Project management software: comparison and table

Project management software shows who does what, and by when. The best tool is not the most complete one: it is the one the whole team opens every day. This guide ranks the most used tools, from the simplest to the most complete.

Quick picks

Small team, visual tasks: Trello.
Team already on Microsoft 365: Microsoft Planner.
Projects with several teams and dates: Asana or Monday.com.
Documents and tasks in the same place: Notion.
Everything in one tool, many options: ClickUp.
Development team: Jira or Linear.

Table: from the simplest to the most complete

Tool	Level	Main views	Best for
Trello	●	columns	small teams
Microsoft Planner	●●	columns, calendar	companies on Microsoft
Notion	●●●	columns, lists, documents	teams that write a lot
Asana	●●●	lists, columns, timeline	marketing and operations teams
Monday.com	●●●	boards, timeline	visual follow-up per client
Linear	●●●	lists, cycles	product and software teams
ClickUp	●●●●	all	teams that want one single tool
Jira	●●●●●	columns, sprints	large development teams

The tools in detail

Trello

Best for: small teams, simple follow-up.
Strength: understood in 5 minutes.
Limit: becomes confusing beyond a few projects.

Microsoft Planner

Best for: companies that already use Teams and Outlook.
Strength: included in many Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
Limit: few advanced features.

Notion

Best for: teams that mix procedures, notes and tasks.
Strength: a wiki and task tracking in the same tool.
Limit: needs a clear structure, otherwise everything piles up.

Asana and Monday.com

Best for: projects with several teams, dates and dependencies.
Strength: a clear timeline, simple reports.
Limit: cost per user.

Linear

Best for: product and software teams.
Strength: fast, clear, designed for short cycles.
Limit: less suited to non-technical teams.

ClickUp

Best for: teams that want to replace several tools.
Strength: very complete.
Limit: many options, it takes longer to learn.

Jira

Best for: large development teams.
Strength: sprints, bug tracking, detailed reports.
Limit: heavy for a small team.

Tips to start well

One single tool for the whole team: two tools means zero tools.
3 to 5 statuses: to do, in progress, waiting, done.
One task, one owner, one date.
Connect the tool to your emails and your CRM: a client request becomes a task without copy and paste. See our guide to CRMs.
A 15-minute review each week: close, postpone, delete.
Data: check where your clients’ data is hosted (nFADP).

FAQ

Is there free project management software?

Yes. Trello, Asana, Notion and ClickUp have free plans for small teams.

Do I need a Gantt chart?

Only if your tasks depend on each other with fixed dates, for example on a building site.

How long does it take to set up the tool?

One day to install it. Two to three weeks for the team to get used to it.

Do your teams lose time between emails, spreadsheets and tools?

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