Why you need Monday.com Alternatives
Designed to come across as colorful and friendly, Monday aims to help you kick your case of the Monday blues through the use of its software. Monday markets itself as a “work operating system” capable of helping teams manage everything from their everyday workloads to complex team projects. However, its inviting interface doesn’t mean it’s capable of handling your project needs. In fact, its lack of features leaves busy teams wanting something more. This comprehensive list of free and paid Monday.com alternatives should help you find the best solution for your team.
Ranking the top Monday Alternatives for Project Management
Compared to #1 rated Workzone, Monday ranks third in major project management categories. Monday comes close in functionality, but falls short in Value for Money and Customer Support at leading software review sites Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp. Data as of April 1, 2022
About the #1 Ranked Monday Alternative: Workzone
Better visibility to your team’s work
Monday excels at managing simple task lists but lacks visibility in some key areas.
Only Workzone lets users see all their projects in one glance on its Project Dashboard.
Expert project managers by your side
Monday offers a free trial, but limited personalized onboarding and support.
Workzone provides unlimited support for every customer. No other software on the market offers such an extensive onboarding and training process included with their subscription
Learn more
Everything you need to manage your projects
Monday offers an updated interface but lacks the most critical tools most teams need to be successful.
Perfected over 20 years, Workzone combines ease of use with robust functionality. Giving you access to advanced features that help you manage projects more successfully.
View the product tourComparing Monday to it’s Top Competitor
Top 10 Monday.com Alternatives
Monday.com Alternatives FAQs
In 2010 daPulse, created by Wix.com, joined the vast array of project management tools on the market, and in 2017, daPulse went through a transformation to become Monday.com. Comparing Monday.com alternatives can help you identify whether it’s the right tool for your team.
Monday.com has become one of the leading collaboration and communication apps on the market. But, when it comes to project management, it’s still lightweight in its feature set and how much it can handle with more complex projects. As your workload grows, it may not be able to keep up, since the software lacks the substance and advanced features of many other project tools.
- The lower initial price point makes it easy for small teams to start using some basic project management features that can help them be productive.
- Monday.com is designed to be very user-friendly.
- Some even report that it’s “fun” to play around with the drag and drop functionality.
- Monday offers little to no onboarding or ongoing support.
- There are multiple project views and options for managing projects, so without clear internal processes, you may struggle with figuring out how to best set up the tool.
- The tool is designed more for independent task management rather than handling integrated project work.
#1 Monday.com Alternative Review: Workzone
Top 20 Monday.com Alternatives for Project Management
1. Workzone
Workzone, based outside Philadelphia, PA, has been a major player in the project management world for over 18 years. Because of its ability to handle more complex work but retain its usability, Workzone makes the top of this list of Monday.com alternatives.
Pros: Priding itself on being more than just a software solution, Workzone understands the importance of support and focuses on providing the training and service needed to drive sustained project management success.
Compared to Monday.com, Workzone shines:
- Project dashboards that provide you with a portfolio view of all your teams’ projects
- Personalized to-do lists that help keep team members on track
- Customized project request forms, approvals workflows, and reporting features
- Securely associate, share, and store your documents by project and task
- Set security permission levels by project and document, so people only see what’s appropriate
- Interactive Gantt Charts and Calendars for visual big-picture project tracking
- Unlimited support and comprehensive onboarding plans, so your team gets up to speed quickly
Cons: Some users report that navigation can be improved.
Review: “Workzone is a great project management software for collaboration among teams. It is robust and easy to use. It works well for decentralized teams as it is cloud-hosted. Another thing I like most about Workzone is their exemplary customer support. With Workzone, you can easily monitor the progress of your project. The automatic email reminders about priority project tasks to team members is also a nice feature.” – Source: G2
2. Basecamp
Basecamp is a familiar project management tool for many project management teams. Aiming to simplify project management, Basecamp cuts out many features of more comprehensive tools. Basecamp makes this list of Monday.com alternatives because they are both similar in feature sets for smaller teams with less complex work.
Pros: While Basecamp doesn’t have standard project management features like Gantt charts, time tracking, and dependent subtasks, it can work as a suitable collaboration space for teams that don’t need the bells and whistles of more advanced solutions.
Cons: Perhaps the biggest negative of Basecamp is that the tool only allows users to view one project at a time. The tool also doesn’t offer the ability to track dependencies or run workload reports. While limited visibility is typical in lightweight project management tools like Basecamp, it makes it challenging to catch delays before they wreck a deliverable.
