The Top 10 Free and Open Source Project Management Software For Your Small Business
Transcript of The Top 10 Free and Open Source Project Management Software For Your Small Business
The Top 10 Free and Open Source Project Management Software
For Your Small Business
10. Harvest• Great for resource-based
project management and reporting• Free version allows 1 user,
4 clients, 2 projects• Pricing scales up to
$12/mo for unlimited clients and projects
10. Harvest
• Free version is more like a trial- timesheet approval and multiple users come only with the paid version• Mobile apps don’t fully
integrate with desktop version
• Has tons of integrations, including Atlassian Jira, Google Drive, Zendesk, Quickbooks, and more• Great analytics system
replaces traditional spreadsheets
Pros Cons
9. Zoho Projects• As many users as you’d
like• Only limitation on free
version is storage (up to 10 MB)
9. Zoho ProjectsPros Cons• Tons of features, very
intuitive layout• Allows users to set options
for Gantt charts• 50 pre-made report
templates
• Free users are limited to 10 MB storage, while paid version can be 5-30 MB depending on the plan
8. Bitrix24• Free for up to 12 users• Option to upgrade to more
for $99/mo• Rivals BaseCamp, the
current go-to for most PMs
8. Bitrix24Pros Cons• Users can choose whether
to host in the cloud or self-host on the company’s server• Has real-time chat
features• Free cloud storage for
easy document sharing• New Employee Workload
Planning tool
• Small businesses may find the free version unworkable because of the limit on user profiles, and the $99/mo option could be too expensive for some
7. Trello • Uses the Kanban system
to visually represent a project’s progress• Offers unlimited users and
projects, but only 10 MB of storage• Upgrade to Trello Gold
when you get a new user on board and gain 250 MB for a year
7. Trello Pros Cons• Extremely intuitive• Backs of can be filled with
information about tasks• Calendar function allows
users to collaborate on their projects transparently
• No good way to look at a project with high detail• Cannot see task lists
broken down by user or due date
6. 2-Plan Project Management Software • Has three symbiotic, free
programs:• 2-Plan Desktop (project
management)• 2-Plan Team (web-based
project management with multiple hosting options)• Work 2-gether (Scrum-
based task management board for one-team projects)
6. 2-Plan Project Management SoftwarePros Cons• Full-featured- managers
can create animated graphical WBS, implement top-down and bottom-up planning, and build project control systems• Uses Kanban system but
can expand into larger workchart
• Abundance of features can get overwhelming for teams that are strapped for time• Free option can be
limiting- only two taskboards for Work 2-gether and only three team members
5. Asana• One of the most popular
project management apps available • Free for up to 15 users
5. AsanaPros Cons• Allows users to visualize
goals, track time, assign priority to tasks, and get updates on projects in the program• Added an Android app,
conversations, and dashboards
• Does not allow offline use
• Reviewers find that “sometimes it is not intuitive enough to find something”
4. MeisterTask• Unlimited users and
projects• Native apps for iPhone
and iPad• Two integrations for free
users
4. MeisterTaskPros Cons• Offers time tracking, issue
tracking, and user collaboration• No storage limit• Works well with various
agile methodologies
• Still working on several features:• Gantt Charts• CCPM• Integration with Toggl
3. GanttProject• Heavy-hitter in terms of
both features and capacity• Generates Gantt and PERT
charts, produces reports in HTML and PDF formats, offers scheduling and time management tools
3. GanttProjectPros Cons• No limit to what you can
do• Offers task assignment
and milestone implementation• Open-source software
allows project managers to identify workflow problem areas so companies can set goals for improvement
• Not recommended for companies unfamiliar with project management software• Support largely takes
place on forums
2. Orange Scrum• Best locally-hosted, free
project management software for IT teams• On-premise version is $0,
cloud version starts at $9/mo
2. Orange ScrumPros Cons• Completely customizable• Great for those with tech
experience
• Serious coding knowledge is needed to make the most of this tool• Not for beginners
1. Freedcamp• Unlimited users and
projects• Beautiful design• Kanban or tasks• 200 MB of storage, can be
upgraded to 1 GB for $2.49/mo
1. Freedcamp• Scalable- add-ons are very
cheap• Administrators can limit
user permissions down to the client level• Great collaboration
features
1. FreedcampPros Cons• Scalable- add-ons are very
cheap• Administrators can limit
user permissions down to the client level• Great collaboration
features
• Reviewers claim there is a small learning curve on site navigation• No mobile app (though the
company is planning to release one for iOS soon)• No Gantt charts, task
dependencies, recurrence, or subtasks
Originally written by Rachel Burger, the full post can be found here