We rank vendors based on rigorous testing and research, but also take into account your feedback and our commercial agreements with providers. This page contains affiliate links. Advertising Disclosure
Every project management platform promises to streamline your work, but only a few can help you boost efficiency without requiring extensive knowledge or training.
And just because a project management platform is easy to use and affordable doesn’t mean it’s good. You’ll also need features like ready-made templates to help you quickly set up projects and efficient task management to stay organized. Additionally, a document builder keeps all content in one place, making team collaboration easy.
After thoroughly testing dozens of popular options, I made a list of the 10 best simple project management software to help you increase productivity without involving a steep learning curve. Of these, monday.com is the winner – it has an intuitive interface and a range of project templates you can customize to fit your needs. Read on for a deeper look at monday.com and my other top picks.
What We Look For in the Best Simple Project Management Software
While testing project management software for this article, I focused on the features that will help you organize tasks and track progress without complexity.
User-friendly interface. A straightforward interface saves time and ensures you focus more on managing projects than figuring out the tool. All project management software on my list are easy to navigate even if you’re a newbie.
Prebuilt project templates. I only included project management tools that offer ready-made templates to help you get started. You can customize these templates to fit the specific needs of your projects.
Efficient task management. The best simple project management software should have task management features to help you stay organized, such as the ability to set due dates and priorities and attach files.
Useful built-in features. Having features like time tracking, file sharing, and collaboration tools within the software means you don’t need to rely on multiple applications, making your workflow smoother.
Affordability. High costs of premium project management software make it difficult for small teams or individuals to invest. All platforms on my list have either free plans that include access to most features or reasonably-priced paid plans.
monday.com offers a guided tour of its interface to help you get started
monday.com is the easiest project management software around. It lets you to handle simple, recurring tasks as well as more complex projects. You can assign tasks, monitor the real-time status of ongoing projects, and manage your budget. Additionally, you get access to over 200 project templates covering numerous industries, from marketing and HR to education and real estate.
What I really like about monday.com is its rich set of automation tools to help you save time on routine tasks. You can use these to create tasks, send notifications, update statuses, and more.
monday.com’s free plan lets you add up to two users and create up to three boards. Though you’ll have to pay to get access to the best features, monday.com’s pricing is fairly reasonable considering what you get in return. The Standard plan offers the best value – you get automations, integrations, and guest access.
All monday.com paid plans offer a 14-day free trial to let you test the features risk-free.
Features
Unlimited essentials. Even on its cheapest paid plan, monday.com lets you add unlimited team members and boards. Also, you can add unlimited free viewers with read-only access to your data.
Nine task views. monday.com offers nine ways to see your tasks to suit different preferences, including Kanban (displays your tasks as cards on a board), Gantt (shows your tasks on a timeline with goals), Map, File Views, and more.
Easy searching. monday.com’s Advanced Search tool lets you filter your search by projects, posts, images, updates, and mentions to quickly find what you need.
Zoom integration. With the Zoom integration, you can host online meetings and gather information such as meeting type, agenda, participants, and duration directly into your monday.com account.
ClickUp’s interface is highly customizable while still easy to navigateClickUp’s flexible task management features help you stay organized. You can set up priorities for tasks and add different types of columns (e.g., for dates, files, or locations) to provide more information. ClickUp also has many to-do list templates that let you easily manage your ideas and turn them into tasks.
ClickUp really shines when it comes to collaboration tools. The built-in ClickUp Docs app lets you create and edit content and communicate in real-time with your team members. You can link your docs to tasks and add widgets for assigning tasks and updating project statuses directly from the editor.
ClickUp’s free plan is extremely generous, only limiting the number of times you can use certain features. That said, ClickUp’s paid plans are definitely worth considering, as they offer additional functionality while staying affordable. Even the cheaper plans include most of the premium features such as guest access and workload management.
Features
Efficient time-tracking. ClickUp’s native time-tracking tool (available on all plans) lets you add notes to your time entries, mark entries as billable, set time estimates, and more.
Bulk action toolbar. With this time-saving tool, you can make changes to multiple tasks or subtasks all at once, such as setting assignees, due dates, and priority.
Chrome extension. ClickUp’s free Chrome extension simplifies project management on the go, allowing you to create tasks, track time, take screenshots, and more.
ClickUp AI. This affordable add-on speeds up the process of creating projects by generating project templates and summaries, adding assignees, and creating subtasks, among other things.
You can access Smartsheet’s Proofs feature from the sidebar on the right
Smartsheet’s Excel-type interface was designed to help you handle large volumes of information quickly. You can add columns for pretty much everything, from contacts to checklists. That said, if you find spreadsheets unwelcoming (like I do), you can always switch to Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, or Timeline view to visualize your projects more easily.
