Don't have the time to go through through the entire article? You can simply review the summary below to get an overview of the 10 best project management software for freelancers and choose the right one for you.
Cone
Elevate your freelancing business with Cone's all-in-one platform, offering project management, invoicing, CRM, billing, proposals, time tracking, client management for freelancers and more. In short, BEST of Project Management + Billing and Invoicing + Proposals in a single platform.
Key Features: Unlimited Tasks, Kanban Boards, List View, Real-Time Chat, Automations, Project Templates, Reminders, Collaborative Docs, Client Portal. And - Proposals, Invoicing, CRM, Time tracking, Billing and more.
Book a demo now. Product is in early beta right now!
All the other options below only support project management and don’t support billing, invoicing, CRM, Proposals and other features which will make managing your business way costlier(switching apps and additional subscription costs).
ClickUp
A freelance project management tool with diverse views, real-time collaboration, and specialized tools like Goals and Docs.
Key Features: Unlimited Tasks, Collaborative Docs, Real-Time Chat, Kanban Boards, Calendar View.
Pricing: Free Forever, Paid plans starting from $7 per member per month.
Monday.com
A solution for freelancers managing numerous clients or complex projects, offering versatile views and sophisticated automation.
Key Features: Unlimited items, Timeline & Gantt views, Automation, Integrations, Calendar View.
Pricing: Free Trial, Basic plan at $8 per month per user.
Trello
Visual and user-friendly task management tool, ideal for freelancers and small teams.
Key Features: Checklists, Due Dates, Real-Time Notifications, Unlimited Power-Ups.
Pricing Plans: Free Plan, Standard Plan starting at $5 per user per month.
Asana
A versatile tool for flexible project management and task organization, excelling in managing and tracking specific projects.
Key Features: Projects, Tasks, Goals, Milestones, Gantt view, Timeline view.
Pricing Plans: Free Basic plan, Premium plan at $10.99 per user per month.
Notion
Notion also offers project management, knowledge base management, and real-time collaboration. It’s very flexible, but doesn’t have some of the advanced features.
Key Features: Project Visualization, Creative Team Suitability, Real-Time Collaboration.
Pricing Plans: Free Personal Plan, Starter Plan at $13.49 per user billed monthly.
Hive
Seamlessly combines meeting organizing features and task management, offering extensive time-tracking capabilities.
Key Features: Multiple Views, Project Templates, Time Tracking, Collaborative Tools.
Pricing Plans: Free plan, Starter plan at $1 per month.
Todoist
Task organizer and checklist tool, perfect for freelancers managing consistent clients, emphasizing organization and simplicity.
Best Features: Automatic Task Sorting, Natural Language Parsing, Collaboration Tools.
Pricing Plans: Free Plan, Premium Plan at $4 per month per user.
Basecamp
Basecamp is an online collaboration and project management software suitable for freelancers or small agencies, offering a user-friendly interface. Opinionated software.
Best Features: One-Page Dashboard, Messaging, To-Dos, Kanban Views.
Pricing Plans: Basecamp at $15 per user per month.
TickTick
A unique to-do list and task organizer, offering ease of use for freelancers with consistent clients.
Best Features: Customized Task Reminders, Voice Input, Email-to-Task Conversion.
Pricing Plans: Free Plan, Premium version at $35.99 per year.
In today’s evolving work landscape, freelance and gig work is becoming increasingly prevalent. A 9-5 is not everyone’s forte. In fact, World Bank statistics state that nearly 47% of the workforce around the globe is freelancing. When you start out your freelancing journey, you may begin with a single client. Deadlines are easily trackable and deliverables can be kept up with. You may not need anything fancy like project management tools for freelancers.
Fast forward a few months, and you find your clientele blossoming. Even if you grow from one to five clients, each one will have its unique requirements, different project specifics to keep up with, and varying expectations. If you did well with Post-Its or simple Excel sheets before, this just may not work with a growing clientele.
Modern-day problems need modern-day solutions. This is where software for project management for freelancers can help you cross this hurdle of missed deadlines and overwhelming workloads. A good software for project management for freelancers contains tools of various kinds. These tools help you manage different clients, their projects, and deadlines all in one place at the same time.
