Introduction
Managing projects effectively is critical for business success. Whether you’re a startup, small business, or enterprise, you need the right project management tool to oversee workflows, track tasks and keep all stakeholders on the same page. This is where open source project management software provides a cost-effective solution. In this post, we evaluate the top 15 open source project management tools based on features, popularity, reviews and other factors to help you choose the right software to manage your projects smoothly in the new year.
Methods of Evaluation
To select the top 15 open source project management software, we considered various factors including features, ease of use, pricing, customer reviews and ratings. We also looked at the developer community size and level of activity to gauge long term support and stability. In addition, we leveraged metrics like number of backlinks, organic traffic and keyword search trends to determine the popular options. This helped narrow down the list to the most effective and widely used open source project management tools for various teams and project types.
1. SAP Project and Portfolio Management (PPM)
SAP Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) is a flagship product from industry-leading software company SAP. As one of the top enterprise project and portfolio management solutions on the market, SAP PPM provides robust functionality to help organizations effectively plan, prioritize and govern complex project portfolios across teams and geographies.
Pros: Key advantages of SAP PPM include its robust enterprise functionality, ability to scale for global multi-project environments, strong focus on strategic alignment and governance processes, being part of the larger SAP suite with tight product integrations, and its tailored capabilities for regulated industries like engineering and pharma.
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the robust functionality and large enterprise scope of SAP PPM comes with a higher price tag compared to some other project management solutions.
Pricing: Pricing for SAP PPM depends on multiple factors like the number of users, modules and features selected, and required support services. Contact SAP sales for a custom quote.
Some key stats about SAP PPM include: Serves over 6,000+ customers globally; Supports portfolios with thousands of projects and initiatives; Integrates tightly with other SAP solutions like SAP S/4HANA, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, and more.
2. Odoo
Odoo is an all-in-one open source ERP and CRM software developed by Odoo S.A. Originally known as OpenERP, Odoo can be used for accounting, manufacturing, project management, inventory management, sales, purchases, website building, e-commerce, and more. With Odoo, businesses have access to a complete set of business applications to manage their day-to-day operations from a single database.
Pros: Some key advantages of Odoo include:
– It is an all-in-one solution that provides functionality for ERP, CRM, eCommerce, billing, manufacturing and more from a single database
– Has robust project, task and timesheet management capabilities built-in
– Highly customizable through an extensive library of over 12,000+ addons and modules
– Open source so it can be self-hosted at low costs
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the user interface and customization capabilities are not as advanced or polished as some proprietary or Saas ERP solutions. It may require more technical expertise to host and manage Odoo on-premise compared to a Saas solution.
Pricing: Odoo has several pricing options:
– Free and open source – Can be self-hosted at no cost but limited support
– Online Subscription – Starting from $50/month for basic plan including support
– On-premise Support subscription – Starting from $200/year for support and upgrades
– Professional Services for implementation, customization and integration are also available
Some key stats about Odoo include:
– Used by over 50 million users worldwide
– Available in over 60 languages
– Has over 5 million downloads
– Has an active community of over 350,000 developers and partners
3. YouTrack
YouTrack is a bug tracking, issue tracking and project management tool developed by JetBrains. It was designed to be simple yet powerful tool to help teams keep track of tasks, bugs and issues.
Pros: Some key advantages of YouTrack include:
– Issue tracking integrated with development tools
– Familiar interface for JetBrains IDE users
– Wide range of customization options
Cons: One potential disadvantage of YouTrack is that its free version has limited functionality compared to paid tiers and other project management tools.
Pricing: YouTrack offers the following pricing plans:
– Freemium – Free for up to 10 users
– Commercial Subscription – Starts at $10/month per user for hosted version
– On-premises licenses – Pricing available on request
Some key stats about YouTrack include:
– Used by over 150,000 developers worldwide
– Integrates tightly with other JetBrains tools like IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm
– Offers both hosted and self-hosted versions
4. Airtable
Airtable is a versatile and powerful project management platform that allows teams to organize tasks, people, and data into customizable bases. Although it’s commonly referred to as a ‘database for everything,’ Airtable offers concrete project management features that help teams stay on track.
Pros: Some key advantages of Airtable include:
– Flexible Kanban, list and calendar style views to organize projects
– Visual configuration tools allow custom workflows to be built without code
– Integrations with popular tools keep teams connected in one workspace
– Powerful formula language enables automating tasks and workflows
– Robust API lets other apps integrate with and extend Airtable’s capabilities
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that Airtable’s interface may have a learning curve for those used to traditional project management software. While highly customizable, getting comfortable with the visual configuration could take some time at first.
