11 Top Hive alternatives for project management in 2024

Hive takes pride in being the software that puts its users first. While Hive has its own set of features and benefits, some users feel Hive is not the right solution for their teams.

The most common reasons users look for Hive alternatives are the additional cost of add-ons, lack of integration capabilities with other software, learning curve, and ongoing learning requirements for the team to keep up with the changes in Hive. The bottom line is users need a competent Hive alternative.

In this post, we will look at the top 11 Hive competitors and alternatives that can revolutionize your workflow in 2024.

We will look at the pros and cons, key features, reviews, and pricing of each software and define in which category the listed software is best. This will help you make an informed decision.

Why look for Hive alternatives?

Hive is a decent tool with a wide range of work management and team collaboration tools under one platform. But there are some common issues that all Hive users eventually run into. Look at the five main limitations of Hive that make users look for Hive competitors and alternatives.

Hive limitations

• Expensive add-ons. You do not get features like automation, time tracking, and analytics in the paid plan. You have to buy add-ons for the modules.
• Lack of native integrations with other apps. Most Hive integrations are provided through Zapier which is not flawless.
• Flat project hierarchy. It does not have folders, subfolders, and Hive tasks that make organization difficult.
• No backup. If you mistakenly delete a project, it is gone forever.
• Lack of real-time data handling, sharing, and backup capabilities.      

11 best Hive alternatives for better project management

These Hive alternatives are the project management solutions that offer some advanced features to Hive and are better in the aspects that Hive lacks. Based on hours of online research, exploring dozens of alternatives, and based on real users’ reviews, we have picked the top 11 best Hive alternatives for project management.

1. ProofHub – Best for out-of-box multiple tools for a flat fee

One of the biggest issues with Hive is that even the basic web-based project management features like analytics, time tracking, proofing, goals, and timesheets are available as add-ons for paid plans. ProofHub is the best alternative to Hive because it offers multiple tools out of the box for a flat fee for unlimited users.

ProofHub is an all-in-one feature-rich project management and team collaboration software. It brings all your projects, teamwork, and team communication to one centralized place to drive productivity. Its intuitive and simple interface makes it highly likable for teams who are new to using software for project management.

Key features          

• Centralized task management to create, delegate, and manage tasks from one place
• Track the project and task progress in real-time in multiple views including Board and Table
• Create custom workflows using in-built templates and custom templates
• Plan the projects using the Gantt chart and visualize resource allocation using the Calendar
• Collaborate on tasks in real-time with centralized file sharing and @mention task comments
• Communicate with team and 1:1 in real-time using in-built chat and messages
• Time tracking and timesheets to track the time spent on tasks  
• Project reports, time reports, and resource reports to track the project progress and team performance
• Review, edit, and share feedback on digital assets with online proofing
• Collaborate with clients using project-specific discussions and sharing files with shareable link
• Share information with the team using collaborative notes

Pros

• Replace multiple apps with one app
• Flat fee. Unlimited users can use this tool
• Intuitive interface and simple task-tracking
• Minimal learning curve
• Custom roles and permissions
• Mobile apps available on iOS and Android.

Cons

• The number of third-party integrations can be improved

Pricing

ProofHub offers two plans: Essential and Ultimate Control.

• Essential: $45/month for unlimited users and up to 40 projects when billed annually
• Ultimate Control: $89/month for unlimited users, unlimited projects, and all the premium features when billed annually

You get a 14-day free trial to try all the premium features of ProofHub!

User ratings

• Capetera: 4.5
• G2: 4.5

Website link: www.proofhub.com

2. Asana – Best for task management with in-built goal management

Asana is a great alternative to Hive for those who are paying extra per user for Hive goals. Asana’s goal management is as competent as Hive. You can create business goals, project goals, team goals, individual goals, task goals, and my goals, and put it all together. Apart from highly customized goal management, you get all the features you need to manage projects and team collaboration.

