Project Management by Team · Researched comparison

Best Project Management Software for Nonprofit Teams

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Key takeaways

  • ProofHub costs 540 dollars per year at its flat Essential rate, the lowest annual entry cost for a 10-person team in this comparison.
  • monday.com, ClickUp and Smartsheet each start at 9 dollars per user per month billed annually, or 1,080 dollars per year for 10 seats.
  • Asana, ClickUp, monday.com, Wrike, Teamwork and Notion all offer a free plan, while Smartsheet and ProofHub offer trials instead.
  • Nonprofit program teams should check seat minimums and free plan user caps before budgeting, since monday.com requires at least 3 seats on entry plans.
  • The best fit depends on grant reporting needs, volunteer turnover and how much structure the team wants from its tool.

Comparison

How these compare
ToolBest forPrice rangeFree plan
AsanaProgram timelines and task owners$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes, up to 2 users
monday.comVisual boards for grants and programs$9 per seat/month (billed annually)Yes, up to 2 seats
ClickUpAll-in-one tasks, docs and goals$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes, Free Forever plan
WrikeStructured intake and approvals$10 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
SmartsheetSpreadsheet-style reporting$9 per member/month (billed annually)No, 30-day free trial
TeamworkProject work with time tracking$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes, up to 5 users
NotionDocs, wikis and light tracking$10 per member/month (billed annually)Yes
ProofHubFlat pricing for growing teams$45 per month flat (billed annually)No

How we choose

We reviewed the vendor pricing pages linked in Sources, each opened on 2026-11-12, and compared entry plan prices, free plan limits, seat minimums and member caps. We compared the docs and feature pages for each tool, looking at timelines, reporting, time tracking, forms and shared docs, and we weighed each feature against nonprofit program work such as grant delivery, volunteer coordination and funder reporting. We did not test the tools hands-on, and we did not use customer counts, awards or ratings in this comparison. Prices are the vendor list prices for annual billing, and the decision table below turns them into a yearly figure for a 10-person team.

Our full method

The shortlist

★ Best overall

The best project management software for nonprofit program teams

Nonprofit program teams juggle service delivery, grant deadlines, volunteer schedules and donor reporting, often with a small staff and a tight budget. The tools below were compared on entry pricing, free plan limits, seat minimums and features that matter for program work, such as timelines, reporting and shared docs. Every price comes from the vendor pricing page linked in Sources, checked on 2026-11-12.

2

Asana

Best for Program delivery with timelines and clear task owners

Website: https://asana.com/

Best for: Program delivery with timelines and clear task owners

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

Free plan: Yes, free Personal plan up to 2 users

Pros: Timeline and board views for program work; templates for repeatable program cycles

Cons: Free Personal plan caps at 2 users; portfolios and goals need the Advanced plan

Asana fits nonprofit program teams that run the same cycle again and again, such as seasonal outreach, after-school programs or food distribution rounds. The Starter plan, at 10.99 dollars per user per month billed annually, adds timeline view, task templates and forms, which help a small team turn a grant work plan into dated tasks with named owners. Staff can see who owns each step of a program and when it is due, without chasing updates in email threads.

The free Personal plan suits a very small team of two, but most program teams will outgrow it fast because of the 2-user cap. Teams that need portfolios to track several grants at once must move to the Advanced plan at 24.99 dollars per user per month billed annually. Asana works best when one person owns the setup and keeps project templates tidy, so new staff and volunteers start from the same structure each time.

3

monday.com

Best for Visual boards for grants, programs and volunteer rotas

Website: https://monday.com/

Best for: Visual boards for grants, programs and volunteer rotas

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

Free plan: Yes, free plan up to 2 seats

Pros: Colour-coded status columns show program progress at a glance; board templates cover common nonprofit workflows

Cons: Entry plans require a minimum of 3 seats; time tracking needs a higher plan

monday.com suits program teams that like to see work on a board, with one row per grant, event or client case and a status column for each stage. The Basic plan costs 9 dollars per seat per month billed annually, and it covers unlimited boards and docs, which is enough to track program delivery, volunteer rotas and donor follow-up in one place. The Standard plan at 12 dollars per seat per month billed annually adds timeline and calendar views plus automations.

The catch for small nonprofits is the 3-seat minimum on entry plans, so a two-person team still pays for three seats. The free plan covers up to 2 seats, which can work for a tiny pilot, but it lacks the views and automations that make the tool useful at program scale. Time tracking sits on higher plans, so a team that bills staff time to grants may need Standard or Pro.

4

ClickUp

Best for All-in-one tasks, docs and goals on a low budget

Website: https://clickup.com/

Best for: All-in-one tasks, docs and goals on a low budget

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

Free plan: Yes, Free Forever plan

Pros: Free Forever plan includes unlimited tasks and members; goals and docs sit beside tasks

Cons: The wide feature set can overwhelm new users; advanced automations need the Business plan

ClickUp packs tasks, docs, goals, chat and dashboards into one workspace, which appeals to nonprofits that want a single home for program plans, meeting notes and grant trackers. The Core plan costs 9 dollars per user per month billed annually and adds unlimited storage, more integrations and extra dashboards. The Free Forever plan is generous, with unlimited tasks and members, so a small team can run real program work without spending anything while it tests the tool.

