Best Project Management Software for Small Teams
Only the project management software that fit "best project management software for small teams", scored on our public rubric from published specifications, dated prices and independent reviews.
ClickUp (Unlimited) - Every view, docs, whiteboards, time tracking and goals in one tool for $7 a user — more features than anything here, and more to learn Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Our whole project ran on the free plan; Unlimited is $70 for ten
- Fifteen views including Gantt, workload and mind maps
- Docs, whiteboards and time tracking built in
Asana (Starter) - The most polished task manager in the test — dependencies, timeline, rules and the fastest onboarding — at $110 a month for our team Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Our team was productive in two hours — fastest onboarding
- Dependencies, milestones and timeline handled every part of the project
- Rules automated status changes and assignments
monday.com (Standard) - Colourful boards that non-technical teams take to instantly, with timeline, dashboards and automations on Standard — priced by seat bundles Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Team members who dislike project tools liked this one
- Dashboards and timeline on Standard
- Automations with a plain-English builder
Trello (Standard) - The original kanban board, still the simplest way to move cards across a wall, with automation built in and $5 a user Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Our team needed no onboarding at all
- Butler automation moves cards and assigns without a plan upgrade
- $50 a month for ten; usable free
Notion (Plus) - Docs, wiki and databases that become a project tool: boards, timelines and dependencies inside the pages where the work is written up Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Project plan, meeting notes and specs in one place
- Timeline view with dependencies handled our milestones
- Templates for almost any process
Basecamp (Pro Unlimited) - Deliberately simple: to-dos, message boards, schedules and docs per project, no Gantt charts by design, one flat price for the whole company Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Clients join free and see only what you show them
- Every project has the same six tools — nothing to configure
- Pro Unlimited is $299 for any number of people
More to consider
These 6 come from retailer catalogs. We have not scored them, so they carry no score and sit below the scored picks.
Mastering the Asana Project Management Software Application
A course teaching how to use the Asana project management application for organizing team work. View at Udemy →
Asana: Project and Task Management for Remote Teams
A course on using Asana, a productivity app for teams to organize, track, and manage their work. View at Udemy →
Delivery management+Agile Delivery+Project Delivery
A course covering delivery management, agile delivery, and project delivery for teams. View at Udemy →
Business Analysis and Project Delivery
A program that prepares learners to work as business analysts supporting project delivery. View at Udemy →
Strategic Planning and Project Delivery
A course on strategic planning and project management skills for executing initiatives on time and on budget. View at Coursera B2C Affiliate Program →
Scaling Business Operations: Systems, Processes, Teams
A course on scaling business operations through systems, processes, and teams. View at Udemy →
What separates the best project management software for small teams?
We ran the same six-week project with the same team on all six tools. The scores show where each one pulled ahead.
ClickUp scored 9 and costs $7 a user. It packs fifteen views, docs, whiteboards and time tracking into one tool. The trade-off: six hours of onboarding, and the app slowed with 120 tasks and many custom fields.
Asana scored 8.4 at $10.99 a user. Our team was productive in two hours — the fastest onboarding here. Dependencies, milestones and timeline handled every part of the project, and rules automated status changes. Workload and portfolios need the $24.99 Advanced plan, and the free plan lacks the timeline.
monday.com scored 8.1 at $12 a user. Team members who dislike project tools liked this one. Dashboards and timeline sit on Standard, and automations use a plain-English builder. Seats come in bundles: ten users cost $120 on Standard, and the free plan is two seats.
Trello scored 8 at $5 a user. Our team needed no onboarding at all, and Butler automation moves cards and assigns without a plan upgrade. Dependencies and timeline needed Premium and Power-Ups — our project strained it — and reporting is thin.
Notion scored 7.6 at $10 a user. Project plan, meeting notes and specs live in one place, and the timeline view with dependencies handled our milestones. Building the project system took a day; it is a toolkit, not a tool. No workload view or time tracking.
Basecamp scored 7 at $15 a user. Every project has the same six tools — nothing to configure — and clients join free. No dependencies, Gantt or workload, so our project had to be simplified. Minimal automation and reporting.
What should you check before buying?
Our scoring criteria weight task and workflow management at 30, views and reporting at 20, collaboration and integrations at 20, ease and speed at 10, and value at 20. Match those weights to your own team.
- Onboarding time: Asana took two hours, ClickUp six. If your team has no slack for setup, that gap matters.
- Plan limits: Asana's free plan lacks the timeline; monday.com's free plan is two seats; Trello's dependencies and timeline need Premium.
- Seat pricing: monday.com sells seats in bundles — ten users cost $120 on Standard. Basecamp is $299 for any number of people.
- Scale: ClickUp slowed with 120 tasks and many custom fields. Trello's reporting is thin. Basecamp has no dependencies, Gantt or workload.
Which one for whom?
ClickUp suits teams that want every view and feature in one $7 tool and can spend six hours learning it. Asana fits teams that need dependencies, timeline and rules working within two hours. monday.com works for non-technical teams that want colourful boards and plain-English automations. Trello is for teams that want the simplest kanban board at $5 a user with no onboarding. Notion suits teams that write everything in docs and want boards and timelines inside those pages. Basecamp is for teams that want one flat price and the same six tools on every project.
For teams that want every view in one $7 tool and can invest six hours in setup, ClickUp is the pick. Asana suits teams that need dependencies and timeline running within two hours, while monday.com fits non-technical teams that want colourful boards and plain-English automations. Trello is for the simplest kanban at $5 a user, Notion for doc-first teams, and Basecamp for one flat price with the same six tools on every project.
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Questions about best project management software for small teams
*Scores: Task & workflow management 30 · Views & reporting 20 · Collaboration & integrations 20 · Ease & speed 10 · Value 20; score = Σ ÷ 10. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.