Best Project Management Software for PR Agencies

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

Best for: Retainer and client account work

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Built-in time tracking and billing; client access and project templates

Cons: Free plan caps at 5 users; advanced reporting sits on higher plans

Teamwork was built for client services work, and that shows in how it handles PR agency life. Each client account can hold its own projects, retainers, tasks, and time entries, so account managers can see exactly how much of a monthly retainer has been used. Built-in time tracking links hours to tasks and clients, which makes monthly reporting and invoicing far simpler than exporting data to a separate billing tool.

Project templates help a PR team repeat the same workflow for every campaign launch, media tour, or product announcement. A template can hold the task list, the approval steps, and the deadlines, so a new campaign starts from a proven structure instead of a blank board. Teamwork also offers client access, so a client can check progress and leave comments without joining the full workspace.

The main limits sit on the free plan, which caps at 5 users, and on reporting, where the deeper portfolio and profitability views need the Accelerate plan at $24.99 per user per month. Agencies that want media monitoring will need a separate tool, since Teamwork does not include it. For a PR agency that lives on retainers and client reporting, though, the fit is close.

Website: https://monday.com/

Best for: Visual campaign planning

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Visual boards and timelines; strong automations and client dashboards

Cons: 3-seat minimum on entry plans; advanced reporting needs the Pro plan

monday.com gives PR teams a visual way to track campaigns, media outreach, and client deliverables. Boards can hold pitches, journalist contacts, coverage links, and deadlines in one place, and timeline and calendar views show how campaigns overlap across the month. Custom status columns let a team mark a pitch as drafted, sent, followed up, or covered, which keeps outreach visible to everyone on the account.

Automations cut down on routine work. A board can move a task to the next stage when a status changes, notify the account lead when a deadline nears, or create a recurring task for weekly reporting. Client dashboards can share selected boards with clients, so they see progress without access to internal notes. Integrations with email, Slack, and Google Drive help keep media lists and press materials connected to the work.

The entry Basic plan at $9 per seat per month billed annually has a 3-seat minimum, so very small teams still buy three seats. Advanced reporting and private boards need the Pro plan at $19 per seat per month, which adds up for larger agencies. Still, for a PR team that wants a clear visual picture of every campaign, monday.com is a strong pick.

Website: https://asana.com/

Best for: Approvals and task tracking

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Clear approval workflows; portfolios for client accounts

Cons: Proofing needs the Advanced plan; free Personal plan caps at 2 users

Asana fits PR agencies that run on tasks, deadlines, and approvals. A campaign can be broken into tasks for research, drafting, client review, and distribution, with dependencies that show what must finish before the next step starts. Approval tasks let a client or account director sign off on a press release or pitch before it leaves the agency, and the approval history stays attached to the task for reference.

Portfolios give account leads a view across all client accounts at once, showing which projects are on track and which need attention. Goals can tie campaign work to client objectives, such as coverage targets or launch dates. Asana also connects with email, Slack, and file storage tools, so media materials and journalist lists stay linked to the work.

The free Personal plan caps at 2 users, so even a small agency will need the Starter plan at $10.99 per user per month billed annually. Proofing and advanced reporting need the Advanced plan at $24.99 per user per month, which matters for teams that review a lot of creative assets. Asana is a solid choice when approvals and clear task ownership are the priority.

Website: https://clickup.com/

Best for: All-in-one team workspace

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Docs, tasks, and goals in one place; generous Free Forever plan

Cons: Feature depth can overwhelm new users; some features need higher plans

ClickUp aims to hold everything a PR agency needs in one workspace. Tasks can track pitches, media lists, and coverage, while Docs can hold press kits, messaging guides, and client briefs. Whiteboards help a team plan a campaign launch, and Goals can track coverage targets or client milestones. Custom statuses let a team shape the workflow around its own process, from pitch drafted to coverage secured.

Time tracking, dashboards, and workload views help account managers see who is busy and how retainer hours are being spent. Automations can assign tasks, change statuses, and send reminders when deadlines approach. The Free Forever plan gives a small agency room to try the core features, and the Core plan at $9 per user per month billed annually adds unlimited storage and more advanced views.

The trade-off is depth. ClickUp has so many features that a new team can take time to set it up and learn it, and some teams end up using only a small part of what they bought. A few advanced features, including some AI tools, sit on higher plans. For an agency that wants one tool for docs, tasks, and reporting, ClickUp covers a lot of ground.

