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The 20 Best Project Planning Tools of 2024

Vlad Kovalskiy
December 17, 2021
Last updated: August 5, 2024

Project management has become one of the most important pillars of any organization today. The authoritative website "Computer World" stated in an article that the priority of companies for hiring, after IT specialists, is assigned to project management engineers.

Every year, the demand for project management apps increases, and this demand is constantly expanding the scope of knowledge. IT agility, remote project planning and control with smart devices, risk management, data security, and other project planning tools are expected to become more important in the near future. 

What Is Project Management Software?

With the development of businesses in recent years, project planning in organizations has become very important. So, every business must have specialized, responsible, and knowledgeable people in the project planning process to gain a competitive advantage in their organization.

The impact of having an expert and dominant person on the project management of the organization is undeniable and should not be ignored.

Project management includes rules and principles that specify how to start a project, how to implement it, and the rules and planning required to implement it.

Certainly, every project has specific goals that the project manager plans with full knowledge of the project features and the capacity and ability of the team to advance them. Project management software is one of the management software and helps project managers to be able to perform project planning tasks in the best possible way, including planning, starting, how to implement, and finishing it. Therefore, it is necessary to know how project planning systems work.

A project management tool is software that is used to plan the project, advance the processes and responsibilities of each part of the project, plan all project components, and determine responsibilities by the project manager. This software allows project managers to manage tasks and their processes in any department, even for the small teams of the company.

The right project management software can be used as an office system. Therefore, a project planning system is a diverse set of solutions for users and managers of different parts of the project, w


How to Choose the Best Apps

Before examining the core project management features of any software, it is important to understand the need for project planning software. The point is that project management is possible without an additional software solution.

However, manually updating and getting things done becomes extremely inefficient. In addition, it increases the risk of making mistakes, especially with multiple complex project tasks. In the following, by studying the mentioned cases, you will realize the importance of a project management platform:

  • Providing the latest and most accurate version is difficult and time-consuming.

  • Loading the same spreadsheet compromises security.

  • Updates may be forgotten and project delays may increase.


  

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The fact is that not using project planning software can lead to inefficiency and waste of time. This will ultimately affect the business and delivery of your project. Now that you know some of the advanced features of this software, it's time to talk about how to choose the best application among other project planning tools.

In general, it is better to start by choosing the right software for your business by doing research and limiting your options. Some software is easily removed since it may be out of your price range or may not offer the more advanced features you need. Once you have removed the various options, ask yourself the following questions while reviewing project management software you chose: 

  • Is the software easy to use and learn?

  • Will my team use it?

  • Does it support communications, enhanced collaboration, and project agents?

  • Is the selected project planning software flexible?

  • Can it be used partially for multiple projects?

  • Can it customize reports?

  • Does it make secure external communication possible?

  • Does it connect to other software in the group?

  • Is the option updated regularly? 

Of course, with any project management software, you will have a learning curve. For this reason, you should give your team time to learn and work with the relevant software.

Many software providers allow you and your team the opportunity to test this software. Therefore, it is better to remind yourself of the following: 

  • Specify exactly what you need in a project planning software

  • Be sure to check other project management software options and do the necessary research.

  • Choose from the best project management platforms for your business.


What Can You Do With a Project Management Tools?

When taking responsibility for a project, we must remember that the success of the project depends on three important factors:

  • time,

  • resources,

  • results.

All projects are at the service of customer satisfaction. It will be very easy to achieve success in the project and satisfy the customer when we can create the right balance between the three mentioned factors.

After receiving the project, the most important step to implement it and achieve the desired goal is to have correct and efficient planning and strategy to advance the project better and faster. In carrying out a project, for better management of people, tasks, and resources, it is necessary to use project planning software.

Now, it is important to know what you can do with such software and what the features of a project management app are. Features required in a project planning software depend on your specific performance.

For example, the best project management software for freelancers will not be the same as the best business software. However, there are some key features to keep in mind when you start using the software for managing projects. Some of these are: 

  • Ability to save and share documents

  • Real-time collaboration tools and access to multiple project teams

  • Report at the right time and with the ability to adjust them

  • Planning the project schedule and outlining project timelines

  • Create templates and customize them as a part of workflow automation

  • Time tracking feature, monitor project progress, and manage costs and resources

  • Ability to connect with other business software such as accounting, etc.

