Top / Free / Best Project Management Software for Small Business for 2025

In today’s fast-paced business world, small businesses need every edge they can get to stay ahead. One of the smartest moves you can make is investing in project management software. These tools help your team organize tasks, collaborate seamlessly, and meet deadlines—key ingredients for growth when resources are tight.

In this article, we’re diving deep into the best project management software options for small businesses in 2025. Whether you’re a startup or a growing team, we’ve got you covered with insights to help you pick the perfect tool.

What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software is a dedicated solution that helps to organize all the tasks and activities, plan workflow, track progress, and manage resources. It’s a tool that helps to bring teams together and provide a collaborative workspace for all employees.

Usually, a project management tool is a cloud-based solution that you can use across different platforms and devices to easily sync all your work and provide team with smooth access to their work.

Why Use Project Management Software?

Why is project management software so important? Because it helps to automate and optimize work.

The best project management tools bring all your team and efforts together into one place. With a unified platform, you can smoothly monitor what’s happening in your company, manage scope creep, mitigate risks, and—eventually—successfully deliver projects.

This results in higher productivity, high-quality projects, and meeting deadlines. That translates into higher customer satisfaction, happy stakeholders, and more money for your company.

What to Look for in Project Management Software for Small Businesses?

Remember that the best project management tools aren’t those that are the most popular or offer a fancy design. The best are those apps, that help to effectively manage projects. And to do that, you need a set of specific functionalities.

Here’s what to look for when choosing a project management software for small businesses:

Ease of use: you don’t want to waste time on complex software. Look for a user-friendly interface that feels natural to navigate, with no steep learning curve to slow you down. The goal is to get your team up and running quickly, focusing on their work rather than wrestling with the software.
Team collaboration feature: your software should enhance teamwork with robust collaboration tools, such as real-time chat, file sharing, and discussion threads.
Task management features like assigning responsibilities, setting deadlines, and tracking progress. These ensure everyone stays aligned and productive, making it easier to tackle projects as a team.
Customization: no two small businesses are alike, so your project management software should offer flexibility and advanced features to match your unique needs. Also, look for options that let you build workflows tailored to your processes.
A free trial allows you to explore the tool’s features, test its compatibility with your workflow, and confirm that it meets your expectations, ensuring you don’t end up with the wrong solution.
Automation to help you minimize administrative tasks and repetitive activities. It also reduces errors.
Reports and analytics to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and make better business decisions.
Choose software that prioritizes security with features like encryption, two-factor authentication, and regular backups. Your sensitive information—client details, financial data, or internal plans—needs to stay safe from breaches. A secure tool not only protects your business but also builds trust with your team and clients.
Integrations with other tools help to streamline operations and keep everything in one place.
Cross-platform availability. Access across desktops, tablets, and phones ensures your team can stay productive wherever they are.

The Best / TOP / FREE Project Management Software for Small Businesses

There are so many project management tools that it can be stressful to choose the right one. The market is overabundant with a variety of tools and apps, so you need to be careful when selecting from all the options.

How we selected the best tools for 2025? We’ve considered the most crucial factors: user reviews, features and functionality, pricing, and overall user experience.

Check out our list of the best project management tools for small businesses that will take your business to the next level!

