Short answer
Asana has the highest-ranked free plan among the project management tools we rank (87/100): Free plan for up to 2 users. 5 of the 6 tools in our project management tools ranking list a free plan.
Every tool here comes from our main project management tools ranking, which scores project management tools on 6 weighted criteria. This page keeps only the tools whose pricing page lists a free plan (not just a time-limited trial), in the same order, and shows what each free plan includes and where paid plans start.
The free plans
Free plan: Free plan for up to 2 users.
When you outgrow it: paid plans start at $10.99/user/mo (Starter, billed annually ($13.49 monthly)).
Asana organizes work into projects, tasks and goals. Starter adds timeline and Gantt views, dashboards and unlimited automations; Advanced ($24.99) adds portfolios, goals, resource management, approvals and time tracking.
Strengths
- Unlimited automations from the Starter plan
- Timeline and Gantt views on Starter
- Portfolios and resource management on Advanced
Watch-outs
- Free plan is limited to 2 users
- Portfolios and time tracking need the $24.99 Advanced plan
Read our full Asana review →
Free plan: Free Forever plan.
When you outgrow it: paid plans start at $9/user/mo (Core, billed yearly (shown against a $12 regular price)).
ClickUp combines tasks, docs, whiteboards, goals and time tracking in one workspace. Its paid plans are Core ($9) and Business ($17) per user billed yearly, plus Enterprise by quote. Gantt charts and native time tracking start on Core, and every plan includes a monthly allowance of ClickUp Brain AI credits.
Strengths
- Gantt charts and time tracking on the first paid plan
- Docs, whiteboards and goals in the same tool
- Free Forever plan with unlimited tasks
Watch-outs
- So many features that setup takes real effort
- Core and Business prices are shown as discounts from higher regular prices; confirm your price at checkout
- Extra AI credits are a paid add-on
Read our full ClickUp review →
Free plan: Free plan (2 seats); 14-day Pro trial.
When you outgrow it: paid plans start at $9/seat/mo (Basic, billed annually; paid plans start from 3 seats).
monday work management runs projects on colorful, customizable boards. Timeline and Gantt views and 250 automation actions a month start on Standard ($12); Pro ($19) raises that to 25,000 and adds time tracking and private boards.
Strengths
- Very easy to adopt, with 200+ templates
- Unlimited free viewers on paid plans
- Rated 4.7/5 on G2 from 17,000+ reviews
Watch-outs
- Gantt and automations need Standard or higher
- Paid plans start from 3 seats
- Automation actions are capped per month below Enterprise
Read our full monday.com review →
Free plan: Free plan; 14-day trial.
When you outgrow it: paid plans start at $10/user/mo (Team, billed annually, 2 to 15 users).
Wrike is a work management platform for larger and more complex projects. Team ($10) includes interactive Gantt charts and dashboards; Business ($25, 5 to 200 users) adds workspace templates and standard integrations; resource and capacity planning and budgeting are on Pinnacle.
Strengths
- Interactive Gantt charts from the Team plan
- Strong resource and capacity planning on higher tiers
- Free plan and 14-day trial with no card
Watch-outs
- Business and higher plans are annual-only
- Seats are sold in groups of 5 or more
- Resource planning needs a sales-priced plan
Read our full Wrike review →
Free plan: Free plan (10 collaborators per Workspace).
When you outgrow it: paid plans start at $5/user/mo (Standard, billed annually ($6 monthly)).
Trello is a kanban board tool from Atlassian. The free plan covers 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace; Premium ($10) adds calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map views.
Strengths
- Learn it in minutes
- Cheapest paid plan on this list
- Unlimited Power-Ups per board, even on Free
Watch-outs
- Timeline and calendar views need Premium
- Light on reporting and portfolio management
Read our full Trello review →
FAQ
What are the best free project management tools?
Asana (Free plan for up to 2 users) ranks highest among the project management tools we rank that offer a free plan. ClickUp, monday.com, Wrike also have free plans.
Is there a completely free option?
Yes, each tool on this page lists a free plan on its pricing page. Free plans have limits, shown in the table above, and paid plans add more users, usage and features.
What do free plans usually leave out?
Free plans typically cap users, records or monthly usage and leave out advanced automation, reporting and admin controls. Check each tool's limits against your team size before you commit.
When should I move to a paid plan?
When you hit a limit in the free plan or need a feature it leaves out. The table shows where each tool's paid plans start; our full project management tools ranking compares the paid tiers.
Vettlo Editorial TeamResearched and written by the Vettlo editorial team using our methodology. Prices and plan details come from each vendor's public pricing page.