If you are also looking for the best project management tool for freelancers to boost your freelancing career, this blog can help you. Here, we will discuss some of the best project management software for freelancers.
What is a Project Management Software for Freelancers?
Think of project management software for freelancers as a handy assistant. It helps freelancers manage their tasks and projects easily by providing support tools to aid in planning, strategizing, and organizing different projects on a single platform. Being a centralized software for activities and improvements that can be accessed from anywhere, this project management software can be a key solution to help track the progress of projects and maintain a timeline of the same. This will ensure that your work is always on time, keeping clients happy.
Apart from ensuring the completion of projects on time, software project management for freelancer tools also allows you to maintain a detailed account of the budget. By enlisting the help of project management software as a freelancer, you will become more efficient, quick, and impactful.
What Should You Look for in Project Management for Freelancers?
There are certain features one must consider before looking for project management software for freelancers. Some of these include:-
Task Management: Pick a for project management software that allows you to create, assign, and track tasks efficiently.
Time Tracking: Pick a software for project management for freelancers that also include time-tracking capabilities. This helps freelancers and clients as well monitor the time spent on tasks, facilitate accurate billing and project evaluation.
Communication Features: Project management tools for freelancers should also provide effective communication channels, such as chat, comments, or discussion boards.
Client Management for freelancers: Other than the communication features, look for a project management software for freelancers that allows clients an easy visibility and access to projects. This will make it easy for them to track project’s progress, view timelines, and provide the required feedback.
Key features to look for in project management software for freelancers
If you are looking for the best project management software for freelancers as well as client management for freelancers, here are some key features to look out for:
10 Best Project Management Software for Freelancers
Here are our 10 Best Software for Project Management for Freelancers that we recommend as the best.
Cone
If you're in search of a robust and cost-effective project management software for freelancers, look no further than Cone.
Cone’s business management software is an innovative project management software for freelancers that offers value way beyond project management. You can use Cone to run your entire freelancing business on a single platform. Cone’s all-in-one platform purpose-built for freelancers includes Proposals, project management, invoicing, billing, time tracking, CRM, client portal and a lot more.
Best Features:
Project Management is just one of the several amazing modules that Cone Project Management software for Freelancers provide:
- Unlimited Tasks: Provides an ability to have an unlimited number of tasks to ensure comprehensive project coverage.
- Kanban Boards: Provides flexible Kanban boards for easier workflow visualization.
- List View: Provides flexible list views to manage and view tasks in a clear and structured list format for efficient planning.
- Chat: Instant communication and collaboration with clients with a real-time chat feature.
- Automations: Say goodbye to manual task updates and status changes. Automation handles all the mundane tasks allowing you to prioritize critical tasks.
- Project Templates: Expedite project setup using pre-designed templates tailored to specific project types.
- Reminders: Always stay on schedule and meet deadlines with timely reminders for important tasks.
- Collaborative Docs: Enhances teamwork with shared documents and working on project related files, promoting real-time collaboration.
- Client Portal: Enhance client collaboration by providing a dedicated portal for communication, file sharing, and project updates.
Cone is way more than a Project Management software for Freelancers
Cone isn't just another project management software for freelancers; it's the ultimate all-in-one solution for freelancers looking to run all their entire business within a single platform.
CRM, Proposals & Engagement letters: Manage proposals, engagement letters, invoices, and client billing all in a single platform.
Time tracking: Cone has a robust time tracking module that allows users to efficiently track billable hours to specific clients and projects.
Automated Invoicing: Invoices can be automatically created from the hours tracked on the project. Never miss an invoice.
Invoice Tracking: Provides an ability to track the invoices sent whether they are paid or not. Also, offer an ability to send payment reminders automatically.
Payments: Payment integrations and multiple payment options like Credit and Debit Cards, and ACH features to receive money on time.
Project Reports: Track project budgets and costs(time spent etc.) to understand profitability. Also, figure out your most and least profitable projects.