Key features

• Create project plan, design custom workflow with templates, and assign tasks
• Create goals, attach them to the project, and track the progress with reports
• Manage workload, rebalance work, and plan for the future
• Track time, create timesheets, and plan budget
• Integration with important applications such as Google Workspace, Slack,

Pros

• Very intuitive interface
• Integrate with more than 300 apps
• Come with native time tracking, resource management, goal management, and automation

Cons

• Comes with a learning curve
• It is costly if the team is large
• Notifications can be improved

Pricing

Asana offers three plans

• Free: Best for individuals
• Starter: $10.99 per user per month
• Advanced: $24.99 per user per month

User ratings

• Capterra: 4.5
• G2: 4.3

Website link: https://asana.com

Read more: 11 Asana Alternatives to Try for Project Management in 2024

3. Wrike – Best for workflow automation

Wrike is the best alternative to Hive for workflow management and it does not charge you separately for the automation. It allows you to create custom workflows and automate the workflow based on simple if-then logic. The major differentiating factor is the Wrike intelligence that alerts you about the projects that are at risk of not meeting the deadline. Before things get out of control, you get notified.      

Key features

• Create, plan, and manage projects with a powerful project management platform
• Automate workflows to streamline business operations and save time
• Dashboard and analytics to get deep insights into the work
• Powerful collaboration and proofing capabilities

Pros

• Enterprise-grade security and 24/7 global customer support
• Designed for scaling teams and handling a large number of projects
• Integrate flawlessly with more than 400 apps

Cons

• Requires onboard training to set up
• Expensive project management software
• Steep learning curve and not a beginner-friendly architecture

Pricing

Wrike offers four plans:

• Free plan
• Team plan at $9.80/user/month (billed annually)
•  Business plan at $24.80/user/month (billed annually)
•  Enterprise plan at custom pricing for large teams (billed annually)
•  Pinnacle plan at custom pricing for teams with complex needs

User ratings

• Capetera: 4.3
• G2: 4.2

Website link: www.wrike.com

Read more: The 21 Best Wrike Alternatives to Try for Successful Project Management

4. Monday.com – Best for full-fledged project management

Monday.com is one of the best alternatives to Hive for full-fledged project management. It is because Monday.com is designed keeping large organizations in mind whereas Hive is good for small teams and individuals. This is clear from Hive’s task hierarchy, native integrations, and built-in functions. Monday.com with its native integrations and robust project management features, Monday.com offers a more comprehensive solution than Hive.

Key features

• Project planning with built-in templates, Gantt charts, and goal-setting
• Portfolio management to manage projects across teams and departments in one place
• Advanced dashboard and analytics to see progress status
• Client management with requests and approvals

Pros

• Provide more than 200+ templates to quickly get started
• Come with native integrations with a decent number of apps
• Modern UI and easier to use than other enterprise-scale software

Cons

• Confusing pricing and plans
• Task hierarchy can be improved
• Poor customer support

Pricing

Monday.com offers five plans:

• Free forever: up to 2 seats
• Basic: $9 per month per user, minimum 3 users
• Standard: 12 per month per user, minimum 3 users
• Pro: $19 per month per user, minimum 3 users
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

User ratings      

• Capetera: 4.6
• G2: 4.7

Website link: https://monday.com/ 

5. Jira – Best for software development teams  

Jira is the best alternative to Hive for the Agile software development team. It is because Jira directly supports the execution of Agile project management methodologies and integrates with an extensive range of software developer apps. With Hive, you do not get native integrations even for commonly used software developers apps. It is provided through Zapier which with some apps works flawlessly, while with others you struggle.

Key features

• Product roadmaps and interactive timelines to plan software development projects
• Scrum and Kanban boards to implement Agile frameworks
• Templates for executing projects in Scrum, Kanban, and DevOps
• Reports and insights to track progress and take control of projects

Pros

• Connect all the apps your development teams use in one place
• Simple drag-and-drop automation
• A bug-free and reliable tool with 99.99% uptime as per SLA

Cons

• Ideal for software development teams only
• Have a very steep learning curve
• Expensive than other project management platforms

Pricing

Jira offers four plans:

• Free plan: Limited storage and up to 10 users
• Standard: $8.15 per user per month
• Premium: $16 per user per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

User ratings

• Capterra: 4.5
• G2: 4.3

Website link: www.atlassian.com/software/jira

Read more: 24 Best Jira Alternatives & Competitors for Agile Project Management

6. Trello – Best for individual use

Trello is the best-suited alternative to Hive for individual use and small teams. It is a lightweight project management tool that relies on the Kanban board for task management. You can create tasks, collaborate with a team, and manage tasks all from one Kanban board. Unlike Hive, Trello configures a large number of apps and comes with native power-ups to provide you with a comprehensive solution.

