- Best for simplicity: Trello
- Best all-around choice: Asana
- Best for client work and invoicing: Teamwork
- Best for scalability: monday work management
- Best for small teams: ClickUp
- Best for independent workers: Wrike
- Best for visual task management: MeisterTask
- Best for spreadsheet collaboration: Smartsheet
- Best for note-taking: Notion
- Best for customization: Airtable
There is no doubt that project management solutions help streamline workflows and boost team productivity. However, not everyone needs advanced features. A basic or free version is enough for their needs. In some cases, business leaders or project managers want to try out the free version before upgrading to a paid plan. And in other cases, a small team on a budget may opt-in for the free version of a project management tool.
This review highlights the best free project management tools, including who/what they are best for, their pros and cons, core features and the free tier limitations. You will also find information on the benefits and limitations of using free software for project management and our methodology for compiling this list.
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Top free project management software and tools comparison
This table compares the top free project management tools in terms of relevant features, support and starting price for paid plans.
| Free forever plan (user limit) | Starting price (per user, per month) | Gantt charts | Free plan storage | 24/7 customer support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trello | Unlimited users | $6 | Not available | Unlimited storage (10MB/file) | No |
| Asana | 10 | $13.49 | ​​Only with paid plans | Unlimited storage (100MB per file) | Yes |
| Teamwork | 5 | $13.99 | Yes | 100MB | Yes |
| monday work management | 2 | $12 | Yes | 500MB | Yes |
| ClickUp | Unlimited users | $10 | Yes | 100MB | Yes |
| Wrike | Unlimited users | ​​$10.00 (billed annually) | Only with paid plans | 2GB per account | No |
| MeisterTask | Up to 3 projects and 5 notes | $8 | Limited (Timeline feature) | 20 MB per file | Yes |
| Smartsheet | 1 user, up to 2 editors | $9 | Yes | 500MB | Yes |
| Notion | Up to 10 guest collaborators | $10 | Limited (Gantt chart template) | 5MB | No |
| Airtable | ​​Up to 5 editors | $24 | Only with paid plans | 1GB of attachments per base | No |
Trello: Best for simplicity
TechRepublic Rating: 4.5/5
Trello is this list’s most easy-to-use free project management software. The interface is based on kanban boards, making it easy to manage and visualize projects.
The free plan includes unlimited cards, lists and up to 10 boards per team. This means that if you need less than 10 boards, you can use the free plan forever. The only major limitation of the free plan is that you only get to upload files that are 10MB or less.
Standout features of the free version
- Team collaboration tools: Trello comes with a wide range of communication tools, including document sharing, comments and notifications. Users can configure the notifications according to their preferences.
- Powerful mobile app: Trello’s app is well-designed, allowing users to perform various project management functions through the mobile app with just a few clicks.
- ​​Integrations: Trello’s 190+ integrations, which they call Power-Ups, include Slack, Miro, Jira Cloud, Dropbox, Confluence, Salesforce, Microsoft Teams and Zapier.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Flexible and customizable | Difficult to track multiple projects at a time |
| Unlimited cards and lists in the free plan | Maximum limit of 50 automated command runs per month |
| Drag-and-drop interface is easy to use |
When to use an alternative
- You need advanced project management features: Trello may not have all the advanced features (Gantt charts, resource allocation or time tracking) that some businesses require.
- Alternative: ClickUp’s free plan includes all the necessary features you need to manage simple projects. It includes Gantt chart capability, time tracking via integration and basic resource management features.
- Automations need: The free plan doesn’t allow you to perform any automation actions, so if you need automations, consider an alternative to Trello.
- Alternatives: With the ClickUp free plan, you can have 50 active rules, 100 automation executions and multiple actions and conditions. Teamwork’s free plan also allows you to perform up to 100 automation actions per month.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid pains
The chart below includes the monthly and annual rates of Trello paid plans, as well as its core features and functionalities.
| Standard | Premium | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $6 | $12.50 | N/A |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $5 | $10 | $17.50 |
| Top features | Everything in Free, plus: - Unlimited boards - Advanced checklists - Custom Fields - Unlimited storage (250MB/file) - 1,000 Workspace command runs per month - Single board guests - Saved searches | Everything in Standard, plus: - Views: Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map - Workspace views: Table and Calendar - Unlimited Workspace command runs - Admin and security features - Workspace-level templates - Collections - Observers - Simple data export | Everything in Premium, plus: - Unlimited Workspaces - Organization-wide permissions - Organization-visible boards - Public board management - Multi-board guests - Attachment permissions - Power-Up administration - Free SSO and user provisioning with Atlassian Access |
Why I chose Trello
Strictly within the confines of free kanban boards, Trello is arguably the top tool. I chose Trello because of how straightforward and intuitive its kanban boards are. Trello also impresses with its Power-Ups, which are unlimited in the free version, although some may require you to pay.
