10 Project Roadmap Software Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
Get free help from our project management software advisors to find your match.
There are seemingly countless project roadmap software solutions available, so figuring out which is best for you can be difficult. You want to create, display, and manage your project’s strategic plan, but you need to figure out which tool is the best fit for your tea. I've got you!
In this post I make things simple, leveraging my experience managing a variety of complex projects, and using dozens of different roadmap tools to bring you this shortlist of the best project roadmap software.
Why Trust Our Software Reviews
We’ve been testing and reviewing project management software since 2012. As project managers ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software. We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions.
We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different project management use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & check out our software review methodology.
Compare Software Specs Side-by-Side
Here is a convenient table where you can compare the tools we just covered. If you want to expand your research beyond these tools, we have more in the next section.
Tools | Price | |
---|---|---|
Wrike | From $10/user/month (min of 2 seats) | Website |
monday.com | From $8/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
Visor | From $9/user/month | Website |
Zoho Sprints | From $3 /user/month for up to 100 users | Website |
Miro | From $8/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
ProductPlan | From $49/user/month | Website |
Office Timeline | From $21/year (billed annually) | Website |
Roadmunk | From $19/month, paid annually | Website |
Kantree | From $9/month | Website |
Height | From $8.50/user/month | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareHow to Choose Project Roadmap Software
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 | Will this tool grow with your team’s needs? |
Integrations | Does the tool integrate seamlessly with the apps you already use? |
Customizability | Can you tailor the software to match your team’s specific workflow? |
Ease of Use | Will your team find the software easy to learn and navigate? |
Budget | Does the pricing fit within your budget, both now and as your team scales? |
Security Safeguards | Does the software have powerful security measures to protect your data? |
Collaboration | Does the tool support effective collaboration between your team members? |
Reporting Tools | Can you generate useful insights and reports that aid decision-making? |
-
Wrike
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2 -
Hub Planner
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.2 -
Miro
This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.4.8
Best Project Roadmap Software Reviews
Here’s a brief description of each roadmap software to showcase each tool’s best use case, and noteworthy features.
Wrike
Just enough functionality in this tool to handle your roadmaps in the same place where you have your project.
Wrike is a collaborative work management platform that proved just enough to handle a roadmap. Since most of my intention with a roadmap is to let others know how tasks are progressing, if we have encountered problems or the impact on our goals, the project information window is key to communicate this.
This is one place where you can keep this valuable information. Wrike’s available editing tools should be enough to let you create headers, add images, link to external sources, and even attach files. Therefore, if you still want pretty visuals, you could prepare them in a Google doc, connect Wrike to it, and attach the file directly to this window.
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.
Custom status fields with background colors for more clarity.
Monday.com is a hyper-customizable project management tool that can help teams work through simple and complex projects. Although it needs time to get used to all that you can tailor, it makes it easy to have one tool that does multiple things.
In this case, that means it can handle your project roadmap creation! Yay! As you can see in the screenshot above, you can group the different items you’ll show your stakeholders. The client can see in one glance all the important dates, and if the project has any flags raised or dependencies.
Tip: start a blank project and add column fields as you see fit. Try to have your colored column separated to prevent confusion, you don’t want your board to look like the Cirque Du Soleil poster.
monday.com integrates with Roadmap, Infinity, and thousands of other apps through Zapier.
monday.com is free for up to 2 users and paid plans start at $8/user/month and offers a 14-day free trial.
Visor
Flexible project management platform with custom workflows & collaboration tools
Visor is a project roadmap software used by Amazon, Samsung, and Doordash. Through Visor, you'll have access to project plans and templates, collaboration tools, and customized workflows.
Visor is an intuitive and easy-to-use tool that enables you to plan, organize, and track progress on projects. With its drag-and-drop interface, users can quickly create and customize project timelines, assign tasks and responsibilities, and set deadlines.
Visor also allows for real-time collaboration and communication among team members. One of the best features of Visor's project roadmap software is its ability to provide a comprehensive view of a project's progress, including completed tasks, upcoming deadlines, and potential roadblocks.
Visor integrates with Jira Software, Salesforce, and Hubspot.
Visor is free to use with some feature limitations. Paid plans cost from $9/users/month.