Key features 

• Built-in workflow optimization tools to get you started quickly 
• Drag and drop the Kanban board for easy task management 
• Butler automation to help you save time 
• Timeline and calendar views to track progress and hit deadlines     

Pros 

• Super-intuitive interface and easy to use
• Minimal learning curve 
• Native integrations in the form of power-ups  

Cons

• Project views are limited 
• Lack of native advanced collaboration capabilities
• Free version limits attachment size and integrations

Pricing 

Trello offers four plans:

• Free forever
• Standard: $5 per user per month
• Premium: $10 per user per month
• Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month

User ratings

• Capterra: 4.5
• G2: 4.4

Website link: https://trello.com

Read more: Trello vs Jira vs ProofHub – Which Tool is Best of Them All?

7. Smartsheet – Best for smartsheet-based project management

Many users switch to the project management tool from spreadsheets. If you are missing the old interface of spreadsheets and need project management capabilities at the organization level, Smartsheet is the best alternative to Hive. It helps you with full-fledged project management, portfolio management, resource management, team collaboration, and work management.

Key features

• Visualize work in multiple views including Grid, Board, Gantt, and Calendar
• Get access to key metrics and project information using real-time dashboards
• Powerful workflow automation to automate intelligent workflows
• Granular sharing control to share information with the right people at the right time

Pros

• Enterprise-level security
• Scalable at the organizational level
• Highly customizable to fit any workflow

Cons

• Complex interface. Requires training to get used to
• Steep learning curve
• Powerful but more expensive than other tools

Pricing

Smartsheet offers four plans:

• Free forever for personal use
• Pro: $7 per user per month
• Business: $25 per user per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

User ratings

• Capterra: 4.5
• G2: 4.4

Website link: www.smartsheet.com

8. ClickUp – Best for AI assist in work management and content creation

If you like using Hive Mind and AI to create content, plan projects, and craft emails, ClickUp offers a powerful alternative to Hike with its powerful AI-powered assistant. You can create content in ClickUp docs with AI, generate project plans, summarize email threads, and much more. Apart from that, ClickUp provides you with a very clear hierarchy of tasks in the form of space, folder, and list that make it easy to organize and break down large projects; something with which Hive struggles.

Key features

• Break down any project into customizable tasks
• More than 15 project views to track progress from all angles
• Advanced collaboration capabilities including whiteboarding, docs, and proofing
• Customizable reports and dashboard to get an overview of the projects and tasks

Pros

• Provide a good number of apps under one platform
• Advanced level of customization of features
• Intuitive interface

Cons  

• Confusing and difficult to learn due to a large number of features
• Prone to errors and bugs
• Many users reported poor customer support experience

Pricing

ClickUp offers four plans:

• Free forever: Best for personal use
• Unlimited: $7 per user per month
• Business: $12 per user per month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

User ratings

• Capterra: 4.7
• G2: 4.7

Website link: https://clickup.com

9. Zoho Projects – Best for end-to-end work management

Zoho Projects is among the top Hive alternatives for end-to-end work management. It is because it comes with the native integration with a CRM tool, billing tool, ticketing management software, and a range of other tools. It allows you to bring all the work of the organization under one platform.

Key features

• Full-fledged task management with task automation
• Powerful project reporting and time tracking with interactive dashboards
• Dedicated issue tracking to help the software team track issues
• Powerful collaboration features including proofing to work efficiently with global teams

Pros

• Comes with powerful project management features out of the box
• Integrates with a large number of third-party apps
• Easy to set up and navigate

Cons

• Lacks in-built project templates
• UI and UX can be improved in integration with other apps
• Customer support is poor

Pricing

Zoho Projects offers three plans:

• Free plan: Up to three users
• Premium plan: $4/user/month
• Enterprise plan: $9/user/month

User ratings

• Capterra: 4.3
• G2: 4.3

Website link: www.zoho.com/projects

10. Evernote – Best for creating tasks from notes

Many users use Hive Notes for taking notes in meeting collaboratively and converting their brainstorming sessions into tasks, but they do not make use of the rest of the features. For those users, Evernote is the best alternative to Hive for easy note-taking and task management. Evernote is not a full-fledged project management tool but rather a note-taking app that can be used as a task management tool. Another thing that is in favor of Evernote is its mobile friendliness and real-time sync across devices; something Hive is not good at.

