Best project management tools for small teams

Replace guides

Replace Asana or monday.com: project management for less

Head-to-head comparisons

Both vendors' prices checked Oct 15, 2026. All comparisons.

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#1Trello

Free planLow-cost

Try Trello (opens in new tab)

Best for: Simple kanban for small teams

Price: Standard $5/user/mo billed annually ($6 monthly). Premium $10 ($12.50 monthly). Enterprise $17.50

Free plan
Easiest to learn

Timelines and views need Premium

Source: trello.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#2ClickUp

Free planLow-costAI add-on

Try ClickUp (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams wanting docs, tasks and goals in one cheap tool

Price: Unlimited $7/user/mo billed yearly ($10 monthly). Business $12 yearly ($19 monthly)

Lots of features per dollar

Busy interface, learning curve

Source: clickup.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#3Plane

Open sourceSelf-hostableLow-cost

Try Plane (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that want a modern, self-hostable project tool

Price: Pro $6/seat/mo; self-host option

Self-host option
Low seat price

Younger product

Source: plane.so/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026 · Billing period for $6 not confirmed

#4OpenProject

Open sourceSelf-hostable

Try OpenProject (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams needing Gantt and classic project management on their own server

Price: Community edition free (open source). Cloud Basic €5.95/user/mo (recommended 5+ users)

Open source community edition

Cloud plans priced in EUR
Dated UX

Source: openproject.org/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#5Notion

Free planAI-native

Try Notion (opens in new tab)

Best for: Docs-first teams that also track projects

Price: Free. Plus $10/member/mo. Business $20/member/mo

Docs, wiki and databases together

Project features lighter than Asana

Source: notion.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026 · Billing period for listed prices not confirmed

#6Asana Starter

Legacy

Visit site (opens in new tab)

Best for: Teams that need timelines, forms and automations

Price: $10.99/user/mo billed annually ($13.49 monthly). Advanced $24.99 annual ($30.49 monthly)

Unlimited free guests
Polished UX

Seats sold in increments of 5 above 5 users

Source: asana.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

#7monday.com Standard

Legacy

Visit site (opens in new tab)

Best for: Visual boards with automations

Price: $12/seat/mo billed annually (min 3 seats). Basic $9, Pro $19

Very flexible boards

Automations capped at 250 actions/mo on Standard

Source: monday.com/pricing · checked Oct 14, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What's the cheapest paid project management tool for a small business?

Of the per-user plans we verified, Trello is the lowest at $5/user/mo (Standard $5/user/mo billed annually ($6 monthly). Premium $10 ($12.50 monthly). Enterprise $17.50). Prices checked Oct 14, 2026.

Are there free project management tools?

Yes. Options with a $0 plan or free software include OpenProject. Free plans have limits; see each card.

Are there open-source project management tools?

Yes: Plane, OpenProject. Self-hosting means you handle updates, backups and security.