10 Best Project Management Tools For Remote Teams Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 25 tools reviewed.
There are seemingly countless project management solutions that claim to help remote teams, so figuring out which is best for you is tough. You want to bring your teams together under a single platform where they can collaborate just as if they were in the same room but need to figure out which tool is the best fit. I've got you! In this post I make things simple, leveraging my experience reviewing hundreds of different PM tools and experience in remote-first companies to bring you this shortlist of the best project management tools for remote teams.
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Best Project Management Tools for Remote Teams Summary
This comparison chart summarizes pricing details for my top project management tools for remote teams selections to help you find the best one for your budget and business needs.
| Tool | Best For | Trial Info | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best remote PM tool for 3rd-party integrations | Free plan available | From $9/seat/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 2 | Best for agile teams | Free plan + free demo + 14-day free trial available | From $10/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 3 | Best for collaboration and task management | 14-day free trial + free demo available | From $6/user/month | Website | |
| 4 | Best for task automation and customization | Free plan + free demo available + 15-day free trial | From $4/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 5 | Best collaborative whiteboard for remote teams | Free trial + free plan available | From $8/member/month | Website | |
| 6 | Best tool for mixed OS teams | Free plan available | From $13/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 7 | Best for building custom project workflows | 30-day free trial + free demo available | From $24/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 8 | Best platform for client work | 30-day free trial + free plan + free demo available | From $10.99/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 9 | Best software for remote teams using hybrid project methodologies | 30-day free trial + free demo available | From $14/user/month (billed annually) | Website | |
| 10 | Best remote project management for professional services businesses | Free trial + free demo available | From $29/user/month (billed annually, min 5 seats) | Website |
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Insightful
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8 -
Accelo
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.4 -
Forecast
Visit WebsiteThis is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.6
Best Project Management Tool for Remote Teams Reviews
Below are my detailed summaries of the best project management tools for remote teams that made it onto my shortlist. My reviews offer a detailed look at the key features, pros & cons, integrations, and ideal use cases of each tool to help you find the best one for you.
Used by over 100,000 teams, Monday.com offers a host of tools for planning, tracking, and delivering remote work for different projects. Out-of-office teams will most likely have a collection of apps they need on a daily basis and Monday.com delivers with hundreds on third-party integrations to choose from. They connect with the apps you would expect, like Slack and Microsoft, as well as more niche software like Eventbrite.
monday.com costs from $6/user/month and comes with a free 14-day trial. They offer a free plan for up to 2 users.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent collaborative features
- Simple organization by dragging and dropping tasks
- Very easy to invite others, share timelines, and assign tasks
Cons:
- Best features locked to Standard or Pro versions
- Automations are not fully customizable
- No bottleneck identification or assistance
New Product Updates from monday.com
monday.com Enhances Governance With AI Spend and Activity Logs
monday.com introduces AI governance with user limits and scheduled cleaning activity logs. These updates help teams control AI usage costs and maintain better visibility into system actions for compliance. For more information, visit monday.com’s official site.
Wrike is a project management tool best for teams of five to an unlimited number of users in distributed locations. Wrike’s project management tools give teams across time zones a digital information hub with real-time collaboration and remote communication.
Wrike’s project management tools are easy to learn and include task lists, subtasks, schedules, and shared workflows that help with daily workloads. Wrike offers simple navigation with distinct spaces, folders, and tasks, as well as between dashboards, calendars, reports, and the notification and messages stream.
Wrike has a dedicated help center with interactive training, videos, a ‘Getting Started’ guide, and a thriving community. The tool also offers templates to assist with standard organizational processes.
Wrike offers 400+ pre-built native integrations that make remote project management possible. Wrike’s integrations include the most popular file management software from Microsoft, Google, and Dropbox, along with sales and marketing software from Salesforce and Marketo.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Variety of project views meet different user needs
- Holistic, comprehensive task modeling
- Ease of use and setup
Cons:
- The commenting system needs to be more prominent
- Best features limited to Business plan
New Product Updates from Wrike
Streamlining Workspaces with New Updates
Wrike announces custom space templates, AI Agents in Wrike Labs, and a new Guage widget to improve project management. For more information, visit Wrike's official site.