The trade-off is complexity. ClickUp offers so many views and settings that a new team can spend weeks tuning it instead of delivering programs. A named owner for the workspace helps, as does starting with one list per program and adding views only when the team asks for them. Advanced automations and extra reporting need the Business plan at 17 dollars per user per month billed annually.

5

Wrike

Best for Structured intake, approvals and multi-step programs

Website: https://www.wrike.com/

Best for: Structured intake, approvals and multi-step programs

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Request forms turn program intake into tracked tasks; Gantt charts show multi-step timelines

Cons: Team plan lacks approvals and resource management; those features need the Business plan

Wrike suits nonprofits that take in requests from the community, partners or funders and need a clear path from request to delivery. Request forms let staff or partners submit a program request that lands as a tracked task, and Gantt charts show how multi-step programs line up over months. The Team plan costs 10 dollars per user per month billed annually and adds Gantt charts, automations and extra storage on top of the free plan.

The limit to watch is that approvals and resource management sit on the Business plan at 25 dollars per user per month billed annually. A program team that needs a manager to sign off each stage, or that must balance staff hours across grants, will hit that wall. For teams that mainly need structured intake, shared calendars and clear timelines, the Team plan covers the core work.

6

Smartsheet

Best for Spreadsheet-style tracking and grant reporting

Website: https://www.smartsheet.com/

Best for: Spreadsheet-style tracking and grant reporting

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

Free plan: No, free trial (30 days)

Pros: Grid sheets feel familiar to spreadsheet users; reports and dashboards roll up grant data

Cons: No free plan, only a 30-day trial; Pro plan caps at 10 members

Smartsheet will feel at home for program staff who already live in spreadsheets. Work sits in grid sheets with rows, columns and formulas, so a team can track grant milestones, budgets and deadlines in a format it already knows. The Pro plan costs 9 dollars per member per month billed annually and adds reports, dashboards and forms, which help a program lead roll several grant sheets into one status view for funders and the board.

The main drawback is cost control. There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial, so a team must commit to a monthly or annual fee from the start. The Pro plan also caps at 10 members, so a growing team must move to the Business plan at 19 dollars per member per month billed annually once it passes that limit. For nonprofits that report to funders with tables and dashboards, Smartsheet is a natural fit, but the team should confirm its headcount against the Pro cap before it signs up.

7

Teamwork

Best for Project work with built-in time tracking

Website: https://www.teamwork.com/

Best for: Project work with built-in time tracking

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

Free plan: Yes, free plan up to 5 users

Pros: Time tracking sits inside project tasks; milestones and templates suit repeatable programs

Cons: Free plan caps at 5 users; advanced reporting needs the Accelerate plan

Teamwork was built for teams that deliver project work for others, which maps well to nonprofits that deliver programs under grant agreements. The Basics plan costs 9.99 dollars per user per month billed annually and includes time tracking, milestones, templates and client or funder views, so staff can log hours against a grant and show a funder how time was spent. That link between tasks and time is the main reason a nonprofit would pick Teamwork over a simpler list tool.

The free plan covers up to 5 users, which suits a small program team, but larger teams will need a Basics seat for each member. Advanced reporting and resource scheduling sit on the Accelerate plan at 24.99 dollars per user per month billed annually, so a team that needs detailed funder reports may face a steep jump. For teams of up to five that want time tracking from day one, the free plan is a genuine starting point.

8

Notion

Best for Docs, wikis and light project tracking in one place

Website: https://www.notion.com/

Best for: Docs, wikis and light project tracking in one place

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Flexible pages combine handbooks, volunteer guides and task lists; databases filter program work by grant or site

Cons: Needs setup before it works as a tracker; advanced permissions need the Business plan

Notion is the most flexible tool in this list, and that is both its strength and its risk. A nonprofit can keep its program handbook, volunteer onboarding guide, grant calendar and task lists in one workspace, with databases that filter work by grant, site or program. The Plus plan costs 10 dollars per member per month billed annually and adds unlimited file uploads, longer page history and more automation, which helps a team that shares a lot of documents.

The catch is that Notion does not arrive as a ready-made project tracker. Someone must build the databases, views and templates, and keep them in shape as the team grows. Teams that enjoy that setup get a workspace that fits them exactly, while teams that want a tool that works on day one may find it slow to adopt. Advanced permissions and admin controls need the Business plan at 20 dollars per member per month billed annually.

