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Whether you’re a manager of a small team, a time-pressed professional, or a student trying to get more organized, the right project management software can do wonders for your productivity. The problem is that project management software can get expensive. Not everyone can afford it.
Luckily, there are free project management tools out there. Problem solved, right? You just pick one and get to work. Well, no, it still has to be, you know…good.
Unfortunately, many project management software on the market offer sub-par features on their free plans. It can also be hard to choose between them when they all look so similar – at least on paper. That’s why I tested dozens of project management tools myself and found the 6 best free options.
Unfortunately, many products on the market offer sub-par features on their free plans. It can also be hard to choose between them when they all look so similar – at least on paper. That’s why I tested dozens of project management tools myself and found the top ten best free options.
What We Look For in the Best Free Project Management Software
Each entry on this list is optimized for a different type of user, so they don’t all share the same features. Still, they needed to have certain essential features to make the cut.
A useful free plan. It’s not enough that you can use the software for free. You need to actually be able to manage a project from start to finish without reaching for your wallet.
Ease of use. Ideally, you should be able to get your project up and running as soon as you sign up. While every project management tool comes with a learning curve, it definitely helps if it’s as user-friendly as possible.
Project visualizations. Seeing your project through a different lens can help you think about it in new ways. The software on this list all offer multiple ways to visualize your projects.
Dashboards and reporting. Every now and then, you’re going to need a big picture view of your project. The tools on this list offer various dashboard and reporting options for displaying your project’s data clearly.
Project templates. I’ll say it again – you should be able to get your project started as soon as possible. Project templates can be great for taking extra work off your shoulders.
monday.com could be the tool you need to keep track of your tasks and manage work
Project management software usually comes with a tradeoff: either it’s easy to use but not all that versatile, or it’s powerful but excessively complicated to actually use. I say “usually” because monday.com bucks this trend by combining versatility and ease of use better than any of the alternatives.
Its pretty interface, wide selection of “getting started” guides, and intuitive design make it practically effortless to learn and use. Meanwhile, the different column types, reporting features, and simple automations it offers make it surprisingly flexible.
The free plan does come with some limitations, however. For starters, it restricts you to a maximum of two users. It also lacks some of the best features on its paid plans, like a timeline or Gantt view. For larger undertakings, the Standard Plan offers unlimited seats, automatic workflows, and timeline views.
Even so, I’d still say monday.com is the best free option for individuals. You won’t be managing a business on the free plan, but if you’re just looking to manage your own workload better, monday.com is your best bet.
Features
20+ column types. On the table view, you can add columns ranging from basic text and number columns to things like progress trackers and dropdown menus.
Android and iOS apps. The mobile app allows you to update, create, or delete any task on the go. This helps you keep your workload updated wherever you are.
Custom document creation. Besides the classic file uploads, you can create simple text documents on monday.com. It might not be the most advanced word processor out there, but it’s still pretty great if you need to attach a lot of information to a task quickly. You can also turn a board into a custom form and send it to a client.
Template variety. Monday.com comes with over 200 specialized templates for you to use right away. Categories range from marketing and design to software development and education. Each template is carefully crafted to include every feature you’re likely to need from the get-go.
Our Top Pick for Best Productivity & Collaboration Tools
If you’re a freelancer or small business with less complex project management needs, you may want to consider Google Workspace. It offers impressive tools for boosting productivity, keeping tasks on track, and optimizing workflow. While the free plan includes the essentials, upgrading to an affordable paid plan unlocks advanced communication and project management tools including Gemini, an AI-powered productivity tool to improve work efficiency.
Larger teams that need advanced project management needs will benefit from integrating Workspace with full-fledged project management software, which is easily done using verified apps from Google’s marketplace. This allows teams to collaborate in real time, keep emails and files under one roof, and sync tasks and projects between platforms, improving the flow of information and enhancing work efficiency.
*The promotion code is only valid for new Google Workspace customers subscribing to a Business Standard plan. The discount is valid for both flexible and annual payment options for the first 3 months of your subscription and applies to all users after your 14 day free trial ends. See additional terms and conditions here.
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The 30-day trial is more than enough time to manage a complex project with Smartsheet
Wait, wait. Put your pitchforks down… I know Smartsheet doesn’t technically have a free plan. What it does have, however, is a 30-day free trial with full access to every premium feature. Thanks to Smartsheet’s flexibility, that’s more than enough time to manage a short-term project.
