In our comparison of a selection of the best project management tools, we provide you with the most important information. ➞ How to make the right choice for your team with our checklists!
Project management tools comparison: 6 top providers
Carola Moresche, Monday 15 July 2024 | Reading time: 10 min.Comparison and tips for finding the right PM tool
If you also feel like you can't see the wood for the trees when searching for a tool, then read on. Because here you will not only find a comparison of PM tools, but also tips on how to separate the wheat from the chaff to find the tool that suits your requirements:
Not all PM tools are the same
Some providers call their tool work management software, others call it a collaboration tool and still others simply call it project management software. All providers pursue one goal: to visualize the tasks and projects in the team in a transparent, traceable and plannable way. This is what digital project management tools are all about - users should no longer have to resort to pen and post-it, Excel or emails in order to work in a structured manner.
However, there are various approaches to achieving this. The easiest way to explain this is with the categories of tasks, projects and communication. There are tools that teams can use to organize tasks clearly and easily. Trello or Jira, for example, fall into this task management category. Then there are tools that place the project at the center and then, for example, place tasks, documents, effort estimation and capacity planning or budgets in the project context or portfolio context. Tools such as InLoox, Wrike or MS Project fall into this project management category. The topic of collaboration tools is a very broad field and includes communication tools such as Microsoft Teams or Slack as well as knowledge management tools such as Notion. Which type of project management tool is the "right" one depends entirely on the requirements placed on the tool.
Comparison of 6 of the best project management tools
Project management tools comparison
Comparing all the PM tools available on the market would be a mammoth task. We will therefore limit ourselves to a selection of project management tool providers. The following tools are described in detail:
InLoox [FREE TRIAL]
InLoox is the project management tool from the German software manufacturer InLoox GmbH, founded in 1999. The best-known product is probably the Modern Add-in InLoox for Outlook developed for Outlook. The way InLoox integrates with Outlook is unique on the project management software market. In addition to the add-in, users can also plan projects and tasks in the browser-based InLoox Web App. InLoox stands out thanks to its wide range of features, which offer users a great deal of flexibility and scalability. The tool is therefore suitable for teams and companies of all sizes and from all industries.
Try InLoox for free now!
Features
Many project management software manufacturers offer very good features for task planning. However, if you are looking for a web application that can also be used to create network diagrams or hybrid project planning, the range of options becomes smaller. InLoox is one of the few providers to offer a complete solution. InLoox not only offers Gantt chart functionality, which can be used to display complex project plans, but also resource utilization, time tracking and budget planning. Reports, dashboards and an API for data transfer to ERP or business intelligence systems at enterprise level are also included for project controlling. This makes InLoox an ideal alterantive to Microsoft Project.
Image: The team's resource utilization under the Gantt chart planning in InLoox Web App © InLoox GmbH
InLoox stands out especially when it comes to project planning. The Gantt chart can be used to create comprehensive network plans, including activities, milestones and tasks. In addition, you can define not only dependencies, but also relationships and restrictions between the elements and display the critical path. This enables very precise project planning. Operation is fluid, elements can be moved easily using drag and drop and if elements are dependent on each other, the entire project plan moves with them and you can see any deviations from the schedule immediately. In addition, the Gantt chart can display the workload of the people working on the project via the resource utilization.
You can also store important information in the project management and even add user-defined fields to display individual project information. This allows users to sort and filter projects using these fields and create dashboards based on them, for example. These custom fields can be created in InLoox for each area - tasks, projects, Gantt planning, mind maps, time tracking, documents, budgets.
Of course, InLoox also includes task management and communication. Tasks can be easily planned via the Kanban board, but users can also use a list view. The clear "workplace" view gives users an overview of their own and delegated tasks. A special feature of InLoox is that team members can also create personal tasks, i.e. tasks that are not assigned to a project. This has the advantage that the entire working day can be mapped in InLoox and not just the project work. For project managers, it has the advantage that they can include the full workload of the team when planning resources. Project and task notes enable efficient communication and changes in tasks and projects are communicated to the team via notifications.