For a closer look, check out our in-depth comparisons of Trello versus Asana, Wrike, Airtable, ClickUp and monday work management.
Asana: Best all-around choice
TechRepublic Rating: 3.9/5
Asana is a flexible project management and collaboration tool offering multiple views, customization tools, automation and more. Asana’s free plan offers many features, including unlimited storage and team messaging tools. You also get various project views, including calendar, kanban, lists, workload and more. However, the free plan is limited to three views, no project timeline views and fewer admin controls.
Standout features of the free version
- Unlimited use: What makes Asana’s free plan so outstanding is that you get access to many unlimited features, including activity logs, messaging, file storage and more.
- Agile and scrum support: If your business uses Agile philosophy, you would be glad to know that Asana’s free version supports Scrum and Agile project management.
- Three project views: List, board and calendar view.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Scrum and Agile project management support | The free plan lacks Asana intelligence capabilities |
| Unlimited teams and projects in the free plan | Limited time tracking |
| Multiple project views |
When to use an alternative
- You need a time tracking feature: Asana free plan doesn’t support time tracking capability; even their lowest paid tier also lacks this feature. If your company wants to track employee, contractor or freelancer billable hours, consider an alternative to Asana.
- Alternatives: Teamwork’s free plan includes a time-tracking feature, while the ClickUp free plan supports time tracking through integrations.
- You want to integrate with Salesforce and Tableau: Asana free plan users cannot connect the tool with Tableau or Salesforce.
- Alternative: ClickUp allows you to connect natively with 50+ third-party apps, including Salesforce and Tableau.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans
When you buy any of the Asana premium plans, you will automatically get access to the available features that are lacking in the free plan. See the cost of Asana premium plans and their core features in the table below.
| Standard | Premium | Enterprise | Enterprise+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $13.49 | $30.49 | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $10.99 per month | $24.99 per month | ||
| Top features | Unlimited essentials - Five project views - Scaled security - Automated workflows - Asana Intelligence - Project reporting - Community support - Task dependencies | Everything in Starter; plus: - Project and portfolio views (20) - Advanced workflows - Advanced reporting Resource management - Community and personalized support | Everything in Advanced, plus: - Unlimited portfolio views - Standardized workflows - Asana Intelligence - Advanced authentication and user management - Customization – custom branding, admin announcements | Everything in Enterprise, plus: - Data access and management controls - Security and compliance reporting - Advanced compliance solutions |
Why I chose Asana
Even though it can take a while to adapt to Asana’s vast features, Asana is a thorough project management tool that constantly surprises you with the breadth of its feature set. You can use it to manage almost any kind of project. You get unlimited projects, tasks, storage, comments and activity logs in its free version, with List, Board and Calendar views, plus free integrations with everyday apps.
For more information, check out our full Asana review.
Teamwork: Best for client work and invoicing
TechRepublic Rating: 3.7/5
Teamwork is a free project management tool that is particularly well-suited for client work, which often involves marketing teams, creative teams, agencies, consultancies and more. It has a lot of features, ranging from customizable templates to milestone tracking, which makes it adaptable for many different types of projects.
Standout features of the free version
- Milestones: You can add milestones to task lists to track progress in the free version.
- Client work essentials: Though some may be limited, Teamwork has most of the core project management features for client work, such as full time tracking, in its free plan.
- Integrations: Teamwork integrates with many tools, which include HubSpot, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Skyvia, Atarim, Stripe, Integrately and more.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The free plan support t​​ask dependencies capability | Limited reporting features in the free plan |
| Offers unlimited task list templates | The free plan’s customization is limited to color themes |
| Has time tracking and timesheets features in its free plan |
When to use an alternative
- You have more than five users: If you have more than five people on your team or in your organization, it might be a good idea to consider using an alternative to Teamwork.
- Alternative: ClickUp supports an unlimited number of free plan users.