Zoho Sprints is a project management and agile tracking tool specifically built for dynamic teams to plan, track, and iterate their work in sprints. The tool is tailored for agile methodologies, particularly supporting frameworks like Scrum and Kanban to help teams meet their project goals.
As a project roadmap software, Zoho Sprints has robust visualization tools, like Kanban boards, that provide clear and detailed views of project timelines, milestones, and progress. This visibility is crucial for aligning team members and stakeholders around shared goals and expectations.
Additionally, Zoho Sprints integrates seamlessly with sprint planning and backlog management, ensuring strategic goals are closely aligned with daily tasks and execution. The platform's collaborative features, such as feeds, comments, and notifications, foster teamwork, while its progress tracking and customizable reporting capabilities offer valuable insights for informed decision-making.
Integrations include Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Zendesk, Jenkins, GitHub, BitBucket, AWS Code Commit, Zapier, and more. Zoho Sprints also integrates with a host of Zoho apps.
Miro serves as a versatile virtual whiteboard, notable for its extensive template library that supports project roadmapping and strategic planning. Its digital whiteboard can be used by teams to generate project ideas, organize and prioritize initiatives, and map out workflows. Quick diagram tools and an infinite canvas ensure ideas of any scale can be efficiently mapped out.
The platform supports a variety of expression forms, including numerical data, images, and videos, facilitating detailed project visualization. Different types of roadmaps can be developed to suit your team's specific business function and your company's industry. Text and sticky notes can be added to boards to create context or exchange feedback, and timers, clustering, and voting tools can be used to support decision-making.
The software integrates with various other project management and workplace tools. You can connect it to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Google Workspace, Asana, monday.com, Confluence, Jira, Dropbox, Notion, and ClickUp, among others.
A free plan is available and paid plans start from $10 per user per month.
Roadmap tool that has templates for almost any project need.
ProductPlan is a roadmapping tool with everything you need to build the perfect roadmap. Whether it's an internal roadmap, technology roadmap, agile roadmap, adding lanes, comments, or collaborating on live roadmaps, they got you covered.
First, there’s so many templates that you might find what you need to get started. If you want to build your own, you can also do that and then start dragging elements from the toolbox that will show on the right to your roadmap. You can also color-code your bars according to your project goals.
Even though it’s not a traditional project management tool, this can handle all your project, program, and product roadmaps. Want to add this tool to your collection?
ProductPlan integrates with Jira software, Azure DevOps, and thousands of other apps through Zapier.
Paid plans start at $49/editor/month and come with a 14-day free trial.
Office Timeline is a project visualization tool that integrates with Microsoft PowerPoint, enabling users to create timelines, Gantt charts, and roadmaps for presentations. It is designed to help users visualize their projects and present them in a way that can facilitate approval from leadership, partners, and customers, as well as coordinate cross-functional teams.
Office Timeline provides a Pro+ add-in for PowerPoint that enables the creation of detailed multi-level timelines and roadmaps, as well as a range of customizable templates. The tool also provides drag-and-drop functionality, swimlane slides, various types of roadmaps tailored to different industries, and the ability to import data from project management software such as Microsoft Project and Excel.
Office Timeline additionally guides users through the process of creating an effective roadmap by defining strategy, assessing features, prioritizing requirements, organizing work into phases, and selecting the appropriate roadmap view.
Office Timeline integrates with Microsoft Excel, Jira, Smartsheet, Wrike, and Microsoft Project.
Paid plans start at $149/license/year. A free version is also available.
Roadmunk is a roadmapping specialized tool that allows you to build roadmaps in minutes. Their templates, boardroom ready templates and drag-and-drop roadmap builder will help you get going faster than you can guess how any Irish Gaelic name is really pronounced.
I noticed that the color coding on the bars is tied to the item’s status, rather than its completion percentage. If you decide to go the drag-and-drop route, just know that you have to type the name of the task in the pop-up screen after you hit the ‘+item’ button, and then drag it to the board to make way for the new item (that means no ‘enter’, no closing windows, no ‘next button).
Roadmunk offers integrations with Jira and Azure DevOps. You can also use their GraphQL powered API which provides developers with an efficient, powerful and flexible approach to building custom integrations.
Paid plans start at $19/month (3 users) and offer a 14-day free trial.