Smartsheet’s strong suit is its spreadsheets, which it calls “grids.” These offer lots of flexibility for organizing and viewing your projects. Depending on the types of columns you have on a grid, you can quickly turn it into a Kanban board, a Gantt chart, or a calendar view.
If you’re working on a large-scale project involving huge amounts of data, Smartsheet has every tool you’re likely to need. That goes double if you’re part of a team. Smartsheet allows you to post comments and tag team members to any element, from specific grids to entire documents. There are also advanced proofing tools for teams working on video projects.
Smartsheet does have a bit of a learning curve, so you might struggle to get everything done within the 30-day trial window. If you’re looking to manage larger-scale, long-term projects, I’d recommend the Pro Plan (which is also surprisingly cheap). It might not be truly free, but Smartsheet’s incredible versatility definitely makes it worth trying out.
Features
Powerful reports. Reports in Smartsheet are special grids that let you show and change specific data from other documents. These allow you to input data from any grid or even from another report. Any changes made to the report will then reflect automatically on the source, and vice versa.
Custom dashboards. Dashboards are visual representations of your project’s data. You can create as many dashboards as you want and customize every aspect of them, from the information you want to show to where and how you want to show it.
Advanced proofing tools. Team members can add comments and custom notes to any file in Smartsheet. For video files, these notes can even be time-stamped.
Automatic workflows. Workflows can do everything from updating information on a grid to sending you custom reminders to changing a project’s timeline. Best of all, you can make and edit workflows with an intuitive visual editor – no need to deal with burdensome formulas.
Teamwork’s inviting interface makes project management less intimidating
If you’re a beginner, project management software can seem daunting. The highly specialized features, unfamiliar terminology, and often overly-technical user interfaces can leave would-be project managers scratching their heads. Teamwork tosses all of this out of the window for an intuitive, easy-to-navigate design.
This doesn’t mean that it’s light on features, though. Teamwork provides everything you need to manage client projects efficiently. Besides essentials like task management and file sharing, you can get an overview of your team’s work allocation. You can also use the Clients view to see data (activity, project health, and more) related to individual clients.
If you’re looking to upgrade, you don’t need to go straight for the most expensive plan. Even on its cheapest Deliver plan, you can add unlimited client users and collaborators. This means that if you don’t need all the bells-and-whistles, you could manage a medium-sized team for only $10.99 a month.
Features
Built-in time-tracking and invoicing. Simultaneously track the time you and your teammates spend doing different tasks for specific clients across multiple projects. Time-tracking is also integrated with invoicing, allowing you to easily create basic invoices and bills on the free plan.
Client-focused reports. Generate detailed reports on project health, progress, and budgets for all your clients. You can also get an overview of time billed per user, estimated versus logged time per task, and billable versus non-billable time.
Subtasks and dependencies. Sometimes you need to get more specific than just assigning tasks. By adding subtasks and dependencies, you can maintain a greater degree of control over what gets done and how.
Basic dashboards. Teamwork’s free plan doesn’t offer the most advanced dashboards, but they still allow you to digest most relevant information at a glance.
Zoho Projects works for remote teams that depend on fluid communication
If you’re doing anything that requires detail-oriented work and your team already uses Zoho’s services, then Projects is the next logical step. But that’s not the only reason to add this project management tool to your arsenal. Zoho Projects handles in-team communication incredibly well. Thanks to its issue tracker, built-in messaging, and live feed, it ensures that you and your team are always on the same page.
The task management itself is also pretty impressive. You can add comments and upload files to any task, set priorities, and specify completion percentages. And if you need a more complete view of how your project is coming along, theproject dashboard gives you a quick view of all the relevant information, like overdue tasks, issue status, and a progress chart.
As you might have guessed by now, there are some limits to the free plan. You can only add up to 3 users and work on 2 projects at a time, for instance. There’s also a 10 MB storage limit, which is quite restrictive. If you’re handling a larger team, it’d be worth your while toinvest in Zoho Project’s Premium plan.
Features
Advanced task dependencies. Zoho Projects lets you choose from 4 different task dependencies. Whenever you set a dependency, it automatically moves the task on the timeline to avoid conflicts.
In-task issue tracker. You can link issues to any specific task using the project’s issue tracker. You have the flexibility to set the severity level of an issue, assign users to it, and upload custom resolutions. When you attach an issue to an affected milestone, you will only be able to mark the milestone as complete once the issue is resolved.
Custom project feed. The feed feature lets you start and contribute to conversations, just like a social media feed. Thanks to this simple feature, you can keep communication within a project open and free-flowing.