Workzone is a project management software designed to help remote teams collaborate and manage tasks efficiently. Built for industries such as marketing, operations, and IT, it provides real-time visibility into project status and supports communication across distributed teams. By centralizing tasks and project updates, Workzone helps teams stay aligned and manage work effectively across different locations and time zones.
Why I Picked Workzone
I picked Workzone for its emphasis on collaboration and task management. The platform's project intake management feature allows you to streamline requests with pre-built forms, ensuring your team captures all necessary details from the start. Additionally, Workzone's advanced proofing capabilities support document and media reviews, facilitating seamless feedback loops. These features, combined with customizable templates, help your team maintain consistency and clarity, reducing the friction often encountered in remote work settings.
Workzone Key Features
In addition to its collaboration and task management strengths, Workzone offers many other features that enhance its utility for remote teams:
- Customizable Templates: You have access to over 1,000 templates that allow for consistent project launches, tailored to your specific industry needs.
- Secure File Sharing: This feature ensures that all your documents and assets are stored securely and are easily accessible to your team members.
- Pre-Built Reports: These reports provide insights into capacity planning and workload, helping you allocate resources effectively and keep projects on track.
- Flexible Permissions: You can set user-specific access levels, ensuring that sensitive information is only accessible to authorized team members.
Workzone Integrations
Integrations include Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Salesforce, Box, Dropbox, Everhour, Freshbooks, GitHub, and Jira, and more.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Project intake management simplifies task organization
- Integration with Slack and Google Drive improves workflow
Cons:
- Limited customization compared to other project management tools
- Limited mobile functionality
For remote teams seeking a project management tool that enhances productivity and fosters collaboration, Zoho Projects offers a compelling solution. Tailored for industries like construction, software development, and marketing, it addresses the unique challenges of distributed workforces by providing tools that streamline task management and improve communication. With features designed to tackle the intricacies of remote work, Zoho Projects helps your team stay organized and focused, ensuring projects are completed on time and within scope.
Why I Picked Zoho Projects
I picked Zoho Projects for its seamless integration of task management with team collaboration, which is crucial for remote teams. The platform's task automation feature lets you automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more strategic work. Additionally, its project customization options enable you to tailor workflows and fields to fit your team's specific needs, ensuring that your processes align perfectly with your project goals. These features, combined with its emphasis on privacy and security, make Zoho Projects an ideal choice for remote teams looking to enhance their project management capabilities.
Zoho Projects Key Features
In addition to task automation and customization, Zoho Projects offers:
- Gantt Charts: Visualize project timelines and dependencies to better plan and manage your team's workload.
- Time Tracking: Monitor billable hours and manage workloads with ease, ensuring accountability across your remote team.
- Issue Tracking: Identify and resolve project issues quickly to maintain project momentum and quality.
- Mobile Access: Stay connected with your team and manage projects on the go with mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Zoho Projects Integrations
Integrations include Zoho CRM, Slack, GitHub, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Box, Zapier, and Trello. An API is available for custom integrations.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Facilitates collaboration with a robust client portal
- Offers detailed reporting and analytics for project insights
- Centralized platform that improves visibility across projects
Cons:
- Customization options are less flexible than competitors
- Performance slowdowns when handling large or complex projects
Miro is a comprehensive online whiteboard designed with remote teams in mind, providing an extensive array of over 1,000 templates for various project management tasks. Its infinite canvas allows teams unlimited space for brainstorming and project mapping, supporting a wide range of idea expression, including numerical data, images, videos, and brand elements.
With the Miro Assist feature, the platform can generate ideas and pathways from initial prompts, facilitating collaborative brainstorming. Additionally, Miro enables asynchronous collaboration, accommodating diverse schedules and work habits, through features like comments and reactions.The platform also integrates well into hybrid work environments, offering interactive displays and mobile access, making it a suitable choice for teams looking to collaborate remotely.
Miro has integrations with a whole suite of tools, including Zoom, Figma, Asana, Microsoft Teams, Jira, Slack, Monday.com, Confluence, Google Drive, Box, Airtable, Notion, Azure, and Webex. Some integrations are limited to paid plans only.
Miro is free to use for unlimited members with up to 3 editable boards. Paid plans start at $8/user/month (billed annually).
