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If you run a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME), you may struggle with budget constraints or a decentralized system that interferes with your productivity. Though there are many free management platforms, not all have the right tools to help you optimize your workflows or keep up with your growing enterprise.
You’ll want software with effective task management to help you organize your work and collaboration tools to keep your team aligned. Also, having easy (and free) access to integrations can help your SME grow and adapt to future business needs.
After testing dozens of popular free management software, I found 10 options that work great for SMEs. Of these, monday.com stands out because it offers a generous free package that few management solutions can match. In addition to automation capabilities (a rarity among free services), it has an incredibly intuitive interface and hundreds of integrations to help your SME scale.
Keep reading for more details on monday.com and my other top choices.
What We Look For in the Best Free Management Software for SMEs
In addition to being free, a good management platform for SMEs should help you improve productivity and team communication. Here’s what I focused on during my research.
User-friendly interface. You should get to spend your time focusing on your business operations, not figuring out how to use project management software. All platforms on my list are easy to navigate even if you’re a beginner.
Robust task management. Effective task management features help you organize and prioritize work efficiently. This means you can keep track of deadlines and project progress without feeling overwhelmed.
In-app collaboration tools. I only included platforms that offer features such as in-app chat, file sharing, and real-time editing to help teams work together seamlessly, even if they’re remote.
Integrations. The ability to integrate free management software with other tools you already use enhances overall productivity. Also, having free access to third-party tools can help your SME grow without breaking the bank.
Time-saving features. A good free management software for SMEs should include built-in features to help you manage time and reduce manual work, such as automations and time-tracking.
monday.com makes it incredibly easy to sort and filter through tasks
monday.com is the best free management software I’ve used, in part because its workplace dashboard is so satisfying. The dashboard is made out of boards, which allows your team to visualize projects easily. On the free plan, you can create up to three boards and add up to 200 items (individual tasks). You can also add an unlimited number of sub-items to your tasks, meaning you can get very specific with your projects.
Also, monday.com lets you visualize your projects in Files, Forms, and Kanban (tasks arranged as cards on a board) views. I really like this flexibility as it lets you cater to your team members’ different preferences. The Files view lets you see all the files uploaded to your board in one place, while the Forms view allows you to convert your boards into forms and send them to your contacts to collect information, streamlining your workflows.
monday.com’s free plan1 includes 500 MB of storage and access to the software’s app marketplace. While this is good value for SMEs, keep in mind you only get two users. As your SME grows, I’d recommend upgrading to the affordable Basic plan, which includes guest access and more advanced automations to help you save time on routine tasks.
You can test monday.com’s paid plans using a 14-day free trial.
Features
Free access to apps. Even on the free plan, you can access monday.com’s app marketplace with over 200 free and paid third-party tools. You can add apps for marketing, time tracking, finance, and more, increasing your SME’s efficiency.
Workdocs. This built-in doc-style tool lets you collaborate with your team members by recording notes and ideas related to one central topic. You can also use the AI Assistant to help you generate text, such as project summaries.
Simple search function. With monday.com, each board has a filter that lets you go through your assigned tasks or find specific information within your board.
Earn additional free items. You can get an extra 100 items for each person you refer to monday.com. You can refer someone by clicking on your avatar at the upper right corner of your workspace and clicking on Earn items.
ClickUp has a busy interface, but I find the List view the easiest for viewing my tasksClickUp’s free version1 is one of the most generous I’ve seen, especially for SMEs. You get limitations only in the number of times you can use certain features. For instance, you get 60 uses of the Workload view to get an insight into team members’ workloads and 100 uses of the Portfolio tool to easily track your team’s objectives. And since ClickUp is one of the most customizable platforms on the market, you get a lot of features.
ClickUp offers versatile collaboration tools to help your team stay connected. For instance, there are built-in chat and Docs apps that let you collaborate with your colleagues in real-time. ClickUp’s Docs app is similar to monday.com’s workdocs, but with more functionality – you can link documents to tasks and update project statuses directly from the editor, which helps SMEs save time and increase efficiency.
ClickUp beats monday.com in several other aspects as well, as it includes automations and a time-tracking tool on the free plan, which is incredibly helpful for small teams. That said, ClickUp is less intuitive than monday.com – the sheer number of features can make its interface tricky to navigate. Still, once you get used to the platform, you’ll have loads of functionality at your fingertips.
Features
Efficient task management. ClickUp lets you set up task priorities and add notes and labels to help your team stay organized and easily filter through tasks.
Whiteboards. ClickUp’s Whiteboards function as mind maps and let you brainstorm and execute ideas in a single place, simplifying team collaboration. You can add images and files for more context.
Bulk action toolbar. This tool allows you to edit multiple tasks or documents in bulk. You can also merge similar tasks to declutter your workspace.