Team Reports: Analyze team capacity to improve productivity and resource utilization.
Pricing:
1st year free if you sign-up now.
Free tier available.
Paid plans - starts at $5 per user month.
Sign up today to enjoy all these benefits!
ClickUp
With an amazing feature set, ClickUp is also a sophisticated software for project management for freelancers for freelancers and small businesses. ClickUp features include feature-rich interface and intuitive design facilitate project collaboration, tracking, and planning.
Best Features:
Diverse Views: ClickUp boasts a versatile range of views including Gantt, list, calendar, Board, and Box. Moreover, users can create custom views to suit their preferences, ensuring flexibility in project visualization.
Real-Time Collaboration: The platform facilitates seamless client communication within project dashboards, allowing for real-time chatting, comments, and attachment sharing.
Specialized Tools: ClickUp's array of tools for freelancers like Goals, Mind Maps, and Docs empower users to define project objectives, brainstorm ideas, and organize information effectively.
Key Features:
- Unlimited Storage on paid plans
- Unlimited Tasks
- Unlimited Free Plan for Members
- Two-Factor Authentication
- Collaborative Docs
- Whiteboards
- Everything View
- Real-Time Chat
- Kanban Boards
- Sprint Management
- Calendar View
- Custom Field Manager Basic
- In-App Video Recording
- 24/7 Support
Pricing:
- Free Forever: Includes essential features, unlimited tasks, and 100MB storage.
- Unlimited: Priced at $7 per member per month
- Business: Available at $12 per member per month
- Enterprise: You can contact a sales member to create a plan that fits your needs.
Monday.com
Monday.com is a popular project management software solution due to its extensive feature set and flexibility. This program is ideal for effectively managing numerous clients or complicated projects since it places a high priority on easily available project data, collaborative capabilities, and comprehensive project tracking.
Best Features:
Versatile Views: Monday.com offers various views like Kanban, calendar, list, and chart views, catering to diverse project management preferences.
Notifications and Milestones: Milestone tracking and task status change notifications help teams keep informed and focused on the state of their projects.
Automation and Integration: The project management software for freelancers streamlines workflows for increased productivity with its sophisticated automation features and integrations with well-known technologies.
Key Features:
- Unlimited free viewers
- Unlimited items
- 5GB file storage
- Prioritized customer support
- Timeline & Gantt views
- Calendar View
- Guest access
- Automation from 250 to 25K actions per month
- Integrations from 250 to 25K actions per month
- Create a dashboard that combines 1 to 50 boards
- Private boards
- Chart View
- Time tracking
- Formula Column
- Enterprise-scale automation & integrations
- Multi-level permissions
- Enterprise-grade security & governance
- Advanced reporting & analytics
- Tailored onboarding
- Enterprise support
Pricing:
- Free Trial: 14-days
- Basic: Starting at $8 per month per user
- Standard: Priced at $10 per month per user
- Pro: Starts at $16 per month per user
- Enterprise: Customizable plan
Trello
Trello is a popular choice of project management tools for freelancers and small teams for visual and user-friendly task management. This software for project management for freelancers is simple in setting up boards for each project, lists to represent project stages and cards dedicated to specific tasks.
Best Features:
Checklists and Due Dates: Trello facilitates task organization by offering checklists and due dates. The Calendar view provides an overview of schedules, aiding in tracking impending deadlines.
Communication and Cooperation: Visitors can actively contribute by leaving comments on cards on Trello boards, which encourages team members to work together and provide feedback to one another.
Real-Time Notifications: To keep everyone informed and up to date, users receive quick alerts about task activities, updates, and completion statuses.
Key Features:
- Unlimited cards
- Up to 10 boards per Workspace
- Unlimited Power-Ups per board
- Unlimited storage
- 250 to 1000 Workspace command runs per month
- Custom backgrounds & stickers
- Unlimited activity log
- Assignee and due dates
- iOS and Android mobile apps
- Saved Searches
- Views: Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, and Map
- Workspace views: Table and Calendar
- Admin and security features
- Workspace-level templates
- Multi-board guests
- Free SSO and user provisioning with Atlassian Access
Pricing Plans:
- Free Plan: Catered towards individuals and small teams, offering fundamental functionalities.
