The best project management software for individuals caters to freelancers and solopreneurs looking to manage different project aspects while staying organized and productive. It offers a centralized platform for task management, client communication, project planning, and budgeting. A free version is available with limited functionality, while paid plans start at $5 per user, monthly. Core features include dashboards, templates, project views, time tracking, and app integrations.
Best Project Management Software for Individuals at a Glance
Project Management Software for Individuals | Key Features | Learn More | |
|---|---|---|---|
monday.com: Best for Usability & Customization | |||
 4.66 out of 5 | $10 |
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ClickUp: Best for On-the-go Users | |||
 4.58 out of 5 | $10 |
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Trello: Best for Freelancers With Small-scale Projects | |||
 4.53 out of 5 | $6 |
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Wrike: Best for Project Automation | |||
 4.48 out of 5 |
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Asana: Best for Multiple Personal Projects | |||
 4.38 out of 5 | $13.49 |
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Basecamp: Best for Remote Collaboration | |||
 3.94 out of 5 | $15 |
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New to project management? Read our guide about project management as we explore its core features, benefits, and considerations when choosing a provider.
monday.com: Best Overall for Usability & Customization
What We Liked
- User-friendly interface
- Up to 200 project templates
- All plans include two-factor authentication (2FA)
Where It Falls Behind
- Integrations unlock at the third tier
- Solo users won’t be able to upgrade to paid plans due to the minimum user count required
- Time tracking is locked at the third tier
monday.com Monthly Pricing All plans are based on a per-user basis and apply to a minimum team size of three users.
- Free: Free for two seats, three boards, whiteboard, 500MB storage, shareable forms, 200+ templates, Kanban view, and custom notifications
- Basic: $10 per user for unlimited free viewers, 5GB storage, unlimited boards, and custom fields
- Standard: $12 per user for 20GB storage, timeline and Gantt views, guest access, and 250 actions for automation/integrations
- Pro: $24 per user for 100GB storage, time tracking, workload, dependency column, and 25,000 actions for automation and integrations
- Enterprise: Contact sales for 1,000GB storage, advanced reporting/analytics, and 250,000 actions for automation and integrations
- Free trial: 14 days
monday.com earned its reputation as the best personal project management app mainly for its flexibility and visual appeal. Since project management tools consist of a wealth of features, users look for a solution that is easy to use and understand.
Columns are the main building blocks of a monday.com board that can be colored and tailored to fit your needs. Other customizable features include templates, workflows, automation recipes, and real-time dashboards.
Despite its user-friendly nature, monday.com is not suited for users who don’t prioritize scalability. Paid plans have a required user number (starts at three seats per plan). Thus, individual users will have to settle for the free plan. If this doesn’t work for you, check out ClickUp, which is almost as affordable as monday.com and allows single users to upgrade to a paid subscription.
monday.com Features
The workload view lets you see who’s underutilized or overloaded. (Source: monday.com)
- Workload view: Easily visualize and monitor the hours spent by each team member on each task. You can also use this feature for equipment and resources.
- Column types: Columns are building blocks of a monday.com board that offers a fast way to customize your workspace. Column types include people, date, text, and timeline.
- Board filter: Since boards are filled with tons of information, filters let you easily access the specific information you need. Filtering options include the search bar, person filter, and quick suggested filter.
ClickUp: Best for On-the-go Users
What We Liked
- Generous free plan usage for project views and customization
- Offline mode for desktop and mobile
- Rich collaboration and reporting tools
Where It Falls Behind
- Only 49 apps for native integrations
- Complex to navigate
- Poor mobile app interface
ClickUp Monthly Pricing Rates are based on per-user pricing. Pay yearly and save up to 37%. Nonprofits are eligible for a special discount.