Pricing: Airtable offers three pricing tiers:
– Free plan supports 3GB storage and 100 collaborators
– Professional plan is $10/user/month for unlimited storage and collaborators
– Business plan starts at $18/user/month and adds admin controls, SAML and HIPAA compliance
Some key stats about Airtable include:
– Used by over 150,000 paying teams globally across various industries
– Integrations with over 500+ apps including Slack, Google Drive, Salesforce etc.
– Completely customizable interface that can be tailored for any workflow
– Free plan supports up to 3GB of storage and up to 100 collaborators
5. Asana
Asana is a project management and work tracking tool. Founded in 2008, Asana helps teams organize and manage work from daily tasks to strategic initiatives. Asana is one of the most popular project management software options for small and mid-sized companies thanks to its ease of use and collaboration features.
Pros: Some key advantages of Asana include:
– Simple and streamlined interface that is easy for anyone to pick up and use
– Strong integration with tools like Slack, Google Drive and Dropbox for seamless collaboration
– Robust functionality even on the free plan makes it suitable for small teams
– Customizable workflows and templates keep teams organized and on track
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that Asana lacks some advanced project management features found in higher-priced competitors like detailed Gantt charts and resource management.
Pricing: Asana offers 3 paid tiers – Premium, Business and Enterprise. Pricing starts at $9.99/user per month for Premium and includes access to additional features like admin controls, API access and priority support.
Some key stats about Asana include:
– Used by over 100,000 companies including Microsoft, Spotify, Uber and IBM
– Has over 100 million users
– Integrates with over 350 apps including Google Drive, Slack, Dropbox and Trello
– Named a leader in the G2 Crowd Project Management Software category for 7 consecutive quarters
6. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a leading work execution platform that enables teams and organizations to plan, capture, manage, automate, and report on work at massive scale. As a collaborative workspace, Smartsheet brings together people, data, tools and workflows to help teams effectively manage work from idea to impact.
Pros: Some key advantages of Smartsheet include:
– Flexible workspaces that allow teams to organize and share work in a visually intuitive way
– Built-in workflow automation that simplifies repeatable processes and tasks
– Integrations with over 50+ popular tools for a unified work experience
– Powerful reporting and analytics to provide oversight and visibility into work
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that some of Smartsheet’s more advanced features are only available in higher tier paid plans, which may not suit the needs or budgets of smaller teams.
Pricing: Smartsheet offers various paid plans starting from $15/user per month for their Business plan up to $55/user per month for their Enterprise plan. Pricing varies based on the number of users, advanced features needed, and support/training required.
Some key stats about Smartsheet include:
– Used by over 90,000 paying organizations globally including 83% of the Fortune 500
– Over 100 million artifacts managed across dashboards, sheets, reports and more
– More than 50 out-of-the-box connectors to popular tools like Slack, Excel, Dropbox, JIRA and others
7. Monday
Monday is a visual project management and work collaboration platform. With customizable boards and workflows, Monday lets users collaborate on projects through chat and comments while integrating with other popular apps to extend its functionality. Monday can be used across all devices through its web and mobile apps.
Pros: Some key advantages of Monday include:
– Flexible boards and workflows that can be customized for any project
– Real-time collaboration through in-app chat and comments to keep teams on the same page
– Powerful integrations that bring data from other apps into Monday for a unified workspace
Cons: One potential downside of Monday is that its free plan only supports 3 active users which may not be sufficient for larger teams.
Pricing: Monday offers the following paid plans on an annual subscription basis:
– Basic Plan: $5/user/month
– Premium Plan: $8/user/month
– Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing
All plans include unlimited workspaces, boards and storage. The Premium plan adds additional features like priority support, guest access and IP filtering.
Some key stats about Monday include:
– Used by over 150,000 organizations worldwide including Spotify, Uber and BuzzFeed
– Over 800 integrations with popular apps like Slack, Github, Google Drive and more
– Award-winning interface designed for both personal and team collaboration
– Supports unlimited workspaces, boards and users with flexible pricing plans
8. Wrike
Wrike is a popular project management software that helps teams organize their work. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in San Jose, California, Wrike provides a collaborative work management platform to help teams stay on top of projects. The Wrike platform combines task management, resource management, Gantt charts, and integrations into one solution to improve productivity.
Pros: Some key advantages of Wrike include:
– Visual workflow boards and Gantt charts for task tracking and scheduling
– Strong file sharing and approvals functionality to streamline document reviews
– Robust resource management to assign tasks, track workloads and optimize resources
– Extensive integrations and customization options via the Wrike Apps Marketplace
Cons: One potential disadvantage of Wrike is that the free version only allows for 3 active projects which could limit its usefulness for some smaller teams.
