Task management is essential to project management, teamwork and simply getting work done. Productivity is lost if a team loses control of their tasks and deadlines. Teams use task management software to execute tasks on time, within budget and with the right resources. But there are a lot of task management software solutions to choose from, and it can be hard to know which is best.
We took the time to look over many task management tools, but before we rank them, let’s make sure we understand the basic task management features that these software alternatives offer.
What Is Task Management Software? Understanding the Different Types
Task management software is a tool that helps you manage tasks by scheduling due dates, identifying dependencies, allocating resources, setting milestones and making the right decision to keep the project on track. Of course, task management can be achieved with a spreadsheet, to-do list or online project management software. So, what’s the best task management software?
That depends on what you need. Smaller projects that are simple might need nothing more than a to-do list while a spreadsheet can respond to greater complexity. But most projects require a tool that can monitor progress, manage resources and keep teams connected to work more effectively.
An online project management application can add efficiencies and reduce waste by connecting planning, scheduling, resource management and collaboration all under one roof. Given this information, let’s rank the best task management software of 2023.
2023 Best Task Management Software Rankings
1. ProjectManager
ProjectManager is award-winning software that organizes tasks, teams, resources and projects in an easy-to-use online platform. Its features enable users to assign, manage and track tasks, so projects are completed on time and under budget. Unlike other task management software, ProjectManager is a complete package with all the tools you need to manage your tasks and projects.
Manage Tasks How You Want
There isn’t just one way to manage tasks, and ProjectManager understands this. They offer multiple project views so teams can see tasks on a task list, a calendar or a kanban board.
Of course, there’s also the award-winning Gantt chart. The Gantt chart has a project timeline and a sheet view with the grid that’s ideal for managers who need to do robust project planning, schedule work and establish dependencies. ProjectManager’s dynamic Gantt chart was a big reason it made the top of the list. Regardless of how you view your tasks, it’s easy to add due dates, priority levels, attachments, notes and tags to help sort through your work.
Collaboration Tools That Really Work
Tasks aren’t executed in a vacuum, and ProjectManager keeps teams connected. Because of its online platform, tasks can be updated anywhere and at any time, as well as shared with anyone.
In terms of collaboration, users can attach notes, files and links when discussing tasks. These comments can be easily tracked and will never fall through the cracks. Tag anyone in the tool to bring them into the conversation, and team members never lose track of deadlines thanks to email alerts and in-app notifications.
Resource Management to Eliminate Bottlenecks
Managers want the ability to monitor and adjust their team’s workload, holidays, PTO and work schedule. ProjectManager allows them to do so with its resource management features. Establish your team’s availability to make assignments simple. You can also see exactly what tasks the team is working on during the week or for a specific day with the team feature.
A color-coded workload chart shows you who has too much work and who has too few assignments. Balance the workload directly from the workload page and keep everyone working to capacity without eroding morale.
If you have a meeting that happens at the same time each week or other tasks that are repeated throughout the project, you can set up recurring tasks. This reduces the busy work that your team has to do and allows them to focus on more important work. Recurring tasks also act as a reminder to make sure the work isn’t neglected.
ProjectManager covers all bases when managing tasks and is always adding more project management tools to monitor, report and keep stakeholders updated. Start managing your tasks more effectively, sign up for a free 30-day trial today.
Pricing
- Team plan: $13 user/month
- Business plan: $24 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. Monday
Monday is a task management software that helps teams work together on planning and execution to deliver projects more effectively. Many of the mundane tasks that take up valuable time can be automated, so teams are free to work on pressing tasks.
The software integrates with existing tools and has a clean, colorful interface. It has customization and templates that save time in setting up new projects. It’s good for teams that are working together on tasks that don’t require a lot of details.
Notifications aren’t great, though, and can be hard to manage. Monday also doesn’t have a repeating task function. File sharing and downloading can be problematic, too, which might have you seeking third-party software to share files. Tracking isn’t ideal as they don’t offer in-depth reporting features.