- Standard Plan: Starting at $5 per user per month
- Premium Plan: Priced at $10 per user per month
- Enterprise Plan: Starting at $17.50 per user per month
Asana
Asana is a project management tool for those seeking flexible project management and task organization, Asana is a great option due to its user-friendly interface and strong personal task management features. Even while Asana is a more all-purpose application, it excels in managing, organizing, and keeping track of specific projects.
Best Features:
Forms and Goals: Asana offers forms for project requests and goals to outline completion objectives and timelines, aiding in comprehensive project planning.
Milestones and Dashboards: Project progress may be easily tracked and an overview of ongoing projects can be obtained with visualization tools such as milestones and customizable charts.
Automation and Views: Asana offers flexible project visualization through board, timeline, and list views in addition to supporting task automation, which includes automatically setting due dates.
Key Features:
- Collaborate with up to 500 teammates
- Timeline view
- Gantt view
- 20 Portfolios
- Asana Intelligence
- Unlimited activity log
- 25,000 Automations per month
- Forms branching & customization
- Approvals
- Proofing
- Lock custom fields
- Advanced Reporting
- Time tracking
- Scaled security
Pricing Plans:
- Basic: Free for up to 15 team users
- Premium: $10.99 monthly (paid annually) or $13.49 monthly (paid monthly) per user.
- Business: $30.49 per user invoiced monthly or $24.99 per user per month (annual billing) are the options available.
Notion
The idea of Notion is more than simply an app for taking notes; it's a complete task and project management solution for freelancers. This software for project management for freelancers is especially helpful for creative teams, providing visualization through calendars, task lists, and Kanban boards. It facilitates knowledge base management, project monitoring, and taking notes during meetings.
Best Features:
Project Visualization: Notion facilitates thorough project monitoring by allowing users to see project progress through a variety of interfaces, including task lists, calendars, and Kanban boards.
Creative Team Suitability: Because of its note-taking, meeting note-keeping, and wiki features, this tool is most suited for creative teams, particularly those composed of independent writers.
Real-Time Collaboration: This enables team members to collaborate in real-time, enabling them to work on projects concurrently from any location.
Key Features:
- User provisioning (SCIM)
- Advanced security & controls
- Audit log
- Customer success manager
- Workspace analytics
- Unlimited page history
- Security & Compliance integrations
- Add collaborators external to your organization
- Invite up to 250 guests
- SAML SSO
- Private team space
Pricing Plans:
- Personal Plan - Completely free.
- Starter Plan: Priced at $13.49 per user billed monthly
- Advanced Plan: Available at $30.49 per user billed monthly.
Hive
Hive is a unique project management for freelancers - an application that combines meeting organizing features and task management smoothly. Also, because of its extensive time-tracking capabilities and fully customizable templates.
Best Features:
Multiple Views: Hive provides various project visualization options like Gantt, table, calendar, kanban, and portfolio views, enabling flexible planning and visualization.
Project Templates and Time Tracking: Users benefit from project management templates and detailed time-tracking functionalities, aiding in efficient project planning and execution.
Collaborative Tools: Hive features collaborative notes, shareable forms for project requests, an in-app calendar, and native real-time chats, fostering effective team collaboration.
Key Features:
- Unlimited storage
- Up to 50 workspace members
- Up to 10 projects
- Cloud storage integrations
- In-app calendar
- Zoom and Slack from Hive
- AI Assistant
- Shareable forms
- Time tracking
- Portfolios
- Unlimited workflows
- Team sharing
- Custom fields, labels, and statuses
- Enterprise API
- Unlimited onboarding
- Dedicated Customer Success Manager
Pricing Plans:
- Free plan for simple project management.
- Starter plan at $1 for an entry-level plan for project management.
- Teams Plan: Priced at $3 per month
- Enterprise Plan: Offers advanced features and scalability, with pricing available only upon request.