Integrations
InLoox offers many functions "out of the box" (e.g. resource utilization, budgets, time tracking, etc.) that are only available from many other providers via external integrations and add-ins. InLoox is very well integrated into the Microsoft app landscape. In addition to Microsoft 365 integration and Outlook integration, the company also offers integration with Teams and Microsoft SharePoint, for example, as well as an interface to the business reporting tool Power BI. The well-documented API enables data exchange with other systems, such as SAP or Salesforce.
Image: Capturing emails and appointments from Outlook in InLoox Web App © InLoox GmbH
The Outlook integration in particular makes everyday work easier for users. Using the Modern Outlook add-in from InLoox, emails can be converted into tasks in InLoox, new projects can be created and documents can be stored in the correct document folder in InLoox with just one click. The InLoox Web App also offers the option of dragging emails from the inbox directly into a project as a task via the Track feature and filing appointments from the calendar for time tracking in projects.
Data storage
InLoox is available as a cloud edition and as an on-premise edition.
Server location
With the cloud version InLoox now!, the data is stored entirely in the German Microsoft data centers in the "Microsoft Azure Cloud". The data centers are located in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin and are subject to German law.
Support
InLoox offers all users free technical support by email and telephone in German and English. Users can also submit tickets via the support portal. They can also take advantage of the online help, video tutorials and regular free webinars. For a quick start, the manufacturer also offers project templates for a wide range of use cases and industries. InLoox also offers training courses and workshops to help users implement and use the software.
Free trial
Prospective customers can test InLoox in the Enterprise version, i.e. with the full range of features, free of charge for 30 days. The trial is completely non-binding and no payment details need to be entered. After the 30 days, the trial ends automatically and users do not need to take any action. The account is automatically deleted after 90 days. If you want to continue using the software, you can have your account activated and all data from the test phase will be transferred and users can continue working seamlessly.
monday.com
monday.com (formerly dapulse) is a work management platform that was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. The focus of monday.com as a work management program is strongly on optimizing workflows and team collaboration. In 2020, the company released version 2.0 of its software, which offers numerous automations and workflow templates.
Features
Like other cloud providers in the English-speaking world, monday.com places great emphasis on playfulness and convenience. As soon as you start using the software, templates for various use cases are suggested. There are also many ready-made widgets and workflows within a project. This is convenient for completely new users, but the many options can also be a little overwhelming if you don't yet know exactly what you want.
Like its competitors Wrike and Asana, monday.com is strong when it comes to task management. What is a little unusual is that the Kanban view is not always one of the standard views and the handling is not quite the same as you are used to from other programs. The display is as you are used to, but columns can only be customized in the main view, for example, by adjusting the "Status" column.
Image: The Kanban view in monday.com
This somewhat unusual handling runs through various points and makes the program less intuitive than you would expect and as a new user you almost always have to look in the online help. On the positive side, you actually get an answer to every question.
As with the providers mentioned below, the Gantt chart is more of a timeline and it is not possible to create relationships or dependencies between elements. At least not directly via drag & drop in the "Gantt view", but only via the "main view" using an extra column. The program is therefore less suitable for very large and complex projects with many dependencies. monday.com offers a resource view and budgets can also be tracked via extra columns and displayed in the dashboard. The strength of monday.com clearly lies in the automation of task workflows to other programs.
Image: The Gantt view in monday.com
Integrations
monday.com makes its API publicly available and offers its own app marketplace where external software developers can also offer interfaces between monday.com and other programs. There are interfaces to the most common business programs, such as Microsoft Teams or Adobe Creative Cloud.
Data storage
Cloud only.
Server location
According to Monday's privacy policy, data is stored at several locations worldwide, including in the USA, Europe, Israel, Guatemala, the UK and other locations.
Support
Monday offers detailed online help, webinars, tutorial videos and a community forum (in English only). Support can be contacted via a contact form.
Free trial
You can test the Pro package for 30 days. All important features are included in the Pro package, only some enterprise-level features, such as advanced reporting and analytics, are not included in this package.
Free edition
Yes, there is a free version for up to 2 users, but there is a limit on how many items you can create (up to 1000 items) and the amount of storage space (500 MB of memory).
Try InLoox for free!
