Basecamp is a real-time communication platform that adds to-do lists, calendars and file sharing. It’s not a full-service project management software, however; though it’s a nice tool to help teams collaborate and track due dates. If you’re looking to retain the key collaboration and organization features that Basecamp offers, but need something more, then check out our list of Basecamp alternatives. But first, let’s look a bit closer at Basecamp.

How Basecamp Works

Let’s briefly review Basecamp’s project management features so you can better weigh the proper alternative for your team.

• Task Management: Basecamp offers to-do task lists and a basic project schedule feature that allows project managers to assign tasks, manage recurring tasks and set due dates.
• Team Collaboration: Message boards, group chats and file sharing features designed for remote teams.

Basecamp is a competent team collaboration tool that helps project managers and team members communicate, but it lacks many important project management features such as Gantt charts, project dashboards or kanban boards, which makes many project managers look for Basecamp alternatives.

Reasons to Seek a Basecamp Alternative

On the positive side, Basecamp has a simple user-friendly interface that makes file sharing, tracking document progress and task management easy for most users, regardless of their familiarity with the software. It’s web-based and has a mobile app, which is also helpful for remote teams.

However, the more features you pile on Basecamp, the more complex it gets, which is a downside when trying to manage tasks and collaborate. Then there are the key project management features that any project needs that are missing from Basecamp can get in the way of effective workflow.

If you’re struggling to make Basecamp work in your organization, there’s still hope, as there are a number of less confusing and more powerful Basecamp alternatives out there. Here are the best Basecamp alternatives of 2023, which we think are worth investigating. Who knows, you may find a perfect fit for your next project.

2023 Best Basecamp Alternative Software Rankings

1. ProjectManager

ProjectManager is online project management software that facilitates team communication, collaboration and much more. It’s a user-friendly platform where teams can collaborate and work together more productively. Its project management tools allow teams to work more independently, whether they want to use task lists, boards, timelines or a simple calendar view.

Teams can collaborate whether they’re in the same office or working in different countries. Comments can be made at the task level, along with documents and images, which keeps everything organized. More than that, if team members need to pull in the project manager or another team member, they can @ the person, and they’ll be notified via an email alert.

But that’s not all. ProjectManager has a powerful set of project management tools and key features that make it more than a team collaboration software like Basecamp.

A Basecamp Alternative That Lets You Work How You Want

Like Basecamp, ProjectManager allows you to create projects that are made up of tasks. But unlike Basecamp, that’s only a fraction of its features. ProjectManager has multiple views of those projects, including kanban boards, task lists and calendars, so teams can work how they like. There are Gantt charts for managers that lay tasks out over a timeline, with bar charts showing duration, and milestones noting project phases.

The kanban board is a helpful task management tool that keeps teams focused on the task at hand, promotes collaboration and helps project managers with workload management. It’s a visual tool that shows the workflow in columns of to-do, doing and done, which helps teams avoid costly bottlenecks that slow down their progress.

Schedule and Manage Tasks with Calendars and Lists

There’s also a calendar view, like Basecamp, but it’s more than a placeholder for due dates. Tasks can be viewed in a calendar for those who prefer that, but there’s also more flexibility to filter and even add new tasks. Easily assign tasks to your team members, drag and drop tasks to update deadlines, or expand the details to get more workload management information.

ProjectManager also has a task list view with basic features such as file sharing and a message board like Basecamp’s to-dos, but ProjectManager offers more functionality. Teams can personalize their task list, which is then reflected across all project views and task management features like Gantt charts and kanban boards. There’s also a filtering function to search by the due date, owner, project and much more.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg with this software. It has additional key features that make it the best Basecamp alternative for project management like time tracking, resource management, schedule management, reporting and more. If you’re ready to upgrade your project management software experience with this Basecamp alternative, Click here for a 30-day free trial.

Pricing

• Team plan: $13.00 user/month
• Business plan: $24.00 user/month

Q&A

• Does ProjectManager offer a free trial? Yes, ProjectManager has a 30-day free trial
• Does ProjectManager have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

2. ClickUp

ClickUp is a project management app that offers an array of features beyond just simple task management and collaboration. For one, it has multiple ways to view a project: task list, kanban board, Gantt chart, calendar and box. The task list is a high-level view of your team’s work, which can be grouped, sorted and filtered. The kanban board is a drag-and-drop workflow tool that appeals to teams working in an agile project management framework. Box view shows who is working on what and whether their tasks are allocated correctly.