Project management tool	Best for	User Ranking	Pricing
TimeCamp	Small businesses and teams focused on time tracking and billing	4.7/5 (Capterra) 4.7/5 (G2)	Free Paid from $2.99/mo (paid annually)
TeamGantt	Small to medium-sized teams that rely heavily on Gantt charts	4.8/5 (Capterra) 4.6/5 (G2)	Free for personal projects; Paid from $59/manager/month
ClickUp	Growing teams and businesses of all sizes needing a highly customizable, all-in-one solution	4.6/5 (Capterra) 4.7/5 (G2)	Free plan available; Paid from $10/user/month
Trello	Small teams, startups, or visual thinkers who prefer simple, Kanban-based workflows	4.5/5 (Capterra) 4.4/5 (G2)	Free plan available; Paid from $6/user/month
Wrike	Medium to large enterprises and teams needing robust customization and stakeholder collaboration	4.3/5 (Capterra) 4.2/5 (G2)	Free plan available; Paid from $10/user/month
Nifty	Small to medium-sized teams, creative agencies, or businesses seeking a balance of simplicity and functionality	4.6/5 (Capterra) 4.7 (G2)	Free plan available; Paid from $7/member/month
Jira	Software development teams and Agile practitioners (bug tracking and issue management)	4.4/5 (Capterra) 4.3/5 (G2)	Free for up to 10 users; Paid from $8.6/user/month
Asana	Non-technical teams, agencies, or businesses needing flexible task management and collaboration	4.5/5 (Capterra) 4.4/5 (G2)	Free for up to 10 members; Paid from €13.49/user/month

1. TimeCamp

Best for: Small businesses and teams focused on time tracking and billing.

a collage of timecamp features for project management for small business

How TimeCamp works

TimeCamp is an automatic time tracking software comprising features of a timesheet app and a project management system. Its automatic features help to eliminate tedious administrative activities and repetitive tasks, optimize workflow, and effectively manage entire projects.

What’s more, TimeCamp features create a coherent system for managing your entire business. From attendance and task management to invoicing and payroll. All that while maintaining legal compliance.

Main features of TimeCamp:

Fully automatic time tracking gathers all the data about work and projects in one place.
Rich timesheet management features: automatically created timesheets; ability to edit time entries; approvals; editing, copying and moving time entries; and adding notes to entries. TimeCamp also offers 3 timesheet views: daily, weekly with a calendar view (graphical timesheet), and monthly.
You can easily organize your work into projects and tasks, add tags, and track progress.
Advanced reporting and analytics: you can choose from a variety of reports or create custom reports.
Attendance management to keep track of vacations, leaves, absences, and other types of days.
Reports and analytics provide you with deep insights into performance.
Expense tracking.
Tracking of productive and nonproductive activities.
User permissions and user roles to maintain a hierarchy in your projects.
You can invite clients or stakeholders to give them insight into work progress.
Unlimited users and unlimited projects in all plans.

Integrations: TimeCamp easily integrates with other tools, especially project management software, payroll and accounting tools, and collaboration apps. Or you can choose from the built-in apps. For more personalized experience, there’s an API that will help you create a perfect tool.

Also, Google Calendar and TimeCamp integration allow you to quickly import your daily agenda into timesheets and manage all planned activities within one app.

Available for: Comes with a wide range of platforms. The tool is available for desktop (Windows, Mac, and Linux), and has native mobile apps available for iOS and Android to help users track their time regardless of location. You can also use the browser extensions.

Pricing:

Free

0.00

billed annually

Free plan includes all the essentials (accurate time tracking, unlimited
projects, a time clock kiosk, desktop, and mobile apps, idle time
detection, and many more).

Starter

2.99

billed annually

Starter plan includes unlimited tasks, excel reports export, attendance,
time-off, overtime tracking.

Premium

4.99

billed annually

Premium plan includes one integration, billable time, budget and
estimates, apps and websites tracking, project archiving, and more.

Ultimate

7.99

billed annually

Ultimate plan includes unlimited integrations, billable rates, labor
costs, invoicing, timesheet approvals, custom user roles, and more.

Enterprise

11.99

billed annually

Enterprise Plan, designed for companies with 50+ employees, includes
priority support with SLA, self-hosted and private cloud instances,
custom integrations, and more.

Pros and Cons of TimeCamp

TimeCamp offers an easy-to-use interface that doesn’t require any onboarding. It’s also packed with features that will help you customize the tool according to your needs. And the free plan allows for unlimited users and projects.