  • Resource allocation and determining roles

  • Personalize existing projects and processes within the organization

  • Instant messaging or video chat when needed

  • Provide database tools for documenting and accessing internal processes


The Best Project Planning Tools for Small Businesses

Today, corporate management is significantly different from previous years, and the methods of success of organizations have undergone many changes and include new criteria. Projects of any organization or, more specifically, each unit in the organization need proper group management to advance the project and careful planning with easy access to these plans.

For this purpose, project management software and programs in the Internet space have recently gained high popularity, and here we are going to review some of the popular project management apps that include all the tools to help small businesses.

Trello

Simplifies workflow management with Kanban-style resource management. Users can view the cards for updates even if they are not dedicated to them. Trello is useful for teams that need to track their work, but do not try to use it like traditional project planning tools. This free project management software includes many features that may be sufficient for smaller teams. There are no reporting features. Lack of reporting features means that the software is suitable for small projects and ongoing work.

Asana

It has a good user interface and free sections. Good for small and medium businesses. This software makes it easy to plan projects and track progress, and it is possible to create interdependencies between tasks. The software also offers a free option that 15 people can use.

Jira

Jira is an agile online project planning platform used by development teams to plan, track, and publish software. This is a popular tool that is specifically designed and used by agile teams. The software integrates with many tools that enable teams to manage their projects and products. Jira started as a troubleshooting program but is now available in various versions, including Jira Core for project planning. Jobs in Jira Core are still called "topics" and you can easily use them to organize projects, set priorities, and more. Jira does not offer many features, but it does help increase productivity for smaller teams.

The Best Project Management Software for Large Organizations



LiquidPlanner

Great for meeting the needs of large teams. For businesses and large corporations, LiquidPlanner is a great project management app. LiquidPlanner is great for large projects; the estimated time is updated, and project managers always know how many resources and staff they have. Implementing it can be time-consuming. It may cost a lot for smaller companies, but larger teams see it as a good investment.

Wrike

Wrike is a web-based project management software that works for businesses of all sizes. This software allows you to track time and manage projects through your mobile application. Although this is a bit more expensive than some of its competitors, Wrike is a quality choice that can help you deal with projects of any size. Wrike is an online project planning tool that has powerful tracking, collaboration, and reporting features.

Features such as dynamic request forms, Gantt charts, and customizable dashboards allow users to simplify and automate their processes. This software helps your business to be efficient, competitive, and productive. Personalized workflows, fields, and file structures allow teams to be flexible in what they do. The integration of this software is very high, including for CRM, messaging, and accounting.

AceProject

AceProject is a web-based project planning tool that helps you manage projects from start to finish. It is a complete online project planning tool for individuals, teams, and companies that need to take control of their important workflows. With its time and cost tracking features, AceProject provides tools for projects to complete projects on time and within the approved budget.

Entering time is almost automatic, convenient, and very easy. Users can easily view all their projects with a project dashboard that provides instant information with color-coded charts and details. Using Gantt charts, they can observe the complexities of a project and its progress so that they can make informed decisions and take action.

The Best Project Management App With Special Features

Great for meeting the needs of large teams. For businesses and large corporations, LiquidPlanner is a great project management app. LiquidPlanner is great for large projects; the estimated time is updated, and project managers always know how many resources and staff they have. Implementing it can be time-consuming. It may cost a lot for smaller companies, but larger teams see it as a good investment.

Wrike

Wrike is a web-based project management software that works for businesses of all sizes. This software allows you to track time and manage projects through your mobile application. Although this is a bit more expensive than some of its competitors, Wrike is a quality choice that can help you deal with projects of any size. Wrike is an online project planning tool that has powerful tracking, collaboration, and reporting features.

Features such as dynamic request forms, Gantt charts, and customizable dashboards allow users to simplify and automate their processes. This software helps your business to be efficient, competitive, and productive. Personalized workflows, fields, and file structures allow teams to be flexible in what they do. The integration of this software is very high, including for CRM, messaging, and accounting.

AceProject

AceProject is a web-based project planning tool that helps you manage projects from start to finish. It is a complete online project planning tool for individuals, teams, and companies that need to take control of their important workflows. With its time and cost tracking features, AceProject provides tools for projects to complete projects on time and within the approved budget.

