15 Best Project Management Software Picked For 2024

monday.com is an award-winning project management platform that can help you build custom workflows for your projects.

Why I picked monday.com: I chose this tool because it's customizable in almost every way. Besides all the different task views, custom fields, and collaboration features, monday.com is great at helping you create automated workflows. The automation center is a view where you can select from pre-defined templates and simply click to select the information that is most relevant to you from dropdown menus.

Additionally, I like that it offers template actions built for integrations like Slack, and custom cards that you can start from scratch. If you go down this route, you will be taken to a drag-and-drop builder. You can also read my in-depth monday.com review for a complete overview of the tool, as well as a short video tutorial of basic features.

monday.com Standout Features & Integrations

Features include resource workload and allocation that will give you information on what your team is doing and how busy they are. Another standout is the collaborative docs that help everyone co-author documentation and link to other files within the software. Finally, its customizable dashboards make it possible for you to build views that display the data that is relevant to your operation.

Integrations include pre-built connections to apps like Slack, Google Drive, DocuSign, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform and many more. Additionally, you can connect to thousands of additional apps via Zapier.

Smartsheet is a spreadsheet-like project management platform. It’s a nice platform if you’re comfortable working in Excel but want a break from complicated formulas, as Smartsheet performs all the calculations for you across multiple sheets.

Why I picked Smartsheet: The platform makes it easy for you to automate workflows and create work applications, which is the main reason I included it on my list. You have all the workflow automation capabilities that are available for all users. This module within the software lets you automate almost any activity you can think of in a visual drag-and-drop environment. A few examples include alerts for change of status, automated approval requests, and responding to update requests from your email or Slack.

Additionally, you have the software's work applications. I like that these are intuitive web and mobile apps that you can build to work with Smartsheet's WorkApps. WorkApps is a no-code platform where you can build apps from a template or directly from sheets, forms, reports, and even external content. I found these so powerful—they even include role permissions you can configure for your team.

Smartsheet Standout Features & Integrations

Features include Bridge - a business process automation builder that can help you build workflows in a no-code interface and dashboards that can give you a real-time view of your KPIs, critical trends, and summary reports. Additionally, the document builder integrates directly with DocuSign and lets you send docs for e-signatures while tracking the status of each one.

Integrations include Microsoft and Google apps, as well as development essentials like Jira, and useful business apps like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Slack, Box, and Tableau. The platform is extensible through a REST API and webhooks.

ClickUp is a project management productivity app with powerful features the allow you to plan projects, schedule tasks, and manage resources in a centralized workspace, regardless of your physical location.

Why I picked ClickUp: I selected ClickUp because of how well they approach the idea of making an app that replaces all others. The features included in this software make it an option for remote teams since they mainly encourage collaboration. From the ability to tag people in conversations to collaborative documents and whiteboards that help users co-create, I really believe that you won't need to leave this platform unless it's to bill the client.

ClickUp Standout Features & Integrations

Features include the whiteboards that let you brainstorm with your team to come up with a bulletproof plan and the collaborative docs that work as a Wiki where everyone can join and add to the conversation. I also thought it was cool that you can access an in-app chat and proofing features that can help you streamline approvals on marketing collateral with the client.

Integrations include native ones with Slack, HubSpot, TogglTrack, Figma, Loom, Sentry, G Suite, Dropbox, Clockify, and Calendly. Additionally, you can connect to another 1,000+ apps using a paid membership with Zapier. Finally, if making custom integrations is within your reach, there is a public API you can use for it.

Wrike is an award-winning project management software that qualifies as a suitable companion for any organization looking to scale.

Why I picked Wrike: I chose this tool because it offers flexible plans that can support any team size, starting with a free plan that is perfect to manage tasks in small teams. In addition, the features that Wrike offers go anywhere from lists and simple status fields to approvals, proofing, resource management and budgeting.

The robust Enterprise features for teams with additional security and granular permission needs were another reason I added this software to my list. They even have a special tier for complex organizations that have specific requirements, which I thought was a useful addition.

Wrike Standout Features & Integrations

Features include visual proofing that will help your team receive multi-tier approvals from the client and workflow automations to make those repetitive tasks go away. You can also access project portfolio management features that will let you know if your project initiatives are contributing to the company's strategy and goals, and cross-tagging for projects that require input from other initiatives in the business.