Pricing: Wrike offers 3 paid plans – Professional ($9.80/user/mo billed annually), Business ($16/user/mo billed annually) and Enterprise (custom pricing). All plans include support for unlimited users and projects. Additional features are unlocked in each higher tier plan such as advanced permissions, approvals and more.
Some key stats about Wrike include:
– Used by over 12,000 companies including BMW, GE, and Cisco
– Supports over 20 languages for localized use around the world
– Integrates with over 150 apps like Slack, Jira, Google Drive and Dropbox
– Provides unlimited file sharing up to 10GB per file
9. Podio
Podio is an open source project management and teamwork platform developed by Citrix. It allows users to customize workflows and build lightweight business apps without code. Podio was launched in 2008 and has grown significantly since then.
Pros: Some key advantages of Podio include:
– Highly customizable workflows that can be adapted to any business process.
– Strong focus on team collaboration with features like shared workspaces, conversations, and file sharing.
– Apps can extend core Podio functionality easily through the app builder.
Cons: One potential disadvantage is Podio tends to be better suited for smaller and medium sized businesses compared to larger enterprise solutions. The interface and features may not scale as well for very large organizations with hundreds or thousands of users.
Pricing: Podio offers three paid plans in addition to a limited free plan. Pricing is per user/month and plans include Premium at $12, Business at $20, and Enterprise starting at $35.
Some key stats about Podio include:
– Used by over 35,000 companies worldwide including IBM, Toyota, and Nestle.
– Available in over 35 languages
– Extensive app library with over 500 free and paid Podio apps.
10. Taskade
Taskade is an AI-powered productivity platform that provides a unified workspace for teams to work faster and smarter with AI assistance. Users can leverage generative workflows, task automation, connected knowledge, and real-time collaboration across documents, wikis, notes and more. At the core of Taskade is its collaborative outlining tool optimized for teams to organize work and information.
Pros: Some key advantages of Taskade include:
– Real-time collaboration on documents, wikis and notes so teams can work together seamlessly.
– Built-in markdown support for formatting and styling content.
– Native cross platform apps and web app for accessibility from any device.
– Free personal plans and paid team plans to suit different business needs.
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that as a relatively new product, it may not have as many advanced features as some more established competitors. The free personal plans also have limited functionality compared to the paid team plans.
Pricing: Taskade offers both free personal plans and paid team plans. The free personal plan provides basic features for individual use. The paid team plans start at $5 per user per month for the basic plan and increase up to $15 per user per month for the premium ‘focus’ plan which includes additional features like annotation integration.
Some key stats about Taskade include:
– Used by over 250,000 individuals and teams worldwide
– Available on all major platforms including web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
– Integrates with major productivity and communication tools like Slack, Asana and Google Calendar
11. Planview Enterprise One
Planview Enterprise One is a leading project portfolio management (PPM) solution developed by Planview. In use by many large global organizations, it provides robust capabilities for strategic planning, project and resource management at an enterprise scale.
Pros: Some of the key advantages of Planview Enterprise One include: Robust portfolio and resource management capabilities to optimize resource allocation. Strong visibility into project status and health through customizable dashboards. Highly scalable and configurable solution that can support the needs of large global enterprises with thousands of projects and resources.
Cons: One potential disadvantage is the upfront cost and implementation effort required for a large enterprise deployment. Planview Enterprise One is an expensive commercial solution that requires investment in licensing, deployment, customization and training.
Pricing: Pricing for Planview Enterprise One is based on the number of users and projects managed. It is meant for large enterprise deployments managing hundreds or thousands of projects. Contact Planview for an exact quote customized to your organization’s size and needs.
Some key stats about Planview Enterprise One include: Used by over 5,000 companies worldwide, supporting over 1 million users. Integrates with over 200 other applications including Jira, Microsoft Project, and SAP. Capable of managing over 100,000 projects concurrently with no software or hardware limitations.
12. Hubstaff
Hubstaff is open source project management software that provides time tracking, invoicing and team productivity tools. Founded in 2009, Hubstaff helps teams and businesses understand how time is spent so they can optimize productivity and growth. With over 10,000 customers worldwide, Hubstaff is one of the leading open source project management solutions for remote and flexible teams.
Pros: Some key advantages of Hubstaff include:
– Easy to use time tracking that captures screenshots periodically
– Generares professional invoices directly from tracked time
– Centrailzed dashboard to monitor all team activity in one place
– Flexible workflows to match your team’s unique needs
– Affordable pricing plans tailored for teams of all sizes
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the free open source version has limited features compared to the paid plans. For some projects, the paid tiers may be required to unlock advanced reporting, analytics and integrations.