Kantree is cloud-based project management software that enables teams to plan, collaborate, and execute projects efficiently. The software provides advanced reporting features, including real-time project tracking and analysis, to give teams a comprehensive view of their progress on a project’s roadmap. Teams can break down tasks into subtasks, define criteria for completion, and set deadlines for each project milestone. Kantree's user-friendly interface makes project management more accessible and efficient. The platform is intuitive and provides many options for customization, from themes to agile methodologies, allowing teams to work with their preferred approach to project management.
The platform offers data visualization tools like Gantt charts and a KPI dashboard, enabling teams to view their project strategy differently. Gantt charts make tracking deadlines, dependencies, and milestones throughout a project's lifecycle easy. Meanwhile, KPI dashboards display relevant metrics on a single, intuitive interface, making it easy to assess the overall progress of a project strategy. Users can create custom fields, establish relationships between cards, and track time spent on cards.
Kantree allows team members to discuss their projects, leave notes and comments on cards, mention other team members, and easily share files. Teams can ensure seamless communication and faster decision-making. It offers built-in integrations with popular project management tools like Jira and Trello and integrations with Microsoft Teams and Slack. These integrations make it easy for teams to collaborate across multiple platforms and ensure everyone is on the same page throughout the project. The software also offers an API for custom integrations, allowing teams to create custom workflows and automation.
Height is a SaaS product that helps businesses create and manage project roadmaps to track their progress and achieve their strategic goals. It's designed to help teams stay on track and focus on the big picture rather than getting bogged down in the details.
Why I picked Height: I chose Height as one of the best project roadmap software for project strategy because it's intuitive and easy to use, even for non-technical users. It's also highly customizable, which makes it ideal for businesses of all sizes and industries.
Standout features:
One of the standout features of Height is its visual roadmap editor, which allows you to create custom roadmaps with milestones, tasks, and dependencies. It's also easy to collaborate with your team, assign tasks, and track progress in real-time. Another great feature is its customizable project templates, which help you get started quickly and ensure you're following best practices.
Integrations:
Height integrates with popular project management tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, and GitHub, making it easy to sync data between systems and avoid duplication of effort.
Other Project Roadmap Software
Here are a few more that didn’t make the top list but are worth your consideration.
Selection Criteria for Project Roadmap Software
When selecting the best project roadmap software to include in this list, I considered common buyer needs and pain points like planning complex projects with ease and adapting the roadmap to reflect changing project demands. I also used the following framework to keep my evaluation structured and fair:
Core Functionality (25% of total score)
To be considered for inclusion on this list, each solution had to fulfill these common use cases:
- Create and manage project timelines
- Assign tasks to team members
- Track project milestones and deadlines
- Collaborate on tasks and share updates
- Generate and export progress reports
Additional Standout Features (25% of total score)
To help further narrow down the competition, I also looked for unique features, such as:
- Real-time collaboration on roadmap changes
- Customizable project templates
- Integration with other project management tools
- Built-in project budgeting tools
- Visual roadmap presentations for stakeholders
Usability (10% of total score)
To get a sense of the usability of each system, I considered the following:
- Intuitive navigation and interface
- Accessibility of key functions
- Responsive design on desktop and mobile
- Flexibility of customization without coding
- Overall user experience and aesthetics
Onboarding (10% of total score)
To evaluate the onboarding experience for each platform, I considered the following:
- Availability of training videos and resources
- Access to interactive product tours
- Ease of importing data from other tools
- Availability of setup templates and guides
- Support from chatbots or dedicated onboarding webinars
Customer Support (10% of total score)
To assess each software provider’s customer support services, I considered the following:
- Access to 24/7 live chat or phone support
- Availability of a detailed help center or knowledge base
- Responsiveness and helpfulness of support staff
- Access to a community forum or support group
- Availability of priority support or a 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 relative to similar tools
- Transparency in pricing and any additional costs
- Access to essential features in lower-tier plans
- Availability of discounts or flexible payment plans
- ROI for the price, based on features and benefits
Customer Reviews (10% of total score)
To get a sense of overall customer satisfaction, I considered the following when reading customer reviews:
- Positive feedback on key functionalities
- Reliability and performance of the platform
- Satisfaction with customer support quality
- User-reported ease of adoption and setup
- Consistent updates and improvements by the provider
Trends in Project Roadmap Software for 2024
In my research, I sourced countless product updates, press releases, and release logs from different project roadmap software vendors. Here are some of the emerging trends I’m keeping an eye on:
- AI-Driven Insights: AI is being used to analyze project data and suggest ways to optimize timelines or highlight potential roadblocks, which helps users create a roadmap that’s more adaptable to change. Some tools also offer predictive analytics to help teams prevent future issues before they arise. For example, AI might analyze past project data to enhance roadmap creation by suggesting task adjustments in real time.
