Freelancing is an incredibly flexible way to work, but it can be difficult to keep track of your clients and projects if you don’t have good project management software. Fortunately, the best project management software for freelancers is affordable, has all the features you need for your business, and is incredibly user friendly.
Today, we’re breaking down your best options for 2023 so you can keep track of multiple clients and projects at a time, from pricing, features, and pros and cons.
Key Takeaways:
- Most project management software has a free option, so there is no need to pay for something if you need to keep your overhead costs down.
- Pay attention to the features that fit your business — does your freelance business have simple needs or complex ones?
6 Best Project Management Software for Freelancers
1. Asana
Asana is one of the most popular project management tools on the market, and it’s ideal for solopreneurs to large teams. For freelancers, the free option will likely have everything you need to manage your workload, and as your business grows, Asana will scale with you.
All versions of Asana have list, board, and calendar views, but you can access Kanban and Gantt charts with the paid versions. This software is great for collaborating with clients, especially if they have a team of freelancers.
The set-up process is simple and can be completed quickly, and Asana offers lots of detailed how-to guides, interactive courses, and webinars so you get the most out of your subscription.
Notable Features for Freelancers:
- Task and subtasks that are easy to set up, which helps with workflow
- Permissions and privacy controls if you need to invite clients or other freelancers to collaborate with you on projects
- Milestone tracking that makes it easy to share progress with your clients
- Software integrations for Slack, Google Drives, Microsoft Teams, etc.
Pricing
Asana has four levels of pricing, starting with a free option and going all the way to an enterprise solution for large organizations. Like we’ve said, most freelancers will find the free option an ideal fit.
- Basic: $0
- Premium: $10.99 per month
- Business: $24.99 per month
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Asana Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Free version has unlimited tasks, projects, messages, and file storage
- User friendly interface
- Over 200 integrations with third-party services
- Feel and looks professional
Cons:
- Sheer number of features can feel overwhelming to new users
- Upgraded plans are expensive
2. ClickUp
ClickUp offers advanced features, an impressive free plan, and lots of flexibility, making it one of the best project management software for freelancers who want lots of customization.
What ClickUp is best known for is its Agile approach to project management. This is an incremental and non-linear approach that focuses on breaking down larger projects into more manageable tasks. This can be great for freelancers with complex client work.
Notable Features for Freelancers:
- Offers task prioritization options
- Can assign comments and leave annotations to work collaboratively
- Real-time reporting to set goals, track progress, and increase productivity
Pricing
ClickUp has five options, and most freelancers will find the free option perfectly suited to their needs.
- Free: $0
- Unlimited: $5 per member when billed annually
- Business: $12 per member when billed annually
- Business Plus: $19 per member when billed annually
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Robust suite of features included in the free plan
- User-friendly interface
- Great for managing complex projects
Cons:
- Limited storage with free plan
- Steep learning curve to get the most out of the customizability and features
3. Trello
Trello offers visually appealing project management software for freelancers who are looking for Kanban-style management, and the free plan has virtually all of the features a freelancer could ever need.
If you’re unfamiliar with Kanban-style project management, it’s a way to visualize the project as a series of cards, one created for each element needed to complete a project. Each card is assigned to whomever needs to complete the task, and with Trello, you can add files, labels, and categorize each card for maximum efficiency.
Notable Features for Freelancers:
- Very strong Kanban-style project management
- Activity log keeps everyone up-to-date on the progress of each project
- Built-in automation to reduce tedious tasks
Pricing
Trello has four tiers of pricing, starting with a free option that will suit most freelancers.
- Free: $0
- Standard: $5 per month when billed annually
- Premium: $10 per month when billed annually
- Enterprise: Starting at $17.50 per user per month
Trello Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Free plan has most of the capabilities freelancers need
- Drag-and drop style cards
- Project timelines and calendars help keep track of milestones
Cons:
- Not ideal for those who don’t like Kanban boards
- Not as easy to track more than one project at a time
- Limited storage on the free plan
4. Notion
While Notion started as a note-taking app, it has grown into a robust project management software that’s ideal for freelancers, solopreneurs, and small teams. It’s a powerful tool for building workflows, keeping track of all project-related tasks, and can even be used to create websites.
