Best Project Management Software to Use for Teams

Project management software has become a must-have tool to grow your businesses smoothly in today’s dynamic environment. But with so many options out there, all claiming to be the perfect solution for your projects, finding the right fit for your business is not an easy feat.

From varying features to diverse pricing models that can make your head spin, finding the best productivity solution can feel like the least productive task. It is, therefore, essential to understand the purpose and value of these tools before investing in one.

What is a project management software?

Project management software is a digital toolkit designed to simplify and streamline the complexities of managing projects. These tools enable clear coordination, structured workflows, and a centralized platform to manage tasks, timelines, resources, and collaboration. Whether you’re leading a small team on a one-time assignment or overseeing multiple departments with long-term goals, these tools adapt to the scale and scope of your work.

Unlike traditional spreadsheets or email threads, modern project management software combines dynamic features such as task management, real-time updates, visual progress tracking, reporting, and much more. This helps teams eliminate guesswork, maintain transparency and accountability, and focus on delivering results.

These tools help everyone from project managers and teams to executives. Top leadership uses it for strategic oversight, team members rely on it for task clarity, and stakeholders benefit from transparent updates. This versatility makes it an invaluable asset for teams of all sizes across industries.

Why is project management software important for your teams?

The success of any company hinges on its ability to adapt, execute, and deliver. Project management software acts as the facilitator of this process by offering:

• Alignment with business goals: It connects project deliverables with organizational objectives, ensuring efforts drive meaningful outcomes.
• Enhanced collaboration: Teams—remote, hybrid, or co-located—can communicate, share updates, and resolve issues within a single platform.
• Time and resource optimization: Automated reminders, streamlined task assignments, and efficient resource allocation reduce wasted time and effort.
• Data-driven decision-making: Built-in analytics and reporting tools help identify bottlenecks, measure progress, and adjust real-time strategies.
• Scalability: As your company grows, the software can scale to accommodate larger teams, more complex workflows, and more significant project demands.

Overall, project management software modifies the way work gets done. For startups, it ensures agility and focus; for established enterprises, it enables innovation and operational efficiency. Investing in the right tool makes your company better equipped to meet deadlines, control costs, and exceed expectations for internal teams and external clients.

How to choose a project management software?

Selecting a project management tool isn’t about finding the “best” one on the market—it’s about finding the one that works best for your team’s unique way of working. By focusing on the aspects that truly matter to your workflow and priorities, you can cut through the noise and decide with confidence.

Find the right match for your team. By approaching the selection process with intention and focusing on what truly matters for your workflow, you’ll make a choice that will serve your team well into the future.

List of the 11 best project management software for 2024

Let’s take a peek at our list and find the perfect project management software for you. Your team (and your sanity) will thank you!

1) ProofHub

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration platform suitable for all sizes. It offers a feature-rich robust architecture for end-to-end delivery of projects.

From organizing your project data to creating and assigning tasks to setting dependencies and tracking progress, ProofHub aims to enhance team productivity by providing a centralized platform for an organized flow of information.

It takes away the hassle of going through different tools to manage several aspects of a project. Moreover, with an intuitive and customizable interface, it caters to the needs of all the teams and departments within the organization.

ProofHub stands out among other project management tools for its flat pricing structure with no per-user fee, making it one of the most scalable solutions for project management and team collaboration.

Let me walk you through some features that make ProofHub the best project management software for teams.

Key features

• All-in-one task management: It covers everything from planning to task assignment to progress tracking through four distinct views.

• Collaboration tools: ProofHub offers various collaboration tools like discussion boards for organized conversations, notes for meeting details, announcements for sharing updates, task comments with “@” mentions, and more.

• Time tracking: In-built time tracking with detailed timesheets for enhanced time management.

• In-built chat: Share information files and communicate within teams without lengthy email threads.

• Proofing: Online proofing with markup tools to review creative assets, compare versions, and provide feedback via threaded comments.

• Custom workflows: Customize workflows to match your team’s operations for comprehensive project management.

• Reporting & analytics: Stay on top of bottlenecks and deadlines with custom reports for tracking tasks, milestones, time data, and overall progress.

• Custom roles: Custom roles in ProofHub can be tailored to match your organization’s hierarchy and limit access accordingly.

Pros

• Flat pricing with no per-user fee.
• All-in-one solution to manage all the aspects of your projects from one convenient location.
• Comprehensive collaboration features to keep your teams on the same page.
• Intuitive platform for easy onboarding and navigation
• Customizable interface to manage diverse projects.
• Complete control over teams and projects.

Cons

• Notifications can be overwhelming sometimes.

