12 Best Project Management Software for Small Teams

The best project management software for small business helps you efficiently engage in efficient and productive project management. From freelancers to Fortune 500 companies, teams of all sizes need help keeping their tasks and to-do lists aligned with company goals.

Here are two reasons why you need an excellent project management tool:

Streamline your projects: Many growing teams need help juggling an ever-expanding list of tasks. With these tools, you can streamline workflows, improve communication, and budget your resources.

Automate your workflows: Project management tools can help you automate task management processes without breaking the bank. Automation means you have more time to do creative work while the software handles repetitive labor.

Criteria for selecting the best workforce management solutions for small businesses

At Hubstaff, we like to think of ourselves as experts on project management software. As one part of a complete workforce management solution, a good project management solution should make life easier by helping you meet deadlines and get things done.

We’ve selected the most important features and criteria to create this list of popular project management software. Here’s what we came up with:

Project management criteria

• Price: Pricing matters when choosing good project management software — especially for small businesses. Often, paid options charge based on how many users you have. Each team member utilizing the platform will need an account.
• Free trial: If your software isn’t free, ensure it has a free plan or trial. You can also try premium features before committing to a paid plan.
• Scalability: Premium plans often have more advanced features like unlimited projects, users, budget tracking and storage. These might not be necessary for your small team now, but the ability to scale the platform is essential as your team grows. 
• User interface: Functionality is also crucial when picking right project management software. Your team will resist using the tool if it has a steep learning curve.
• Integrations: Integrating your project management software with platforms like Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Jira, or Basecamp can save time and help automate your workflows. Tools like Zapier can also help you integrate your most-used platforms with your project management software.
• Customization: An agile, customizable workspace enables teams to create a project management system that works for them.
• Templates: Custom and reusable project templates can also save your team time and automate setting up a new project. 
• Collaboration: Project managers also need collaboration features to help with file sharing, updates, permissions, and project planning. 

12 top project management software for small teams

Managing projects is simple with a powerful workforce management solution.

Let’s look at our top picks for project management software.

1. Hubstaff Tasks

Pricing

• Free Plan: Hubstaff Tasks is free for up to 5 users
• Premium Plan: $5 per user/month for unlimited users 

Key features

Board views: Kanban boards can maximize your project planning. You can also try a Timeline view to visualize dependencies in a project. Use this information to ensure Tasks and projects are on track. 

Roadmaps: Project managers can also plot out their project Roadmaps and empower their team to tackle shared goals. With Roadmaps, your team can visualize the project’s trajectory and understand the scope of their workload.

Task management features: Organize project data by grouping smaller Tasks into Epics. Then, create automated task dependencies and relationships. You’ll also be able to prioritize Tasks and identify roadblocks easier.

Agile workflows: You can also use Hubstaff Tasks as a Scrum tool by breaking your team’s work into Agile Sprints. This way, project managers will ensure their team’s Sprints are on track with automated daily and weekly Stand-ups. You can also set up notifications to remind them to complete their Stand-ups. 

Time tracking: You can also track time from your timesheet to Tasks and Epics for accurate reporting and invoicing. This data can help you optimize future workloads. 

Project templates: Customize Hubstaff Tasks project templates to work for your team and track your project progress individually with personal to-do lists built into your Tasks dashboard. Hubstaff Tasks is one of the best project management software tools available.

2. Asana

Pricing

• Basic Plan: Free forever
• Premium Plan: $10.99 per user/month
• Business Plan: $24.99 per user/month
• Enterprise Plan: Contact the Asana sales team

Key features

Workflow builder: Use Asana’s project management tool as a workflow builder. You can also build out automated processes and organize your team’s projects. 

Board views: You can also create Gantt charts or Kanban views to visualize and track multiple projects. Then, add your team’s work to a shared calendar to optimize workloads and track progress.

Insights: Asana project management allows you to view real-time insights and progress for any project. You can also submit and manage work requests in one place to keep projects on track.

Automation: Use Asana’s project automation to streamline operations, reduce human error, and automate routine tasks. 

Platforms supported: Access your work across all devices, even on the go, with Asana’s desktop and mobile applications.

3. Trello

Pricing

• Free Plan: free for your whole team
• Standard Plan: $5 per user/month 
• Premium Plan: $10 per user/month
• Enterprise Plan: $17.50 per user/month (estimated cost for 50-100 users)

Key features

Task management: Trello is one of the best project management tools out there that is simple and easy to use. Manage your team’s projects and organize tasks with Trello’s drag-and-drop editor and custom views. 

