With so many project management apps available for install, it can be overwhelming to choose the best one for your team. From Asana to Zoho Projects, they all offer similar features with a few showcased solutions that could be the deciding factor.
The delicate balance between needs of the team and ease of use is also important to consider. The best project management tools have it all, and integrating them into the daily mix will increase efficiency, productivity, and profits.
A few foundational features to look for in any project management app are:
- User-friendly interface
- Easily accessible
- Ability to create and assign project tasks
- Files can be imported or exported
- Calendar views
- In-app team messaging platform
- Third-party tool compatibility
So what are the best project management apps? To help you find the right app for your team, here are a few of our favorites.
Asana
Asana is not the most user-friendly project management app, but it serves up a variety of powerful features. You can create project tasks and subtasks, brainstorm as a team in one space, and track the status of projects.
There is also an efficient way for project teams to communicate in-app. You can attach conversations to tasks and subtasks, as well as keep comments and feedback specific to certain team members.
Key project management features Asana offers:
- Multiple Workspaces
- Task and Project Creation
- Due Date Tracking
- Task Commenting
- Reminders and Notifications
There is a freemium version of Asana, allowing unlimited teams of up to 15 people to work together on the app. If your team is larger, you will have to go from freemium to premium starting at $50 a month. Asana is a top choice for freelancers, but it’s difficult to work with projects that are recurring which would be a feature more useful for businesses.
Basecamp
Projects created using Basecamp let you and your team discuss tasks via message boards, share files and task notes, develop to-do lists for each task, team member, and project, set deadlines and goals, and more.
Features of Basecamp include:
- File and Document Sharing
- Agenda View
- Task Tracking
- Group Discussions
- Productivity Reporting
- Chat Functionality
There are multiple project displays for calendars, project communication, tasks to be completed, progress, and a personal activity log that can be tailored to each team member. Basecamp offers a 60-day free trial, but pricing starts at $20 per month after. The downside of Basecamp is that it is limited in terms of customization and most of the work happens outside of the app, meaning it’s less useful for productivity.
Trello
Trello is probably the most visual aesthetic project management app offering a very user-friendly dashboard. Like old cork boards, you and your team can create boards for projects and assign cards to each task, dragging and dropping as needed.
Trello serves up project management features like:
- Lists and Boards
- Prioritizing
- Collaborative Workspace
- Task Management
The cards allow team members to attach files, videos, images, URLs, checklists, labels, and more. Each card can also be color coded, keeping task conversations in one place and easy to find.
Trello is free, and also very cost effective if you want to upgrade to Business Class, starting at $5 per user per month. It’s a project management app with one of the best options for free use, but lacks in integrations compared to other tools.
Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is a plus for native integration and has a user-friendly interface for efficient team collaboration. You can divide project tasks into subtasks and arrange them as needed based on a hierarchy of importance, from “none” to “high” priority.
Each task on Zoho Projects can also be assigned to multiple team members, allowing them to discuss, share files, set goals, develop to-do lists, and track project and task progress. This makes it easy to get a clear picture of projects in a quick and easy way.
Key project management features include:
- Email Collaboration
- Google Apps Integration
- Project Tracking
- Analytics
- CRM
- Invoicing
- Task Management
Zoho Projects is compatible with a number of third-party services, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, GitHub, Slack, Zendesk, and more. Using this project management app also gives you insight into the entire Zoho app infrastructure, from CRM to content development workflow.
Zoho is free for one project, and pricing starts at $25 per month for up to 20 projects. Compared to other project management apps, Zoho Projects are harder to learn but that’s because they pack more features.
Podio
Podio is a fairly user-friendly project management app that serves up flexible team management. This app puts team tools, documents, and emails all in one place and making collaboration highly efficient. There is even a social media collaboration feature to keep team members motivated and productive.
Key features Podio offers include:
- Calendar Management
- File Sharing
- Task Management
- CRM and Sales Tracking
- Content Sharing
- Reporting
- Chat Functionality
- Customization
Communication is important when it comes to productivity, and Podio allows you and your team to utilize in-app file sharing, calendars, instant messaging, video chat. One of Podio’s strongest features is the ability to create custom workspaces.
Your team can integrate Podio with Dropbox and Google Drive, and customize the platform to meet your team’s unique workflow. Podio pricing starts at $9 per month per user with their Basic membership, and can cost up to $24 a month with Premium. Consumers like Podio for its clean design, but sometimes struggle with how it threads conversations around projects. If there’s a lot of back and forth in chat, it may be better to go with another app.
Gryffin
Gryffin is a project management tool that increases productivity and makes project management scalable. It is user-friendly and makes onboarding new team members (and even clients) simple with a clear organization of users and permissions.
Project managers can create projects that are customizable to your workflow. The dashboard has an easy-to-use interface with notifications, deadlines, messages, and more.
Key features include:
- Customizable Projects
- Task Management and Automation
- Team Chat
- Cloud Storage
- Email Integration
- Calendar Views
- File Sharing
- Invoicing
This app makes communicating with team members easy across projects and in conversations.
Your team can even invoice in-app as well, streamlining the payment process. The Gryffin app offers automated solutions for teams both large and small, and versatile enough to accomplish any project.
Gryffin’s crown jewel though is undoubtedly its ability to easily customize the tool to your needs. However you most effectively organize projects, Gryffin allows you the freedom to use unlimited custom templates for any project from beginning to end.
Which Project Management App is Best for Your Team?
There is no shortage of project management apps to choose from, and many have similar features. What is important is finding a team management app that works best for your workflow needs. The more efficient your team is, the more productive, and the happier your clients will be. From real-time project tracking to chat functionality, what does your team need to be successful?