Startup Project Management Tools to Compare in 2025

If you still need convincing, here's a statistic: 77% of teams with high performance use project management tools.

Investing in project management software can save organizations 28 times more money than not investing. These statistics are difficult to ignore.

What Are Project Management Software Tools?

A project management tool helps teams to plan, manage and optimize resources within an organization. The capabilities of project management tools vary, but they all share a few common features.

• Assigning And Tracking Tasks: Most project management software can assign and track tasks throughout their lifecycle.

  Project management tools usually have parent and child project types.

  A parent project is a large project under which smaller projects are placed, and a child project is a smaller one under the parent project layout.

• Collaboration: Every project management tool has collaboration capabilities in some form, whether it is chatting, sharing documents, or collaborating on specific task management software, collaboration tools or with task management tools with basic plan (pricing plan) or limited features.
• Document Sharing: To complete projects and tasks, you must be able to share materials and resources and collaborate on them.

  Most project management software has document-sharing features for Flexible project views.

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Why Is Project Management Important?

For several reasons, project management tools are essential for businesses. They help organize the team and ensure processes are followed.

They also provide a clear picture of the activity that is taking place in relation to any campaign, project, or task. Project management tools allow teams to communicate quickly and clearly with chats, comments, and more.

Some statistics support the use of a project-management tool. Did you know that 77% of high-performing projects use a tool for project management? Did you know that poor project planning costs around $122M? All these things can be avoided using the right project management software.

Startup Project Management Software: Comparison Criteria

What do we look for when selecting startup project management software for startup review? This is a summary of my criteria for evaluation:

User Interface (UI): Is the User Interface (UI), or the user interface, is the interface simple, easy to use, and modern?

Usability: Does it make sense to you? Does the company offer good user support, tutorials, and training to reduce the learning curve?

Integrations: Is it compatible with the software that you already use? For example, Slack or G Suite.

You'll want to ensure that it has a file-sharing feature built in. This will allow storing all your project files in one central location. Jira integration is likely to be a priority for software development teams.

Price: Can small teams or startups afford the price? Is there a free plan or trial, or freemium subscription?

How To Select A Project Management Software

It cannot be easy to find the right project management tool when so many tools are available. It happens too often that team leaders purchase a project-management solution only to discover after a few weeks that they are the only ones using it.

Remember that when comparing tools, an effective tool for project management should meet two requirements. First, it must have all of the features a Remote Startup Project Managers requires.

Second, it should be a tool that your team management will use.

It's not easy to meet both requirements. We have outlined nine key steps to help you find your team's right project management software.

Are you ready to organize? You will be guided through 9 steps:

1. Identify your project management needs.
2. Find the best tools for project management.
3. Test the tool.
4. Ask your team for feedback.
5. Costs should be evaluated.
6. Get executive buy-in.
7. Buy the project management tool.
8. Implement a project management tool.
9. Analyze using a retrospective.

1. Define your Project Needs

The first step in finding the right project management tool is identifying your team's problems. You should write down these problems in a list that you can reference later.

Problems could include:

• Lack of communication between departments
• Missed deadlines and disorganized projects
• Customer feedback is difficult to understand
• Uneven workload between team members
• Inbox overflowing
• Meetings that waste time

Ask yourself: Does it solve the problems you're trying to solve? Remove the tool if the answer is "no" to avoid being distracted by fancy demos, pretty UI, or powerful features you will never use.

This list can be used as a guide to help you decide what features are important for a project-management tool. You can quickly determine if an application is suitable by putting each feature in a high, medium, or low priority.

2. Find The Best Tools For Project Management

Now that you've defined your needs, it's time for you to explore the options available. Here are a few ways to start:

• What do your colleagues like to use?
• Speak to other project managers within your industry
• Visit industry websites for recommendations
• Review software websites

Prioritize the feedback you receive from your team. Knowing what they like about previous tools will help to make adoption easier.

Compare the features and pricing of each option with your list. Spend some extra time to find the perfect match. Do you need Gantt Charts? Kanban boards are another option. After you've evaluated your options, choose five of the best and ask team members for their votes.

Hive

Hive is an effective project management tool used by Google, Starbucks, and Toyota teams. Hive is an all-in-one productivity project management platform used by companies of all sizes - from startups to large corporations.

It is one of the most powerful project management tools available because you can work however you want. From 6 different views for projects to more than 1,000 integrations with popular workplace apps, it allows you to do things your way.

Hive is the project management tool of choice for top-performing teams.