Why is ProofHub the best choice?

When it comes to streamlining project management and team collaboration, ProofHub is one of the best choices. Its unified platform seamlessly combines project planning, task management, communication, and collaboration.

What truly sets ProofHub apart is its emphasis on providing an effective, robust architecture for project management under scalable pricing without compromising on features. The intuitive interface ensures that diverse teams can quickly adapt to the tool, enhancing productivity without a steep learning curve.

ProofHub’s interactive task management and collaboration capabilities, including functionalities such as four project views (boards, Gantt charts, calendars, and table), in-built chat, discussions, custom reporting, seamless file management, and customizable workflows allow project managers to create well-structured projects while fostering efficient team communication.

2.) Basecamp

If you’re looking for simplistic, straightforward project management software with an easy way to collaborate with other team members, Basecamp is a great option. It’s a cloud-based application that helps you manage tasks, deadlines, files, discussions, and announcements all in one place.

Unlike traditional project management tools, Basecamp is more like a virtual hub for teams and organizations to work together seamlessly. This app works great for collaboration among team members who are working on projects that don’t involve budget planning, invoicing, or time tracking.

Key features:

• To-Do Lists: Easily create tasks within the project and assign due dates and specific team members to each one.

• Hold Discussions: you can create discussion topics, add attachments, and send them to specific individuals within the project.

• Create Documents: Collaborate on documents within Basecamp and allow other users with permission to edit them as well.

• Manage Project Calendar: Keep track of important project dates and deadlines in one comprehensive calendar view.

• Communication: Stay in touch with your team using each task’s comment section and messaging platform.

• Hill charts: Interactive charts for project progress visualization.
  

Pros

• ‘Everyone’ tab for a quick team overview.
• Autosave and retrieve deleted items within 30 days.
• Simplistic and beginner-friendly user interface.
• It lets users create client-focused projects, all under one account.

Cons

• No Gantt charts or task interdependencies
• No time tracking or budgeting tools
• Users have raised concerns over customization settings
• Great messaging, but chat management can be difficult

Basecamp offers users a simplistic platform for project management. Though it might not have the infrastructure to manage the complexities related to large projects, it works great for small teams. With the ability to view your whole project on a single page, basecamp offers a beginner-friendly interface for people just starting to manage small projects.

Basecamp’s focus on collaboration and task tracking ensures that teams can manage projects efficiently while staying in sync. For smaller teams or those seeking a no-frills approach to project management, Basecamp offers a valuable solution that emphasizes simplicity and essential functionality.

3.) GanttPRO

For project managers handling several projects simultaneously, GanttPRO can simplify your work with its easy-to-use Gantt chart and timeline features, eliminating disorder and providing you with a better product roadmap. 

GanttPRO enables you to carry out various tasks such as task assignments, group creation and division, schedule organization, and more. Collaborating with multiple teams is also effortless with GanttPRO. The software’s automated scheduling system and drag-and-drop functionality expedite processes, reducing your workload and minimizing repetitive tasks.

Key features

• Interactive Gantt charts: Offers powerful project planning scheduling, progress tracking, and task management.

• Solid resource management: Allow users to assess their capacity and avoid overloading themselves with too many projects.

• Real-time data synchronization: Enable users to work with up-to-date project information and track any changes in real time without losing previous data.

• Individual workspaces: Users can establish separate workspaces for each team and project with the ability to allocate specific permissions for team members.

• Time tracking: Team members can start the built-in clock when they begin a task and stop it once the task is complete.

Pros

• Efficient project planning, tracking, and management.
• Effective resource management to avoid bottlenecks.
• Permissions controls to limit information access
• Built-in time and budget tracking

Cons

• No customizable reporting tools or dashboards are available
• Users express dissatisfaction with GanttPRO’s customer service and support team

GanttPRO is the perfect fit for teams that prioritize detailed project planning and visualization, simplifying complex timelines.

Its user-friendly interface. Even team members with limited project management experience can easily build and adjust Gantt charts using its intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. This simplifies the entire process and ensures everyone is on the same page.

However, if your team has broader project management needs, such as task management and collaboration, you might find GanttPRO somewhat limiting.

4.) Trello

Trello has been around for quite some time and is known for its simple and flexible approach to project management. The tool is built around the kanban method, which is a visual approach to managing tasks and projects that involves moving cards across different columns to represent their progress.

Trello offers helpful features like calendar views, checklists, and integrations with Slack and Google Drive. However, it may not be the best choice for complex projects; some users have reported that it can be difficult to navigate when dealing with a large number of cards or boards.

Key features

• Kanban Board: It allows you to visualize your workflow using a drag-and-drop interface. 