- Large file storage need: Teamwork gives free plan users 100MB only.
- Alternative: Consider Asana if you have high file storage demand, as the tool gives all its users — regardless of their plan — unlimited file storage with up to 100MB file limit.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans:
The following are the core features you will get when you buy Teamwork paid plans.
| Deliver | Grow | Scale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $13.99 | $25.99 | Custom quote |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $9.99 per month | $19.99 per month | |
| Top features | - Automations and forms - Project status reports - Teams management - Unlimited client users - Collaborative doc management (Spaces) ​​- Task dependencies | - Workload and capacity management - Advanced budgeting - Powerful reports - Company timesheets - Project budget expenses - Resource scheduling | - Unlimited retainer management - Unlimited custom reports - Resource scheduler - 500GB+ storage |
Why I chose Teamwork
I chose Teamwork for its versatility. The platform offers a range of features that are particularly useful for agencies, consultancies and other client-focused teams. Its milestone tracking makes it easy to manage projects from start to finish, while its invoicing features make it seamless to export invoices based on logged billable hours from Teamwork to accounting software.
For more information, check out our full Teamwork review.
monday work management: Best for scalability
TechRepublic Rating: 5/5
monday work management often features on the best project management software lists, as it offers everything you expect from a top project management solution. The free version of monday work management features all the main dashboards, but the number of items you can create is limited. You also get a search function, team collaboration tools, file upload, kanban view and several other features on the free plan. That said, you won’t be able to invite clients or viewers on the free plan, making it ideal for individuals and small teams.
Standout features of the free version
- Access to all main boards: In the free plan, you and your team get access to all of the main boards of monday work management. That said, you’re limited to three total boards, and there is a limit to the total number of items you can create.
- Files and forms: In the free plan, you can see all of the files you uploaded in preview or full mode. You can also convert any of the boards into custom forms to collect and track data.
- Templates: monday work management free plan gives you access to over 200 customizable templates, so you don’t have to start creating project boards from scratch.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Clean and intuitive interface | Default notification settings can be annoying |
| Highly customizable | Limited views in the free plan |
| Access to all main boards |
When to use an alternative
- You need more than two seats: monday’s free plan is only available to a small team with two members. So if your company needs more people to work on a project, consider a monday alternative.
- Alternatives: ClickUp and Wrike allow unlimited free plan members.
- You want to integrate with third-party services: monday work management free plan doesn’t allow you to integrate with other applications that may be useful for your workflow.
- Alternatives: Asana offers you over 100 free integrations, including Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Slack. Notion and Teamwork also allow you to connect with some third-party applications, including Zapier and Slack.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans
monday work management offers four paid plans. Each plan caters to the needs of various users, depending on the features they need. In the chart below, I’ll outline the cost of each plan and its core features.
| Basic | Standard | Pro | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $12 | $14 | $24 | Custom quote |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $9 per month | $12 per month | $19 per month | |
| Top features | - Unlimited free viewers - Unlimited items - 5GB file storage - Prioritized customer support - Create a project dashboard based on 1 board - 1 week activity log | - Project Timeline & Gantt views - Calendar View - 20GB file storage - Guest access - Automations (250 actions per month) - Integrations (250 actions per month) - Create a dashboard that combines 5 boards - 6-month activity log | - Private boards - Chart View - 100GB file storage - Time tracking - Formula Column - Automations (25K actions per month) - Integrations (25K actions per month) - Create a dashboard that combines 10 boards - 1-year activity log Task dependencies | - Enterprise-scale automations & integrations - Multi-level permissions - 1000GB file storage - Enterprise-grade security & governance - Advanced reporting & analytics - Tailored onboarding - Task dependencies - Enterprise support - Create a dashboard that combines 50 boards - 5-year activity log |
Why I chose monday work management
I selected monday work management because of how intuitive and adaptable its free version is. The 200+ templates it offers will meet the needs of teams of all sizes, and its kanban boards are easy to set up and follow. The free version also offers up to three boards with up to two members.
For more information, check out our full monday Work OS review.
ClickUp: Best for small teams
TechRepublic Rating: 5/5
ClickUp is a popular project management tool known for its extensive features. Even the free version of ClickUp is loaded with useful tools for project management. This includes unlimited users, activity views and custom fields. The free plan allows you to create up to five spaces, one for each project flow.
Standout features of the free version
- ClickUp Docs: You can create documents and connect them to workflows. You can also edit and share the documents in real time and set access permission rules for each document.