Integrations in Wrike include 400+ pre-built native integrations that include Asana, Airtable, BambooHR, Chargify, Clearbit, HubSpot, Jenkins, Mailchimp, Replicon, Salesforce, and Slack. Additionally, you can build custom automations using its API.

Kintone is a customizable project tracking platform used by teams at Volvo Trucks North America, Japan Airlines, Shiseido, and over 23,000 organizations worldwide.

Why I picked Kintone: This software's unique approach to project and task management lets you build a wide variety of customizable “apps” either from scratch, using templates or from your existing spreadsheets. I chose to include it because the apps can be customized for project management, sales CRM, customer databases, expense reports, shared to-do lists, equipment management, product feedback, and much more.

I also like that you can build your no-code project tracking apps by dragging and dropping elements that you want to see onto the page. This includes rich text fields, date fields, drop-down menus, number fields with built-in calculations, and more. Once you’ve built the app you want, you can use it to track whatever data and tasks you and your team need. Finally, custom notifications and reminders will keep you up to date.

In my opinion, what makes Kintone particularly great for project tracking are the features to filter and prioritize tasks by data field or team member to generate custom reports or dashboard views, as well as the ability to automate reminders and handoffs between team members for multi-step workflows.

Kintone’s built-in communication features also allow teams to discuss projects directly in the app and in topic or project-based threads. Dedicated “spaces” organize everything your team needs for your project, including task-tracking apps and searchable conversation threads.

Kintone Standout Features & Integrations

Features include a pre-built application library, enhanced process management, private messaging, real-time custom graphs and charts, and granular permission controls.

Integrations. Kintone lets you expand its capabilities with both free native plugins built by the Kintone team as well as integrations with other tools like Slack, Gmail, Google Calendar, Outlook, Tableau, Dropbox, Salesforce, HubSpot, Eventbrite, WordPress, QuickBooks, MailChimp, and many more through a paid plan with Zapier or via API integrations.

Visor offers a flexible project management platform with custom workflows, project roadmaps, and collaboration tools. The tool helps you create free and colorful Gantt charts and spreadsheets that connect to SaaS apps like Jira.

Why I Picked Visor: This software provides several collaboration features for busy project teams, including the ability to assign tasks and responsibilities to team members. I picked it because it allows team members to focus on specific project components while keeping others informed of their progress. With the drag-and-drop interface, task lists can be easily customized, due dates can be set, and notes or comments can be added for further context. I like that within the project workspace, users can share files, send messages, and make comments.

Visor offers a distinctive collaboration feature by displaying a comprehensive view of project progress. By showing completed tasks, upcoming deadlines, and potential roadblocks, team members can quickly identify areas needing attention and take appropriate measures. I find that this feature assists teams in staying on schedule, decreasing the possibility of missed deadlines or delays.

Visor Standout Features & Integrations 

Features include Visor's two-way syncing to SaaS apps ensures that your charts and reports stay accurate without manual work. Its 2-way sync also allows you to build workbooks that can combine information from multiple tools in one place and create multi-app workflows. 

Integrations include Jira Software, Salesforce, and Hubspot. You can also import data from Google Sheets and Excel.

QuickBase is a project management platform that focuses on workflow design, automation, and compliance. It provides a no-code application builder to help you craft and manage various business processes.

Why I picked QuickBase: This software made it onto my list because of its versatility and customizability. Because it's such a flexible tool, it can be applied in all different types of work settings and contexts. You can use it to build clear, streamlined processes for your teams, creating consistency and ensuring standardized best practices are followed.

In addition to outlining your core workflows, you can also automate parts of them. The builder allows you to not just map your applications but also to automate tasks and develop integrations with other tools as needed. This helps you alleviate manual workloads, reduce the risk of manual error, and streamline how work gets done across your organization.

QuickBase Standout Features & Integrations

Features include the software's 'starter apps' and app 'components'. These are tools that help you speed up the creation process. Starter apps are ready-made applications you can implement quickly at your business, while components are pre-configured elements of applications you can piece together to build a bespoke app more quickly. This is super helpful for getting applications up and running in a timely manner.

Integrations include Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Trello, Asana, Jira, Zendesk, and Docusign, among others.