Entering time is almost automatic, convenient, and very easy. Users can easily view all their projects with a project dashboard that provides instant information with color-coded charts and details. Using Gantt charts, they can observe the complexities of a project and its progress so that they can make informed decisions and take action.

Bitrix24

One of the best project planning tools you can find is Bitrix24. This is an all-in-one tool that includes all the CRM features you might need whether you are a small business owner or have an enterprise to run. In recent years, bitrix24 has become one of the most popular CRM tools. With such project planning software, you can:

  • manage complex projects;

  • access resource management tools;

  • create unlimited projects and add unlimited users;

  • monitor progress of each team member;

  • create tasks and implement time-tracking functions;

  • track projects across all teams;

  • implement resource allocation;

  • outline the project progress.

Useful Bitrix24 features for project planning

Project managers require numerous tools to stimulate effective work and have the best project performance. The software must provide all necessary collaboration and communication tools. Bitrix24 not only has all features and instruments in one place but also has a user-friendly intuitive interface for easy navigation.

This way, you won't need any additional application to get the best result and team performance. All task management tools are easily reachable with only one software.


The main Bitrix24 features:

  • Cloud-based storage. To ensure secure and timely documentation flow in the organization, everyone on the team has access to cloud storage that supports all possible file types.

  • AI assistant. If you need to get a summary of the report or want to present information to your team in a more enjoyable way, your own AI assistant, CoPilot, is here to help. Whether you plan to brainstorm some project ideas, have issues with a new marketing campaign, or need help with distributing complex projects, this tool is at your service.

  • Team collaboration. This project planning software provides various communication channels for your team to stay in touch with one another as well as your clients. Do not worry about possible security breaches; any person outside your company whom you invite for a specific task will not get access to the information without your permission.

  • Intuitive interface. All files are kept in their own place and can be categorized. There will be no issue with navigating inside the software. All tools are sorted based on their purpose.

  • Visualizing charts. Bitrix24 creates various analytical charts to help you make data-driven decisions. Whether you are tracking the company revenue, the success of your marketing campaign, the number of positive reviews from your client, or the project progress for one of the team members, there is a graph for everything.

Bitrix24 pros

  • Unlimited users for all plans;

  • Personal AI assistant;

  • Gantt charts and other visualization features;

  • Kandan system for easy task distribution;

  • The easy collaboration includes a calendar, drive, chats, and other tools;

  • Numerous integrations with popular software;

  • Free templates for creating campaigns and planning;

  • Performance tracking;

  • Implemented features to set up customer support;

  • Customer data collection and segmentation.

Bitrix24 cons

  • Takes too long for first-time CRM users to start using the feature due to numerous features

Bitrix24 pricing

Bitrix24 is a free project management software. If you do not have much data to store, then a free version might be enough. However, if you want to unlock additional features to reach your highest potential, there are several paid plans available. The cost for a monthly payment starts at $49.

Click up



ClickUp, a cloud service for project management and command collaboration, started in 2017 as a small startup project. In 2022, it will become one of the most popular platforms for increasing productivity. Its main advantages are functionality and universality, as it gives the users an enormous amount of instruments not only for joint but also for individual work.

From our article, you know what the platform is, what its features and advantages consist of, and how to use ClickUp for different aims, tasks, and spheres of activity.

Click UP features

Developers named it "the only platform for the increase of productivity", meaning the presence of wide functionality for project creation and task management. Except for job and subtask management, this service also has a row of other functions: aims, documents, chats, reports, e-mail, calendar, templates, control lists, integrations, and others like that. He combines ten various instruments, and it allows him to successfully replace the row of extraneous additions.

ClickUp is considered an effective alternative to such platforms as Monday, Asana, Jira, Trello, Airtable, Notion, BaseCamp, Wrike, and similar.

The basic functions of ClickUp:

  • The basic part of the interface is presented by a working space (Space), where it is possible to watch all the activity of a company, department, or project and to manage it. Every space has its own tuning and list of users. The below-located folders (for example, for different projects or departments) contain lists of tasks, control lists, and others.

