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10 Best Free Project Scheduling Software in 2023

The Best Free Project Scheduling Software List

Here’s the best free project scheduling solutions:
  1. 1. Wrike — Best for customized solutions
  2. 2. monday.com — Best free scheduling for startups & freelancers
  3. 3. Zoho Projects — Best for scalability & flexibility
  4. 4. Hub Planner — Best for businesses or teams that need to manage complex schedules and resources
  5. 5. Trello — Best for simple Kanban boards
  6. 6. Asana — Best for integrations
  7. 7. Coda — Best no-code document builder
  8. 8. TeamGantt — Best for Gantt charts
  9. 9. ClickUp — Best productivity platform
  10. 10. Teamwork — Best for time tracking

Free project scheduling software is great if you're on a budget, but if you have a little extra cash to spare, it's worth investing in a paid project scheduling software. It offers more features, is often easier to use, and you can integrate the tool with your other software.

Project scheduling software helps keep your work on track. One study found that 61% of companies that used these tools completed projects on time, compared to just 41% of companies that didn’t.

There are many great paid options available. But freelancers, small businesses, and agencies, often find free tools have more than enough functionality to keep them on track. You can use them to set tasks, see an overview of how projects are progressing, and assign work to team members

This list will introduce some of the best free project scheduling tools currently available. All the products featured are free versions of paid tools—not free trials. You can use them forever without paying a cent as long as you are happy with the feature on offer. If you have any general questions about this topic, head to the FAQ section of this article.

Overviews Of The 10 Best Free Project Scheduling Software

Here is a description of each free project management tool that will help you track project progress based on schedules. Feel free to check out how I picked the software on this list at any moment.

1

Wrike

Best for customized solutions

Wrike is a flexible project scheduling tool that lets you view projects in both board and spreadsheet views.

When setting up, you can create different spaces. These could be based around projects, departments, clients, teams, or whatever makes sense for your business. You can then add tasks to each project and include essential information such as due dates, collaborators, files, and descriptions.

The free version has all the features you need to schedule projects. You can add unlimited users, manage tasks and subtasks, view projects in board or spreadsheet views, and collaborate with external users.

The free plan’s biggest limitation is the lack of Gantt charts and 2GB storage limit across the whole space. In comparison, the professional plan costs $9.80 per user per month and offers 1 to 2GB of storage per user.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 2544

Free plan available

From $9.80/user/month

2

monday.com

Best free scheduling for startups & freelancers

Monday.com is a project management app that lets you create spreadsheet-like projects for different parts of your business. The tool has over 200 templates for functions such as marketing, events, real estate, and sales.

To get started, just sign-up and then choose the templates you need. You can customize each one by adding the exact features you need. For example, a realtor can add dates, list prices, and locations. Or a content agency could keep track of publish dates, clients, and writers.

The free version of Monday.com lets you create unlimited boards. Use these for different projects or clients. You can also add unlimited docs and access over 200 templates.

The biggest restriction is that you can only add one other person to your projects. This is fine for freelancers, but you’ll have to pay as soon as your business grows to three team members. At this point, the cheapest paid plan costs $6 per user per month.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.7 8065

14-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats)

3

Zoho Projects

Best for scalability & flexibility

Zoho Projects is a free project management platform with project scheduling capabilities designed for project managers (PMs) and stakeholders.

Zoho’s free project planner can be used by project managers of smaller teams and businesses to easily map out their work breakdown structure. The tool is equipped with various core modules such as task and subtask management, issue management, task lists, and milestones. The free planning and scheduling tool also enables project managers to create plans that guide team members on the step-by-step journey of completing their project, thanks to the platform’s built-in Gantt chart view. Project managers who are managing a remote or hybrid team can benefit from Zoho Projects’ collaborative features, including the built-in Feed, documents, Forums, and chat tool.

