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Asana is our best overall pick for teams coordinating work across projects, while Trello is a simpler, lower-cost choice for visual task tracking. The right alternative depends on the work: agencies should look at Teamwork.com, software teams at Linear, and PMOs at Smartsheet. Starting prices range from $5 for Trello to $10.99 for Asana among these picks, but a starting price is not the whole bill. Check seat requirements, plan limits, annual commitments and the features your team needs before switching.
Quick picksThe shortlist
AsanaAsanaBest overall · $10.99/mo
TrelloTrelloBest for visual boards · $5/mo
monday.commonday.comBest for visual workflows · £8/mo
ClickUpClickUpBest for tool consolidation · $9/mo
WrikeWrikeBest for structured projects · $10/mo
Teamwork.comTeamwork.comBest for agencies · $9.99/mo
SmartsheetSmartsheetBest for PMOs · $9/mo
LinearLinearBest for product teams · $10/mo
TaigaTaigaBest for agile teams · €4.17/mo
NiftyNiftyBest for projects and docs · $10/mo
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AsanaAsana | 7.0 | $10.99/mo | Yes | — |
| TrelloTrello | 7.3 | $5/mo | Yes | — |
| monday.commonday.com | 6.5 | £8/mo | Yes | — |
| ClickUpClickUp | 6.7 | $9/mo | Yes | — |
| WrikeWrike | 7.1 | $10/mo | Yes | 14 days |
| Teamwork.comTeamwork.com | 7.2 | $9.99/mo | Yes | 14 days |
| SmartsheetSmartsheet | 6.7 | $9/mo | No | — |
| LinearLinear | 7.7 | $10/mo | Yes | — |
| TaigaTaiga | 7.2 | €4.17/mo | Yes | — |
| NiftyNifty | 7.2 | $10/mo | Yes | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallAsanaAsana
Asana is our strongest general pick for teams coordinating cross-project work, shared workflows, goals and dependencies. Its listed starting price is $10.99, with a free plan available. That is not the cheapest entry point here, and higher tiers plus custom enterprise pricing deserve scrutiny. Choose it when teams need a shared hub across projects; compare plan features and total seat cost before committing.
What works
- Connects tasks, projects, goals, and dependencies
- Supports shared workflows for people and AI agents
- Starter includes unlimited automations and free guests
What doesn't
- Personal is limited to two users
- Advanced costs $24.99 per user monthly when billed annually
- Enterprise and Enterprise+ pricing is custom
- Best for visual boardsTrelloTrello
Trello is a straightforward board-based task manager for individuals and small teams that prefer visual workflows. It has a free plan and starts at $5, with clear scaling costs in our comparison. That makes it an accessible option when boards, automation and integrations cover the work. It is less suited to buyers looking for a broader project-and-workflow hub, so check whether its board-first approach fits your team.
What works
- Free plan includes up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards
- Inbox, Boards, and Planner cover core task organization
- Standard offers unlimited boards
What doesn't
- Free plan limits automation to 250 command runs monthly
- Free plan file size limit is 10MB
- Standard costs $6 per user monthly, or $5 annually billed
- Best for visual workflowsmonday.commonday.com
monday.com is worth considering when a team wants customizable workflows and visual dashboards, particularly in marketing or operations. The listed starting price is $8, and a free plan is available. The headline price is only a starting point: check seat pricing and plan limits before moving a team over. It is a better shortlist option for teams that value workflow flexibility than for buyers choosing on entry price alone.
What works
- Free plan includes up to two seats
- 200+ templates on the Free plan
- AI agents can handle several team tasks
What doesn't
- Paid prices are per seat and billed annually
- Monthly-billed prices are not published
- Basic includes 1,000 AI credits monthly
- Best for tool consolidationClickUpClickUp
ClickUp brings projects, docs, chat and time tracking together, which may appeal to small teams trying to consolidate work tools. It has a free plan and a listed starting price of $9. The trade-off is complexity: users report that the product can feel complicated, alongside reliability concerns. Consider it if combining tasks and docs matters, but check that the included tools and day-to-day workflow justify the change.
What works
- Connects projects, docs, chat and time tracking
- Free plan includes five spaces
- Core lists unlimited storage
What doesn't
- Core and Business billing terms are not specified
- Free plan limits storage to 60 MB
- Free plan allows 100 automation actions monthly
- Best for structured projectsWrikeWrike
Wrike fits teams coordinating cross-functional projects that also need resource planning and reporting. Its listed starting price is $10, with a free plan available. The caveats are meaningful: the comparison flags annual subscriptions and setup overhead, so the entry price does not tell the full switching story. It is a stronger candidate for teams that need structured project work than for buyers seeking the simplest setup.
What works
- Free plan includes project and task management
- Team plan includes interactive Gantt charts
- Business adds work templates and standard integration
What doesn't
- Team and Business prices are billed annually
- Monthly-billed rates are not published
- Seats are sold in specified group sizes
- Best for agenciesTeamwork.comTeamwork.com
Teamwork.com is aimed at agencies and client teams that need to track project margins, staff capacity and forecasts from logged hours. Its listed starting price is $9.99, and a free plan is available. Minimum seats and plan caps can raise the bill, so calculate the cost for your actual team size rather than comparing starting prices. It is worth a look when client delivery economics matter, not just task lists.
