17 tools to consider instead of monday.com, with who each one suits, where it falls short and a source for every price. No scores or star ratings.
Updated 27 Sep 2026 · Next review 26 Dec 202617 tools · 24 min read
Disclosure: We make startbuddi, so we've put it first and been upfront about where it falls short. There are no scores or star ratings here. Every price and feature below comes from the tool's own website or our own test account, and each one links to its source.
TL;DRThe short answer
Small teams that run client projects next to their customers and invoices?startbuddi.
Teams that plan projects in lists, boards and timelines?Asana.
Teams that want tasks, docs, goals and dashboards in one workspace?ClickUp.
Small teams that want simple kanban boards for tasks and projects?Trello.
Teams that want docs, wikis and project tracking in one workspace?Notion.
Growing teams that need Gantt charts, dashboards and structured workflows?Wrike.
Find your fit · 2 questions
Which alternative suits you?
1. Do you need a free plan?
2. Which sounds most like you?
Answer both to see a suggestion. It only uses the facts on this page.
Software and product teams planning issues, cycles and releases
$10 USD, per user per month, billed yearly (Basic)
Yes
Prices are list prices as each company publishes them, never converted. startbuddi's price is shown in your currency where we can.
The alternatives
01
startbuddi
Our productBest for small teams that run client projects next to their customers and invoices
Best for
Small teams that run client projects next to their customers and invoices
Starting price
Free plan. Paid from $29 a month Starter plan, our pricing
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Work covers projects, tasks with board, list and calendar views, goals and time tracking, and client portals where clients see progress and approve work. Projects sit in the same workspace as the customer record and its invoices.
Strengths
Board, list and calendar views of everyone's tasks
Client portals with approvals, sign-in by email link
Time tracking with billable hours
Project templates
Limitations
No Gantt-style resource planning for large programmes
Dashboards are built by hand; no AI-built dashboards
Best for teams that plan projects in lists, boards and timelines
Best for
Teams that plan projects in lists, boards and timelines
Starting price
$10.99 USD, per user per month, billed annually ($13.49 billed monthly)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Asana is a work management tool for tasks and projects, with list, board and calendar views on every plan. Paid plans add timelines, reporting dashboards, automations and forms, and the Advanced plan adds portfolios and goals.
Strengths
Free Personal plan for up to 2 users with unlimited tasks and projects
Timeline (Gantt) view, dashboards, forms and unlimited automations from the Starter plan
Goals, portfolios, time tracking and approvals on Advanced
100+ integrations on the free plan
Limitations
Free plan is limited to 2 users
Goals and portfolios need the Advanced plan ($24.99 per user per month billed annually)
AI requests are capped per user per month, with extra usage paid
ClickUp is a work management app with tasks, list, board and calendar views, docs, whiteboards and goals. It has a free forever plan with limits, and paid plans add unlimited storage, Gantt charts, automations and dashboards.
Strengths
Free forever plan with unlimited tasks
Goals, Gantt charts and time tracking on the Unlimited plan
Apps for web, desktop (including Linux) and mobile
Optional AI add-ons (Brain AI from $9 per user per month)
Limitations
Free plan caps storage at 60MB and limits Spaces, forms and whiteboards
Automations (5K a month) and unlimited dashboards start on Business at $12 per user per month billed annually
AI is a separate paid add-on, not included in the base plans
Best for small teams that want simple kanban boards for tasks and projects
Best for
Small teams that want simple kanban boards for tasks and projects
Starting price
$5 USD, per user per month, billed annually (Standard)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, desktop app, iOS, Android
Trello, from Atlassian, organises work on boards of lists and cards. The free plan supports up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per workspace, with Power-Ups and basic automation. Premium adds calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map views.
Strengths
Free plan with unlimited cards, unlimited Power-Ups and iOS and Android apps
Standard adds unlimited boards, custom fields and card mirroring
Built-in automation with monthly command runs (250 on Free, 1,000 on Standard, unlimited on Premium)
Capture to-dos from email, Slack and Teams into an inbox
Limitations
Free is limited to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per workspace, with 10MB files
Calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map views need Premium ($10 per user per month, billed annually)
Best for teams that want docs, wikis and project tracking in one workspace
Best for
Teams that want docs, wikis and project tracking in one workspace
Starting price
$10 USD, per member per month, billed yearly (Plus plan)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, desktop, mobile
Notion is a connected workspace for documents, wikis and databases that teams use to track projects and tasks. The free plan suits individuals, while team use and full Notion AI need paid plans.
Strengths
Free plan with unlimited blocks for individuals
Plus plan removes block and file upload limits and allows unlimited guests
Business plan includes Notion AI agents, AI meeting notes and enterprise search
Desktop and mobile apps with offline use
Limitations
Free plan limits blocks once 2 or more members join and caps uploads at 5 MB
Full Notion AI is included only from the Business plan ($20 per member per month billed yearly)
Page history is 7 days on Free and 30 days on Plus
Best for growing teams that need Gantt charts, dashboards and structured workflows
Best for
Growing teams that need Gantt charts, dashboards and structured workflows
Starting price
$10 USD, per user per month (Team, billed annually)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, desktop, mobile
Wrike is project management software with board, table and Gantt views, dashboards and AI features. The Team plan is for 2 to 15 users, and higher plans add templates, resource planning and budgeting.
