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- Top 10 Project Management Tools
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Celoxis is a popular project management software that is easy to use and affordable. It is an integrated project management platform solution you can use to manage your project portfolios, workflows, expenses, time sheets, and resources, and improve client and team collaboration. Dec 18, 2019 The Best Project Management Software for 2020. If your teams juggle deadlines, resources, and deliverables, you need a dedicated project management tool.
Struggling to keep your head above water? Manage your deadlines, deliverables, and resources more effectively by utilizing the best project management software for your needs.
Over the years, project management has morphed into an umbrella term, comprising of a wide array of solutions from comprehensive portfolio management tools to personal work management solutions. Some of it comes with a steep price, but others won’t cost you a dime.
If you’re willing to sacrifice a few premium features, the best free project management software might make a good fit for your needs. Below, you’ll find our top six favorites for Mac computers.
Best Project Management Software for Mac
A quick search on Google will lead to an overwhelming amount of options and information on the best project management tools today. So you don’t have to test every single one of them, we’ve made a list of our top six favorites, specifically for Mac devices.
1. Monday.com
Easily one of the best project management software for Mac, Monday.com is celebrated for its simple, user-friendly interface. From there, you can keep tabs on all your activities, your employees, and your deadlines. You can also assign tasks to team members and track their progress from a single dashboard. With a highly-intuitive design, you can plan ahead and identify potential bottlenecks.
Monday.com is ideal for large teams as it has the capability to make task tracking a much simpler endeavor. It also includes helpful integrations to link Slack, Zapier, Jira, Mailchimp, Shopify, Bitbucket, Google Calendar, and other your favorite tools. With this software, cross-functional teams can keep track of each other’s works consequently empowering them to achieve their goals and have fun while getting things done.
✅ PROS:
- Simple, user-friendly, and highly-customizable dashboards
- Integrates with your favorite tools
- Automates workflow
⛔️ CONS:
- Doesn’t have a free version
2. Zoho Projects
A powerful free project management software, Zoho Projects has mobile and desktop versions. It is ideal for small business teams. As it comes with essential collaboration tools, team members can communicate effectively and get more things done on time. Not only that, its collaboration tools can extend to clients, vendors, and consultants.
Of course, Zoho Projects also has the right project management features that allow its users to plan, monitor, and assess their outcomes without hassle.
Perhaps the best thing about Zoho Projects is integration. Other than the Zoho apps, it integrates with Google Apps, Gmail, MS Office, QuickBooks, MailChimp, and a few social media platforms.
✅ PROS:
- Supports seamless team collaboration
- Delivers in-depth insights
- Integrates with Zoho and third-party apps
⛔️ CONS:
- Free version has limited features
3. Basecamp
Another contender in our lineup of the best project management software for Mac is Basecamp. This one allows you to upload files, share assets, discuss project details, and schedule and assign tasks.
This workhorse has been around since 2004, and although it has been updated, it still feels antiquated and does not include the rich, powerful features of some of the other project management options we have discussed. Essentially Basecamp is more of a collaboration tool than project management software.
✅ PROS:
- Flexible software for collaborating with teams
- Easy setup and online tutorials
- Automated scheduling notifications via email
- Group chat and messaging boards
- Calendar view
⛔️ CONS:
- Confusing interface that appears unfinished
- No Gantt charts or resource management tools
- Very pricey, especially for small teams
- Navigation is inflexible
4. Jira
If you are looking for more serious project management software for Mac, Jira may be your best bet. It is the #1 tool used by agile teams using Scrum, Kanban, & hybrid models for workflow and project management.
Using Jira, you can create multiple projects and check in on them via the roadmap to see where every task and user stands. The ticketing component makes it easy to ping a colleague regarding an open task. You can even attach large files (zipped, images, documents, and videos). Jira makes it easy to track every tiny aspect of a project in seamless detail.