What works
- Combines project delivery with profitability tracking
- Plans capacity by skill or role
- Uses logged hours for reporting and forecasting
What doesn't
- Basics requires at least three users
- Accelerate requires at least five users
- Free plan is capped at five projects
- Best for PMOsSmartsheetSmartsheet
Smartsheet is a candidate for PMOs coordinating multiple projects, building portfolio dashboards or planning resources across teams. The listed starting price is $9; no free plan is specified in the published details. Its structured approach may suit organizations managing portfolios, but it is less compelling for teams after simple, low-cost project tracking. Check the specific plan and features required before treating the starting price as your expected cost.
What works
- Project and portfolio visibility
- Resource and capacity planning
- Centralized intake and approvals
What doesn't
- No free plan listed
- Pro limits automations to 250 monthly
- Business starts at $19 per member/month billed annually
- Best for product teamsLinearLinear
Linear is a focused project and issue-tracking option for product teams planning work from idea to launch, including Jira switchers who prioritize simplicity. It has a free plan and a listed starting price of $10. Our comparison flags reporting needs and annual pricing as items to check before switching. It belongs on a software-team shortlist, but general project teams may find a broader workflow tool a better fit.
What works
- Free plan supports unlimited members
- Basic includes unlimited issues and file uploads
- Business adds private teams and Triage Intelligence
What doesn't
- Free plan is limited to two teams and 250 issues
- Basic and Business prices are annual billing only
- Monthly prices are not published
- Best for agile teamsTaigaTaiga
Taiga offers Scrum and Kanban coverage, a free tier and self-hosting, making it a notable option for small teams that want agile workflows or control over deployment. Its listed starting price is $4.17. The comparison flags storage caps and OIDC setup as details to check, so the low entry price is not the only consideration. It is a more specific fit for agile teams than a default choice for every department.
What works
- Free plan includes unlimited users
- Supports both Kanban and Scrum
- Custom workflows, roles, and permissions
What doesn't
- Free plan allows just one public and private project
- Free storage is capped at 10MB
- Enthusiast plan storage is capped at 100MB
- Best for projects and docsNiftyNifty
Nifty combines project planning and collaboration with docs, forms, roadmaps and AI, which may suit teams wanting those pieces together. It has a free plan and a listed starting price of $10. The free plan is tightly capped, and our comparison says user sentiment is unclear. Shortlist it when its mix of planning and documentation fits your workflow, but verify the limits before migrating active projects.
What works
- Combines roadmaps, tasks, discussions, docs and forms
- Task views include Kanban, List and Timeline
- Free plan allows unlimited members
What doesn't
- Free plan allows only 2 active projects
- Free plan includes just 100 MB storage
- Pro per-member billing is $16 monthly without annual billing
03How we chose
We weigh published pricing, plan limits, product documentation and user sentiment on Reddit. We look at whether each tool can support the core job: planning projects, assigning work, tracking progress and coordinating a team. We give more weight to details buyers can verify—such as stated prices and caps—than to broad marketing claims. If a price, limit or feature is not published in the material available to us, we say so rather than estimate it. We do not claim hands-on testing, benchmarks or screenshots.
04Choose for the work your team needs to coordinate
Start with the work, not a feature checklist. Map how your team plans projects, assigns owners, tracks progress and handles changes. Then decide what must be visible in one place: deadlines, workload, dependencies, approvals or client updates. Those needs help narrow a long list that includes Asana, Trello, Linear, Smartsheet and the other tools covered here without assuming they work the same way.
Also consider who will maintain the system. A detailed setup is only useful if people keep it current; a lighter process may be easier to adopt but leave gaps in reporting or coordination. Before choosing, write down a typical project and the steps it takes from kickoff to completion. Check whether each shortlisted product can represent those steps, and confirm the relevant capabilities in its documentation. If a required feature is unclear, treat that as an open question—not a promise.
05Compare the full cost before you switch
Do not compare tools on a headline price alone. Check the published price, billing terms, plan limits and which capabilities sit behind each plan. Work out how many people need access and whether the plan covers the way your team works. The available published material here does not establish current prices or limits for the listed products, so we cannot name a cheapest option or estimate a migration bill.
Before moving, list the information you need to carry over, such as active work, owners, dates and project history. Confirm in the product documentation what can be exported or imported; do not assume a transfer will preserve every field or workflow. A small pilot with one real project can help your team spot missing requirements before a wider change. Set a review date and keep the old system available until the new process is working.
Questions people ask
Which project management tool is best?
There is no single best choice for every team. Start with the type of work you coordinate, the people who need access and the information you must track. Then compare documented capabilities, plan limits and published pricing. The published material here is not enough to rank these tools by fit.
Which project management tool is cheapest?
We cannot identify the cheapest option from the available material: it does not provide current prices, billing terms or plan limits for the listed products. Compare the pricing pages directly, including the plan your team would actually need and any published caps that could force an upgrade.
What should we check before switching tools?
List the projects and information that must move, then check the documentation for export and import options. Verify which details transfer, how access will work, and whether the target plan covers your process. Pilot the change on a real project before retiring the old system.
Should we choose a tool with more features?
Not automatically. More features matter only if they solve a real coordination or reporting need and your team will maintain the process. Compare the capabilities you require with the documentation and plan limits. If a feature or limit is not published, ask the vendor rather than assume.