Learning how to manage your projects efficiently can mean the difference between profit and loss for your revenue. In fact, it's estimated that 9.9% of every dollar is currently wasted due to poor project performance. That's a sobering stat, especially if your startup or freelance business isn't turning over a high profit margin to begin with.

Project Planning Software Mac
Best Free Project Management Software For Mac
Free Project Management Software Mac
Free Project Management Software
Mac Os Project Management Software
Microsoft Project
Basecamp

The good news: There's free project management software that can give you the resources you need to become more organized and efficient with each new project that comes down the pipeline. From kanban apps to Gantt chart software, here are the 12 best free project management apps for teams on a budget.

Need more features and have a bit more flexibility in your budget? Check out our recommendations for the best project management apps.

What Makes Great Free Project Management Software?

To narrow down our list of the best free project management software, we looked for tools that met the following criteria:

Free for unlimited projects: The apps we chose have free plans that you can use to manage unlimited projects.
Variety: We included options for various management methodologies—kanban, Gantt charts, Scrum, and to-do lists—so we eliminated some apps simply because there were better alternatives available using the same PM methodology.
Hosted: There are a lot of great, free, self-hosted project management tools, but they take longer to set up and manage. We're featuring project management apps that are hosted by the companies that provide the tools.

Finding the Best Project Management Tool for the Mac. The Mac isn’t exactly known for things like accounting or project management. The Mac platform has become more synonymous for graphic design, video and other creative work. The Best Project Management Software for Mac Googling Mac-specific project management software largely leads to lots of cloud-based options. While programs like Wrike, LiquidPlanner, and Teamwork are fantastic tools for Mac, many companies are looking for a locally installed option.

We selected tools that offer web apps (though many offer synchronized web, mobile, and desktop apps). If it's not important to you that your project management app is accessible online, you may also want to consider Projectlibre and GanttProject in addition to the apps listed below. Both of these tools are powerful desktop-only apps that are designed to be alternatives to Microsoft Project.

The 12 Best Free Project Management Apps

Trello (Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android) for individuals and teams who need a work pipeline
MeisterTask (Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android) for combining project ideation, planning, and execution
KanbanFlow (Web) for combining kanban, time tracking, and Pomodoro
Freedcamp (Web, iOS, Android) for managing all projects and communications in a single tool
Asana (Web, iOS, Android) for creating a to-do list powerful enough to manage projects
Paymo (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android) for freelancers who charge by the hour
Bitrix24 (Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android) for classic project management with Gantt charts
Wrike (Web, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) for spreadsheet-like features in a project management app
Podio (Web, iOS, Android) for customizing your project management tool
Yodiz (Web, iOS, Android) for Agile and Scrum teams
Agantty (Web) for creating Gantt charts quickly and easily
AND CO (Web, macOS, iOS, Android) for projects that require invoicing

Trello (Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android)

Best free project management software for individuals and teams who need a work pipeline

Trello is a simple way to start organizing your projects in kanban boards. And with a free plan that allows for unlimited boards and users, it's a tool that anyone can use. Freelancers use Trello to plan their assignments on a personal board, and teams use Trello to hand work off to each other, creating a collaboration pipeline.

Start out with a handful of lists for your tasks, and customize those lists with steps in your workflow (e.g., to-do, doing, and done) or as separate parts of your project (e.g., development, design, and distribution). Next, add your tasks—with labels, due dates, checklists, and comments to keep everything in one place—and drag them to the appropriate list. Keep track of all comments on tasks that mention you—or that you're watching—from the notifications menu.

For more features, Trello's Power-Up options (in the web app's menu) let you view tasks on a calendar, add voting options on tasks, fade away old tasks automatically, and much more. And you can make Trello boards for everything—personal and work tasks alike—to get your work done in a way that fits your needs best.

Trello Price: The Free plan includes unlimited boards and users, one Power-Up per board, and attachments up to 10MB in size; upgrade for $9.99/user/month (billed annually) to the Business Class plan that includes unlimited Power-Ups, attachments up to 250MB in size, and more granular permissions controls.

Automate Trello with Trello's Zapier integrations.

Want to use Trello as a team? Learn how Trello uses Trello for its own project management needs. Want to use it as a personal to-do list? Here's how to use Trello for GTD.

MeisterTask (Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android)

Best free project management software for combining project ideation, planning, and execution

MeisterTask takes a fresh approach to kanban boards, with brightly colored lists and a dashboard wallpaper. And your team will be more productive, too, since MeisterTask includes automations that are triggered when you drag tasks to new lists. You can send emails, reset due dates, and more just by moving tasks around. You can also see all the tasks you're responsible for—across all of the projects you're assigned to—in your personal dashboard.

If your projects start life in brainstorming sessions with mind maps, you'll have another reason to try MeisterTask: its MindMeister integration. You can plan your project in a mind map, then drag it into MeisterTask to turn each idea into a task. It's one of the quickest ways to turn your team's ideas into an actionable plan for execution.

MeisterTask Price: Free for the Basic plan that includes unlimited projects and users, two native app integrations, and file attachments up to 20MB in size; upgrade for $8.25/user/month to the Pro plan that includes unlimited native app integrations, attachments up to 200MB in size, and a searchable task archive.

Automate MeisterTask with MeisterTask's Zapier integrations.

Want more ideas for how to use MeisterTask as a team? Here's how five teams use MeisterTask and Zapier to boost productivity.

KanbanFlow (Web)

Best free project management software for combining kanban, time tracking, and Pomodoro

Wondering how long your tasks take to complete? KanbanFlow is another kanban board app that includes a timer that logs how long you spend on each task—and how long it stays in a particular list. The timer also includes a Pomodoro mode to help your team work in sprints and remind everyone to take breaks so they stay productive all day.

KanbanFlow's Pomodoro timer also asks your team members to record what caused an interruption when they have to pause their focus session timer. These tools together help you find and nix bottlenecks in your workflows—all while pushing your projects towards completion.

KanbanFlow Price: The Free plan includes unlimited tasks and boards, the Pomodoro timer, and productivity reports; upgrade for $5/user/month to the Premium plan that includes file attachments, priority support, and third-party integrations.

Automate KanbanFlow with KanbanFlow's Zapier integrations.

Freedcamp (Web, iOS, Android)

Best free project management software for managing all projects and communications in a single tool

For a more full-featured project management tool, Freedcamp gives you a place to manage tasks along with calendar and mi

Best Free Project Management Tool For Mac