Project Management by Team · Researched comparison

Best Project Management Software for Nonprofits

TaskReports may earn a fee from some links on this page, and some placements are paid and labelled. Neither one decides the order. See our disclosure.

On this page

Key takeaways

  • Nonprofits need grant tracking, volunteer coordination and donor reporting, not just task lists, and the budget is usually tight.
  • Asana, Notion and Airtable offer a 50% discount to eligible nonprofits, which cuts the list price in half.
  • Hive starts at $5 per user per month and monday.com at $9 per seat per month, the cheapest entry points without a discount.
  • Every tool here except Smartsheet has a free plan, so a small charity can start at no cost and upgrade when the team grows.
  • Check volunteer access before you buy, because guest and viewer limits decide whether volunteers work inside the tool or outside it.

Comparison

How these compare
ToolBest forPrice rangeFree plan
AsanaStructured programs and grants$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
monday.comVisual program boards$9 per seat/month (billed annually)Yes
ClickUpAll in one workspace$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
NotionDocs, wiki and projects$10 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
AirtableGrant and donor databases$20 per seat/month (billed annually)Yes
WrikeApprovals and requests$10 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
TeamworkClient and project tracking$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
SmartsheetSchedules and reports$9 per member/month (billed annually)No
HiveLow cost planning$5 per user/month (billed annually)Yes

How we choose

We reviewed the vendor pricing pages and product documentation for each tool in this guide, and we compared price, nonprofit discounts, grant tracking, volunteer access, reporting and free plan limits. Prices are the list prices on each pricing page, with annual billing where the vendor quotes it, and the 50% discounts for Asana, Notion and Airtable are the published nonprofit rates for eligible organizations. We did not claim hands on testing, and we did not use review scores, because a price and a plan limit are facts a reader can check, while a score is an opinion.

Our full method

The shortlist

★ Best overall

The best project management software for nonprofits

A nonprofit runs programs, grants, volunteers, donors and events with a small staff and a budget that has to stretch. The software needs to track a grant from application to report, coordinate volunteers across shifts, and show a board or a funder where the money went, without costing more than the programs it supports. The nine tools below were compared on their pricing pages and documentation for price, nonprofit discounts, grant tracking, volunteer access, reporting and free plan limits.

2

Asana

Best for Structured programs and grant tracking

Website: https://asana.com

Best for: Structured programs and grant tracking

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Clear task ownership; strong templates and portfolios

Cons: Native time tracking needs the Advanced plan; proofing sits on higher tiers

Asana fits a nonprofit that runs repeatable programs, such as a food bank with weekly distributions or a charity with an annual grant cycle. Templates carry the process, the timeline view shows how each step depends on the last, and portfolios group projects by program or funder, so a director can check the health of every live program in one place. Status updates keep the board informed without a meeting per program, and forms collect volunteer applications or beneficiary referrals in a consistent format.

The Starter plan costs $10.99 per user per month on annual billing, and eligible nonprofits can apply for a 50% discount, which brings Starter to about $5.50 per user per month. The free Personal plan covers up to 2 users, which suits a very small charity. Native time tracking and proofing need the Advanced plan at $24.99 per user per month, or about $12.50 with the discount, so a nonprofit that approves materials daily should check that cost before choosing Asana for creative work.

3

monday.com

Best for Visual program boards and dashboards

Website: https://monday.com

Best for: Visual program boards and dashboards

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Flexible boards and views; strong dashboards

Cons: Time tracking needs the Standard plan; priced plans need at least 3 seats

monday.com suits a nonprofit that thinks in boards, with one board per program, one per grant and one per event. Status columns show where each grant application or volunteer shift sits, the timeline view shows the month ahead, and dashboards roll up open work across programs without opening each board one by one. Guest access lets volunteers and board members view progress without a full seat, which keeps the bill down when many people need a window into the work.

The Basic plan costs $9 per seat per month on annual billing and covers unlimited boards, docs and templates, but it caps automations at 250 actions a month and leaves time tracking to Standard at $12 per seat per month. The free plan covers up to 2 seats, and priced plans need at least 3 seats, so a solo coordinator pays $27 a month from the start. Ask monday.com about nonprofit pricing when you request a quote, because the list price is only the starting point.

4

ClickUp

Best for One workspace for tasks, docs and goals

Website: https://clickup.com

Best for: One workspace for tasks, docs and goals

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Many views and built in docs; generous free plan

Cons: The interface can feel crowded; free plan storage caps at 100 MB

ClickUp packs tasks, docs, whiteboards and goals into one workspace, which suits a nonprofit that wants fewer subscriptions. A grant can hold the application in a doc, the tasks on a board and the reporting deadline on a calendar, while custom fields track funder, amount, deadline and status. Goals with targets let a team track fundraising progress next to the daily task list, and the dashboard shows overdue work and workload by person across all programs at once.