When it comes to cons, TimeCamp doesn’t offer more advanced features for project management like visualizations or a collaborative workspace. Hence, it’s best for those who need to track billable time and track project progress. That said, TimeCamp is best for small businesses who want to streamline operations, cut the red tape, and become more profitable.

2. TeamGantt

Best for: Small to medium-sized teams, especially in industries like construction or event planning, that rely heavily on Gantt charts.

Screenshot of TeamGantt

How TeamGantt works

TeamGantt is a project management software dedicated solely to Gantt charts. It allows you to schedule work with visual timelines and organize your work around these. Also, this project management software includes simple collaboration functionalities that allow all team members always stay informed about any changes, progress, or delays.

Main features of TeamGantt:

You simply create a project and use drag-and-drop to quickly create Gantt charts.
Organizing projects in groups and tasks.
Ability to communicate with team: share plans, upload files, add notes, and comments.
Simple project tracking with the ability to update progress.
Dependencies.
Basic time tracking functionalities: tracking time for actual vs. estimated hours and seeing how many tasks and hours have been assigned to every team member.
Different views: list, calendar, and Kanban boards.
You can share your reports with PDF or Excel CSV exports, or send clients a view-only link so they can access your dashboards directly.
Project templates for quicker project planning.

Integrations: TeamGantt offers a few integrations with popular tools Trello, Procore, Slack, Dropbox, and calendars (Google Calendar, iCal, or Outlook). You can also use their API to build custom features.

Available for: web as a cloud-based solution, and for mobile.

Pricing: TeamGantt offers a free plan for personal projects. For teams, you can choose from the Pro plan at $59/month per manager (you pay for project managers, not for users), or the Unlimited Everything plan with custom pricing.

Pros and Cons of TeamGantt

TeamGantt is an easy-to-use Gantt chart software for project management. It’s a great alternative to Excel and other spreadsheets as it optimizes work and helps to bring multiple departments into one place.

However, limited integrations with external tools may make it challenging to use the tool as a standalone solution. Hence, it’s most suitable for all businesses that want to plan and communicate better on their projects.

3. ClickUp

Best for: growing teams and businesses of all sizes needing a highly customizable, all-in-one solution.

How ClickUp works

ClickUp’s main goal is to help you eliminate all the different apps and bring all your work into one unified platform. It’s a combination of a project management tool, team chat, and collaborative workspace. This app allows users to organize work just the way they like, either personally or within a team.

Additionally, ClickUp offers AI automation features that aim to optimize work and leave you with the bare minimum of admin tasks.

Main features of ClickUp:

Organizing all your projects and tasks in a Hierarchy—everything is visible and easily accessible to everyone in one place.
15 different views (e.g., Kanban board, to-do list, calendar, charts, graphs, mind maps, location view, and different task views)
35+ ClickApps that allow you to customize task management for a perfect workflow.
Hundreds of templates with different views and formats for different types of workflows.
Communication and collaboration features that allow small teams to stay on the same page, for example, email, comments, real-time collaboration.
Dashboards with real-time reporting.
Basic time tracking.

Integrations: ClickUp integrates seamlessly with other software and you can choose from all the popular apps and tools available on the market. Also, you can integrate via Zapier or with the use of the ClickUp API.

For efficient time tracking, you can also check TimeCamp and ClickUp integration.

Available for: all platforms: desktop, mobile apps, and as a web app.

Pricing: ClickUp offers quite a generous free plan with unlimited tasks and members (the only advantage is the 100MB storage). Or you can choose from paid plans with unlimited storage: Unlimited at $10 per user per month, Business at $19 per user per month, or Enterprise with custom pricing.

Pros and Cons of ClickUp

Although ClickUp is one of the most popular project management software, it’s not necessarily the best option for every small business.

Users complain that ClickUp can be slow, buggy, and even overstuffed with features. Hence, it’s best for creative teams or those who need many smallish functionalities. If you own a professional business that needs a reliable tool, you may choose from other options.