If your projects involve mockup designs, you’ll find Smartsheet’s proofing feature incredibly handy. It lets you edit files such as images and videos and add comments to specific sections to easily communicate with your team.
Smartsheet’s free version gives you access to templates, forms, and automations, but you only get two sheets. The Pro plan provides great value with unlimited sheets, forms, and reports, but if you want access to features like Timeline view and workload management, you’ll have to subscribe to the Business plan.
Features
Automated workflows. Smartsheet gives you access to automations on all plans, which include sending reminders, assigning items, approving requests, and more.
Built-in form builder. With Smartsheet’s forms, you can easily collect information and save it into your sheets. Also, you can personalize the look of your forms by changing colors and adding your logo, images, or gifs.
Customizable dashboards. Smartsheet’s dashboards make it easy to track progress with drag-and-drop widgets like images and charts.
Fully functional 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, allowing you to stay productive on the go.
HubSpot guides you through creating your first dashboardHubSpot is primarily a customer relationship management (CRM) tool, and project management features are only a small portion of its offerings. That said, you can still perform standard project management actions, such as creating projects and tasks, assigning them to team members, and setting start and due dates.
With HubSpot, you can easily create dashboards to gain insights into your projects. HubSpot offers dedicated dashboard templates for different teams, such as marketing, sales, and customer service. All of these are well-designed, with elements such as graphs and audio/video content to help you grasp information quickly.
HubSpot’s free plan includes basic project management features, such as the ability to assign tasks, add notes, and attach tasks to a specific marketing or sales campaign. For more advanced project management tools, you’ll need to subscribe to the Professional plan, which can get pricey depending on your team size. Still, you can use its 14-day free trial to see if it’s right for you without committing.
Features
HubSpot demos. When you sign up for a HubSpot plan or trial, you get step-by-step visual demos introducing you to your plan’s features, so you can quickly learn the ropes.
AI tools. HubSpot’s built-in AI features can increase your efficiency by generating images and text, developing project plans, and providing project insights.
Chatflows and Shared Inbox. With these tools, you can easily manage chat and email conversations with customers and clients.
File sharing. HubSpot allows you to upload audio and video files, as well as PDF, Google, and Microsoft documents. You can share files with team members and clients.
Teamwork’s interface is clean and brightly-coloredGetting started with Teamwork is incredibly straightforward – after signing up, you’ll set up your first project in the same window. Teamwork guides you through adding tasks, creating task lists, and choosing your preferred task view.
If your work mainly concerns client projects, you’ll appreciate Teamwork’s wide set of client-oriented features. In addition to being able to log billable hours with Teamwork’s built-in time-tracking tool, you can create invoices and set rates for client projects. Additionally, you can create custom budgets for individual projects and track expenses, ensuring the spending stays within the set limits.
Teamwork’s free plan includes unlimited task list templates, time tracking, and invoice creation tools, but you can only have two active projects at a time. Upgrading to the affordable Deliver plan lets you create up to 300 projects and gives you access to features such as 20 project templates and project status reports.
Features
Easy task management. Teamwork allows you to bulk edit tasks, save task lists as templates for future use, and filter data, which saves time considerably if you’re working on several projects.
Clients view. This feature gives you a high-level overview of all projects linked to a specific client, so you can get insights on project performance.
Free collaborator seats. If you’re working with additional people on a project, you can add free collaborator seats and set user permissions.
Planned vs Actual. This reporting tool lets you see how your projects are progressing compared to the original schedule, so you can plan better.
Jira’s project views include Summary, Board, List, Calendar, and TimelineJira focuses on agile project management, which involves fixed workflows and timed sprints that deal with particular aspects of a project, such as issue tracking (e.g. tracking a project task or a help desk ticket). Because of this, it has a limited number of templates compared to platforms like monday.com and ClickUp.
Still, using Jira’s Project Management template is an efficient way to organize your projects and tasks, with five project views, dashboards, reports, and automation features. For example, you can create automations to notify team members about high-priority issues or close a parent task when all subtasks are done.
Jira’s free plan works great for smaller teams as it covers up to 10 users and includes unlimited projects, tasks, and forms. On the other hand, if you run a larger team, Jira’s Standard plan might be more beneficial. You get more functionality, such as user permissions and more automation actions. Also, if you have over 100 users, you’ll receive a discounted per-user rate.
Features
Robust app marketplace. Jira offers over 1,000 integrations, including popular choices like Slack for instant messaging and Clockify for time-tracking.
