10 Best Project Management Software of 2026

1. 1

   Jira

   Atlassian's work tracking tool with backlogs, boards, timelines and automation, built first for software teams and now used across departments.

   8.8overall

   Atlassian's work tracking tool with backlogs, boards, timelines and automation, built first for software teams and now used across departments.

   Best forTeams of up to 10 that want a free plan, and larger teams that need structured workflows at a low per-seat price.

   Adoption data

   300,000Atlassian states that more than 300,000 companies use its products, which include Jira, Confluence and Trello.

   Atlassian, Jira | Project Management Software (2026): “300,000+ companies power team collaboration with Atlassian”

   Jira ranks first on this list because it combines a free plan for up to 10 users with the lowest verified per-seat price among the full-featured tools and the largest customer base behind any vendor here. Atlassian says more than 300,000 companies use its products. The Free plan already includes backlog, list, board, timeline, calendar and summary views, AI-driven reports and dashboards, and 2 GB of storage. Standard, listed at $8.48 per user per month on monthly billing, adds Rovo search, chat and agents, user roles and permissions, external collaboration, 400 automation steps per user per month and 250 GB of storage. Premium at $15.56 adds cross-team planning, approval processes and unlimited storage. The trade-off is complexity: Jira was built around issues, workflows and permission schemes, and teams outside engineering may find Asana or monday.com quicker to set up. For mixed teams that want one tracker with room to grow, the price and free tier are hard to beat.

   Strengths

   • +Free plan covers teams of up to 10 users
   • +Lowest verified per-seat price among the full-featured tools here
   • +Standard supports up to 100,000 users per site

   Limitations

   • −Free plan automation is capped at 150 steps per month for the whole subscription
   • −Cross-team planning requires Premium at $15.56 per user per month
   • −Issue, workflow and permission settings take time for non-technical teams to learn

   SummaryJira is the best overall pick for teams that weigh price per seat and vendor scale. Non-technical teams should expect a longer setup than with lighter tools.

2. 2

   ClickUp

   An all-in-one work app that combines tasks, docs, chat, goals and AI agents in one workspace.

   8.7overall

   An all-in-one work app that combines tasks, docs, chat, goals and AI agents in one workspace.

   Best forTeams that want to replace several tools with one app and pay a low annual per-seat price.

   Adoption data

   5MClickUp says more than 5 million teams run on its platform.

   ClickUp, ClickUp Customer Stories (2026): “The receipts from 5M+ teams running on ClickUp.”

   ClickUp tries to be the only work app a team needs, and its pricing page backs that up with a long feature list on every tier. The Free Forever plan includes unlimited tasks, subtasks and free members, collaborative docs, Kanban boards, a calendar view, sprint management, time tracking and video calls, though storage is capped at 60 MB. Core costs $9 per user per month billed yearly, against a $12 regular price, and adds custom fields, unlimited storage, unlimited Gantt charts and forms, ClickUp Chat, goals, guest permissions and 1,000 automations per month. Business at $17 adds advanced dashboards, webhooks and 10,000 automations. ClickUp reports more than 5 million teams on its platform. The breadth is also the main drawback: there are many views, settings and AI credit pools to understand, and teams that only need simple boards may prefer Trello. For teams consolidating tools, the Core price buys more than most rivals at the same tier.

   Strengths

   • +Free plan allows unlimited members and tasks
   • +Docs, chat, time tracking and sprints in one app
   • +Core costs $9 per user per month on yearly billing

   Limitations

   • −Free plan storage is limited to 60 MB
   • −Advanced dashboards and webhooks require Business at $17 per user per month yearly
   • −The number of features and settings can overwhelm small teams

   SummaryClickUp is the strongest pick for teams that want docs, chat and tasks in one app. Expect a learning curve before the workspace feels settled.

3. 3

   monday.com

   A board-based work platform with workflows, automations, AI agents and dashboards for project and operations teams.

   8.6overall

   A board-based work platform with workflows, automations, AI agents and dashboards for project and operations teams.

   Best forBusiness teams outside engineering that want visual boards, automations and a vendor with public financial reporting.

