No affiliate links or sponsorship, and BravoTech isn’t affiliated with any vendor listed. This guide is research-based: plans, limits, and US prices come from each vendor’s official pricing page, checked October 18, 2026. We did not run hands-on tests, and there are no screenshots or test results.
Quick answer
The best project management software for small teams depends on how you work: Trello for simple boards, Asana or monday.com for structured projects with timelines, ClickUp or Notion for all-in-one docs and tasks, Basecamp for flat pricing, Jira for software teams, and Microsoft Planner if you already pay for Microsoft 365. Most have a free plan; paid tiers start around $5 to $12 per user per month on annual billing (US list prices, October 18, 2026).
Key takeaways
- Cheapest per user: Trello Standard at $5/user/month billed annually ($6 monthly).
- Biggest free team: Trello and Jira both allow up to 10 people free (Trello per Workspace, Jira up to 10 users). Asana’s and monday.com’s free plans cap at 2.
- Timelines and Gantt views usually need a mid-tier plan: Trello Premium, Asana Starter, monday.com Standard, or Planner Plan 1.
- Flat pricing: Basecamp charges per account, not per user, starting at $25/month for its Freelancer plan.
- Already on Microsoft 365? Basic Planner is included; Planner Plan 1 ($10/user/month, paid yearly) adds timelines and goals.
Our verdict
Simple task boards for a team under 10: start on Trello’s free plan, and move to Standard if you hit the 10-board limit.
Client or marketing projects with deadlines and dependencies: shortlist Asana Starter and monday.com Standard; both add timeline or Gantt views.
Software development: Jira, which is free for up to 10 users. Microsoft 365 shops: try the Planner you already have before buying anything.
Project management software for small teams compared
All prices are US list prices from each vendor’s pricing page on October 18, 2026, per user per month on annual billing unless noted. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the linked page before you buy.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry paid plan | Mid tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trello | Up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, 10 boards | Standard $5 ($6 monthly) | Premium $10 ($12.50 monthly) | Simple Kanban boards |
| Asana | Personal: up to 2 users | Starter $10.99 ($13.49 monthly) | Advanced $24.99 ($30.49 monthly) | Structured projects, timelines |
| monday.com | Up to 2 seats, 3 boards | Basic $9/seat | Standard $12/seat; Pro $19/seat | Visual workflows, automations |
| ClickUp | Free Forever, 60 MB storage | Unlimited $7 ($10 monthly) | Business $12 ($19 monthly) | All-in-one tasks and docs |
| Notion | Free (limited blocks for 2+ members) | Plus $10/member | Business $20/member | Docs, wikis, and light task tracking |
| Basecamp | 1 project (personal use) | Freelancer $25/mo flat | Studio $59/mo flat; Pro $99/mo flat | Client work with flat pricing |
| Jira | Up to 10 users | Standard about $8.48/user | Premium about $15.56/user | Software and IT teams |
| Microsoft Planner | Basic Planner included in Microsoft 365 | Plan 1 $10 (paid yearly) | Planner and Project Plan 3 $30 (paid yearly) | Teams already on Microsoft 365 |
How we compared
We compared eight widely used tools using only their official pricing and plan pages, all checked October 18, 2026 (PKT). We looked at free-plan limits, entry and mid-tier prices, billing rules, and the features each vendor lists per plan. We didn’t run trials or time anything, so “best for” labels are editorial judgments based on documented features, not test results.
Free plans: what you actually get
A free plan can run a small team for months, but the limits differ a lot: user caps, board caps, and storage caps.
- Trello Free: up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, up to 10 boards, and files up to 10 MB each (Trello).
- Jira Free: free for up to 10 users (Atlassian).
- Asana Personal: free for up to 2 users, with list, board, and calendar views (Asana).
- monday.com Free: up to 2 seats and 3 boards (monday.com).
- ClickUp Free Forever: unlimited members but 60 MB of storage (ClickUp).
- Notion Free: $0, with a limited block allowance once two or more members share a workspace (Notion).
- Basecamp Free: one project for personal use (Basecamp).
- Microsoft Planner: not a standalone free plan, but basic Planner (Grid, Board, Schedule, and Charts views) comes with Microsoft 365 subscriptions (Microsoft).
What does a 5-person team pay?