Pricing: Free for Personal plans; $99/month for Business plans
Need more Basecamp alternatives? Here’s a list of top Basecamp alternatives.
3. Bitrix24
Bitrix24 combines project management tasks with a CRM tool and a social intranet. It’s like a simpler version of smashing Salesforce together with your project to-do list.
Pros: A big advantage of Bitrix24 is its ability to keep all of your conversations, projects, and company-related updates in one place. Bitrix24 offers self-hosted and cloud-hosted versions, so you can choose the type of software that best fits your team.
Cons: Each tier of Bitrix24 has set limits for storage, number of tasks and projects, communication volume, and more. This makes it complicated to figure out which option is right for your team, and you may end up having to select a higher cost model just because you need a higher limit on one or two features.
Pricing: Free – $151.24/month for the annual cloud-based software subscription; On-premise software starts at $1370.80.
4. Freedcamp
Freedcamp’s vision is to help people, teams, and organizations gain access to project management features for free or low cost.
Pros: The majority of Freedcamp’s project management features are available to all users free of charge. If you’re a nonprofit, teacher, or student, you also get the advanced features at no charge (other users have to pay for these.) If you’re looking for a basic, affordable project management tool, Freedcamp is worth considering –- especially if you’re a nonprofit.
Cons: It’s one of the simpler project management tools on the market. Freedcamp doesn’t support more advanced features like task dependencies. Plus, some users find it isn’t very intuitive, so it may take your team a while to learn how to use it.
Pricing: Free, Minimalist ($1.49/user/month), Business ($7.49/user/month), and Enterprise ($16.99/user/month.)
5. JIRA
Atlassian’s flagship product, JIRA, is a leader in DevOps.
Pros: Highly customizable, this tool can support Scrum, Lean, or Kanban project methods. You can also create great reports within the tool for road mapping and agile project management. Plus, JIRA has issue tracking and prioritization abilities.
Cons: If your team isn’t technical and you don’t work on software development projects, then JIRA isn’t a great choice. Its main strengths are for bug tracking and issue tracking, rather than other areas of project management. Plus, the tool has a language all its own that can be difficult to learn.
Pricing: Free, Standard ($7/user/month), and Premium ($14/user/month.)
Check out more Jira alternatives here.
6. Mavenlink
Mavenlink is a project management tool that includes robust resource and task tracking capability. It also includes finance-tracking functionality.
Pros: Mavenlink includes detailed security permissioning, which is critical if you have a highly sensitive project with a lot of security and access concerns. The tool is also highly customizable and offers many advanced project features.
Cons: Due to the complexity of the tool and the lack of training and support, the learning curve is steep. If you’re not handling high-security projects, the permissioning requirements may be aggravating for your team. Every user must be invited to a project to participate, and there is no ability to add an admin user who can be a central manager of the tool.
Pricing: Starts at $19/user/month; Enterprise packages quoted separately
Check out more Mavenlink alternatives here.
7. NutCache
NutCache has a clear, focused vision: to help you team up, organize, track, and deliver projects.
Pros: Designed around the project delivery lifecycle, Nutcache aims to help you capture everything from the project estimate to the client billing within one system. If you handle a lot of small projects and bill your clients hourly, this tool could be a great option for your team.
Cons: Nutcache still retains some of the usability issues stemming from its original use as an accounting firm’s invoicing software. While it has grown into project management software over time, it’s still missing some of the traditional functions such as Gantt Charts and customizable templates. Nutcache also only supports the Agile methodology of project management.
Pricing: $6 – $12/month/user
8. Podio
Based in the US, Podio is an “all-in-one” collaboration solution that is based on the idea of an “open-plan online office.” Podio makes this list of Monday.com alternatives because it offers a similar “all-in-one” feature set.
Pros: Podio has social features like peer recognition and sharing built right in, which is unique for a project management tool. It’s also a flexible and customizable tool that was designed with mobile in mind and tends to work great when used as an app.
Cons: Podio lacks a built-in project structure, so if you don’t already have a strong internal method for planning and managing projects, you could end up with a mess. The tool is also missing some key PM features such as an all-projects dashboard or portfolio view.
Pricing: Free, Basic ($9/user/month), Plus ($14/user/month,) and Premium ($24/user/month.)
9. ProjectLibre
ProjectLibre is another unique solution on this list. It is the only tool here that offers free, open-source software.