Asana
The Californian company Asana was founded in 2008 by two former Facebook employees. The focus of Asana is on smooth team collaboration. Users can plan tasks and projects via the browser-based web app or the Asana mobile app. Asana is known for its gamification features, such as unicorns that fly across the screen when a task is completed. These playful elements are designed to increase user motivation.
Funktionen Features
The business version of Asana offers a comprehensive collaboration tool that can be used to efficiently plan tasks in particular. Task planning is one of Asana's strengths, and the gamification aspects and design bring a relaxed atmosphere to everyday life. It is easy to use and the user interface is tidy.
Image: The board view in Asana
The different task views (list, board, timeline & calendar) are practical as they cater to different needs and offer users flexibility when planning tasks. The task dashboard also provides a good overview of the degree of completion of project tasks.
However, if you work a lot with Gantt chart planning or have complex work breakdown structures, some features are missing in that area. The timeline is more of an alternative task view than a traditional Gantt chart, as there are no tasks and no relationships can be defined. Here you can see the strong task focus of the tool.
Image: The timeline in Asana
Integrations
For users who lack features such as time tracking or budgets, Asana offers an extensive integration library for a wide range of tools. Asana can also be connected to other systems via the API.
Data storage
Asana is only available as a cloud solution.
Server location
The project data is stored in data centers in the USA. According to the manufacturer, the data is hosted in "secure SSAE 16 certified data centers using Amazon RDS in the USA".
Support
According to our research, Asana does not offer telephone support. However, users can access online help, the Asana forum or the Asana Academy via the Asana support page. If you have further problems, you can contact support via a contact form on the website.
Free trial
Interested parties can test Asana in the Business Edition free of charge for 30 days. If no payment details are provided, the subscription will automatically be downgraded to the free Basic version at the end of the trial period.
Free edition
Asana offers a free basic edition of its software for teams with up to 15 users. The range of features of the free version is limited, e.g. if you want to define the start date for tasks, you have to upgrade to the premium version.
Wrike
Wrike was founded in 2003 by Andrew Filev. In 2021, it was announced that Wrike had been acquired by Citrix. Wrike describes its software as a work management and collaboration platform. Users can plan tasks and projects via the Wrike web app, desktop app and mobile app.
Features
Wrike offers all the features teams need for efficient collaboration. Like Asana, Wrike's strength lies particularly in task planning. Especially for agencies and marketing teams, the bookable additional functions such as Wrike Proof or Wrike Publish are a good way to optimize approval workflows.
Image: The task board in Wrike
A special feature of Wrike is that projects can also be organized in folders and the individual project phases are subfolders. This folder structure has the advantage that it is not only familiar to most users, but also clear. The disadvantage is that you cannot define your own information such as status and project end date for the project in this case. However, if you don't want to do this, you can also create projects as "Projects" as normal. The project info page is generally kept very simple, you can enter information such as project name, start and end date, description and comments, but it is not possible to add further fields. It should be noted that this only applies to the project info, user-defined fields can be added in the task view.
Image: The Gantt chart in Wrike
Alongside InLoox, Wrike was one of the few solutions to offer a Gantt chart, whereby "tasks" are also regarded as "activities". This can be a little unfamiliar for some project managers who work according to the PMBOK and other PM standards, for example. Moving the Gantt elements is a bit cumbersome, especially if you want to change the order. In other tools, such as InLoox, you can change the order of the elements simply by dragging and dropping, in Wrike this is only possible by changing the start or end date.
Integrations
Wrike offers a wide range of free integrations to the most common business tools. Some add-ons, such as resource management or reporting, can be booked for a fee.
Data storage
Wrike is only available as a cloud solution.
Server location
Wrike's data centers are located in the USA and also in the EU (Amsterdam). There is no German data center, but the data center in Amsterdam offers data storage in the EU.
Support
In the event of problems, users can consult the knowledge database in the Wrike Help Center. In addition to help articles, there are live sessions and a user forum (in English only). You can also submit a ticket via an online contact form and contact Wrike Support.
Free trial
Interested parties can test Wrike free of charge for 14 days in the professional version.
