We tested 10 leading project management tools and found monday.com best overall for its multiple views and extensive customization. ClickUp shines for affordability, while Confluence excels in project documentation.
Companies of all sizes can benefit from the support that project management software provides, including streamlined workflows, enhanced collaboration, and a boost to overall productivity. Implementing the right project management software can also help your team optimize resource allocation to complete projects on time and within budget.
Below, you’ll find my picks for the top project management software, based on my own hands-on testing and research.
Here’s a summary of the top project management software, our rating, where each provider excels, their starting price, and key features.
| monday.com | |||||
| ClickUp | |||||
| Confluence | |||||
| Smartsheet | |||||
| Notion | |||||
| Jira | |||||
| Wrike | |||||
| Zoho Projects | |||||
| Asana |
* As of April 2026. Fees are billed monthly, unless otherwise stated.
monday.com is a feature-rich project management platform for teams of all types. The wealth of options may seem intimidating to those new to project management software, but the interface is packed with functionality and offers extensive configuration capabilities.
While other solutions lean into a few views of project data, monday.com gives users the most flexibility in adding and configuring visualizations. Though monday.com still had a few drawbacks for me, the project management software excels in customization, giving teams the expected control to optimize workflows.
I chose monday.com for its outstanding versatility. I found it to be the best web-based software with an interface that can be appreciated by both the most and least technical users. It’s a powerful tool for a variety of project management use cases and offers robust features for team collaboration tools, automation features, and customization.
For more information, read our full monday.com review.
Visit monday.com
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The fastest mover in the project management software space is ClickUp. It far exceeded my expectations with a stack of project views and tools to enable productivity and collaboration for various teams.
Add in ClickUp’s handful of affordable subscription plans for different team sizes, and it’s difficult not to consider this budding project management software. However, although ClickUp has extensive customization options and a robust free tier that provides significant value, its vast array of features can feel overwhelming, especially when using it for the first time.
I picked ClickUp as one of the best project management software solutions for its affordable pricing plans, comprehensive features, and customizable workflows. The free plan supports unlimited users and includes a good number of useful features that can satisfy individual users. It also has a user-friendly interface that users of all technical skill levels can easily use.
For more information, read our full ClickUp review.
Visit ClickUp
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Confluence is team collaboration and project management software with document management and knowledge-sharing features. It excels at creating a centralized knowledge base with powerful search capabilities and seamless integration with other Atlassian products. However, its interface can come off as less intuitive compared to other project management tools.
I found Confluence to have advantages over other competitors, such as a centralized knowledge repository, robust document search and discovery feature, and file sharing. Plus, teams already using Atlassian products will find Confluence a powerful addition to its ecosystem.
For more information, read our full Confluence review.
Visit Confluence
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Smartsheet’s work management platform is one of the safest bets in the project management software market with its familiar spreadsheet-like interface. From onboarding to using the platform, I was impressed by the interface’s user-friendliness and the features’ extensibility. Smartsheet offers an upgrade from traditional tools by adding accessible user experience features, needed integrations, robust customization, and no-code capabilities.
Smartsheet pricing is among the highest on the market, and there’s no unlimited free plan. Still, I believe the platform’s benefits more than justify consideration for small teams up to enterprise organizations.
Smartsheet’s most unique offering is its spreadsheet-like interface, which gives familiarity and guarantees ease of use for users who prefer spreadsheets for tracking projects. However, it’s the way it meshes its interface with advanced project management features like automated workflows, Gantt charts, and detailed reporting that I found impressive.
Even if you’re not as comfortable working spreadsheets, the Smartsheet platform does a great job with a straightforward onboarding process and templates that lower the learning curve.
For more information, read our full Smartsheet review.
Visit Smartsheet
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In Notion, teams can collaborate, organize projects, run Agile sprints, and work with guests, all in one workspace. The user interface is beginner-friendly, and the free version is great for exploring the platform. You can work with contractors, clients, and coworkers on all sorts of projects.
The platform’s extensive template library and ability to integrate with various tools enhance its appeal. Small teams, startups, and freelancers will love the affordability, and bigger teams will enjoy the collaboration, automation, and advanced security options.
You may encounter performance bottlenecks when you use Notion for complex projects or when you extensively use its database features.
I enjoyed Notion for its flexibility in handling design, development, and writing projects, as well as the option to collaborate with people outside your workspace. Notion makes structuring projects easy with a minimalist interface that does not overwhelm. It’s great for individual use and teams working with a small budget, but it is also scalable to meet enterprise needs.
For more information, read our full Notion review.
Visit Notion
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Atlassian’s portfolio of collaboration, code management, and security solutions is led by its flagship project-tracking software, Jira. In response to a growing number of general-use project management solutions, Jira offers a mix of project data views, reporting, and configuration capabilities included in its platform.
Jira is ideal for organizations already using Atlassian products or teams relying on integrations such as the private repository host BitBucket. Otherwise, its general project management functionality is below par relative to the broader project management marketplace, and non-software development teams might find Jira less intuitive compared to other project management tools.
