Project Management by Team · Researched comparison

8 Best Microsoft Project Alternatives for Teams in 2026

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The short answer

Monday.com is the best Microsoft Project alternative for most teams because it pairs boards with timelines, automations, and dashboards that are easier to read than a grid of dates. Basic costs $9 per seat per month billed annually, with a free plan for up to two seats. ClickUp matches that $9 starting price with docs and goals built in.

On this page

Key takeaways

  • Monday.com is the best all-round Microsoft Project alternative, with plans from $9 per seat per month billed annually and a free plan for up to two seats.
  • ClickUp is the cheapest all-in-one pick at $9 per user per month billed annually, with docs, goals, and time tracking built in.
  • Zoho Projects is the lowest-priced option at $4 per user per month billed annually, with a free plan for small teams.
  • Asana suits teams that plan structured work across departments, at $10.99 per user per month billed annually, while Microsoft Project has no free plan, only a 30-day trial.
  • Trello is the simplest and cheapest start at $5 per user per month billed annually, while Teamwork suits agencies that bill clients.

Comparison

How these compare
ToolBest forPrice rangeFree plan
Monday.comVisual boards and automations$9 per seat/month (billed annually)Yes, up to 2 seats
ClickUpBoards, docs, and goals in one workspace$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
AsanaStructured work across departments$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
SmartsheetGrid sheets with Gantt views$9 per member/month (billed annually)Free trial (30 days)
WrikeApprovals and formal intake$10 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
TeamworkClient work and agencies$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes, up to 5 users
Zoho ProjectsLow-cost project tracking for small teams$4 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
AirtableStructured data and databases$20 per user/month (billed annually)Yes

How we choose

We compared the vendor pricing pages for each tool on 14 November 2026, and we took the annual billing rate where the vendor publishes one. We compared project views, time tracking, automations, resource views, and free plan caps from the vendor docs and plan pages. We did not claim hands-on testing. We left out tools with no published starting price and tools whose main feature is outside project work. Prices change, so check the vendor pricing page before you buy.

Our full method

The shortlist

★ Best overall

Monday.com

Best for Visual boards and automations

  • Color-coded status columns that read at a glance
  • timeline and Gantt views on Standard
Price$9 per seat/month (billed annually)
See Monday.com pricing

Monday.com is the most visual option in this guide. Boards use color-coded status columns, and the timeline and Gantt views are clear at a glance. Standard at $12 per seat per month billed annually adds 250 automation and integration actions a month, while Pro at $19 raises the cap to 25,000 and adds time tracking and private boards. The free plan covers up to two seats, and every plan that charges starts at three seats.

The limits sit in the seat rules and the Basic plan. Basic costs $9 per seat per month billed annually but includes no automations and no integrations, so most teams need Standard at least. Seats are sold in buckets, so a team of four pays for five seats, and a team of six pays for ten. Monday.com is the best pick for teams that want a bright, visual workspace and are happy to move to Standard to get automations.

Price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes, up to 2 seats

Website: monday.com

Watch out for

  • Basic includes no automations and no integrations
  • seats are sold in buckets, so a team of four pays for five
2

ClickUp

Best for Boards, docs, and goals in one workspace
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

ClickUp is the cheapest all-in-one pick in this guide. Docs, wikis, tasks, goals, and time tracking live in one workspace, so a team can plan, write, and track time without adding a second tool. The board view works much like a simple Kanban board, with list, calendar, and Gantt views beside it. The free plan covers unlimited tasks and members, which makes it easy to try with a real team.

The trade-off is setup time. ClickUp packs many features into one workspace, and a new team can spend a week tuning spaces, statuses, and views before work feels smooth. The free plan also caps file storage at 60 MB, so teams that share large files will need Core. ClickUp is the best pick for teams that want one workspace for the whole company at $9 per user per month billed annually.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: clickup.com

What we like

  • Docs, wikis, tasks, goals, and time tracking in one workspace
  • board, list, calendar, and Gantt views

Watch out for

  • The workspace has many settings, so new teams need time to set it up
  • the free plan caps storage at 60 MB
3

Asana

Best for Structured work across departments
$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Asana is the most structured option in this guide. Every task has one owner and one due date, and work flows through sections, projects, and portfolios that stay readable as a team grows. Timeline view shows dependencies across a project, and the Starter plan at $10.99 per user per month billed annually adds timeline, dashboards, and 250 automation runs a month. The free plan covers basic task lists for a small team.