The Core plan costs $9 per user per month on annual billing and adds unlimited storage, unlimited integrations and Gantt charts to a free plan that already covers unlimited tasks and members. The interface packs many features into every screen, so new users should expect a few days of learning before it feels fast. The free plan storage cap of 100 MB means a team that attaches large reports or photos will outgrow it quickly, so check file sizes before relying on the free tier.

5

Notion

Best for Docs, wiki and projects in one place

Website: https://www.notion.com

Best for: Docs, wiki and projects in one place

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Flexible pages and databases; large template gallery

Cons: No native time tracking; offline access is limited

Notion suits a nonprofit whose work starts as documents: grant applications, policy handbooks, volunteer guides and board papers. A page can hold the grant narrative, the task database and the reporting checklist at once, and the database views turn the same tasks into a board, a calendar or a table. Templates cover fundraising, volunteer onboarding and event planning, and the free plan is generous enough that many small charities never pay for it.

The free plan covers unlimited pages and blocks for individual use, with file uploads up to 5 MB each. Plus costs $10 per user per month on annual billing, and eligible nonprofits can apply for a 50% discount, which brings Plus to $5 per user per month. There is no native time tracking at any tier, and offline access is limited, so a team that bills hours or works without internet often pairs Notion with a separate time tool.

6

Airtable

Best for Grant, donor and volunteer databases

Website: https://airtable.com

Best for: Grant, donor and volunteer databases

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Database views for grants and donors; strong automations

Cons: Highest starting price here; per seat cost adds up fast

Airtable is a database that looks like a spreadsheet, which makes it the strongest tool here for tracking grants, donors and volunteers as records rather than tasks. A grants base can hold funder, amount, deadline, status and report date, with views that show only the grants due this month or only the ones awaiting a report. Automations send reminders before a deadline, and interfaces build a simple dashboard for the board without a separate reporting tool.

The Team plan costs $20 per seat per month on annual billing, which is the highest starting price in this guide, and eligible nonprofits can apply for a 50% discount, which brings Team to $10 per seat per month. The free plan covers up to 5 creators with 1,000 records per base, which is enough for a small grants list. Airtable is a database first and a task manager second, so a team that mainly needs task lists should look at Asana or ClickUp instead.

7

Wrike

Best for Approvals and work requests

Website: https://www.wrike.com

Best for: Approvals and work requests

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Strong approval workflows; request forms capture briefs

Cons: Time tracking needs the Pinnacle plan; Team plan caps at 15 users

Wrike suits a nonprofit where approvals are formal, such as a charity that needs a recorded sign off on grant reports, press releases or safeguarding documents. Request forms capture each brief in the same format, approvals route the work to the right manager, and the audit trail shows who approved what and when. Blueprints repeat a proven process for each new grant or event, and proofing tools let reviewers mark up documents inside the task.

The Team plan costs $10 per user per month on annual billing for 2 to 15 users, with Gantt charts, automations and 2 GB of storage per user. Time tracking only arrives on the Pinnacle plan, the top tier, so a team that logs hours per grant needs the highest plan or a separate timer. The free plan covers basic task management with unlimited viewers, which is a fair way to test the approval flow before committing to a priced plan.

8

Teamwork

Best for Project tracking with time and billing

Website: https://www.teamwork.com

Best for: Project tracking with time and billing

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Time tracking included on every plan; client portal

Cons: Free plan allows only 2 projects; reporting is basic on Basics

Teamwork suits a nonprofit that delivers services to clients or beneficiaries and needs to track time against each project, such as a legal aid clinic or a training provider. Time tracking sits on every plan, so staff can log hours against a grant funded project without an add on, and the workload view shows who is overbooked before a new case lands. Clients or partners can comment and approve work in a portal, which keeps feedback attached to the task instead of scattered across email.

The Basics plan costs $9.99 per user per month on annual billing and covers unlimited projects, task lists, milestones and time tracking. The free plan covers up to 5 users but only 2 projects, so it works as a trial rather than a home for an active charity. Reporting improves on the Accelerate plan at $24.99 per user per month, which is the tier a growing nonprofit usually needs once it manages more than a handful of programs at once.

9

Smartsheet

Best for Schedules, grids and board reports

Website: https://www.smartsheet.com

Best for: Schedules, grids and board reports

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

Free plan: No

Pros: Grid, Gantt, card and calendar views; familiar spreadsheet feel

Cons: No free plan; reporting needs the Business plan for depth

Smartsheet feels like a spreadsheet with project management built in, which suits program managers who already plan in grids. A grant schedule can hold funder, amount, deadline and status in rows, with dependencies linking each step to the next, and the Gantt view shows the whole plan at a glance. Forms collect volunteer sign ups or beneficiary referrals, and reports roll up late tasks across programs without manual copying.