- Free-forever: Free for 100MB storage, task checklists, templates, spreadsheets, custom statuses, 100 automation, multiple assignees, and dependencies, in-app video recording, real-time chat, integrations, and time tracking
- Unlimited: $10 per user for unlimited dashboards, unlimited file storage, custom fields, form view, Gantt chart, guest access, 1,000 automation, portfolios, recurring tasks, delegate reminders, and milestones
- Business: $19 per user for unlimited teams, custom reporting, 10,000 automation, goals folder, workload management, mind map, timelines, and public sharing
- Enterprise: Contact sales for white labeling, 250,000 automation, team sharing, unlimited custom roles, and document tags
We pick ClickUp as the best project management app for individuals working remotely, thanks to its Offline Mode feature available on the web, desktop, and mobile app. Create tasks and reminders in places with no internet connection and automatically sync those changes after reconnecting.
Besides the Offline Mode, ClickUp offers a range of features for remote project management. Dashboards let you monitor work in real time, manage workloads, and visualize the progress of your projects remotely.
Unfortunately, connecting your current app stack with ClickUp can be challenging because it only supports up to 49 third-party integrations. Consider Wrike instead, which maintains a comprehensive app directory, including Google Workspace, Salesforce, LinkedIn, and HubSpot.
ClickUp Features
ClickUp’s free-forever plan offers up to 60 custom field uses. (Source: ClickUp)
- Embed view: Add interactive items like websites and apps alongside your project tasks. This lets you declutter your screen by placing items in a single place.
- Custom assignees: ClickUp gives you the option to assign a task to a single person or multiple team members. Turning on this feature will enable you to add more than one person to a single task.
- Custom fields: Adding custom fields to your workspace lets you add different types of data, whether on a folder, list, task, or subtask.
Trello: Best for Freelancers With Small-scale Projects
What We Liked
- Cheapest option in this list
- Numerous add-ons further enhance the platform’s functionality
- Simple and easy to use
Where It Falls Behind
- Relies mainly on plugins for most features like time tracking
- Free users are limited to Kanban view
- Not ideal for complex tasking
Trello Monthly
Pricing
Rates are based on a per-user basis. Discounted annual plans are available.
- Free: Free for up to 10 boards, built-in automation, templates, unlimited storage (10MB/file), 250 workspace command runs, unlimited activity log, and app integrations
- Standard: $6 per user for unlimited boards, checklists, unlimited storage (250MB/file) custom fields, and 1,000 Workspace command runs
- Premium: $12.50 per user for dashboard views, workspace views, templates, data export, and admin and security features
- Enterprise Pricing is billed annually and based on an estimated cost of 50 users. : $17.50 per user for unlimited workspaces and organization-visible boards
- Free trial: 14 days (Premium only)
Trello is the go-to project management software for freelancers engaged in small-scale project management. With its Kanban-inspired boards, Trello emphasizes simplicity in managing basic projects and tasks. It doesn’t overwhelm you with advanced capabilities because you can use the Power-Up plugins to add the features you only need.
Core features revolve around boards, lists, and cards for visualizing project progress. Cards represent tasks where you can assign members, leave comments, and add due dates. Aside from the Kanban view, Trello also supports calendar, table, and timeline views.
However, Trello is not suitable for managing multiple, complex projects. Although it still does its job, users complain that the platform looks cluttered when filled up with too many items. If you’re looking for an alternative to using Trello, check out monday.com. Known for its ease of use, monday.com is a personal project planning software with affordable fees and robust features.
Trello Features
Use Power-ups to add your favorite tools to your Trello board. (Source: Trello)
- Attachments: Upload file attachments onto a card to keep all your project items in one place. Simply use the drag-and-drop function or paste the link on the link field.
- Power-Ups: Integrate extra features and apps to your Trello board to extend its functionality. Choose from up to 11 categories like sales, automation, and social media.
- Voting: Use this Trello power-up to enable team members to vote on cards and collect those cards to decide which items to prioritize across the entire board.
Wrike: Best for Project Automation
What We Liked
- Free plan has no user cap
- Strong automation capabilities
- Extensive third-party integrations
Where It Falls Behind
- Limited customization
- Can be pricey for solo users
- No monthly billing option
Wrike Monthly
Pricing
Pricing is based on a monthly per-user subscription and must be paid annually.
