9 Best Project Management Tools for Startups
For startup founders, efficient project management is vital for achieving success. Whether you are introducing a new product, growing your team, or handling multiple projects concurrently, utilizing the appropriate project management tools can significantly impact your outcomes. Below, we have curated a collection of the best project management tools specifically tailored for startups.
Monday
Monday.com, a popular project management software used by big league players, is also highly valuable for startup teams. Its easy setup and focus on staying on track with projects make it an ideal tool for early implementation. Additionally, monday.com offers various collaboration features, such as commenting, file attachment, @-tagging, liking posts, and task assignment, all within the platform. Team-specific dashboards and project boards further enhance visibility of ongoing work.
Key Features
Project and task management, team collaboration and communication, customizable workflows and automation, file and document sharing, time tracking and reporting, integration with popular toolsPricing
Free plan available with up to 2 seats; Basic plan for $8/user per month if billed annually
ClickUp
ClickUp offers a wide range of features and is an affordable project management tool. It provides startups with various task management views, such as Gantt charts, calendars, and a note-taking space. One unique feature of ClickUp is its integration with mind maps, which is not commonly found in other project management solutions. Users can create mind maps, convert them into tasks, and assign them to the team as kanban boards. This feature enhances work visualization and improves productivity.
Key Features
Flexible CRM views, custom statuses and fields, form view, workflow automation, Zoom integrationPricing
Free Forever Plan with limited features. Unlimited plan starts from $7/member per month
Asana
Asana is among the best project management tools for startups. It offers them the ability to track project progress, manage individual tasks, plan sprints, and integrate with other tools. While it may be costly for small businesses, Asana compensates with a free plan that accommodates up to 15 team members. This free plan includes all the essential features needed to oversee basic projects from beginning to end. Additionally, it sends daily task notifications with due dates to assignees, motivating them to complete their tasks promptly.
Key Features
Task and project management, team and collaboration features, deadline and milestone tracking, assigning and prioritizing tasks, file and document sharing, calendar and timeline view, customizable project templatesPricing
Lifetime free plan for 15 members; Premium plan starts at $10.99/user per month if billed annually
Trello
Trello is a kanban-style project management tool for startups seeking a user-friendly solution to manage their workflow. Its free plan offers unlimited cards, power-ups per board, up to 10 boards per workspace, assignee and due dates, mobile apps, integrations with Slack and Google Drive, 2-factor authentication, and unlimited activity logs. This comprehensive set of tools empowers startups to effectively manage simple projects at no cost.
Key Features
Kanban-style boards for organizing tasks, card-based task management, drag-and-drop functionality, collaboration and team features, due dates and reminders, checklists and attachmentsPricing
Free plan available with a file size cap of 10MB; Standard plan at $5/user per month, billed annually
Artwork Flow
Artwork Flow is a popular project management software used by creative, brand, design, packaging, and marketing teams around the globe. If you’re juggling multiple projects, Artwork Flow helps you build complex workflows, manage all projects, and go to market faster. Besides the project management capabilities, Artwork Flow also offers a suite of advanced proofing tools, AI-driven compliance checks, Gantt charts, version control, and several other intelligent features.
Key Features
Project management, creative collaboration, task management, customizable workflows, automated workflows, AI-driven compliance, secure asset sharing, and integration with third-party toolsPricing
Free plan available with up to 3 seats. Professional plan starts from $38/per user per month. Enterprise plan available for custom requirements
Basecamp
Basecamp, developed by 37signals, is a project management solution ideal for freelancers, startups, and small teams. It facilitates project tracking, document sharing, and communication within organizations. Basecamp offers features such as creating meeting agendas, documenting meeting minutes, and real-time communication through Ping 'em (one-on-one chat) and Campfire (group chat). It excels in team collaboration and communication. If your team requires frequent interaction, Basecamp is worth exploring.
Key Features
Project management and task tracking, team collaboration and communication, file and document sharing, calendar and milestone tracking, to-do lists and task assignments, time tracking and reporting, message boards for discussionsPricing
Free trial available; Paid plan at $99 per month
Jira
Jira Service Management, developed by Atlassian, is a project management tool for tracking issues and bugs. It is suitable for software development and DevOps teams working on agile projects. With Jira Service Management, startups can break down complex ideas into user stories, issues, and tasks, track project progress, release products, gain insights from real-time visual data, and automate workflow. It is designed for teams of any size, from one to 20,000, making it scalable for fast-growing startups.
Key Features
Issue tracking and management, agile project management, sustomizable workflows, task and sub-task management, roadmap and release planning, collaboration and communication tools, reporting and analyticsPricing
Free plan available for up to 10 users; Paid plans starting at $750, billed annually
Airtable
Airtable, a low-code spreadsheet database and project management tool for startups, empowers startup teams to effectively handle, arrange, and cooperate on structured data. This platform merges spreadsheet functionalities with the capabilities of a relational database, offering search and sorting options, as well as the ability to generate custom forms and views. Airtable proves versatile in storing and managing various data types, ranging from contacts and workflows to project plans and beyond. Its user-friendly interface facilitates data creation and organization through features like drag-and-drop capabilities, customizable forms, and pre-built templates.
Key Features
Database and spreadsheet functionality, customizable fields and views, collaboration and team features, task and project management, file and document attachments, integration with other tools and services, form creation and data collectionPricing
Free plan available for up to 5 creators or editors; Paid plans start at $10 per seat per month, billed annually, or $12 per seat per month, billed monthly
Freedcamp
Freedcamp, an excellent and cost-effective solution, provides various plans that prioritize workflow automation. Its intuitive interface and dedicated 'projects' tab facilitate easy management and monitoring of multiple projects. Moreover, Freedcamp ensures seamless accessibility to your data through its sync feature, enabling you to work on projects across different devices. With a free plan that accommodates unlimited users, Freedcamp is an ideal option for startups with extensive teams.
Key Features
Project management, task and milestone tracking, collaboration and communication tools, document and file management, time tracking and invoicing, calendar and event managementPricing
Free plan available; Paid plans starting at $2.49, billed monthly
Wrike
Wrike is a user-friendly and reasonably priced project management tool for startups that serves as a reliable alternative to Trello. It excels in combining multiple essential skills, making it suitable for both small and large teams. Wrike stands out by offering built-in integrations and unique add-ons, unlike Trello and other applications. Wrike provides individual add-ons, as well as bundles tailored for specific user categories such as marketing teams, professional services, and construction project managers. This versatility has earned Wrike a spot in our list of the best project management tools for marketing and the best construction project management software. While it offers a good free plan, advanced features like two-factor authentication require a higher-tier subscription.
Key Features
Project and task management, team collaboration and communication, Gantt charts and timeline view, file and document sharing, time tracking and resource management, customizable workflows and templates, reporting and analytics, integration with other tools and appsPricing
Free plan with a cap of 2GB storage per account; Professional plan at $9.80/user per month
Stackby
Stackby is a no-code work management platform that brings the best of spreadsheets and databases to enable anyone to create their own collaborative workflows for their teams. No-coding or training needed. This platform merges spreadsheet functionalities with the capabilities of a relational database, offering search, filtering, grouping and sorting options, as well as the ability to generate custom forms and views. It is designed for teams of any size from one to over 1000, making it scalable for fast growing startups. It also has 500+ templates across Marketing, Sales, HR, Project Management, Startups and more.