Strengths
Free plan with unlimited users, project and task management, and board and table views
Team plan adds interactive Gantt charts, shareable dashboards and AI features
Web, desktop and mobile apps
14-day free trial with no credit card
Limitations
The Team plan is limited to 2 to 15 users
Resource planning and budgeting are on the Pinnacle plan, which is priced on request
Templates and standard integrations start on the Business plan ($25 per user per month)
Best for small teams and freelancers who want flat-priced project and client collaboration
Best for
Small teams and freelancers who want flat-priced project and client collaboration
Starting price
$25 USD, per month, flat price (annual billing also available)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Basecamp is a project management and team communication tool built around message boards, to-dos, card tables, chat and a shared calendar. Paid plans are a flat monthly price with no per-user fees, from the Freelancer plan up to Unlimited Edition.
Strengths
Flat pricing with no per-user fees; Studio at $59 per month includes unlimited users
Free plan covers 1 active project, 5 users and 1GB of storage
Tools include message boards, to-dos, card tables, Campfire chat, check-ins, docs and files, and Hill Charts
30-day free trial on paid plans with no credit card
Limitations
Paid plans cap active projects: 3 on Freelancer, 10 on Studio and 25 on Pro
The Freelancer plan is limited to 20 users and 5GB of storage
The features page does not list Gantt charts or task dependencies
Best for teams that plan work in spreadsheet-style grids with Gantt views
Best for
Teams that plan work in spreadsheet-style grids with Gantt views
Starting price
$9 USD, per member per month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly), Pro plan
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
Web
Smartsheet is spreadsheet-style work management with Gantt, table, board and calendar views, forms, reports and automations. Pro is for 1 to 10 members, and Business adds timeline view, workload tracking and unlimited automations.
Strengths
Gantt, table, board and calendar views on the Pro plan
Unlimited sheets, forms and reports from Pro
Unlimited contributors on Pro; unlimited guests on Business
30-day free trial with no credit card
Limitations
No free plan, only a 30-day trial
Pro is capped at 10 members and 250 automations a month
Portfolios, scenario planning and SSO need Enterprise, which is quoted
Best for teams that want spreadsheet-style databases they can shape into their own project tracker
Best for
Teams that want spreadsheet-style databases they can shape into their own project tracker
Starting price
$20 USD, per user per month, billed annually
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Airtable is a database tool with a spreadsheet-like interface that teams use to build their own trackers, plans and workflows. It has a free plan for individuals and small teams, with paid Team and Business plans priced per user. Record and storage limits rise with each plan.
Strengths
Free plan with up to 5 editors
Team plan allows 50,000 records and 20GB of attachments per base
Read-only collaborators and form submissions are not charged on paid plans
One year of revision and snapshot history on the Team plan
Limitations
Free plan is capped at 1,000 records and 1GB of attachments per base
Paid prices shown are per user, billed annually
Business plan costs $45 per user per month (billed annually)
Best for software and technical teams that plan work in backlogs, boards and timelines
Best for
Software and technical teams that plan work in backlogs, boards and timelines
Starting price
$7.91 USD, per user per month (Standard, monthly)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Jira is Atlassian's work tracking tool for planning and tracking projects and tasks, with backlog, board, timeline and calendar views. The Free plan covers up to 10 users, and paid plans add roles and permissions, more automation and storage.
Strengths
Free for up to 10 users with backlog, list, board, timeline, calendar and summary views
Standard plan adds user roles and permissions, external collaboration and 250GB of storage
Automation steps scale per user on paid plans (400 per user per month on Standard)
Every paid plan includes Rovo AI search, chat and agents
Limitations
The Free plan has 2GB of storage and 150 automation steps per month for the whole subscription
Free plan support is through the Atlassian Community only
Cross-team planning and dependency management are listed on the Premium plan
Best for agencies and service teams that bill clients for project time
Best for
Agencies and service teams that bill clients for project time
Starting price
$9.99 USD, per user per month, billed annually (Basics plan, minimum 3 users)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, desktop, mobile
Teamwork.com is project management for teams that deliver client work, with time tracking, budgets and invoicing from logged time. A free plan covers up to 5 users, and higher plans add retainers, resource planning and profitability reports.
Strengths
Free plan for up to 5 users
Billable time tracking and reporting from the Basics plan
Time budgets, retainers and client invoicing from logged time on Accelerate
Desktop and mobile apps on every plan
Limitations
Free plan is limited to 5 projects and 100 MB of storage
Paid plans have minimum user counts (3 on Basics, 5 on Accelerate)
Resource planning and profitability insights need the Optimize plan, which is quoted
Best for small teams managing client projects with tasks, docs and chat together
Best for
Small teams managing client projects with tasks, docs and chat together
Starting price
$10 USD, per member per month (Pro, per-member pricing for teams under 7)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Nifty is a project management tool with tasks, milestones, docs, files and team chat in one place. Pricing is flat per team for larger groups, with per-member pricing for teams under 7. The free plan has unlimited members but 2 active projects.
