13 Project Management Software Demos to Find the Best Fit
Choosing the right project management software can make a huge difference in how your team handles deadlines, communicates, and manages resources. But finding the best tool among all of the options out there can be difficult, especially when you can’t try out the software yourself. That’s where software demos come in. Watching demos can help you see any software you’re considering in action, explore its features, and learn from other users' experiences.
In this article, I've rounded up 13 different demos for some of the best project management software on the market to help you make a good choice for you and your team. Before you start, take a moment to think about the dependencies, functionalities, and integrations you need. This way, you can focus on the most relevant demos for you.
3 Things To Look For In a PM Software Demo
A good demo shows you the real interface, the real clicks, and (if you're paying attention) the real friction. It's the closest thing to a test drive before you hand over a credit card.
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Before you hit play, jot down three things:
- Your must-have features. Resource views? Time tracking? Gantt charts? Know your dealbreakers.
- Your integrations. If it doesn't talk to the tools your team lives in, it's going to be a lonely tool.
- Who will use it daily. A tool your PMs love but your designers hate is a tool nobody updates.
With that list in hand, you can skip straight to the demos that matter and skim the rest. And once you've narrowed it down, jump to the questions section at the end before you book a live demo with any vendor.
1. monday.com
DPM's own Hermann Fink puts monday.com through its paces, from onboarding to the core PM features: task management, collaboration, time tracking, document management, and resource allocation.
What stood out:
- In-task, real-time updates keep conversations attached to the work
- Visual feedback on attachments, so reviews don't live in a separate email thread
- Flexible enough to bend around unusual workflows
Watch out for:
- A steep learning curve and some awkward navigation
- Tasks and subtasks that don't quite connect the way you'd expect
Best for: Teams with unique workflows who are willing to invest setup time. If you want plug-and-play, keep scrolling.
My take: monday.com rewards the team that sets it up properly. If nobody on your team has time to be the "monday person," factor that in before you buy.
Not sure monday.com's learning curve is worth it for your team? Compare it against these monday.com alternatives that are easier to get up and running.
2. Smartsheet
This DPM review of Smartsheet covers scalability, advanced reporting, security, and its long list of app integrations. It also digs into automation, work management, and project portfolio management.
What stood out:
- Strong automation and reporting for teams that live on data
- Portfolio management that scales as you add projects
- Extensive integrations
Watch out for:
- Manually refreshing to see updates (yes, in this decade)
- Extra costs for advanced features
- A hidden activity log
- A steep learning curve if you're not already a spreadsheet person
Best for: Small businesses, HR, sales, and retail management. Less ideal for basic task management, agile development, or social media work.
My take: If your team already thinks in rows and columns, Smartsheet will feel like home. If they groan at the sight of a spreadsheet, it'll feel like homework.
Since advanced features cost extra, it's worth reviewing Smartsheet's pricing plans before your trial ends. If the spreadsheet format isn't clicking, these Smartsheet alternatives offer different ways of working and more options for growing teams.
3. Hive
Hermann is back for a walkthrough of Hive's main features, including built-in chat, time tracking, and a drag-and-drop resource management view with placeholder resources.
What stood out:
- AI-generated project templates that build a detailed plan from a small amount of input
- One of the best onboarding experiences Hermann has seen, with a checklist and Hive University for support
- A resource view that's genuinely easy to use
Watch out for:
- No file thumbnails in the document manager
- Time sheets and resourcing cost extra for non-enterprise users
Best for: Teams that want a tool people can learn fast, without a week of training sessions.
My take: Easy onboarding is underrated. The tool your team can learn in an afternoon beats the "more powerful" one they never fully adopt.
Because timesheets and resourcing are add-ons on some plans, check Hive's pricing to see what your team would actually pay. You can also compare a few Hive alternatives that include those features out of the box.
4. Wrike
Hermann walks through Wrike's key features: collaboration tools, built-in time tracking, workload views for resource management and task allocation, plus PMO capabilities like document and portfolio management.
What stood out:
- A clean, customizable interface that doesn't bury you in its own features
- 400+ integrations
- Straightforward onboarding, with guides and videos built into the interface
- Easy task creation and management
Watch out for:
- Occasional glitches in the Gantt chart view
Best for: Teams that need a lot of horsepower but still want an interface that feels approachable.
My take: If you rely heavily on Gantt charts, ask the vendor about those glitches directly during a live demo.
If Gantt charts are central to how you plan, it may be worth comparing Wrike alternatives with stronger timeline views before you decide.
5. ClickUp
This DPM demo looks at ClickUp, which pulls document management, professional services, collaboration, and project tracking into one platform.