Ravetree is a work management software platform that empowers teams to deliver work faster, be more informed, and spend less time searching for information. Project-driven organizations around the world use Ravetree to manage their projects, resources, and client information—all in one place.

Why I picked Ravetree: Companies love Ravetree’s elegant and clean user interface, which makes it easy to communicate and collaborate with colleagues and clients. Ravetree eliminates the pain of moving between different applications, relying on cumbersome spreadsheets, and entering the same data in multiple places. Other tools are geared towards either project managers or team members, but not both. Ravetree has solved this problem by providing the powerful features needed by project managers while offering the usability and intuitiveness needed by team members who just want to get work done.

Ultimately, companies benefit from having a single source of truth from which they can optimize their operations and easily see the big picture. Ravetree has a 5-star customer support rating and takes pride in being a customer-focused company. Training, setup, and customer support are 100% free.

Standout Features & Integrations

Features include resource management, client portals, request forms, file management, CRM, time tracking, and billing.

Integrations include native integrations with Box, GitHub, Google Drive, Stripe, QuickBooks, Facebook, Exchange, Gmail, HubSpot, and Xero.

GanttPRO is a project management software based on Gantt charts and useful for managing all kinds of projects and teams from different spheres. It stands out for its intuitive interface and powerful features.

Why I picked GanttPRO: The software includes features for breaking down projects in an efficient manner. For example, I was able to break down my work into subtasks, sibling tasks, and subprojects, as well as set dependencies and milestones. To get more visibility, I also liked that you can choose between a Gantt chart, Board views, and task dashboards. GanttPRO also offers handy task management features such as statuses, priorities, duration & estimation, progress, dates and deadlines, assignees, and more.

The Gantt chart maker allows teams to collaborate in real-time using comments, mentions, and attachments, which I found pretty handy. Resource management and workload features for monitoring team members' workload and tasks are also included.

GanttPRO Standout Features & Integrations

Features include task management, resource management, time management, budget tracking, different data views, and templates to get you quickly started on a project.

Integrations include Jira, Google Drive, Slack, and other applications. GanttPRO is widely used in software development, construction, healthcare, finances, events, and education.

GanttPRO Plans & Pricing

Basic plans for one user start at $7.99/month if billed annually and offer a fully featured 14-day free trial.

Hub Planner is a project management and resource scheduling software that helps you manage your team's projects as well as their time.

Why I picked Hub Planner: This software made my list because it's especially good for resource planning and employee time tracking. I like that you can plan your projects with the budgeting system, which covers internal and external billing rates as well as project spend. Dependencies also allow you to connect projects with one another and monitor overlap in resource utilization.

Resource planning is ultimately the heart of the platform, and where it truly shines. I think it's useful that you can create employee schedules and do capacity planning to make sure each project is well-resourced. Employees can track their time in the system, keeping track of billable and non-billable hours and the time required for various tasks.

Hub Planner Standout Features & Integrations

Features include the software's skills matching capabilities. You can find resources based on the specific skills needed for projects and tasks, and then assign staff to projects based on their workloads and capacity. I also found the drag-and-drop scheduler quite handy and easy to use.

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

Nifty is a project management tool that reduces project development cycles and improves team productivity by measuring progress by milestones and ensuring organizational goals remain on schedule.

Why I picked Nifty: I chose this tool because it allows you to manage tasks through Kanban or list views, has a built-in calendar that can be integrated with Google, and includes features for file and document sharing. It also has some great collaboration features, such as individual discussion threads that are project-specific, which I found to be a helpful addition.

Nifty is flexible to your team's project workflow, and the cross-organizational project overview tab provides insights into high-level timelines. Meanwhile, I like that you can also do a task-level deep-dive analysis for projects. I also found the help center to be super useful for ensuring maximum team efforts on the platform.

Nifty Standout Features & Integrations

Features include discussions, task management, time tracking, collaborative docs that can be centrally stored, and reporting.

Integrations include importing data from Asana, Basecamp, ClickUp, and Trello, and has native integrations with Slack, Zoom, GitHub, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Google Calendar, while its Zapier integration connects Nifty with over 1000 additional apps.

Paid plans starting at just $5/user/month.

FigJam is a collaborative virtual whiteboard platform, developed by Figma. It's a highly versatile solution that facilitates various types of teamwork including brainstorming, workflow design, and strategic planning.

