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
Jira (Standard) - The software team's tool: sprints, backlogs, story points, Git integration and the reporting engineering managers expect — free for ten Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Free for exactly our ten-person team
- Sprint boards, backlog grooming and velocity charts
- GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket integration
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 5 come from retailer catalogs. We have not scored them, so they carry no score and sit below the scored picks.
Asana: Project and Task Management for Remote Teams
A course about using Asana, a productivity app for teams to organize, track, and manage their work. View at Udemy →
Microsoft Teams for Managers
A course on Microsoft Teams, a collaboration tool used by teams for work and communication. View at Udemy →
PACOTE DE CURSOS - Project + Teams + Asana
A course bundle covering Microsoft Project, Teams, and Asana for project management. View at Udemy →
Scaling Business Operations: Systems, Processes, Teams
A course on scaling business operations through systems, processes, and teams. View at Udemy →
Leadership Skills for Call Centers & CS - Team Management
A leadership course focused on team management for call centers and customer service. View at Udemy →
What separates the top picks for small teams?
Seven tools sit on this page, and the scores run from 9 down to 7. ClickUp takes the top spot at $7 a user, with fifteen views including Gantt, workload and mind maps, plus docs, whiteboards and time tracking built in. The trade-off is real: six hours of onboarding, and the app slowed with 120 tasks and many custom fields.
Jira scores 8.5 at $7.53 and is free for exactly ten people. Sprint boards, backlog grooming, velocity charts and GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket integration are the draw. Non-engineers found it the hardest tool here, and configuring workflows and schemes took a day.
Asana scores 8.4 at $10.99. Our team was productive in two hours — the fastest onboarding in the test — and dependencies, milestones and timeline handled every part of the project. Workload and portfolios need the $24.99 Advanced plan, and the free plan lacks the timeline.
monday.com scores 8.1 at $12, with dashboards and timeline on Standard and a plain-English automation builder. Seats come in bundles: ten users cost $120 on Standard, and the free plan is two seats. Trello scores 8 at $5 — no onboarding at all, Butler automation without a plan upgrade, $50 a month for ten. Dependencies and timeline needed Premium and Power-Ups, and reporting is thin.
Notion scores 7.6 at $10, putting the project plan, meeting notes and specs in one place, with a timeline view that handled our milestones. Building the system took a day, and there is no workload view or time tracking. Basecamp scores 7 at $15, with clients joining free and the same six tools on every project. No dependencies, Gantt or workload — the project had to be simplified.
What should you check before buying?
The scoring criteria weight task and workflow management at 30, views and reporting at 20, collaboration and integrations at 20, value at 20, and ease and speed at 10. Match those weights to your team.
- Onboarding time: two hours on Asana, six on ClickUp, none on Trello.
- Free plan limits: Jira is free for exactly ten; monday.com's free plan is two seats.
- Views you need: dependencies and timeline sit behind Premium on Trello and Advanced on Asana.
- Seat pricing: monday.com sells seats in bundles; Basecamp's Pro Unlimited is $299 for any number of people.
- Who is on the team: non-engineers found Jira the hardest tool here.
Which one for whom?
ClickUp suits teams that want every view and built-in docs, whiteboards and time tracking at $7 a user. Jira suits software teams running sprints, backlogs and story points. Asana suits teams that need dependencies, milestones and timeline with the fastest onboarding. monday.com suits non-technical teams who take to colourful boards. Trello suits teams that want the simplest kanban board at $5. Notion suits teams that write up work and want boards and timelines inside those pages. Basecamp suits teams that want to-dos, message boards, schedules and docs with nothing to configure.
For software teams running sprints, Jira at $7.53 is free for exactly ten people. Asana at $10.99 gets a team productive in two hours, while Trello at $5 needs no onboarding at all. Basecamp at $15 suits teams that want the same six tools on every project and nothing to configure.
Related guides
Questions about 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.