User roles and permissions. When you create a new project, you can set permissions for what your team members can do within the project, such as editing or commenting. Also, you can assign roles, such as administrator or end-user.
Email notifications. On the free plan, you can send up to 100 email notifications per day, whereas you get unlimited emails on paid plans.
Anonymous access. This feature allows users outside of your company to create issues without logging. For instance, your customers can use it to submit feature requests.
If you’re still undecided about which simple project management software is best for your needs, the following apps aren’t as feature-rich, but they still offer effective tools for specific projects.
There’s a lot going on in Zoho Projects’ interfaceZoho Projects has a milestone system that lets you break down every project into smaller chunks – milestones, task lists, tasks, and subtasks. You can set priorities, add reminders, and set dependencies between related tasks to stay on top of your work.
But while Zoho Projects is highly customizable, it isn’t always intuitive. Some features lack a dedicated section, making them hard to find, while others may take some time to get used to, especially if you’re a beginner.
You can configure your project dashboard with widgets to display the most important information
Striven is a business management software with a range of tools for managing employees, customers, and finances. However, Striven also has a surprisingly well-rounded set of project management features, including project templates, task tracking, and versatile collaboration tools.
Striven’s many features don’t come cheap though, especially if you’re only interested in project management. Still, you can use Striven’s 7-day free trial to test the platform risk-free and see if it’s worth the investment for your business.
TeamGantt has an interactive tutorial template with instructions and support links
TeamGantt was built for creating Gantt charts, which display your project on a timeline. With its intuitive editor, you can easily add task dependencies and milestones, update start/end task dates, and use filters to display or hide information according to your needs.
In addition to the Gantt charts view, TeamGantt also lets you see your projects in calendar, list, and board views. Still, TeamGantt lacks some of the features other project management software on this list have, such as a document builder or automations, making it best suited for small projects with clear goals.
Bonsai’s pre-written contract templates are legally applicable in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia
Bonsai was designed with freelancers and small agencies in mind. It offers useful features such as a contract builder, proposal templates, and automated invoicing to simplify administrative tasks.
Bonsai also lets you create project folders to organize your work and manage tasks with a simple, checklist-style task queue. Bonsai’s narrow focus makes it less suitable for broader project management needs, but it’s worth considering if you’re looking for solid admin tools.
Streamline Your Work with The Best Simple Project Management Software
All the project management platforms on this list will help you enhance efficiency and team collaboration without requiring technical knowledge or experience. That said, the best simple project management software for you will depend on your priorities.
If you want a balance between ease of use and functionality, monday.com is my top recommendation. It has an intuitive interface and effective automation tools to ensure a smooth workflow.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a better way to communicate with your team members, ClickUp has what you need. Its built-in document builder lets you collaborate with others in real time and assign tasks directly from the editor.
Or, if you want a simple solution to handle image and video-related projects, Smartsheet is a great option. Smartsheet’s proofing features work great for mockup designs, and thanks to its excellent mobile app, you can do it on the go.
Check out the table below to quickly compare my most recommended simple project management software.
Free Plan
Best Feature
Best For
Starting Price
monday.com
✔
Intuitive interface
and well-designed
project templates
In my opinion, monday.com offers the best tools to help you streamline your work. You get multiple project views, a great set of automations, and over 200 templates to set up projects quickly.
How much does simple project management software cost?
Many project management apps offer generous free plans that give you access to most features. ClickUp, for example, makes nearly all of its tools available on the free plan, but it limits the number of times you can use them. If you need more functionality, ClickUp’s paid plans are fairly affordable and provide great value.
Can you use simple project management software for collaboration?
Absolutely! For instance, ClickUp has a built-in document app that not only allows you to create content and keep your work in a single place, but also makes it easy to collaborate with team members in real time.
What is the best project management tool for beginners?
Most project management platforms have intuitive interfaces with clearly labeled features, so you won’t have trouble finding your way around even if you’re just starting out. Also, apps like monday.com and ClickUp have great project templates and task management features to help you easily set up projects and keep track of your work.
Check out our list of the best project management software for other simple yet effective solutions to help you stay productive.
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.
Thank you, - your comment was submitted successfully!
We check all user comments within 48 hours to make sure they are from real people like you. We're glad you found this article useful - we would appreciate it if you let more people know about it.
Share this blog post with friends and co-workers right now:
Thank you, , your comment was submitted successfully!
We check all comments within 48 hours to make sure they're from real users like you. In the meantime, you can share your comment with others to let more people know what you think.
Thank you for signing up!
Once a month you will receive interesting, insightful tips, tricks, and advice to improve your website performance and reach your digital marketing goals!
