Project management tools are something that every team needs.
Whether you are a small team or a large organization, project management tools are essential to help you manage your projects and tasks.
In this article, we'll explore 10 such tools that are trending in 2025 and that can help you ease your project management hardships.
Let's get started!
1. Plane.so - The Simple and Intuitive Alternative
Project management tools are often complex and hard to use. The interface often makes it hard to understand what is happening. Plane takes a different approach - it's clean, fast, and stays out of your way.
It's built to be simple and intuitive, making it easy to use for everyone on the team.
I've been experimenting with it and it seems to be highly customizable with features like sprint cycles, modules, views and pages are available out of the box.
Privacy Concerns? You can run it on your own servers if you need to keep sensitive data in-house or use their cloud version if you want to get started quickly.
Plane can also adapt itself to whichever workflow you want to use. Whether your team uses Agile, Scrum, or their own hybrid approach, Plane adapts to your process instead of forcing you to change how you work.
Key Features:
✅ Track Everything the way you want: Create custom tasks, templates, and fields that match exactly how your team works
✅ Sprint Planning: Plan and track sprints with built-in cycles and get clear insights on team velocity and progress
✅ Docs Where You Need Them: Keep all project documentation right next to your tasks with Plane Pages
✅ Team Collaboration: Invite team members and external stakeholders to collaborate, with granular access controls to keep everything secure.
You get a lot more with Business and Enterprise licenses. Check-out all of Plane's features here.
Getting started with Plane is easy:
-
Cloud Version:
- Sign up at plane.so
- Create your workspace
- Invite your team
Self-hosted:
There are two main ways to self-host:
# Using Docker Compose (recommended)
git clone https://github.com/makeplane/plane
cd plane
docker-compose up
# For local development
./setup.sh
docker compose -f docker-compose-local.yml up -d
You can contribute to Plane on github and if you want to learn more about getting started with Plane check out their documentation.
Plane is #1 on Github globally with about 32k stars. It has an active community and is used by many teams across the world.
2. Jira - Enterprise-Grade Project Management
If you're looking for detailed project tracking and structured workflows and use Atlassian products, Jira can be a good choice.
Jira is a part of Atlassian and it can be used easily with other Atlassian tools like Confluence, Figma, and Bitbucket.
It can be easily integrated with Github Cloud to track branches, commits, and pull requests directly within Jira issues.
Teams can link their development activity to Jira issues, making it easy to track progress on your Jira board, in the releases feature, and more.
What I liked about Jira:
✅ Task Views: I can switch between lists, boards, and calendars to get the perfect view for each team. Engineers prefer boards while designers love timeline views - Jira adapts to everyone.
✅ Dependencies: Seeing how tasks connect and who's working on what helps me spot bottlenecks before they become problems. The visual timeline is a lifesaver for planning.
✅ Automation: Set up rules once, and Jira handles routine tasks automatically - from assigning work to sending notifications. No coding needed, just simple triggers and actions.
✅ Reporting: The built-in reports and dashboards help me show stakeholders exactly how we're progressing. Perfect for those executive updates and team retrospectives.
Jira excels in situations demanding intricate process automation and thorough progress tracking, despite its somewhat challenging learning curve. Its reporting features are very helpful for process improvement and stakeholder communications.
Jira also uses Atlassian's AI called Atlassian Intelligence to help you get more done in less time. It will automatically suggest tasks, give you insights on your projects, and help you with your workflow.
You can learn more about getting started with Jira in their documentation.
3. ClickUp - All-in-One Productivity
Have you ever been in a situation where you need to switch between different tools to get your work done?
You have your client meetings on Google Meet, layout on Google Docs, and your tasks somewhere else. Doesn't it get frustrating to switch between tools and constantly get distracted?
Clickup solves this problem by bringing multiple tools and their features together in one place.
Instead of jumping between different apps for each task, you can handle everything from one central hub. This makes work simpler and helps teams get more done with less hassle.
It also has a lot of customizations including boards, kanban, timelines, and lists. They have their own AI called ClickUp Brain which helps you power through your work.
What makes ClickUp stand out:
✅ All Your Work in One Place: You'll love how everything lives in a single hub - from task tracking to team chats. No more jumping between apps to get work done.
✅ AI-Powered Productivity: Let ClickUp's AI help you write docs faster, suggest task improvements, and automate your routine work. It's like having a smart assistant at your fingertips.
✅ Flexible Views for Every Need: Whether you prefer lists, boards, or timelines, you can switch views instantly to see your work exactly how you want it. Perfect for adapting to different project phases.
✅ Real-Time Collaboration: Chat with your team, edit documents together, and track progress - all without leaving the platform. You'll wonder how you ever worked without it.
You can manage tasks, create docs, track time, and run sprints while leveraging AI to automate routine work.
With features like customizable dashboards, resource management, and workload optimization, ClickUp helps teams reduce app switching and streamline their workflow in one centralized platform.
To learn more about ClickUp, you can check out their website.