✅ PROS:
- Reasonably priced
- Gantt, Kanban, and portfolio views
- Milestone tracking
- Powerful features
- Helpful messaging and collaboration tools built-in
⛔️ CONS:
- Confusing interface and hard to learn
- The cloud-based version is slow
- No timestamp on changes (hard to track)
- No in-person training available
5. Asana
In keeping with our theme of the best project management software for Mac, Asana stands out as an impressive project management tool. Although the interface may at first be confusing for some, it quickly starts to make sense. The Kanban view makes it easy to organize and move through a complex workflow with your team.
Asana’s pricing is tiered with added features as you go up a level. You can use Asana online or via the PC, Mac, and iOS apps. If you want full-fledged, fun collaboration for your teams, you can’t go wrong with Asana.
✅ PROS:
- Flexible and feature-rich for the higher tiers
- Timeline and Kanban views
- Administrative controls
- Create private teams and projects
- Priority support
- Integrates with other services and apps
- Automation
⛔️ CONS:
- No time-tracking
- A bit pricey, especially at the enterprise-level
6. Wrike
Wrike might be a cloud-hosted free project management software, but it’s available on Mac platforms as well. This award-winning tool is used by thousands of businesses, from startups to big corporations. It gives teams the flexibility to juggle multiple projects and activities simultaneously, empowering them to collaborate effectively towards the same goal.
Perhaps the best perk of using Wrike on your Mac is that the desktop app gets updated regularly. Every now and then, you can enjoy new features and functionality that will help you take your business to the next level.
Since Wrike is designed for professionals, it might take beginners a little time and effort to get used to the software.
✅ PROS:
- Robust collaboration tools
- Enterprise-class security
- Automates workflow
⛔️ CONS:
- Steep learning curve
Why do I need to Use Project Management Software for Managing my Team?
Large companies are constantly working on numerous projects. There’re big teams of people and few leaders responsible for making each project a successful endeavor. As more people become involved in project management not using a software program can be quite challenging to accomplish a project – there are many things that have to be performed in a well-organized manner.
Listed below are some reasons why you should start relying on project management tools if you want to attain your project’s deadlines.
Easy Planning
The project planning process takes a lot of time as you have to map-out all the important steps. A project management software provides you the ability to easily establish a hierarchy of tasks for effective and efficient completion. It also lets you indicate which steps are sequential and which tasks are dependent on one another. In turn, this makes it easier for the team to do their work. This is a time-saver because when the team leader knows which steps are the most important, he/she then knows which tasks to assign to whom.
Efficient Task Management
Every project out there consists of numerous tasks that you, or your team, must complete. Writing notes about what your team members are doing is sometimes impossible, especially when it comes to ongoing projects that take a lot of time to complete. This is where project management software is very useful: assign all of the important tasks to employees and monitor how they are performing. Project management becomes much easier as you have access to this data and can follow who has which tasks. Through better task management, teams work in unity. Hence, achieving incredible results and benefiting the company.
Seamless Team Workflow
Getting the whole team to work as one is often very hard to achieve, but project management software can make it much easier. Using this software solution gives a team leader a chance to always be able to see the tasks that his team is working on and which team members are involved in the task.
Furthermore, there are tasks which require more people. This is where a team leader can include several different people to collectively work on bigger tasks – while other members do smaller tasks simultaneously. Creating a seamless team workflow is something very important to attain as it contributes to a company’s sustainable future, as well as creating cohesion within a team.
Shared Documents, Calendars and Contacts
Consider that project management tools are useful as they support the storage and organization of a variety of documents. This is extremely important as a majority of projects have a high number of documents. By creating a centralized document storage plan, every team member can easily, and more quickly, edit and contribute. This feature is very important in cases where the work is outsourced to a person or a team. It is much easier to perform all the necessary tasks without sending thousands of emails with attached documents where, sooner or later, things become convoluted.
As well, having access to calendars of other team members is convenient because sooner or later, a meeting between team members has to be organized. So, having access to people’s calendar makes coordinating much easier. Make sure to share a document containing every team members’ contact information. This ensures remote team members can communicate with one another.