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

Best for: Docs and media databases

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Flexible databases for media lists; docs and wikis in one place

Cons: No native time tracking; setup takes time for new teams

Notion works well for PR agencies that think in documents and databases. A media list can live as a database with fields for outlet, beat, contact details, and last pitch date, and the same data can be viewed as a table, a board, or a calendar. Press kits, messaging guides, and client wikis can sit beside the work, so new team members can find background material without asking around.

Pages can hold campaign plans, meeting notes, and coverage trackers in one connected workspace. The Plus plan at $10 per member per month billed annually adds unlimited file uploads, longer page history, and timeline views for planning campaigns. The Business plan at $20 per member per month adds more admin controls and automation for larger teams. Notion also connects with Slack, Google Drive, and other common tools.

Notion has no native time tracking, so billable hours and retainer tracking need an integration or a separate tool. It also takes time to set up well, since a team starts from blank pages and builds its own structure. For an agency that values flexible docs and media databases over built-in billing, Notion is a good fit.

Website: https://basecamp.com/

Best for: Simple client collaboration

Starting price: $15 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Simple structure clients learn fast; message boards and to-dos included

Cons: No built-in time tracking or Gantt charts; reporting is limited

Basecamp keeps project work simple, which suits PR agencies that want clients involved without a learning curve. Each project has message boards, to-do lists, a schedule, and file storage, so a client can follow a campaign, leave comments, and see what is due next. Clients can be invited into a project without taking a full team seat, which keeps client communication inside the tool instead of scattered across email.

The flat structure works well for small agencies and for accounts where the client wants visibility rather than control. To-do lists track press release drafts, pitch lists, and follow-ups, while the schedule view shows launch dates and media deadlines. The free plan covers small teams with up to 2 projects and 20 users, and the full plan costs $15 per user per month billed annually.

Basecamp has no built-in time tracking or Gantt charts, so retainer hours and complex campaign timelines need another tool. Reporting is also limited compared with tools built for client services. For a PR agency that wants a simple shared space with clients, Basecamp does the job with little setup.

Website: https://trello.com/

Best for: Kanban boards for pitches

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Easy kanban boards; Butler automation on the Standard plan

Cons: Timeline and calendar views need Premium; free plan caps at 10 boards

Trello turns PR work into boards, lists, and cards, which fits the way many agencies track pitches and coverage. A board can hold lists for pitch ideas, drafts, sent pitches, and secured coverage, and each card can hold the journalist, the outlet, the angle, and the deadline. Checklists inside a card break a pitch into steps, and labels and due dates keep the board easy to scan at a glance.

Butler automation on the Standard plan at $5 per user per month billed annually can move cards, set due dates, and send reminders when a card changes list. The Premium plan at $10 per user per month adds timeline and calendar views, plus more automation runs and admin controls. Trello also connects with email, Slack, and Google Drive, so media lists and press materials stay close to the work.

The free plan caps each workspace at 10 boards, which limits how many clients or campaigns a team can track without upgrading. Timeline and calendar views need the Premium plan, so teams that plan campaigns by date will need the higher tier. For a small PR agency that wants a simple visual board at a low price, Trello is hard to beat.

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

Best for: Structured campaign delivery

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

Free plan: Yes

Pros: Request forms and approvals; workload views for account teams

Cons: Approvals and time tracking need the Business plan; learning curve for new users

Wrike suits PR agencies that run structured campaigns with many stakeholders. Request forms let clients and colleagues submit briefs in a standard format, and those requests turn into tasks with owners and deadlines. Approval workflows route press releases and creative assets to the right people, and proofing tools let reviewers comment directly on files. Workload views show how much work each team member carries across client accounts.

Dashboards and reports give account leads a view of campaign progress, deadlines, and team capacity. The Team plan at $10 per user per month billed annually covers core task management and shared dashboards, while the Business plan at $25 per user per month adds approvals, time tracking, and resource management. Integrations with email, Slack, and file storage keep media materials connected to the work.

Approvals, time tracking, and resource management sit on the Business plan, so a team that needs those features will pay more than the entry price. Wrike also has a learning curve, since its structure and terminology take time to learn. For a mid-size PR agency that wants formal request and approval flows, Wrike is a strong option.