Notion is organized as a series of pages that can be nested or interlinked. It’s incredibly simple to set up and has started templates so you can quickly organize it the way you want.
Notable Features for Freelancers:
- Kanban-style boards, task lists, and calenders for task prioritization and scheduling
- Easy-to-use mobile app for iOS and Android
- Strong communication functionality to collaborate on tasks
Pricing
Notion has four levels of pricing, and the free one is free forever for freelancers and solopreneurs.
- Free: $0
- Personal Pro: $4 per month
- Team: $8 per month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Notion Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Offers a forever free plan that includes enough features for solopreneurs and freelancers
- Higher level plans still have affordable pricing
- User friendly and highly customizable
Cons:
- Lacks advanced project management features needed managing large teams
- Limited storage on the free plan
5. monday.com
monday.com is a cloud-based option for freelancers who want to create their own work management tools and applications. It can be used for projectment management, customer relationship management (CRM), software development, human resources, and more.
This intuitive software is excellent for small to midsize businesses who want an appealing interface and intuitive features.
Notable Features for Freelancers:
- Project automations to automate common or recurring tasks using IFTT (if this, then this) triggers
- Lengthy list of third-party integrations
- App marketplace to add on even more options
Pricing
Monday.com has five levels of pricing, and beyond the free plan, pricing varies based on team size.
- Free: $0
- Basic: $8 per seat per month, minimum of $24/month
- Standard: $10 per seat per month, minimum of $30/month
- Pro: $16 per seat per month, minimum of $48/month
- Enterprise: Contact for details
monday.com Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Strong customer support
- Highly customizable
- Forever free plan
- 200+ templates for creating boards and customizations
Cons:
- Confusing pricing plans
- Time tracking only available with Pro accounts
- Minimum team size of three for paid plans
6. Todoist
Todoist is a popular project management software for freelancers because of its straightforward approach and easy navigation. It simplifies and streamlines the project management process so you don’t waste time trying to “figure it out.”
What makes Todoist stand out is that it’s really more of a to-do list that also has robust project management features. Besides using it to manage your freelance work, you can use it to manage your household tasks.
Notable Features for Freelancers:
- Smart Schedule feature can help you plan your day by suggesting the best times to work on different tasks, based on priority, due date, and time to completion
- Includes templates for budgets and spending
- Software integrations with Slack, Time Doctor, Zapier, Zendesk, and more
Pricing
Todoist has three levels of pricing, including a free option that will fit more freelancer’s project management needs.
- Free: $0
- Pro: $4 per user when billed annually
- Business: $6 per user when billed annually
Todoist Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Strong free plan
- Automatic syncing that’s reliable
- Intuitive scheduling and prioritization features
Cons:
- Free plan lacks important features like automatic backups and reminders
- Primarily designed as a task management tool
Final Word on Best Project Management Software for Freelancers
Finding the best software for your freelance business will ultimately come down to what kind of freelance business you run. There are simplified options that are great for creating a list of tasks and more complex ones if you’re working on large scale projects with a team of freelancers.
The best part is that each of these software options have a free option. You can spend time trying any of them out and getting them to work for you without a financial commitment.
FAQs
The first thing freelancers need to do is to create a schedule for when they can work on projects. Beyond that, they can batch work — work on similar tasks at the same time. They can also set mini milestones for themselves, set realistic deadlines with clients, and use the best project management software suited to their needs.
The simplest way is to schedule the tasks that need to be completed for each project. You can use a planner or calendar app. For more sophisticated tracking, check out freelance project management software like Asana, Trello, monday.com, Notion, Todoist, or ClickUp.
About Millennial Money Man
Bobby Hoyt is a former band director who paid off $40,000 of student loan debt in 18 months on his teaching salary and then left his job to run Millennial Money Man full-time. He helps other Millennials earn more through side hustles, save more through budgeting tools and apps, and pay off debt. He is a personal finance expert who has been seen on Forbes, Reuters, MarketWatch, CNBC, International Business Times, Business Insider, US News, Yahoo Finance, and many other personal finance and entrepreneurship media outlets.