  • The service allows flexibility to influence a task and other content: to appoint performers and terms of implementation, mark their colors and tags, add documents, visualize data by means of charts, and discuss in a chat.

  • The editor of documents helps to create and change documentation of different types, in particular wiki documents (traveling maps, bases of knowledge, and others like that), and to integrate them into working processes.

  • Informative panels give the possibility to control joint job performances and flexibly manage them. This division contains such popular instruments as sprints of developers, parameters of management, business management, resources, and over 50 widgets.

  • Boards help the participants of different projects visualize the processes of collaboration. Here are instruments for command work (for example, cerebral assault) and also for task and document management. A graphics editor and notebook for ClickUp are built-in. It is possible to use it for the creation and editing of text notes.

Click Up pros

  • The Kanban boards and Gant diagrams are supported.

  • Get access to the instrument on a computer or mobile device.

  • Individual kinds are depending on the requirements of the user.

  • Integration of the extraneous programs.

  • Delegate a task and trigger it all up.

  • Watch the course of the performance of every task.

  • Intermingle with colleagues by means of chats.

  • Watch the state of the project in real time by means of informative panels.

  • There is support for clients in real-time with free webinars.

Click Up cons

  • Getting used to the program can take some time.

  • It needed a bit of work to create a contrast and make the cards more noticeable.

Click Up pricing

You can purchase or subscribe to the program monthly or annually, depending on your budget. A good thing here is that he is flexible for users. If it interests you, the costs of ClickUp include the plans of Free, Unlimited, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise. Obviously, they are unique, and there are only some functions that you can get access to with a certain plan. Let us understand them in sequence.

Free plan

You read correctly. ClickUp comes with a free plan, for which you need to pay. It gives 100 MB of memory, access to an unlimited amount of tasks, joint work with documents, chat in real-time, own watching of time, and many others. Thus, if you do not plan to use him regularly, you can be stopped from getting a free plan.

Unlimited plan 

With an unlimited plan, you get everything in a free plan plus unlimited memory, integration, an informative panel, Gant diagrams, special fields, and others like that. A plan also offers permissions for guests, commands, aims and portfolios, revision of forms, management resources, and flexible reports. It will cost only $9 a month, but only $5 if you pay him annually. This plan is better in all respects for small commands.

Click Up ratings and reviews

ClickUp is a practical instrument that you can use, especially for job management. He offers basic functions for monitoring the progress of projects and other things like that. Therefore, to you, it does not cost to be afraid of exposure to instruments with a lack of functions. 

Hive



Hive is an instrument for increasing productivity in a command. In Hive Command, members can tune and change the type of project according to their needs to create new personal projects and communicate in a chat.

For working with the projects, Hive offers 5 types of viewing: kanban board, calendar, table, and list. Employees have a personal dashboard where they can look over the tasks assigned to them. On the dashboard, tasks are broken down into a few insets and projects: current, future, completed, and "Appointed by me". Also, a user can watch the progress of the implementation of commands and personal tasks through the instrument of analytic geometry. Analytical geometry is a set of panels with the testimonies of productivity as charts and diagrams.

Tasks in Hive are a basic element of work. Tasks can be assigned to one employee or on command. For the tasks, it is possible to write a description, add sub-tasks, appoint the dates of implementation, fasten files, and tags. Tasks: It is possible to duplicate tasks and order approval from guidance. To increase productivity, it is possible to create the buttons for automation of work by tasks, for example, to delegate a task to another man or transfer it to another project.

Hive features

  • Template collection for the creation of tasks and projects.

  • Built-in chat.

  • Integration with plenty of popular services.

  • A built-in set of tools for increasing productivity.

  • Integration with postal services.

Hive pros

So, we will begin with Hive. His basic chip — this SQL-is similar to the language of queries of HQL (Hive query language). He allows us to work with data by the usual method as if we were working with an ordinary relational base. Scripts can be started both through a cantilever and by means of a command line.

