Developing a project management plan is one of the most crucial yet time-consuming processes in a project’s lifecycle. This will drive the initial ideas about your project, set expectations for all stakeholders, and help you keep track of events.
Thus, adopting new methodologies and implementing new tools and technologies have become the need of the hour to improve the company’s reputation in the current scenario.
The need to properly quantify, objectify, and delegate activities, is vital – that’s where modern methods come into play. Several project planning tools are available, and it can be tough to discern what is required, what is beneficial, and what is not worth your time if you are new to project management.
Furthermore, not implementing the right project management tool may lead to unfavorable outcomes.
Some relevant examples of this could be scenarios concerning time waste, chasing individuals for progress reports, fighting with customers about what dates and budgets you agreed on – so on and so forth.
The use of project planning tools simplifies resource allocation. Project managers use task planning tools to guarantee that resources are allocated appropriately within a specific time frame.
If you are looking for project management tools to help you plan and manage your projects and team members, then you are at the right place.
Read this detailed review and comparison of project planning tools features to select the best one for your project.
5 Best Project Planning Tools
Here is a list of very powerful team and project planning tools you can use right now to assist you with efficient project planning at a little or free cost. Let’s begin!
1. nTask
Platform: Android, Windows, macOS, iOS
Best for Startups and individual, small to medium enterprises
At the top of our list is the nTask – a free, online project management tool designed and created for teams, freelancers, and professionals.
The robust software program offers a streamlined interface with prevailing features to assist you in project management plans at all stages.
nTask includes several features that assist you in working with teams of all sizes and levels, particularly regarding project initiation and planning.
nTask assists you in laying the groundwork for a successful project development lifecycle by providing a transparent and easy-to-use channel for collaboration.
Key Features
- Simplified user interfaces with access to a wide range of modules
- Task and project management modules are completely distinct
- Multiple collaborative workspaces
- Create, assign, organize, prioritize, and share tasks
- Create and manage activities individually or for a project
- Tasks can be created, assigned, and switched between projects
- Add comments on tasks and convert comments to tasks and vice versa
- Gantt charts to easily monitor project progress
- Meeting management, which includes planning and keeping track of events, as well as post-meeting activities
- Dedicated issue management module to identify and list potential issues
- You can list issues with relevant details such as the Issue owner and issue status
- Notifications and reminders to keep teams on target
- Free planning tool
Pros & Cons
Pros |
Cons |
| ● It helps you plot and manages projects easily
● Chat features promote team communication and collaboration ● Efficient task tracking ● Robust Gantt charts ● Optimizes work and planning through Kanban board views ● Customizes all statuses with a personalized workflow ● Strategize tasks implicitly |
● Attaching large files takes more time
● The support team may take time to resolve any issue |
Pricing
Basic: Free
Premium: $3 to $7.99 per month per user
Enterprise: Custom prices
In Our Opinion
nTask is unquestionably one of the best task management applications available.
It has powerful features to help you organize your activities and projects and includes a straightforward yet effective free plan.
nTask is one of the market’s most cost-effective and affordable tools, with frequent upgrades and bespoke features integrated into a single platform.
2. monday.com
Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS
Best for small, medium, and large organizations
monday.com is a powerful online project management software. This software provides many features, including an agile project management plan, cost-to-completion tracking, Kanban Board, etc.
The software can sync data to devices, allowing for more effective collaboration and decision-making.
Features
- Integrated communications and data management
- Visual project management and tracking
- Enhanced Reporting and analytics
- Dropbox, Zapier, Google Drive, and other comparable sharing and management systems are effectively incorporated
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| ● Custom integrations are accessible because of the open API design
● detailed reporting ● Can add freelancers and third-party agents |
● Cannot handle large-scale projects
● no free plan ● can’t switch between views inside the same project ● Does not support auto-time tracking |
Pricing
Basic ($8/month per user)
Standard ($10 per user per month)
Pro ($16/month/user)
In Our Opinion;
monday.com consistently ranks high in the category of project management plan software.
Monday.com is ideal for any business since it offers a visual approach to simplifying processes, which applies to nearly every project.
3. ClickUp
Platform: Windows, Linux, iOS, Mac, Android
Best for small to medium-size organizations
ClickUp is a high-rated productivity tool helping you better manage your tasks, notes, projects, and time. The project management tool assists you in determining who is doing what and centralizes all of your tasks, projects, and resources.
ClickUp mainly focuses on views, statuses, features, and procedures to provide you with a better user experience.
Features
- Create a workflow with stages to keep everyone on the same page
- Create workspaces with customized features, workflows, and tags
- Add time estimates for automated scheduling
- Control what other people can see and do
- Set goals and track their progress
Pros & Cons
Pros |
Cons |
| Gantt chart tool for managing project task dependencies
Functionality for tracking time Workload View allows for efficient resource allocation Use Pulse- a useful feature for remote work |
ClickUp’s learning curve is slightly steeper than those of its competitors
Can show errors while attempting to create a new list |
Pricing
Free
Unlimited- $5
Business- $9
In Our Opinion:
ClickUp is a scalable tool that may be used for 10-1000 employees. It provides templates for project management plans, task management, remote work, marketing, and other purposes.
4. Wrike
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android O.S.
Best for small- and large-size businesses
Wrike is a versatile and powerful platform that helps teams to operate more efficiently and transparently. It offers a wide range of industry-leading collaboration, communication, and document management functions.
The tool allows you to set priorities and organize your team so that you may work more efficiently and successfully.
Features
- Calendars from Google, iCalendar, and Outlook can be connected to tasks and milestones
- Gantt charts are useful for creating visual timelines
- Helps you turn a strategy into a feasible plan
- Provide accurate and up-to-date information to clients
Pros & Cons
Pros |
Cons |
| ● There are other built-in functions, such as time monitoring and simple file sharing
● Insights and detailed reports to calculate deliverables |
● Not all features are functional in mobile apps.
● Not user-friendly, particularly for newcomers |
Pricing
- Free
- Professional variant- $9.80
- Business variant-$24.80
In Our Opinion:
Wrike is an all-in-one solution that integrates all I.T. project management technologies on a single platform. Because it can be integrated with over 400 common tools via pre-built connections and native integrations, it is the most flexible and user-friendly solution among competitors.
5. ProofHub
Platforms: Mac, iOS, Android, Windows
Best for small, medium, and large-size companies
ProofHub is a highly scalable solution for project activity coordination, whether you have a team of 10, 50, or 500 people.
Managers can use it to take charge of all forms of project work while still keeping total control over project communication.
ProofHub’s strength is that it offers basic project tools like files, time tracking, team chat, and a calendar – everything you would want in a slick web interface.
Features
- You can easily arrange tasks, teams, and projects from your dashboard.
- You have complete power over the color palette and layout of your tool.
- Project managers can assign special roles to employees using ProofHub. These custom roles provide employees with varying levels of access to your tool
Pros & Cons
Pros |
Cons |
| ● Customization
● Custom access privileges are good security features ● Robust Mobile applications for iOS and Android |
● Extra functions, such as budgeting options, are lacking
● It is not designed for large-scale project management ● No bug fixing |
Which Project Planning tool You Should Use?
The business scenarios and expectations change with time. Finding the best tool to make a project management plan is difficult, especially when there are so many excellent possibilities.
Take some time to specify your need. Consider whether you need an invoicing tool, robust reporting tools, or a consolidated view of projects and operations.
We hope that the list above fulfills its purpose of helping you with a selection of the top project management planning tools to utilize for your business in 2022.