scheduling. If a pain point for your organization is scheduling people to take on certain tasks at specific times, then LiquidPlanner can help. This app comes with ample tools for automatically fixing project schedules when tasks slip or when workers are suddenly unavailable.
PROS
Automated, intelligent scheduling
Projects best and worst case scenarios
Rich management and insight tools for a variety of resources
Good time tracking included in Professional and Ultimate plans
CONS
Takes significant time to set up projects and learn to use
Some functions are difficult to find
Gantt chart is not interactive
No milestones
No nonimage attachments
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
$45
Storage Included at Price Listed
100GB
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
N/A
Number of Projects in Free Account
N/A
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
LiquidPlanner Review
ProofHub
Best for Proofing
Why We Picked ItProofHub aims for simplicity without skimping on core project management features. It’s also competitively priced for small teams. This app is surprisingly easy to use, making it great for teams that don’t have dedicated project managers.Who It’s ForProofHub is a project management app for teams that include proofing stages as part of their workflow. In other words, if your team evaluates or critiques visual materials—whether ad campaigns or mobile app designs—ProofHub has tools that other project management apps lack to help you through those processes. More specifically, it has markup tools you can use to draw on PDFs and image files while you give feedback or otherwise collaborate on them with your team.
PROS
Quick and easy setup
Cost-effective flat rate pricing for midsize teams
Nice balance of features and simplicity
Good tools for discussing visual materials
CONS
Sometimes loads slowly
Lacks budgeting tools
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
$50 (Unlimited Users)
Storage Included at Price Listed
15GB
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
25
Number of Projects in Free Account
1
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
ProofHub Review
Redmine
Best for Open-Source Project Management
Why We Picked ItWhile Redmine isn’t for everyone, we chose it as one of the best project management apps because it’s free and open source, which is a rarity in the project management world.Who It’s ForRedmine is the go-to project management app for anyone who wants a free and open-source option—but you also need to have people on hand that know how to install and maintain it. Redmine is not an off-the-shelf project management app. It’s focused on projects that include issue- and bug-tracking.
PROS
Free
Open source
Customizable
Includes time estimates, task dependencies, Gantt charts, project wikis
CONS
Requires self-installation and maintenance
No included support (beyond the online community)
Support limited to community docs
Not suitable for all teams and projects; favors software developers
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
Free
Storage Included at Price Listed
N/A
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
N/A
Number of Projects in Free Account
Unlimited
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
Redmine Review
Smartsheet
Best for Automations
Why We Picked ItIf you’re willing to put in the time to learn what Smartsheet can do and customize it to your needs, it’s very powerful. It might become your go-to tool not only for project management but also for other collaborative business.Who It’s ForSmartsheet is the project management app for people who like to increase productivity through automations. That means you’re willing to put in the time to set up “if this, then that” type commands that Smartsheet carries out for you automatically. For example, you might have an automation that says, “When someone marks a task as blocked, and the task status is ‘in progress’ or ‘for review,’ then alert the person assigned as the manager for that task.” Most other project management apps don’t have automation options built into them, though sometimes you can create them using third-party tools such as Zapier. One note about Smartsheet: Not all the tiers of service come with time tracking, budgeting, and resource management for free, though you can pay for the companion software that adds them.
PROS
Endlessly customizable and quite powerful
Supports automations, input from web forms, proofing and approvals
Robust resource management options for Business plan users
CONS
Lacks real-time time tracking and invoicing tools
Pages don’t update in real time or autosave as frequently as we’d like
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
$32
Storage Included at Price Listed
100GB
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
N/A
Number of Projects in Free Account
N/A
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Learn More
Smartsheet Review
TeamGantt
Best for Easy Entry Into Gantt Charts
Why We Picked ItTeamGantt has lovely interactive Gantt charts that are incredibly easy to learn to use. The app has exceptional tutorial content to help you learn anything you don’t know. We also love a feature that automatically corrects any errors created among dependencies.Who It’s ForTeamGantt is for beginners, because it’s so easy and intuitive to use. If you don’t know anything about Gantt charts, you will quickly and painlessly learn while using TeamGantt. We like this app best for small teams who may not have a dedicated project manager on hand. TeamGantt doesn’t have budgeting or invoicing tools, which is another reason it’s better suited to small teams rather than large ones.