4. Trello

Best for: small teams, startups, or visual thinkers who prefer simple, Kanban-based workflows.

How Trello works

Trello is one of the best project management tools with Kanban boards. It helps to organize workflow in this work style by providing you with all the tools to arrange projects in the Kanban-style, easily allocate resources, and track progress with a clear overview of work.

Trello is a simple, easy-to-use tool that lets you work on different tasks and projects in one place without switching tabs.

Main features of Trello:

Powerful Kanban boards that allow you to create a unified Kanban process.
You can create boards for different teams, projects, departments or use it individually.
You can customize every board and task: comment on tasks, add due dates, assign people, create checklists and to-do lists, and set due dates, and attach files.
Trello has a wide list of power-ups that help to enhance work and collaboration.
Drag-and-drop feature allows you to easily arrange and reorganize priorities.
Butler feature allows you to create automation rules for boards and cards so you can automate repetitive activities.
Blueprints and templates that you can freely customize.

Integrations: You can easily connect Trello with other tools for project management, productivity, IT tools, and many more.

TimeCamp offers a fully featured time tracking integration with Trello. Thanks to TimeCamp and Trello integration, you can easily analyze how much time you and your team spend on particular tasks. It’s never been easier!

Available for: desktop, mobile devices (iOS, Android), and as a web app.

Pricing: Trello offers a free version with limited functionalities (but unlimited file storage) and includes up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per workspace. You can choose from three pricing plans that include more features: Standard at $6/user/month, Premium at $12.15/user/month, or Enterprise with custom pricing.

Pros and Cons of Trello

Trello is a user-friendly app with an intuitive interface, which makes it one of the best project management tools.

However, it may lack more advanced project management features so if you need more than just Kanban boards, it may not be enough. It’s the best tool for small projects that aren’t too complex.

5. Wrike

Best for: medium to large enterprises and teams needing robust customization and stakeholder collaboration.

How Wrike works

Wrike is a project management system that helps to manage daily tasks by building workflows, connecting all the project paths, and automating repetitive tasks. It’s a highly customizable tool that is aimed at helping you make work easier.

Wrike helps to plan and streamline all business processes for higher efficiency.

Main features of Wrike:

Different project management views (boards, Gantt charts, tables, calendar).
Real-time activity tracking.
Creating AI-based actions for items that can be automated.
Graphical options allow you to visualize the workflow and easily monitor progress.
Collaboration tools that allow the whole team to easily work on shared initiatives.
Dashboards with real-time reports.
Access roles.
Project templates.

Integrations: You can easily integrate Wrike with all the most popular work management apps. Or you can use the API to connect Wrike with your currently used tools and workflows.

Available for: Windows and Mac, mobile apps, and as a web app.

Pricing: Wrike free plan is available with unlimited tasks and users. Pricing plans are quite expensive: Team (for small teams) at $10 per user/month, Business (for all teams) at $25 per user/month, and Enterprise and Pinnacle for teams with complex workflow needs with custom pricing.

Pros and Cons of Wrike

Wrike is a great project management software that can improve work collaboration and productivity. It offers many robust features that can turn complex projects into easy-to-do tasks. Wrike supports different workflows, which makes it a great software for all types of teams, from IT and marketing to HR, legal, and finance.

If you’re team is looking for more simplistic solution, Wrike may not be the best choice. It’s best for those who are ready to invest a significant amount of money and dedicate some time to learn how to use the platform effectively.

6. Nifty

Best for: small to medium-sized teams, creative agencies, or businesses seeking a balance of simplicity and functionality.

How Nifty works

Nifty is a combination of several tools—a task and project manager, a shared space for docs and files, roadmap management, and discussions. It creates a unified hub for small businesses to operate in one platform instead of switching between tabs and apps.

This project management software also offers some automation features that help to minimize redundant tasks to boost productivity.