The limits sit in the plan ladder. Portfolios, goals, and workload views need the Advanced plan at $24.99 per user per month billed annually, so a team that wants resource planning across departments pays more than twice the Starter price. Asana is the best pick for teams that run structured work across departments and want one owner per task.

Price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: asana.com

What we like

  • Clear task ownership and due dates across teams
  • timeline and portfolio views on the plans that charge

Watch out for

  • Advanced reporting and approvals sit on higher plans
  • the free plan caps at a small team size
4

Smartsheet

Best for Grid sheets with Gantt views
$9 per member/month (billed annually)

Smartsheet is the closest match to Microsoft Project in feel. Work lives in a grid of rows and columns, and the Gantt view, card view, and calendar view all read from the same sheet. Pro costs $9 per member per month billed annually and covers up to ten members, while Business costs $19 and adds proofing, resource management, and activity logs. The 30-day trial gives full access before you commit.

The limits sit in the Pro cap and the Business jump. Pro covers only ten members, so a team of eleven must move to Business at more than twice the price per member. There is no free plan, so a team that wants to try it with no card must finish its test inside the trial window. Smartsheet is the best pick for teams that think in spreadsheets and want Gantt views without a desktop app.

Price: $9 per member/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: smartsheet.com

What we like

  • Spreadsheet grid that project managers already know
  • Gantt, card, and calendar views on every plan

Watch out for

  • No free plan, only a 30-day trial
  • proofing and resource views need Business at $19 per member per month
5

Wrike

Best for Approvals and formal intake
$10 per user/month (billed annually)

Wrike is the most process-driven option in this guide. Work starts with a request form, moves through approvals, and lands on a board or Gantt chart with a clear owner at each step. Team costs $10 per user per month billed annually and adds Gantt charts, dashboards, and 25 GB of storage per user. The free plan covers basic task lists for a small team, and a 14-day trial covers the higher plans.

The limits sit in the learning curve and the plan ladder. The interface packs many panels into one screen, so a new user needs a few days to learn where things live. Resource planning, time tracking, and custom workflows need Business at $24.80 per user per month billed annually. Wrike is the best pick for teams that run formal intake and approvals on every project.

Price: $10 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: wrike.com

What we like

  • Request forms and approval workflows built in
  • Gantt charts and workload views on Team

Watch out for

  • The interface has many panels, so new users need training time
  • resource planning needs the Business plan
6

Teamwork

Best for Client work and agencies
$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Teamwork is the most agency-focused option in this guide. Client projects, billable time, and invoices live in one workspace, so an agency can track a retainer from kickoff to invoice without a second tool. Basics costs $9.99 per user per month billed annually and adds time tracking and unlimited projects, while Deliver at $13.99 adds workload views and project templates. The free plan covers up to five users.

The limits sit in the look and the reporting ladder. The interface feels dated next to Monday.com or ClickUp, and the reporting that shows profit per client needs Grow at $24.99 per user per month billed annually. Teamwork is the best pick for agencies that bill clients by the hour and want time, tasks, and invoices in one place.

Price: $9.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes, up to 5 users

Website: teamwork.com

What we like

  • Client billing, time tracking, and project templates in one place
  • workload view on Deliver

Watch out for

  • The interface feels dated next to newer boards
  • advanced reporting needs the Grow plan
7

Zoho Projects

Best for Low-cost project tracking for small teams
$4 per user/month (billed annually)

Zoho Projects is the lowest-priced option in this guide. Premium costs $4 per user per month billed annually and adds Gantt charts, milestones, timesheets, and custom fields, while Enterprise at $9 adds resource utilization and advanced analytics. The free plan covers basic projects for a small team, and the tool works well inside a Zoho shop, with shared contacts and single sign-on across Zoho apps.