The scheduling feature is more suitable for smaller projects, not ones with more complex scheduling. It doesn’t integrate with online services, such as Dropbox, for file management, and it doesn’t have strong resource management tools. But teams love Monday when working solely on managing their tasks, which is a great help.
Pricing
- Basic: $8 user/month
- Standard: $10 user/month
- Pro: $16 user/month
Q&A
- Does Monday offer a free trial? Yes, Monday has a 14-day free trial
- Does Monday have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS
3. Asana
Asana is a task management software that helps teams plan and manage projects with task lists and timelines. It keeps track of teams while providing them with the tools to better manage and execute tasks.
Besides tracking tasks, it allows managers to delegate subtasks to teammates, set deadlines and prioritize work. All of your tasks are in one place, so work isn’t lost in the shuffle. There are different task views, such as lists, boards, calendars and timelines.
Since Asana focuses mostly on task lists and task management, projects can get complicated and unruly in the software. Tasks can only be assigned to one person, which is a problem when you need to collaborate on complex tasks. But that’s not going to impact every team; for teams where this isn’t an issue, Asana can be a good task management solution.
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
4. Teamwork
Teamwork is another task management software that’s built to help teams do more. That includes collaboration, visibility, accountability and results, according to its site.
Its essential feature is its high-level, multi-project visibility that centralizes project information so users can keep track of everything in one place. Its user-friendly interface has built-in analytic tools, and its collaborative features allow teams to send messages, share notes, set tasks priorities and create milestones and invoices. With Teamwork, workflows can be customized and individual permissions can be set with privacy settings.
While the software is jammed with features, they’re not always the best quality and may require some editing to focus on what works best. This adds to the overwhelming quality of working in the software, which can be both confusing and tedious.
One of the shortcomings is that you can’t import tasks into Teamwork. You have to enter them manually, which is a deal-breaker for those who use Excel and Microsoft Project. That takes away valuable time that could be better served elsewhere.
Pricing
- Deliver plan: $10 user/month
- Grow plan: $18 user/month
Q&A
- Does Teamwork offer a free trial? Yes, Teamwork has a 30-day free trial
- Does Teamwork have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS
5. ClickUp
ClickUp is a task management software that offers chat, dashboards and automation, allowing you to streamline workflows and eliminate busywork. As a task management tool, it helps you organize, track changes and manage teams. Naturally, it’s collaborative and has reporting tools to share information securely, which is why it’s on our best task management software list.
All of those features might seem like a selling point, however, they can be overwhelming. Setting up the software can be tedious and complicated. Even after setup, the learning curve is so steep that you might never get over the hump. Another benefit that ends up a deficit is customization. Sure, you want to customize, but too many customizations and the software will lag. If you like ClickUp however, check out some ClickUp alternatives.
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 have a mobile project planning app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS
6. Trello
Trello makes our best task management software ranking due to its collaborative features and its focus on boards. Kanban is often one of many project views offered in task management software, and it’s one of the best for task management. We like the tool’s all-in approach and its singular focus on this feature.
However, this focus on one feature can be a problem. Having only kanban boards is great if you want to use them. But if you have more traditional Gantt chart users on your team, they’re going to be shut out. There’s something resembling a Gantt chart, but you’ll have to upgrade to use it. Also, if you’re managing a larger project, you’ll likely find the software to be cumbersome. If that’s the case, there are Trello alternatives that offer kanban boards with superior project management features.
Pricing
- Free plan: $0 user/month
- Standard plan: $5 user/month
- Premium plan: $10 user/month
- Enterprise plan: $17.50 user/month (minimum of 25 users)
Q&A
- Does it offer a free trial? Yes, Trello has a 14-day free trial
- Does it offer a mobile app? Yes, Trello has a mobile app
7. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a task management software that will feel familiar to those who have spent too much time managing projects on spreadsheets such as Excel. It’s one of the best task management software as it gives spreadsheets a new life. Due to the fact that you’re likely already well-versed in spreadsheets, it’ll be easy to pick up this new tool. Plus, it’s easier to share files and offers other collaborative features.
