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Best project management software in 2026

Project management software helps teams plan work, assign tasks, track deadlines and see progress. Options range from simple boards for small teams to flexible work platforms with timelines, workload views, automations and portfolio reporting.

13 tools compared. Top picks first, then alphabetical. No paid placements.

Asana

FreemiumTop pick

Work management platform for planning projects and tracking tasks across teams.

Best for: Cross-functional teams that need clear ownership and timelines.

  • List, board, timeline and calendar views
  • Goals and portfolios
  • Automation rules
  • Forms

monday.com

FreemiumTop pick

Colourful, flexible work platform you can shape into almost any workflow.

Best for: Teams that want a customisable visual workspace.

  • Customisable boards
  • Many views
  • Automations
  • Dashboards

Notion

FreemiumTop pick

All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis and databases.

Best for: Individuals and teams that want docs, wikis and light project tracking in one place.

  • Pages and docs
  • Databases with views
  • Wikis
  • Templates

Airtable

Freemium

Spreadsheet-database hybrid for building custom apps and workflows.

Best for: Teams that need a flexible database without code.

  • Relational database
  • Grid, kanban, calendar and gallery views
  • Interfaces
  • Automations

Basecamp

Free trial

Calm project management with to-dos, message boards and docs in one place.

Best for: Small companies and agencies that work with clients.

  • To-do lists
  • Message boards
  • Schedules
  • Docs and files

ClickUp

Freemium

All-in-one productivity platform for tasks, docs, goals and chat.

Best for: Teams that want to replace several tools with one.

  • Tasks with many views
  • Docs and whiteboards
  • Goals
  • Chat

Jira

Freemium

The standard project tracker for software teams using agile methods.

Best for: Software and engineering teams running Scrum or Kanban.

  • Scrum and Kanban boards
  • Backlogs and sprints
  • Issue tracking
  • Roadmaps

Linear

Freemium

Fast, keyboard-driven issue tracking for product and engineering teams.

Best for: Software startups and product teams that value speed.

  • Issues and projects
  • Cycles
  • Roadmaps
  • Triage

Smartsheet

Free trial

Spreadsheet-style work management for project and portfolio tracking.

Best for: Teams comfortable with spreadsheets that need more structure.

  • Grid, Gantt, card and calendar views
  • Automation
  • Dashboards
  • Forms

Teamwork.com

Freemium

Project management built for client services and agencies.

Best for: Agencies and client-service businesses that bill for time.

  • Projects and tasks
  • Time tracking
  • Budgets and profitability
  • Client users

Trello

Freemium

Simple Kanban boards for organising anything.

Best for: Individuals and small teams that like visual boards.

  • Kanban boards
  • Cards with checklists
  • Butler automation
  • Power-ups

Wrike

Freemium

Robust project management for larger teams and agencies.

Best for: Mid-size and enterprise teams with complex projects.

  • Gantt charts
  • Workload management
  • Custom request forms
  • Proofing

monday CRM

Free trial

Flexible CRM built on the monday.com work platform.

Best for: Teams that want a customisable CRM that also handles projects and post-sale work.

  • Customisable pipelines
  • Email sync
  • Automations
  • Dashboards