12 top project management tools for creators and small businesses |

Oct 19, 2022

Explore the best 12 software tools to manage your projects that are ideal for creatives as well as small-business owners who want for increased productivity, reducing anxiety, and keep track of their work.

TL;DR

Get organized using the most effective Project Management Software

Project management tools are digital tools that let you manage tasks and create big-picture goals. No matter if you're in charge of a group or traveling on your own they can assist you accomplish more tasks within a shorter amount of time.

Here are a few of our favorite project management software options:

  1. Trello
  2. Asana
  3. Airtable
  4. ClickUp
  5. Amazing Marvin
  6. Monday
  7. Friyay
  8. Notion
  9. nTask
  10. MeisterTask
  11. Basecamp
  12. Wrike

When you've got the perfect program management tool in your arsenal and you'll be well on your way to reaching new milestones and increasing productivity. I can't wait to see what you accomplish.

As you're about shut down your laptop the deadline notice is displayed on your screen. The heart sinks. Your project that you needed to turn in today totally fell off your radar.

It would be nice to have the possibility of having all your work in one practical location to ensure that you don't miss a deadline again.

Through project management software, you'll have this feature and more.

12 of the best tools for managing projects

    Editor's note: The pricing are current as of writing, but naturally can change with time. It is hoped that it will only change to save money.

Trello

If you like to-do lists, you'll love Trello . Trello is a well-known project management tool that uses a Kanban design to arrange work flows, tasks and other essential information to your organization.

Kanban boards are the bread and butter of Trello However, you can upgrade to the premium version of Trello for calendars, timelines, tables as well as advanced dashboards.

Features:

Trello has built-in templates to help you manage your project.

Detailed task cards permit you to include checklists, upload attachments to files as well as assign team members, make notes, and include deadline dates.

Who it's best for:

People who are primarily in need of tools for managing projects and who are not as concerned about building workflows

Users who want a diverse library of Kanban boards to help them get started

Small business teams that require software for managing projects

Pricing:

Free-of-cost plan

Standard: $6/month

Premium: $12.50/month

Enterprise: Starts at $17.50/month/user

Asana

Asana is well-known as a flexible and adaptable organizational system for both teams and individuals. The thing I love the most about Asana is the fact that it allows you to easily switch between a display view of the board, a list view, and calendar view, with only a few clicks, all on the free plan.

Asana users get the ability to create unlimited projects and tasks. You can also choose from the pre-designed templates and automated time savers to cut out busy work.

Features:

Asana lets you work with your team. It allows you to assign tasks, message your team members, and even share important due dates.

The basic plan comes with the calendar view, plan layout for boards and a list view.

The premium and business plans include an overview of the timeline, additional dashboards, as well as more advanced reporting.

Asana includes more than 100 integrations, which include time tracking integrations.

Who it's best for:

Creatives who are brand new to managing projects and are looking for an easy-to-use interface

Small teams looking for built-in messages and lots of integrations

Pricing:

Free plan

Premium: $13.49/month

Business: $30.49/month

Airtable

If you like spreadsheets, you'll love Airtable . Airtable helps you manage, sort, and link the data that you need to manage your business with interactive spreadsheets.

Airtable lets you view the activities of your organization from multiple angles using views. You can sort tasks with a grid view, gallery, calendar, Gantt board Kanban boards, and timeline.

Automated processes can also be utilized to streamline your work. Airtable integrates with dozens of apps so you can use Airtable as a central hub to manage all digital aspects of your organization.

Features:

Airtable has a variety of templates to assist you in getting started quicker.

Their unique interface designer allows you to build your own programs.

The sync feature lets you to pull data from many sources and see it all in one place.

The best person to recommend it to:

Data-loving creators searching for an innovative alternative to spreadsheets

Pricing:

Free-of-cost plan

Plus: $12/month

Pro: $24/month

Enterprise: Custom pricing

ClickUp

ClickUp is one of my favorite tools to stay on track and organize big images alongside daily tasks. The company claims that it saves users one day per week, and after trying the software, I'm convinced their claims.

ClickUp offers a pleasing visual interface, which allows both individuals and teams to track progress, visualize goals, and communicate. Inside each card ClickUp allows you to add customized fields and checklists as well as subtasks and deadline dates.

