Managing projects can be complex with many activities and people working on them at the same time which is why project management software can help. Being able to track activities, allocate tasks, automate processes and communicate with team members in one place makes managing projects more straightforward and can streamline administration.
Below we have explored the leading project management software to see what each provider offers.
Companies are ranked in no particular order.
| Best Project Management Software | Cheapest price per month | Free trial |
|---|---|---|
| Monday.com | £0 | Yes |
| ClickUp | £0 | Free plan only |
| Wrike | £0 | Yes |
| Asana | £0 | Free plan only |
| Trello | £0 | Yes |
| Smartsheet | £5 | Yes |
| Microsoft Dynamics | £90.50 | Yes |
Topics
1. Monday.com
- Plan, manage and collaborate
- Suitable for projects and portfolio management
- Create custom dashboards to track progress
- Assign teammates, allocate resources and communicate on one platform
- Understand bottlenecks and risks
- Automate project approval and tasks
- Customise forms
- Streamline project administration
- Plans start from £0 for 3 people and they offer a free trial on paid plans
- Also offers other software modules including CRM, IT, HR
Website Monday.com project management software
2. ClickUp
- Collaboration and work tool suitable for project management
- Have all work in one place including tasks, docs, chat and goals
- Plan, track and manage projects flexibly with progress dashboards
- Set goals with targets such as completion and budget
- Track tasks, update workflows and view on a calendar
- Real-time chat and collaboration using whiteboards
- Automate tasks, comments, statuses and sync with other tools
- Integrates with other apps and works on any device
- Offers a free plan
- 24/7 real-time support through chat and phone
Website ClickUp project management software
3. Wrike
- Offers cloud-based work management software suitable for project management
- Collaboration tool across departments
- Automation of processes
- Customisable software including dashboards and workflows
- Real-time commenting and notifications
- Live editing
- Dynamic reporting
- Enterprise-grade security
- Integrates with essential business tools
- Free for up to 5 users and offers a free trial on paid plans
Website Wrike project management software
4. Asana
- Work organisation tool suitable for project management
- Bring all the team’s work together in one place
- Choice of project view, get real-time charts and reporting
- Collaborate from anywhere
- Organise and assign tasks
- Manage the timeline and prioritise work
- Use boards to collaborate
- Automate processes and tasks
- Integrate with over 200 apps or tools
- Free plan for up to 15 users
Website Asana project management software
5. Trello
- Teamworking tool that is useful for managing projects
- Collaborate and manage projects together
- Customisable and expands as your team grows
- Manage, track and share tasks and set goals
- Customisable workflows
- Build boards with lists and cards
- Assign tasks, create timelines and calendars
- Built-in automation to reduce administration
- Integrate with the leading work tools
- Offers a free plan
Website Trello project management software
6. Smartsheet
- Provides a dynamic workspace to manage projects
- Align teams across locations
- Custom solution that can scale to fit your business
- Automate workflows
- Integrates with other business tools
- Create agile working
- Manage resources
- Collaborate and work within a single platform
- Provides governance and security
- Offers a free trial of their software
Website Smartsheet project management software
7. Microsoft Dynamics
- Provides software that allows visibility and agility across projects
- Ability to work collaborative
- Deliver deal management experiences
- Has Microsoft Project embedded to enhance project management capabilities
- Use tools such as Kanban boards and Gantt charts
- Optimise resource utilisation through resource insights, governance, scheduling and skills matching
- Better manage time tracking and expense management
- Enables you maximise profitability and streamline project financials
- Gain insights from your projects and financial data
- Built-in dashboards to get an overview
FAQs
What is project management software?
Project management software or work organisation tools are software that allows businesses to manage projects within a single platform which can include project planning, scheduling activity, tracking timelines and activities, allocating resources and checking progress, collaborating with other people including sharing documents, jointly editing documents and communicating.
The software is designed to give project managers a complete overview of the project/s and control all aspects of the project.
It allows more collaborative working between team members and departments without location being an issue. It makes it easier for managers to report on progress and share dashboard highlights with stakeholders.
Why do small businesses need project management software?
Small businesses like any other business can benefit from project management software as it can assist teams of any size to manage projects or portfolios more successfully and reduce the administration involved.
There are many benefits for small businesses which include transparency of the project, ease of reporting, ability to see progress in real-time instantly, ease of allocating tasks and monitoring progress, improved communication and collaboration between staff, increased accountability of staff for tasks, automation of tasks/processes and reduce administration.
Plus many providers offer free software plans that may be suitable so you can try them out without making a financial investment.
How much is project management software?
The cost of project management software varies depending on the number of users you have in some cases and the level of features you want on the software.
Most of the providers we have reviewed offer a free plan that is a basic plan with some restrictions such as the number of users.
The paid plans are tiered and the price increases with the number of features and functionality that is included but most plans are between £5-21 per user per month.
Enterprise plans are designed for larger organisations that may require further customisation and these plans have bespoke pricing.
What is the cheapest project management software?
The cheapest project management software is free. Most of the providers we have reviewed above offer a free plan that provides limited functionality and access which may be restricted by the number of users or projects that you can have in them.
As they offer these plans for free it is a great way of trying out the software before committing to it. Many of the providers also offer a free trial on their paid plans as well so you can try out a more advanced plan with committing too.
What is the best project management software?
Which of these is the best project management software for you?
Well, that depends on several factors really and a lot of it might be down to personal preferences. The capabilities of the software and the type of features you need will help determine which is best for you as they might not all offer these features you want or they may not present things in a way that you like.
The pricing of the software and what is included in the plan might make a difference if budget is important to you as one may have more features or users for a similar price or maybe cheaper for the same features.
The best way to know what is the best software for you is to take advantage of the free trials available and experiment with the software and get a feel for it yourself.
You should maybe compare a couple of providers that offer plans and features that you like and see which feels right for you as it can be a very personal thing on what software works best for you.