Main features of Nifty:

Roadmaps for different projects with custom fields, dependencies, recurring milestones, and task lists.
Different graphical views of project structure: Kanban view, list, swimlane, timeline, and calendar views.
Collaborative functionalities: sharing files, chat, threads, turning discussions into tasks.
Docs and files that your team can work on together.
Basic time tracking with time logs.
Nifty Orbit AI helps to personalize your experience with automation.
Goal tracking with KPIs

Integrations: You can integrate Nifty directly with apps such as Harvest, Webex, Zoom, Slack, Github, Miro, and Typeform. Other than that, you can import your work from Microsoft Suite and upload tasks from Google Drive and Google Calendar. There’s also the possibility to connect with all other apps via Zapier.

Available for: Nifty is available for desktop (Windows, Mac), mobile devices (Android, iOS), and as a Chrome extension.

Pricing: Nifty is completely free forever for unlimited members and up to 2 projects. Or you can subscribe to one of the paid plans: Personal at $7 per member/month, Pro at $10 per member/month, Business at $16 per member/month, or Enterprise with custom pricing.

Pros and Cons of Nifty

If you’re looking for a user-friendly workflow automation tool, Nifty will be the right choice. It doesn’t require any additional onboarding for new users and will be suitable for small businesses with a tight budget.

As for the cons, Nifty works great mostly as a collaborative workspace. You won’t be able to track expenses and monitor project profitability. Hence, for managing the financial aspects of your business, you’ll need to invest in additional payroll software.

7. Jira

Best for: software development teams and Agile practitioners focused on bug tracking and issue management.

How Jira works

Jira is an advanced project management software dedicated to teams working in Agile methodologies, Scrum, or those operating within the critical path framework.

It’s best for issue and bug tracking, but it also helps to properly plan and organize work in a neat structure.

Main features of Jira:

Customizable boards to visualize workflows, prioritize backlogs, and manage sprints.
Sprints and backlogs for Agile teams.
Planning: setting deadlines, roadmaps, goals, and deliverables; adding assignees.
You can collaborate with the team on tasks (comment, share information, and track progress).
No-code automation rules save time by handling repetitive tasks, like updating statuses or triggering notifications across projects.
Real-time updates and email notifications.

Integrations: Jira integrates externally with plenty of apps and tools. You can choose our favorite from the marketplace or use the built-in integrations.

Try our integration to get deep insights and analytics into your team’s work. Check the TimeCamp and Jira integration for efficient time tracking.

Available for: only as a cloud-based solution.

Pricing: the free version of Jira is available for up to 10 users. Pricing starts at $8.6 per user/month and depends on the number of users. The more users, the less you pay per seat.

Pros and Cons of Jira

While Jira is suitable for all industries, it might be quite heavy for creatives and teams who need to manage projects that require lots of different activities. It also lacks communication and collaboration features.

Many users complain that Jira is hard to use, and the steep learning curve is one of the tool’s biggest challenges. Jira is a very specific tool that is best for technical teams.

8. Asana

Best for: non-technical teams, agencies, or businesses needing flexible task management and collaboration.

How Asana works

Asana is a powerful project management system that helps to bring everyone together and organize work across different departments. It provides visibility for all and allows for easy planning and progress tracking, while at the same time giving full control of how each team member wants to organize their personal workflow.

Asana’s universal features can also be helpful for distributed teams, hybrid teams, or businesses operating remotely.

Main features of Asana:

Organize projects in different ways according to your needs in a one shared hub.
Rich task management features.
Goal setting and reporting allow you to set objectives in accordance with the company’s mission and values, and track progress with analytics, dashboards, and insights.
Graphs, charts, tables, and other visual aids enable you to track all projects effectively.
Ability to create fully customization-free workflows. You can also use forms, rules, bundles, and project templates.
Basic time tracking.
Permission and access controls.
Real-time updates—these are critical for effective project management.

Integrations: Asana integrates with 270+ apps. You can also utilize the API to develop custom applications.

