5 Free Project Management Apps Worth Trying

For organizations to run smoothly and expand with time, it is imperative to run successful projects on an ongoing basis. In the modern world you can manage your projects using software tools that are easy to use, allow teams to collaborate effectively, and increase the success rates of projects. The best thing is that many of these software tools and applications are available for free. Some have basic features available for free with paid access to key features while others allow you access to all the features, but only for a trial period.

Here is a list of the 5 best free project management apps to try:

1. Taiga.io

This is a free project management platform that makes managing multiple projects a breeze. It has been designed for project managers with an agile approach to managing projects. It is an open-source platform and has worn several awards too. The best thing about the software is customization i.e. you have full control over how your software looks and how you manage things. The developers have also done their best to make the user interface interesting and pleasing, so even the boring tasks are fun to manage. If you like the approach you can go with the Kanban methodology to manage your projects on Taiga. Their import feature is awesome – enabling you to import your projects from various other famous project management platforms to Taiga with ease. Users can help Taiga with future improvements by donating to them.

2. Trello

Trello is another project management platform making use of the Kanban boards. Using this approach, you can give names to every stage of your project and make sure that your index cards i.e. kanbans, move from one stage to the other with time. Trello is a pretty good project management software tool that facilitates the management of not only work related, but individual tasks as well. What makes software tools with kanban approach so amazing today is the visual appeal i.e. you have the entire project with its updates and collaborators right in front of your eyes at a glance. You can create multiple boards to manage multiple projects each with its own identity.

3. Zoho

Zoho does not take the kanban approach at managing projects, but it definitely offers one of the most in-depth and detailed project management platforms for free. What makes Zoho so practical and usable today is its ease of integration with Google Apps, Microsoft Outlook, Dropbox, etc. It allows you to manage your projects by creating tasks, to-do lists and milestones. If you like to get your information off of Gantt charts, Zoho makes the best use of them. The user interface allows easy and seamless collaborations between team members. Time sheets allow users to calculate their billable hours. Issue logging feature allows quick fix of any issues that arise during the project. Zoho is available for free on both the mobile platforms, i.e. iOS and Android.

4. MeisterTask

MeisterTask makes an attempt to give a new life to kanban boards and makes them even more functional by introducing automation. Many of the tasks that are done manually on kanban boards on other project management software tools are done automatically on MeisterTask. What makes MiesterTask a true attraction for most project managers is the fact that you can use the mind mapping feature. By integrating MindMeister, you can start creating a task from the mind maps. You can then pull the mind maps into your MeisterTask and every entry on your maps will turn into a task. For the most part the software is completely free.

5. Freedcamp

Combine the features of the aforementioned project management software and you will get Freedcamp. Create to-do lists, manage sub-tasks, get information visually from Gantt charts, move from one stage of the task to the other seamlessly with kanban boards and whatnot. Freedcamp also takes the cake when it comes to offering free features. The only thing you have to pay for is the Gantt charts. The wall feature lets project members talk to each other like they do on social networking platforms. Document management is made possible through Wiki. Tasks and schedules can also be exported to and viewed on calendars. Their application is also available on iOS and Android.

The Bottom Line

When you are still a small business or a startup, planning your projects and making them reach their finish lines successfully can be difficult due to lack of information about your resources, skill sets of your employees and high costs of most project management solutions. With the list of project management software tools given above, you can keep your costs low while still managing your projects perfectly. In most cases, you will be able to manage your tasks with these software tools with no costs at all.