Best It Project Management Software Mac Free
Precise Project Tracking
Tracking the time spent on every task is of great value. It allows you to collect data about team members, to know their work pace. This will make planning future projects much easier. The team leader can then make much more precise time estimations. For example, a team leader can give different types of tasks to team members throughout a project to determine their strengths. This creates better performance and faster results.
These are some of the most important reasons why you want to rely on project management tools in your company. Utilizing the latest technologies currently available maximizes the performance of project teams.
Every business needs to be armed with scalable tools that will help them overcome their growing pains. However, it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune to acquire the tools you need.
Equipped with the best project management software, you can keep all your files organized and centralized in a single platform. More importantly, you motivate your team to work together toward the same goal.
The whole workflow becomes improved, as people are capable of collaborating on a variety of tasks. This leads to a significant improvement in productivity, which leads to higher profits in the business world. High quality in a short time-frame, that’s what businesses want to achieve. Rely on project management software to get this done.
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Explore popular project management software that makes tracking project statuses, collaboration, and task management easier.
Microsoft Projects is a popular project management platform. In Capterra’s 2018 Top 20 Most Popular Project Management Software list, it scored 75 out of 100, placing it at the top of the list.
But a high score doesn’t necessarily mean Microsoft Projects is the right choice for every user. Reviewers on Capterra mention that it can have a steep learning curve. You may want to look at simpler alternatives if getting started quickly is a priority.
Selection criteria
We’ve analyzed data on more than 600 project management tools on Capterra and used the below criteria to identify the Microsoft Project alternatives we’re featuring here.
- Core project management features: The product must offer the core project management features: task management, collaboration, and project tracking.
- At least 20 user reviews published on Capterra in the past two years: This helps ensure there are enough reviews to analyze the pros and cons.
- Likelihood to recommend: Theproduct should have a minimum average recommendation rating of 8 out of 10 on Capterra.
- Features and functionality rating: The product should have an average functionality rating of at least 4 out of 5 on Capterra.
5 Best Microsoft Project Alternatives for Project Management
1. Asana: Work management platform for teams of all sizes
Likelihood to recommend: 8.4/10 Features & functionality rating: 4.3/5 Reviews: 7,133+ |
Asana allows you to create multiple tasks and subtasks within different projects and monitor their progress. Users can comment on the tasks, share documents, assign tasks to team members, and track deadlines.
The tool’s dashboard provides an overview of different project statuses and lets you create project plans that can be viewed as flowcharts, timelines, and graphs. Asana offers integrations with more than 100 other tools, such as Dropbox, Zapier, and Microsoft Office 365.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Users praise the software’s open APIs, downloadable conversation history, and predefined project templates. | Reviewers mention that some features, such as dashboards, take time to master and require many input values. |
Users find the interface easy to navigate. | Some users mention getting overwhelmed by too many automated email notifications. |
How much does Asana cost? | |
Asana’s Basic version is free and accommodates up to 15 users. The Premium version is priced at $9.99 per user, per month, and the Business version costs $19.99 per user, per month. |
Product development roadmap in Asana (Source)
2. Basecamp: Project management tool with to-do lists to manage tasks
Likelihood to recommend: 8.0/10 Features & functionality rating: 4.2/5 Reviews: 10,033+ |
Basecamp offers features such as message boards, to-do lists, chat tools, and shared calendars. It allows you to embed files or images into your messages and track project conversations on a single page.
Basecamp also integrates with third-party apps such as G-Suite, iCal, and Outlook.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Users appreciate the ability to send notifications to multiple people with a single click. | Users mention that Basecamp’s price makes it unaffordable for most freelancers and small teams. |
Reviewers say that the software is easy-to-use and learn. | Some users feel that Basecamp should incorporate more visual options, such as Gantt charts. |
How much does Basecamp cost? | |
Basecamp has a single $99 per month plan that supports unlimited users and projects. Teachers and students get free Basecamp accounts while discounts are available for nonprofits. |
“Hill chart” feature in Basecamp helps track project progress (Source)
3. Monday.com: Team management software that helps improve collaboration
Likelihood to recommend: 8.7/10 Features & functionality rating: 4.4/5 Reviews: 1,789+ |
Formerly dapulse, monday.com is a tool that helps manage teams and tasks. It provides visual charts to track project statuses, sales pipelines, HR tasks, etc. Monday.com also offers predefined project dashboards and workflow templates. You can invite new members, tag them, and track all your project conversations.
