Project management tools are essential for organizing work and collaborating effectively, regardless of your team's size. With so many options available, it can be challenging to determine which solutions are best suited for your needs. The right tools connect your team, provide visibility into work, and help drive projects forward.
In this guide, we'll explore the top project management tools based on team size. For solo entrepreneurs, small teams, medium businesses, large enterprises, and beyond, we'll look at tools that can provide the features and functionality you need without overcomplicating workflows. Whether you need intuitive interfaces, robust reporting, advanced permissions, or professional features, there are project management platforms designed for your use case.
Beyond recommendations by team size, we'll also discuss key factors to evaluate when choosing solutions. This includes capabilities like task management, resource planning, time tracking, file sharing, and more. We'll also look at budget considerations and pricing tiers. Project management tools range from free versions to enterprise-level software, so it's important to align spending with your team’s requirements. Lastly, we’ll explore best practices for implementing new project management systems to drive adoption across your organization.
By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of the leading project management tools for teams of all sizes and how to select the right one based on your needs and budget. The information in this guide will help you make informed decisions and confidently choose a solution to streamline work and collaboration.
For solo entrepreneurs and freelancers managing their own projects and tasks, having the right project management tool can make a big difference in productivity and organization. When you're working alone, you need a system that's easy to use and requires little setup. Popular choices for solo project management include:
Trello - Trello uses a simple card/board interface that allows you to create boards for different projects, lists for stages of the project, and cards to represent tasks. It's highly visual and intuitive, with easy drag-and-drop functionality to move tasks between lists. Trello has free and paid plans available. It's a great option for freelancers managing a few projects.
Asana - Asana provides lists and boards similar to Trello, with some added functionality like calendars, timelines with milestones, and expanded views. It has powerful search and filtering tools to quickly find tasks. Asana works for solo users and small teams. The free plan is robust. Asana also integrates nicely with other apps and services.
Todoist - For those who want a straight-forward to-do list app, Todoist is a top choice. It allows you to quickly capture tasks, set due dates, add notes, organize tasks into projects and filter by labels. Todoist offers five priority levels for tasks and productivity features like Karma that track task completion. The free version of Todoist includes most key features but advanced functionality requires paid plans.
When starting out as a solopreneur, it makes sense to choose an easy-to-use PM tool with a free plan. Trello, Asana, and Todoist are all great options that can scale up as your business grows. The key is finding a system you'll actually use consistently to stay organized. Evaluate the interfaces and features to select the best solo project management fit.
Small teams of 2 to 10 people need a straightforward project management tool with easy collaboration features. Popular options for small teams include:
Asana
Asana enables creating tasks, organizing them into projects with due dates, assigning tasks to team members, commenting on tasks, and tracking progress with a kanban-style board. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for small teams to coordinate projects without extensive training. Asana also integrates nicely with common apps like Slack, Dropbox, and Google Drive.
Trello
Trello takes a kanban board approach to project management. It allows teams to create cards representing tasks and move them through customizable workflow columns to track progress. Easy drag-and-drop prioritization and color coding help small teams stay organized. The mobile app and integration with Slack improve collaboration.
Basecamp
Basecamp offers a one-stop-shop for communication and project management. It provides tools for task management with to-do lists, schedules, file sharing, messaging, and more. Automatic check-ins help small teams stay aligned. Basecamp offers unlimited projects and users on its paid plans.
Wrike
Wrike supports both kanban boards and Gantt charts for planning tasks and projects. Small teams can schedule projects, assign tasks, set milestones and due dates, and track progress in one place. Wrike also has built-in time tracking and reporting to keep everyone accountable. Its collaboration features suit remote small teams.
The key for small teams is choosing an intuitive project management platforms that facilitates collaboration without extensive training. Asana, Trello, Basecamp, and Wrike all fit the bill with easy-to-use interfaces and excellent communication functionality. Evaluating free trials to select the best match for your small team's workflow is recommended.