What stood out:
- Deep customization options
- A freemium model, plus invoicing features
- A bulk action toolbar that makes updating lots of tasks painless
- Works for a wide mix of users: agile teams, HR, remote workers, and freelancers
Watch out for:
- Slow performance at times
- Limits on Gantt chart usage in the free plan
- So many features it can feel overwhelming, and an interface that won't suit fans of minimal design
Best for: Teams that want one tool to do (almost) everything and don't mind some setup.
My take: ClickUp is the Swiss Army knife of PM tools. Just make sure your team actually needs the corkscrew before you pay for it.
To see how far the free plan stretches before you need to upgrade, take a look at ClickUp's pricing tiers. And if all those features feel like overkill, these simpler ClickUp alternatives might be a better fit.
6. Productive
In this demo, Stephan, who leads customer success at Productive, shows how to manage projects using tasks in the platform.
What it covers:
- Creating tasks, adding descriptions, assigning people, setting dates, and adding subtasks
- Why clear task details and a tidy task structure matter
- Custom fields and views to personalize how you work
Bonus: A live Q&A at the end tackles real user questions, like syncing tasks with Outlook calendars, dynamic filters for personal views, and upcoming feature releases.
Best for: Agencies and service teams getting familiar with Productive's day-to-day workflow.
My take: Skip to the Q&A. Real user questions tell you more about a tool's rough edges than any feature tour.
If you're weighing Productive for your agency, start with a breakdown of Productive's pricing, then compare it with other Productive alternatives built for service teams.
7. Zoho Projects
Presenter Stewart walks through Zoho Projects from sign-up and account settings to the basic project structure.
What it covers:
- Customizable dashboards and templates for recurring tasks
- Integrations with other Zoho apps, like Zoho CRM
- Adding users, managing permissions, and using Kanban boards
- A breakdown of the free, Premium, and Enterprise plans
What stood out: Every Zoho product has a free plan, so small teams can try it without committing.
Best for: Small teams, and especially anyone already using other Zoho apps.
My take: If your company already runs on Zoho, the integrations alone make this worth a serious look.
To see exactly what you get on each plan, read our guide to Zoho Projects pricing. If you're not already in the Zoho ecosystem, these Zoho Projects alternatives may integrate better with your current stack.
8. Quickbase
This demo starts with setting up a Quickbase free trial, then shows how to build your own project management app.
What it covers:
- Building an app from a template, from scratch, or by importing a spreadsheet or Lucidchart
- Linking tasks, documents, and expenses together in a practical project example
- Customizing apps with fields, tables, and relationships (like tracking completed vs. discarded projects)
- Adding data, managing users, and assigning roles
Best for: Teams with specific processes that off-the-shelf tools just don't fit.
My take: Quickbase is less "pick up and go" and more "build it your way." Great if you have someone who enjoys building. Less great if you don't.
Custom-built apps can get pricey as you scale, so review Quickbase pricing early. If building your own tool sounds like more work than you signed up for, try one of these ready-made Quickbase alternatives instead.
9. Quire
This review of Quire covers its core features and how it stacks up against other options.
What it covers:
- Creating tasks and subtasks and organizing them into projects
- Tracking progress with statuses and percentages
- Pinning tasks, adding them to boards, and attaching files
- Tags, activity tracking, and start dates, all on the free plan
Best for: Individuals and small teams who want solid task management without a price tag.
My take: A lot of functionality for free. Worth a look before you pay for something heavier than you need.
Wondering what you'd get by upgrading from the free plan? Our breakdown of Quire pricing shows what each paid tier adds.
10. Miro
This quick intro to Miro covers the five fundamental skills you need to find your way around a board.
The five skills:
- Panning around the board in any direction
- Zooming in and out (with tips for trackpad and mouse users)
- Editing sticky notes with a double-click
- Moving objects like sticky notes and images by clicking and dragging
- Using "Raise Hand" to signal the facilitator during a session
Bonus: How to undo actions with the button or keyboard shortcuts.
Best for: Anyone new to Miro, or prepping a team before their first workshop.
My take: Basic? Yes. But if you've ever run a workshop where half the room couldn't find the sticky notes, you'll want everyone to watch this first.
If you like the idea of an online whiteboard but Miro isn't quite right, explore these Miro alternatives for remote workshops and brainstorming.
11. FigJam
Presenter Charli gives a beginner-friendly tour of FigJam, including markers, highlighters, and shapes for drawing and customizing visuals on the canvas.