That said, the software has no time tracking. Almost any of the best task management software products on this list can help you collaborate but only the top-tier options have tracking features to keep you on schedule. While third-party solutions are available, what’s the point of adding other apps when there are Smartsheet alternatives that do it all in one robust package?
Pricing
- Pro plan: $7 user/month
- Business plan: $25 user/month
Q&A
- Does Smartsheet offer a free trial? Yes, Smartsheet has a 30-day free trial
- Does Smartsheet have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS
8. Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is another of the best task management software tools on the market. It does more than just tasks, of course, such as project planning, communication and knowledge sharing, all for a reasonable price. There is time tracking and project tracking that keeps tabs on the team’s task progress. You can even track their hours, which can be very helpful when billing clients.
Where the tool falls to the bottom of our best task management software list is in terms of search, which could be greatly improved. You can only search for tasks within a project. There’s no global search, which many users would like. That and the fact that the learning curve for this software is steep will have many looking elsewhere for task management software. It doesn’t help that some of the necessary features are hidden in other paid tools.
Pricing
- Premium: $5 user/month
- Enterprise: $10 user/month
Q&A
- Does Zoho Projects offer a free trial? Yes, Zoho Projects has a 10-day free trial
- Does Zoho Projects have a mobile project planning app? Yes, Zoho Projects offers a mobile app
9. Wimi
Wimi bills itself as a simple and efficient teamwork solution. It’s set up for collaboration and uses kanban boards to manage tasks. It also has a Gantt chart timeline for lean visual management and task dependencies.
Discussion channels, direct messages and real-time interactions foster collaboration. There’s file sharing, too, and task management features give users the control to create categories, comment on tasks and receive updates. It tracks task statuses, has reminders of coming deadlines and offers task history.
There are Post-It-like notes to assist with task management, but this often makes things more confusing and complicated. Users have complained that the features could use refinings, such as chat, notification manager and meeting manager. But the simplicity won us over in the end. Wimi is useful for task management, but it’s not the best project management software for planning or tracking.
Pricing
- Pro: 6€ per user/month
- Business: 9€ user/month
Q&A
- Does Wimi offer a free trial? Yes, Wimi has a 30-day free trial
- Does Wimi have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS
10. Redbooth
Redbooth is software that helps teams manage tasks and communications. It’s a simple tool to organize tasks and files. The software allows users to arrange tasks in board, list and timeline views.
You can track productivity with dashboards and reports. The software is easy to use and gives teams the tools they need to monitor and update project tasks. It also has a workload chart to view progress on all tasks.
But as a task management software goes, there are no advanced features, such as linking task dependencies or creating recurring tasks. It also doesn’t allow for customizations, so if you require the flexibility to create a workspace that’s attractive to you, then Redbooth might not be what you want in task management software. If you’re looking for a software solution that gives you control over tasks and helps with team communications, this is suitable.
Pricing
- Pro: $9 user/month
- Business: $15 user/month
Q&A
- Does Redbooth offer a free trial? Yes, Redbooth has a 30-day free trial
- Does Redbooth have a mobile project management app? Yes, it’s available for Android and iOS
You’ve Seen the Rankings: Which Task Management Software Is Best?
By now it’s apparent that task management is one of the pillars that uphold project management for any successful project. While there’s a wide spectrum of tools and features available, it’s clear that online software that has resource management features is going to give you the most control.
Whatever software you choose, we hope that this list of the best task management software has helped with your decision-making. The better you manage your tasks, the more likely you’ll deliver your project on time, within budget and meeting stakeholders’ expectations.
ProjectManager is the ideal task management software, providing tools to help project managers manage workload and keep team members collaborating for greater productivity. But that’s only one aspect of ProjectManager, which can also help project managers plan, monitor and report on their projects. Why use costly add-ons or more than one software when ProjectManager has it all? Try our task management tool with this free 30-day trial.