The tool integrates with other systems such as MS Excel, Trello, Asana, and Basecamp, which facilitates importing project data onto it.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Reviewers like that the tool allows them to share select project plans with clients. | Users feel that the vendor could improve monday.com’s design and visualization capabilities. |
Users mention that the software is easy to set up and configure. | The pricing is not on a per user basis, but only for groups of two to five users, which many reviewers noted as inconvenient and expensive. |
How much does monday.com cost? | |
Monday.com has Basic, Standard, Pro, and Enterprise versions. The Basic version costs $15 per month, the Standard version $25 per month, and the Pro version $37 per month (all prices are for two users; interested buyers must contact vendor for the Enterprise plan cost). |
Task management in monday.com (Source)
4. Trello: Project management tool with Kanban-style boards
Likelihood to recommend: 8.5/10 Features & functionality rating: 4.3/5 Reviews: 12,100+ |
Trello is known for its Kanban-style message boards that let you organize and group tasks, add people, and manage project or task statuses. You can tag team members to assign them tasks or to draw their attention to specific comments on a project.
Trello captures each task as a card. You create cards directly on the app or convert email requests to cards using Trello’s email integration capabilities. Trello’s “Power-Up” feature helps it connect with a number of other applications including Slack, Todoist, and Evernote.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Users mention that the tool’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy-to-use. | According to some reviewers, Trello is slow to load when there are many boards. |
Users appreciate Trello’s integration with a wide range of other apps, such as calendars, maps, file storage tools, and videoconferencing apps. | Some users mention that adding advanced features, such as the ability to create recurring tasks, would improve the product’s value. |
How much does Trello cost? | |
Trello offers a free version as well as two paid versions—Business Class ($9.99 per user per month) and Enterprise ($20.83 per user per month). |
Kanban boards in Trello (Source)
5. Wrike: Online project management software with Gantt charts
Likelihood to recommend: 8.0/10 Features & functionality rating: 4.2/5 Reviews: 1,448+ |
Wrike allows you to set project goals, assign resources, and track project progress. It offers interactive Gantt charts to track and optimize project planning.
Wrike’s drag-and-drop interface lets you quickly reprioritize projects and manage resources. You can create customized templates for different workflows and build iteration processes to plan sprints and manage backlogs. Wrike also integrates with third-party tools such as Tableau, Box, and Salesforce.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Reviewers mention that the tool helps them better organize tasks and assign teams/users to different tasks. | Some users mention that the software takes a long time to set up and has a steep learning curve. |
Reviewers appreciate Wrike’s quick customer support. | Users want to see an expanded ability to customize project status terminologies, set deadlines, and search for different tasks. |
How much does Wrike cost? | |
Wrike’s Professional version costs $9.80 per user per month and the Business version costs $24.80 per user per month. Wrike also has a free version that supports up to five users. |
Gantt charts in Wrike (Source)
How to choose the right Microsoft Project alternative
How do you go about choosing the right project management software for your business? Here’re some tips:
- Shortlist products based on their features and pricing: Eliminate solutions that fall outside your budget range and don’t offer features that your business needs.
- Demo the products: Explore the free versions or check out free trials to get firsthand experience with how the software works and its limitations.
- Read Capterra reviews: Capterra lists software reviews written by real users. Read the reviews to understand what your peers have to say about using the software.
To expand your search scope beyond these five alternatives, visit our comprehensive project management software directory.
In the comments section below, let us and other readers know which project management tools you’re using (if any), what’s working well for you, and what’s not.
Top 10 Project Management Tools
For more, scroll through these articles on project management: |
Best It Project Management Software Mac Download
Looking for Project Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Project Management software solutions.