Hive is:

  • SQL — similar language to HQL

  • Interactive cantilever

  • Intrinsic functions of aggregating

  • Support of user functions (UDF)

  • Data (as a table

Hive is able to work:

  • with text files 

  • with the compressed text files (Gzip, Bzip)

  • with arrays, dictionaries, and associations (union)

  • has an enormous amount of intrinsic functions for working with: collections, dates, lines, and JSON-of-mi

  • with mathematical functions (rounding off, logarithms, roots, trigonometry)

  • with the functions of aggregating (sum, min, max, avg)

  • If all the above is not enough, then it is possible to use custom functions and also mappers and reducers (Python, Java)

Hive cons

  • Not everything can be put into the paradigm of HQL

  • It will lie down in the head at simple samples. But with the height of complication, it becomes more and more difficult to understand them. Especially if a selection was not written by you.

Hive pricing

Teams: $12/user/month if paid annually (or $16/user/month if paid monthly) with add-ons available. Hive Solo: Free forever for teams of up to 2. 

Enterprise: Custom pricing plans are available upon request. Discounts are available for nonprofit organizations.

Monday.com



Monday.com is a platform for project management, with plenty of tuning of the interface. Service helps both small and large organizations improve command communication, the prosecution of projects, the raising of tasks, and the planning of actions.

On Monday.com, the working space can be influenced by the work of different departments. It can be the HR department of the subdivision, a team of developers, a marketing department, or other departments of companies. For the prosecution of projects on a platform, boards are used. A board is a table with data about a project, where a cell is a separate element. An element a task or working process can serve as. A table can be looked over in a few variants: kanban board, Gant diagram, charts and diagrams, and as a calendar.

Organizations and employees can look over real-time reports on the completed work, mark the prepared work, and conduct communication in a chat.

Monday features

Basic Monday.com features are:

  • An instrument of joint work for a few people.

  • Instrument of communication.

  • Base of knowledge.

  • Viewing of progress.

  • Execution Board.

  • Notifications by email.

  • Motivational instrument.

  • Updating on email.

  • Rapid connecting of new employees.

  • Easy connection, tags.

  • Personal and public boards.

  • Updating on the basis of relevance.

  • Living comments.

  • Guest access.

  • API.

  • Import of spreadsheets from Excel.

Monday pros 

  • Offers a free plan

  • Valuable functions of management by projects

  • Cooperate with your command for the management of projects

  • Decisions for sales and CRM with all functions

  • Command communication and meeting

  • Regular management of work and automation of the working process

  • Comfortable, informative panel and visual planning

  • Twenty-four-hour expert support

Monday cons

  • Too many functions can be stunning

  • Learning curve

  • Price 

Monday pricing

Monday.com is one of the most recommendable decisions for project management by projects and ordinary businesses. He is equally effective and popular among large and small businesses.

It offers tariff plans that benefit any business and its necessities. If you manage the business individually or have a few members of command, you can begin with a free plan. You get an unlimited amount of documents and more than 200 templates, even in the free version.

Monday rating and previews

If it is a question of software for increasing work productivity, there is no error in variants. Choosing the right one can be a complicated problem with the variety of options offered.

Enterprises call to a popular variant of Monday.com that gives an easy-to-use and intuitively clear platform for large and small commands. Whether you are looking for a project management tool, a CRM system, or simply the best way to track the progress of your orders, Monday.com can be the best tool for it.


Conclusion

Project planning in companies is a sensitive and necessary thing and is done in different ways. Special project planning applications available on the Internet do just that. Not everyone is happy when you implement an important tool like project planning tools. Your employees are already accustomed to a series of steps, so any disruption to this can be frustrating. Therefore, make sure that you have strong leadership in the decision to introduce the software. This will increase the self-confidence of employees and any negative comments will be eliminated.

The implementation team should be able to explain to their employees the need for software and how their team will perform the project. Despite your hard and tedious efforts to convince the team of the importance of project management tools, you may encounter persuasion issues with one or two members. In most cases, such problems are normal and should be addressed. Such a situation must be dealt with patiently and their opinions should not be completely ignored. Listen carefully to them to show that their opinion is also important.

Various groups in the project planning tools industry predict positive growth in the coming years. A project planning app may have fewer features than cover basic functions, but that does not mean they are low and may have everything a startup or small to medium-sized business needs. For instance, one of the best project management tools is Bitrix 24. This platform provides huge services to small and large companies. Also, Bitrix 24 can be counted as one of the apps that can be useful and effective in current and future times. We believe, by reading this article, now you can search and find the best project management software for your business quickly.

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