The Pro plan costs $9 per member per month on annual billing for 1 to 10 members, or $12 billed monthly, and Business costs $19 per member per month. There is no free plan, only a 30 day trial, so a nonprofit should use the trial with a real grant schedule. Deeper reporting sits on the Business plan, which is the tier a charity usually needs once the board asks for regular program reports.

10

Hive

Best for Low cost planning and volunteer scheduling

Website: https://hive.com

Best for: Low cost planning and volunteer scheduling

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Lowest starting price here; clean resourcing views

Cons: Timesheets and resourcing cost extra as add ons; limited reporting

Hive is the cheapest way into a proper workspace, with the Starter plan at $5 per user per month on annual billing and a free plan that covers up to 10 members, which fits a small charity with a handful of staff and volunteers. The layout is simple: projects, tasks, calendar and a resourcing view that shows who is free next week, which suits volunteer scheduling. Timesheets and deeper resourcing are available as add ons, so a charity can start cheap and add only the pieces it needs.

The add on model is also the main thing to watch. Timesheets and resourcing each cost $5 to $8 per user per month on top of the base plan, so a team that needs both can end up near $20 per user per month, which erases the price advantage over monday.com or ClickUp. Check the real cost for your feature list before choosing Hive on price alone, and confirm that volunteer guests can view their shifts without a full seat.

What to check before you buy

Start with your real workflow, not the feature list. List how a grant moves from application to report, how volunteers are scheduled, and who needs to see what, then check that the tool covers those steps at the price you will pay. Confirm the nonprofit discount in writing before you budget, because eligibility rules differ by vendor. Check guest and viewer limits, because volunteers should not need a full seat to see a shift. Finally, run a real grant through the free plan or trial, because a tool that feels fast for tasks can slow down once it holds a year of grant records.

Checklist before you pay: confirm the nonprofit discount and eligibility, confirm volunteer guest access, confirm the free plan limits, confirm the storage cap covers your files, confirm reporting is on your tier, and confirm the annual total. A 10 person team on Asana Starter with the discount pays $54.95 a month, which is $659.40 a year, while the same team without the discount pays $109.90 a month, which is $1,318.80 a year, so the discount saves $659.40 a year.

FAQ

What is the best project management software for nonprofits?

The best fit depends on the work. Asana suits structured programs and grants at $10.99 a user, or about $5.50 with the 50% nonprofit discount. Notion suits docs and wikis at $10 a user, or $5 with the discount. Airtable suits grant and donor databases at $20 a seat, or $10 with the discount. Try the free plan of two tools for a month each, and keep the one your team actually opens.

Do nonprofits get discounts on project management software?

Yes, several vendors offer them. Asana, Notion and Airtable each publish a 50% discount for eligible nonprofit organizations, which cuts the list price in half. Eligibility rules differ, so apply through each vendor and confirm the discount in writing before you budget. Other vendors may offer nonprofit pricing on request, so ask even when no discount is published on the pricing page.

How much should a nonprofit budget for project management software?

A 10 person nonprofit should budget $25 to $200 a month on annual billing, based on the prices in this guide. Hive costs $50 a month for 10 people, Asana Starter with the discount costs $54.95, and Airtable Team with the discount costs $100. The annual total matters more than the monthly figure, because most vendors charge the year up front, and the discount must be confirmed before the budget is set.

Can volunteers use project management software without a licence?

Yes, on most tools in this guide. monday.com, Asana, ClickUp, Teamwork and Wrike all offer guest or viewer access so volunteers can follow their own tasks without a full seat. Check the guest limits on your plan, because some tools cap the number of guests or restrict what guests can do. A volunteer who only needs to see a shift schedule should not need a full licence.

Is a free plan enough for a nonprofit?

A free plan can carry a very small charity, but the limits appear fast. Teamwork free allows only 2 projects, ClickUp free caps storage at 100 MB, and monday.com free covers only 2 seats. If you run more than a couple of programs at once, or you attach large files, expect to move to a priced plan within a few months. Use the free plan to test the workflow, and apply for the nonprofit discount before you pay.

Sources we checked

  • Asana pricing: https://asana.com/pricing
  • monday.com pricing: https://monday.com/pricing
  • ClickUp pricing: https://clickup.com/pricing
  • Notion pricing: https://www.notion.com/pricing
  • Airtable pricing: https://airtable.com/pricing
  • Wrike pricing: https://www.wrike.com/pricing/
  • Teamwork pricing: https://www.teamwork.com/pricing
  • Smartsheet pricing: https://www.smartsheet.com/pricing
  • Hive pricing: https://hive.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 nonprofits#1 PICK