9

ProofHub

Best for Flat pricing for teams with many volunteers

Website: https://www.proofhub.com/

Best for: Flat pricing for teams with many volunteers

Starting price: $45 per month flat (billed annually)

Free plan: No

Pros: Flat monthly price covers unlimited users; simple layout suits staff and volunteers

Cons: No free plan; a small team pays the same flat rate as a large team

ProofHub takes a different approach to pricing, and that is why it leads this list on cost for a 10-person team. The Essential plan costs 45 dollars per month flat when billed annually, with no per-user charge, so a team can add staff, interns and regular volunteers without the bill rising. That matters for nonprofits where headcount shifts with each grant cycle and volunteer intake. Tasks, discussions, notes, files and time tracking sit in one plain workspace that new volunteers can learn fast.

The trade-off is that a very small team pays the same flat rate as a team of fifty, so a three-person team may find a per-user tool cheaper. There is also no free plan, so a team cannot test it on real program work without starting a trial or paying. ProofHub suits nonprofits that expect to grow and that want one predictable monthly figure in the budget rather than a bill that climbs with every new seat.

What to check before you buy

Start with headcount. Count every staff member who will edit tasks, then add regular volunteers who need an account, and check the result against the free plan cap and any seat minimum. A tool that looks cheap per user can cost more than a flat-rate tool once volunteers are added, and a free plan that caps at 2 or 5 users may force a move to a monthly fee sooner than expected.

Next, check grant reporting. Ask how the tool exports data, whether reports and dashboards sit on the entry plan or a higher tier, and whether time can be logged against a grant. A funder report that needs a manual rebuild each quarter will cost staff time that no low price can offset.

Then check billing and trials. Annual billing cuts the monthly rate on most tools in this list, but it locks the budget for a year, so a team should trial the tool first and confirm the renewal date. Confirm who can view work without a licence, how guests are treated, and how easy it is to export data if the team moves on. The table below shows the annual entry cost for a 10-person team at each tool's entry plan, using the vendor list prices from Sources.

ToolEntry planAnnual cost for 10 people
AsanaStarter at $10.99 per user/month$1,318.80
monday.comBasic at $9 per seat/month$1,080
ClickUpCore at $9 per user/month$1,080
WrikeTeam at $10 per user/month$1,200
SmartsheetPro at $9 per member/month$1,080
TeamworkBasics at $9.99 per user/month$1,198.80
NotionPlus at $10 per member/month$1,200
ProofHubEssential at $45 per month flat$540

ProofHub is the cheapest entry option for a 10-person team by a wide margin, because its flat rate does not rise with headcount. monday.com, ClickUp and Smartsheet tie at 1,080 dollars per year, while Asana is the highest at 1,318.80 dollars per year. A team of five would see a different order, so run the same maths with the team own headcount before choosing.

FAQ

What is the cheapest project management software for a small nonprofit team?

ProofHub is the cheapest entry option for a 10-person team in this comparison, at 540 dollars per year on its flat Essential rate. monday.com, ClickUp and Smartsheet each cost 1,080 dollars per year for 10 seats at their entry plans. Teams of two to five people should also look at free plans, since Asana, monday.com, ClickUp, Wrike, Teamwork and Notion all offer one.

Is there a free project management tool for nonprofits?

Yes. ClickUp offers a Free Forever plan with unlimited tasks and members, Teamwork offers a free plan for up to 5 users, and Asana, monday.com, Wrike and Notion each offer a free plan with limits on users or features. Smartsheet and ProofHub do not offer a free plan, though Smartsheet offers a 30-day trial. Check the user cap on each free plan before building program work around it.

How many seats does a nonprofit program team need?

Count staff who will create or edit tasks, then add regular volunteers who need their own accounts to update work. Guests or viewers may not need a seat on some plans, so check the vendor pricing page for guest rules. A team that rotates volunteers each season should favour flat pricing or a generous free plan, so the bill does not rise with each intake.

Which tool is best for grant reporting?

Smartsheet suits grant reporting well, because its reports and dashboards roll up sheet data for funders. Asana portfolios on the Advanced plan give a similar roll-up across grants, and monday.com dashboards on Standard and above do the same for board data. The right pick depends on how the team already tracks grants, so trial the reporting views with real grant data before committing to a plan.

Can volunteers use these tools without a licence?

It depends on the tool and the plan. Some vendors let guests view or comment on work without a full seat, while others count every active member as a seat. Check the guest and viewer rules on the vendor pricing page, and count any volunteer who edits tasks as a seat in the budget. Flat-rate ProofHub avoids the question entirely, since its price does not change with user numbers.

Sources we checked

  • https://asana.com/pricing
  • https://monday.com/pricing
  • https://clickup.com/pricing
  • https://www.wrike.com/pricing/
  • https://www.smartsheet.com/pricing
  • https://www.teamwork.com/pricing/
  • https://www.notion.com/pricing
  • https://www.proofhub.com/pricing
How we score

Need the method behind these picks?

We publish the criteria and the weights, so you can disagree with them.

The best project management software for nonprofit program teams#1 PICK