Best Project Management Software: 11 Tools Compared

If you manage work, you're a project manager. For years, only specialized project managers used legacy tools that required extensive training. Now, almost everyone manages their own projects, and modern software has adapted to meet the needs of a more collaborative workforce.

Whether you're a new business owner or operating a multi-national company, there's a project management software that's right for you.

What is project management software?

Project management software is a digital tool that helps teams organize, track, and complete work in one centralized platform. It replaces scattered spreadsheets and emails with a shared workspace where teams can collaborate, assign tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress in real time.

Project management software typically includes features like:

• Task management: Create, assign, and track individual tasks

• Project timelines: Visualize schedules with Gantt charts or calendars

• Team collaboration: Share files, comments, and updates in one place

• Reporting dashboards: Monitor progress and identify blockers

• Workflow automation: Reduce manual work with automated processes

The type of project management software you choose will depend on your organization's size, needs, and goals.

Why use project management software?

Project management software replaces manual spreadsheets with real-time collaboration tools that keep teams aligned. While spreadsheets are great for organizing data, they don't show live updates and can impede cross-functional collaboration.

That's why project management software is crucial to today's working environment. It serves as the connector for work, teams, stakeholders, and goals, all in one place.

The benefits of project management software

• Focus your work. You'll get more done, but more importantly, you'll get the right work done. With project management software, you're less likely to duplicate work or waste time searching for materials.

• Reduce busywork. Connect every task to goals that support the company's vision. When employees understand how their work affects the company, they're more motivated to produce their best work.

• Connect your tech stack. With flexible project management software, you can connect all your tools across one platform (think Slack communications, Dropbox files, and Google Drive attachments all in one place).

• Create a system of record. Project management software stores all your project information while making it easy for stakeholders and teams to access.

• Increase cross-functional collaboration. By bringing together work, goals, and people across teams and departments, project management software helps you build an interconnected organization.

• Store work safely. Ever delete a cell by accident in your spreadsheet? Keeping everything cloud-based helps you stay organized and reduces the chance of losing work. Learn more about managing your to-do list.

How to choose the right project management software

Finding the right software starts with understanding what your team needs to succeed. Focus on how the tool will fit into your team's current and future workflows.

Consider your team's size and needs

Think about the scale of your work. A small team might need a simple way to track tasks, while a large organization requires features for coordinating work across departments. Look for a tool that supports your specific workflows.

Look for ease of use

A tool is only effective if your team uses it. Choose software with an intuitive design that's easy to learn and adopt. The right platform should feel helpful, not complicated.

Check for key integrations

The best project management software combines with the apps your team already uses. This creates a central source of truth and reduces the time spent switching between apps.

Find a tool that can scale

Select a platform that can grow with your team and company. Choosing a scalable tool prevents the disruption of switching systems down the road.

Features to look for in your project management tool

Each project management system has different features, but prioritize a platform with these capabilities at a minimum:

• Collaboration features that enable work between team members, departments, and across the company, including file sharing, project tracking, and resource management.

• A platform that provides portfolio management capabilities and the ability to connect goals to actionable tasks.

• A mobile app so you can send off approvals, receive notifications, and manage projects on the go.

• Project and reporting dashboards that are easy to access and view.

• Varying project view styles, including Gantt charts, Kanban boards, Lists, and Calendars.

• Enhanced project scheduling to set due dates, create milestones, and track time.

• Project management app integrations that fit your business needs.

• Automations and dependencies that update you and stakeholders in realtime.

11 best project management software & tools

There's a wide range of project management software available today. We compiled this list of the best products and the types of businesses they're most likely to help.

1. Asana: Best for enterprise companies

Asana goes beyond traditional project management software to provide a full work management solution for enterprise companies. Asana doesn't just help you manage tasks, it connects all your work to your highest-level goals and business strategy.

With Asana, you get:

• Integrations to all your favorite tools and systems, so you can keep your work organized in one platform.

• Goals that connect to everyone and every task across your company.

• Ready-made project templates so you can get to work right away.

• Reporting dashboards that automatically update stakeholders.

• Security, privacy, and compliance features that keep your data safe.

Discover even more of what Asana can do.

2. Trello: Best for simple project management

Trello is a Kanban-board style project management software owned by Atlassian. You nest tasks under boards labeled "Not started," "In Progress," and "Complete." This setup makes it easy to track project progress for small projects.

3. Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet lovers

Think of Smartsheet as an advanced spreadsheet with more capabilities. This system is intuitive for companies who traditionally used spreadsheets for project management and time tracking.

4. Jira: Best for Agile-specific project management

Designed for software development, Jira is ready to launch for teams using the Agile methodology. Owned by Atlassian, Jira is often used for bug tracking and projects using the Scrum process.

5. Monday: Best for small businesses

Monday offers a broad spectrum of apps that make it easy to implement and get started. This works for small businesses new to project management software. However, you might hit a threshold as you scale.

6. ClickUp: Best for small teams or startups

ClickUp's intuitive and colorful interface makes it easy to understand and adopt. It's a popular choice for startups with limited resources and smaller teams.

7. Notion: Best for notetakers

Notion is an advanced system for creating and storing flexible documents, sheets, and notes. This works best for individuals who need an organized space for thoughts and ideas, though collaboration can feel limited.

8. Airtable: Best for those who want to build it themselves

Airtable provides a flexible no- and low-code database to build your own project management system. It's ideal for those who prefer to oversee backend development.

9. Wrike: Best for client management

Wrike offers stackable storage and security so both clients and internal teams can safely access information. This is helpful when working with external partners.

10. Workfront: Best for marketing-only teams

Workfront (owned by Adobe) was initially developed for marketers. While they've expanded, users may struggle to coordinate with teams outside marketing.

11. Microsoft: Best for personal tools

Microsoft Office products are often the first tools managers turn to for project management. However, Excel and docs weren't built for collaboration, so they work best alongside dedicated project management software.

The best project management software is the one that grows with you

A lot of project management software claims similar features, and at a basic level, many of them are the same. But when you choose a solution, it should be a full-fledged platform that enables your team to get their best work done with less effort.

This means you need a platform that grows with your company. Asana is built for enterprise teams, supporting your work from a one-person team with an idea all the way through Fortune 100 growth. In fact, more than 80% of Fortune 100 companies use Asana*.

With Asana, it's not just about putting out more work. It's about connecting your company's work, goals, and resources to produce the right work.

Ready to see how Asana can help your team work better together? Get started today.

Frequently asked questions about project management software