   Adoption data

   65,783monday.com reported 65,783 paid customers with more than 10 users as of June 30, 2026, up 6 percent year over year.

   monday.com, monday.com Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results (2026): “The number of paid customers with more than 10 users was 65,783, up 6% from 61,803 as of June 30, 2025.”

   monday.com is the most transparent vendor here about paying customers: its second quarter 2026 release reported 65,783 paid customers with more than 10 users and 2,019 customers above $100,000 in annual recurring revenue. The product is built around boards, where items can be tasks, clients or any other record, with column types and more than 200 templates on top. The Free plan covers up to 2 seats and 3 boards. Basic adds unlimited items and unlimited free viewers. Standard adds timeline and Gantt views, a calendar view, guest access, 3 workflows and 250 automation and integration actions per month. Pro raises automations to 25,000 actions, adds private boards, time tracking and advanced columns, and includes more AI credits for agents, the Sidekick assistant and the meeting notetaker. The pricing page showed euros from our location, so the USD price is pending. Teams should also note that seats are sold in bundles, which raises the total for odd team sizes.

   Strengths

   • +Visual boards suit marketing, operations and HR teams
   • +Unlimited free viewers from the Basic plan
   • +Public quarterly reporting on paid customers

   Limitations

   • −Pricing is sold in seat bundles, so totals depend on team size
   • −Gantt views and automations start at Standard, not Basic
   • −USD prices were not shown on the pricing page as fetched from our location

   Summarymonday.com is the best fit for business teams that want visual boards and heavy automation. Check the seat bundles and current USD prices before buying.

4. 4

   Asana

   A work management platform for planning projects, goals and portfolios, with AI teammates built into paid plans.

   8.4overall

   A work management platform for planning projects, goals and portfolios, with AI teammates built into paid plans.

   Best forCross-functional teams that plan around goals, timelines and dependencies.

   Adoption data

   26,778Asana reported 26,778 Core customers, defined as customers spending $5,000 or more a year, in its second quarter of fiscal 2027.

   Asana, Asana Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2027 Results (2026): “The number of Core customers, or customers spending $5,000 or more on an annualized basis, grew to 26,778, an increase of 7% year over year.”

   Asana is a mature project and work management platform with clear planning tools, and it publishes its customer numbers every quarter. In the quarter ended July 31, 2026, it reported 26,778 Core customers spending at least $5,000 a year and 890 customers spending $100,000 or more. The free Personal plan suits one or two people and includes unlimited tasks and projects with list, board and calendar views. Starter costs $10.99 per user per month billed annually, or $13.49 monthly, removes user seat limits and adds timeline and Gantt views, reporting dashboards and AI Teammates with a monthly request allowance. Advanced at $24.99 adds capacity planning and more AI credits. Asana is easy to roll out across departments, but it is priced above Jira, ClickUp and Trello at the entry paid tier, and the free plan is too small for most teams. Teams that run work against company goals get the most from it.

   Strengths

   • +Strong goal, timeline and dependency planning
   • +Starter has no user seat limits
   • +Quarterly public reporting on customer counts

   Limitations

   • −Free plan is limited to 2 users
   • −Starter costs more per seat than Jira, ClickUp or Trello
   • −Advanced plan for capacity planning costs $24.99 per user per month annually

   SummaryAsana is a strong choice for cross-functional teams that plan around goals and dependencies. It costs more per seat than the leaders on this list.

5. 5

   Notion

   A connected workspace for docs, wikis and databases that teams also use to track projects and tasks.

   8.2overall

   A connected workspace for docs, wikis and databases that teams also use to track projects and tasks.

   Best forTeams that want project tracking inside the same workspace as their docs and wiki.

   Adoption data

   100MNotion says it has 100 million users in more than 50 countries.

   Notion, Notion customer stories (2026): “100M Users in over 50 countries”

   Notion is primarily a docs and knowledge workspace, but its databases make it a capable project tracker for teams that already write specs and plans there. The company reports 100 million users in more than 50 countries, the largest user figure on this list, although that counts all users, not paying project teams. Every plan includes databases with subtasks, dependencies, custom properties and filters, plus forms and basic published sites. Plus adds custom forms and sites, database charts and file uploads. Business adds Notion Agent for multi-step tasks, AI meeting notes, enterprise search across connected apps, SAML SSO and private teamspaces. The pricing page showed euros from our location, so the USD price is marked as pending. Notion's pricing page does not list workload, capacity or portfolio features, so teams that manage many parallel projects with shared resources will find more in Asana, Smartsheet or Wrike.

