Today, technology is woven throughout all business processes and projects, and project management is no different. As a matter of fact, nowadays, more than 75% of small business and almost 90% of high-performing organizations use project management software, according to InformationWeek’s Project Management Survey. But seeing just how much software is available on the market, and it would literally take months to evaluate each software solution individually, in addition to expertise to put each app to the test.
That being said, there are some differentiating factors that can help you decide which project management software is best suited for your business. And before you even start looking for the right app, you have to ask yourself the following questions:
- How much are you willing to spend?
- How large are the projects you plan to work on?
- How many people will be working on them?
These questions will help with your choice because the size of your organization matters more than you think. It’s not that small organizations shouldn’t use the same apps that the big players use, but small companies and enterprises have very different needs. In order to help you find the solution you need, we’ll spotlight the five best ones on the market today.
Table of Contents
1. Teamwork Projects
Overview: This particular app is considered by many industry professionals to be the definitive productivity tool that allows you to manage your tasks with the rest of your team.
Teamwork Projects enables you to keep all of your files, tasks and projects in one place, and visualize the whole projects through a calendar, Gantt chart and set up reporting. It supports both Dropbox and Google Drive and integrates with various customer support and accounting applications.
Pricing: Plans begin at $12/month
2. Zoho Projects
Overview: Zoho is still one of the best-known names in the industry that offers a wide variety of business solutions including Projects, a proficient app that enables the user to plan and coordinate their projects from start to finish. It has all the standard features you expect from a project management app, but also includes some advanced options. Some of those include – bug tracking, forums, reporting and setup Wiki Pages in order to create a library of useful information.
Pricing: A premium account starts at $20/month (You also have a limited, free plan)
3. Podio
Overview: While Podio is probably the least-known tool on our list, it slowly building a strong user-base. This is mostly because the app is highly customizable, and lets a user personalize it to fit his specific needs. In addition enabling users to communicate with the rest of their team, providing advanced task management and file storage system abilities, the app can also act as an internal intranet for all of your team members and the department to interact.
Pricing: The basic plan starts at $9/month
4. Wrike
Overview: By making sure that you’re always on track and that you have the most adequate resources to finish all of your projects on budget and time, Wrike is an app that helps the user work smarter. The app has a user-friendly software, which means it’s great for inexperienced users.
Engaging your workforce, setting up projects and integrating your tools with Excel, Dropbox and Google Apps is quite easy with Wrike. It also makes email communication much easier, by allowing you to convert all of your emails into tasks, with no more than a click of a button.
Pricing: Professional plans start at $49/month (Free for the first five users)
5. Active Collab
Overview: You cannot do a proper project management software comparison without mentioning Active Collab. The company recently released its new 5.0 version, and the refurbished application is now even more focused and powerful. It offers advanced collaboration features, such as task management, importing expenses and time tracking. However, one of the most powerful assets you’ll have are the invoicing functions. Active Collab also enables you to track your expenses and pay your invoices within the app with PayPal.
Pricing: The cloud plan starts at $25/month
Final Thoughts:
While all of these apps have their pros and cons, the best approach would be to pick at least two, try out their free trial plans, and test some of their key features. That way, you’ll definitely be able to gain some first-hand experience with the app, before you invest your money in it.
