10 Best Desktop Project Management Software In 2023

Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that decided to replicate the browser experience within their desktop app. This added multiple tab functionality gives it on my scale a 10/10 in user friendliness.

Regarding offline mode, the desktop version does not have it. I decided to label this tool as an offline desktop app because their mobile app allows you to work while on the road. So, if you have to travel for work, make sure you download their mobile app so you can keep working offline. Tasks will sync once you regain internet connection.

Wrike offers 400+ pre-built native integrations, including integrations with the most popular file management software from Microsoft, Google, and Dropbox, along with sales and marketing software from Salesforce and Marketo.

Wrike is free for up to 5 users. Paid plans cost from $9.80/user/month and come with a 14-day free trial.

monday.com is a self-proclaimed workOS that is constantly developing new features and products for their users. Mid-2020 was when they re-released the desktop version of their platform and the one being discussed in this review.

The user interface is as friendly as the browser, having the same color scheme, buttons, and visuals around your workspace. Unfortunately for this desktop tool, there is no offline synchronization. This means you will still have to be hooked up to an internet connection if you want to track that project progress.

One final thought. I noticed this app is a little slower with navigation and loading, so bring out all your mindfulness knowledge to let go of the added stress.

monday.com’s integrations include project management apps like Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Typeform and many more, accessible through a paid plan with Zapier.

monday is free for up to 2 users. Paid plans cost from $6/user/month and come with a 14-day free trial.

ClickUp is a force to be reckoned with. This San Diego based productivity platform wants to be a one stop shop for us. Because of that ambition, I found in my research that they are constantly updating their platform, releasing new features every week! Whoa!

Their desktop app has been built as a native app for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. This means it was designed, planned, and adapted to run smoothly on your computer. Visual friendliness is high as it is easy to find your way around it and feels uncluttered.

As you can see in the screenshot above, ClickUp has offline sync for its desktop app! Time to go to that cabin by the lake with no internet service. You’ll be able to keep creating tasks and reminders or tracking time and the app will automatically sync your information when it recovers an internet connection.

ClickUp offers native integrations with Slack, G Suite, Dropbox, and many more tools, as well as over 1,000+ integrations through Zapier.

ClickUp is free with limited storage for an unlimited number of users. Paid plans start at $5/user/month and offer a free-trial.

Height is a robust and feature-rich project management app designed to help product managers, designers, and professional agencies manage projects, streamline workflows, and get everyone involved on the same page.

The tool can be accessed and deployed through the web or downloaded and used as an on-premise solution. Both Windows and macOS versions are available to download on the vendor’s official website.

As an all-in-one project management tool that supports desktop and mobile use, Height offers several features that benefit businesses and teams of any size, at scale from visualization tools that include spreadsheets, calendar views, Kanban boards, and Gantt charts to automation tools, task forms, and a code-to-task function.

The code-to-task feature is quite impressive as it allows users to automatically create tasks from code comments. It helps project leads and managers turn //todo into tasks that can be allocated to different team members. This function works with any code editor or integrated development environment (IDE), including VSCode, Xcode, Vim, and Sublime. It also supports up to 38 programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, and Ruby.

The task forms feature enables users to turn incoming requests for work into actual tasks. Task forms are a crucial factor in creating an efficient intake process with the capacity to help standardize work requests. The forms will contain structured sets of questions that need to be answered, which reduce the back-and-forth between project leads and individual team members.

Task forms also allow key stakeholders and clients to submit tasks using shareable links. Project managers can gather and manage requests from clients using the task forms, which can be customized to add company logos and colors.

The Height app is free with unlimited users and tasks. For teams looking for more than what the free version can offer, the paid plan starts from $6.99 per member/month with a 30-day free trial.

Zoho Projects is a full-featured project management tool that runs on the desktop. It allows users to collaborate on tasks, track progress, and set deadlines in an organized manner. The user interface can be customized depending on the team’s needs and preferences. Several helpful features include time tracking, task lists, interactive timelines, milestones tracking, analytics reports, and resource allocation capabilities.