Pros: ProjectLibre boasts some of the best Gantt chart features on the market. Thanks to its user-friendliness and versatility, it’s used by large and small businesses alike. The tool is also compatible with other software such as Microsoft Project, Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.
Cons: The ProjectLibre interface is awkward, and it doesn’t have great UX, so your team may struggle with it. Plus, there are none of the extras that most paid solutions have, and while a cloud version is in the works, currently you’re limited to the desktop version.
Pricing: Free for the desktop version. The cloud version will have a monthly subscription cost when released; prices not announced
10. ProjectManager.com
Primarily designed for customers in the IT industry, ProjectManager.com is as if Trello and TeamGantt were combined. ProjectManager makes the list of Monday.com alternatives because it adds features IT teams love.
Pros: If you have an IT team that loves the Kanban method of project management, this tool could be an excellent option. Many users find this software user-friendly and effective in helping keep various projects and teams organized. It also helps you manage and report progress, track time, and collaborate.
Cons: Projectmanager lacks subtasks with limited filtering. There is also a lack of customization, especially for alerts and reports. While Kanban is a popular project method, it’s not great for managing long or complex projects.
Pricing: $15-$25/user per month.
Check out more Basecamp alternatives here.
11. Asana
With a lot of weight behind its name because of heavy venture capital funding, Asana is a popular project management software solution. Asana makes the list of Monday.com alternatives because they are similar tools geared towards less complex work.
Pros: Asana is a well-designed software solution that is a regular hit with small teams. At various pricing levels, teams can add more traditional project management features as their projects grow. Asana also offers plenty of integration capability and multiple ways to manage projects.
Cons: As your team grows their projects in complexity and number, Asana may have trouble keeping up. A major drawback of Asana lies in having to rely on adding plugins and modules in order to scale. The software also has limited reporting and comes with no onboarding help.
Pricing: Free – $24.99/month/user; Enterprise quoted upon request.
Check out our article on the best Asana alternatives…
12. Redbooth
Redbooth is a user-friendly task and project management tool that was designed to help teams improve their productivity.
Pros: Redbooth allows you to generate interactive Gantt charts for your projects. The tool also boasts clean simplicity and an intuitive design that many find easy to use. Plus, Redbooth offers some more advanced features such as assignable subtasks, productivity reports, and more.
Cons: Users complain that the software’s customization capability is limited and that it doesn’t allow you to mass upload tasks or data from Excel. If you’re currently tracking projects on a spreadsheet or want to transition from another software, switching to Redbooth could be a nightmare.
Pricing: Free to $15/month/user.
13. Smartsheet
As a well-funded venture-backed company, Smartsheet offers a “work management” tool designed around spreadsheets.
Pros: If you love spreadsheets but are looking for something that helps address the problems of managing projects in Excel, then Smartsheet might be a good option. It was designed to combine power with a traditional spreadsheet –- You can still utilize classic Excel formulas, but now you also get some traditional project management features such as Critical Path management.
Cons: Because Smartsheet was built to mimic a spreadsheet, its interface is limited. Plus, people can create an unlimited number of “sheets” like in Microsoft Excel. Without a way to control this, you may end up stuck with many of the same problems of Excel, such as a slowed down or constantly crashing system.
Pricing: Individual for $14/month, Team for $15/user/month, Business for $25/user/month, and Enterprise, which is quoted separately.
Don’t miss our article on the best Smartsheet alternatives…
14. TeamGantt
As you can likely guess from its name, TeamGantt is built around Gantt charts. Much like Basecamp, it’s primarily a Gantt chart tool with commenting functionality.
Pros: If your team loves Gantt charts, they may love TeamGantt. Its interface is designed around focusing on who is assigned which tasks on a certain timeline. The Gantt charts in the tool are flexible and dynamic and offer an easy way to manage projects.
Cons: Gantt charts are great, but most mid-size project management tools offer Gantt chart capabilities within their tools, as well as other important project management functionality that this software is missing. You also can’t upload projects from Excel or MS Project — only manual entry. So, if you’re switching from another system, transferring the data will likely be a nightmare.
Pricing: Free–$62/month for up to five users.
15. Teamwork
Teamwork is similar to Trello in that it is a drag and drop card-based system designed to support Kanban project management. But, unlike Trello, it comes with some advanced reporting features.
Pros: If your team uses Kanban, but needs more functionality than Trello, Teamwork could be the perfect solution. Some stand-out features include privacy and permissions, real-time team member status updates, and invoice tracking. Teamwork also offers a full suite of productivity tools such as a sales CRM, chat, and help desk software that you can integrate with its project management software.