Jira is one of the best software for agile project management. I certainly appreciated its agile features with Kanban and Scrum, as well as its bug-tracking and issue management capabilities. While these features are most suitable for software development, they can be used for a variety of other applications.
For more information, read our full Jira review.
Visit Jira
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Wrike is one of the biggest names in the project management software scene. In addition to standard functions, I found its AI features quite robust. Users can generate AI content, edit copy, and create digital files with just a few clicks. Some of these AI functionalities, such as AI substack creation, are included in the free version.
The user interface can feel busy at first glance, and Wrike’s learning curve is likely the steepest among all the project management software on the list. That said, few vendors offer the same extent of enterprise capabilities, and I believe the learning curve is worth it for users to maximize the benefits its features offer.
Wrike made it to my shortlist due to its powerful portfolio management capabilities, which make it great for managing complex workflows and multiple projects. I also found Wrike ideal for projects that require close collaboration. Another key reason is that Wrike is highly scalable, making it an excellent choice for hyper-growth teams.
For more information, check out our full Wrike review.
Visit Wrike
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Under the Zoho portfolio of solutions, Zoho Projects offers teams a stack of features for tracking tasks, issues, time, and resources to maximize collaboration and productivity. Users can visualize and adjust project data through views such as a traditional spreadsheet, simple list, kanban board, or Gantt chart in real time or automate mapped workflows with the Blueprints tool.
Zoho Projects offers a lot of functionality, which is impressive considering it’s the most affordable project management software. This makes it great for small teams. However, it also lacks some of the personalization and advanced features offered by more expensive platforms.
If you want value for money, look no further than Zoho Projects, as this budget project management app offers outstanding value. I was impressed by its multiple channels for team collaboration and communication and quick setup. Additionally, you get unlimited projects through its paid plans.
For more information, read our full Zoho Projects review.
Visit Zoho Projects
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Asana is a work management platform started in 2008 by former Facebook developers. The company has grown dramatically over time, and the platform’s extensive feature set affirms why so many businesses choose it. It is known for its flexibility and customization, with robust import options and integration capabilities that make transitioning to the platform seamless.
From viewing team member workloads to adding strategic goals and setting user security policies, I believe Asana has something for every team. Though some actions are less intuitive, Asana makes up for them with the documentation and resources to guide platform projects efficiently.
Asana is an outstanding task management and team collaboration software solution. I found it flexible, fast, and feature-rich with a generous free plan. This flexibility qualifies Asana to be used by businesses of all sizes. In addition, you get several import options, making it easy for users to transition to Asana from other software or to use it with other applications.
For more information, read our full Asana review.
Visit Asana
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There are several key factors to consider when determining which project management software is best for your business.
To compile this list of the best project management software, I took into account a range of factors, from features and cost to user experience. I conducted testing to better understand each platform’s unique features and gain a firsthand understanding of their functionality, strengths, and weaknesses.
General features (25%): I started with core task management capabilities, such as subtasks, dependencies, and task commenting. I also reviewed reporting tools, dashboards, and the range of project views to see how well each platform adapts to different project layouts.
Pricing (20%): I looked at whether each platform offers a free-forever plan or only a time-limited trial. I then compared entry and mid-tier monthly subscription costs, factoring in annual discounts and included features.
Advanced and niche features (20%): I examined resource and capacity planning alongside portfolio management to see how each platform handles multiple projects. I also tested each vendor’s integration with CRMs and video conferencing platforms, along with AI and automation capabilities.
Expert score (15%) I applied a professional assessment based on real-world performance, overall value, and user popularity. Each platform’s standout capabilities and usability informed the final rating.
Customer service and support (10%): I checked support availability by hours of operation and the range of support channels, including chat and phone. I also reviewed the vendor’s security practices and the depth of their knowledge base.
Ease of use (10%): I considered setup requirements and the technical skill needed to get started. For usability, I checked how users can quickly complete certain tasks such as adjusting workloads, defining task dependencies, configuring task automations, and linking multiple tasks.
I’ve found some of the top project management software for small businesses are Asana, Zoho Projects, monday.com, Wrike, and ClickUp. These all offer a limited free plan and a mix of time tracking, integrations, and reporting and analytics. All of these features are important for a small business to get core project management functionality at an affordable price.
Asana, monday.com, MeisterTask, and Todoist are some of the top task management software solutions. They offer a wide range of features, including time-tracking tools, mobile app access, calendar view, and a generous free plan.
I recommend Asana, monday.com, and Smartsheet if you’re looking for project management software with an intuitive mobile app. If team members travel often or are away from their desks most of the time but still need to access and update project progress, this should be a priority.
There are several free project management tools that can help businesses boost productivity and track project progress. Some of the top free options I’ve found are ClickUp, Wrike, monday.com, and Notion. These options are best for solopreneurs or small teams in need of budget-friendly software.
Trevor has spent over 10 years working in the project and program management industry. He holds multiple professional accreditations including Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB), and Certified Protection Professional (CPP). Trevor has worked for several Fortune 500 Companies, managing multimillion-dollar projects in various industries including retail, healthcare, software development, security, and government.
