Nov 24
The most outstanding and best project management apps for individuals and teams looking to be more productive at work. Here's our top recommendations.
Project management isn't just for big teams and businesses.
Individuals can also use project management software to organize and manage their projects to reach new goals and achievements, but can also grow the use out over time for individuals looking to expand their team and grow their visions.
We've got the best project management apps and tools for the job, here's our top recommendations to look into.
Here's our biggest recommendations for your next ventures:
Notion has interestingly become a project management software in the last couple of years, as many people have been turning to it to combine both a wiki management experience and the ability to manage projects using their very flexible databases. For individuals, the ability to switch between these two modes gives them the flexibility to build a project management system that works for them.
For example, there's a wide variety of views, a wide variety of filters and sorting, and a huge number of use cases online that you can search for through YouTube and even download templates to get you started in a wide variety of situations. The project management software has been adopted by many solopreneurs and those who are looking to manage their own productivity like freelancers, and even those who are more self-starters in the workplace.
There are a wide variety of features in Notion that make it a compelling choice for project management software. One of these includes the database function, which allows users to customize modules to their liking.
Many people appreciate the functionality that enables switching between a wide variety of boards, such as the board view, list view, gallery, calendar, and timeline view, which is limited in the free plan. However, these views provide a great window into how to work and how to set things up. For many individuals looking for project management software, Notion is a highly flexible option that can serve as a task manager, notetaker, and a wide variety of tools all in one application.
Rising Notion alternatives have been named and one is growing popular, Anytype. This one is being called the Notion alternative for individual LifeOS planning.
ClickUp is a project management software trying to replace all your apps into one platform
Availability: iOS, Android, macOS, web & Windows
ClickUp has been on the market for some time now and is rapidly growing as a solution.
Many people have liked it in comparison to Notion because it's very flexible, but it also has additional features like whiteboards, real-time chat, and some more traditional project management setups in the free plan for personal use, which is great for individuals.
You get a limited number of tasks, collaborative documents, and whiteboards as part of the plan, as well as access to a bunch of features like calendar, Kanban boards, and additional features like in-app video recording, which is a huge bonus.
So, for individuals looking to use this for personal project management, ClickUp is actually becoming a really interesting option for many people. One of the great things is that with the feature set they have, it is a lot more scalable and can grow, in my opinion, with the structure that they have.
Some of the features in ClickUp that many individuals appreciate include the ability to manage tasks with a project management-like structure, the ability to visualize and express ideas and tasks on a whiteboard, and the option to switch to a calendar view, which is popular for its visual representation of work.
ClickUp is also very effective for scaling up. If you were to scale up for a small team, you would gain the ability to access unlimited dashboards, Gantt charts, calculations, custom views, integrations, and more team-based features. For a growing individual, perhaps a freelancer or someone starting a small venture, this could be quite beneficial. It provides the necessary structure compared to Notion, helping you to get started and organize your projects effectively.
Akiflow is an interesting one for project management.
Recently, many people have been exploring daily planner applications, primarily because these apps are highly effective for managing projects individually.
Such tools are also excellent for task consolidation, meaning they can import tasks from other apps like ClickUp, Notion, and other project management software that you might be using externally with a client, and bring them into one location.
However, they maintain the essence of task management software. These robust tools are ideal if you're seeking a more advanced to-do list application that offers ways to aggregate various tasks into one location. Think of this as a sort of task dashboard for your calendar tasks and external appointments with others.
As I mentioned, one of the standout features inside of Akiflow is task consolidation.
This feature is also seen in apps like Sunsama, which excels in aggregating tasks in one location. However, some of the best project management capabilities include the use of labels for organizing projects, as well as in-depth task management alongside your calendar to view all tasks in one location.
Another element that is particularly helpful for those managing projects individually is the guided planning feature. In the Akiflow app, they refer to this as "rituals," which essentially allows you to wind down your day and plan for the day ahead to prevent feeling overwhelmed. This is a valuable feature for individuals planning projects who are trying to manage their workload without becoming too stressed, a functionality that Sunsama offers as well.
Asana is one of the longest-standing project management software options on the market and can be used for a wide range of situations. It offers a great all-around experience and is particularly popular with product marketing and creative-based teams.