PROS
Intuitive and easy to use
Excellent interactive Gantt charts
Exceptional tutorial content
Automatic dependencies correction feature
CONS
Features for discussions, notifications, and uploaded files could be improved
No budgeting or invoicing tools
Average reports
Learn More
TeamGantt Review
Wrike
Best for Managing Projects and Ongoing Work
Why We Picked ItWrike is a powerful tool not only for project management but also for use as collaboration software. Now owned by Citrix, Wrike supports team collaboration, work management, and project management. It continues to grow by adding new work intelligence features that can, for example, predict when a project is at risk of falling behind and call attention to possible causes. Who It’s ForWrike has a few paid plans targeted to very specific types of teams, namely marketing, creative industries, and professional service teams. Wrike is very good at what it does, so long as you put in some time to pick the right plan and learn its features—expect to work with Wrike’s customer support on this process, rather than merely paying for an account and setting up the app on your own. In that sense, Wrike is for larger teams that have the time and resources to dedicate at least one person to work with Wrike during setup.
PROS
Modern, easy-to-use interface
Can manage both projects and ongoing work
Warnings when projects are at risk of slipping
Good proofing tools
CONS
Lacks robust budgeting and invoicing tools
SPECS
Name
Value
Price Per Person Per Month
9.80
Storage Included at Price Listed
2GB per User
Free Version Available
Storage Space for Free Accounts
2GB
Number of Projects in Free Account
Unlimited
Dependencies
Gantt Charts
In-App Task Timer
Time Estimates
Markup Tools
Resource Management
Budgeting
Billing and Invoicing
Customizable Roles/Permissions
Guest/Client Access
Buying Guide: The Best Project Management Software for 2024
What Is Project Management Software?
What Is Project Management Software?Project management software, sometimes called PM software, is a type of online collaboration tool. All the people who are working on a project log in and see what they’re supposed to do and when. These workers also record their progress on those tasks and add relevant details, such as notes about any changes. With the appropriate permission level, people can also learn more about what everyone else is doing, what requirements must be met for them to get it done, and when.For the project manager, the project management app provides a clear overview of each project’s progress. Are all the tasks on track to be completed on time? If one task is late, how does it affect the projected deadlines of items on the task list? Is someone available to pick up an urgent task if the person assigned to do it is ill? Plus, if the project management app supports tracking finances, the app will also tell the people in charge whether the project is running on budget.How We Choose the Best Project Management SoftwareFor this list of the best PM software, we evaluated and tested more than 25 project management platforms and have included here the products with the highest scores. Inclusion is based on PCMag’s independent testing and evaluation. In determining scores, we consider the needs of a variety of business types, including small businesses on a budget and large organizations that need to manage many complex projects, people, and budgets simultaneously. We also look at ease of use, features, and value.For this category, we stick to traditional project management apps only. These apps are specifically created to manage projects. A project is a set of work with a start date, an end date, and a deliverable. We don’t include apps for managing ongoing work, such as answering support emails.To be included in this list, the app must offer Gantt charts, which are a type of timeline view commonly used in project management. All the apps included here also have other standard tools in addition to Gantt charts for tracking, organizing, and scheduling project-based work.While there are many excellent workplace collaboration apps and task management apps that are sometimes called “project management apps” (such as Trello, Basecamp, and Airtable), we don’t include them here. Collaboration or work-management apps are very capable when it comes to managing certain kinds of work, but they aren’t necessarily designed for juggling the complexities of dozens or hundreds of projects and their schedules simultaneously. Therefore, we don’t include them here.
Zoho Projects’ Gantt chart view (Credit: Zoho/PCMag)
What Can You Do With Project Management Software?Project management apps let you track progress and manage nearly any kind of project, such as the creation of a new product, building a house or website, or launching a marketing campaign. Teams that use project management apps tend to track more than one project at a time. The software helps them figure out when to schedule work based on when things need to get done and the human resources available to do them.The best project management apps detect problems before they happen through detailed task management. By tracking the progress of work and individual tasks (for example, having completed six hours of a task that’s estimated to take a total of eight hours), project management apps can sound an alarm when a deadline is in danger of slipping, but before it actually happens. The most powerful project management apps also offer to automatically reflow the project schedule when tasks do fall off course. They generate reports that give project managers insight into which team members have too much or too little work assigned. Some let you track project budgets and log billable hours so that you can send invoices to clients for time worked.
