22 Free Project Management Software Tools for 2026

Free project management software can cover real work—task ownership, deadlines, project views, files, and team collaboration—without adding another subscription. The catch is that every free plan limits something: users, projects, storage, automations, reporting, or advanced controls.

This guide compares 22 options by the limits that matter when choosing a tool. Plan details were checked on July 27, 2026. Vendors change packaging frequently, so confirm current limits before migrating a team. Smartsheet is included as a clearly labeled free-trial option; the other tools offer an ongoing free tier.

How to choose free project management software

• Start with team size: check whether the free tier supports every person who needs to create or update work.

• Match the workflow: list, board, calendar, table, timeline, and Gantt views solve different planning problems.

• Check hard limits: projects, tasks, records, storage, file size, automations, and activity history can force an early upgrade.

• Test collaboration: comments, guests, approvals, notifications, and permissions matter once work crosses teams or clients.

• Plan the exit: confirm export options and paid-tier costs before committing important project data.

1. Hive

Hive is a strong free option for small teams that want project management and collaboration in one workspace. Hive Free supports up to 10 workspace members and includes unlimited tasks, collaborative notes, multiple project views, email, and native messaging. That makes it useful for teams replacing a mix of task lists, status chats, and meeting notes.

Best for: teams that want flexible views and built-in collaboration without assembling several tools. Teams needing more storage, advanced analytics, timesheets, proofing, forms, or additional members can upgrade when those requirements appear. Start with Hive Free.

2. Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects fits very small teams already using the broader Zoho suite. Its free tier supports up to five users, three projects, and 5 GB of storage, with core task and project planning features. Integration with other Zoho products can be valuable for teams that want project work near CRM, meetings, and business operations.

Best for: teams of five or fewer running a small number of active projects. The three-project ceiling is the constraint to test first.

3. Trello

Trello is an approachable Kanban tool for visual task tracking. The free plan supports up to 10 collaborators per workspace, 10 boards, unlimited cards, and basic automation. Setup is fast: teams can create columns for workflow stages, add cards, assign owners, and move work as status changes.

Best for: small teams with simple, board-first workflows. Teams needing portfolio reporting, more boards, granular permissions, or richer planning views may outgrow it.

4. ClickUp

ClickUp offers a broad free tier with unlimited tasks and members, plus collaborative docs, whiteboards, and several project views. Many advanced features are available only in limited quantities on the free plan, so it is important to test the exact workflow rather than judge the plan by its feature list alone.

Best for: teams wanting many work-management features in one product and willing to configure them. Watch limits on storage, advanced views, dashboards, and automation usage.

5. Airtable

Airtable combines spreadsheet familiarity with a relational database and configurable views. Its free plan is intended for individuals and very small teams building lightweight apps, trackers, and content or project workflows. Templates make it easier to start, while linked records and custom fields support more structured data than a basic task list.

Best for: teams whose project work is data-heavy or needs custom fields and relationships. Review record, automation, attachment, and collaborator limits before scaling a shared base.

6. Wrike

Wrike provides a free tier for basic task and project organization with list, board, table, and calendar-style planning. It is a sensible entry point for teams that want structured workspaces and may later need enterprise-grade reporting, resource management, approvals, or security.

Best for: teams testing Wrike's work-management model before adopting advanced controls. Confirm which views, storage, integrations, and automation features are included for the intended workflow.

7. monday.com

monday.com offers a free plan for up to two seats and three boards. Its colorful, configurable boards work well for personal planning or a two-person team, with templates and basic task tracking available from the start.

Best for: individuals and pairs. The two-seat limit makes it a trial-sized free tier for most workplace teams, so check paid pricing before building a shared company process.

8. Asana

Asana has a free Personal plan for up to two users. It covers core task and project organization, including list and board-based work, due dates, assignees, and basic collaboration.

Best for: solo users or two-person partnerships that want a polished task system. The user cap—not task volume—is the practical constraint for teams.

9. nTask

nTask provides a free Basic plan for up to five team members. It brings tasks, projects, meetings, issues, and time-related work into one interface, making it useful for small teams that want more structure than a simple checklist.

Best for: teams of five or fewer that want task and meeting management together. Evaluate storage, advanced reporting, risk management, and Gantt functionality against the current free-tier limits.

10. GoodDay

GoodDay has a generous free plan for up to 15 users, with unlimited projects and tasks, 1 GB of storage, dashboards, custom workflows, integrations, templates, and multiple views. That combination makes it one of the more credible free options for a functioning small team.