While the company uses the tagline “One app to replace them all,” there’s a bit of hyperbole to that statement. For one thing, reporting is limited, which is a significant shortcoming. Additionally, ClickUp doesn’t have the greatest user interface. While as a Basecamp alternative there are certainly more features, but they’re not well-organized and it’s easy to get lost in the software. The free version is a good place to start, but it doesn’t provide any of the tools that project managers and teams need. Even if you decide to invest, the task management features prove too much for small projects and underperforming for larger projects. That being said, it’s a good Basecamp alternative for expanding your project management capabilities without getting too sophisticated.

Pricing

• Unlimited: $5 user/month
• Business: $9 user/month
• Business Pro: $19 user/month

Q&A

• Does Clickup offer a free trial? No, ClickUp doesn’t have a free trial
• Does Clickup offer a free version? Yes, ClickUp offers a free plan
• Does ClickUp have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

3. nTask

nTask is a tool that manages tasks and files, and it helps with scheduling meetings and making checklists for project teams. It has collaborative tools, task management and time tracking. Already you can see how it widens the lens on your project as a Basecamp alternative.

It’s nice that nTask offers third-party integrations with other tools like Slack, though it would be more helpful if it folded a team communication feature into its own software. That said, most of the features are free, so it’s hard to complain too much about a product that helps you manage your tasks as a free Basecamp alternative.

There are no templates, which are a valuable tool to get a head start on projects. Adding documents and photos is available, but it’s not ideal as you can’t see the visuals in the project window. There are few customization or formatting options. But if you’re looking for inexpensive software with task management features, give this Basecamp alternative a look.

Pricing

• Premium: $3 user/month
• Business: $8 user/month

Q&A

• Does nTask offer a free trial? Yes, nTask offers a 14-day free trial
• Does nTask have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

4. ProofHub

ProofHub is a project and team collaboration software, which helps teams plan, organize and deliver their projects. Like other Basecamp alternatives, it has kanban boards for self-directed teams and custom workflows, with task progress notifications. There are also Gantt charts and task lists to assign to one or multiple team members.

In terms of communications, teams can create discussion topics to collect team and client conversations in one place. They have an @ function to call out other people in the project and loop them into the discussion. Notifications are great, but because users can choose which ones they receive it can create a bit of notification pollution. Give ProofHub a chance if you’re looking for Basecamp alternatives that allow you to expand your feature set, and you don’t need advanced project management features.

Pricing

• Essential: $45 per month, flat pricing.
• Ultimate Control: $89 per month, flat pricing.

Q&A

• Does ProofHub offer a free trial? Yes, ProofHub offers a 14-day free trial
• Does ProofHub have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

5. Slack

Slack has become the team communication platform embraced by businesses for its ability to reduce the clutter of email and foster better communications among team members. It’s one of the Basecamp alternatives that definitely has a “cool” factor going for it, though, honestly, that vibe is hard to hold onto. There’s always another cool brand coming around the corner.

You can customize the program collaboration tools, which is great for startups and smaller teams. It’s easy to use and set up, add team members and create channels for specific departments, all of which makes for a smooth communication platform. It’s also fun, creating bots, posting emojis and GIFs, but those bells and whistles hide what is essentially a one-trick pony.

Slack is a great productivity tool, but it can’t be considered one of the best project management software. There’s no file preview to see something before downloading it, you can download conversations to archive them, but mostly it just has no project management features outside of communications.

Therefore, if you’re looking for Basecamp alternatives for task management, resource management, or anything to monitor and track progress or report back to stakeholders, you’re going to have to saddle this software with a bunch of other apps. Nobody wants to use makeshift project management software.