Also, there's an interactive document feature so you can collaborate, edit with others, and save important data together in one spot.

Features:

Each of the ClickUp plans offer an unlimited number of members and tasks.

There are advanced teamwork features like document collaboration tools, time tracking and management.

The ability is available to set goals and create custom dashboards.

The advanced features have a learning curve at first but the program is very powerful.

Who it's best for:

Solo creators who want custom task cards with the ability to are able to hold a wealth of information

Small and mid-sized businesses that want a powerful collaboration and organization tool

Pricing:

Free plan

Unlimited: $9/month

Business: $19/month

Business Plus Monthly cost: $29

Enterprise: Custom pricing

Amazing Marvin

Fantastic Marvin blends clean minimalism with unique features perfect for productivity enthusiasts.

With Amazing Marvin, you can customize your dashboard to your exact preferences. It is possible to color code tasks and organize your schedule and use different views to get a big-picture overview of the upcoming events. The only thing you have to accomplish is drop and drag your activities to set your agenda.

Additionally, it has rewarding incentive games you can use to stay motivated. You can, for instance, set your preferences so that when you complete tasks, you receive rewards.

Features:

The amazing Marvin lets you organize your work schedule in the way you prefer. You can make sectioned task lists and use time blocking to manage your workload.

Effective productivity tools to aid in project management have been integrated into.

The planner includes a day-to-day schedule and the week, month and year-long overview.

If you want to build healthy habits, there's also a daily habit tracker.

Who it's best for:

Individual creators without an organization

People who are creating a daily scheduling tool that has advanced tools like time-blocking, habit tracking

Pricing:

Monthly subscription: $12/month

Lifetime deal: $300/life

Monday.com

Monday.com is a productivity tool designed to help creators save time through custom workflows, automations, and workflows that cut down on working hours.

Monday.com serves primarily as a board system, but the higher levels of plans include Gantt, timeline as well as calendar views.

The platform also comes with numerous templates that are designed for various industries that can help you get started quickly. If you're in the middle of developing software, brainstorming for a new content calendar, and managing clients who freelance, Monday has a template that fits your needs.

Features:

More than 100,000 teams make use of Monday to stay organized.

Monday is a great platform for integrations, among them the Zapier integration.

This software is ideal for collaboration in teams due to its real-time document editing.

Who it's best for:

Creators with teams who want to use custom automations and workflows

Pricing:

Individual: Free plan available for teams of just 1-2 members

Basic: $10/person/month

Standard: $12/person/month

Pro: $20/person/month

Enterprise: Custom pricing

Friyay

Friyay brings the joy back to finishing chores. It functions like a toolbox: a colorful, time-saving, productivity toolbox.

It's completely customizable, and you're able to create your own dashboard using every module you require as well as everything you do not need.

Friyay also offers a straightforward pricing structure. For most creators, the basic plan is enough. It includes all the Friyay tools and unlimitless basic users, guests and collaborators. If you're required to include team members with more advanced capabilities, you'll pay per month on a monthly basis.

Features:

Make a work hub using elements like to-do lists notes, file sharing, team chat, time-tracking goals, time tracking and more.

Create an informational Wiki to keep important data for your business.

Everyone has access to view of timelines, calendar views, Kanban boards, and project views.

Friyay integrates with Google Drive, Slack, Box, Dropbox, and Trello.

Who is it best for?

Small businesses and creators who are looking to create their own set of productivity tools from the Friyay building blocks

Pricing:

Free work space: Unlimited free

Premium workspace: $4to $16/month/person, based on type of user

Notion

If you're fond of the simplicity of design and sleekness Try giving Notion an opportunity. You can browse through their extensive template collection You'll likely see something that catches your attention.

Notion is a way to organize your documents and projects in one place. One cool feature is that the information stored in Notion can be linked. If you've got a deadline in your calendar, connect it to a task note or team memo to help you quickly reference.

Notion shines for both the individuals and teams. Teams can use built-in collaboration tools, while independent creators can manage their professional and personal life within one spot.

Features:

Easily create a team wiki and store internal documents to keep everyone in the same place.

The default options include a daily journal and reading lists as well as a calendar as well as a list of tasks in place, however there's plenty more that you can accomplish with the program.

