Project Management Tools Benefits

10 Best Free Project Management Software for Windows. To manage the various components of a project, teams and team members need a solution that provides maximum features that they require for free. Therefore, we present a list of 15 best free project management software solutions: Asana. 7 of the Best Database Tools for Macs. Here's an overview of some of the best free and open source database software tools for Macs. I've also included a few personal database tools as well. SQLite's code is in the public domain, which makes it free for commercial or private use. Project Management Software for Mac – Priority Matrix. Have a single source of truth: Syncs with iOS, Windows, Android, Web, Microsoft Office, Gmail and more. Upload files, manage priorities like a pro! Project management features include: Gantt time-line chart, Master View, One-on-One, Calendar, List View, Quadrant View, Dates, Efforts. Toggle Plan is one of the best free project management tools for effective team planning and task management. The software is very easy to use, and suits project managers managing small teams. You can try Project Planning Pro for Mac. It is the No 1 project management app on iPad and we recently released it for Mac. @vickifromtregeagle yes you can import your MS project plan in Planning Pro. We will give out promo codes to the first 5 users who write to us with a link to this discussion.

It’s crucial that you have project management tools while you’re trying to run any type of business. That’s because assigning tasks isn’t going to be enough. You need your entire team to know what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and how they need to do it. You need ways to let people know the progress being made and the overall strategies that you need to follow. Several factors are important in keeping your business running smoothly, and that’s where project management tools come in.
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These tools allow you to manage your team more effectively because you can always be aware of what’s happening around you. The most important thing is that it’s going to make your team more efficient. The more your team knows about the projects and tasks they’re working on, the more they can get done. All you need to do is make sure you are evaluating the apps you use carefully. After all, the wrong apps and tools could slow down your team rather than improving it. We’ve gone through dozens of apps and tools to find the ones we’ve mentioned below, and we think these are the top ten that you should be looking at for your needs.

Let’s take a look at some of the best Free Project Management software available, so you can select the best fit for you and your team:

1. Instagantt

If you want online Gantt software, this is the way to go. It’s designed to work with Asana (which we’ll talk about in a moment) and also allows you to link schedules from other sources. That means you only have to put in all of your information once, and you’ll be able to see it across each of your different platforms. You can set up timelines and tasks as well as managing and monitoring your teams’ workload. While you’re at it, you’ll be able to see everything in a format that works for you and your team.
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If you’re not using Asana, you can still get a lot out of this system, including monitoring and assigning tasks, assigning due dates, and evaluating progress. All of these things come in several different price points that will help you work with the team that you have and keep apprised of everything that needs to be done.
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‍Some of Instagantt’s awesome features are:‍

• Gantt and workload view
  
• Task and subtasks
  
• Public snapshot sharing options
  
• Timelines
• Multiple projects and workspaces
  
• Dependencies and milestones
• Critical path
  
• Team collaboration options: notification and task assignment
  
• Estimated and actual cost
  
• Custom view and custom fields
  
• Custom color options for progress bars
  
• Risk and priority
  
• Baselines
  
• Drag & drop
  
• Diverse exporting options: Excel, image and PDF
  

2. TeamGantt

With this tool, you’re creating workflows, and you’re doing it in a way that’s simple for people to understand and get a handle on. You can create different projects, milestones, and tasks and even use it on any of your devices. This system works on iOS, Android, Google Chrome, and Web. That means any of your users and team members can access it no matter where they are or what type of device they use. And you can check in to see just what they’re doing through the snapshot view.
You get to assign high, low, and medium priority to tasks, see how your team is doing and even set up the start dates and due dates for everything. You’ll also be able to use Gantt style timelines to keep an eye on everything. And you can try out the whole thing for free for 30 days. Then you pay based on the number of people who are on your team.
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‍Some of TeamGantt Features:

- Drag&Drop
- Guest permission
- Baselines
- Multiple project view in one Gantt chart
- Guest permission
- Baselines
- Tasks & Subtasks

3. Asana

You want to be able to keep track of everything that everyone is working on, and that’s where Asana does well. This program gives you the ability to create the task list you want and then move it as much as you like. You also have a visual project timeline that you can use to see everything you need to get done. You can even set up your progress, note due dates, and make sure that scheduling and rescheduling are simple and easy.
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What makes this application even better is that it works with several of your other favorites. You can link it to your Slack, Outplanr, Google Calendar, and Dropbox. All of these links make it easy to integrate, and they also ensure you don’t have to put in information all at once. Plus, you can choose between different fee schedules to find what works for you. From free to enterprises.
Asana Features:

• Document Management
  
• Project Management
  
• Time & Expense Tracking
  
• CRM
  
• Collaboration Tools
  
• Portfolio Management
  
• Resource Management
  
• Integration with Instagantt
  

4. Click Up:

If you want to manage tasks efficiently, including managing your more substantial tasks, full projects, small tasks, and notes, you’ll want to check out this service. It’s designed to let you customize everything, so you have a system that works for you. It also enables you to do automatic scheduling with estimated times, and you can choose who gets to see what on the system. That way, when you bring your team into the system, they’re not automatically privy to everything.
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You can set goals and see how they’re doing as well as changing up the view that works best for you, check on the status of projects and more. You’ll also have an inexpensive rate because this system is paid based on how many people you have on your team. You only pay $4.99 per person each month.
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‍Click Up Features:

• Task tray
• Notepad
• Assigned comments
• Dark mode
• Integrations
• Assigned comments
• Multiple views
  

5. Wrike

This tool will give you the ability to communicate with your team through what they call ‘best-in-class’ collaboration. They also have document management tools and different communication features. You can even set up priorities for what needs to be done and make sure that your team is working more efficiently at the tasks that matter. If you already use Outlook, iCalendar, or Google, you can even sync your tasks or your milestones to keep everything working together.
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With this system, you can use Gantt charts, which help you to create the timelines you’re looking for. You also get a more straightforward process for staying up-to-date on what’s happening in your projects so you can send the information on to your clients. Pricing is also based on the number of users that you have signed up with the service during the year.
‍Wrike Features:

• Critical path
• Collaborative team editing
• Folder hierarchy

6. Smartsheet

If you want your team to be able to collaborate on anything and everything, this is a great way to go. It offers you attachment options so you can upload files directly into the system from Google Drive, Onedrive, Dropbox, and many of your other favorites. You can even see who is busy and who isn’t on your team so you can contact people at more convenient times. All you need to do is take a look at the dashboard.
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While you’re at it, you’re able to set up different permissions, and you can make sure everything is maintained and updated correctly along the way. That’s because it sends out automatic update requests to make sure everyone is on the same page. When you’re ready to try it out you’ll find time-tracking, reporting, resource management, and planning. It’s all entirely cloud-based, too, so you can access it from anywhere. Plus, some plans vary from $14 to $25 per month.
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‍Smartsheet Features:

• Predecessor tasks
• Automated workflows

7. Trello

Here you’re going to have a basic but easy to use a system for keeping track of all of your different tasks. You can create entirely different boards for different types of jobs, different projects, different teams, or anything else you like. What’s great about this system is that it’s a Kanban management tool, which is one of the most popular methods available. You get to switch between boards however you want and create any tasks that you want within them.
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You can drag and drop your cards, add tags, fields, priority levels, and a whole lot more. The interface is user-friendly, and there are even power-ups that help you add on different features that you may need. You also can choose between different modes that range from free for individuals or small groups up to an enterprise version that’s available for each member of your team.
‍Trello Features:‍

• Kanban View
• Drag & drop
• Detailed & Quick Overviews of Front/Back Cards
• Tasks and subtasks
• In-Line Editing
  
• Deadline Alerts and Notifications

8. Monday

What if you could have a system that makes things easier for you and is named for everybody’s least favorite day of the week? Well, you can with Monday. This system offers you plenty of features, including following Twitter and LinkedIn threads and even commenting on different tasks. You also can customize who can access various projects. If you already use other systems, you can integrate them into your account, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Zapier.
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The open-source framework is one of the best parts of this tool, letting you create any integrations and other features you may want. You can also get more detailed reports, and you can add on any people you want, including third-party agents or freelancers. You can choose between different pricing structures depending on the size of your team.
Monday Features:

• Collaboration tool for multiple employees.
• Visual display of progress.
• Easy communication: tag people.
• Email notifications
• Execution Board – with big screen display
• Integrations: Dropbox, Google Drive, Pipedrive
  

9. ProofHub

The user-friendly aspect of ProofHub is one of the first things you’re going to like. From there, you’ll love that it’s got a minimal learning curve. You can organize the projects you want to create, the teams that are responsible for them, and more. You get to customize everything from the color scheme to the names and logos that you use. There are even six different language options, so you can make it work for your team even if you’re international.
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When you set up each of your team members, you’ll be able to assign roles and provide only the level of access that each team member needs. You also get mobile options that work with both iOS and Android devices. On top of that, you can choose between two different versions that vary from $55 to $99 per month
‍ProofHub Features:

• Collaboration
• File sharing
• Gantt charts
• Idea management
• Multi-language
• Chat

With this tool, you’re creating workflows, and you’re doing it in a way that’s simple for people to understand and get a handle on. You can create different projects, milestones, and tasks and even use it on any of your devices. This system works on iOS, Android, Google Chrome, and Web. That means any of your users and team members can access it no matter where they are or what type of device they use. And you can check in to see just what they’re doing through the snapshot view.
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You get to assign high, low, and medium priority to tasks, see how your team is doing and even set up the start dates and due dates for everything. You’ll also be able to use Gantt style timelines to keep an eye on everything. And you can try out the whole thing for free for 30 days. Then you pay based on the number of people who are on your team.
‍Teamwork Features:

• Workload
• Templates
• Collaboration
• Board View
• Time Tracking
• Milestones

Conclusion time

If you’re looking to improve the way that your team runs and to make sure that you’re on top of everything, then you need the top 10 best project management tools in 2020. Well, that’s precisely what we have here. Hopefully, one or even several of these will turn out to be the best tool for your team. You can make sure that you have everything you need to keep your team on task and ready to go, no matter what you need next. Each of these tools has excellent features, and we know that you’re going to love them. Check out how each of them can work for you and where you can get signed up with any of them.

Are you using Macbooks as standard machines at your company?

Then you don’t have to resort to spreadsheets and plugins for creating Gannt charts and dependency tracking. These can be cumbersome, clunky and inefficient to use.

There are a number of proven, easy-to-use PM tools available built specifically for the Mac.

Here’s a list of popular project management software for the Mac:

(Products listed in alphabetical order. No rating implied.)

2-plan Desktop

We only learned about 2-plan Desktop in a discussion thread, otherwise we wouldn’t have known about the tool. 2-plan is a standalone PM tool for project managers that runs on OS X (Windows and Linux versions are available too).

2-plan positions itself as a free MS Project alternative, and the feature description indeed suggests the tool lives up to its claim. The German-made project management software covers all tools a project manager needs for project management: scheduling, scope definition, deliverables and milestone planning and project monitoring are included by default. On top of that, you can define your team resources and conduct scenario planning.

At the time this article was written, there was no version for macOS 10.15 available, so it doesn’t run on Apples latest OS X (Catalina). The app runs well on older OS X version though.

2-plan Desktop highlights:

• Simple, well-designed user interface
• Import and export of MS Project files
• Free for commercial use
• Large selection of add-ons available (free and paid)
  

GanttProject (free)

GanttProject is another free project management tool made to run on a Mac desktop. The tool was first launched in 2003 and has been continuously improved and extended. GanttProject is widely used and has been adapted for many languages.

GanttProject has a similar feature stack as MS Project and includes all essential steps a project manager needs. You start by drawing up a task schedule and adding milestones on the screen. Tasks may be assigned different priorities and cost. Similar to MS Project, you can create a typical tree-like work breakdown structure with summary tasks. A nice feature is the possibility to use different colors for each task. Even dependencies can be set up between tasks. So, you can make one task start only after another task has been completed.

Overall, GanttProject seems to be a very mature and user-friendly project management tool for the Mac which is definitely worth a try.

GanttProject highlights:

• Stable solution with long track record
• Export and Import MS Project files
• Multi-language support
• Free for commercial use

iTaskX

iTaskX is another famous solution in the project management app market for the Mac. Unlike other Mac alternatives, iTaskX has been designed specifically for the Mac ecosystem. Therefore it’s much more well integrated and doesn’t require any Java libraries and is very easy to use.

The iTaskX app, which has been on the market for 15 years, has a strong feature set comparable to MS Project. This explains why it is widely used in a number of industries. According to the iTaskX website, the software is used in construction and architecture, advertising, IT and other fields.

What features does iTaskX come with? The software is offered in a standard and pro version. The standard version gives you the basic functionality you need for planning your projects with respect to time and cost. It also has progress tracking capability and allows you to analyze the impact of delays. The pro version offers advanced features like network diagrams, task sheets and resource planning. For a comparison of the standard vs. pro version check out the iTaskX website.

iTaskX highlights:

• Stable solution with long track record
• Well-integrated into the Mac ecosystem
• Rich set of features
• Standard and pro version available
• Export and Import MS Project files
• Reasonable pricing

Merlin Project

Merlin Project is widely used in the creative industry and in science and has been gaining traction in other industries as well. The solution has been on the market for over 15 years, which means we are looking at a pretty evolved and well-supported product. This is a must if you intend to use the project management software for business purposes.