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Built-in communication features for streamlined collaboration
- Intuitive and easy setup
- Free forever plan available
Cons:
- Free version does not allow high-quality export to pdf
- Zooming can be jumpy on larger projects
- Visitor/guest accounts locked to paid plans only
New Product Updates from Miro
Miro Enhances AI Workflows and Tables for Task Planning
Miro enhances AI workflows and Tables with AI-generated planning boards and web-aware automation. These updates help teams organize tasks faster and analyze external content within workflows. For more information, visit Miro’s official site.
MeisterTask tackles everything from individual task management to holistic project planning with a simple-to-use interface. Remote teams may be scattered across a variety of device types but that's not a problem for MeisterTask, which works with iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. Their smart device apps are no joke, either, with a 4.7-star rating on the Google Play Store at the time of writing this. They were also named Editor's Choice on the iOS App Store.
MeisterTask costs from $8.25/user/month and offers a free version for up to 3 projects.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Access to unlimited project boards
- Very easy to manage several projects at the same time
- Intuitive and user-friendly UI
Cons:
- After loading a file into a task it cannot be downloaded immediately
- File attachments limited to 200 MB per file
- Timeline and custom fields are restricted to Business accounts
Kintone is a customizable project planning platform used by teams at Volvo Trucks North America, Japan Airlines, Shiseido, and over 23,000 organizations worldwide. Their 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, for data management, business processes, and workflows. Kintone apps can be customized for project management, sales CRM, customer databases, expense reports, shared to-do lists, equipment management, product feedback, and much more.
Apps can be built either from scratch, using templates, or from existing spreadsheets for data management, business processes, and workflow purposes. Kintone apps can be customized for project management, sales CRM, customer databases, expense reports, shared to-do lists, equipment management, product feedback, and much more.
Kintone lets you build agile project management apps by dragging and dropping elements that you want to see onto the page: rich text fields, date fields, drop-down menus, number fields with built-in calculations, spaces for attachments, user or group selection menus, related data from other apps, tables, and more. Your agile project management solution can look and work however you want it to.
What makes Kintone particularly great for agile project management is that it empowers project managers to track all facets of their project, from individual tasks and project data to workflows and communication—and then use their findings to rapidly improve their processes as they go. Because the end-users are also the app designers, feedback loops are instant, continuous, and actionable.
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.
Kintone costs $24/user/month with a minimum requirement of 5 users. They offer a 30-day free trial (no credit card required) and discounted prices for nonprofits and educators. Kintone’s team also offers a free custom app build as part of the free trial process.
Teamwork is a jack-of-all-trades project management tool that remote teams will love for its task management, time tracking, resource management, and robust reporting capabilities. Small businesses or budget-strapped teams will appreciate their free forever plan for up to 5 users, 2 projects, and 100MB of storage space. Stuff like change history and burndown reporting are limited to the higher plans but many inventive teams can do without.
Teamwork costs from $10/user/month and offers a free version for up to 5 users.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Easily track comments and feedback from clients
- Easy and comprehensive report building
- Excellent time tracking features
Cons:
- Can be difficult to move/adjust milestones
- Doesn't sync with QuickBooks
- Billing and invoicing limited to paid plans
Best software for remote teams using hybrid project methodologies
ProjectManager lets users choose their own project view, be it agile, waterfall, or a hybrid methodology—whatever suits their needs. Flexible project views offer kanban boards, Gantt charts, task lists, and other common workflow arrangements. Remote teams will also appreciate their dedication to interdepartmental collaboration through an intuitive commenting system, robust roadmaps, and unlimited file-sharing.
ProjectManager costs from $15/user/month and offers a 30-day free trial.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Fits well into an Agile framework
- Easy to use project scheduling
- Good for costing and construction work monitoring
Cons:
- Most reports require a manual clean-up
- No way to sort Agile Boards by project, only by task
- No way to track and update partially complete tasks
Ravetree
Best remote project management for professional services businesses
Ravetree is a complete work management platform with project management, time and expense tracking, resource planning, file management, and client and contact management. Remote teams can outline their projects, assign tasks and checklists, and track their progress in the cloud-based system. Every team member can track their time spent on various tasks and projects, and will receive notifications about upcoming due dates related to their work.