Zoho Projects is endlessly scalable and flexible using its marketplace of tool connectors and app add-ons. Pick between hundreds of integrations, free and paid options, for customer relationship management, asset management, marketing, design, and more. You can sort add-ons by pricing, user rating, and/or functionality. Certain add-ons are limited to paid Zoho Projects plans but many are open to freemium users, like Hubspot, DocuSign, and SugarCRM.

Features include roadmapping, project management, task scheduling/tracking, customer management, prioritization, and notifications.

Integrations include Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Zendesk, and ServiceNow. Integrations via Zapier and Zoho Flow are also supported. Being part of the Zoho ecosystem allows you to connect to several of Zoho’s own services for Sales, Marketing, CRM, customer service, and others.

Zoho Project is completely free for up to three users. Paid plans start from $5 per user/month. A 10-day free trial is available.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 286

10-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $5/user/month

4

Hub Planner

Best for businesses or teams that need to manage complex schedules and resources

Hub Planner is a web-based project management tool that allows you to schedule tasks and resources for projects.

Why I picked Hub Planner: The tool is highly customizable. You can create your own task types and resource groups, which makes it easy to tailor the software to your team's specific needs. There are also a lot of reporting options available, which is helpful for tracking project progress and making data-driven decisions.

Hub Planner allows you to see all of your team members' schedules in one place, so you can quickly identify any conflicts or overbooking. You can also set resource availability and leave, so you always know who is available to work on a particular project. The drag-and-drop functionality is particularly helpful when it comes to scheduling resources.

Hub Planner Standout Features & Integrations

Features include resource management, PTO planning, timesheets, reporting, skills matching, task management, templates, drag and drop scheduler, project budgets, approval flow, smart scheduler, and third-party integrations/add-ons.

Integrations include DIY options via the Hub Planner API and webhooks. Additionally, you can access thousands of apps using a Zapier account.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 16

30-day free trial

From $7/user/month (billed annually)

5

Trello

Best for simple Kanban boards

Trello is user-friendly project scheduling software that uses Kanban boards to keep you on track. The basic idea is that you create a board for each project, add lists such as “To do”, “In progress,” and “In review,” then add tasks to each one.

The thing I love about Trello is how easy it is to use. It’s easy to add tasks by creating a new card. You can then add due dates, collaborators, and a to-do list that shows what you need to do to complete a task.

Moving cards across projects is as simple as dragging them from one list to another. And you can set up an automation that moves tasks when the to-do list is complete. You can also comment on tasks and add attachments to each one.

Trello has a generous free plan with unlimited members and cards. You also get access to the easy-to-use mobile app on Android and iOS.

The downside is that you can only add ten boards per workspace. You also miss out on custom fields, advanced checklists, and the ability to upload files larger than 10MB.

Trello has plenty of integrations, including with Slack, Google Drive, Jira, and Ganttify. If you want to upgrade, the standard plan costs $6 per user per month and premium costs $12.50 per user per month.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.4 12685

Free trial + freemium plan available

From $6/user/month

6

Asana

Best for integrations

Asana is an easy-to-use project management system. The thing I like about it most is how easy it is to use. Creating and assigning tasks is super-intuitive. And the drag and drop interface makes moving them to the relevant place easy.

The free plan helps you schedule projects with up to 15 users. You can create unlimited projects and tasks and then assign them to relevant stakeholders. Then create dependencies within a task so people know when they need to work. You can view projects in both calendar and regular view.

Asana’s free version offers integrations with over 100 apps, including Microsoft Teams, Adobe Cloud, Slack, Salesforce, and more. Paid plans start at $13.49 per user per month. For this, you get premium features including task templates and the ability to set start and end dates for each task.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.3 8325

Free plan available

From $10.99/user/month

7

Coda

Best no-code document builder

Coda is the most unusual tool on this list. It is a no-code document builder that lets you combine familiar document features into a single file. One document can include spreadsheets, text, charts, Kanban boards, drop-down menus, and headings.