Todoist
Todoist is a well-known task management and to-do list tool made for effectively managing both personal and professional chores. The software offers extensive freelance project management tools and places a strong emphasis on organization, simplicity, and helping users stay on top of their freelance work.
Best Features:
Automatic Task Sorting: Tasks are intelligently sorted into categories like Today, Upcoming, or custom filter views, reducing cognitive load by highlighting immediate priorities.
Natural Language Parsing: Allows users to input tasks using natural language, facilitating quick task creation with reminders based on recognized timeframes.
Collaboration Tools: Enables collaboration by inviting clients and collaborators for project discussions via comments and shared project dashboards or specific tasks.
Key Features:
- 5 to 300 personal projects
- 500 team projects
- Calendar layout
- Task reminders & duration
- 150 filter views
- Unlimited activity history
- AI Assistant
- A shared team workspace
- Unlimited team members & guests
- Unlimited project folders
- Team roles & permissions
- Centralized team billing
- Integrate email, calendar, and more
Pricing Plans:
- Free Plan: Offers basic functionalities suitable for simple personal or professional task organization.
- Pro Plan: Priced at $4 per month per user
- Business Plan: Available at $6 per month per user
Basecamp
Basecamp serves as an online collaboration and project management software for freelancers, offering essential project management features suitable for freelancers or small agencies. Despite lacking a free plan, its paid tiers provide a centralized, user-friendly interface supporting various integrations.
Best Features:
One-Page Dashboard: Access all projects, schedules, and tasks from a single page, simplifying project oversight and management.
Messaging and Real-Time Chats: Streamline communication with clients and collaborators through messages and real-time chat functionalities.
To-Dos and Kanban Views: Manage tasks with deadlines, and notification reminders, and visualize projects through Kanban views for efficient project tracking. It also integrates with Notion, Dropbox, and more, facilitating seamless file sharing and collaboration.
Key Features:
- Unlimited projects
- Loads of storage space
- Invite guests for free
- 10x file & document storage (5 TB)
- Realtime chat
- To-do lists
- Card table
- Schedules
- Loads of storage
- Documents
- Check-ins
- 24/7/365 top-notch support
Pricing Plans:
- Basecamp: Priced at $15 per user per month with guest access and 500GB of storage.
- Basecamp Pro Unlimited: Available at $299 per month, billed annually offering unlimited users and 5TB of storage.
TickTick
TickTick is a unique project management tool for freelancers that has a to-do list, task organizer, and checklist tool that is perfect for freelancers who work with a small number of consistent clients. Its ease of use makes it possible to start projects quickly and without any obstacles or delays.
Best Features:
Customized Task Reminders and Calendar Views: Personalized task reminders and a flexible calendar view with many modes (daily, weekly, and monthly) to accommodate personal preferences.
Voice Input and Cross-Platform Sync: This feature improves accessibility and usability by integrating voice input for to-do lists and syncing effortlessly across more than ten platforms.
Email-to-Task Conversion: Converts client emails into actionable tasks with a few clicks, streamlining task management from communication channels.
Key Features:
- Full calendar functionality
- Customize filters
- Folder, List, Task, Check item
- View previous changes for all tasks and lists
- Keep track of your shared projects
- Historical Statistics feature
- Reminders for check item
- Calendar widgets
- Estimated Pomo
- Premium themes
- Premium white noises
Pricing Plans:
TickTick offers a free plan along with its premium version starting at $35.99 per year.
Tips for Selecting Project Management Software for Freelancers
As we understood from the sections above, there are a variety of project management software for freelancers available on the internet. You can use a number of these project management tools for free, while there are also some you can purchase for more features.
However, one must have certain ideals in mind before making a choice. Let us know some tips and tricks for the same that will aid you in selecting the best for you.
- Be specific about your needs:
It is important to define your needs first before going in for the search for project management software for freelancers. One should keep the outline of their project requirements, team size, and specific features in mind to get the most accurate results.
- Go for a user-friendly interface:
When the project is already hectic, we do not want our software to be complex and difficult to use as well. It is, therefore, important to choose software with a user-friendly interface to ensure easy understanding by the team.