Professional services businesses will benefit from the software's client-facing features. Request forms can be created both for external and internal requests. Projects can be grouped into portfolios, making it easier to manage multiple projects for a single client. The software also has a client portal that facilitates communications and updates on project process. Financials and budgets can also be tracked, and files can be stored and managed through the platform, keeping everything connected to project plans.
Plans start from $29/user/month, and a 7-day free trial is available.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- File and resource planning included
- Video and chat support
- Customized onboarding
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- Broad functionality, can be overwhelming
Other Project Management Tools
Here are some additional project management tools for remote teams options that didn’t make it onto my shortlist, but are still worth checking out:
- Plaky
For visual task management with remote teams
- Height
For extensive reporting and analytics tools
- ClickUp
Remote project management tool for screen recording
- Productive
For agency performance tracking
- Hive
Remote tool for agencies
- Smartsheet
Remote project management tool for sales reps
- Celoxis
For remote project portfolio management
- Bonsai Agency Software
For agencies, consultancies, and professional service firms
- Hubstaff
Free PM tool for remote teams
- Kissflow
Simple project management software for remote teams
- Kantata
For business intelligence (BI)
- Hub Planner by Milient
For midsized to large companies
- GoodDay
For diverse project views
- PathPro
For transparent team collaboration
- Asana
Drag-and-drop task list
PM Tool for Remote Teams Selection Criteria
When selecting the best project management tools for remote teams to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like effective communication and task coordination across time zones. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion in this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Task management
- Project tracking
- Collaboration tools
- Time tracking
- File sharing
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Custom workflow automation
- Advanced reporting and analytics
- Resource management
- Integration with multiple platforms
- Built-in communication tools
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive interface
- Easy navigation
- Minimal learning curve
- Customizable views
- Responsive design
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos
- Interactive product tours
- Access to templates
- Webinars and live demos
- Chatbot assistance
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- 24/7 support availability
- Live chat option
- Response time
- Knowledge base resources
- Dedicated account manager
Value For Money (10% of total score)
To evaluate the value for money of each platform, I considered the following:
- Competitive pricing
- Features offered in free plans
- Discounts for annual billing
- Scalability of pricing plans
- Cost versus feature set
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Overall rating
- Commonly mentioned pros
- Commonly mentioned cons
- User recommendations
- Frequency of updates and improvements
How to Choose Project Management Tools for Remote Teams
It’s easy to get bogged down in long feature lists and complex pricing structures. To help you stay focused as you work through your unique software selection process, here’s a checklist of factors to keep in mind:
| Factor | What to Consider |
|---|---|
| Scalability | Can the tool grow with your team? Consider how it handles increasing users or projects. Look for flexible pricing and capacity to accommodate future needs. |
| Integrations | Does it connect with your existing tools? Check for native integrations with software your team already uses to avoid manual data entry and improve workflow efficiency. |
| Customizability | How flexible is the tool for your workflows? Ensure you can tailor dashboards, fields, and processes to fit your unique team needs without too much hassle. |
| Ease of use | Is the interface intuitive for your team? Look for a tool that offers a user-friendly design to minimize training time and increase adoption. |
| Implementation and onboarding | How quickly can you get started? Evaluate the availability of training resources, support for migration, and ease of setup to speed up the onboarding process. |
| Cost | Does the pricing fit your budget? Compare the cost against the features offered, and be wary of hidden fees or expensive add-ons. |
| Security safeguards | Are your data protected? Check for compliance with industry standards, data encryption, and user access controls to ensure your information is secure. |
| Support availability | What support options are there? Consider if 24/7 support is available and whether it matches your team's needs for quick assistance during challenges. |
What Are Project Management Tools?
Project management tools are digital platforms that help you organize work, track progress, and communicate with your team—even if everyone's spread out. Project managers, remote teams, and freelancers use these tools to stay on top of tasks, share files, and work together in real time. They make it easier to keep projects moving and everyone in the loop, no matter where you are.
Features
When selecting project management tools for remote teams, keep an eye out for the following key features:
- Task management: Organizes and assigns tasks to team members, making it easy to track progress and deadlines.
- File sharing: Allows teams to upload and share documents, ensuring everyone has access to the latest information.
- Real-time communication: Facilitates instant messaging and video calls, helping team members stay connected and collaborate efficiently.
- Time tracking: Monitors hours spent on tasks, aiding in project budgeting and resource allocation.