• Card Details: Each card in Trello can contain a wealth of information, including a description, due date, checklist, comments, and attachments. 

• Collaboration: You can invite team members to boards and cards and then use @mentions and notifications to keep everyone in the loop.

• Integrations: Trello has a wide range of integrations with other tools and services, including Google Drive, Slack, and Jira. 

• Checklists: Trello allows you to create checklists within cards, which can be used to break down large tasks into smaller steps.

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface for users of all skill levels.
• Customizable boards, lists, and cards 
• Collaboration features to assign tasks and track progress.
• High flexibility to suit a wide range of workflows.

Cons

• Trello doesn’t offer robust features for managing task dependencies.
• No in-depth analytics or reporting.
• Limited customization options.
• Trello plans to limit the number of features accessible. 

Trello excels at visualizing tasks and workflows through its intuitive Kanban-style boards. This feature makes it easy for teams to organize, prioritize, and track tasks visually. 

The drag-and-drop interface simplifies task management, allowing teams to customize boards and cards to their specific needs. 

However, it’s important to note that Trello’s simplicity may not be suitable for larger teams needing extensive project planning, resource management, or advanced reporting.

5.) Monday.com

Monday.com is a work management software that helps users organize projects with boards. Each board includes a table for task lists and task-related details like assignees and task status. 

It’s known for its visual appeal, using color-coded statuses and progress bars to simplify project management for non-technical users. 

Monday.com is highly customizable and offers features like workflows, task dependencies, time tracking, and file sharing, although some advanced features may require additional payment.

The drag-and-drop builder allows users to design custom cards according to the specific project needs. Additionally, the integration with Slack also boosts the team’s communication and coordination, making it easier to stay on the same page.

Key features

• Customizable boards: It provides boards that can be modified to suit a team’s particular workflow and requirements.

• Collaboration tools: It facilitates team cooperation with tools for file sharing, communication, and teamwork.
  
• Task management: Monday.com offers a user-friendly UI for managing Tasks, setting Due Dates, and Monitoring Progress.
  
• Analytics: It provides a variety of analytics tools, including reporting, visualizations, and dashboards.

Pros

• Engaging and colorful interface.
• Several customization options.
• Automate workflows for recurring tasks.
• Industry-specific dashboards.
• Extensive learning resources 

Cons

• Monday.com can be expensive for large teams. 
• Essential features are only available in top-tier plans. 
• User interfaces can become clunky over time.
• Automation comes with a steep learning curve.

Among the various tools available, monday.com truly stands out with its range of visually pleasing task views, custom fields, and collaboration features. This tool is heavily customised, making it suitable for teams’ unique needs.

While monday.com’s adaptability is great, it’s important to mention that its complexity might be overwhelming for teams looking for a simpler solution with robust architecture. 

6.) Hive

Hive is a project management tool designed for modern hybrid work environments, enabling thousands of teams to work from remote locations more efficiently. It offers essential features such as time tracking and integrated chat.

What sets Hive apart is its unique approach as the first and only democratic productivity platform. Through the Hive Forum, customers can access a public roadmap and contribute by submitting and voting on desired features. Hive is truly a tool created by and for its users.

Key features

• Proofing and approvals: With Hive, users can easily collaborate on documents, designs, or any other work that requires review.

• Native chat application: Hive’s native chat application enables you to communicate with your team members seamlessly. 

• Collaborative note-taking: In Hive, you can create shared notes that multiple team members can contribute to in real time. 

• Time-tracking and timesheets: Using Hive’s time-tracking feature, you can log your time on various projects, helping in accurate billing, project management, and evaluating team productivity. 

• Goal-tracking: Hive provides an application that lets you define targets, track progress, and celebrate achievements. 

Pros

• Flexible project views 
• Super intuitive and easy to set up. 
• In-app learning resources, Hive University.
• Democratic development roadmaps.

Cons

• Need to pay extra for essential features like proofing, timesheets, team resourcing, etc. 
• Some functionalities come with a steep learning curve. 
• Limited reporting and automation capabilities.

Hive is the combination of project management and email, simplifying both task management and communication. It ensures tasks don’t get overlooked by providing users with options to create action cards directly from emails.

Hive’s interactive Gantt charts and Kanban boards clearly represent projects, aiding in effective planning and execution. The analytics feature provides insights into team performance, supporting data-driven decisions.

7.) ClickUp.com

ClickUp is an all-in-one platform for project and team management, featuring a highly customizable user interface with over fifteen views for task flexibility. It offers numerous project management features and over 1000 integrations, reducing the need for multiple apps. However, the abundance of features can make the interface overwhelming.

