Everybody manages projects differently. Some prefer to manage their tasks via their mailbox. Some even like the outdated pen-and-paper method. Others prefer to see work on a Kanban board or in a calendar format. That’s acceptable for solo use.
However, when working on projects as a team, you need a capable and adaptable project management solution. The solutions must meet the needs of all parties involved in the project. Furthermore, there is a greater need than ever for the best free task management software that can facilitate communication, track projects, and keep everyone updated. In this way, it’s easy to manage teams from a distance without any hassle.
We have examined and utilized a wide variety of project management configurations worldwide. Each program also takes into account the typical features, the advantages of excellent, efficient teamwork, and the drawbacks of subpar project management.
Without having to pay a single cent, you can have the freedom to manage tasks, interact with clients, and keep project visibility with free project management software. We looked at different free project management tools, and after a lot of testing, we decided on our top eight choices.
How to Decide the Best Free Task Management Software for Project Planning?
You’ll discover that task management software differs widely when you compare different options. Because of this, it’s a good idea to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of each option that you have. Here are a few things to think about while you search for the ideal answer for your particular situation.
Essential Features
Task creation: Task generation is a fundamental feature that all task management software ought to include. It need should be possible for you to make and assign tasks. Ideally, you would also be able to attach documents, movies, images, and links to them.
Collaboration tools: Collaboration features that are integrated into the system are essential for maintaining team cohesion. Discussion boards, instant chat, and comments are a few possible examples of these tools.
Visualization: Visualization tools are crucial since many people and groups find it simpler to visualize things. Two examples of typical visualization features are Gantt charts and Kanban boards.
Reporting: Report creation can be laborious and time-consuming. Software having reporting capabilities is therefore often quite helpful. While some software offers templates and automated reporting, other software allows you to generate your own reports by copying and entering different data.
Notifications: Often called alerts, can inform everyone. They might remind everyone involved about the duties and tasks that are coming ahead.
Time tracking: Keep track of how much time you spend on particular tasks, depending on the nature of your employment. If you have an agency business model or have a variety of clients, time monitoring is especially helpful.
Integrations: Additional software categories are likely essential to your smooth operation. Ideally, it will integrate with the task management tool you use, enabling a more efficient workflow.
Views
There should be several perspectives included in task management software so you can monitor your tasks. Diverse perspectives will complement different project requirements and approaches. Common views include those of a timeline, table, calendar, card, Kanban board, and Gantt chart, to name a few.
Kanban board views, for instance, are probably the most crucial if you employ the Agile project management style since they can help you comprehend the connections between them. Table views, on the other hand, are your best option if you frequently work with figures or update a lot of information as you do tasks.
Ease of Use
Ultimately, the purpose of task management software is to facilitate the efficient completion of tasks by you and your team. A fantastic tool could become meaningless if it’s restricted to developers or other technical users. The software you select must be user-friendly for every member of your staff. If there’s a high learning curve, team members can give up and not use it.
Thankfully, a lot of options provide free trials so you can see how user-friendly a program is before committing to it.
Customer Support
Even if you use a free version, task management software is an investment that will pay you in the long run. You will undoubtedly have queries or worries concerning the tool you select at some point. Thus, having top-notch customer service is essential. To obtain a better understanding of how the product responds to user questions and complaints, read reviews from both present and past users.
Additionally, figure out how to contact the business in case you need to. You might be able to get in touch with them by phone, email, or live chat, depending on the program. To assist you, certain solutions additionally include comprehensive FAQ sites, self-serve resource libraries, and tutorials.
Top 8 Free Work Management Software
1. Trello
Trello is an easy project management tool that allows you to use Kanban boards to arrange your tasks. It’s a tool that anybody can use, too, with a generous free plan that permits 10 boards per workspace and an infinite number of users. Teams can use Trello to create a comprehensive project workflow with visibility at every level, and individuals can use it to plan assignments on a personal board.
Start by making a new board from scratch or select a template from dozens of alternatives related to sales, marketing, design, team management, and other areas. You can create several lists for your tasks in column, and then personalize those lists with the stages in your workflow such as done, doing, and to-do. Next, add your tasks as visual cards to each column. To keep everything organized, include labels, due dates, checklists, photos, attachments, and comments.
You just need to drag the cards to the relevant list when you finish chores. From the activity menu, you may monitor all comments and tasks that reference you or that you are watching. For additional functionality, you may display tasks on a calendar, add voting options to tasks, automatically fade away old tasks, and much more with Trello’s Power-Up options, which are currently unlimited even on the free account.
Additionally, Trello boards can be created for both personal and professional duties, allowing you to organize your work according to your preferences.
2. Asana
Managing your task using a to-do list isn’t too bad. You just need a few more features to handle your team projects. Asana provides features to divide up your tasks into sub tasks and parts. This helpful project management tool allows you to view your progress on dashboards. Just as with a to-do list software, you’ll add, rearrange, and finish things in the same manner, but with the teamwork and organizing capabilities you require.