- Scenario Planning: Tools are now adding scenario planning features that let teams visualize alternative paths and outcomes, making it easier to build a project roadmap that adapts to shifting priorities. This is useful when creating a program roadmap template or adjusting an application roadmap template mid-project.
- Gamification Elements: Gamification in project software is increasingly popular for boosting team engagement. By adding badges and achievements for task completion, these tools keep teams motivated and focused on project goals. Some tools even offer a roadmap maker free of charge with gamified elements, helping to reward progress and keeping teams focused as they work through project stages.
- Interactive Roadmap Visuals: Vendors are enhancing roadmap visuals to make road map timelines more intuitive and clickable, giving users access to detailed task views without switching screens. Teams also benefit from product roadmap visualization tools that toggle between high-level goals and specific tasks, which is especially useful for those figuring out how to make a project roadmap with all details in one place for easy access.
- Sustainability Tracking: More software is adding features to track the environmental impact of project activities and resources, making strategic mapping software a viable option for companies focused on green initiatives. Sustainability tracking features also allow teams to align their project milestones with eco-conscious goals.
What is Project Roadmap Software?
Project roadmap software is a tool that helps teams plan, visualize, and communicate the strategic direction and key milestones of a project. This software typically features visual timelines that illustrate the major phases, goals, and deadlines of a project, as well as dependencies between different tasks or stages. It provides a high-level overview of a project's trajectory, enabling better planning, stakeholder alignment, and tracking of progress toward long-term objectives. Roadmap software is often used to ensure everyone involved in a project understands its overall direction and how individual tasks contribute to broader goals.
Features of Project Roadmap Software
When selecting project roadmap software, keep an eye out for the following key features:
- Timeline view: Provides a visual layout of project phases, helping teams see the full project at a glance.
- Milestone tracking: Allows users to set and monitor key milestones, keeping the team focused on major deliverables.
- Task dependencies: Links related tasks, ensuring that each step follows the correct sequence and nothing is missed.
- Progress tracking: Tracks the completion rate of tasks and milestones, giving teams a clear view of their progress.
- Customizable templates: Offers pre-built roadmap templates that can be tailored to suit specific project needs.
- Collaboration tools: Enables team members to discuss and update project tasks directly within the software.
- Scenario planning: Lets teams explore different project paths, helping them prepare for potential changes in scope or timeline.
- Reporting and analytics: Generates insights from project data, aiding managers in making informed decisions.
- Budget tracking: Monitors project expenses alongside the roadmap, ensuring costs stay within budget.
- Access controls: Sets permissions for different team members, allowing secure access based on roles and responsibilities.
Benefits of Project Roadmap Software
Implementing project roadmap software provides several benefits for your team and your business. Here are a few you can look forward to:
- Improved planning: Helps teams lay out project phases, giving everyone a clear view of what needs to be done and when.
- Enhanced collaboration: Allows team members to work together on tasks in real time, making updates and communication easier.
- Better resource allocation: Helps managers assign resources more effectively by visualizing workload and task dependencies.
- Increased accountability: Tracks progress on tasks and milestones, making it clear who’s responsible for what.
- Clearer goal alignment: Keeps project goals visible, ensuring every team member understands how their work contributes to overall objectives.
- Risk mitigation: Enables scenario planning, helping teams prepare for potential roadblocks and minimize delays.
- Data-driven decisions: Offers reporting tools that provide insights from project data, supporting smarter decisions throughout the project.
Costs & Pricing for Project Roadmap Software
Selecting project roadmap software 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 roadmap software solutions:
Plan Comparison Table for Project Roadmap Software
Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
Free Plan | $0/user/month | Basic roadmap creation, limited task tracking, simple timeline view, and basic support. |
Personal Plan | $5–$25/user/month | Full timeline view, milestone tracking, task dependencies, integrations, and support access. |
Business Plan | $25–$50/user/month | Advanced reporting, collaboration tools, customizable templates, and scenario planning. |
Enterprise Plan | $50–$100/user/month | Unlimited access to all features, custom security settings, advanced analytics, and dedicated support. |
Project Roadmap Software FAQs
Find answers to common questions other people ask about this topic.