How does this fit in with project scheduling? Well, you can use the tool to create powerful apps to manage your projects. Just add the features you need to get your work done. If you need some help, start off with one of many project templates that cover everything from task lists, to content calendars, and more.

You can also pull in data from different tools, or send the information from your doc out to other software. For example, you can set up the tool to notify people on Slack when someone completes a task. Each document is fully collaborative, so everyone in your team can work on the same one.

The free tool offers access to pretty much everything Coda has to offer. The only limit is that you can’t hide pages which means docs become complicated. You are also restricted to using 1,000 rows and up to 50 objects.

If you find this isn’t enough, you can upgrade to a paid plan for $12 per doc maker per month. The doc maker is the person who creates the document, everyone else can still collaborate on the doc for free.

Free Plan Available

From $12/month/user

8

TeamGantt

Best for Gantt charts

TeamGantt is a tool that specializes in—you guessed it—Gantt charts. This makes breaking complex projects down into smaller steps and milestones easy. And the tool has plenty of features that help with project planning, scheduling, and management.

Why I picked TeamGantt: The tool uses a drag-and-drop interface which makes it easy to add tasks to your project. Project scheduling is as simple as adding deadlines and dependencies so you know exactly when work should be finished. Once you are set up, it’s easy to switch between Gantt, Kanban, and calendar views to get a full overview of your project.

TeamGantt Standout Features & Integrations

Features include a drag-and-drop UI, a multiple-project view, workloads, team availability, a live chat for improved collaboration, portfolio views, reports, and a dedicated mobile app.

Integrations include Basecamp, Dropbox, Slack, and thousands of additional apps using Zapier. You can also build custom integrations using its API.

TeamGantt Plans & Pricing

Pricing starts at $24 /manager/month and provides access to unlimited projects and tasks.

30-day free trial

From $24/manager/month

9

ClickUp

Best productivity platform

Clickup brands itself as a productivity platform rather than a project scheduling tool, but it has plenty of features that make it great at the latter. The free plan has rich functionality and many powerful tools.

The standout feature is the huge array of view options. The free plan gives unlimited use of list, board, table, and calendar views, as well as restricted uses of Gantt, activity, project timelines, workload, map, and mind views. It’s everything you need to schedule projects effectively.

ClickUp also has several features that make it a powerful collaboration tool. In-app email, collaborative docs, and real-time chat make working in a team easy. There’s also limited cloud storage.

Paid plans add unlimited storage, full access to integrations, and the ability to add guests with set permissions. You also get more advanced security and sign-in options. Pricing starts at $9 per member per month.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.7 4135

Freemium plan available

From $9/user/month

10

Teamwork

Best for time tracking

Teamwork is a powerful project management solution with plenty of advanced features on the paid plan. The free plan is more limited, but still has much to get to grips with.

Teamwork’s free plan lets you create two projects and add up to five users. You can create tasks and subtasks within each project, and then set dependencies so work gets done in the right order. Calendar, Gantt, and board views provide plenty of insight into project progression, which is great for scheduling.

Time tracking functionality is the standout feature of the free plan. You can track how long activities take manually or with a timer. It’s easy to view all this data on a timesheet, which is useful for invoicing or simply scheduling upcoming projects effectively.

While Teamwork has plenty of integrations, the free plan only offers integrations via Zapier. If you want to upgrade, paid plans start at $12.50 per user per month.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.4 1057

30-day free trial

From $13.99/user/month

Need expert help selecting the right Project Scheduling Software?

We’ve joined up with Crozdesk.com to give all our readers (yes, you!) access to Crozdesk’s software advisors. Just use the form below to share your needs, and they will contact you at no cost or commitment. You will then be matched and connected to a shortlist of vendors that best fit your company, and you can access exclusive software discounts!

The 10 Best Free Project Scheduling Software Comparison Chart

Here is a table with some of the information we just covered. Use it to compare the options from this list and, if you want to expand your tool research, we have more options after this chart.

