15 Best Project Management Software and Tools for 2026

7. Trello

Best for: simple Kanban boards

Trello is the quickest way to get a team organised on cards and lists. It stays simple, which is both its appeal and its limit.

Standout features

• Kanban boards with cards, checklists and due dates
• Built-in Butler automation
• Power-Ups for integrations
• Calendar, timeline and table views on Premium

Pricing

• Free: up to 10 collaborators per workspace
• Standard: $5 per user a month
• Premium: $10 per user a month
• Enterprise: $17.50 per user a month

Real-world application

Trello suits small teams, personal planning and simple content calendars.

8. Smartsheet

Best for: teams who think in spreadsheets

Smartsheet looks like a spreadsheet but adds Gantt charts, dependencies, forms and reports, which makes it popular in construction, manufacturing and PMOs.

Standout features

• Grid, Gantt, card and calendar views
• Dependencies and critical path
• Forms and automated workflows
• Dashboards and portfolio reporting

Pricing

• Pro: $9 per member a month, up to 10 members
• Business: $19 per member a month, minimum 3 members
• Enterprise and Advanced Work Management: quote

Real-world application

Smartsheet fits large programmes with many dependencies. See Smartsheet vs ClickUp.

9. Microsoft Planner (formerly Microsoft Project)

Best for: organisations already on Microsoft 365

Microsoft has brought Project into Planner. Project Online was retired on 30 September 2026, and the full scheduling features now sit in the Planner and Project plans. It works best when your team already lives in Teams and Outlook.

Standout features

• Tasks inside Teams and Outlook
• Gantt charts, dependencies and critical path on Plan 3 and above
• Portfolio and resource management on Plan 5
• Copilot built into Planner

Pricing

• Basic Planner: included with most Microsoft 365 business plans
• Planner Plan 1: $10 per user a month
• Planner and Project Plan 3: $30 per user a month
• Plan 5: higher tier for portfolio management

Real-world application

Planner suits Microsoft-centred organisations and traditional PMOs. See Microsoft Project vs ClickUp.

10. Teamwork.com

Best for: client services teams that bill for their time

Teamwork.com is built around client work, with time tracking, budgets and profitability reporting in the same place as your projects.

Standout features

• Time tracking and invoicing
• Project budgets and profitability reports
• Client users with controlled permissions
• Resource scheduling

Pricing

• Free: up to 5 users
• Paid plans: from about $10 per user a month on annual billing, with higher tiers around $20 to $25
• Plan names changed during 2026, so check Teamwork.com for current tiers

Real-world application

Teamwork.com fits client services businesses that need billing and profitability alongside delivery.

11. Basecamp

Best for: simple communication with clients and teams

Basecamp keeps things deliberately simple: message boards, to-dos, schedules and files for each project, with no per-user pricing on its top plan.

Standout features

• Message boards, to-dos and schedules per project
• Client access
• Hill charts to show progress
• Flat pricing for unlimited users

Pricing

• Free: 1 project
• Pro Unlimited: $199 a month on annual billing ($329 monthly), for unlimited users
• Smaller plans are available for freelancers and small teams

Real-world application

Basecamp suits teams that value calm communication over detailed tracking.

12. Zoho Projects

Best for: tight budgets and businesses already using Zoho

Zoho Projects offers a lot for a low price and fits naturally if you already use Zoho CRM or Zoho Books.

Standout features

• Gantt charts and dependencies
• Timesheets
• Issue tracking
• Blueprints for process automation
• Native integration with other Zoho apps

Pricing

• Free: up to 5 users
• Premium: $4 per user a month
• Enterprise: $9 per user a month
• Ultimate: $14 per user a month

Real-world application

Zoho Projects suits small businesses on a budget and Zoho One customers.

13. Hive

Best for: small teams wanting flexible views and built-in chat

Hive combines project views with chat, email and notes, so small teams can keep conversations next to the work.

Standout features

• List, Kanban, calendar and table views
• Native chat and email
• Collaborative notes
• AI credits included, even on the free plan

Pricing

• Free: up to 10 members
• Starter: $5 per user a month (monthly billing)
• Teams: $12 per user a month (monthly billing)
• Enterprise: quote

Real-world application

Hive suits small, fast-moving teams.

