The best project management apps

Project management used to consist mainly of blackboards, sticky notes, project folders, and a load of office clutter. The internet has made significant changes to many aspects of work life, and project management is no exception. These days, you can choose from a number of programs that simplify project work and workplace communication, making everything tidier and easier. Most SaaS/PaaS-based internet platforms can be accessed and used from almost any device, which makes it much easier to work together in the office or from a distance.

Many project management apps combine features from social networks with planning tools and project threads to cover the biggest number of tasks possible. The planning, communication, personal chats, calendars, appoints, messages, surveys, emails, etc, often all take place entirely on the one platform. Most apps are suitable for large operations as well as smaller teams or even self-employed individuals who want to organize themselves better, as project planners, for example. While some providers prefer to keep their platforms tidy, other developers would rather find innovative solutions for day-to-day work.

Because project management apps come in so many diverse forms, it’s often difficult to find the appropriate platform for you and your team. There are also variations in price: most offer a free version but these are usually limited to a certain period of time or have restricted functionality. So generally speaking, if you want to set up a project management platform for your workplace, you should be ready to pay for it. Here, we’ll present five of the best apps for project planning.

The large selection of apps for Slack is partly responsible for the platform’s popularity. Adding other project management apps like Asana and Trello (which we’ll also talk about later) is helpful if you want to communicate with your colleagues via Slack but would rather run the actual project management on another platform.

For teams that primarily just need a chat platform, Slack is also an excellent choice. In terms of range and functionality for workgroups and project teams, the apps that will be presented here later may be more suitable. Communication on the other tools, however, doesn’t run as smoothly and elegantly as it does on Slack. Even the free version can be great for larger teams as well (up to 10 apps and backups of up to 10,000 messages), while other apps sometimes require payment for providing larger functionality or even being useful at all. So if you’re looking for a free communication platform for your team, you’re in good hands with Slack.

Thanks to mobile apps (Android and iOS), you can also access Slack from out of the office, even if it’s a bit more cluttered and loses some functionality as a result of the smaller format. It works the same as other project management platforms: mobile apps are meant to be used for support when out of the office and not relied on as primary software. Most project management apps are clearly optimized for web browsers on a PC.

There are different packages available for the software: the “Standard” version of Slack is available for around 6 dollars per user/per month. In addition to unlimited apps, you also get the video conference function, among others. The “Plus” version costs about twice as much, offers higher compliance, better data protection, and guaranteed service. Slack Enterprise Grid is aimed at large customers and makes Slack into a powerful workspace platform. Here, the price has to be negotiated directly with Slack.

The philosophy of Asana is communal, open work. By default, all team members can edit all information and content in the projects and tasks. Of course, clear rules should be set for doing so, as user freedom can always lead to errors such as data loss due to poor communication. The tool is ideal for less hierarchical teams that work openly with one another. Traditional work circles with clearly defined power structures are poorly served by Asana.

In addition to its main web-based tool, Asana also offers apps for Android and iOS, though they’re relatively rudimentary. With the mobile app, you can create and edit tasks, receive new personal messages, attach files, and gain access to your personal inbox. Without a doubt, though, Asana is optimized for browsers on the computer. Here, more experienced users of the tool can navigate with multiple keyboard shortcuts to work even more efficiently with Asana.

The integration of external tools is also commendable. Various different micro-tools can be quickly and easily activated by Asana, including popular cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox, developer tools like GitHub, CMS like WordPress, and many others.

In regard to data protection, Asana is considered secure. Regular server backups are intended to prevent data loss, and server hardware should be of the highest level. Additional firewalls also improve user security. The same goes for Asana and for most SaaS/PaaS apps: with your credentials, unauthorized people can easily gain access from anywhere. The user remains the main person responsible for their own data security and that of the company.

The free version of Asana can only accommodate up to 15 team members and offers all of the basic functions. For around 6-10 dollars per user each month, this limit can be eliminated and lots of features such as dashboards and the search function have their functions significantly increased. There’s one more version for large customers as well that comes with personal support and more data control. The price for this version must be negotiated directly with Asana.    

Unfortunately, you can only activate a single power-up in the free version of Trello. This dramatically limits the web tool’s range of functions. To be free of this limit, an upgrade to “Trello Business Class” for around 10 dollars per user and month is necessary. This version also boasts increased security for your data and an improved overview if you’re a member of multiple boards.

From the team page, you gain access to all important functions and a personalized, scrollable daily feed that summarizes the most important news and daily tasks for the team. The functions include chat rooms, designed for fast communication, forums for sharing more extensive content, to-do lists and a calendar for structured work, a media center, and automatic check-ins. Project pages are practically identical to team pages.

Via the above navigation list, you can send short messages to members (“Pings”). Like with social networks, you also have a notifications button (“Hey!”) that can be set up individually, for example, if you want to deactivate notifications during your free time. “Activity” clearly summarizes all past activities in Basecamp within a timeline. This is the best way to see what happened during your absence.

Basecamp can only be tested for one month for free. It costs around 100 dollars per months or 1000 dollars per year (for an entire team). This model is very simple: you simply activate Basecamp and can create as many projects and teams as you want. You can also incorporate any number of members into your Basecamp.

Comprehensive chat functions and quick communication between individual people is sorely missing from Wrike. In its current form, the app is well suited for project management, but an improvement in the communication structure would help round out the program as a whole.

There are mobile apps available for Wrike (Android and iOS) that cover all of the important functions but are more difficult to handle than the main web tool. The same goes here as for the others: mobile apps should only be used as a supplement, not primarily.

Wrike is only available for a 14-day free trial. It’s doubtful that this is enough time to fully test out the tool. The price of Wrike depends on team size: a team of up to 15 employees can use the app for around 350 dollars per month; a team with 15 to 50 employees, however, has to buy the more expensive business version. The cost for an operation with 30 people runs around 740 dollars per month. Companies with 50 employees or more need the complete enterprise version, whose costs must be negotiated directly with Wrike.

In comparison with its competition, Wrike is an expensive platform for small teams as well as medium-sized operations. Smaller teams with up to 10 people can find cheaper apps with the competition that are also less complex. After all, many of Wrike’s features, such as analysis tools and workflow management, only really become important with companies of a certain size.