The following are some of the features of Hive:

• Flexible project views including Gantt chart, Kanban, calendar view, table view, and portfolio View.
• Action cards can now include comments, sub-actions, dependencies, and attachments.
• The Time tracking and timesheets features.
• Resourcing functions in basic plan.
• Integrate with more than 1,000 tools, including Jira, Gmail, Zoom Salesforce.
• Set & Track Goals with the Hive Goals app.
• Increased connectivity through native chat and email integration.
• Collaborative Note-taking Tool.
• Real-time, detailed analytics.
• Apps for desktop and web.

Trello

Trello, a Kanban project management tool founded in 2011, is owned by Atlassian, who also owns Jira. Trello is a popular tool for managing projects because it's easy to use and simple.

Trello includes the following features:

• Project management boards in Kanban and Calendar style
• Action cards can now include comments, due dates, and attachments
• Built-in workflow automation capability
• Custom fields
• Custom background and stickers

Asana

Asana, a visually appealing project management tool created by one of Facebook's co-founders, easily ranks among the top project management solutions.

Asana is used by teams and creatives all over the globe. Its dynamic design and format keep users active and engaged. Asana is a tool that helps teams and individuals improve their communication and increase accountability.

Asana features include:

• Views for flexible project management, including timeline, list, and boards
• Action cards can now include comments, due dates, and attachments
• Real-time charts and analytics to track progress
• Tracking individual workloads to assist team members in managing their workloads
• Set strategic goals within the platform

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a good option if you already use Microsoft Suite products. This tool lets you chat, collaborate and communicate seamlessly.

It's even more crucial now that many of us work remotely. You can also integrate Teams with other project management tools like Hive.

The following are some of the features of Teams:

• Chat with stickers, gifs, and more to make virtual communication easy
• Join virtual teams from 2 to 10,000 people
• Use apps such as Excel, Word, and Powerpoint to collaborate on files in real time
• Hive integrates with hundreds of apps

Airtable

Airtable is an advanced spreadsheet that lists tasks and stores projects and files. You can add many items to the spreadsheet, including images, links, assignees, and other tasks.

Airtable has additional views besides the spreadsheet/table, such as calendar view, Kanban, and gallery. If you are used to using spreadsheet software like Google Sheets or Excel, this app will be a great project management tool for you.

Airtable features include:

• Create a database that is customized to your needs.
• Views with calendar, gallery, and Kanban.
• Automated notifications and tasks that you can create.
• Over 50 pre-built apps for project progress.

Smartsheet

Smartsheet is an Excel-like project management tool that uses a table view. Smartsheet is an interactive tool that teams use to streamline processes and workflows and collaborate more effectively.

This tool is easy to use compared to Excel. It will be a great alternative for those familiar with creating timeline graphs. Smartsheet acquired 10,000 Feet in the past few years.

This resource management tool is great and brings additional benefits to Smartsheet.

Smartsheet includes:

• Dashboards for admins and team leaders to gain insight into the overall progress of a project
• A log of all activities completed that can be used as an audit trail
• Content management platform with the ability to plan, review and manage content

Also Read: Startup Project Management Tools- Everything You Need to Know 2025

Wrike

Wrike's powerful project management software is best used to create custom team workflows. You can create interactive charts, such as Gantt views, and visualize tasks and the next steps.

You can also analyze performance using Wrike's real-time reporting feature.

Wrike includes the following features:

• Work Intake Forms in Depth
• Views for multiple project and task views, including Gantt chart, table, list, and more
• Project management templates that encourage repetition of work
• Custom Workflow Statuses

Work Zone

Workzone is a project management software that allows teams to engage on both global and local levels. You can use Workzone to access the "Project Dashboard" (pictured above), which gives you a broad overview of all projects in an organization.

You can also drill into "To Do Lists," created and emailed to each user.

Workzone features include:

• The project dashboard in the big picture
• Gantt charts for long-term planning and task dependency
• Time tracking
• Alerts to areas of high risk that can be identified proactively

GanttPro

GanttPRO, a Gantt-based project-management tool, is used by NASA, Salesforce.com, Intel, Booking.com, and many other companies.

Its short learning curve, attractive interface, and other features make it a favorite.

GanttPRO features include:

• Flexible project views, including Gantt chart and board.
• Functionalities for team collaboration with attachments, notifications, and mentions.
• Visualized timeline with Critical path, Auto-scheduling, and dependencies.
• Resource workload that shows who is overallocated/under allocated or has just the right amount of tasks.
• Reports and Time tracking.

nTask

nTask, a free online project management software, is used by over 100,000 teams to manage their accounts. nTask has great features like enhanced meeting and Time tracking, perfect for companies that bill by the hour.

Features of nTask are:

• Automatic Time tracking or manual timesheets.
• Prioritization of tasks and task tracking.
• Project management and timeline management.
• Tools for reporting and visualization.

ProjectManager.com

ProjectManager.com has a reputation as a leader in project management. Project planning software is one of the most powerful tools.