TeamGantt’s Gantt chart and workload view (Credit: TeamGantt/PCMag)
What Is the Best Free Project Management Software?A few of the best project management software systems have a free plan. The only one that made this list that is truly free is Redmine—more on that service momentarily. The free plan for most apps is severely limited in some way. For example, you might be allowed to manage only one or two projects at a time or invite only a handful of people to work alongside you. In the paid plan, you might get unlimited projects. Plus, you usually don’t get all the most advanced features of the paid plan in the free plan. Still, if you have a small team and only need to manage one or two projects, it might work. Free versions also let you try out the app before deciding whether the paid plans meet your needs.You can get a free account from Zoho Projects, Teamwork, Wrike, TeamGantt, ProofHub, plus a few others that did not make this list, such as AceProject. Redmine is a 100% free PM tool, but you have to install and maintain it yourself. It’s not an off-the-shelf product but rather an open-source alternative that requires you to have your own tech support. If you’re looking for something simple to start using right away, Redmine isn’t it. For simplicity, you’re better off with Zoho Projects, TeamGantt, or AceProject.
Teamwork’s project management dashboard (Credit: Teamwork/PCMag)
What Project Management App Is the Easiest to Use?If you’re new to project management and especially if your organization doesn’t have a dedicated project manager, you need a project management app that’s easy to use. TeamGantt and GanttPro are the easiest project management apps to learn and use. They are both designed for beginners and other people who are inexperienced at project management.Many of the project management apps we’ve reviewed are easy to use, provide good video tutorials, and work well for beginners, but after testing dozens of them, we believe GanttPro and TeamGantt are best.In testing, we found that some rather popular and well-known project management apps, such as Microsoft Project, are not especially easy to use if you are new to them or not a professional project manager. While we have reviewed many of those tools, not all of them scored high enough to be included in this list of the best project management apps.What’s the Best Project Management App for a Small Business?If your project team needs to manage and track a couple of projects, but you’re less concerned with employee scheduling, collecting time sheets to bill clients, and comparing the progress of multiple projects in development, a low-cost tool such as Zoho Projects (starting at $5 per person per month for Premium) is your best bet. What we especially like about Zoho Projects is that it scales easily if your team ends up growing and needs more features. Zoho, the company, offers a wide range of other business apps that can connect to Zoho Projects to expand what you can do with it.We also like GanttPro as a low-cost option. It’s one of the easiest tools to use and is great for people with limited or no prior experience with project management.There’s no need to spend more than about $15 per person per month if you aren’t going to use the tools that are unique to more expensive software, so stick with something inexpensive.What’s the Best Project Management App for Large Organizations?Large organizations have starkly different needs than small businesses. Organizations with hundreds or thousands of employees and hundreds of projects use project management apps for scheduling, insights into their resources, budget-tracking, revenue projection, and time-tracking for billing purposes, among other reasons.
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For a large company, it’s important to be able to manage not just individuals but also teams. If you have 15 hours of work for a junior designer, and it doesn’t matter which junior designer does it, you want to see how much work each junior designer has assigned to them and whether you can free up one of them for the task.For the same reason, all the managers and team leads in your company should be able to see what tasks are high-priority and which projects are in danger of slipping so that they can triage accordingly.If your organization handles complex projects and has many team members collaborating on projects, we recommend Celoxis or LiquidPlanner.What Project Management Software Has the Best Special Features?Teams that are neither small businesses nor enormous organizations may have special needs that they want their project management software to address.Our top pick in this category is Teamwork, which is specialized to handle client work. If your team primarily completes projects as billable work for clients, then Teamwork should be on your shortlist. It includes billing and invoicing, as well as the ability to create intake forms for new projects. Another app called Paymo, which didn’t quite score highly enough for this list, also has built-in billing and invoicing tools.There are other areas of specialization for project management software, of course. If you’re looking for a tool that can manage both project and non-project work, we recommend Wrike or Celoxis. If your team spends a lot of time discussing and iterating visual assets, ProofHub is a great choice. Smartsheet is good for building automation into your project management.Choosing the right project management software can take time, but it’s worth having as much nailed down as possible before rolling the solution out to an entire team. Project management apps typically have a significant setup cost. Even when they are simple to learn to use and let you import project data, it still takes time to fine-tune the app to do what you need it to do and then get everyone on board using it.It’s also important to consider what kind of work your team does, how many people are in the organization, and how you want to run your business. There are a lot of excellent options to fit every budget.With a reliable project management solution in place, people can collaborate with greater ease on project work. Plus, small business owners and team managers can get useful insights into how their teams work, whether projects are on track, and how to guide them back to a successful place when they slip.
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