Cons: Teamwork suffers a lack of advanced project management features. Users also complain about the inability to bulk move tasks –- everything must be done individually, which is time-consuming. Another common pet peeve is that there is no way to save filters within the software. You must apply them again each time.
Pricing: Small Office plan for $44.92/month, Professional plan for $136.58, Business plan for $228.25/month, and Enterprise plan, which is quoted upon request.
16. Trello
Trello is a popular drag and drop card-based project management system designed for the Kanban methodology. It’s similar to using sticky notes to track which phase of a project different tasks are in. Trello makes the list of monday.com alternatives because of its similarity in lightweight usage.
Pros: Trello is generally very easy to use and mostly free –- which is why it’s one of the most popular project tools on this list. With Trello, you can invite outside members, such as clients, to view or collaborate on specific project boards. It’s also easy to share task lists and drag and drop ‘cards’ to show movements in task progress.
Cons: Although great for task management, Trello has limited functionality when it comes to managing projects. You cannot link tasks or track dependencies. It also doesn’t have the ability to monitor budgets or estimates. Trello lacks the project oversight and reporting features of more powerful tools.
Pricing: Free – $20.83/user per month.
17. Wrike
Wrike is a project management system built around the concept of using folders to organize work.
Pros: Wrike offers many ways to manage projects, as well as many options for viewing them. It has timelines, Gantt Charts, Kanban boards, and cards so your team members can work how they want. The tool also offers robust API/Integrations.
Cons: Wrike is so customizable that it feels a little unfocused, which can make it hard to learn. The tool tries to be everything to everyone – at the cost of usability. Plus, because the tool was originally designed as a document-sharing solution, you’re stuck with a hard-to-navigate folder system.
Pricing: Free – $36.40/user/month with Enterprise plans quoted separately.
Here’s our list of top Wrike alternatives…
18. Zenkit
Zenkit may be best described as an all-in-one collaboration suite that includes bug tracking, project management, CRM, and invoicing.
Pros: If you’re in the software development field and want a tool that helps with project visualization, then Zenkit is worth considering. It offers member-level swimlanes for your Kanban board and allows you to input time estimates for tasks or Sprints.
Cons: “All-in-one” solutions suffer the same flaw –- trying to do too many things makes them less than excellent in any one area. If you need advanced features, this isn’t the right tool. Also, if you don’t use agile project methodologies, you won’t find Zenkit useful.
Pricing: Personal (Free), Plus ($9/user/month), Business ($25/user/month), and Enterprise (quoted upon request.)
19. Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project has been used in project management for years. Professionals and major enterprises with official Project Management Offices still use it today. Microsoft Project is a project and task management tool that enables all project managers to keep on top of the constantly changing demands of their jobs with flexibility.
Pros: MS Project provides the ability to be extremely detailed in your planning and integrates MS Planning into their software to be even more extensive with project management. The ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in one view is also beneficial.
Cons: When it comes to storing files in Microsoft Project, only some can be opened by this system or managers have to go out of their way to create formats that are compatible with other various programs. This causes a decrease in productivity.
Pricing: $12.80 – $70.40/user/month for cloud-based solutions, and $769 – $1,719 for on-premise solutions, with project servers quoted individually.
Need more Microsoft Project alternatives? Here’s a list of the best MS Project alternatives.
20. Workfront
Workfront enhances openness and enables real-time collaboration from all over as a single work platform. Users can easily explore, prioritize, and allocate work, and automate workflows and run reports to track progress.
Pros: Workfront is a great software for medium to large companies or corporations. It is filled with features that are a bit more complex but offered at a great price.
Cons: As an alternative to Monday, Workfront has a steeper learning curve and requires more training in order to be able to use the software effectively.
Pricing: Not public, request pricing
Need more enterprise-level solutions like Workfront? Check out our comprehensive list here.
Conclusion
If you’re considering Monday.com alternatives, this comprehensive list of the best project management software should help you find the right solution for your team.
If you’re still trying to decide which software to select, check out our Buyer’s Guide for tips on determining your needs and evaluating your options.
Remember to consider not only the technical features of the tool, but also the onboarding, training, and support offerings.
Our battle-tested adoption process, unlimited training, and ongoing quarterly support calls have proven to be 2.7x more effective at helping businesses adopt consistent project management habits.
Does your team need a project management tool that the whole team will adopt and use? Workzone may be just the ticket…
Ready to try a Monday.com alternative?