Pricing

• Pro: $6.67 user/month
• Business: $12.50 user/month

Q&A

• Does Slack offer a free trial? No, Slack doesn’t have a free trial
• Does Slack have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

6. Wrike

Wrike is one of the more popular Basecamp alternatives. It’s a digital work management app that helps teams to track projects, and it has a fairly simple user experience. The foundation of this tool is based on folders, projects and tasks. Tasks can be assigned to one or many team members, with files attached and a detailed description added. Teams can collaborate by commenting and even adding emojis, which gives the software a nice personal touch.

Simple as it might appear, this Basecamp alternative can be overwhelming for new users. It’s not very easy to use and getting up to speed with the software is going to take a long time. If you have no project management experience then expect frustration. That includes onboarding. It’s crucial to get new team members in the software and ready to work, but the process is difficult and time-consuming. While you can track progress, you can’t filter data to help you zero in on what you want to see. Add to that the slow loading speed, and it’s hard to understand the tool’s popularity.

Pricing

• Professional plan: $9.80 user/month
• Business plan: $24.80 user/month

Q&A

• Does Wrike offer a free trial? Yes, Wrike has a 14-day free trial
• Does Wrike have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

7. Asana

Asana is another popular Basecamp alternative that is a work management tool with dashboards that allow for communication across the project team and even the entire company. One of the benefits of Asana is that it’s customizable, which gives users more freedom. It might not have all the features you want but does have integration with third-party apps such as Google Drive and Outlook, which helps.

One of the biggest faults with this Basecamp alternative is the last time-tracking feature. It puts a big hole in the middle of an otherwise attractive task management system. In fact, it might be a deal-breaker considering the importance of tracking in keeping to your project schedule and delivering the project on time. Like many of the Basecamp alternatives on this list, you need experience using the tool to get the most out of it, which might alienate those new to project management. Another big problem with Asana is that you can only assign one team member to a task at a time. For many projects, this is critical.

Pricing

• Premium plan: $10.99 user/month
• Business plan: $24.99 user/month

Q&A

• Does Asana offer a free trial? Yes, Asana has a 30-day free trial
• Does Asana have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

8. Trello

Trello is a simple collaborative tool that helps users to organize their projects and everything related to that work. It’s unique in our list of Basecamp alternatives in that it puts all its project eggs in one basket: kanban boards. It’s understandable. Kanban boards are visual tools that are easy to use. They offer transparency into what’s being worked on, who’s working on it and the progress of that work.

That uniqueness, however, can make some look for a Basecamp alternative. Without Gantt charts and other views, you’re forcing users to work how you want, not how they want. Unless you’re a kanban enthusiast, you’ll likely go to look elsewhere. Because of its focus, you’ll find it ideal for smaller projects that aren’t complex. The moment you move into more specialized projects, you’re going to hit the wall of Trello’s limitations. That and the fact that you can’t see task dependencies is a sure way to experience delays when executing your project.

Pricing

• Standard: $5 user/month
• Premium: $10 user/month
• Enterprise: $17.50 user/month

Q&A

• Does Trello offer a free trial? Yes, Trello has a 14-day free trial
• Does Trello have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS

9. Mavenlink

Mavenlink is project management software that is especially helpful for the service industry. It manages projects, financials and helps teams to collaborate while giving managers resource management tools to control progress and performance. It has Gantt charts, which are a fundamental project management team and most wouldn’t even consider a Basecamp alternative that didn’t have this project workhorse.

Gantt charts alone, however, don’t make great project management software. Users have complained of having to figure out the software by themselves. Most of the other Basecamp alternatives on this list have superior customer service and training available. There are integrations to fill the gaps in the software, but again there has been criticism about how poorly they’re built. Add to that a bad user experience that is difficult to use and it’s going to intimidate new users and professionals alike.

Pricing

• Enter your company info to see custom pricing

Q&A

• Does Mavenlink offer a free trial? No, they don’t offer a free trial
• Does Mavenlink have a mobile project management app? No, they don’t offer a mobile project planning app

ProjectManager is an online project management alternative to Basecamp. It has the communication platform you need, with unlimited file storage and comments tagged to tasks to keep conversations easy to follow. But it adds to this great communication feature with tools that help project managers plan, monitor and report on projects while giving teams the collaborative environment they want to work more productively. See what ProjectManager can do for you by taking this 30-day free trial and find out why it is the best Basecamp alternative for project management