4. Asana - Intuitive Task Management
Asana used to be a simple task manager but it has evolved into a sophisticated work management platform.
It is also recognized as a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Collaborative Work Management.
Asana provides a timeline view which helps you visualize your projects and tasks.
This timeline view can usually be found in Gantt charts but Asana has made it more interactive and easier to understand.
It also has a calendar view which helps you manage your todos and deadlines. The timeline view is considered more interactive than Gantt charts.
Asana also has about 300+ integrations with other tools like Slack, Github, and Google Drive. These integrations help save time and improve communication.
You can use real-time data to make strategic staffing decisions, rebalance work when deadlines are approaching, and ensure teams aren't overloaded, all while maintaining alignment with organizational goals.
To learn more about Asana, you can check out their website.
5. Trello - Simple Yet Powerful Kanban
Trello is based on the Kanban method which is a visual method for managing work. Kanban boards are essentially cards that you can move around to represent the progress of your work.
Trello also has a timeline view which helps you visualize your projects and tasks. It also has a calendar view which helps you manage your todos and deadlines. These easy-to-visualize interfaces make it super useful for small teams.
The Calendar view provides a comprehensive overview of tasks and deadlines across days, weeks, and months. You can easily visualize project timelines, balance workloads, and schedule tasks by arranging cards according to their due dates.
What you'll love about Trello:
✅ Visually appealing: You can drag and drop cards between lists to instantly update progress - it's so intuitive that your team will get it in minutes.
✅ Your Work, Your Way: Switch between board, timeline, and calendar views with a click. Perfect when you need a bird's-eye view of deadlines or want to dive into daily tasks.
✅ Automation: Trello can handle repetitive tasks like assigning cards or sending reminders. More time for actual work!
✅ Everything Connects: With 150+ Power-Ups at your fingertips, you can connect Trello to all your favorite tools. From Google Drive to Slack, everything just works together.
Trello also offers starter templates for your Kanban boards to get started with the work faster.
These templates range from Business, Marketing, and Product to Engineering. They have it all.
To learn more about Trello, you can check out their website.
6. Monday.com - Visual Project Management
Monday.com works like building blocks - teams can put together the pieces they need without writing code.
The platform connects with common tools like Slack and Microsoft Office, and includes AI features to help speed up work. You can use it through a web browser or mobile app, and all the data stays in sync.
The platform offers four main products:
- monday work management: Their flagship product for project and task management
- monday CRM: For sales pipeline and customer relationship management
- monday dev: Specifically designed for software development teams
- monday service: Their newest offering for streamlining ticketing and service operations
The work management product helps teams track projects and tasks. Teams can see their work on boards, timelines, and calendars.
It also allows you to create custom workflows that match how you work, set up automatic notifications, and track how long tasks take. The platform includes tools for managing team workloads and creating reports to show progress.
You can build the workflows they want with drag-and-drop building blocks and leverage AI-driven insights to work smarter and faster.
For data visualization, the dashboard features 50+ apps and widgets. It shows real-time insights through charts, timelines, and resource management views to help you track your work easily.
Whether you run a small business or a large company, Monday.com can adapt to how you work. Monday.com just works at every level. For leaders, managers, and teams, it's a powerful tool to help them get more done.
Teams can automate their routine tasks, see how projects are doing, and connect with the other tools they use daily. To get started with Monday.com, you can check out their website.
7. Microsoft Planner - Office 365 Integration
Microsoft Planner works straightforwardly in the management of tasks as it connects directly with some of the tools most teams use daily.
It's actually a tool, which is part of Microsoft 365, so tasks can be created while working within Teams, Outlook, or other Microsoft apps without needing to switch between different platforms.
The tool focuses on simplicity with three main views - My Day for daily priorities, My Tasks for personal work, and My Plans for team projects.
This makes it particularly useful for teams that need to organize work without getting lost in complex project management features.
What's different about Planner:
✅ Seamless Office Integration: Your tasks live right where you work - in Teams, Outlook, and other Microsoft apps.
✅ Visual Task Planning: Switch between board, list, and timeline views to see your work exactly how you need it.
✅ Real-Time File Collaboration: Share and edit files directly in tasks with automatic SharePoint sync. Everyone stays on the same page, literally.
✅ Smart Resource Management: Instantly see who's working on what and balance workloads with clear visual indicators.
You can access Planner through the web or in Teams directly. To get started follow the following steps:
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Direct Access:
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Via Microsoft 365:
- Go to your Microsoft 365 home page
- Select the app launcher at the top of the browser
- Choose the Planner tile
- If not visible, select "More apps" then "All apps" to find it
Learn more about getting started with Microsoft Planner here
8. Miro - Visual Collaboration & Planning
Miro is a digital whiteboard where teams can work together to plan and create. Think of it as a big canvas where you can draw out your ideas, make plans, and work with your team - all in one place.
Whether you want to map out how your customers interact with your product, plan your next sprint, or sketch out a new feature, you can do it all in Miro.