You can create additional lists in Asana that are shared with only particular individuals for tasks that are personal or pertain to your work but don’t fit neatly into a project. In your My Tasks view, your allocated chores will also appear so you can quickly see what has to be done.
With this best free task management software, you can automate tasks whether you’re working alone or in a team. It enabled you to link project data to other applications.
3. ClickUp
There aren’t many task views available in most project management tools, such as a list, calendar, or Kanban view. Extra views are typically a paid service, particularly for Gantt charts. ClickUp operates differently.
With this straightforward and cost-free project management application, you may select from 11 distinct work views, such as mind maps and Gantt charts. Additionally, there are four distinct page views available: Chat, which shows discussions next to your chores, Doc, which enables you to create documents, wikis, and knowledge bases, and Embed, which allows you to add apps and websites to your tasks.
Just as customizable, ClickUp’s dashboards allow you to select from over 20 different widgets, allowing you to only display the most crucial project details. Additionally, a redesigned task details panel makes it easier than ever to browse details, add attachments, and create subtasks. You can even track time within the task itself.
Clickup’s feature-rich UI can be a little difficult for many users. But ClickUp is one of the best free task management applications once you get past the learning curve. When you are initially starting out with ClickUp, there is a lot of information to process. For example, Trello’s onboarding process won’t be as easy, but the additional customization is worthwhile, especially since it’s free of charge. In addition, the company’s guided in-app onboarding process is excellent for getting you started.
4. Wrike
Would you use a spreadsheet to organize your work if it were up to you? Then you might enjoy Wrike. Wrike has all the flexibility of a spreadsheet, including columns for all the task-related data you want to keep track of.
With Wrike, your team may change the status of tasks at different times: started, suspended, canceled, or finished. Making your weekly project status reports is made simple by the ability to designate project statuses to green, yellow, red, on hold, or canceled.
Even while Wrike’s free plan offers a lot, its subscription plan is necessary to access its greatest features, which include time tracking, Gantt charts, and configurable dashboards. Wrike grows with you if you’re operating small now but intend to grow later on. It provides all the tools you need to manage one little project at a time as well as numerous large ones that run concurrently.
5. Jira
Jira is a work manager program that is specifically developed for software development teams. It is a task management tool. To assist teams in remaining organized and productive, it provides a number of features, including as agile project management, task tracking, and team collaboration tools.
With Jira, users can create, assign, and monitor tasks as well as establish deadlines and real-time progress reports. Additionally, it provides several customization possibilities so that users can design templates and workflows to fit their own requirements and preferences.
Jira can easily be integrated into current workflows because it offers interfaces with other software platforms like GitHub, Slack, and Trello. To help customers manage their jobs and projects while on the road, it also provides mobile apps for iOS and Android smartphones.
Jira is available in both free and premium editions; the subscription version has more features like increased security, custom workflows, and sophisticated reporting and analytics. All things considered, Jira is a strong and adaptable task management application that works well for software development teams across all sizes and sectors, especially those seeking an agile and flexible approach to project and workflow management.
6. Notion
Notion is an integrated workspace that allows you and your team to manage projects, take notes, create documents, and arrange your work in one location. It’s a great tool for sharing, swiftly creating workflows and organizing all project-related data in one location. Notion is powerful enough to build webpages, product instructions, and even wikis.
You may now enhance your abilities in novel and surprising ways using Notion AI. Take advantage of AI’s capabilities within Notion for all of your notes and documents, eliminating the need to switch between working on projects and using other AI-powered applications.
The notion is set up with pages that can be nested or connected together. After registering, the Welcome screen offers all the assistance you require to get going, including videos for creating your first to-do list and page. All we can say is if you need the best free task management software, Notion is worth considering.
7. ActiveCollab
ActiveCollab is a fantastic choice to handle client projects and other information like time tracking and invoicing in one location. The best thing about this software, it is designed with agencies and independent contractors in mind. This app has intelligent features that make client administration easier. From the job details panel, you may set work as billable (or not), estimate and track the time for each task, and manage expenses.
Capable user permissions that make it simple to permit clients into your process without disclosing anything you don’t want to are included in even the free subscription. To conceal any job from client users, just click the “Hidden from clients” box. Alternatively, you can offer a more collaborative user role for clients who are more hands-on by adding the Client+ add-on. To manage assignments and team bandwidth, select Workload from the menu on the left. Then, click Reports to receive an overview of customer invoices and payments, team projects and tasks, and time and expenditure tracking.
8. Todoist
The last we pick for the best free task management software is Todoist. This tool began out as an online to-do list, but it has evolved into a task manager in recent years with the addition of new functions. Even though it doesn’t have as many sophisticated task management capabilities or Kanban boards as ClickUp and Trello, it’s still a useful tool for students, small teams, and solopreneurs.
Popular task management tools like recurring tasks, prioritization, subtasks, and visual reporting are available in Todoist’s free plan. Todoist is a worthwhile app to try if you’re searching for task management that prioritizes mobile users. Additionally, it interfaces with many SaaS apps, such as other task management programs. Another intriguing element of Todoist is called Todoist Karma, which turns task management into a game by giving you points for finishing assignments and keeping up streaks.