Free edition
Wrike offers a free version of its tool for an unlimited number of users. Users of the free edition can also use the desktop and mobile apps.
awork
awork ist die Projektsoftware des 2012 gegründeten deutschen Software-Unternehmens HQLabs GmbH. Das erste Produkt von HQLabs ist die Agentursoftware HQ, so dass man annehmen könnte, dass awork nur für Agenturen geeignet sei. awork is the project software from the German software company HQLabs GmbH, founded in 2012. HQLabs' first product is the agency software HQ, so one might assume that awork is only suitable for agencies. awork, however, offers features that are also suitable for teams in other areas.
Features
Although awork is primarily a task management tool, it also offers features such as time tracking and resource utilization as standard. For time tracking, awork even offers a stopwatch feature, which can be used to track and record the processing time of tasks at any time. These recorded times can also be exported in a report. The user interface is clean and users can quickly get started with task planning. The list view is slightly different to other tools. Not only are all project tasks displayed in a list, but users can also assign tasks to different lists and organize them in this way. This workflow is somewhat unusual and the list assignment is also not displayed in the timeline.
Image: The board view in awork
Like asana, the timeline is more of an alternative task view with which you can at least display dependencies between tasks. However, it is pleasant to use, the display is appealing and sufficient to get an overview of the project, even if you cannot use it to map complex project plans.
Image: The timeline in awork
Integrations
awork offers an API with which users can connect to other systems. For the billing of time tracking entries, for example, awork offers integration with various accounting systems.
Data storage
Awork only offers a cloud solution.
Server location
According to the manufacturer, project data is stored in data centers in Germany.
Support
Starting with the premium version, awork offers personal telephone support and live chat. Users can also find documentation with descriptions and animated images in the Help Center.
Free trial
Interested parties can test awork for 14 days free of charge and without obligation. No payment details need to be entered and the trial ends automatically. awork also offers an unlimited 30-day money-back guarantee for all premium accounts.
Free edition
awork does not offer a free version of its software.
Stackfield
Stackfield was founded in 2012 and, like InLoox, has its headquarters in Munich. Stackfield focuses on team collaboration and communication and promises "highly secure project work and internal communication". The software is developed in Germany and the data is hosted entirely in Germany.
Features
The focus on collaboration and communication is immediately apparent in Stackfield's features. There are various areas in the individual projects that users can show and hide as required. In addition to the "Tasks", "Schedule" and "Documents" areas, which are also familiar from other PM tools, there are also the "Communication" and "Discussion" areas. "Communication" is virtually project progress and project notes in one. "Discussions" is reminiscent of a forum in which you can discuss various topics in your own threads. Another communication tool is the chat feature with call, video call and screenshare.
Image: The board in Stackfield
Tasks can be displayed in a card, list and timeline view. In the timeline view, dependencies between tasks can be created and tasks can also be displayed as milestones. The planning options in the timeline are too simple for complex project plans. One feature that Stackfield has in common with awork is the stopwatch or timer function. Users can start a timer in each task and record times. Unlike awork and InLoox, however, Stackfield does not offer resource utilization.
Bild: Die Zeitplan-Ansicht in Stackfield Image: The timetable view in Stackfield
Integrations
Stackfield offers an API, including detailed documentation, with which users can send data from other systems to Stackfield.
Data storage
Stackfield offers its software as a cloud and on-premise solution.
Server location
Data is stored and processed entirely in Germany.
Support
Users can access support via email or the support chat within the software. Users can also find help articles on working with Stackfield, tips and tricks and other information in the Learning Center.
Free trial
Interested parties can use the premium version free of charge for 14 days. No payment details are requested.
Free edition
Stackfield does not offer a free version of its software.
What you should look out for when comparing project management tools
In our project management tool comparison, we have emphasized the most important features that you cannot do without if you want to manage a successful project. To find the right tool, you should also clarify a few points:
- How are projects currently planned and managed in our company?
- Which processes and workflows need to be improved?
- What pain points do we want to alleviate (e.g. low productivity, inefficient processes, overworked team, etc.)?
- Which features does our team really need? Which features are "nice to have"?
- What about our technical infrastructure and data protection regulations? Can we use a cloud solution or is an on-premise solution the only option for us?
Involve your team in the selection and testing process and take their feedback and wishes seriously. In this way, you can get the team on board at an early stage, create acceptance for the new software and thus increase your team's motivation.