Custom workflows: With Trello, teams of any size can customize their workflows and set up shared and individual projects with no-code automation. Your team can also easily organize projects with task assignments, timelines, and productivity metrics.

Automation: Take your workflow automation to the next level with Butler automation to reduce manual work. Empower your team with a blueprint for success using free project templates from industry leaders and Trello’s community. 

Power-ups: Use Trello power-ups to increase your team’s productivity and link their most-used tools with Trello plugins. 

4. Wrike

Pricing

• Free Plan
• Team Plan: $9.80 per user/month
• Business Plan: $24.80 per user/month
• Enterprise Plans: Contact the Wrike sales team 

Key features

Workflow management: Empower your team with Wrike’s customizable project management features. You can also customize workflows, dashboards, forms, and more to meet your team’s needs.

Collaboration: Simple file sharing and the ability to send tasks and reports can transform Wrike into a powerful collaboration tool. Plus, you can minimize feedback for better project completion with automated approvals.

Task management: Fight internal blockages with 360° visibility across your organization. Wrike’s task history lets you quickly store and locate information from any department.

Scalability: Wrike can also provide scalable features for your team’s needs as you grow. This sets you up for success and ensures you don’t have to switch platforms as you expand.

5. monday.com

Pricing

• Individual Plan: Free for up to 2 users
• Basic Plan: $10 per seat/month 
• Standard Plan: $12 per seat/month
• Pro Plan: $20 per seat/month 
• Enterprise Plan: Contact the monday.com sales team

Key features

Workforce management: With real-time insights and the ability to manage complex projects, decision-making becomes exceptionally straightforward.

Automation: Save your team time and reduce repetitive work with automation. Monday.com’s automation features enable you to send emails to remind your team of due dates and receive real-time updates of your own when they finish a task.

Task management: View project milestones, checklists, and task dependencies. You can also view projects as Kanban boards or Gantt boards. 

Collaboration: Use Monday.com’s docs to transform the text into workflows and collaborate on real-time projects. Upload attachments of any file type to add context to your project. 

6. ClickUp

Pricing

• Free Plan: Free
• Unlimited Plan: $9 per user/month
• Business Plan: $19 per user/month
• Business Plus Plan: $29 per user/month
• Enterprise Plan: Contact the ClickUp sales team

Key features

Task management: With ClickUp, you can break tasks into more manageable project sizes and customize them for your team. Create and upload documents and attach them to your tasks effortlessly.

Workflow management: Set measurable targets and track goals to improve your internal workflow. 

Reporting: View your team’s progress in real-time with ClickUp’s dashboard and reporting features.

Collaboration: You can also collaborate on projects with your team using Clickup’s real-time chat feature. Or use whiteboards to visualize your ideas and strategize visually. 

7. Teamwork

Pricing 

• Free Forever Plan: Free for 5 users
• Starter Plan: $8.99 per user/month (3 user minimum)
• Deliver Plan: $13.99 per user/month (3 user minimum)
• Grow Plan: $25.99 per user/month (5 user minimum)
• Scale Plan: Contact the Teamwork sales team

Key features 

Resource management: Teamwork provides resource management tools that help you to manage your team’s resources effectively. Teamwork has you covered, whether it’s longer-term forecasting or day-to-day capacity planning. 

Time tracking: Teamwork time tracking allows you to track efficiently and bill time for all projects. Its automation tools also enable you to simplify manual work and spend more time on essential tasks.

Board views: Use Gantt-style or Kanban-style project views to see the scope of work that needs your attention. Then use Teamwork to access a complete view of your tasks and highlight project milestones.

Workforce management: Use Teamwork to create teams and subteams to automate assignments. Teamwork also includes collaboration features that allow you to send messages, files, and notebooks to team members while collaborating on a project. 

Free client users: One unique feature of Teamwork is its ability to accommodate unlimited free client users. This allows you to give clients free access using Teamwork’s client user type. This way, you can loop your clients in on projects with no added cost.

8. Microsoft Project

Pricing

• Project Plan 1: $10 per user/month
• Project Plan 3: $30 per user/month
• Project Plan 5: $55 per user/month

Key features

Board views: Pick from boards, grid views, and visual timelines to view your ongoing projects and check in on your team.

Portfolio management: Microsoft Project enables portfolio management so you can view and model portfolio scenarios to select the best strategy for your team. You can also use this tool to weigh proposals against business decisions and consider the project cost and resource restrictions.