Fortunately, ClickUp offers an extensive learning resource by the name of ClickUp University to help users get the most out of ClickUp. 

Key features

• Customizable dashboards: ClickUp allows users to create custom dashboards that can be tailored to their individual preferences and needs. 

• Multiple views: ClickUp offers several different views that allow you to visualize your tasks and projects in different ways. 

• Time tracking: ClickUp has built-in time tracking capabilities, which allow you to track how much time you spend on each task.

• Automation: ClickUp offers a powerful automation feature that allows you to automate repetitive tasks and workflows. 

• Real-time reporting: ClickUp enables users to easily generate, retrieve, and examine reports in real-time.

Pros

• Comprehensive project management features.
• Highly customizable user interface.
• A wealth of learning resources.
• A large and active community of users.

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Users have reported the interface to be buggy at times. 
• Complex pricing structure
• Lacks advanced filtering and sorting capabilities.

The hierarchy feature in ClickUp allows users to create spaces, projects, and tasks greatly aids in efficiently organizing and navigating complex projects.

It’s important to note that while ClickUp’s array of features is impressive, it could be overwhelming for users to wrap their heads around so many features. Teams seeking a more straightforward and streamlined solution might find some of ClickUp’s capabilities to be more than they need. 

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8.) Wrike  

Wrike is a project management tool ideal for handling large and increasingly complex projects. Its standout feature is workflow automation, allowing custom workflows and condition-based automation to streamline repetitive tasks. 

With a user-friendly interface, intuitive design, and robust features, Wrike keeps teams organized, tracks progress, and enhances communication. It also offers ready-made templates for quick project initiation. 

However, its advanced features may prove overwhelming for newcomers to project management, and some essential functions require higher-tier plans, making it less suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Key features

• User-friendly dashboard: Wrike’s dashboard is unique compared to other project management solutions. It contains three panes with a consolidated view of your entire workflow.
• Real-time analytics: Regardless of the types of analytics you want to see, Wrike automatically updates charts, some reports, infographics, and analytic dashboards every 15 minutes.
• Industry solutions: From operations, product development, and research to content creation, HR, and sales, it’s adaptable enough to meet the needs of your entire business. 
• Automated workflows: It integrates with more than 400 third-party tools, so you can easily build automation that spans multiple business tools with Wrike’s workflow builder.
• Team collaboration: You can invite your clients, contractors, and vendors to track project status and collaborate with your team at no extra cost. It keeps communication centralized and organized in one place.

Pros

• A comprehensive suite of features 
• Workflow automation functionality 
• Streamlined collaboration
• Pre-built templates 

Cons

• The user interface can be difficult to navigate for beginners. 
• Expensive in comparison to other options.
• Lacks in-built chat feature.

Wrike is a project management software designed to streamline workflows. Its strength lies in its automation capabilities that can reduce the time wasted on less productive tasks. 

Wrike’s customizable dashboards and reporting tools allow project managers to gain insights into project progress and team performance. Its versatility makes it an ideal solution for teams aiming to improve collaboration and productivity while maintaining a hierarchical approach to project management.

9.) Asana

Asana is a feature-rich task management tool with multiple project views, process automation, collaboration tools, Agile support, powerful integrations, and smart design, making it a top contender in project management software.

One standout aspect of Asana is its diverse project views, accommodating various work styles. Teams can choose from list, board (kanban-style), timeline, or calendar views to interact with tasks effectively.

It excels at breaking down complex projects into manageable tasks, facilitating collaboration, and ensuring real-time progress tracking with its user-friendly interface.

Key features

• Multiple views: Asana offers multiple project views to manage tasks in various ways, such as Kanban boards, lists, calendars, portfolios, workloads, and timelines.

• Recurring tasks: Asana simplifies process management by automating repetitive tasks, workflows, and processes that span across various business tools. 

• Agile support: Asana is flexible enough to support the Agile and Scrum project management frameworks.
  
• Custom charts: Monitor progress across teams with custom charts.
  
• Goals: Set goals and key results for tracking individual productivity or the team’s progress.

Pros

• User-friendly interface for organizing project information.
• Customizable dashboards to fit different workflows
• In-built collaboration features.
• A free plan with basic project management features for up to 15 users.

Cons

• Can’t assign multiple team members to a single task.
• Can be confusing for new users to adapt to 
• Time tracking is only available in top-tiered plans. 

Asana is a project management tool popular for its intuitive interface that allows teams to easily create and manage tasks, while its visual project boards offer a clear overview of project progress. 