14. GitHub Projects

Best for: developers already working in GitHub

GitHub Projects turns issues and pull requests into boards, tables and roadmaps, right next to the code.

Standout features

• Board, table and roadmap views built from issues and pull requests
• Custom fields
• Built-in automation
• Insights charts

Pricing

• Included with GitHub, including the free plan
• GitHub Team: $4 per user a month
• GitHub Enterprise: $21 per user a month

Real-world application

GitHub Projects suits engineering teams who want planning without adding another tool.

15. RetainSponsored

Sponsored listing: Retain paid to be included in this guide.

Best for: Larger organisations with 100+ seats and/or international teams. Considered the gold standard for larger organisations.

Retain brings a refined, enterprise-grade approach to resource and capacity management. Designed for professional and project-based teams, it helps businesses optimise how they deploy their people while maintaining a clear view of costs, skills and utilisation. The platform’s strength lies in balancing usability and analytical depth, making it ideal for organisations that have outgrown spreadsheets or basic scheduling tools.

Standout features

• Dynamic scheduling with intuitive drag-and-drop tools for effortless resource allocation and reallocation.
• Advanced forecasting dashboards that track utilisation, capacity, and future demand to improve business agility.
• Skills-based allocation powered by Retain Skills+, drawing from a library of more than 30,000 verified skills through Lightcast data.
• Real-time profitability tracking that combines budgeted and actual costs for accurate project insights.
• Seamless integration ecosystem supporting HR, ERP, and CRM systems, with data exports for Power BI and reporting tools.
• Secure, compliant infrastructure built to ISO 27001 standards with GDPR-ready data protection and role-based access controls.

Pricing

• Essentials: Core scheduling and reporting tools for small teams.
• Professional: Adds forecasting, custom integrations, and skills management.
• Enterprise: Includes API access, advanced analytics, and multi-entity configuration.
• Custom: Tailored deployment and white-label solutions for global organisations.
• Pricing is by quote.

Real-world application

Retain is especially powerful in consulting, engineering, and accounting firms where profitability depends on efficient allocation of people and expertise. Teams use it to balance workloads, forecast demand, and plan hiring strategies with precision. With its blend of visual scheduling and strategic insight, Retain transforms resource management from an administrative task into a data-driven decision-making process.

How to choose by type of business

• Professional services and consultancies: ClickUp to run delivery and operations in one place, Teamwork.com if hourly billing is central, and Retain once resource planning across 100+ people becomes the bottleneck.
• Software development: Jira, or GitHub Projects for smaller teams already working in GitHub.
• Agencies and creative studios: ClickUp or monday.com for flexible client workflows and approvals.
• Construction and manufacturing: Smartsheet or Microsoft Planner for dependency-heavy schedules.
• Microsoft 365 organisations: Microsoft Planner, especially where IT wants to stay with one vendor.
• Very small teams or tight budgets: Trello, Zoho Projects or Hive.

Conclusion

There is no single best tool, only the best fit for how your team works. For most growing service businesses, ClickUp offers the widest range in one place at a fair price, as long as it is set up with a clear structure from day one. Shortlist the two or three tools that match your type of work, trial them on a real project, and compare the full cost, including seat minimums and AI.

FAQs

How long does it take to implement project management software?

A single team can be up and running in 2 to 4 weeks. A rollout across several teams, with data migration and training, usually takes 6 to 10 weeks.

Which tool is best for a small business?

ClickUp, Trello, Zoho Projects and Hive all have useful free plans. ClickUp is the best choice if you expect to grow into automations, dashboards and client-facing workflows.

Do I need a paid plan?

Free plans are fine for testing. Most teams need a paid plan for automations, dashboards, guest access and integrations.

How do AI features affect the price?

More tools now include AI in their plans, including ClickUp, Notion Business and Hive, while others charge for it separately. Check what is included at the plan level you would actually buy.

Can I move from my current tool?

Yes. Most tools import from spreadsheets and from the main competitors. Migrations go best when you redesign your structure instead of copying the old one across as it is.

Want help choosing and setting up the right tool?

If ClickUp looks like the right fit, I can help you set it up properly from the start. See the ClickUp implementation packages or book a free call.

Further reading: ClickUp Tutorial for Beginners, Complete Guide to ClickUp Hierarchy and ClickUp pricing 2026.