- ClickUp Goals: With this feature, you can create trackable objectives for each task or project. You can also assign various objectives to a single goal.
- Integrations: ClickUp boasts over 1000 tools, with some of the top native ones including ClickUp API, Slack, GitHub, GitLab, HubSpot, Toggl, Harvest, Google Drive, Figma and Microsoft Teams.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Feature-rich free plan | Maximum of 100 uses of custom fields |
| Unlimited free plan users | Free plan file storage is limited to 100MB |
| Easy to create and customize reports |
When to use an alternative
- You need more than 100 MB file storage: Though ClickUp offers a generous free plan, it only provides 100MB of file storage. If you need more storage space, you may need to consider using a ClickUp alternative that offers larger storage capacities.
- Alternative: The Asana free plan gives you unlimited file storage with a limit of 100MB per file.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans
The table below includes the core features you will get when you subscribe to any of ClickUp’s paid plans.
| Unlimited | Business | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $10 | $19 | Price available upon request |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $7 per month | $12 per month | |
| Top features | Everything in Free Forever, plus: - Unlimited storage - Unlimited integrations - Unlimited dashboards - Guests with permissions - Unlimited Gantt charts - Unlimited custom fields - Column calculations - Email in ClickUp - Teams (user groups) - Native time tracking - Goals & portfolios - Form view | Everything in Unlimited, plus: - Google SSO - Unlimited teams - Custom exporting - Advanced public sharing - Advanced automations - Advanced project dashboard features - Advanced time tracking - Granular time estimates - Timesheets - Workload management - Timelines & mind maps - Goal folders | Everything in Business, plus: - White labeling - Advanced permissions - Conditional logic in forms - Enterprise API - Unlimited custom roles - Team sharing for spaces - Universal search - Default personal views - MSA & HIPAA available - Single sign-on (SSO) - Custom capacity in workload - Live onboarding training |
Why I chose ClickUp
ClickUp is such a multifaceted project management tool, even in its free tier. It offers most views you’d expect from a great project management tool, but aside from the task List, Board, Calendar, Table, Doc and Chat views, all the other views have restrictions or are unavailable for free. It is highly customizable and has lots of integrations, and aside from views, you get a taste of workload management, dashboards, reminders, mind maps, whiteboards and custom fields in ClickUp’s free tier.
For more information, check out our full ClickUp review.
Wrike: Best for independent workers
TechRepublic Rating: 4.6/5
Wrike is an adaptable project management software suitable for all industries. It’s also highly customizable and offers robust collaboration tools. The free plan is ideal for solopreneurs and small businesses. Users get access to Kanban boards, tables, spreadsheets and 2GB of storage space. An advantage of Wrike’s free plan is that you can access artificial intelligence features, such as AI subtask creation.
Standout features of the free version
- Kanban boards: Users can check the progress of different projects using Wrike’s Kanban boards. This feature also allows users to set up or edit the priority of tasks.
- Customized templates: There are prebuilt templates that can be customized for different types of projects, including project scheduling, complex project and professional service management.
- Integrations: With over 400 integrations, Wrike’s integrations include Google Drive, Box, GitHub, Jira, IBM Watson Workspace, Bitbucket and more.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Variety of project templates | Initial setup can be difficult |
| Powerful tools for security | Mobile app lacks functionality |
| Customized reports and dashboards |
When to use an alternative
- You need resource management: Wrike’s free plan lacks resource management features such as resource view, workload charts, effort allocation, resource assignment, time tracking and timesheets. If you require resource and capacity management, consider an alternative to Wrike.
- Alternative: Though limited, Teamwork offers basic resource management features, including workload capacity, time-tracking and timesheets.
- Automations need: Wrike’s free plan doesn’t allow you to perform any automation actions.