In terms of its functional scope, Merlin Project has all the tools you need to manage projects of any size. Task planning with dependencies, setting milestones and calculating your schedule (and critical path) are the steps you usually start with. On an advanced level, Merlin also allows you to conduct resource planning or to perform an Earned Value Analysis to assess the actual status of your project.

A nice extension that I haven’t seen in other PM apps for the Mac is the mind map feature. It can be useful for brainstorming necessary tasks and deliverables, risks or potential stakeholders in a project stakeholder analysis, just to give you a few ideas.

Another interesting thing about Merlin is that it supports hybrid project management. Apart from the waterfall-style Gantt view planning, you can also create Kanban boards for your agile projects.

Merlin Project highlights:

• Stable solution with long track record
• iOS app available
• Fully compatible with MS Project
• Mind map feature
• Supports Kanban boards for agile projects

OmniPlan – nice design with advanced features

If you’re a Mac veteran, you’ve probably heard of Omni Group — the company behind OmniPlan. Omni Group has a strong position in the Apple world, and their graphics tool OmniGraffle is considered one of the best charting tools on the Mac. What about OmniPlan, their project management solution?

OmniPlan is a professional-grade project management software that comes with a beautiful user interface (great UX is one of the trademarks of Omni Group products). The functional scope of OmniPlan includes project planning and creating Gantt charts, progress and cost tracking as well as resource allocation.

The software makes resource planning for your team really easy, because you can show people’s calendars in OmniPlan to see with one glance when people are available.

OmniPlan highlights:

• Mature project management application for the Mac
• Great user interface
• Compatible with MS Project
• Advanced features like Earned Value Analysis or Monte Carlo simulations
• iOS app available
• Supports many languages

Project Planning Pro

Project Planning Pro is a project, task and resource management app for Mac OS X. The app’s focus is to provide an easy-to-use visualization, planning and management environment for project managers. That being said, the software offers the most needed functionality for planning and coordinating projects.

Projects can be scheduled and monitored using three different views, including a calendar, Gantt and critical path view. Dependencies can be entered using the typical constraints like finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish and start-to-finish.

Project Planning Pro highlights:

• MS Project compatible
• Send email notification to resources for status updates
• Import plans from Microsoft Project via Dropbox, Box, Email and iTunes
• iOS and Android app available

ProjectLibre

ProjectLibre claims to be the leading open source alternative to Microsoft Project. While we can’t verify their market share numbers, we know that many renowned organizations — particularly in the government and nonprofit sector — successfully manage their projects with ProjectLibre.

The open source tool resembles Microsoft Project in a lot of ways. This is a big advantage because any user transitioning over from the Windows and MS Project world will quickly become familiar with the processes in ProjectLibre.

In terms of functionality, ProjectLibre provides a solid Gantt planning interface which allows you to quickly draw up project schedules, even for large projects. Once you have your schedule and dependencies set up, you can assign resources, plan your budget and make your plan look nicer using color coded task bars. Besides Gantt charts, you can also work with network diagrams or WBS and RBS charts to structure and detail project work.

Being an open source tool, OpenLibre is developed and supported by a large user community. If you are fine going without a software vendor who can offer you premium support at defined service levels, then ProjectLibre is definitely an excellent solution for planning and tracking your project portfolio.

Best Free Project Management App For Mac

ProjectLibre highlights:

• Stable and widely-used tool with a large support community
• Compatible with Microsoft Project
• Nominated as “Best of Open Source” by InfoWorld Magazine
• Clean and easy-to-use interface
• Advanced tools like Earned Value Costing and resource histograms
• Free for commercial use

Best Free Project Management Software For Mac

Conclusion

There are many good project management solutions available for the Mac, but most tools are aimed at individual users or smaller teams. Sharing is not so easy because the tools require a desktop installation. Some of the options like Merlin are suitable for larger organizations, though. Also, if you want to use MS Project in your loved Apple environment, you can still run MS Project on your Mac using a virtual Windows machine.

If you are looking for a project management app specifically for your iPhone or iPad, check out the numerous project management apps on the App Store.

Whatever direction you want to go, we recommend you take some time for trying out the different alternatives. Then you can choose a solution that works well for your team.