- Free: 2GB per account, task management, custom work views, work intelligence, project templates, and enterprise-grade security
- Team: $9.80 per user for up to 25 users, custom fields/workflows, calendars, dashboards, Gantt chart, work schedules, analytics view, request forms, and automation (50 actions)
- Business: $24.80 per user for up to 200 users, 5GB storage, portfolio, live reports, custom templates, approval, time tracking, and folder hierarchy
- Enterprise: Contact sales for up to unlimited users, 10GB storage, automation (1,000 actions), and advanced security controls
- Pinnacle: Contact sales for 15GB storage, advanced analytics, automation (1,500 actions), capacity planning, and locked spaces
- Free trial: 14 days
While automation is a basic feature among project management competitors, Wrike takes it to the next level with its very own work intelligence solution. Use automated workflows to eliminate repetitive tasks and focus more on high-value work. It’s like your personal assistant that works in the background, so you don’t have to manually update your projects and tasks.
Wrike is powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) that helps construct project briefs and plans from scratch. It also works as a language translator as well as an AI writing assistant that checks for mistakes and summarizes long discussions.
At first glance, Wrike’s monthly starting price appears cheaper than its competitors. However, this provider doesn’t have a monthly billing option, which can be expensive for individual users. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Wrike, try Trello. With a monthly per-user fee of $6, Trello is our best project management app for individuals on a budget.
Wrike Features
A customizable workspace where you can easily manage your work. (Source: Wrike)
- Resource bookings: Allows project managers to estimate the number of hours a user will need to work on a project without a detailed work plan. This is useful in project forecasting and anticipating portfolio resource needs.
- External requester collaboration: Communicate with non-Wrike users by setting external request forms to facilitate email communication. This enables everyone to access all assets in one place.
- Personal work experience: Provides a full-screen view of all your assigned tasks. Use filters and custom widgets to manage your tasks and organize your workspace.
Asana: Best for Multiple Personal Projects
What We Liked
- Feature-rich nature makes it ideal for large-scale projects
- Heavily focuses on collaboration
- Robust task management tools
Where It Falls Behind
- Not ideal for low-use scenarios due to its feature-rich nature
- Limited user assignments
- Steep learning curve
Asana Monthly
Pricing
Rates are based on per-user pricing. Discounted annual pricing is available. Eligible nonprofits get up to 50% discount.
- Basic: Free for calendar view, unlimited tasks, messages, and storage, board view projects, and 100+ integrations
- Premium: $13.49 per user for forms, workflow builder, timeline, reporting, custom templates, and unlimited dashboards
- Business: $30.49 per user for custom rules builder, workload, portfolio, time tracking, advanced reporting, forms branching, and approvals
- Enterprise: Contact sales for custom branding, unlimited bundles, and advanced security and governance
- Free trial: 30 days
While Asana is largely known as a project management solution for large teams, this provider is also ideal for individual users working on different projects at once. Board, list, and timeline views help streamline projects and let you establish a centralized workspace that houses all information related to a specific project.
The Project Overview feature provides a one-stop shop for various project aspects, such as resources, updates, milestones, and roles. If you have too much on your plate, use the Inbox feature to receive automatic updates about projects you prioritize and filter out the rest.
The feature-rich nature of Asana can be a huge disadvantage for users simply needing a personal project management planner for low-volume tasking. Check out monday.com if you’re looking for a more affordable and straightforward alternative to Asana. Although both providers share many similar features (e.g., task and workflow management), monday.com is easier to learn and use.
Asana Features
Status updates enable users to visualize project updates. (Source: Asana)
- Status updates: Create project updates in minutes using time-saving automation. Drag and drop project highlights on your dashboard, like charts, milestones, and summaries.
- Goals: Set your company objectives and connect each of them to the portfolios and projects so everyone in your team will get the right tasks done.
- Bundles: Standardize work processes by combining fields, sections, rules, and templates that you can apply across multiple projects simultaneously.