Basic task reports. Projects gives you a selection of basic reports. These display simple pie charts summarizing the status, milestone progress, priority, completion, owner, and tags across all of your tasks.
Jira’s free plan is ideal for managing both DevOps and cross-functional team projects
Free plans usually go one of two ways. They either offer tons of functionality for just a handful of users, or limited functionality for as many users as you want. But when it comes to Jira, its free plan combines the best of both worlds. Not only does the free plan allow up to 10 users, but it also lets your team track unlimited projects, issues, forms, and goals. You’ll also be able to access backlog, list, board, timeline, calendar, and summary views.
While Jira’s features, including Scrum, Kanban, and sprints/backlog/issues management are tailor made for IT teams using Agile methodologies, it has what you need to manage partner teams, too. For example, if you’re developing a new software product, your marketing, sales, and DevOps teams can easily coordinate and collaborate to achieve a shared goal.
That said, it’s not perfect. You’ll only be able to use Jira’s community and self-service support channels on the free plan. As great as they are, they’ll never be equivalent to getting help from a real person. Upgrading to a paid plan isn’t cheap but, at a cost that’s roughly equivalent to a mid-level plan with other tools, it won’t break the bank either.
Features
Atlassian software integrations. You can integrate Jira with other free Atlassian products, like Confluence, Jira Product Discovery, or Jira Service Management, extending Jira’s free plan with even more features. For example, if you integrate Confluence, you can co-edit documents with your team in real time.
Free automations. Jira’s free plan covers 100 automation rules per month. You can set automations for a single project, across multiple projects, or across all projects on your site.
User homepages. Never miss an assigned task again thanks to Jira’s user homepages. Your homepage shows you the tasks that have been assigned to you, recent activity on your projects, and more. Plus, you can set up a customizable dashboard to help you keep track of specific projects.
2 GB file storage. You’ll get plenty of storage on the free plan, or you can upgrade to a paid plan to extend this to 250 GB. Need more? You can always integrate Jira with cloud storage services like Dropbox or OneDrive.
ClickUp’s colorful and eye-catching list view is ideal for busy teams
If you’re familiar with any kind of software, then you know that free plans always limit what you can do. This often includes restricting you to just a few users. And sure, that’s the case with most free plans – but not ClickUp. With ClickUp’s free plan, you can add as many users as you need plusan unlimited number of tasks, so your team and project sizes are limited only by your imagination (and, of course, your business).
You can use simple automations on the free plan, too. A lot of other project management tools lock automations behind their paid plans – which is fair, but not exactly ideal if you work with repeating tasks. You’ll only get 5 active rules and 100 executions/month, but it’s better than nothing.
As much as I stand by ClickUp’s generosity, you will have to live with some limitations. You can only have 5 Spaces (projects) at a time and your storage space is capped at 100 MB. It’s workable, for small teams, but larger teams with multiple projects will want to upgrade to a paid plan. Fortunately, ClickUp’s paid plans are affordable and offer good value.
Features
700+ templates. Creating a new project is super easy thanks to ClickUp’s hundreds of templates. Not only is there one for almost every use case, each one has a user guide to help you get started.
Real-time collaboration. Add a chat widget to your dashboard to keep project chat in a central location. You can also co-edit documents and write on the Whiteboard view in real time, making it easy to brainstorm with your team.
Built-in time tracking. You can start tracking how long each task takes within the task itself or next to the task on your List view, so it’s easy to see where your time is going.
Pre-built integrations. ClickUp has 50+ pre-built integrations including Slack, GitHub, and even Figma. You can even use an unlimited number of ClickApps (pre-built extensions) to customize your workspace.
Unlike most PM software, HubSpot includes its impressive AI tools in the free planIf you need a powerful CRM with basic project management features, HubSpot’s free plan is a solid option. It’s best suited to small marketing, sales, and service businesses that want budget-friendly, scalable software to manage customer relationships, tasks, communication, and data on one platform.
The free plan for this “smart CRM” boasts some of the most impressive AI tools I’ve seen. HubSpot AI will research prospective clients, draft proposals, design email campaigns, and more. Another standout feature is the option to add integrations with popular tools like Google Workspace apps (Drive, Meet, and Gmail), Microsoft Teams, Slack, and MailChimp – even on the free plan. While the free plan has tons to offer, keep in mind that advanced features like automations and reports are available behind a paywall.
TeamGantt simplifies project visualization for small teamsIf colorful Gantt Charts are how you like to visualize and track workflows and project progress, TeamGantt deserves a closer look. That’s especially true for small businesses, independent contractors, and individuals with simple or one-time project needs.