- Go for a Platform which offers broader features:
There are certain moments while working on a project where you need to expand it further and fit in multiple new aspects like proposals, billing and invoicing. A project management software for freelancers which beyond project management proves to be a better option in those cases as it saves a lot of time and is cost-effective. Cone is the ultimate all-in-one platform - BEST of Project Management + Billing and Invoicing + Proposals in a single platform. Sign up now and get access to the platform for free for a year.
- Prioritize Integration Capabilities for Seamless Workflow:
Following the previous point, it is also important for project management software for freelancers to have the capability to integrate well with other tools. That allows the project manager to manage everything from one place - be it communication, file-sharing, or access to other third-party apps.
- Cost:
Last but not the least, one other important thing to look at before selecting a project management tool for freelancers is looking for the price. There are high-quality options available for a lower price.
Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing Project Management Software for Freelancers
There are different things you need to be careful about when choosing the best project management software for freelancers. Here is a list to look out for.
Choosing Based Solely on Price:
While cost matters, don't make it the sole deciding factor. Free or low-cost software might lack essential features crucial for your workflow efficiency. Assess the value it adds rather than solely focusing on price.
Disregarding Customization:
Every freelancer's workflow is unique. Avoid software that doesn't offer customization or adaptability to your specific project management needs. Customizable features can significantly enhance your productivity.
Frequent App Switching:
Continuously shifting between different apps for various project needs can disrupt workflow continuity. Strive to find a comprehensive solution that fulfills multiple requirements to minimize disruptions, improves workflow and efficiency.
Overlooking Scalability and Flexibility:
Sometimes, the software may fit current needs perfectly but might lack scalability for future growth or adaptability for changes in project requirements. Choosing a tool that doesn't scale or adapt can lead to the need for frequent software changes or workarounds in the future.
Disregarding the Needs for Security and Compliance:
A major danger might arise from failing to assess the software's security features and compliance with data protection regulations, particularly when it comes to sensitive project data or sectors with stringent legal requirements. Selecting unsecured software may result in non-compliance problems or data breaches.
Focusing Solely on Popular Solutions:
Choosing a freelance project management tool only because it is well-liked or widely used may not be the best fit for your particular project requirements. Even though well-known tools frequently contain extensive functionality, they might not be the greatest fit for particular project requirements, which could result in needless constraints or complications.
So Ready to Get The Best Software?
Freelancing is here to stay in this race with the corporations. Naturally, freelancers need to step up their game to compete in this race as well. Keeping yourself updated with the various tools is one way to do that. These freelancing tools have the potential to help your work by making it easy and much simpler. Using freelance project management tools is one of those ways that turn out to be a game changer in the long run.
Cone isn't just another project management software for freelancers; it's the ultimate all-in-one solution for freelancers looking to run all their entire business within a single platform.
So Why Choose Cone?
Free 1st year subscription
Offers a free 1st year subscription if you sign-up now. Paid plans start from $5 per user per month.
Fraction the cost of other alternatives
Save up to 90% on software costs.
Way more project management software
Manage everything you need(like e-mail management, projects etc.) in one place, for less.
Sign up today to enjoy all these benefits!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most asked questions and answers:
How do freelancers manage projects?
Freelancers handle multiple projects by using a diverse set of different skills, including skillful organization, Effective communication, Prioritization, Time tracking, Task segmentation and Goal setting.
They also leverage various software tools such as:
a. Project management tools.
b. Proposal software.
c. Billing software, etc.
Is project management good for freelancing?
Yes, project management ensures organization, timely delivery, and efficient workflow, essential for successful freelance projects.
What is the average rate for a freelance project manager?
The average rate for a freelance project manager will be usually $50-$200 per hour depending on the complexity of project.
How do I track my freelancer project's scope of work?
As a freelancer, you can track projects scope of work first by defining project objectives, deliverables, timelines and milestones. You can document and track them manually using excel sheets manually or using a project management tool.
How does project management software help a freelancer?
Project management software helps a freelancer in task organization, collaboration, deadline management, and overall project tracking.