Pricing: Hubstaff has the following pricing plans:
– Free plan – Basic time tracking for up to 3 team members
– Premium plan – Starts at $7/user per month billed annually for up to 10 team members
– Enterprise plan – Custom pricing for teams of 10+ members
Some key stats about Hubstaff include:
– Tracks time for over 10,000 customers globally
– Integrates with over 50 apps including Dropbox, Trello, Slack, GitHub and more
– Monitors employee work hours, billable time, productivity and time off
– Provides detailed analytics and customizable reporting
13. Teamwork
Teamwork is an all-in-one project management platform that provides intuitive collaboration tools for agile teams. In business since 2006, Teamwork helps over 45,000 companies in 175 countries successfully deliver projects on time and on budget.
Pros: Some key advantages of Teamwork include:
– Intuitive interface designed specifically for agile project management methodologies
– Includes a library of customizable project templates for common techniques like Scrum, Kanban, etc.
– Real-time collaboration features like messaging, file sharing, and todo lists improve team efficiency
– Full feature set across desktop and mobile devices allows work to happen anywhere
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the free Basic plan only supports up to 3 users, so larger teams may need an upgraded paid plan.
Pricing: Teamwork offers 3 tier pricing plans:
– Basic Plan: Free for up to 3 users
– Professional Plan: Starts at $19/user/month billed annually
– Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for larger teams
Some key stats about Teamwork include:
– Over 45,000 companies worldwide use Teamwork
– The platform supports over 175 different languages
– Teamwork offers native mobile apps for iOS and Android to enable collaborative work from any location
14. ProjectManager.com
ProjectManager.com is an award-winning project and work management software that helps teams plan, track and collaborate on projects online. Founded in 2014, ProjectManager.com is based in California and has helped over 50,000 teams worldwide complete millions of tasks. The software aims to keep teams focused on what matters most – achieving goals and meeting deadlines through an intuitive platform.
Pros: Some key advantages of ProjectManager.com include:
– Focus on goal tracking and accountability with objectives and key results (OKRs)
– Templates for popular project management methodologies like Agile, Waterfall and Kanban
– Free forever plan for single users and teams of up to 3 people
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the free plan only supports a single user. For collaborating on projects as a team, an upgraded paid plan is required.
Pricing: ProjectManager.com offers the following pricing plans:
– Free plan for single user forever
– Plus plan from $9/month per user for teams up to 50 users
– Professional plan from $15/month per user for advanced features and unlimited users
Some key stats about ProjectManager.com include:
– Used by over 50,000 teams worldwide
– Helped teams complete millions of tasks
– Rated 4.6/5 on Capterra with over 1,000 reviews
– Integrations with tools like Slack, GitHub, Trello and Dropbox
– Supports up to 50 users on the free plan
15. Taiga
Taiga is an open source project management platform for teams using agile methodologies like Scrum, Kanban, and more. Founded in 2011, Taiga is designed to help teams plan, track and collaborate on software projects from start to finish. Used by over 50k teams worldwide, Taiga is trusted by developers, designers, students, and entrepreneurs to manage their agile workflow efficiently.
Pros: Some key advantages of Taiga include:
– Designed specifically for agile workflows like Scrum and Kanban
– Powerful permissions and role-based access for great team collaboration
– Track tasks, issues, epics and milestones in a simple board view
– Import and export of stories and projects via XML format
– Free self-hosted option or pay-as-you-go Saas plans for additional features
Cons: One potential disadvantage of Taiga is that it may not offer as many features out of the box compared to paid project management tools. It focuses on the core agile workflows which may not meet the needs of some larger or more complex projects.
Pricing: Taiga offers a free open source version available on GitHub that can be self-hosted. There are also commercial Saas tiers starting from $29/month for up to 5 users.
Some key stats about Taiga include:
– Over 50,000 teams use Taiga worldwide across 180 countries
– Available in 13 languages with an active community of contributors
– Integrates with services like GitHub, Gitlab, and MongoDB
– Free and open source product available on GitHub
Conclusion
While all the mentioned open source project management software are effective in their own ways, the top options to consider includes Taiga, Projectmanager.com and Taskade based on our evaluation criteria. Taiga is a great lightweight agile project management tool, ProjectManager.com offers effective templates and free single user plan while Taskade is optimized for collaborating teams. We hope this list provides a good starting point to select the right software to manage your projects efficiently in the new year.