- Alternatives: With the ClickUp free plan, you can have 50 active rules, 100 automation executions and multiple actions and conditions. Teamwork’s free plan also allows you to perform up to 100 automation actions per month.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans
Wrike tries its best to make its free plan feature-rich but the features it offers may be insufficient for most teams. Hence, when you upgrade to the paid plans, you can expect to get additional features and benefits, such as:
| Team | Business | Enterprise | Pinnacle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $10.00 | $24.80 | Custom quote | Quote available upon request |
| Top features | Number of users: 2-25 users - Storage space: 2GB per user - Personal work schedules - Custom fields, workflows & statuses | Number of users: 5-200 users - Storage space: 5GB per user - Project portfolio management - Real-time reports - AI Recommended Tasks - Resource Management | Number of users: 5-unlimited - Storage space: 10GB per user - Tableau integration - Business intelligence API - Advanced workflow automation - Folder & project permissions | Number of users: 5-unlimited - Storage space: 15GB per user - Advanced analytics & data visualizations - Advanced resource and capacity planning - Advanced proofing in HTML5 and Sharepoint - Power BI integration (native) |
Why I chose Wrike
While Wrike’s features for the free tier are limited, its incorporation of generative AI for rapid content generation for its Work Intelligence solution saves lots of time that would’ve been spent on content, communication and workflows. Aside from the AI project risk prediction feature, all its Work Intelligence features are available in Wrike’s free plan.
For more information, check out our full Wrike review.
MeisterTask: Best for visual task management
TechRepublic Rating: 5/5
MeisterTask is a visually appealing project management tool that offers a Kanban-style approach to task management. It prides itself on simplicity, intuitiveness and security and is a worthy consideration for teams that find visual workflows and interactive task and project management appealing.
Standout features of the free version
- Collaborative notes: Has up to five notes to allow teams to organize their content.
- Unlimited tasks: The free plan offers unlimited tasks for your team to create as many tasks as they need.
- Integrations: MeisterTask offers integrations like Slack, Trello, GitHub, Zapier, MindMeister, MeisterNote, Gmail, Spark, Microsoft Teams and Zendesk.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Visually appealing interface that’s easy to navigate | Community customer support |
| Kanban-style boards for effective task management | No security features in the free version |
| Time tracking integration available |
When to use an alternative
- You need to run more than three projects: If you are a MeisterTask free plan user, you cannot run more than three projects.
- Alternative: With Asana free plan, you can run and manage an unlimited number of projects.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans:
The following are the core features you will get when you buy MeisterTask paid plans.
| Team | Business | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $8 | $14.50 | Price available upon request |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $6.50 per month | $12 per month | |
| Top features | Includes Basic and: - External Sharing - Unlimited Projects & Notes - Agenda - Unlimited integrations - Private projects - Automations - Statistics and reports | Includes Pro and: - Subtasks - Timeline - Roles and permissions - Custom fields - Security restrictions - Priority email & phone support | Includes Business and: - Tailored pricing offer - Dedicated account manager - Personalized onboarding assistance - SAML Single Sign-On |
Why I chose MeisterTask
There’s something about colorful designs and Kanban boards that just fits. MeisterTask has understood the need to deliver a visually appealing and intuitive interface that makes task management a breeze. With these vibrant Kanban boards, teams can enjoy a more interactive way to manage tasks.
For more information, check out our full MeisterTask review.
Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet collaboration
TechRepublic Rating: 3.8/5
Smartsheet merges the functionality of spreadsheets with the capabilities of a solid project management platform. It brings a much-needed approach to managing complex projects using powerful spreadsheets, making it particularly valuable for teams that are comfortable with spreadsheet-style interfaces but need more advanced project management features.
Standout features of the free version
- Two Sheets: The free plan offers two sheets for project/task tracking and management.
- Multiple Views: Smartsheet’s free tier offers Grid, Gantt, Calendar and Card View to enable teams to view their programs and projects in the formats that matter most to them.
- Integrations: Smartsheet offers 90+ integrations across communication, data visualization, content creation, automation and security. They include Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Tableau, Power BI, DocuSign, Adobe Creative Cloud and Zapier.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free version include all views | Only one user with up to two editors |
| Unlimited dashboards | Free plan lacks support |
| User-friendly interface |
When to use an alternative
- You need more than two editors and viewers: Smartsheet free plan only allows you to share your project with two editors and viewers. If you need additional user seats, consider an alternative to Smartsheet.
- Alternative: Airtable free plan allows you to invite up to 5 editors.
- You have a large file storage need: The Smartsheet free plan gives you up to 500MB of attachment storage with a maximum attachment size of 30MB.
