ToolsRanks

Project Management Software Comparison (2026)

Rather than a curated top five, this page lays out all 25 project management tools in one table so you can scan the whole market at a glance.

For every tool you get its starting price, an honest free-plan verdict, its core audience and a one-line standout. Use it to draw up a shortlist, then click through to the full overview, review or pricing page for the detail.

Methodology: entry price is the lowest recurring paid tier we could verify; the free-plan column distinguishes a permanent free tier from a trial-only offer. The audience and standout are drawn from the tool's stated focus, not marketing superlatives. Figures reflect public pricing at the time of writing and can change. How we evaluate →

All 25 project management tools compared

ToolEntry priceFree plan?Best forStandoutGet it
Airtable
review · pricing		from $20/moFree planCustom project databases and No-code app buildersA flexible spreadsheet-database hybrid that lets teams build custom project trackers and internal apps.Visit →
Asana
review · pricing		from $10.99/moFree planCross-functional teams and Marketing and ops workflowsA broad, refined work-management platform that scales from a free personal board to enterprise portfolios.Visit →
Basecamp
review · pricing		from $15/moTrial onlySmall teams wanting simplicity and Remote teamsFlat $299/mo for unlimited users makes large-team collaboration dramatically cheaper than per-seat rivals.Visit →
Bitrix24
review · pricing		from $49/moFree planTeams wanting PM + CRM in one and Unlimited free usersA free-heavy all-in-one suite merging project management with CRM, chat and telephony for unlimited free users.Visit →
Coda
review · pricing		from $10/moFree planDocs-as-apps builders and Team wikis + trackersAn all-in-one doc that turns text, tables and buttons into custom apps, billed only per Doc Maker.Visit →
GanttPRO
review · pricing		from $7.99/moNoGantt-first project planning and Construction and engineeringDedicated online Gantt software with intuitive drag-and-drop scheduling, dependencies and baselines.Visit →
Height
review · pricing		Free plan availableFree planProduct and engineering teams and Teams wanting AI automationAn early autonomous-AI project manager for product teams, now shut down (service ended Sept 2025).—
Hive
review · pricing		from $5/moFree planCollaborative cross-team work and Teams wanting chat + PMProject management that bundles native chat and an AI assistant alongside Gantt, Kanban and calendar views.Visit →
Jira
review · pricing		from $7.53/moFree planSoftware development teams and Agile/Scrum at scaleThe default issue and sprint tracker for software teams, backed by a 10,000+ app marketplace.—
Kantata
review · pricing		See pricingNoProfessional services firms and Resource and capacity planning at scaleA purpose-built professional services automation (PSA) platform for resourcing and project financials at scale.—
Linear
review · pricing		from $8/moFree planEngineering and product teams and Startups valuing speed/UXA blazing-fast, keyboard-first issue tracker with a design polish that engineering teams rave about.—
MeisterTask
review · pricing		from $7/moFree planKanban-focused teams and MindMeister/Meister suite usersClean Kanban task management tightly integrated with MindMeister mind maps in the Meister suite.—
Microsoft Planner
review · pricing		from $10/moNoMicrosoft 365 / Teams users and Simple task boardsLightweight Microsoft 365 task planning, now unified with To Do and Project and supercharged by Copilot.—
Microsoft Project
review · pricing		from $10/moNoTraditional/waterfall project managers and Detailed scheduling and critical pathMicrosoft's classic powerhouse for detailed Gantt scheduling, critical path and enterprise portfolios.—
Nifty
review · pricing		from $7/moFree planSmall to mid-size teams and All-in-one workspace seekersAn all-in-one workspace tying tasks to milestones, with docs and chat, plus unlimited members on free.Visit →
Paymo
review · pricing		from $5.9/moFree planFreelancers and small agencies and Billable time and invoicingAn all-in-one for freelancers and small agencies: tasks, time tracking, invoicing and scheduling together.Visit →
Plane
review · pricing		from $8/moFree planTeams wanting self-hosting and Open-source advocatesAn open-source, self-hostable Jira/Linear alternative with issues, cycles, modules and a built-in wiki.—
ProofHub
review · pricing		from $45/moTrial onlyTeams wanting flat pricing and Built-in proofing for creativesFlat per-account pricing with unlimited users plus built-in proofing, ideal for large creative teams.Visit →
Quire
review · pricing		from $8.5/moFree planBreaking goals into subtasks and Small teams on a budgetUnique nested task hierarchy that lets you toggle the same project between an outline and a Kanban board.—
Shortcut
review · pricing		from $8.5/moFree planSoftware development teams and Story/epic-based planningA 'Jira-lite' for software teams: stories, epics and iterations with a faster, cleaner experience.—
Smartsheet
review · pricing		from $9/moFree planSpreadsheet power users and Enterprise PPMA spreadsheet interface scaled into enterprise work management, Gantt and portfolio reporting.—
Teamwork.com
review · pricing		from $10.99/moFree planAgencies and client services and Billable time and budgetsProject management built specifically for client work, with time, billing and profitability baked in.Visit →
Trello
review · pricing		from $5/moFree planPersonal and small-team task boards and Visual Kanban workflowsThe simplest on-ramp to Kanban, extensible via 200+ Power-Ups and Butler automation.—
Wrike
review · pricing		from $10/moFree planMarketing and creative teams and Professional servicesEnterprise work management with proofing and resource planning aimed squarely at marketing and creative teams.Visit →
Zoho Projects
review · pricing		from $4/moFree planBudget-conscious teams and Zoho One ecosystem usersFull-featured Gantt-and-automation PM at budget pricing, deeply tied into the Zoho One suite.Visit →

Prices verified 2026-06-28 from public vendor pricing. Plans and prices change — always confirm on the vendor's own site. No price here is guaranteed.

Key takeaways

FAQ

How many project management tools does this comparison cover?

All 25 project management tools we track in the Project Management category are in the table above, compared on the same four points: entry price, free plan, best-for and standout. It's a full reference chart, not a curated shortlist.

Which project management tool is the cheapest?

By verified entry price, Zoho Projects is the cheapest paid option at $4/mo, and it also has a free plan.

Which of these project management tools have a free plan?

Airtable, Asana, Bitrix24, Coda, Height, Hive, Jira, Linear, MeisterTask, Nifty, Paymo, Plane, Quire, Shortcut, Smartsheet, Teamwork.com, Trello, Wrike and Zoho Projects offer a genuine free plan you can keep using at $0. The free-plan column above marks each one, and separates them from tools that only run a trial.

How is this different from your best-of guides?

This page lists every tool in the niche side by side so you can scan the whole market. Our best-of guides instead pick the five to eight project management tools we'd actually recommend for a specific job, with a full write-up on each.

Sources

The standout lines, audiences and free-plan facts in the table above are drawn from these vendor pages and independent reviews:

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