ClickUp Brain. This affordable AI add-on streamlines your SME’s workflow by creating project outlines and brainstorming A/B tests, among other things.
You can filter through Smartsheeet’s templates based on a project’s complexitySmartsheet is one of the few project management platforms that gives you access to all templates on the free plan. You can choose from Smartsheet’s 90+ templates1 to help your team speed up the process of setting up projects, from simple to-do lists to more complex options such as annual business budgets.
Smartsheet’s free plan also includes automations – you can create automated workflows based on preset conditions. For instance, you can use automations for actions such as sending reminders, assigning items, and approving requests to save time and make your team more efficient. You get 100 automation actions per month for free, which is a good offer for SMEs.
When you sign up for Smartsheet, you enroll in a 30-day free trial of the Pro plan. This plan comes with unlimited sheets, forms, and reports, a wider widget selection for dashboards, and access to 120+ integrations, such as Microsoft Teams and Slack to improve team coordination. While I appreciate this trial, the downside is that it shows how restrictive Smartsheet’s free plan is – available automations are quite basic and you also can’t access priority support if you run into any problems. I would recommend upgrading to get full access to Smartsheet’s features.
Features
Grid interface. Smartsheet’s default view is grid view, with spreadsheets that help you manage large chunks of information quickly. However, if you’re not a fan of Excel-type sheets, don’t worry – you can always switch to Calendar, Kanban, or Gantt (timeline) view.
Easy reports. Smartsheet lets you create dashboards to get insight into important information, such as project status or expense records. You can customize your dashboards by dragging and dropping widgets like charts and images (up to 10 widgets for free).
Customizable forms. Smartsheet’s built-in form builder makes it easy to collect information from team members and clients. You can personalize your forms’ design by adding your logo and images.
Fully-featured mobile app. Smartsheet’s mobile app has nearly every functionality of the web version. You can directly import data from your phone’s calendar to your sheets, making it easy to stay productive on the go.
HubSpot lets you see all tasks assigned to a specific team in a task queueHubSpot was built for marketing, sales, and customer service teams that need a comprehensive solution for streamlining workflows. Though you can only add 5 users on the free plan, I found that you still get a valuable mix of tools designed for these teams. Plus, HubSpot has additional content and e-commerce features that can help your SME grow.
For instance, you can schedule and send 2,000 monthly emails for free to keep your subscribers informed and engaged. This is a significant advantage over other management tools like monday.com, ClickUp, and Smartsheet, all of which don’t offer direct email marketing features.
On the project management side, you can create and assign tasks and add notes to keep your team organized. Also, you can attach a task to a specific marketing or sales campaign to improve team collaboration. That said, if you want more advanced features, such as project tracking and multiple project views, you’ll need to subscribe to the Professional plan.
Features
AI blog. HubSpot’s AI blog generator creates full-blown posts based on your topics and suggests keywords for ranking higher on search engines. This can help increase your SME’s online presence.
Multilingual content creation. This feature allows you to display your website pages and blogs in up to three languages supported by HubSpot, which is great for SMEs that want to attract international customers.
Product library. If your SME deals with e-commerce, HubSpot’s free plan lets you add up to 100 products and integrate Stripe to process payments.
Multiple communication channels. To improve customer engagement, HubSpot lets you create a Shared Inbox to manage email and chat conversations. You can also integrate chat apps like Facebook Messenger and Slack.
Project management and time tracking are some of the top categories in Jira’s app marketplaceJira’s free plan works great for small teams as it lets you add up to 10 users, which is significantly more than what many of its competitors offer. It also includes unlimited projects, tasks, and forms, which is something few project management software provide for free.
Best of all, Jira gives you access to its vast app marketplace, with 900+ apps you can install for free. You can browse through countless categories like CRM and document management to get additional functionality as your SME grows.
Compared to platforms like ClickUp, Jira has limited built-in project management features. Still, it lets you visualize your projects in 5 different views (List, Board, Timeline, Calendar, and Summary) to suit your preferences. Plus, it comes with essential reporting and automation tools to help improve your team’s productivity.
Features
Project status updates. Jira lets you share status updates on how projects and goals are progressing to ensure everyone on your team is on the same page.
Employee directory. In Jira, you can create an employee directory to get an overview of teams and frequent collaborators, as well as what they’re working on.
Email notifications. On the free plan, you can send up to 100 email notifications per day to keep your team informed.
Backlogs. Backlogs are to-do lists for your projects, and you can use them to easily track tasks that you want to do in the future, helping your team stay organized.
Even on the free plan, Teamwork lets you add time estimates to your projectsTeamwork is one of the easiest project management software I’ve used, with a colorful interface your team can grasp quickly, regardless of their technical knowledge. Even if you get stuck, Teamwork helps you set up your first project by guiding you through adding tasks, creating task lists, and choosing a task view.