What stood out:
- Easy flows and sitemaps, with shapes that connect and adjust as you go
- Collaboration features: comments, cursor chat, audio chats, and sticky notes
- Color-coded, name-labeled sticky notes, so you can see who contributed what
Best for: Design and product teams who need a space for wireframing, brainstorming, and team communication.
My take: Charli calls it a key part of her design process. If your team already lives in Figma, FigJam is the easy yes.
Already paying for Figma? Check FigJam pricing to see how it fits with your current plan. For teams outside the Figma world, these FigJam alternatives offer similar collaborative whiteboarding.
12. Jira
This rundown of Jira starts with the Atlassian free plan and account setup, then moves into the basics of running projects.
What it covers:
- Creating a project: naming it, choosing a template, and adding team members
- Setting up tasks (Jira calls them "issues"), assigning them, and adding labels
- Moving work from "In Progress" to "Done" for a clear view of sprint progress
- Navigating the dashboard, filters, and project settings
- Automation rules for repetitive tasks
Best for: Software and agile teams who are new to Jira.
My take: This is an intro, not a deep dive. Use it to decide whether Jira is worth a proper trial, not to decide whether to roll it out company-wide.
The free plan is a good starting point, but costs add up as your team grows, so review Jira pricing before you scale. If your team isn't purely software-focused, these Jira alternatives may be easier for non-technical teammates.
13. Asana
Presenter Meredith introduces Asana, one of the most popular cloud-based project management tools out there.
What stood out:
- Task management at its core: add tasks, set deadlines, assign them, and group them into projects
- Multiple views (boards, lists, timelines, and calendars) so each person can work their way
- Custom fields and sorting to fit short-term and ongoing projects
- Forms for task intake, approval workflows, and image annotations that turn feedback into subtasks
- Comprehensive reporting
Watch out for: Collaboration tools are on the basic side.
Best for: Teams that want a well-rounded, widely adopted tool with a gentle learning curve.
My take: Asana's intake forms and approvals are quietly some of its best features. If you're drowning in "quick requests" over Slack, pay attention to that part.
Features like forms and approvals sit on higher tiers, so check Asana's pricing plans against the features you need. If you want stronger built-in collaboration, compare these Asana alternatives.
What Questions to Ask During a Project Management Software Demo
Recorded demos are great for narrowing your list. But once you book a live demo with a vendor, the goal shifts: you're no longer watching a tool, you're interviewing it.
Here's the thing about live demos. The sales rep has given this exact walkthrough dozens of times, and every click is designed to show the tool at its best. Your job is to steer them off the happy path and into your team's reality. These are the questions I'd bring to every demo, plus what to listen for in the answers.
- "Can you show me how my team would run [a real project of ours] in the tool?"
Send the vendor a real (or lightly anonymized) project ahead of time and ask them to demo with it. Listen for: a willingness to work with your scenario. If they keep drifting back to their polished sample project, that's often because your workflow takes more setup, workarounds, or add-ons than they'd like to admit. - "What does onboarding actually look like, and how long until my team is fully using it?"
Adoption is where most tool rollouts quietly fail. Listen for: specifics, like a named onboarding contact, a realistic timeline in weeks, and training for different roles. "It's super intuitive, your team will pick it up in no time" is not an onboarding plan. - "Which features in this demo are included in the plan we'd be on?"
Demos are usually run on the top-tier plan. Listen for: a clear, plan-by-plan answer. If time tracking, resourcing, or reporting turn out to be paid add-ons, you want to know now, not when the first invoice lands. - "How does it integrate with [the tools we use every day]?"
Name your actual stack: Slack, Google Workspace, your CRM, your time tracker. Listen for: whether the integration is native, built by a third party, or "possible through our API." Ask them to show it working live. A logo on an integrations page doesn't tell you whether data syncs both ways. - "What do teams like mine struggle with most in the first few months?"
This is my favorite question, because it's the one reps rarely prep for. Listen for: an honest, specific answer. A rep who can name real friction points (and how customers get past them) understands the product. One who says "honestly, nothing" is selling, not advising. - "Can you show me what a team member sees, not just the admin or PM view?"
The tool needs to work for the people doing the work, not just the person managing it. Listen for: how many clicks it takes a team member to find their tasks, log time, and update a status. If it’s clunky for them, they won’t update it, and your dashboards will be fiction. That matters even more if you’re buying a full project management information system for example, since every portfolio report and resource forecast depends on the people at the task level keeping it current. - "If we leave, how do we get our data out?"
Nobody likes asking about the breakup on the first date, but you should. Listen for: a straight answer about export formats, what's included (comments, attachments, history), and any fees. Vague answers here usually mean migrating away will be painful.
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