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Best Project management tools in 2026

Project management tools organize work by assigning tasks, monitoring progress and coordinating projects. This list is for people choosing a tool on a budget, including readers who need free or open-source options.

  1. 1

    Redmine

    Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

    Redmine offers configurable project and issue management alongside collaboration, time reporting and repository browsing.

    9.0 Open source Visit site
  2. 2

    Trac

    Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

    Trac combines project documentation and issue tracking with version-control links, timelines, and a roadmap.

    8.9 Free plan Visit site
  3. 3

    project-open

    by project-open
    Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

    Choose project-open if your service organization wants project management, ITSM and professional services automation in one open-source application, with Linux or self-hosted deployment options.

    8.9 Free plan Visit site
  4. 4

    Group-Office

    by Group-Office
    Free plan Open source AndroidiPhoneLinux+4

    Choose Group-Office if your team wants groupware, CRM, project tools, and a choice of hosted or self-hosted deployment.

    8.8 Free plan · paid from €12/mo · 30-day trial Visit site
  5. 5

    ClickUp

    by ClickUp
    Free plan AndroidiPhoneMac+1

    ClickUp offers task views, integrations, time tracking, and automation, with a free plan for unlimited tasks and members.

    7.7 Free plan · paid from $7/user/mo (annual) Visit site
  6. 6

    Jira

    by Jira
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+4
    7.7 Free plan · paid from $7.91/user/mo · 7-day trial Visit site
  7. 7

    Asana

    by Asana
    Free plan AndroidiPhoneMac+1

    Asana combines multiple ways to view tasks with plans for individuals, teams, and larger organizations.

    7.7 Free plan · paid from $10.99/user/mo (annual) Visit site
  8. 8

    Wrike

    by Wrike
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3

    Wrike offers a free entry point and paid tiers with stated team-size ranges. Check the Free plan’s task and storage limits, or compare Team and Business if the team fits their respective user ranges.

    7.7 Free plan · paid from $10/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  9. 9

    Teamwork.com

    by Teamwork.com
    Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+4

    Choose Teamwork.com if your team wants project management with defined capacity tiers and needs features such as time tracking, guest access or automations.

    7.7 Free plan · 14-day trial Visit site
  10. 10

    Microsoft Planner

    by Microsoft Planner
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Planner consolidates Microsoft 365 task and project work with several views, integrations and API support.

    7.7 Free plan Visit site
  11. 11

    Trello

    by Trello
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3

    Trello combines visual task organization with calendar planning, automation, and app connections. Check the Free plan's collaborator, board, file, and command-run limits against your needs.

    7.7 Free plan · paid from $5/user/mo (annual) Visit site
  12. 12

    Linear

    by Linear
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3

    Linear combines product planning and issue tracking with AI features and integrations. The Free plan has explicit team and issue limits, while paid plan prices are billed yearly.

    7.7 Free plan · paid from $10/user/mo (annual) Visit site
  13. 13

    Basecamp

    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3

    Basecamp combines task tracking, project communication, scheduling, and client access. Compare plan project and storage limits, and note the stated security and sign-on limitations.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $25/mo (annual) Visit site
  14. 14

    OpenProject

    by OpenProject
    Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

    OpenProject offers project planning and collaboration across classic, agile, and hybrid work, with community and paid plans.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from €5.95/user/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  15. 15

    YouTrack

    by YouTrack
    Free plan WebWindowsMac+3

    Choose YouTrack if your team wants project management with automation rules, time tracking, and guest access across web, desktop, and mobile platforms.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $4.50/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  16. 16

    Hive

    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+3

    Hive brings project work, collaboration, automation, and time management together, with a free plan for smaller workspaces and paid plans starting at $5 per user per month.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $5/user/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  17. 17

    Flowlu

    by Flowlu
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Flowlu offers a broad business workspace with a two-user free tier and paid plans adding project, portal, automation, and support capabilities.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $9/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  18. 18

    Nifty

    by Nifty
    Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+4

    Nifty brings project planning, team communication, integrations, and AI features together, with imports for several project tools.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $10/user/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  19. 19

    Runrun.it

    by Runrun.it
    Free plan AndroidAPIiPhone+1

    Runrun.it covers task management, collaboration, reporting and mobile access, with different plans for team sizes.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $10/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  20. 20

    ProjectLibre

    Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1

    ProjectLibre offers a free local desktop option alongside Cloud tools for teams, shared resources, and portfolios. Consider the single-user Desktop scope and annual billing on paid plans.

    7.6 Free plan · paid from $9.99/user/mo (annual) · 7-day trial Visit site
  21. 21

    Zoho Projects

    by Zoho Projects
    Free plan WebiPhoneAndroid

    Zoho Projects offers a free entry point and higher limits on paid plans, with project, storage and workflow allowances stated for each.

    7.5 Free plan · paid from $5/user/mo (annual) · 15-day trial Visit site
  22. 22

    Microsoft Project

    Free plan APIWebWindows

    Planner brings task and project work into one online experience, with additional planning features across its plans.

    7.5 Visit site
  23. 23

    Plane

    by Plane
    Free plan WebiPhoneAndroid

    Choose Plane if your team wants board-based work management with automation, time tracking, and guest access.

    7.5 Free plan · paid from $6/user/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  24. 24

    P4 Plan (formerly Hansoft)

    by P4 Plan (formerly Hansoft)
    Free plan WebWindowsLinux
    7.5 Free plan · pricing on request Visit site
  25. 25

    Avaza

    Free plan AndroidAPIExtension+4

    Avaza brings project work, scheduling, expense management, and invoicing together, with extensive reporting and app integrations.

    7.5 Free plan · paid from $11.95/mo Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

Use free-plan availability, starting paid price, task views, automation rules, time tracking, guest access, free-plan user limits and native integrations when comparing tools. Check supported platforms, trial terms and the licence when access to source code matters.

Questions

Do project management tools offer free plans?

Free plans are available from items on this list. Check the plan's user limit and included features before relying on it.

Can I try a project management tool before paying?

Free trials are available from items on this list. Check the trial terms and compare them with the free plan.

What features should I compare?

Look at task views, automation rules, time tracking, guest access, free-plan user limits and native integrations.

Which platforms do these tools support?

The entries cover web, Android, iOS, API, Windows and macOS in various combinations. Confirm the platform you need for work.

How do I check if a tool is open source?

Look for an open-source offering and read its licence. This matters if you need to inspect or change the code.

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