Available for: Asana is accessible via desktop app, web browser, and mobile app.

Pricing: Asana offers a limited free plan with unlimited tasks, projects, messages, and file storage for up to 10 members. Other plans start at €10.99 per user, per month, billed annually (€ 13.49 billed monthly).

Pros and Cons of Asana

Asana is a powerful project management software with many helpful features, but sometimes it can be a bit complicated with bigger tasks. It’s also not as intuitive, which may make it a bit heavy to use.

What’s more, Asana is a highly secure tool, so all your data is safe and sound.

How to Choose the Best Project Management Tool?

To choose the right app for managing projects, it’s not enough to tick off the items on the “features list.” You need to consider several factors.

First of all, it’s important to determine your budget before choosing a project management software. For that reason, consider whether the platform you want to invest in is what you really need. If you’re not sure, use free trials to test the software and analyze plans from all the software providers to see if you can get what you need at an affordable price (most project management platforms offer free plans).

You can also create fictitious projects during trials to test all the features. And don’t forget about the ease of use because software that is hard to learn will not bring any value to your business.

Then, look at the pros and cons and consider the overall worth of the tool for your small business—will it help your team, or will it add more work?

And don’t forget about the usability. Ease of use is crucial when choosing project management software; a tool that is difficult to learn or operate is essentially ineffective.

And lastly—security. Most project management software providers ensure security by using SOC 2 Type II compliant servers, and they typically come with robust security and privacy features.

Conclusion: The Best Project Management Apps for Small Businesses

By 2026 project management will see a surge in AI and automation, with tools leveraging machine learning for predictive analytics, automated task scheduling, and real-time risk management. These advancements will allow project managers to shift focus from routine tasks to strategic decision-making, enhancing overall efficiency.

Choosing scalable, AI-integrated tools will be essential for teams to adapt to dynamic project demands and maintain a competitive edge in an evolving landscape. As these trends continue to shape the project management landscape, small businesses can now access powerful tools that were once only available to larger organizations.

Once you’ve chosen the best tool for your needs, enhance it by integrating TimeCamp for free. With its powerful time tracking features, you’ll gain valuable insights to boost productivity and keep your projects on track. Sign up today and start optimizing your workflow!

Sources:

Mordor Intelligence, Project Management Software Market Size – Industry Report on Share, Growth Trends & Forecasts Analysis (2025–2030), https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/project-management-software-systems-market.Mordor Intelligence+2

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Kate Borucka Kate is a professional freelance copywriter and translator with a niche focus on time tracking software, time management, and SaaS solutions. With a degree in English studies, she has a knack for turning complex technical topics into clear, engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences. When she’s not immersed in the latest software trends or navigating linguistic differences between English and Polish, she’s busy trying to master the art of squeezing more hours out of the day—juggling work, life, and embarking on new adventures with her endlessly curious daughter, discovering the world together (and loving every minute of it), always finding ways to weave the insights from their adventures into her creative work.

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CUSTOMER STORIES

Top / Free / Best Project Management Software for Small Business for 2025

What Is Project Management Software?

Why Use Project Management Software?

What to Look for in Project Management Software for Small Businesses?

The Best / TOP / FREE Project Management Software for Small Businesses

1. TimeCamp

How TimeCamp works

Pros and Cons of TimeCamp

2. TeamGantt

How TeamGantt works

Pros and Cons of TeamGantt

3. ClickUp

How ClickUp works

Pros and Cons of ClickUp

4. Trello

How Trello works

Pros and Cons of Trello

5. Wrike

How Wrike works

Pros and Cons of Wrike

6. Nifty

How Nifty works

Pros and Cons of Nifty

7. Jira

How Jira works

Pros and Cons of Jira

8. Asana

How Asana works

Pros and Cons of Asana

How to Choose the Best Project Management Tool?

Conclusion: The Best Project Management Apps for Small Businesses

Sources:

Check out our other popular posts

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