However, it is also well-suited for individual use, enabling you to manage your work effectively. There are a variety of features that users will find appealing, and the overall experience is user-friendly. Many people find it easy to get started with Asana, appreciating its intuitive design and straightforward functionality.
Asana offers a wide variety of features, but for personal users, it enables task management with unlimited tasks, projects, and messages, as well as activity logs, file storage, and the ability to assign and add due dates. There are also a wide variety of views that many people appreciate, such as list view, board view, and calendar view, all available within the free plan.
Additionally, users benefit from solid iOS and Android applications. You can access up to 100 free integrations with apps, which significantly enhances its functionality. It's with the premium or starter pricing that you gain access to more advanced features like timeline, Gantt, and workflow builder features that can elevate your workflows to the next level.
Todoist is primarily known as a task management software, but it has recently garnered attention for project management, particularly due to the introduction of team workspaces. These workspaces enable users to organize their tasks more efficiently, catering to those who appreciate list-based organization.
Furthermore, Todoist has enhanced its capabilities by adding board and calendar views, providing teams with a broader expression of information while still utilizing the custom views, filters, and labels that users have come to appreciate. This expansion of features comes at a price point much lower than many other project management software options discussed in this article, making it especially appealing to smaller teams or individuals looking to organize both their work and personal lives efficiently.
Todoist offers some of the best project management abilities, such as creating a list and doing that in a team workspace. This will allow you to essentially break away from your personal projects and your work projects, and allow you to use Todoist for both use cases. Now, inside of this team workspace, you can collaborate with other people, or as an individual, you can organize your own day ahead.
And there are some views, like board, that will help you to customize how you want that to look. Also, the more recently added calendar view will be coming, allowing you to really enhance that look and feel inside Todoist. So, for individuals, Todoist is a great experience.
Used by over 100,000 teams worldwide — Try it now for free / No credit card needed
Availability: iOS, Android, macOS, web & Windows
monday.com is a widely used project management software, and it has garnered interest for individual use as well. With monday.com, individuals can manage up to three boards in the free plan, along with unlimited documents and access to over 200 templates. There is a limitation of eight column types, which may restrict the addition of custom fields.
Nonetheless, the ability to get started and effectively use three boards provides substantial functionality. It's worth noting, however, that there are some limitations regarding the use of timeline views, calendar views, and some of the automations and integrations, which are reserved for higher-tiered pricing plans.
A lot of individuals like to utilize monday.com because they anticipate the need to scale and take advantage of the more premium-tier pricing, which gives access to additional features that can accommodate growth with teams. Many people also appreciate its approachability and consider it one of the more popular project management software options available. For individuals, the free plan offers a good way to get started.
Arguably between monday & ClickUp, ClickUp is slightly better for solo users.
Milanote has been on the market for many years now and is not just a project management software but a creative canvas for people to compile ideas and thoughts in one location in a visual experience. A lot of people, especially creatives and those who utilize imagery extensively in their work, have been turning to these visual canvases.
Many of these tools allow you to not only manage your ideas visually but also manage them structurally with column boards and the ability to assign tasks to yourself.
Milanote is one of them. It's very much like a more personal management tool for your work and projects than others, so it's worth checking out, especially for individuals managing projects in the creative field.
Basecamp is one of the longest-standing project management software, very much like Asana. Individuals can use Basecamp; however, for freelancers, startups, and smaller teams, there is a Basecamp Personal basic version that is priced at $15 per user per month, and they will only bill employees. You can invite guests for free in the plan. But what does this include? What does that get you?
You can manage unlimited projects, an awesome amount of storage space that includes 500 GB for storage for files and documents, and it's a pay-as-you-go option, allowing you to keep track of all that. You can utilize all of the features in the Basecamp plan, which offers a range of abilities, including managing your to-dos, storing, sharing work, and also scheduling work ahead.
A lot of people like Basecamp because it's a very asynchronous tool. So, if you scale the team, then you can utilize some of the more relaxed and slower approaches to productivity and communication that it offers, like getting a bird's-eye view of your projects, check-ins instead of automated, and also a Campfire area to have real-time chatter. There doesn't have to be real time because you can stay on top of communication through threads and messages.
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