Best Project Management Software for Event Planners

Website: https://monday.com

Best for: Event timelines and vendor tracking

Starting price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: board views fit event timelines and vendor lists; automations move approvals and bookings forward

Cons: 3-seat minimum on entry plans; per-seat cost climbs as vendors and staff join

monday.com gives an event planner one board per event, with columns for phase, owner, due date, and status that the planner, the client, and the vendors can all read. Automations move a task forward when a venue is booked, a vendor confirms, or a client approves a design, which cuts the follow-up calls that fill a planner's week. Views switch between a table, a calendar, and a timeline for each event, so the team sees the same work in the shape it prefers. The free plan serves up to two seats for a solo planner who wants to test the layout first. The main limits are the three-seat minimum on entry plans and the way cost grows with each added seat, which matters when assistants and vendors need access. monday.com fits planners who want one shared workspace for every event, with enough structure to keep bookings and approvals on schedule.

Website: https://clickup.com

Best for: Small planning teams on a budget

Starting price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: free plan covers unlimited tasks and members; docs and goals sit beside tasks

Cons: setup takes time because options are dense; entry plan limits storage and guests

ClickUp packs a wide set of features into a low starting price, which suits a small planning team that needs tasks, docs, and goals without buying several tools. The free plan covers unlimited tasks and members, so a team can run checklists, vendor lists, and day-of schedules before spending anything. Docs hold run sheets, vendor contacts, and client briefs next to the tasks they relate to, and goals track bookings and revenue across the year. Views include lists, boards, calendars, and Gantt charts, so each event can be worked in the layout it likes. Custom fields track vendor status, budget, and guest counts on every task. The trade-off is density: the number of options slows the first setup, and new users need time to learn where each feature lives. Storage and guest limits on the entry plan also push growing teams toward the higher Business plan. ClickUp fits planning teams that want one low-cost workspace and are willing to spend a few days setting it up.

Website: https://asana.com

Best for: Clear owners and dates across events

Starting price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: timeline and list views are easy to read; forms collect client briefs and vendor quotes

Cons: entry plan lacks a workload view; per-user price rises with each added seat

Asana keeps event work visible, with every task showing an owner, a due date, and a status that the whole team can read at a glance. List view suits routine work such as vendor follow-ups and guest list checks, while timeline view shows an event from first brief to day-of with each phase in order. Forms collect client briefs, vendor quotes, and guest requests, and each submission lands as a task with the details attached. The free Personal plan covers basic tasks, and the Starter plan adds timeline view and dashboards at $10.99 per user per month when billed annually. Asana works well for planners because the planner, the client, and the vendors can check progress without a meeting, and comments keep the discussion tied to the task. The limits are real: the entry plan has no workload view, so managers cannot see which team member is overloaded, and the per-user price adds up as assistants join. Asana fits planners that value clarity and simple reporting over deep customization.

Website: https://www.teamwork.com

Best for: Planners who bill client hours

Starting price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: time tracking sits inside each project; client seats keep clients in the loop

Cons: reporting depth sits on higher plans; interface feels dated next to newer tools

Teamwork suits planners who bill planning hours to clients, because time tracking is built into every project. Planners log hours against a venue search, a vendor meeting, or a rehearsal, and the same data feeds invoices and reports without a separate time tool. Client seats let clients see their own event status without a full license, which keeps communication in one place. Templates cover repeatable work such as a wedding, a corporate launch, or a conference. The free plan covers five users and five projects, which is enough for a small team to test the layout. The entry plan adds more projects, time tracking, and integrations. Reporting depth is the main gap: the richer portfolio and profitability reports sit on higher plans, and the interface looks older than newer rivals. Teamwork fits planning firms that need project work tied to billable hours and client visibility.

Website: https://trello.com

Best for: Simple boards for small events

Starting price: $5 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: boards are quick to learn; free plan covers up to 10 collaborators

Cons: reporting is thin; large events outgrow the board view

Trello is the simplest tool in this list, and that is its strength for a small planning team. A board holds lists such as To do, Doing, and Done, and each card carries a task, an owner, a due date, and a checklist. Assistants and vendors learn it in an afternoon, which matters when the team changes from event to event. The free plan covers up to 10 collaborators with unlimited cards, so a small team can run a full event board without spending anything. The Standard plan adds unlimited boards, advanced checklists, and custom fields at $5 per user per month when billed annually. Butler automation moves cards, sets due dates, and sends reminders, which cuts routine admin. The limits show at scale: reporting is thin, with no workload view or portfolio dashboard, and a large conference with hundreds of tasks outgrows the board view. Trello fits planners that want a fast, visual board for routine work and small events.