Teamwork’s free plan comes with some handy perks, such as unlimited task checklists and the ability to track billable time, which is something not even ClickUp offers on its free version. That said, you get access to only 2 project templates and a fairly limited set of reporting tools.
Still, if you’re running a small team and looking for a beginner-friendly solution that combines project management with time tracking and invoicing capabilities, Teamwork might be just what you need.
Features
Clients view. This feature lets your team see all projects linked to a specific client in one place.
Easy invoicing. Teamwork lets you create and customize invoices, making it easier for SMEs to manage finances across projects.
Free collaborator seats. Though Teamwork only lets you have 5 users and 5 active projects, you can add free collaborator seats to include additional people in a project.
Workload management. Teamwork allows you to get an insight into your team members’ workload, so you can distribute tasks evenly and prevent overbooking.
If you’re still unsure which free management software is the best for your needs, here are a few more choices to consider. Though the following platforms aren’t as feature-rich as the ones discussed above, they have specific tools that might tick the right boxes for SMEs.
You can easily access all Zoho apps from your dashboardZoho Projects’ strength lies in its ecosystem – it offers a native suite of apps you can integrate for free, such as Zoho CRM for improving customer relationships and Zoho Meeting for team video calls. You also get essential project management features like task management and document sharing.
However, Zoho Projects only lets you add up to 3 users and work on 2 projects, making it better suited for individuals. Still, it offers quite affordable plans you can test risk-free with a 10-day free trial.
Striven lets you specify a project manager for each projectStriven’s extensive set of features helps you manage employees, finances, and customers from a single dashboard. You also get a solid set of project management tools, such as task tracking and team collaboration.
That said, Striven doesn’t have a free plan and the paid plans aren’t exactly cheap. Still, the abundance of functionality could be a worthwhile investment if you’re looking to scale quickly. Striven offers a 7-day free trial to let you test the platform without committing.
TeamGantt’s templates work best for simple projectsTeamGantt focuses on creating Gantt charts, which display your project on a timeline. It lets you easily create and assign tasks, leave comments, share files, and perform other basic project management actions.
That said, TeamGantt’s free plan only lets you create one project and add up to 60 tasks, which is quite limiting compared to other software on this list. However, I still think the paid plan is worth considering if you work with other people on projects, as you can add unlimited collaborators. You can try out TeamGantt’s Pro plan for free for 7 days.
Bonsai offers efficient client and scheduling tools
Though Bonsai doesn’t have a free plan, it has excellent tools for contractors and small agencies. Bonsai offers ready-made proposal and contract templates (legally applicable in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia) and automated invoicing, allowing you to focus on your work instead of technical matters.
With Bonsai, you can organize your projects into folders and create task checklists. Though it lacks more advanced project management features, it’s a good option for SMEs that handle simple projects and need help with administrative tasks.
Maximize Productivity With The Best Free Management Software for SMEs
All the project management platforms on this list offer free tools to help you centralize your processes and improve team collaboration, ultimately leading to greater efficiency. However, the best free management software for your SME depends on your priorities.
If you want an easy-to-use interface and free access to hundreds of integrations to help you grow, monday.com is my top recommendation1. Its board-based approach is not only super intuitive but gives you a high-level overview of your projects.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to improve team communication, ClickUp has what you need1. Its built-in docs app and whiteboards let you collaborate with team members in real time and assign tasks directly from the collaboration interface.
Or, if you want versatile templates to help you create projects quickly, Smartsheet is a great option1. Smartsheet has a solid set of free automations to help you streamline your workflows, and thanks to its powerful mobile app, you can do it on the go.
Check out the table below to quickly compare my most recommended free management software for SMEs.
What features should I look for in free management software?
For SMEs, it’s important to look for essential features like task management, collaboration tools, and time tracking. You’ll also want integrations with other tools you use to centralize your processes and ensure a smooth workflow.
Is Smartsheet free to use?
Yes, Smartsheet has a free plan that gives you access to features like project templates, automations, and forms. However, when you sign up for Smartsheet, you start with a 30-day free trial of the Pro plan. Once the trial is over, you can upgrade or continue using Smartsheet on the free plan.
Is free management software easy to use?
Most free management tools are designed to be user-friendly even if you lack technical experience. For instance, monday.com has an easy-to-use interface with clear instructions, easily searchable boards, and guides to help you get started quickly.
What are top free project management software for SMEs?
It depends on your needs. For example, HubSpot works great for marketing and sales teams, while ClickUp’s variety of features suit all types of businesses, especially those that want to improve team collaboration. Check out our list of the best project management software in 2024 to review other free and affordable solutions for SMEs.
Ana specializes in writing about web building platforms, project management software, and other digital tools. She has been a freelance writer for 7 years, and has published countless product reviews and comparisons in that time. Ana has a passion for language and all things tech, and she combines the two to provide accessible and insightful resources for anyone interested in building websites or managing projects.
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