Zoho Projects’ task management feature allows users to organize their tasks into lists and assign them to team members. Tasks can be grouped into larger projects so that team members can easily see what tasks need to be completed for each project. The software includes powerful collaboration tools such as discussion groups, calendar integration, and notifications when changes are made by other users. It provides a centralized location for documents so all team members can always access the same information. Users can track the progress of their projects with the help of Gantt charts, which visualize all tasks related to a project in one place. Zoho Projects helps reduce time spent on manual processes such as creating reports or assigning new tasks since everything is automatically updated in real-time as work progresses. This makes it easier for leaders to quickly evaluate progress from anywhere at any time via the cloud-based interface.

Zoho Projects’ time tracking feature allows businesses to monitor how much time each team member spends on tasks and adjust resources accordingly. It offers reporting tools that allow users to track progress throughout a project's life cycle and generate detailed reports based on activity logs from specific projects or multiple projects simultaneously. These reports are customizable and exportable in multiple formats, including PDFs, spreadsheets, and images, making it easy for teams to review them offline when needed.

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 more.

Zoho Projects costs from $5/user/month and comes with a 10-day free trial.

For all of Gen Z, Microsoft Project is the Asana of years past. This tool was first released in 1984 and was a project manager’s favorite for a long time, you know, before the internet mostly. Although a classic, Microsoft has never stopped reinventing the tool and adapting it to current project needs.

The interface is as friendly as it can be given that it’s based on spreadsheets. The real win comes from its availability as a stand-alone offline desktop software. If you are the only one who needs visibility of the project plan, and travels constantly, this might be your best choice.

The desktop version lacks the integrations that you love from other online tools. If you want to expand your platform’s functionality with integrations though, you should check out Microsoft Project for the web where you can have integrations with the Microsoft suite and more starting at $10/user/month.

MS Project’s one-time license starts at $679.99

Known for their Kanban-style task management view, this $425 million acquisition by Atlassian started making its way to our desktops in 2017. When the desktop version was released, Trello had already built a mobile version of their browser experience and gone through the process of mirroring their features on another platform.

Their desktop app clearly shows the results because it feels exactly like the software I used to use back in 2014 at my marketing agency. I’ve always liked how intuitive and visually appealing their boards are. Choosing a background for your board is such a silly thing but I love the feeling that level of personalization gives me.

Regarding offline synchronization, they have it! but only in their mobile app. Better than nothing, right? At least I can get some work done when I travel.

Integrations are called power-ups, and you can add as many as you want to a board regardless of your plan.

Trello has a free plan and their paid plans start at $5/user/month.

Hive is a productivity company based in New York. According to user reviews, one of the main reasons people like it is because of how easy it is to learn, and I agree with them. The first time you get your hands on Hive, as any new user, you begin clicking around. After a few minutes I found myself repeating the phrase “it makes sense”.

Their user interface is intuitive and simple. Anything can be found after a couple of clicks, and can be a good tool to adopt as your operation grows. At a competitive price, it has the features needed for teams of all sizes. Unfortunately for this desktop app, it does not work unless you have an active internet connection.

Hive integrates with Google Drive, MS Teams, Slack, Salesforce, Jira, and many more via a paid plan through Zapier.

Hive is free for up to 2 users. Paid plans cost from $12/user/month and come with a 14-day free trial.

Starting as an open source project, ActiveCollab has been in the market for over a decade. Although not one of the top contenders in productivity tools, this product checks all the boxes for this list.

After using it for a few minutes, it was clear to me that this is a friendly interface. The layout is consistent throughout the different modules, which makes it easy to find your way around it. With a list, column, and timeline view, it has all the necessary ingredients for you to bake your next project.

ActiveCollab has both a mobile and desktop (beta) version of their software, but there’s no offline mode on any of them.

They have a free plan and their paid plans start at $6.25/user/month with a 14-day free trial.

Bloo, founded in 2018, is a project management tool that wants to serve small businesses. Their price point is lower than other software companies of the category and removes the ‘per user’ payment that we’ve gotten so used to. Flat fee for the month, people!

Their desktop application can be installed through your Google Chrome browser, and it requires an internet connection to work. The interface is very friendly, as you can see in the screenshot. Testimonials from users point out the same thing as well as how easy it is to learn to use it.

If you are looking to do some offline work, their mobile apps (iOS & Android) have offline mode! As the platform is updated every month, we might see offline mode in their desktop app soon.

Integrations: None. Automations: yes.

Pricing flat fee at $50/month.