For medium sized teams of 11-50 people, more advanced features become important in a project management tool while still retaining ease of use. The ability to manage more complex projects, workflows, and teams features prominently.
Jira is designed for agile project management with robust capabilities for customized workflows and integrations. It provides kanban boards, roadmaps, reports and more to manage medium to large projects. With advanced permissions, it can support cross-functional teams with defined user roles. The flexibility of Jira comes at the expense of a steeper learning curve.
Asana provides a simple and intuitive interface with features like boards, lists, calendars, timelines perfect for medium sized teams. It focuses on collaboration and communication with robust tools to manage and track tasks. Asana integrates well with other applications through Zapier. It works well for defined projects though roadmaps and portfolio planning features are lacking.
Wrike combines project management with work management capabilities like Gantt charts, workflows, boards and more. With advanced permissions and custom fields, it can handle cross-functional medium teams. Wrike shines in project planning and scheduling with tools to visualize workflows and dependencies. The interface can be overwhelming for some though with many features.
Teamwork aims for simplicity in project management tailored for medium sized teams. It provides an intuitive interface with essential features like task management, Gantt charts, time tracking, and reporting. Teamwork lacks some advanced capabilities but its simplicity makes it easy to use even for beginners. Integrations are available through Zapier.
When your team size grows to over 50 people, you need robust project management tools that can handle the complexity of multiple projects, large teams, and deep task hierarchies. Four excellent options to consider for large teams are:
Jira is one of the most popular project management tools for large agile software teams. It provides advanced scrum project management with full support for epics, stories, sprints, and powerful reporting. Jira enables large teams to plan sprints, distribute tasks, track progress, and visualize workflows. With its countless integrations, custom fields, and automation capabilities, Jira scales to meet the needs of large engineering and product teams.
Asana is a flexible project management tool suitable for many types of large teams beyond just software. It provides list, board, calendar, and timeline views to manage projects and tasks. Asana enables teams to track deadlines, collaborate via conversations and attachments, and customize workflows with rules and forms. Asana also offers easy integration with 100+ apps. While it may not have all the agile-specific features of Jira, Asana provides enough customization and flexibility to manage large projects across various departments.
Clarizen is an enterprise-level project management solution built for large teams that need real-time visibility into workloads, resources, budgets, and forecasts. It provides interactive Gantt charts for scheduling tasks and advanced reporting on timelines, budgets, and resource utilization. Clarizen supports structured approval workflows and change management processes for governing large initiatives. With its financial management capabilities, Clarizen is a great choice for large PMOs overseeing many strategic projects across an organization.
Workfront aims to help large marketing, creative, and professional services teams manage the full lifecycle of client projects from concept to completion. It provides interactive Gantt charts, resource management, and time tracking. Workfront enables teams to maintain brand and image consistency, gather client approvals and feedback, and connect enterprise data. The Portfolio module gives full visibility into programs and cross-project dependencies for managing large portfolios. With advanced analytics and reporting, Workfront is ideal for large agencies and services firms.
When you have over 200 people collaborating on projects, you need robust software that can handle multiple users, complexity, and real-time visibility. The leading project management tools for very large teams include:
Clarizen - Offers enterprise-level project management with tools for task management, collaboration, reporting, and more. Clarizen scales to thousands of users and has advanced resource management capabilities like skill tracking and utilization rates. The software has configurable workflows and approvals which is useful for formal governance. Clarizen integrates with systems like Salesforce, Oracle, and SAP. Pricing is customized for each client.
Oracle Project Portfolio Management Cloud - A complete PPM solution from enterprise software leader Oracle. Has pre-built integrations with Oracle ERP and HCM systems. Capabilities include project planning, scheduling, portfolio analysis, resource management, budgeting, forecasting, and billing. Web and mobile access provided. Pricing starts at $75 per user/month.
SAP Project and Portfolio Management - Allows organizations to centralize project planning, resources, financials, risk management, and collaboration across the enterprise. Provides real-time visibility into project and portfolio performance. Integrates fully with SAP solutions. Large implementations can cost over $1 million.