Strengths
Free plan with unlimited members
Guests and clients included
Time tracking, budgets and automations on Pro
Flat team pricing instead of per-seat for 7 or more people
Limitations
Free plan limited to 2 active projects and 100 MB storage
Goals tracking and team workloads start on Business
Native forms and white labelling only on the Unlimited plan ($399 per month)
Best for small teams that want low-cost project tracking with Gantt charts
Best for
Small teams that want low-cost project tracking with Gantt charts
Starting price
$4 USD, per user per month, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly), Premium plan
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web
Zoho Projects is project management software with tasks, Gantt charts, timesheets and blueprints for repeatable processes. A free plan covers up to 5 users and 3 projects, and paid plans add Gantt charts, time tracking and budgeting.
Strengths
Free plan for up to 5 users and 3 projects with 5 GB storage
Gantt charts, timesheets and blueprints from the Premium plan
Budgeting from Premium; critical path and baselines from Enterprise
15-day free trial with no credit card
Limitations
Free plan is limited to 3 projects
Gantt charts and time tracking are not on the free plan
Critical path and baselines need the Enterprise plan
Best for small agencies and freelancers who track time and invoice clients
Best for
Small agencies and freelancers who track time and invoice clients
Starting price
$9.9 USD, per month, billed monthly (Solo plan, 1 user)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, desktop, mobile
Paymo is project management with built-in time tracking and invoicing. The free plan includes unlimited time tracking and invoices for 1 user, and higher plans add Gantt charts, timesheet approvals and resource scheduling.
Strengths
Unlimited time tracking and invoices on the free plan
Desktop and mobile apps on every plan
Estimates, expenses and recurring invoices from the Plus plan
15-day free trial of any paid plan
Limitations
Free plan is limited to 1 user, 2 projects and 1 client
Gantt charts, task dependencies and workload scheduling are Pro-only
Best for agencies that track time against budgets and project profitability
Best for
Agencies that track time against budgets and project profitability
Starting price
$9 USD, per user per month, billed yearly (Essential; $10 billed monthly)
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
Web
Productive is agency management software that combines time tracking, budgeting, resource planning, project management and reporting. The Professional plan adds invoicing integrations, billable time approvals and rate cards.
Strengths
Essential includes budgeting, resource planning, time tracking, expenses and API access
Professional adds billable time approvals, expense approvals and rate cards
AI time tracking and an AI assistant on Essential
14-day free trial with no credit card
Limitations
No free plan
Timesheet (billable time) approvals start on the Professional plan ($25 per user per month)
Revenue forecasting and SSO are only on the custom-priced Ultimate plan
Best for agencies and consultancies that bill client time and run projects in one system
Best for
Agencies and consultancies that bill client time and run projects in one system
Starting price
€15 per user per month (Time-billing combination; minimum 5 users)
Free plan
Trial only
Platforms
Web
Scoro is a work management platform for service firms made of eight apps, including time tracking, projects, resource planning, quotes and invoicing. The Time-billing combination covers timesheets, billable time and invoicing.
Strengths
Time tracker, timesheets, billable time and labour cost on the entry combination
Invoicing with recurring billing, credit notes and reminders
Apps can be combined and changed as needs grow
14-day free trial with no credit card
Limitations
Minimum of 5 users on every combination
No free plan
Resource planning and project management need a higher-priced combination (from €25 per user a month)
Best for software and product teams planning issues, cycles and releases
Best for
Software and product teams planning issues, cycles and releases
Starting price
$10 USD, per user per month, billed yearly (Basic)
Free plan
Yes
Platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Linear is an issue tracking and project planning tool built around issues, projects, cycles and initiatives. The free plan allows unlimited members but caps you at 2 teams and 250 issues. Business adds unlimited teams, private teams and guests, Insights, and support-tool integrations.
Strengths
Free plan with unlimited members, API and webhook access, and import and export
Issues, projects, cycles and initiatives on every plan
AI agent platform and MCP access listed on the free plan
Desktop apps for macOS and Windows plus iOS and Android apps
Limitations
The free plan is capped at 2 teams, 250 issues and 10MB file uploads
Private teams, guest accounts, Insights and Zendesk and Intercom integrations need Business ($16 per user per month, billed yearly)
Built for or usable by small businesses and small teams
A published product page and pricing page we could check
Actively maintained, with a working sign-up or trial
Covers the core job this list is about, not just a feature of it
A mix of free, low-cost and established options
About this list
Where the facts come from
Every price, plan and feature comes from the tool's own website, pricing page or docs, or from our own test account. Each tool links to its sources and shows the date we checked them.
What we leave out
No scores, star ratings or review counts. If we can't confirm a fact from an official source, we leave it out and mark it "not published".
When it's reviewed
Last updated 27 Sep 2026. Next review due 26 Dec 2026. We review every list at least every 90 days.
Spotted something out of date?
Prices and plans change. Tell us and we'll check it again.
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