The tool’s collaboration features, such as task assignments and commenting, enhance communication and accountability among team members. 

Asana’s integration options further extend its functionality, seamlessly connecting with other tools to create a workflow.

10.) Teamwork 

Teamwork Projects is a project management software tailored for client work. It offers time tracking, invoicing, and task management to streamline project handling and enhance client interaction. Notably, Teamwork’s client portal allows clients to monitor project progress, provide feedback, and approve work conveniently, ensuring alignment.

With a user-friendly interface, Teamwork suits teams of all sizes, even newcomers to project management software, with comprehensive help documentation available.

Key features

• Track time easily:  Track time, allocate resources better, and identify areas for improvement with ease.

• Intuitive dashboard reporting: Get insights into project progress, resource allocation, and important metrics with intuitive dashboard reporting. 

• Progress tracking: View project progress through Gantt charts and Kanban boards for easy monitoring. 

• Seamless portfolio management: Manage multiple projects seamlessly, grouping them by client or department.

• Integrated team chat: Communicate easily with integrated team chat to avoid delays and keep everyone on the same page.

Pros

• A wide variety of customizable project templates
• Invoicing and budgeting features.
• Automatic alerts and notifications.
• In-built collaboration tools, including messages, comments, and notes.

Cons

• Time logging can be a challenge and may require a learning curve.
• Project visualization features are limited.
• The user interface is clunky and could be cleaner.

Teamwork is a versatile project management tool that simplifies project coordination with external collaborators, besides offering a one-stop hub for storing all project-related information, task management, time tracking, and collaboration. 

Teamwork’s client portal works great for handling. With an intuitive interface and customizable features, Teamwork adapts easily to your needs while keeping project management straightforward. If you want an all-in-one solution that streamlines project aspects, Teamwork boosts efficiency and collaboration.

11.) Jira

Jira, by Atlassian, is renowned in the software development industry for its exceptional project management capabilities. It offers a specialized platform for developers to efficiently track tasks, bugs, feature requests, and other issues.

Jira excels in providing agile workflows, allowing teams to create backlogs, sprints, and boards while offering real-time progress tracking through board insights.

Its versatility extends beyond software development, catering to diverse projects, from marketing campaigns to data handling. Jira also promotes collaboration and communication with features like comments, notifications, and @mentions, ensuring teams remain connected and informed.

Key features

• Prominent customization: This also goes into the Jira workflows, which users can customize according to their teams’ specific needs.

• Improved progress tracking: Improved progress tracking with detailed project reports for status assessment and issue detection.

• Software development: Jira offers roadmap and planning tools that empower teams to manage feature requirements, budgets, and stakeholders from the first day. 

• Bug tracking: Teams can also use Jira for bug tracking with customizable workflows, issue backlogs, bug linking, email notifications, project rules, and project-level configuration.

Pros

• Advanced roadmap features to stay ahead of deadlines.
• Real-time board insights for better risk management.
• Integration with other Atlassian products and several other apps.
• Pre-built templates to get teams started quickly.

Cons

• Not suitable for people with non-technical backgrounds and new to project management.
• Setting up workflows and advanced reporting features can be complex. 

Jira stands out in this list as a robust project management tool for agile teams. Its key strengths lie in its tailored features for agile task and project management, including Kanban and Scrum boards, customizable workflows, and comprehensive reporting features. 

However, it may be overwhelming for simpler project needs or non-technical teams. Organizations seeking a more general project management solution should assess whether Jira aligns with their requirements, as it primarily serves agile and software development processes.

Factors to consider while choosing a project management software

When selecting project management software, it’s important to consider several factors to ensure it aligns with project needs. The first consideration is whether the software’s features match the requirements of the project. Since mastering complex software can be time-consuming, it’s also essential to ensure the user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. Lastly, the software should be affordable, as budget constraints can impact project management capabilities.

In evaluating the top 11 project management tools, several key criteria were used to identify the best options:

• Features: The range of features was assessed, including task management, collaboration, time tracking, reporting, and customization options.
• Accessibility: It was verified whether the tool was accessible across multiple devices and platforms, such as desktop, mobile, and web browsers.
• Pricing: Pricing plans were compared to ensure the software offered value for money and suitable options for different budgets and team sizes.
• Reviews: User reviews and testimonials were examined to gather insights on ease of use, customer support, and overall satisfaction.
• Integrations: The ability to integrate with other commonly used software, like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Slack, was checked.
• Scalability: It was considered whether the tool could grow with the team and handle increasing workload and complexity.

By carefully considering these factors, a selection of top-performing project management tools was identified, each offering the functionality and ease of use needed to manage projects effectively.