Why I picked FigJam: I included this tool on my list because of how different it is from traditional project management tools. Where other platforms offer structured Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and task lists, FigJam takes a much more freeform approach. It's essentially a blank canvas, that lets you organize your ideas, thoughts, and plans however makes the most sense for your team.

That said, you won't be totally left to fend for yourself with this software. It offers plenty of ready-made templates for everything from project kickoff brainstorms to project roadmaps, timelines, and flowcharts. You can use these as a starting point to craft your own workflows and outline your project plans.

FigJam Standout Features & Integrations

Features include pre-built project management templates, audio and live chat, stamp and emoji reacts, external collaborator access, calendar and timeline widgets, bitmoji avatars, music player, and mobile app.

Integrations include Figma, Microsoft Teams, Asana, Jira, Mixpanel, and Github.

MS Project is Microsoft’s answer to project management. This tool lets users manage agile projects using simple, visual task boards that support Scrum, Kanban, or custom workflows and choose whatever methodology makes sense for the project: agile, waterfall, or hybrid.

Why I picked Microsoft Project: This PM software is particularly easy to use and learn if you are familiar with the Microsoft family of products. Most offices are these days, which is why I decided to include it on my list. Online tutorials and forums can also fill in any gaps, making the learning curve small. Ultimately, I found all of this made it a user-friendly option.

Side note: This is a standard and industry-accepted tool, but it’s not perfect. One downside I found is that it’s not easy to run on iOS. If you like MS Project but are looking for similar options that run on a Mac, I'd suggest evaluating some other options.

Microsoft Project Standout Features & Integrations

Features include kanban boards, timelines with milestones, Power BI dashboards, resource requests, visual heatmaps to identify over-allocation, built-in templates, reporting, task management, and portfolio management.

Integrations include other Microsoft software, like Outlook, Excel, Skype, and more.

Airtable is a project management solution that lets users add attachments, long text notes, checkboxes, links, barcodes, and more to records in other tables.

Why I picked Airtable: Powerful filtering, sorting, and grouping give you the freedom to arrange your work in whatever way works best for your team, which is what made this platform a good fit for my list. The user interface is sleek, modern, colorful, and attractive, and I found it a pleasure to use and navigate. This software scored well in my UX consideration for the evaluation criteria I've outlined in this article.

One thing to consider is that the learning curve for Airtable is made troublesome by a general lack of tutorials and training on their site. Certain features, like posting assignments, might be tricky to teach or learn in my opinion.

Airtable Standout Features & Integrations

Features include rich field types, desktop and mobile apps, Gantt, timeline and list views, automations, and in-record commenting features.

Integrations. Airtable has built-in support for many popular apps and a robust API. Use Zapier, Workato, Integromat, or Automate.io to connect Airtable with over 1000 websites and apps like Asana, Basecamp, Box, Evernote, Facebook, Github, MailChimp, Slack, and more.

Forecast is an all-in-one platform for resource and project management, that is equipped with tools to manage everything from quote to invoice, plus it offers intelligent automation to predict project delivery dates, forecast capacity needs, and become more efficient. Their AI uses cumulative learnings from hundreds of thousands of projects and creates rules based on that user data.

Why I picked Forecast: Let’s talk about features. The Auto-Schedule feature is great for project scheduling, providing estimates, automatically assigning resources to tasks, and was a big reason why I included this tool on my list. It’s got a drag-and-drop module that lets you adjust plans and resources in an instant. Another cool feature I appreciated is that the tool automatically builds a budget for every project with key financial metrics to track planned vs. actuals.

Additionally, the software supports various billing types (fixed price, time & materials) side-by-side and in real-time. It has advanced up-to-the-minute reports you can customize, which I think makes it a flexible option. Forecast also introduced a one-of-its-kind feature to manage projects in a retainer setup. A dashboard with retainer periods and totals lets you track the financials of ongoing projects without losing sight of staff workloads and time spent on delivery.

Forecast Standout Features & Integrations

Features include resource management, project accounting, business intelligence, retainer budget-type projects, auto-schedule, and AI-based recommendations.

Integrations include several turnkey integrations with mainstream project management tools and two-way sync with Jira on the market. It also complements accounting systems like Quickbooks and Xero with PM capabilities.