2 Best Online Project Management Tools Of 2026

Project management tools are software that supports the five phases of project management. In case you are not familiar with them, these are initiation, planning, execution, monitoring & control, and closure.

While some tools focus on project management alone, others cover project-adjacent functionalities like managing resources, invoicing, and even accounting.

Here are the core features that any project management tool should have:

1. Task management: This feature includes the ability to create, assign, and monitor tasks as they progress. Also, lets you set due dates, group tasks and subtasks, and create checklists.
2. Project scheduling: The tool should allow users to set timelines and deadlines. Can you map out timelines on multiple views such as calendars, Gantt charts, and more?
3. File sharing: This feature includes the ability to upload and share files. Can you upload, organize, and share files amongst team members?
4. Communication: Users should be able to have project-specific conversations and discussions. Can you tag team members with @ mentions, create threaded discussions, and keep conversations organized?
5. Reporting: The tool should allow users to generate reports on project progress, budget usage, and resource usage. Can users easily generate and share reports using data from the software?

• Agency management systems. These are general tools for managing agency teams and projects.
• Marketing project management tools. These tools help marketing teams or agencies plan, communicate, and track marketing projects from briefing through delivery.
• Advertising agency software. This type of software offers features like project management, resource allocation, CRM, accounting and billing, and reporting.
• Creative project management tools. Software for creative teams enhances collaboration and brainstorming and can automate some more technical or administrative tasks.
• Project management software with invoicing. Invoicing accurately and on time is critical for agencies. Try these options.
• PM software with client portals. Client portals can speed up agency work, approvals, and file sharing.

• Project management software. Includes everything from tools for project scheduling and project planning to enterprise project management with PPM and program management.
• Online project management software. This list covers tools that are specifically web-based (more of those here) or delivered as a SaaS, rather than on-premise.
• Project management software for Mac. Project managers looking for software that works well on Mac should start with these options.
• Project scheduling software. Scheduling software helps you plan your projects, create a project roadmap, and get a grip on what’s currently happening as the project unfolds.
• Resource scheduling software. Resource scheduling software can help plan, organize, and manage resources. They can be used to develop resource plans and forecasts.
• Resource management software. Resource management software makes it easy to plan and schedule projects, see capacity and available skills, and forecast utilization.
• Gantt chart maker. This includes project timelines and schedules, interdependent tasks and subtasks, time estimates, schedules for status reports, assignments, and more.
• Mind mapping software. Also called concept mapping software, this is a brainstorming tool that enables you to create visual diagrams of your ideas.
• Project planning tools. This type of tool provides a range of planning features, including Gantt charts, timelines, schedule builders, budget planning, task lists, and more.
• Project management calendar tools. These tools are specifically intended for scheduling and planning, keeping track of deadlines, and managing timelines.
• Visual project management software. This list covers project management tools with a strong visual organization component. Think colour-coding, Gantt charts and other visualizations, file previews and image uploads, and more.

• Free project management software. If you need totally free project managment software (or a freemium), try these options. This is also a good place to start if you’re wanting to start with some free trials.
• Project management software for small businesses & startups. These options meet the needs of project managers at small businesses and startups: flexibility, a quick learning curve, and lower costs.

• Agile project management software. This type of software functions similarly to project management software, but it’s tailored specifically for agile teams and agile ways of working.
• Scrum tools. Scrum software is designed to facilitate the Scrum framework, as well as assist with communication, organizing workload, and planning for multiple iterations.
• Agile tools. Agile tools help manage projects with popular methods like Scrum and Kanban, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and track metrics that matter.

• Communication tools. Communication tools include tools like email and phones, as well as software for web conferencing, screen sharing, sharing files, and group messaging.
• Collaboration tools. An online collaboration tool provides a unified platform for team discussion, file sharing, online storage, task assignments, and real-time collaboration.
• Team project management tools. These are more general project management tools with a specific focus on communication and collaboration.

• Time tracking software. Time tracking tools help users fill in timesheets, understand how you’re tracking on budget, how much you should invoice clients, and profitability.
• Productivity apps. These tools can help carry out the important work of being effective with your time by automating, tracking, syncing, and reminding.
• Workflow management software. Workflow tools offer an interface for representing workflow, optimizing moving parts, scheduling tasks, managing workloads, and more.
• Change management tools. Change management tools are anything that can be used to alleviate tensions that arise during a shift in process, staff, or software.
• Flowchart software. Flowchart software is a program or app that can create a sequence diagram that outlines the flow, hierarchy, order, or structure of a plan or idea.
• Task management software. This type of tool includes task templates, task tags and organization, multiple task views, and real-time updates.

• Bug tracking tools. These tools bring bugs to your attention in a systematic way, and assist with isolating, backtracking, categorizing, prioritizing, and fixing bugs.
• Requirements management tools. Requirements management tools help you remove ambiguity from requirements and operate with clear and agreed-upon requirements.
• Wireframe tools. Wireframe software helps you mock up a wireframe layout and drag and drop placeholder elements to help you get a feel for your first draft design.
• ALM tools. ALM tools support your organization through all phases of the software development lifecycle, and help with business management and software engineering.

• Business intelligence tools. Business intelligence tools collect, process, analyze, and display large volumes of data, from sources like documents, forms, files, and more.
• Risk management software. This set of tools helps organizations estimate, plan for, measure, and mitigate risks by plotting risks, calculating costs, and keeping a database.
• GRC (governance, risk, and compliance) software. GRC tools help organizations manage IT-related operations and ensure they meet compliance and risk standards.
• Digital asset management software. Digital asset management systems make the process of storing, sharing, and tracking digital assets much easier.
• PPM tools. PPM software helps use project data to make decisions, allocate resources, create executive reports, fix performance issues, and assess risks across a portfolio.
• BPMS (business process management systems). BPM systems provide a process database and automations, and allow users to model workflows and processes visually.
• Help desk software. Help desk software is a digital hub where customers can send queries to be logged, organized, and resolved.
• CRMs for small business. These tools enable small teams to track customer details, collect feedback from customers, trace the sales cycle, develop campaigns, and more.

• Trello alternatives. Trello is a collaboration software with Kanban boards. These alternatives provide more oomph, such as extra functionality or integrations.
• Microsoft Project alternatives. If you’re looking for an alternative to Project, there are dozens of alternatives that can do the job.
• Microsoft Project for Mac. MS Project does not work on Macs—but there are workarounds and alternative tools that perform the same functions.
• Basecamp alternatives. Basecamp lacks in some areas where Basecamp alternatives have jumped in with their own solutions. Here are 10 Basecamp alternatives.
• Clickup alternatives. If Clickup is over-engineered for your needs, there are more basic alternatives to get up and running quickly. This list also includes options that include specific features that Clickup is missing.
• Hive alternatives. Hive has limited integrations and it’s missing certain features, such as invoicing, that these alternatives offer.
• Mavelink alternatives. Mavelink can be expensive for small teams that don’t require its wide range of features. This list provides some cheaper alternatives.
• monday.com alternatives. monday.com is missing invoicing and advanced time tracking features, which might be critical for your needs. Try these alternatives.
• Smartsheet alternatives. If you’re not already working with spreadsheets and databases, Smartsheet’s UI might not work for you. Here’s some other options.
• Wrike alternatives. Wrike’s UI can be challenging to learn, and there is often a steep learning curve. Find simpler and less complex options in this list.