Visual roadmap and resource planning: You can use a visual roadmap for better visibility among team members. Plus, resource requests and engagements from Microsoft Project can help nail down resources and ensure team members will complete projects on time.

Heat map: You can use heat maps to see how your team uses resources internally. Then, you can determine underused or overused tools to optimize productivity.

Reporting: Microsoft Project also utilizes resource analytics and forecasts projected usage to predict what apps and resources your team will rely on moving forward. Reports enable you to monitor progress and pinpoint an area of weakness.

9. Podio

Pricing

• Free Plan: Free
• Plus Plan: $14 per employee/month 
• Premium Plan: $24 per employee/month

Key features

API: Podio is a project management software that gives you access to its frontend API. Podio also provides wrappers for PHP, .NET, Python, and more.

Collaboration: Using Podio’s collaboration features, you can easily share files, presentations, or status posts. Then, organize and track files anywhere in Podio and discuss them with your team.

Task management: Tasks are easy to find and revise on Podio. When a file is created, edited, or deleted, that information is visible to anyone working on the task.

Workflow management: Coordinate and collaborate on workflows with Podio tasks. Easily assign tasks to team members and add files or comments for clarity. Then, get a simple overview showing what work is complete.

Platforms supported: Access important information and files from your Podio mobile application on the go. Never miss an update with its iOS and Android app.

10. Bitrix24

Pricing

• Free Plan: Free for unlimited users 
• Basic Plan: $61/month for 5 users
• Standard Plan: $124/month for 50 users
• Professional Plan: $249/month for 100 users

Key features

Collaboration: Bitrix24 is a project management tool with unique collaboration features for your business. You can also use Bitrix24 chats and video calls to discuss projects with team members. Plus, make company announcements and show team members appreciation. 

CRM: Bitrix24 offers CRM software to track leads, deals, and contacts. Plus, you can manage online payments and set up sales automation and triggers.

Project views: Bitrix24’s feed, calendar views, and workgroups simplify collaboration. You can also view projects in Bitrix24 with a Gantt chart or Kanban board view. 

Time tracking: Easily track time for each project and automate tasks to reduce manual work.

Project templates: You can also use task and project templates to improve project management. Then sync deals, contacts, quotes, invoices, and online payments with Bitrix24. 

11. TeamGantt

Pricing

• Free plan: Available for personal projects
• Lite Plan: $24 per month/manager
• Pro Plan: $59 per month/manager
• Enterprise Plan: $99 per month/manager

Key features 

Gantt charts: TeamGantt is a project management tool focusing on customizable Gantt charts. You can easily adjust start and end times, change the order of tasks, and enhance your timelines with TeamGantt’s drag-and-drop editor. 

Workload management: The team member availability tab allows you to manage workloads and gauge productivity. You can also upload files to a project or task to make collaborating with internal and external stakeholders easier. 

Time tracking: You can simplify your visualization by adding all projects into one Gantt chart. Then use TeamGantt to track hours for a specific task or project. This is crucial for paying freelancers and invoicing clients. 

Supported platforms: This multi-platform tool works on Mac and PC devices. Plus, with the TeamGantt mobile app, you can update your progress and add comments to a task on the go. 

12. Zoho Projects

Pricing

• Free Plan: Free for up to 3 users
• Premium Plan: $5 per user/month
• Enterprise Plan: $10 per user/month

Key features

Manage tasks: Use Zoho Projects to handle complicated projects by splitting them into tasks, subtasks, and milestones. Gantt and Kanban boards will also help you follow the trajectory of each project. 

Blueprint editor: Start by using Zoho’s drag-and-drop project blueprint editor. Then, set the tasks’ status, assign team members, and ensure it stays on track.  

Time tracking: You can also enable team members to track their hours with Zoho Project’s employee time tracking program. Use timesheets and task timers to see how team members spend their time.

Reporting: Zoho Projects also offers advanced reporting features with numerous charts that enable you to plan your projects and manage your team. You can use these reporting and insight features to gauge progress accurately. 

Collaboration: Zoho Project’s team collaboration features work similarly to social media communication. Keep collaboration running smoothly with comments and @ mentions. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, small teams can benefit by improving their project workflow with any one of these project management apps. But as you make your final decision, it’s also important to remember that project management software should be scalable, affordable, and able to handle the level of team collaboration you need.

These project management apps can also help you decrease manual work and ensure all tasks are completed on time and within budget.

Want to get started on your improved workforce management journey? Try Hubstaff free today.