You can create projects and To-Do lists by using task lists.

Since Notion incorporates note-taking with task lists, it's ideal for fields that require a lot of writing.

Who is it best for?

Teams or individuals looking for the ability to keep track of written notes and plans

One of the best project planners for teams looking for a centralized place to store documents and internal instructions

Pricing:

Personal: No Cost

Personal Pro Monthly fee: $5

Team: $10/month

Enterprise: Designed for large teams

NTask

nTask is an effective software for project management for small business owners who require maximum flexibility in one place.

While some project planning tools depend on integrations, nTask comes with many features built-in, making this ideal for people who want straightforwardness right out of the gate.

nTask is a great tools for managing teams. It is built-in with time tracking capabilities and lets users to create timesheets. The program also comes with a distinct meeting planner where participants can include agenda notes as well as helpful details for each scheduled meeting.

Features:

The plan for free comes with lists, calendars and grid view. great for managing daily tasks.

The Premium plan comes with Gantt boards and Kanban boards for handling bigger projects.

It is possible to ensure that everyone knows what to do by assigning tasks to team members and assigning the team members a priority.

Who it's best for:

Creaters who work in teams due to the fact that nTask provides tools for team management including timesheets and meeting planners

Pricing:

Basic: Free for individuals and maximum five team members

Premium: $4/person/month

Business: $12/person/month

MeisterTask

Instead of adding additional functions, MeisterTask focuses solely on dashboards with tasks, projects, and other information. It's simple and easy to setup and adaptable to your workflows.

Take a look at your dashboard, which will allow you for all your work and tasks in one location. Within each project, you'll be able to see a Kanban board that provides thorough task-related tracking.

Features:

MeisterTask is hosted within the EU and has more than 2 million registered users.

All users have an agenda space in which they can organize their task lists and plan their day.

There are many ways to integrate with the most popular software.

It's simple to work with colleagues through remarks or mentions.

The best person to recommend it to:

Creators who want their software developed within the EU

Teams that wish to cooperate in one place

Pricing:

Free plan

Pro: $8.25/month/user

Business: $20.75/month/user

Enterprise: Custom pricing

Basecamp

Basecamp is a commercial and project management software specifically designed for teams working remote. It provides a central hub for your communications so everyone can be aware of the steps to take.

Each department or project that you manage, you'll find an overview dashboard that includes a message board, a list of tasks, a schedule, and a space to upload files. There's also a chat room that allows the whole team is able to ask questions and work together.

Members have their own area in which they can view the latest assignments, meetings, and bookmark items.

Basecamp gets rave reviews from users who are raving about it, and 9/10 customers affirm that they've got gained a greater understanding of their businesses since they joined.

Features:

Basecamp is an excellent choice for groups and comes with functions like messages boards, auto checking-ins, as well as a group chat function.

It's easy to create calendars and to-do lists that you can delegate to team members.

It is possible to upload your documents and collaborate on them in one location.

Basecamp provides client collaboration features, perfect for anyone looking for a comfortable location to interact with customers.

Who it's best for:

Teams who want a central hub for their entire initiatives

Freelancers looking for a space to work with clients

Pricing:

Personal: Free

Business Cost: $99 per month, flat rate regardless of how large your team

Wrike

Wrike provides teams with the capability to organize project work, share files, and build efficient workflows.

Templates for projects make it simple to begin, and Wrike provides a wide range of tools for communication so that it is possible to stay in touch to the entire team starting from beginning.

Features:

Wrike has built-in time tracking resources management, time tracking, as well as workload management.

It can be integrated with hundreds of other business tools that are part of your stack.

Each user gets a customizable workspace that allows them to see their tasks throughout the day.

Wrike provides a variety of plans that are suitable to complex projects that span different sectors, and also an individual version that is free.

Who it's best for:

Professionals and teams seeking advanced small business project management tools

Service teams and marketing teams, since Wrike has specialized plans for those industries

Pricing:

Free-of-cost plan

Professional: $9.80/person/month

Business: $24.80/person/month

Enterprise: Custom for big businesses

Pinnacle is a custom-designed solution for huge enterprises

The most effective tools for planning projects can be found in all kinds of sizes and shapes We hope that this guide will help you locate the perfect tool for your needs!