Tool Free Option Price
1
Wrike

Best for customized solutions

Free plan available

From $9.80/user/month Visit Website
2
monday.com

Best free scheduling for startups & freelancers

14-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats) Visit Website
3
Zoho Projects

Best for scalability & flexibility

10-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $5/user/month Visit Website
4
Hub Planner

Best for businesses or teams that need to manage complex schedules and resources

30-day free trial

From $7/user/month (billed annually) Visit Website
5
Trello

Best for simple Kanban boards

Free trial + freemium plan available

From $6/user/month Visit Website
6
Asana

Best for integrations

Free plan available

From $10.99/user/month Visit Website
7
Coda

Best no-code document builder

Free Plan Available

From $12/month/user Visit Website
8
TeamGantt

Best for Gantt charts

30-day free trial

From $24/manager/month Visit Website
9
ClickUp

Best productivity platform

Freemium plan available

From $9/user/month Visit Website
10
Teamwork

Best for time tracking

30-day free trial

From $13.99/user/month Visit Website

Other Options

Here are some more free project scheduling tools that you can check out.

  1. Airtable – Best for project scheduling via spreadsheets.
  2. Google Workspace – Best for those in the Google app ecosystem.
  3. Freedcamp – Best free plan with unlimited users, storage, projects, and task management.
  4. Microsoft Online – Best free project scheduling on the web using Excel, PowerPoint and the MS Office 365 suite.

How I Picked The Best Free Project Scheduling Software

First, I researched all the top free project scheduling platforms according to user reviews and popularity. Then, I narrowed down the list by pinning the software against each other based on a variety of factors that make software a good option for project scheduling. Finally, I selected the final list and evaluated them based on the criteria below.

User Interface (UI)

Although a premium plan offers more features, it does not mean you get a different visual experience. The tools on the list look great. They are all free versions of paid tools, so you get the same premium UI as paid users.

Usability

Each tool is easy to set up and use. Those with more features tend to have a slightly higher learning curve, but it can be worth it for the extra functionality.

Integrations

Your project scheduling software needs to work with the other tools your business uses. Common integrations include receiving notifications on Slack or adding storage via cloud platforms like Dropbox. Some free plans limit integration availability.

Completely free to use

All the tools on this list provide great project scheduling functionality at no cost. You can use the tools for as long as you like without paying a cent.

Free Project Scheduling FAQs

Find answers to common questions other people ask about this topic.

What is Project Scheduling Software?

Project scheduling software is a tool that helps you keep your projects on track. It provides an overview of everything you need to do to get work done and enables you to delegate these tasks to team members.

Project scheduling software has a lot in common with both project management software and resource scheduling software.

What key features should I look for when choosing free project scheduling software?

The tools on this list all help you schedule projects in their own way. But they will often have some combination of the following features:

  • Projects: Create spaces for each of your projects to keep tasks separate. This provides crucial insight into how each one is progressing. Free tools usually limit the number of projects you can create, so check the tool you want meets your needs before signing up.
  • Tasks: Tasks are the individual things you need to do to complete a project. The best free project scheduling tools let you create tasks, set due dates, and assign team members to each one.
  • Subtasks and dependencies: Subtasks let you break each task down into steps. You can also create dependencies, so work is always completed in the correct order.
  • Multiple views: Views provide different insights into your projects. The tools on this list provide some combination of Gantt, Kanban, calendar, and task views.
  • Automation: Some tools include automation to help streamline your workflow. For example, Trello lets you set up an automation that automatically moves a task to your “Done” board when you tick off all boxes in the task checklist.
free project scheduling software logos list

What's Next?

It’s amazing how much functionality you can get without paying any money, and many of the tools are more than enough for not just freelancers and solopreneurs but even small teams and businesses. Next, I recommend you read how to nail project scheduling to wow your stakeholders.

Related tool lists:

If you need more help with your project management, then subscribe to the Insider Membership newsletter. Each weekly email contains the latest tips, tricks, and PM-related content.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. Ben's a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut.

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