- Alternatives: Airtable gives you up to 1GB of attachment storage per base, while Asana offers unlimited file storage with up to 100MB per file.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans:
The table below includes the core features you will get when you subscribe to any of Smartsheet’s paid plans.
| Pro | Business | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $12 | $24 | Price available upon request |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $9 per month | $19 per month | |
| Top features | Includes Free plan, plus: - Up to 10 editors (paid license required to edit) - Unlimited sheets - Unlimited free viewers - Unlimited dashboards, reports and forms - 20 GB attachment storage - 250 automations per month - Integrations with Microsoft 365, Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, Box and Dropbox - User Management - Email support | Includes Pro plan, plus: - Unlimited free editors - User, group, license management Baselines - Forms with conditional logic - Publish sheets, reports and dashboards - 1 TB attachment storage - Unlimited automations - Access to integrate with Resource Management by Smartsheet, Brandfolder, Adobe Creative Cloud, Tableau and PowerBI - Activity log - Document builder - Proofing - Access to Smartsheet University instructor-led and on demand training - Access to Standard and Professional Support | Includes Business plan, plus: - Single sign-on/SAML - Directory integration - Enterprise Plan Manager - WorkApps: Curated experiences based on user roles - Work Insights: Instantly analyze your data - Unlimited attachment storage - Chargeback reports - DocuSign integration - Domain validation - Custom email domains - Standard Support and access to Professional Support |
Why I chose Smartsheet
Through its unique blend of traditional spreadsheet layouts with modern project management features, Smartsheet simplifies complex projects and makes it natural to collaborate on tasks with a spreadsheet interface. The free version has all the automated workflow features, though automation triggers are limited to 100 per month. Smartsheet also feels easier to use than Airtable, the other spreadsheet-style project management tool on this list.
For more information, check out our full Smartsheet review.
Notion: Best for note-taking
TechRepublic Rating: 4.5/5
Notion is a free project management software tool that excels in note-taking and offers a layout whose customizability proves to be impressive. It is adaptable enough to be used by individuals, small businesses and enterprises across design, engineering, product and management teams. Teams that need a flexible workspace for both project management and documentation must consider Notion.
Standout features of the free version
- Unlimited Blocks: For individual users, the free plan offers unlimited blocks; however, there is a limited block trial for teams.
- Guest Invitations: You can invite up to 10 guests to collaborate, be they friends, contractors, family or clients.
- Integrations: A few integrations included in Notion are Jira, Slack, GitHub, Asana, Zapier, Make, Tray.io, Slapdash, Miro, Figma, Google Drive and Webex.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very customizable layout for a tailored workspace | Gantt charts are not natively available |
| Specialized note-taking ability | Limited pages and blocks for teams |
| Impressive free plan with almost no restrictions for individual users |
When to use an alternative
- You have a large storage need: Notion gives free plan users up to 5MB of file storage. If you have a large storage need and require more than 5MB of file storage, it would be a good idea to consider using an alternative to Notion that offers higher storage limits.
- Alternative: Asana’s free plan gives you unlimited file storage.
- You need a higher row limit per synced database threshold: Notion gives its free users a 100-row limit per synced database.
- Alternative: Airtable provides a generous limit of 1000 records per base, making it a suitable option for users who need to work with larger datasets or have more extensive databases.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans:
The following are the core features you will get when you buy Notion paid plans.
| Plus | Business | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $10 | $18 | Price available upon request |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $8 per month | $15 per month | |
| Top features | Everything in Free, and: - Unlimited blocks for teams - Unlimited file uploads - 30 day page history - Add collaborators external to your organization (like clients or contractors) to specific pages in your workspace. - Invite 100 guests | Everything in plus, and: - SAML SSO - Private teamspaces - Bulk PDF export - Advanced page analytics - 90 day page history - Add collaborators external to your organization (like clients or contractors) to specific pages in your workspace. - Invite 250 guests | Everything in Business, and: - User provisioning (SCIM) - Advanced security & controls - Audit log - Customer success manager - Workspace analytics - Unlimited page history - Security & Compliance integrations - Add collaborators external to your organization (like clients or contractors) to specific pages in your workspace. - Invite 250 guests |
Why I chose Notion
I chose Notion for its unparalleled flexibility and specialized note-taking abilities. The platform allows you to create a workspace that’s as simple or as complex as you need it to be. Its free plan is especially generous for individual users, with tens of templates and almost no restrictions on blocks and basic integrations.
For more information, check out our full Notion review.
Airtable: Best for customization
TechRepublic Rating: 3.8/5.