It helps teams plan project timelines, collaborate on tasks and track progress along the way. ProjectManager.com has various pricing plans based on your needed features and team size. They even offer enterprise solutions for larger teams.

It is a great option for project management in all types of teams.

ProjectManager.com features include:

• Support for Agile and Waterfall Planning
• View tasks on Gantt charts or Kanban boards
• Notifications via email and in mobile app about changes and updates to tasks
• Tracking time and expenses

Notion

The notion is a great project management tool because it allows teams to plan, write, assign, and organize themselves in one place.

The notion has three main parts: a team Wiki, tasks and projects, and notes and documents. The team Wiki serves as a knowledge base for the entire team. Projects and tasks form the core of the project management software.

Documents and notes provide a central place to store documents.

Notion features include:

• The OS centralizes all the team members on the same page
• List views and flexible Kanban boards for tasks and projects
• Priority levels can be assigned to individuals, and designated priority levels

ClickUp

ClickUp is an online project management software that offers a variety of customizable views. These include a list view, board (similar to Kanban), box (which separates individual workload), and calendar (which sorts actions according to due date).

ClickUp allows users to work towards goals as their "mission control center."

ClickUp includes the following features:

• No-code flexible project management
• Add docs or wikis
• Time-tracking

Monday.com

Monday.com, a simple and intuitive project management software, is accessible to small and large teams. It is a system of work that helps teams with many different functions, including sales and sales team, project, management, marketing, and HR.

The features of Monday.com are:

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• Flexible project views
• 40+ Integrations

Clarizen

Clarizen's project management software is ideal for large enterprises or teams looking for a robust, enterprise-grade solution.

The tool can be customized, and dashboards are available to track all the moving parts within an organization. Clarizen helps reduce excessive communication and streamline processes.

Clarizen features include:

• Dashboards tailored to teamwork and style
• Automating repeatable processes
• Dynamic reporting

Paymo

Paymo, a project-management tool, is designed to keep teams on track and help them work together. Paymo is a project management tool that allows you to manage tasks, track time, and create schedules for your team in a single platform.

This tool is primarily useful for those who do project-based work at agencies or creative organizations and need to track the time spent on specific tasks and assignments.

Paymo features include:

• Task lists, Kanban and Kanban view
• Create invoices directly from the mobile app
• Time tracking

Planview

Planview is an integrated portfolio and project management system with five distinct sub-products: Planview Enterprise One (formerly Planview LeanKit), Planview Projectplace, and Planview LeanKit.

Your team can choose from various agile enterprise planning (agile tools) or work management options for unlimited projects on time.

Planview Leankit features include:

• Kanban boards are useful for team planning and collaboration
• Visualization of workflow and process
• Risk identification

Infinity

Infinity is an advanced project management tool that allows teams to store and sort information on projects and tasks.

Infinity offers a variety of project views ranging from Gantt to Table. Each team member can find a solution that suits their needs. This project management tool allows you to organize data hierarchically, including items, tabs, workflows, etc for project management apps.

Infinity features include:

• Views of tables, columns, and Gantt charts
• Folders, forms, and subfolders
• Project templates that can be customized for repetitive tasks for unlimited users

ProProfs Project

Proprofs Project, a straightforward online project management application, assists teams in maintaining complete visibility over their tasks.

This tool allows teams to easily bridge the communication gap and work with other departments to discuss and share files and ideas.

ProProfs Project limited Features:

• Track tasks in a shared calendar as a team
• Gantt charts for visualizing milestones
• Integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox & Box

Teamwork

The Teamwork task and project manager offers powerful features and flexibility for teams working on complex projects.

The software includes billing, invoicing, Project time budgets, scheduling, an integrated team chat, and burndown reports. The software also includes pre-built templates to facilitate onboarding and different visual representations for projects such as Gantt charts; it is also good for remote teams.

The following are some of the features of teamwork:

• Time tracking
• Subtasks and Task Dependency
• Invoicing and billing
• Project time budget
• Management Resources (burndown Reporting)
• Gantt chart view

Toggl

Toggl provides a simple tool for project planning and collaboration. Toggl's drag-and-drop feature allows for flexibility in creating and customizing projects to fit each team.

You can see the status of tasks, set deadlines and subtasks, and define task estimates. The tag feature makes searching, filtering, and classifying projects and segments easier with individual tasks for project layouts.

Toggl features include:

• Task management.
• Background tracking or bug tracking.
• Calendar Integration.
• Auto tracker.
• Weekly reports, detailed and summary.

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3. Try out the Project Management Tool

It's now time to try out the tool. Most project management software comes with a trial period. If not, most companies will offer you one.