What is a project roadmap?
A project roadmap is a summary of the context, impetus, and logic of your project in strategic terms. It focuses on the “why” more than the “how” or the “what”, and it keeps things at a level that anyone can understand. At a minimum, it includes goal information, milestones, timeline, risks, deliverables, and project scope.
What is the difference between a project roadmap and a Gantt chart?
The main difference is that a project roadmap provides a high-level overview of project goals, key milestones, and strategic directions, while a Gantt chart zooms in on detailed task scheduling and dependencies.
- Project Roadmap: A roadmap is a strategic tool that shows a project’s major phases and objectives, helping stakeholders understand what’s ahead. It is often used to highlight milestones and align the project’s broader vision.
- Gantt Chart: A Gantt chart is more granular, breaking down the project into specific tasks, timelines, and dependencies. It’s ideal for tracking progress and managing task-level details within each phase.
Project roadmaps and Gantt charts complement each other by providing both high-level and detailed project views, each of which are valuable for different stages of project management.
How do you build a roadmap?
If you are looking to build a roadmap, check out our How To Make A Project Roadmap (With Roadmap Template) article. It has details on the steps you should take, information you should know prior to starting, and nice visuals to help you better understand the concept.
What other project management tools can I use?
If project roadmap software isn’t the right fit for your needs, there are plenty of other project management tools out there that might suit you better. Check out some of our other project management software reviews:
- Project Management Calendar Tools
- Best Project Portfolio Management (PPM) Tools
- Project Management Dashboard Software
- Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Software
How can project roadmap software help with knowledge sharing and collaboration?
Project roadmap software can significantly enhance knowledge sharing and collaboration by providing a centralized, visual structure for tracking and sharing progress across teams. Tools like Confluence are designed to help teams create a road map collaboratively, improving visibility and keeping all members informed.
Here’s how project roadmap software can support collaboration and knowledge sharing:
- Centralized Knowledge Hub: With project roadmap software, teams have a dedicated space to add and access project documentation, ensuring everyone has the latest information.
- Clear Milestone Tracking: A milestone roadmap allows teams to view progress against important targets, keeping everyone aligned on objectives and timelines.
- Enhanced Communication: Real-time updates make it easy to see any changes or delays, allowing for quick communication and adjustments, which improves responsiveness and decision-making.
- Template Options: Many project roadmap tools, offer templates to simplify how to build a roadmap for a project. These templates guide users, even beginners, in creating a roadmap.
- Collaborative Editing: Many roadmap tools allow multiple users to contribute and comment directly, making it easy to develop and adjust roadmaps together.
Overall, using project roadmap software ensures all team members are on the same page and fosters an environment of transparency and collaboration.
What are some prioritization techniques I can use to build a project roadmap?
When building a project roadmap, effective prioritization is key to ensuring resources are focused on the tasks that drive the most value. Several proven techniques can help you decide what should come first on your roadmap:
- MoSCoW Method: Categorize tasks as “Must-Have,” “Should-Have,” “Could-Have,” and “Won’t-Have” to define what’s essential versus optional. This method is ideal for creating a milestone roadmap that aligns with limited resources.
- Eisenhower Matrix: Use this two-by-two matrix to rank tasks by urgency and importance. It’s a straightforward tool for identifying high-priority tasks that need immediate attention on your roadmap.
- RICE Scoring: RICE stands for Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. Scoring tasks by these factors helps determine the most valuable tasks, ensuring that every entry on your roadmap maximizes impact.
- Value vs. Effort Matrix: By plotting tasks on a value versus effort scale, teams can quickly identify “quick wins” and high-value tasks that require fewer resources, keeping the roadmap efficient and achievable.
- User Story Mapping: Commonly used in agile environments, this approach arranges tasks based on user needs and experiences. Confluence offers collaboration features to create user-centered project plans and share the roadmap with stakeholders.
What's Next?
I would love to hear about the ways you are developing your project roadmaps! Please leave me some ideas in the comments section.
If you would like to keep up with what we do at the DPM and get articles like this, tips, tricks, and fun facts related to project management, subscribe to our Insider Membership Newsletter.