Best Project Management Software 2026: ClickUp vs Asana vs Monday vs Notion vs Trello
Free plans, time tracking, AI, automations and prices checked on each vendor's site - five popular project management tools compared side by side.
Best overall: ClickUp
ClickUp is our pick for growing teams that want one workspace: docs on every plan, AI included on every plan, Gantt charts from the Core plan and native time tracking on paid plans. Pick Asana for polished cross-team workflows with portfolios and goals, Monday.com for visual boards with time tracking on Pro, Notion if docs come first, and Trello if you want the simplest boards from $5 per user.
Side-by-side comparison
Every tool scored on the same criteria. Hover a column to focus it, or show only the rows where they differ.
| 5 tools compared | ★ Our pick ClickUp | Asana | Monday.com | Notion | Trello | Ad space Your tool here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our score | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 8.0 | Get your tool into this table Shown next to the top 5 project management tools, labeled as sponsored. Advertise here $149/mo |
| Starting price | $9 /user/mo, billed yearly | $10.99 /user/mo, billed yearly | - | $10 /member/mo | $5 /user/mo, billed yearly | |
| Best for | Growing teams | Cross-team workflows | Visual dashboards | Docs-first teams | Simple Kanban | |
| Free plan | Up to 2 users | Up to 2 seats | Up to 10 collaborators | |||
| Native time tracking | Paid plans | Advanced plan | Pro plan | - | - | |
| Built-in docs | - | - | ||||
| AI features | All plans (credits) | Paid plans | From Basic | Business plan | Standard and up | |
| Automations | - | - | 250/mo on Standard | - | Built in (250 runs/mo free) | |
| Integrations | 1,000+ | 100+ free | - | - | 200+ Power-Ups | |
| Visit site | Visit site | Visit site | Visit site | Visit site |
Prices and features were checked on each vendor's official website on Nov 11, 2026. Prices are in USD as shown there; promotions, taxes and regional pricing can change them. Where we could not confirm a detail on the vendor's own site, we show "-" instead of guessing. Our scores are editorial judgments.
Detailed reviews
What each tool does best, where it falls short, and who should pick it.
1. ClickUp
The everything-app for work
ClickUp puts tasks, docs, whiteboards, goals and chat in one workspace. Docs are included on every plan, ClickUp Brain AI ships with every plan with a monthly credit allowance, and the Core plan ($9 per user per month billed yearly, regular price $12) adds Gantt charts, goals and time tracking.
+ Pros
- Free Forever plan
- Docs included on every plan
- ClickUp Brain AI included on every plan
- Gantt charts and time tracking from the Core plan
- Cons
- Workload view and unlimited whiteboards need the Business plan
- Time tracking and goals are trial-only on the Free plan
2. Asana
Polished work management for cross-functional teams
Asana covers list, board, calendar, timeline and Gantt views. The Starter plan is $10.99 per user per month billed yearly ($13.49 billed monthly) and includes AI with usage limits. Portfolios, goals and time tracking come with the Advanced plan.
+ Pros
- List, board, calendar, timeline and Gantt views
- AI included on every paid plan
- Portfolios and goals on the Advanced plan
- Cons
- Free Personal plan is limited to 2 users
- Time tracking, portfolios and goals need Advanced ($24.99/user/mo billed yearly)
3. Monday.com
Colorful, no-code work OS
monday work management has a free plan for up to 2 seats and paid Basic, Standard and Pro plans. AI features are available from Basic, Standard includes 250 automation actions a month, and time tracking comes with Pro. monday sets prices by billing country, so check the price for your country on its site.
+ Pros
- Free plan for up to 2 seats
- AI features from the Basic plan
- Pro plan includes 25,000 automation actions a month
- Cons
- Free plan is limited to 2 seats and 3 boards
- Time tracking only on the Pro plan and above
4. Notion
Docs, wikis and projects in one canvas
Notion is a workspace where projects live next to your docs and wikis, with Kanban and Gantt views and charts from database data. The Plus plan is $10 per member per month. Free and Plus get only a trial of Notion AI; the full AI features come with Business ($20 per member per month).
+ Pros
- Docs, wikis and projects in one workspace
- Kanban and Gantt views
- Free plan available
- Cons
- Notion AI is only a trial on Free and Plus
- Full AI features need the Business plan
5. Trello
The simplest Kanban boards
Trello is built around simple Kanban boards with no-code automation built into every board. The Standard plan is $5 per user per month billed yearly ($6 monthly) and adds AI. Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views come with Premium ($10 billed yearly).
+ Pros
- Free for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace
- Automation built into every board
- 200+ Power-Up integrations
- Cons
- Free plan: up to 10 boards and 250 automation runs a month
- Calendar, Timeline and Table views need Premium
How we compared
We checked every price, plan and feature in this article on each vendor’s own website on November 11, 2026. Prices are in USD per user per month as listed there. monday.com sets prices by billing country, so we link to its pricing page instead of quoting one. Where a vendor’s site did not confirm a detail, the table shows ”-”. The scores are our editorial judgment.
Buying guide: what actually matters
- Team size and seat pricing. Per-seat pricing scales fast. Check seat minimums and team-size options on the pricing page.
- Views you’ll really use. Most teams live in List, Board and Timeline. Gantt and workload views matter if you manage capacity, and they are often on higher plans.
- Automation limits. Lower tiers often cap monthly automation runs - Trello Free allows 250 a month, monday Standard 250 actions a month.
- AI limits. AI is often sold with monthly credits or request limits per plan. Check what’s included before you count on it.
Rule of thumb: start with the free plan of your top two picks and run one real project for two weeks before you commit.
Other tools worth a look Sponsored
Frequently asked questions
What is the best project management software in 2026?
ClickUp is our pick for most growing teams: docs and AI are included on every plan, and the Core plan adds Gantt charts and time tracking. Asana is the better choice if a polished interface and cross-team portfolios matter most.
Which project management tool is best for small teams?
Trello is the simplest: it's free for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, and Standard is $5 per user per month billed yearly. ClickUp's Free Forever plan is a good alternative if you need docs and more views.
Is there a free project management tool?
All five have a free plan. Limits differ: Asana Personal is for up to 2 users, monday's free plan for up to 2 seats, and Trello Free for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace.
Asana or ClickUp - which should I choose?
Choose ClickUp if you want docs, AI and time tracking from its $9 Core plan. Choose Asana if you prefer its interface and need portfolios and goals, which come with the Advanced plan.
Prices and features were checked on Nov 11, 2026 and can change at any time. Some links may be affiliate links; this never affects our scores. Placements marked “Sponsored” are paid and are never ranked or scored. How we make money →