Your whole team can jump in to help, add ideas, or give feedback right away.
Miro supports wireframes, mockups, and prototypes, making it a great tool for product teams helping them turn product ideas into testable concepts instantly with the help of AI. Miro also offers a wide range of templates for different types of projects.
You'll never have to start from scratch again, the template library contains almost everything catered to your day-to-day workflows.
To learn more about Miro, you can check out their website.
9. Linear - Developer-Centric Project Management
Are you looking for a simple and fast project management tool?
Linear takes a different approach to project management by focusing on speed and simplicity.
Built specifically for software teams, it feels more like a development tool than a traditional project management platform, with keyboard shortcuts and quick commands that developers will find familiar.
The interface is clean and distraction-free, helping teams focus on what matters: building software.
What makes Linear different:
✅ Lightning-Fast Experience: You'll feel the difference immediately - everything happens instantly, no more waiting for pages to load. It's as fast as your thoughts.
✅ Built for Tech Teams: Your GitHub issues sync automatically, and you can create branches right from tasks. Finally, a tool that speaks developer!
✅ Keyboard-First Design: Power through your tasks with quick commands and shortcuts. Once you start using the command menu (⌘K), you'll never want to go back.
✅ Smart Sprint Planning: Adapt your cycles on the fly when priorities shift. No more rigid sprint structures - Linear flows with your team's natural rhythm.
Linear works well for teams that value speed and simplicity over complex features. While it might not have all the bells and whistles of larger platforms, it excels at helping software teams track and ship features efficiently.
You can learn more about Linear on their website.
10. Wrike - Where Work Flows
Wrike is an integration of project management and enterprise-grade features that makes it ideal for large organizations, where the flexibility to accommodate all aspects is needed but the security and simplicity are equally essential.
Think of Wrike as your team's command center. It's got all the bells and whistles you'd expect from an enterprise tool, plus rock-solid security and a support team that's got your back 24/7.
The best part? You can bend Wrike to fit your team's style, not the other way around. Each department can work their way while still staying connected - perfect for when marketing, dev, and design teams need to collaborate but track things differently.
What makes Wrike enterprise-ready:
✅ Workflows: Build exactly the processes your team needs - from simple task tracking to complex approval flows.
✅ Resource Management: Spot burnout before it happens with smart workload views. See who's overloaded and who has capacity at a glance.
✅ Security: Sleep easy knowing your data is protected with enterprise-grade security. With features like Wrike Lock, you're always in control.
✅ Automation: Wave goodbye to repetitive tasks. Set up smart automations once, and watch Wrike handle the routine stuff while you focus on what matters.
While Wrike can seem complex at first, its depth makes it a solid choice for organizations that need to manage work at scale. You can learn more about getting started with Wrike on their website.
Which one to choose?
The list can be overwhelming, and most of the tools might seem like they are the same. But actually, it all depends on your team's needs. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to find the right tool for your team:
- Team Size: The number of people in your team
- Budget: The cost of the tool
- Industry: The industry you are in
- Workflow: The workflow you want to use
Once you have considered these factors, you can then choose the tool that best suits your needs. This can mean that you need to try out a few tools to find the one that works best for your team.
Pricing Table
| Tool | Best For | Pricing (Starting) | Standout Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plane.so | Mid and enterprise teams | Free (Open Source) | Self-hosted option |
| Jira | Enterprise | $7.75/user/month | Advanced workflows |
| ClickUp | Mid-size teams | Free tier, $7/user/month | All-in-one solution |
| Asana | Creative teams | Free tier, $10.99/user/month | Timeline view |
| Trello | Small teams | Free tier, $5/user/month | Power-Ups ecosystem |
| Monday.com | Cross-functional teams | Free tier, $9/user/month [6] | Visual workflows |
| Microsoft Planner | Office 365 users | Included in M365 | Office integration |
| Miro | Design teams | Free tier, $8/user/month | Visual collaboration |
| Linear | Development teams | Free tier, $8/user/month | Developer-centric UX |
| Wrike | Business teams | Custom pricing | Advanced security |
Conclusion
With the rise of new open source competitors like Plane.so, the project management tool market is constantly changing. The size, workflow preferences, and unique demands of your team will determine the ideal option. This is why it is important to try out a few tools to find the one that works best for your team.
In this article, we have explored 10 of the most popular project management tools available today. Each tool has its own unique features and benefits, and the right choice for your team will depend on your specific needs and workflow.
Top comments (12)
Great list of project management tools! 🚀 For those looking to master these tools and enhance their project management skills, check out Certifyera's Project Management Courses. They offer expert-led training, including PMP certification, to help you excel in your career! 🎯📈
Great List. I'll give Plane a Try!
Thanks, Let me know how that goes!
Sure!
I'll Try Plane. Liked it's UI
Yes, They have a great UI!
Awesome list!
Glad you liked it!
Amazing List
Thanks for checking out!
Great list
Glad you liked it!