Key features 

• Take notes on the go and convert them into tasks
• Connect notes to the calendar, set reminders, and ensure you hit the deadline
• Make notes more useful by adding text, images, audio, scans, PDFs, and documents
• Scan documents with an Evernote scanner to have documents at your fingertips

Pros 

• Availability across devices including laptop, mobile, and tablet
• Powerful note-taking capabilities
• It is free for individuals

Cons 

• Does not come with advanced project management capabilities
• Lacks AI capabilities in note-taking
• Costly for teams

Pricing

Evernote offers three plans:

• Free: Up to three users
• Personal: $14.99/user/month
• Professional: $17.99/user/month

Evernote has separate plans for teams. Evernote Teams costs $24.99 per user per month.

User ratings

• Capterra: 4.4
• G2: 4.4

Website link: https://evernote.com/

Read more: Evernote alternatives: 15 best note-taking apps for 2024

11. Airtable – Best for data organization

Many users use Hive for storing, organizing, and analyzing data for data-driven project decision-making. For those users, Airtable is a great alternative to Hive for establishing relationships between datasets and making project decisions based on data. It provides enhanced data visualization and more intricate insights than Hive. Apart from that, Airtable can help you create apps without coding and use it for various tasks like content planning, CRM, and more.

Key features

• Database records in one single view
• Tailor databases with flexible field types
• Connects with various third-party apps and services
• Drag-and-drop functionality to build custom workflows

Pros

• Extensive template library for diverse use cases.
• Intuitive and user-friendly interface.
• Quick setup and ease of use for beginners.

Cons

• Even higher-tier plans may restrict record counts
• Limited automation capabilities
• Limited support for complex calculations or formulae

Pricing

Airtable four plans:

• Free: ideal for individuals
• Team: $20 per seat per month
• Business: $45 per seat per month
• Enterprise: custom pricing

User ratings 

• Capterra: 4.7  
• G2: 4.6 out of 5 

Website link: https://www.airtable.com/

Factors to consider while choosing Hive alternative

There are some areas where Hive lacks while in others it performs well. Therefore, while looking for a Hive alternative, it becomes important to make sure the alternative you choose has all the features that you already use in the Hive and does not have the shortcomings that make you shift from Hive to some other tool. 

Here are the five things you need to keep in mind while choosing Hive alternatives:

• Features: The biggest problem with Hive is it does not provide you with features out of the box. You have to buy them as add-ons even on the paid plans. Make sure the alternative you choose provides you with the features in the paid plan so that you don’t have to buy them separately.
• User interface and task hierarchy: Hive comes with an intuitive user interface but has a flat task hierarchy. Look for a tool that has an intuitive and user-friendly interface and a well-defined clear task hierarchy with multiple stages so that you can organize large projects better.
• Integrations: Another big problem with Hive is limited native integrations. It provides integration through Zapier which sometimes does not work well. Look for a tool that comes with a decent range of native integrations. A good number somewhere would be more than 200+ apps.   
• Scalability: Teams using Hive struggle with scalability due to its design, speed, and pricing. Look for a tool that makes scaling cost-effective and handles large numbers of projects.
• Price: While choosing Hive alternatives, you have specific pricing in mind. But keep in mind Hive charges you hidden costs in terms of add-ons. Therefore, compare the pricing carefully in detail. Consider the features you get, customer support, and scaling needs in account while comparing the prices.               

Conclusion

Hive is a decent project management tool that has earned its name for being a tool that is designed keeping users in mind. But like any other tool, it cannot serve everyone. It may be a good tool for someone but not for your team. Therefore, looking for the Hive alternatives is the best step forward. The only thing you need to keep in mind is the new tool you choose should provide you with all the functions that you use in Hive and does not have the shortcomings of Hive.

ProofHub is a powerful alternative to Hive. It provides you with a wide range of features out of the box for a flat fee to bring your projects, teamwork, and team communication to one place. This results in improved productivity and enhanced collaboration at a suitable price.

Frequently asked questions