   Strengths

   • +Docs, wiki and project databases in one place
   • +Free plan includes databases with dependencies
   • +Large user base reported by the company

   Limitations

   • −No native Gantt-style resource or workload planning listed on the pricing page
   • −Notion Agent and SSO require the Business plan
   • −USD prices were not shown on the pricing page as fetched from our location

   SummaryNotion suits teams that want projects to live next to their docs and wiki. Dedicated project tools offer more scheduling and capacity features.

6. 6

   Smartsheet

   A spreadsheet-style work management platform with Gantt, board and calendar views, reports and automations.

   8.2overall

   A spreadsheet-style work management platform with Gantt, board and calendar views, reports and automations.

   Best forProject and operations teams that think in spreadsheets and need formulas, reports and Gantt charts.

   Adoption data

   85%Smartsheet says more than 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies use its platform.

   Smartsheet, About Smartsheet (2026): “Today, Smartsheet is present in nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and more than 85% of Fortune 500 companies around the globe.”

   Smartsheet keeps the spreadsheet grid that many project managers already know and layers Gantt, board and calendar views, reports, forms and automations on top. The company says it is present in more than 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies, but it does not publish a paying customer count the way Asana and monday.com do. Pro costs $9 per member per month billed yearly, or $12 monthly, for 1 to 10 Members, and includes unlimited free Contributors, rich formulas, unlimited sheets, forms and reports, and 250 automations per month. Business costs $19 per member per month yearly. The Contributor model is the main value lever: people who only update rows do not need a paid seat. The limits are the 10-Member cap on Pro and the absence of a free plan on the pricing page, so small teams cannot try it indefinitely without paying.

   Strengths

   • +Familiar spreadsheet interface with formulas
   • +Unlimited free Contributors keep paid seat counts down
   • +Pro costs $9 per member per month on yearly billing

   Limitations

   • −Pro is limited to 1 to 10 Members
   • −No free plan was listed on the pricing page
   • −Automations are capped at 250 per month on Pro

   SummarySmartsheet is the best pick for spreadsheet-minded project and operations teams. Free Contributors make it cheaper than the seat price suggests.

7. 7

   Wrike

   A work management platform with Gantt charts, dashboards, custom workflows and AI agents for growing and enterprise teams.

   7.9overall

   A work management platform with Gantt charts, dashboards, custom workflows and AI agents for growing and enterprise teams.

   Best forMidsize teams that need custom workflows, dashboards and Gantt charts with room to scale to 200 users.

   Adoption data

   20,000Wrike says more than 20,000 organizations worldwide use its platform.

   Wrike, Wrike homepage (2026): “TRUSTED BY 20,000+ ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE”

   Wrike is a full project and work management platform aimed at teams that need structure: custom workflows, Gantt charts and dashboards. The company says more than 20,000 organizations use it, a smaller figure than the largest vendors here, and as a private company it does not publish paying customer counts. The Free plan includes web, desktop and mobile apps, task management and a table view. Team costs $10 per user per month, billed on an annual per-user basis, for 2 to 15 users, and adds AI Essentials such as comment summaries and natural language automation rules, shareable dashboards and interactive Gantt charts. Business, at $25 per user per month for 5 to 200 users, adds templates and AI agent features. Wrike sells extras such as Whiteboard and two-way sync as add-ons, which raises the total for larger rollouts. The 15-user cap on Team means growing teams move to Business quickly.

   Strengths

   • +Gantt charts and dashboards on the entry paid plan
   • +Free plan with desktop and mobile apps
   • +Business plan scales from 5 to 200 users

   Limitations

   • −Team plan is limited to 2 to 15 users
   • −Business costs $25 per user per month and is sold only on annual subscriptions
   • −Whiteboard and integration tools are paid add-ons

   SummaryWrike fits midsize teams that want Gantt charts and dashboards early. The jump from Team to Business is steep once a team passes 15 users.

8. 8

   Trello

   Atlassian's Kanban board app for organizing tasks on cards and lists, with AI, automation and extra views on paid plans.

   7.6overall

   Atlassian's Kanban board app for organizing tasks on cards and lists, with AI, automation and extra views on paid plans.

   Best forSmall teams and individuals who want simple Kanban boards at the lowest verified price.