Airtable is a project management software that evolved from spreadsheets, but over time it has changed its interface to be more modern and streamlined. The excellent free version of Airtable offers a host of features and multiple views, including kanban boards, gallery view and grid view. With the free plan, you get limitations on revision history and file storage.
Standout features of the free version
- Airtable apps and add-ons: There is an entire Airtable marketplace with a lot of options to choose from. Of course, only some of the apps and add-ons are available in the free version.
- Add views and commenters: The free plan allows an unlimited number of viewers and commenters in your workspace. You can upgrade this feature in the paid plans if you want the user to have editing capabilities.
- Integration: Airtable has some quality integrations, the most popular being Slack, Google Drive, Salesforce, Jira and Zendesk.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powerful customization capabilities | Steep learning curve |
| Multiple views | Permissions for user access are a bit confusing |
| Variety of Airtable apps and add-ons |
When to use an alternative
- You need a simple project management tool: While Airtable is highly customizable, it can quickly get overwhelming and clunky as you add more team members and collaborators. If you need something a bit more intuitive and user-friendly, consider an Airtable alternative.
- Alternatives: Notion and Trello are simple, straightforward and easy-to-use project management tools. They are ideal for individuals, startups and SMBs looking for a user-friendly PM tool to manage basic projects that don’t require a lot of setup or customization.
What you get when you upgrade to the paid plans
Airtable free plan has many limitations and a very low file storage space of 1GB. If you want to enjoy Airtable’s top-tier features, which make it one of the top-rated project management software, you should subscribe to one of the company’s paid plans.
| Team | Business | Enterprise Scale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (per user billing) | $24 | $54 | Custom quote |
| Annual price (per user billing) | $20 per month | $45 per month | |
| Top features | Everything in Free, plus: - 50,000 records per base - 25,000 automation runs - 20 GB of attachments per base - Standard sync integrations - Extensions - Gantt chart and project timeline view - Expanded color, formatting and calendar options | Everything in Team, plus: - 125,000 records per base - 100,000 automation runs - 100 GB of attachments per base - Premium sync integrations - Verified data - Two-way sync - Admin panel - SAML-based single sign-on | Everything in Business, plus: - 500,000 records per base - 500,000 automation runs - 1,000 GB of attachments per base - On-premises sync integrations - Enterprise Hub - Enhanced security and admin controls - Enterprise API - Extension and integration management - Audit logs and DLP |
Why I chose Airtable
For spreadsheet-style project management, Airtable is highly customizable and has a great, user-friendly interface. You can use this free project management app to create databases without having to write a single line of code. Airtable’s free tier offers unlimited databases and all views except for Gantt chart and project timeline.
For more information, check out our full Airtable review.
Other free project management tools
Though they did not make it to our top 10 free project management list, here are two other free project management tools worth checking out:
- ​​Zoho Projects: Zoho Projects offers a comprehensive set of project management tools, including task tracking, reporting and collaboration features, all within a user-friendly interface.
- Jira: Jira’s free plan offers several top-rated capabilities, including unlimited projects, issues, and forms. It allows up to 10 users and supports up to 100 automations per month.
What are the benefits of free project management software?
The most significant benefit of free project management software is that you get to try the software without having to pay anything. The best project management software offers a variety of features in the free version, so for some businesses or users, the free plan will be all they need for their project management.
In addition, the free version provides a feel for the user interface and overall functionality of the software, so if you want to upgrade, you have a good idea of what to expect from the software.
What are the limitations of free project management software?
The limitations of free project management software are specific to each solution. Some of the more common limitations may include:
- Most free project management app versions don’t offer integration capabilities with third-party applications.
- There are sometimes limits on the number of projects, users, file storage, activity log and other parameters.
- In most cases, there is a limit to the number of project views, reporting and analytics and other advanced features.
How to choose free project management software
When choosing the best free project management software for your needs, you must decide which features are most important. For example, if you need software with 24/7 customer support or Gantt charts, you must shortlist vendors offering those features.
Once you have shortlisted a few solutions based on specifications, you need to dig deeper through expert reviews and customer ratings. You should also test out the software to make an informed decision about whether it is the right fit for your needs.
Review methodology
We used the software’s features, pricing, customer support, usability and other criteria to compile the best free project management software list. Each software’s popularity, user ratings, expert reviews and hands-on experience were evaluated.
The evaluation was focused on the features offered in the free version of each software. This includes features such as file sharing, project views, collaboration tools and mobile app.