Website: https://www.notion.com

Best for: Planning wikis plus task tracking

Starting price: $10 per member/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: pages hold run sheets, vendor guides, and client briefs; databases track events and guests

Cons: task management is lighter than dedicated PM tools; permissions get complex at scale

Notion combines a wiki with task tracking, which suits planners that need a single home for run sheets, vendor guides, client briefs, and project work. Pages hold the documents an event needs, and databases track events, guests, and vendors with views that switch between tables, boards, and calendars. An event database can feed a timeline and a vendor list from the same records, so staff update information once. The free plan covers individual use and small teams, and the Plus plan adds unlimited file uploads, longer page history, and more guests at $10 per member per month when billed annually. Task management is lighter than a dedicated project tool, with no built-in Gantt chart on the entry plan, and permission settings get complex as the team grows. Notion fits planning firms that want documents and tasks in one place.

Website: https://airtable.com

Best for: Guest lists and vendor databases

Starting price: $20 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: views turn a guest list into calendars and kanban boards; forms collect RSVPs

Cons: entry plan is pricey per user; automations are capped on lower plans

Airtable works like a spreadsheet with database power, which suits planners that manage guest lists, vendor databases, and seating plans. One base holds the guest list, and views turn it into a calendar of RSVP deadlines, a kanban board of invitation stages, or a gallery of table plans. Forms collect RSVPs and dietary needs straight into the base, and linked records connect a guest to their table, their plus-one, and their meal choice. The free plan covers small bases with up to 1,000 records, and the Team plan adds more records, automations, and sync options at $20 per user per month when billed annually. That per-user price is high next to Trello or monday.com, and automations are capped on lower plans, so heavy users move to Business. Airtable fits planners whose core job is managing structured guest and vendor data across many events.

Website: https://www.honeybook.com

Best for: Proposals, contracts, and payments

Starting price: $29 per month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Pros: proposals, contracts, invoices, and payments in one place; built for small service firms

Cons: no free plan; Starter lacks a scheduler, automations, and team seats

HoneyBook covers the business side of event planning, with proposals, contracts, invoices, and payments in one place. A planner sends a branded proposal, the client signs a contract online, and the invoice and payment follow in the same flow, which cuts the admin between booking and payday. Templates cover proposals, contracts, and questionnaires, so a solo planner can send a polished pack in minutes. The Starter plan costs $29 per month when billed annually, or $36 per month when billed monthly, and a 30-day free trial needs no card. Payment processing is charged separately, starting at 2.7 percent plus 10 cents per card payment and 1.5 percent for ACH. The Starter plan has no scheduler, no automations, and no team seats, so those features start on the Essentials plan at $49 per month billed annually. HoneyBook fits solo planners and small firms that want client bookings and payments handled in one tool.

Website: https://www.aisleplanner.com

Best for: Wedding planning in one place

Starting price: $49.99 per month

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Pros: wedding-specific CRM plus planning tools; guest management, seating, and event websites

Cons: no free plan; Sales Essentials excludes all project tools; price rises with project count

Aisle Planner is built for wedding planners, with a wedding-specific CRM plus planning tools in one login. Project plans cover the client portal, checklists, timelines, budgets, guest management, layouts and seating, event websites, and RSVPs, so a planner runs the whole wedding from one workspace. The Sales Essentials plan costs $49.99 per month, but it excludes all project tools, so planning work starts on the project plans at $69.99 per month for up to 15 projects, rising to $109.99 for 16 to 25 projects, $164.99 for 26 to 50, and $229.99 for 51 to 100, with 10 percent off for annual billing. A 30-day free trial is offered, though a card is required to start it. The main limit is the tiered price: a busy planner with many active weddings pays more as the project count grows. Aisle Planner fits wedding planners who want wedding-specific tools rather than a general project board.

Website: https://www.planningpod.com

Best for: High-volume venues and events

Starting price: quote only

Free plan: No

Pros: all-in-one event and venue management; built for venues, caterers, and planners

Cons: no public pricing, so a number needs a sales call or demo; entry plan caps at 10 events

Planning Pod is an all-in-one event and venue management platform for venues, caterers, and event planners running high-volume events. It covers event CRM, floor plans, timelines, budgets, guest management, and venue booking in one system, so a venue team can run the whole event cycle without separate tools. The vendor site is demo-led and publishes no price list, so a firm must contact sales or book a demo to get a number. Third-party pages list conflicting figures, so we do not present any of them as the vendor price. The entry Planner plan caps at 10 events at a time, so a busy season pushes a team to a higher tier. There is no free plan, and the vendor pages we opened state no free trial. Planning Pod fits venues, caterers, and planners with a high volume of events who want one system for the whole operation.