Compare the best project management tools for project managers in 2022
Posted By:
Gus Pelogia
/ August 10th, 2021
Whiteboards are out—project management software is in.
There's never been a better time for project managers to fully manage their team and projects thanks to the development of extremely useful project management software available in 2021. Because of this tech, it's now easier than ever to plan projects, schedule tasks, track milestones, and create progress reports.
The only problem for project managers is that it's hard to know which one is the best fit for your team with so many tools out there. Some may prefer a board view project management option–like a Kanban board–while others want more of a task management solution.
Luckily for you, there are plenty of options that work as a complete project management software. However, it's important to know that most software options have a specialty with specific types of teams, which could make the decision-making process a lot easier for you.
We decided to create this list of the top 10 project management software for 2021 and highlight why each stands out.
Let's get started.
1. Teamwork
We realize it's a little bold putting ourselves at the top of this list, but it's not without good reason. Teamwork is a complete project management software specifically developed to create detailed tasks with a level of granularity and customization that gives you complete control.
And don't just take our word for it. Both beginner and experienced project managers continue to choose Teamwork over the rest because of its ease of managing multiple complex projects.
Jennifer Verdi-Cohen, director of project management at D'Addario, explained the challenges of using other project management tools and why Teamwork was easy to adopt across the organization to see immediate success.
A complete project management software solution for all business sizes
Teamwork gives you all the tools you need to schedule and track projects, from task management to file storage, time tracking, and reporting. The project management software also puts emphasis on the importance of the visual aspect.
Visually seeing a project move from start to finish gives successful project managers more control to track each task. This allows users to act quickly and prevent bottlenecks by reallocating resources. It also lets project managers prioritize tasks across multiple projects.
The main features
- Plan your project workload and manage individual and team tasks, ensuring full visibility over your to-dos.
- Track your progress and get immediate status updates on your work throughout the task lifecycle.
- Report and optimize how tasks are progressing, spot bottlenecks before they happen, and get a more holistic view of your workload.
- Manage your files using integrations like Jira, DropBox, Google Drive, and Box.
Who tends to love it?
Agencies love Teamwork because of the ability to bring on free client users, while enterprise businesses benefit from its organizational and resource management features to grow profitability.
Pricing structure
Teamwork's pricing starts at $10/user per month, and you can also test out the software with a 30-day free trial or take advantage of the forever free plan!
2. Jira
From the makers of Atlassian, Jira is project management software built for in-house software teams to better plan, track, and release the best software. Jira works great for teams planning sprints by using agile project management software to provide complete visibility and context in projects.
While various teams can use JIRA, it is primarily useful for devs who need to stick to sprints and stay on tasks with incoming work. Additionally, Jira integrates with several other tools–like Teamwork–to make it easier to communicate between departments who work on the same projects.
The main features
- Create customizable workflows, whether it's through Kanban or Scrum.
- Real-time agile project reporting to get key insights into a project's progression.
- Helpful bug tracking and issue monitoring make it easy to flag issues and prevent bottlenecks.
Who tends to love it?
In-house software, dev, and product design teams benefit from the sprint tracking features.
Pricing structure
Jira's free plan allows up to 10 users, with Standard plans starting from $7/month.
3. ProofHub
ProofHub combines easy-to-use project management software with discussion threads and proofing tools to make it easier for your team to collaborate. Additionally, this software solution allows you to customize workflows with unlimited users to tackle the biggest of jobs across departments.
Proofhub is perfect for small and growing teams who need a tool that won't slow them down. It's also ideal for teams that don't want a "per user" limit and worry about assigning too many seats.
The main features
- Manage projects and tasks on a calendar, Kanban board, or Gantt chart for customizable workflows.
- Detailed user permissions give you control over project access.
- Drop feedback in tasks and elements using the proofing tool.
Who tends to love it?
Small and growing teams that don't need resource management features and want to avoid paying for additional users.
Pricing structure
ProofHub's Essential plan starts at $45/month with unlimited users.
4. Trello
While Atlassian owns Jira and Trello, both tools work great as stand-alone project management software. With Trello, teams get a simple-to-use Kanban board to track project progression, assign to team members, and share documents in simple-to-manage cards.
Additionally, Trello is ideal for teams that want to customize their platform interface. Trello has a lot of customizability to fit your project needs or simply for your own personal preference.
For those looking to create a to-do list in seconds, Trello is a nice and easy tool to get up and running immediately.
The main features
- Kanban board views with drag-and-drop functions.
- Simple card management helps users share documents or task updates with some or the entire team.
- Easily integrates with your other project tools like Google Drive, DropBox, and Slack.
Who tends to love it?
Small and agile teams, like content managers, love Trello because of its easy-to-use features and board view, making it simple to track each task's progression.
Pricing structure
Trello has a free version with unlimited users and cards, and up to 10 boards, and for larger teams, they offer Business Class at $10/mo (when billed annually).