Basecamp: Best for Remote Collaboration
What We Liked
- Rich collaboration features
- Free guest access
- Option to pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited users
Where It Falls Behind
- Most expensive option in this list
- No free plan except for academic use
- Limited project tracking and use
Basecamp Monthly Pricing
- Basecamp: $15 per user monthly for 500GB storage for files and documents
- Basecamp Pro Unlimited Annual billing is available at only $299 per month. : $349 for unlimited users, 5TB document storage, priority support, onboarding tour, and admin pro pack
- Free trial: 30 days
All plans include unlimited projects, group chat, project schedule, to-do list, role assignment, automatic check-ins, card table, timeline, activity reports, message board, free guest access, and integrations
Basecamp is our best project management software for a single user engaging in external collaboration. One of the most common pain points of most providers is the ability to get users to collaborate with teams, clients, and stakeholders. With Basecamp, you get all the features you need for real-time and asynchronous communication.
Users get a wealth of collaboration tools like group chat, announcements, direct messaging, and automatic check-ins. The best part is it allows unlimited guest access without charge. You can also control what your clients see and keep official records of client feedback.
Despite the noteworthy features of Basecamp, this provider charges the highest monthly pricing at $15 per user. Individual users may find this impractical if they don’t need a lot of collaboration features. If affordability is what you’re after, check out Trello, which offers one of the most affordable monthly per-user fees starting at $6.
Basecamp Features
The Lineup provides a bird’s-eye view of all ongoing projects. (Source: Basecamp)
- Lineup: Works like a timeline view that shows the start and end date of a project. This gives you a quick overview of the amount of time remaining, relative to today.
- Latest activity: Displays a micro-view of the real-time happenings across the team. A predefined screen displays any user’s current task lineup any time you want.
- My Stuff: Provides a one-click menu that is accessible from any screen and shows all the current tasks you’ve been assigned.
How We Evaluated the Best Project Management Software for Individuals
We handpicked a variety of personal project management tools based on popularity, industry sentiments, and functionality ratings among users. From there, we designed a six-category rubric to accurately evaluate and compare all the providers we will cover. After computing the final scores, we selected six providers based on which ranked the highest. Learn how we evaluated the best project management apps for individuals by clicking on the tabs below:
20% of Overall Score
Affordability is a crucial factor when looking for the best project management software for personal use. It should offer various pricing options, including a free version and fairly priced paid plans. We explored the feature inclusions of each provider and gave more weight to those offering discounted annual billing and a lengthy free trial for the paid plans.
25% of Overall Score
The best project management software includes features that allow users to create, monitor, and assign tasks. In this case, we looked for basic capabilities like document storage, task reminders, time tracking, and a mobile app. We also checked if two-factor authentication is offered to ensure account security.
20% of Overall Score
Many providers have specialized capabilities to accommodate unique project management requirements. We looked for advanced features like milestone tracking, data export, and project views like Kanban and list view. We also considered the number of third-party integrations available and the types of automation tools.
10% of Overall Score
We assessed the usability of each software by testing it ourselves and analyzing customer reviews from reliable websites. We reviewed the feedback of recent users and checked for learning curves during the setup and configuration phase.
10% of Overall Score
For each project management software, we checked the type of customer service channels offered, like phone, live chat, email, and help desk. We gave higher points for 24/7 coverage.
15% of Overall Score
We assessed the performance of each project management software by looking at its standout features and user-friendliness. We also considered their level of popularity and value for money.
Frequently Asked Questions
We recommend Trello for solopreneurs because, besides its affordability (starts at $5 per user, monthly), it offers a straightforward solution that is not overwhelmed with fancy features. Its simple and visually appealing Kanban-style boards make it ideal for individual users dealing with small-scale projects and who are new to project management software.
Choosing the right features for your personal project management solution depends on your project type and requirements. However, in general, many individual users look for features that help them manage their daily workflow efficiently. These include task templates, checklists, time tracking, real-time notifications, and automation tools.
The answer depends on the type of projects to be managed. A collaboration-ready project management software is applicable for users needing to present data with external stakeholders like customers, partners, and vendors. If external accessibility is involved, you will need to look for a solution with user access management and collaboration capabilities.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re a solopreneur, freelancer, or employee, the best project management software is one that lets you simplify tasks, track deadlines, and maximize productivity. After considering our options, we chose monday.com as our top option due to its customizability, user-friendly interface, and hundreds of project template options. Sign up for monday.com’s free plan or 14-day free trial to fully explore its unique offerings.