You should first gather a Top Startup Project Managers or team to Test the tool. Choose people with different working styles and functions, as diverse opinions will help you to avoid future problems.

If possible, letting the pilot team take on a real-world project is a good idea. You can play with the features in five minutes, but you must test it when you use it.

You won't be able to fully understand the benefits and limitations of this tool in terms of your project management requirements if you don't try it out with task management tools (remote work tools) or task management software.

Also, it's important to test the customer service. It takes time to implement even if a tool is a perfect fit. Support from your provider can make a big difference.

Request a demo, or spend 30 minutes to one hour with the sales team. This will allow you to understand how they use the tool and what features are available. Ask the support team any questions to see how quickly they respond.

You can also check out the help center to see their available resources. Your sales representative can tell you how they will support you in the event that you decide to switch.

You can try out some of our favorite project management software for free.

• Hive: Hive offers 14-days of free trial without requiring a credit card.
• Kintone: Kintone offers free trials with no credit cards required and a special non-profit trial.
• Asana: Asana gives new users a free 30-day trial.
• Zoho Projects: This tool provides a free 10-day trial on all paid plans.

4. Your Team Can Provide Feedback

You should contact everyone who participated in the pilot for feedback. What you should ask:

• Will the project management tool improve their workflow?
• How much time would it take to update the website?
• What was the best/worst thing about the tool for them?
• How long did it take to get them started?
• What is the likelihood that they would recommend this tool to others?

The next step is to go back and review your pain points. Check how each solution addresses your primary problems.

You should also consider how the tool will work with other parties to avoid your team doing duplicate tasks.

If you are a marketing agency, for example, you might want to use your tool to share your projects' progress with your clients easily.

If you don't, your team may do duplicate work to keep clients informed.

Consider how easy it will be to collaborate with other departments. Say your customer service department needs notifications from the Salesforce CRM to begin implementation.

It will slow everything down if the project management tool does not integrate with it.

5. Cost Of Project Management Tools

Compare the cost per user with the time required to implement the tool. Compare the costs of the current workflow with the cost to continue working the same way.

Consider the wasted time, lost opportunities, and problems your current workflow causes. What could a new tool do to change this? You'll know you have a good choice if you see the long-term benefits.

Consider also the payment method you prefer. You should also consider your preferred payment method. Do you prefer a monthly or an annual subscription? You can commit for 3 months, then evaluate.

This is a significant investment. Find out how to best utilize your company's assets.

Some of the best platforms offer free plans for project management, which may be an option if your budget is very tight.

These free versions are often limited in functionality compared to paid plans. Therefore, they are best suited for smaller teams and those with simple project management requirements. Hive Free, for example, is Hive's free-forever version for teams with up to 10 members.

This makes it an ideal solution for small teams, entrepreneurs, and freelancers.

6. Get Executive Buy-In

It's important to get the support of your executive team or at least a part of them when you are preparing to implement project management tools.

It's important to get the support of your leadership because you will be asking dozens to change their daily routine. You can accomplish this in a variety of ways.

• A group of members from the leadership team can be included in the committee that selects tools.
• Communication with leaders about tool deficiencies.
• Statistical evidence of successful past implementations of leadership.

7. Buy The Project Management Tool

It's now time to purchase the tool. We recommend buying a tool that will outfit 2-3 teams and then testing it out before rolling it out to the entire organization.

8. Use The Project Management Tool

Congrats! You have found the perfect project management tool. You've done your research and found the best option.

Don't forget to create an implementation plan. You must create a plan for a smooth rollout, as most teams are resistant. Consider these key items:

• Timeline: When are you going to start? You can either spread out the work or do it all at once.

  You may need a second timeline maker.

• Training: What kind of training is required for different people? Who will be providing it? Who will provide it?
• Champions: Who will be the main advocates of this tool? How can you convince them to use it? What will they do in order to inspire others?
• Integrations: When will you be implementing key integrations of your system? Who is responsible for setting up the integrations?

It is important to set an example once you have everyone on board. You should continue to use the tool and be available to answer questions.

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9. Complete A Retrospective

It's useful to look back on the process once the tool is implemented. You might have done things differently in certain areas.

What went wrong during the implementation? While you're thinking about it, you can give feedback directly to the customer success and sales teams. You should also have regular check-ins to see how your team is using the tool. This will help you to understand where changes can be made and how they can be implemented better over time.

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Bottom Line

Speak to your team and evaluate your workflow requirements before choosing project-management software. Best Startup Project Managers can be overwhelming to choose from the many project management software programs available.

The majority of programs are suitable for all industries and can be integrated into any team size. There are many factors to consider when determining a workflow for your team, your project, and your client. It can be difficult to get your team to adopt a project-management tool, but it will make their lives easier once the tool is implemented.