That’s not to say the free plan doesn’t have limitations. While you can easily visualize tasks and dependencies, collaborate, and share files, you can only manage one project at a time. To set up a second project you’ll have to download your first project as a PDF or CSV file, or copy a link and upload it to your Google Drive.
Freelancers will appreciate Bonsai’s task and business management tools
Bonsai’s free plan is ideal for freelancers and small business owners who need basic project management and business organization tools. It includes essential features like task tracking, invoicing, and client management, making it a convenient all-in-one solution if you’re juggling multiple clients.
I like how it helps boost productivity, but the free plan lacks many of Bonsai’s best features, like lawyer-vetted contract templates, automated workflows, collaboration, and advanced financial tools. If you’re a solo professional looking for a simple way to stay organized, Bonsai’s free plan is a decent starting point, but growing businesses may need a more feature-rich option.
Striven’s real-time reporting offers valuable insights that can improve performance
Striven is an all-in-one ERP and project management solution designed for small and mid-sized businesses. It combines accounting, CRM, HR, and project tracking in a single platform. Its real-time reporting and automation tools make it useful if you want to manage multiple business functions in one place.
While it lacks a free plan, Striven has a free 7-day trial. If you need a comprehensive business management tool, Striven’s features may justify its pricey cost. However, the limited trial makes it hard to fully evaluate the software before you commit. I’d only recommend Striven if you’re looking for an integrated solution beyond basic project management and budget is not an issue.
The Best Project Management Software Can Be Free
Quality project management software can help you take your productivity to the next level. And now you know you don’t have to spend a lot – or even anything – to get it. There are plenty of great free project management solutions you can start using today to improve your organization.
If you’re a freelancer, solopreneur, student, or professional duomonday.com will help you manage your schedule like nothing else can.
If you’re looking to manage a big, complex project on a tight deadline, Smartsheet offers the most powerful features on this list – even if it does come with a bit of a learning curve.
Finally, if your team’s primary focus is keeping client projects on track and on budget, Teamwork’s intuitive software is your best bet.
Take a look at our comparison table to see which software is right for you.
Free Plan
Best Feature
Best For
Starting Price
monday.com
✔
Great balance of ease of use and flexibility
Individuals and small teams that need a powerful organizational tool
In the simplest possible terms, project management software helps teams manage the timelines, workloads, and other aspects of a project. Most project management software will allow you to assign tasks, set deadlines, and communicate with team members. Depending on the tool you’re using, you might also be able to set up invoices, create dependencies between tasks, and automate data entry.
What’s the best free project management software?
There’s no single right answer to this question. There’s a lot of great free project management software out there (and plenty not-so-great), and which is best will vary depending on your needs. For individuals and small firms that want to better manage projects, I recommend monday.com. Its free plan has by far the most complete feature set, and its interface is very user friendly.
What is the easiest free project management software to use?
monday.com is one of the most user-friendly options. It has a clean layout, drag-and-drop features, and pre-built templates. Teams focused on client work may prefer Teamwork. Its Kanban and Client views make it easy to quickly grasp your project’s progress and its integrated time tracking and invoicing tools are impressive.
Do Google or Microsoft offer free project management?
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are productivity tools that help teams create, share, and collaborate to keep work on track. While both have free plans that let you track projects, share files, message/chat, and use video conferencing, Workspace has better communication tools for remote teams. But Microsoft and Google may not suit teams that need the advanced features dedicated project management software provides, like task trackers and project views.
Do I need project management software?
If you manage multiple tasks, teams, or deadlines, project management software can save you time and improve organization. Even solo users benefit from better workflow management. Without project management software, tracking progress manually can lead to inefficiencies and missed deadlines, especially for larger or remote teams and those working on complex projects. If you’re unsure, you can always start with a free plan to test its impact on your workflow.
How do I choose the right project management software?
When you’re choosing project management software, you really need to consider the particular needs of you or your team. Working remotely? You’ll need strong communication options. On a budget? There are great free project management tools that also offer productivity-boosting and affordable premium features that might be worth the cost. For an in-depth look at your options, check out our list of the best project management software in 2025.
Dawn specializes in writing about a range of software products, including website builders, backup services, credit card processing solutions, and project management platforms. She has 10+ year’s experience as a technical writer and has written a number of articles for CEOs and senior executives at client companies that have appeared under their bylines. When she’s not researching and testing digital services, she brainstorms with educators to ensure all students have access to enriching learning opportunities.
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