Best for: teams needing room to collaborate before paying. Advanced analytics, resource management, time tracking, and other operational features sit in paid tiers.

11. MeisterTask

MeisterTask focuses on straightforward Kanban task management. Its free plan supports three projects with unlimited tasks and project members, making it easy to coordinate a few active workflows without a per-user free-tier cap.

Best for: teams that want clean boards and have only a handful of active projects. Integrations, reporting, timeline features, permissions, and automation are the likely upgrade triggers.

12. Indy

Indy is designed for freelancers and independent professionals. Its free plan combines task and project organization with client-facing tools, including limited monthly proposals, contracts, and invoices, plus 10 GB of storage.

Best for: solo professionals who want client administration and project work in one place. Teams or high-volume freelancers should check monthly document limits before relying on the free tier.

13. Nifty

Nifty offers a free plan with unlimited members but only two active projects and 100 MB of storage. It combines tasks, discussions, milestones, and project roadmaps, so a whole team can test the workflow without paying for seats.

Best for: teams evaluating Nifty on one or two live projects. Active-project and storage limits will matter before member count does.

14. Plaky

Plaky offers an ongoing free plan with unlimited users, boards, items, and views. It supports table and Kanban-style work, templates, guest access, and integrations within the CAKE.com product family. Limits apply to areas such as custom fields and individual file size.

Best for: growing teams that prioritize unlimited users and work items over advanced portfolio controls.

15. Teamwork

Teamwork provides a free plan for up to five users and five projects. It includes task, list, board, Gantt, and table views, time logging, client organization, chat integrations, and a limited automation allowance.

Best for: small client-service teams that want to test project delivery and time tracking together. Project count and user count are the first limits to watch.

16. Notion

Notion combines documents, databases, tasks, and lightweight project views. The free plan is strongest for individuals: personal pages and blocks are unlimited, while multi-member workspaces have collaboration limits. Free workspaces also have a 5 MB per-file limit and support up to 10 external guests.

Best for: individuals building a connected knowledge base and project system. Teams should test member, block, permission, and file constraints before centralizing work.

17. ProProfs Project

ProProfs Project offers a free account for up to three users. The current free tier includes premium features with a cap of 50 open tasks and subtasks, allowing a small team to test Kanban, Gantt, calendar, time tracking, templates, and reports.

Best for: teams of three or fewer with a modest active-task load. Open-task capacity is the key free-tier constraint.

18. Smartsheet (free trial)

Smartsheet is spreadsheet-oriented work management with grid, Gantt, board, calendar, forms, dashboards, and automation. It no longer advertises an ongoing free plan for new customers; the current entry path is a 30-day free trial, with paid plans afterward.

Best for: teams willing to evaluate a paid platform rather than seeking a permanent no-cost tool. Do not migrate ongoing work on the assumption that the trial becomes a free account.

19. Jira

Jira offers a free tier for up to 10 users with 2 GB of storage. It is particularly suited to software and technical teams that plan sprints, manage backlogs, track issues, and use Agile reports.

Best for: small development teams already comfortable with issue-based workflows. Non-technical teams may find setup and terminology heavier than simpler board tools.

20. Freedcamp

Freedcamp includes unlimited tasks, projects, and storage on its free plan, with a 10 MB limit per uploaded file. Core applications cover tasks, discussions, calendar, files, milestones, time, and passwords.

Best for: teams that value generous project and storage limits. Advanced views, integrations, reporting, custom fields, and administration features require paid tiers.

21. Quire

Quire supports nested task lists and Kanban boards for teams that break large goals into smaller work. Its free plan supports up to 10 members and four projects, with folders, sections, permissions, and integrations available for lightweight collaboration.

Best for: small teams managing a few structured projects. Project count and member count are the main free-tier boundaries.

22. Podio

Podio is a configurable work platform for building custom apps, workflows, project trackers, and client processes. Podio still offers free-account signup, but its current public site does not clearly publish the free plan's team and feature limits.

Best for: teams that value no-code customization and are willing to confirm account limits directly before implementation. Avoid designing a large workflow around old third-party pricing tables.

Which free project management tool is best?

Choose the tool whose free limits fit the team you have now and whose paid path fits the team you expect later. Hive and GoodDay support larger small teams; Trello and MeisterTask suit straightforward boards; Airtable and Podio favor custom data structures; Jira fits software delivery; Indy fits freelancers.

Run one real project before committing. Invite every required collaborator, import representative tasks and files, build the views your team uses, and test notifications, permissions, exports, and reporting. That exercise exposes free-tier limits faster than a feature checklist. For a broader buying framework, see Hive's project management software guide.