Planview Enterprise One - Gives visibility into resources, projects, programs, and portfolios even with global and matrixed teams. Dashboards, analytics, capacity planning, and ideation features provided. Integrates with financial systems. Extensive API allows connections with other apps. Pricing scales based on usage for Planview Enterprise One.
For global enterprises managing enormous projects, platforms like Clarizen, Oracle, SAP, and Planview provide the scalability, customization, and cross-functional integrations needed. Partnering with these project management software vendors can enable effective oversight and optimization of portfolios containing thousands of projects.
The key features you'll want to look for in a project management tool depend on the size of your team. Here are some of the top considerations:
For small teams, simple collaboration features like task comments and file sharing are likely sufficient. Medium sized teams may want additional options like @mentions and activity streams to improve communication. Large teams benefit most from advanced collaboration capabilities like visual boards, video chat, and custom workflows.
Time tracking becomes more critical the larger your team size. Solo entrepreneurs can likely get by with simple time logs or timestamps on tasks. Small teams benefit from being able to run basic reports on time tracked against projects. Medium and large teams need advanced reporting plus features like time estimates and budget tracking.
Larger team sizes require advanced resource management tools to view capacity and workload across the team. Medium sized teams can benefit from assigning tasks to individuals and groups. Large teams need the ability to schedule projects based on resource availability.
Robust reporting and analytics are less essential for small teams but become more important for medium and large teams. Larger teams need to track progress across multiple projects and see high-level performance metrics. Customizable dashboards and automated reports make data insights more accessible.
When choosing a project management tool, it's important to consider your budget and pricing needs. Here are some key things to think about:
Pricing tiers - Many project management tools offer different pricing tiers based on the number of users you need and the features you want. For example, the lowest tier may be free or low cost with limited functionality. Mid-level tiers add more robust features like GANTT charts, custom fields, and integrations. The highest tier offers additional capabilities like advanced reporting and unlimited storage. Consider which features are essential for your team.
Free options - Some tools like Trello, Asana, and Notion offer free versions. These can work well for very small teams who only need basic task management. However, the free versions are typically limited in the number of projects, storage, or features compared to paid plans. They serve as a good way to try out a tool before committing.
Scalability - Consider how easily a tool can scale up as your team grows. Some tools charge per user, while others have flat monthly fees for unlimited users. Think about whether you may need to add more users down the line and how that would impact costs. Also look for volume discounts as you add more users.
Integrations & add-ons - Factor in any additional costs for integrating other software tools or adding on extra capabilities. Some project tools offer free integrations while others charge a per integration fee. Add-ons like time tracking or reporting can also incur additional monthly fees.
Enterprise options - For very large teams, look for enterprise options that offer customized setup, training, and enterprise-grade support. These typically have higher price tags but may be worthwhile for complex projects.
Doing a thorough evaluation of pricing and capabilities will help you select the right project management tool for your budget and needs, both now and in the future. Taking advantage of free trials and free tiers is a great way to experience a tool before fully investing.
Implementing new project management tools in an organization requires careful planning and execution to ensure adoption and effective usage. Here are some key considerations when rolling out a new project management solution:
Careful change management and training coupled with strategic integrations will drive successful adoption and utilization of new project management tools.
After reviewing the best project management tools tailored for teams of different sizes, it is clear there are many options to choose from. The right project management software can help optimize workflows, improve collaboration, increase productivity, and get work done more efficiently.
When selecting a tool, it is important to consider your team size, specific needs, and budget. Larger teams generally benefit from more robust platforms with extensive reporting and advanced features. Smaller teams may only require basic task management.
Based on the options covered, some recommendations for teams include:
The key is to assess your requirements, workflows and team culture. Look for a tool that aligns with how your team wants to work, while providing the right level of features and support at a reasonable price point. With the wide range of excellent project management software available today, teams of any size should be able to find the perfect fit.
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