5. Kissflow Project
Another excellent project management software option for small teams looking to track, manage, and organize tasks through a Kanban board view. This tool lets teams organize tasks into a list view, board view, and matrix structure for multiple viewpoints into a project's lifecycle.
The main features
- Tag project tasks using labels and due dates.
- Create forms for projects using a drag-and-drop builder.
- Custom reporting tracks team productivity.
Who tends to love it?
Kissflow Projects is ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses that need help automizing communications between teams that go back and forth a lot.
Pricing structure
Kissflow Project offers a free plan, with premium plans starting at $90/month for 10 users.
6. Project Manager
Project Manager is a web-based project management tool that uses Kanban boards as well as lists, Gantt charts, and calendar views to keep projects organized.
As a whole, this tool is optimal for teams wanting an online platform to plan, track, and report on all of the project's details. This nitty-gritty tool is often used by professional service, construction, and manufacturing teams working on long-term projects that have numerous–and continuous–tasks.
The main features
- The dashboard provides a complete overview of projects and task progress.
- Tracks resource allocation and capacity.
- Connect tools like time tracking and timesheets to keep projects within budget.
Who tends to love it?
Project Manager is usually preferred by construction, manufacturing, IT services, and professional services teams who deal with a lot of tasks per project.
Pricing structure
Project Manager has three pricing plans. The entry-level Personal plan starts at $15/user per month.
7. Asana
Asana is a web and mobile-based project management tool for teams of any size to organize, track, and manage their work. Where Asana excels is in its task management solutions, which help users put typical daily tasks on auto-pilot.
The various task views from Asana make it easy and applicable for all sorts of teams. Asana also makes it simple to track and organize tasks with drag-and-drop cards for boards.
The main features
- Customizable checklist, timeline, and board views to track progress in real-time.
- Set goals and milestones to keep teams working on the same page.
- Automate recurring tasks to save time and make scheduling easier.
Who tends to love it?
Asana is a visually accessible tool, which is great for marketing and design teams with a lot of tasks to manage.
Pricing structure
Asana's paid plans start at $10.99/user per month and unlock more features.
8. Notion
Notion is a tool built for all sorts of teams—from engineers to creative agencies.
The unique feature within Notion is its Team Wiki sections, which allows you to build a central knowledge base for your team's long-term memory. This also lets teams store stuff like mission statements, company goals , and policies.
Notion is typically a tool used by entire organizations to connect and collaborate more efficiently.
The main features
- Easy-to-use Kanban organizational boards.
- Individual workspaces for different projects and people.
- Team Wiki makes document storage and sharing simple.
Who tends to love it?
As an organizational tool, Notion works well for human resources and internal communication teams trying to align co-workers across the company.
Pricing structure
Notion's pricing starts with a free personal plan, and if you want more features, Pro plans start at $4/month per user.
9. Todoist
Todoist is a customizable Kanban board and task management tool for team projects. The tool allows you to add tasks quickly to your to-do list and tag tasks as priorities.
Users enjoy the personalization of Todoist and the ability to organize everything they need to do in the day. It's also a great feature to manage both work and personal to-dos more effectively.
The main features
- Create custom Kanban boards and task lists for projects.
- Tag tasks and use color-coding to identify priorities easily.
- Integrates with over 60+ apps to supercharge your productivity.
Who tends to love it?
Individual contributors enjoy Todoist to track, organize, and make sure all their different to-dos are done for the day.
Pricing structure
Todoist has a free plan and premium plans start at $3/user per month.
10. HubSpot Task Management Software
HubSpot is a CRM platform that covers everything you need to run a business, from marketing, sales to services and customer support. While it’s not specifically designed for project management, the HubSpot platform includes project and task management capabilities, which are also available in the free plan.
This makes HubSpot a better option for those who are looking to manage all of their tasks and operations in one place. Even in the free-forever plan, HubSpot includes contact management, email marketing, live chat, a form and landing page builder, and of course, task management tools that are natively integrated.
The main features
- Keeps all your tasks, meetings, and contact details in one place, the HubSpot CRM.
- Connect tasks to your email.
- Allows you to create tasks for your entire team.
Who tends to love it?
HubSpot is a great option for sales, marketing, and customer service teams that need a task management integration into email.
Pricing structure
You can get started with HubSpot’s task management software for free. If you are looking for more advanced features to help automate and scale your support operations, HubSpot offers premium features with its Starter ($50/month), Professional, and Enterprise options.
The best project management tool is what works best for your entire team
Whether you are after a project management tool to implement agile processes , manage tasks , or keep everything organized on a Kanban board, there's no shortage of choices. But choosing the best tool truly depends on your specific needs and how your team will successfully adopt the software.
Even though there are several options, not all project management software is the same. It's challenging to find the right tool for the job, but hopefully, this list of the top software made it a little easier.
Have a tool you love to use that we didn't mention? Leave your recommendations in the comments below!