The limits sit in the polish and the ecosystem. The interface is plain, and the automation options are thin next to Monday.com or Asana. Integrations with tools outside Zoho exist but are limited, so a team that runs Slack, GitHub, and Google Workspace will do more manual work. Zoho Projects is the best pick for a small team that wants Gantt charts and timesheets at the lowest price in this guide.

Price: $4 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: zoho.com

What we like

  • Lowest starting price in this guide
  • Gantt charts, milestones, and timesheets on Premium

Watch out for

  • The interface is plain and the automation options are thin
  • integrations with tools outside Zoho are limited
8

Airtable

Best for Structured data and databases
$20 per user/month (billed annually)

Airtable is the most flexible option in this guide. Work lives in bases that link records across tables, so a team can connect projects, clients, and tasks in one place and view the same data as a grid, a Kanban board, a calendar, or a gallery. Team costs $20 per user per month billed annually and adds 50,000 records per base, Gantt views, and 25,000 automation runs a month. The free plan covers 1,000 records per base.

The limits sit in the price and the project depth. At $20 per user per month billed annually, Airtable costs twice as much as Monday.com or ClickUp, and it still needs extensions for time tracking and resource planning. Airtable is the best pick for teams that plan in structured data and want one base to hold projects, clients, and assets together.

Price: $20 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: airtable.com

What we like

  • Flexible bases that link records across tables
  • grid, Kanban, calendar, and gallery views

Watch out for

  • Highest starting price in this guide
  • project features need extensions and add-ons

What to check before you buy

  • Count the seats you will actually pay for, including guests and commenters, because some tools bill for commenters and some do not.
  • Check the free plan caps on users, projects, and storage before you move a whole team.
  • Test the import tool with one real project, and check that tasks, comments, attachments, and due dates carry over.
  • Confirm which plan holds the features you need, such as time tracking, proofing, or resource views, because Smartsheet Business holds those behind a $19 per member per month price.
  • Ask about seat minimums and seat blocks, since Smartsheet Pro caps at ten members and Monday.com sells seats in buckets.

FAQ

Is there a free Microsoft Project alternative?

Yes. ClickUp, Asana, Wrike, Teamwork, Zoho Projects, and Airtable all have free plans, and Monday.com has a free plan for up to two seats. Smartsheet has no free plan, only a 30-day trial. The free plans cover basic task lists and boards, so a small team can run real work on them before it moves to a plan that charges.

Which Microsoft Project alternative is easiest to learn?

Monday.com is the easiest to learn among the eight tools here. Its boards use color and status columns that read at a glance, and most teams can build a first board in an afternoon. ClickUp and Wrike take longer because they pack more settings into one workspace, so plan a week of setup time for either of them.

Which Microsoft Project alternative has the best time tracking?

ClickUp and Teamwork have the best built-in time tracking in this guide. ClickUp includes time tracking in its free plan and on Core, while Teamwork adds time tracking and client billing on Basics at $9.99 per user per month billed annually. Monday.com adds time tracking on Pro at $19 per seat per month, so it costs more for that feature.

Can I import Microsoft Project files into another tool?

Yes, most tools in this guide import Microsoft Project files or CSV exports. Monday.com, ClickUp, Asana, Smartsheet, and Wrike all accept MPP or CSV imports, though Gantt dependencies and custom fields may need manual fixes after the import. Test the import with one real project first, and check that tasks, dates, and dependencies carry over.

How much does it cost to move a ten-person team off Microsoft Project?

A ten-person team on Plan 1 pays $1,200 a year, plus the Microsoft 365 license each user needs. The same team pays $480 a year on Zoho Projects Premium, $1,080 on ClickUp Core, and $1,440 on Monday.com Standard. Add the cost of the plan that holds the features you need, since time tracking and resource views often sit one tier above the entry plan.

Sources we checked

How we score

Need the method behind these picks?

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

Monday.com#1 PICK
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