   Trello is the simplest tool on this list: boards made of lists and cards, with assignees, due dates and checklists. It has the cheapest verified paid plan, Standard at $5 per user per month billed annually or $6 monthly, which adds AI features, unlimited boards, card mirroring, custom fields, collapsible lists, 250 MB file uploads and 1,000 Workspace command runs a month. The Free plan supports up to 10 collaborators per Workspace with unlimited cards and up to 10 boards. Calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map views require Premium at $10 per user per month annually. We scored adoption conservatively because Atlassian's own pages say only that Trello is trusted by millions and do not give a current user count. Trello is well suited to small teams with simple workflows, but projects with dependencies, workload planning or portfolio reporting are better served by Jira, Asana or Smartsheet.

   Strengths

   • +Cheapest verified paid plan on this list
   • +Kanban boards are quick to learn
   • +Free plan supports up to 10 collaborators

   Limitations

   • −Timeline and dashboard views require Premium at $10 per user per month annually
   • −Free plan is limited to 10 boards per Workspace
   • −Atlassian does not publish a current Trello user count on its own pages

   SummaryTrello is the value pick for small teams that want Kanban boards and little setup. Larger projects outgrow it.

9. 9

   Microsoft Planner

   Microsoft's task and project planning app for the web and Microsoft Teams, with basic Planner in Microsoft 365 and premium plans sold separately.

   7.1overall

   Microsoft's task and project planning app for the web and Microsoft Teams, with basic Planner in Microsoft 365 and premium plans sold separately.

   Best forOrganizations already on Microsoft 365 that want project plans inside Teams and Outlook.

   Microsoft Planner is the natural option for organizations that already pay for Microsoft 365, because a basic version is included and runs inside Teams. That version covers task creation with files, checklists and labels, My day and My tasks lists, templates, and grid, board, schedule and chart views. Planner Plan 1, at $10.00 per user per month paid yearly with a one-month free trial, adds subtasks, premium templates, backlogs and sprints, task dependencies, calendar, timeline and people views, goals, milestones and custom fields. Planner and Project Plan 3 at $30.00 adds portfolios, baselines, critical path and the Project desktop app. Microsoft does not publish a Planner user count, so we scored adoption conservatively. Outside the Microsoft ecosystem it has little appeal, and Plan 1 costs more than Jira Standard or ClickUp Core while offering fewer automation and reporting features.

   Strengths

   • +Basic Planner comes with Microsoft 365 business plans
   • +Works inside Teams and Outlook
   • +Plan 3 adds baselines and critical path for formal project management

   Limitations

   • −No standalone free plan
   • −Timeline and sprint features require Plan 1 at $10.00 per user per month
   • −Microsoft does not publish a Planner user count

   SummaryPlanner is the sensible choice for Microsoft 365 organizations that want plans inside Teams. Teams outside that ecosystem have better value options.

10. 10

    Basecamp

    A project collaboration app that keeps to-dos, message boards, chat and files for each project in one place.

    7.0overall

    A project collaboration app that keeps to-dos, message boards, chat and files for each project in one place.

    Best forSmall teams and agencies that want flat pricing and a simple place to work with clients.

    Basecamp takes a different approach from the other tools here: each project gets a message board, chat room, card table, to-dos and file storage, and pricing is a flat monthly fee rather than a per-seat charge. Freelancer costs $29 a month for 3 active projects, 10 GB of storage and up to 5 users. Pro at $79 raises that to 8 projects and 10 users and adds templates and multiple tools per project, Pro Plus at $99 adds time tracking, and Pro Unlimited at $199 a month billed annually covers unlimited projects and users. A free Personal plan allows one project with up to 3 invited people, and business plans come with a 30-day trial. We scored adoption conservatively because Basecamp does not publish a current customer count. The pricing page lists no Gantt charts, dependencies or portfolio reporting, so Basecamp suits teams that value communication and simplicity over detailed scheduling.

    Strengths

    • +Flat monthly prices instead of per-seat billing
    • +30-day free trial on business plans
    • +Pro Unlimited covers unlimited users and projects

    Limitations

    • −Freelancer allows only 3 active projects
    • −No Gantt charts or dependencies on the pricing page
    • −Basecamp does not publish a current customer count

    SummaryBasecamp suits small teams and agencies that prefer flat pricing and calm, communication-first projects. Teams that need Gantt charts should look elsewhere.

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