- Customizable dashboards: Lets users personalize their workspace to display relevant information and metrics.
- Automations: Reduces repetitive tasks by automating workflows, increasing efficiency and productivity.
- Gantt charts: Visualizes project timelines and dependencies, making it easier to plan and manage complex projects.
- Resource management: Tracks team availability and workload, ensuring resources are used effectively.
- Budgeting tools: Helps manage project costs and track expenses to stay within budget.
- Security safeguards: Protects data with encryption and access controls, ensuring sensitive information remains secure.
Benefits
Implementing project management tools for remote teams provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Improved collaboration: Real-time communication and file sharing features keep team members connected and informed, enhancing teamwork.
- Increased productivity: Task management and automations help prioritize work and reduce manual tasks, freeing up time for more important activities.
- Better resource allocation: Resource management tools ensure that team workloads are balanced, preventing burnout and optimizing efficiency.
- Enhanced project visibility: Gantt charts and customizable dashboards provide clear views of project progress and timelines, aiding in better decision-making.
- Cost control: Budgeting tools and time tracking help monitor expenses and stay within budget, reducing financial strain.
- Data security: Security safeguards protect sensitive information, ensuring that your business data remains safe.
- Flexibility and scalability: Customizable features allow your team to adapt the tool to specific needs, and scalability ensures it grows with your business.
Costs & Pricing
Selecting project management tools for remote teams requires an understanding of the various pricing models and plans available. Costs vary based on features, team size, add-ons, and more. The table below summarizes common plans, their average prices, and typical features included in project management tools for remote teams solutions:
Plan Comparison Table for Project Management Tools for Remote Teams
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | $0 | Basic task management, file sharing, and limited integrations. |
| Personal Plan | $5-$15/user/month | Advanced task management, more integrations, and basic reporting. |
| Business Plan | $20-$50/user/month | Enhanced collaboration tools, custom workflows, and detailed analytics. |
| Enterprise Plan | $60-$100/user/month | Advanced security features, dedicated support, and full customization options. |
Project Management Tools for Remote Teams FAQs
Here are some answers to common questions about project management tools for remote teams:
How do I maintain team accountability when working remotely?
When your team is distributed, you’ll want a shared system where everyone clearly logs what they’re working on and when it’s due. Encourage regular check-in updates that tie into your tool so you’re not relying on status emails alone. Build a rhythm where everyone reviews progress together so no one slips off the radar.
Can remote-team tools help reduce meeting overload?
Yes — by using a central workspace where tasks, milestones and blockers are visible, you can reduce the number of reactive catch-ups. Instead of ad-hoc “What’s the status?” calls, the team can consult the tool and bring only true issues into meetings. Over time you’ll find fewer meetings that could have been an update in the tool.
How do I manage time-zone differences in a remote team environment?
When members span multiple time zones, you’ll need tools that support asynchronous updates and visibility without everyone being online at once. Encourage use of shared dashboards (or boards) that show who’s up next, what’s waiting, and what’s blocked so no one is stuck waiting until someone else logs in.
What are common pitfalls when a remote team uses project-management tools?
A frequent issue is “tool drift” — people end up using other channels (chat, email) instead of the tool and your single source of truth disappears. Another risk is low adoption: if it feels too heavy or confusing, people will revert to old habits. Also, the tool may expose too much or too little visibility, creating confusion about who does what.
How do I help a remote team adopt a new project-management tool smoothly?
Start with a pilot phase: pick one project, clearly define expectations for how you’ll use the tool, and gather feedback. Train the team on how you’ll use it (what they log, how they view updates). Monitor who isn’t logging in or updating and follow up early — adoption is easier when you catch non-users early.
How do I sustain momentum with the tool after the initial rollout?
Even after things feel like they’re running, you’ll want to revisit the tool’s usage periodically. Check whether tasks are still being updated, whether statuses are accurate, and whether people feeling it adds value. Celebrate visible wins — when the tool helped avoid a missed deadline or provided clarity — to keep the team engaged.
What’s Next:
If you're in the process of researching project management tools for remote teams, connect with a SoftwareSelect advisor for free recommendations.
You fill out a form and have a quick chat where they get into the specifics of your needs. Then you'll get a shortlist of software to review. They'll even support you through the entire buying process, including price negotiations.
