The free plan offers task management, interactive boards and spreadsheets, an account-wide work schedule tool, cloud integrations (Google Drive, OneBox, Box, OneDrive), and 2 gigabytes of total storage space for unlimited users. The interface is functional, and while it could do with a bit of a visual refresh, it is fine for the job. It's not a replacement for a dedicated time-tracking system but easily handles most basic requirements. Standard project management features like Gantt charts, dashboards, and a comprehensive reporting built in, and getting up and running on a small- to medium-sized project can be done quickly without learning all the ins and outs of a new, complicated system.Ī built-in time-tracking tool is available to both the individual working on a task and the project manager. It made our list as runner-up because it offers useful dashboards and a comprehensive reporting suite, something to consider since Trello has limited reporting options.

If Trello's approach seems a bit limited, but you don't have hours to devote to learning and setting up a complex project management tool, it's time to check out Wrike. It's available on the web, mobile, and desktop.

For everyone else, however, Trello is a great place to start with project management. There's very limited reporting built into Trello, and although third-party extensions add more options, you'll likely still need to look elsewhere if detailed reports are a major requirement. Paid plans start at $10 per month, with few or no limitations. Its unlimited storage is restricted to 10 megabytes per file. The basic free tier includes unlimited users and cards, up to 10 boards, and just one Power-Up (Trello's clever phrase for its integration with other services) per board. Once you're finished with a particular card or an entire board, it can be archived to hide it from daily view while still being accessible if needed in the future. There's plenty of power under the hood, with cards able to include images and attached files, hyperlinks, custom dropdowns, due dates, and plenty more. You can manage both individual projects and ongoing workflows equally well, and the board and card metaphors are easy to understand. Kanban is a lean project-management system that balances work demands with available capacity to improve system bottlenecks. Rather than traditional tools designed for managing resources and tracking progress towards a specific end date, kanban-based apps like Trello are more free-form and flexible.

Based around the kanban card-based management system, Trello's simple interface and generous free tier makes it the ideal place for individuals and small teams to get started with basic project management.

It project planning tools