For five people on the entry paid tier, list prices range from $25 to about $55 a month. These are simple calculations from the vendors’ per-user prices, before tax.
| Tool and plan | Price basis | 5 users, per month |
|---|---|---|
| Basecamp Freelancer | $25/month flat (up to 20 users, 3 active projects) | $25 |
| Trello Standard | $5/user, annual | $25 |
| ClickUp Unlimited | $7/user, annual (confirm current plan) | $35 |
| Jira Standard | About $8.48/user | About $42 |
| monday.com Basic | $9/seat, annual; plans start at 3 seats | Depends on available seat options; check the page |
| Notion Plus | $10/member | $50 |
| Microsoft Planner Plan 1 | $10/user, paid yearly | $50 |
| Asana Starter | $10.99/user, annual | $54.95 |
Watch the billing rules. monday.com plans start from 3 seats (monday.com), Asana sells seat increments starting with 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-seat plans and says it doesn’t offer refunds (Asana), and Basecamp’s Freelancer plan caps you at 3 active projects (archived ones don’t count) (Basecamp).
Tool-by-tool notes
What each vendor documents, and who it suits. If you’re torn between the two most common picks, our ClickUp vs Trello comparison goes deeper.
Trello: best for simple boards
Trello’s free plan covers up to 10 collaborators per Workspace. Standard costs $5 per user per month billed annually ($6 monthly) and removes the board limit; Premium at $10 ($12.50 monthly) adds Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, and Map views plus AI features. Enterprise is $17.50 per user per month billed annually (Trello). Choose it when your work fits columns like To do, Doing, and Done.
Asana: best for structured projects
Asana Starter ($10.99 per user per month annually, $13.49 monthly) adds timeline and Gantt views, dashboards, unlimited automations, and forms. Advanced ($24.99 annually, $30.49 monthly) adds goals, portfolios, resource management, approvals, and time tracking (Asana). It suits teams that run repeatable projects with owners and due dates.
monday.com: best for visual workflows
monday.com’s paid plans are billed per seat: Basic $9, Standard $12, and Pro $19 per seat per month on annual billing. Standard adds timeline and Gantt views, guest access, and 250 automations a month; Pro adds private boards, time tracking, and 25,000 automations. Plans start at 3 seats, the yearly plan saves 18%, and there’s a 14-day Pro trial (monday.com).
ClickUp: best for all-in-one tasks and docs
ClickUp’s Free Forever plan allows unlimited members with 60 MB of storage. On October 18, 2026 its pricing page listed Unlimited at $7 per user per month yearly ($10 monthly) and Business at $12 ($19 monthly), while also showing a new lineup (Core, Business, Enterprise, Max) without visible prices (ClickUp). Confirm the current plan names and prices before you commit.
Notion: best when docs come first
Notion lists Free at $0, Plus at $10 per member per month, and Business at $20 per member per month, which adds Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes, and SAML SSO. Enterprise is custom-priced (Notion). It’s a good fit when your team’s plans, wikis, and meeting notes matter as much as task lists; check whether the listed price assumes annual billing.
Basecamp: best for flat pricing
Basecamp prices per account, not per user. Free covers one project for personal use; Freelancer is $25 a month (up to 3 active projects, 5 GB, up to 20 users); Studio is $59 a month (up to 10 active projects, 25 GB, unlimited users); Pro is $99 a month (25 projects, 100 GB); and Unlimited is $299 a month billed annually, with unlimited projects and 1 TB. Basecamp offers a 30-day trial (45 days on Unlimited) and a 10% non-profit discount (Basecamp). It works well for agencies that invite clients into projects.
Jira: best for software teams
Jira is free for up to 10 users. Atlassian’s pricing page data lists Standard at about $8.48 and Premium at about $15.56 per user per month (Atlassian); use Atlassian’s calculator for your exact team size, as per-user pricing can change with the number of users. Choose Jira if you run sprints, track bugs, or plan releases.
Microsoft Planner: best if you already have Microsoft 365
Basic Planner comes with Microsoft 365 and offers Grid, Board, Schedule, and Charts views. Planner Plan 1 ($10 per user per month, paid yearly) adds sub-tasks, sprints, Timeline (Gantt) view, and goals; Planner and Project Plan 3 is $30 per user per month, paid yearly (Microsoft).
Specialized needs? Construction and field teams should look at our PlanRadar alternatives guide, and if your main problem is handing off work, see apps to delegate tasks easily.
How to choose in 30 minutes
Answer five questions, shortlist two tools, and run a real project on each free plan or trial.
- How many people need access, including clients? More than 10 rules out most free plans (ClickUp’s free plan allows unlimited members but only 60 MB of storage), and per-account pricing such as Basecamp’s may be cheaper when you invite many clients.
- Do you need a timeline or Gantt view? If yes, budget for a mid tier: Trello Premium, Asana Starter, monday.com Standard, or Planner Plan 1.
- What suite do you already pay for? Microsoft 365 users have basic Planner; Atlassian users may prefer Jira or Trello.
- Docs or tasks first? Notion and ClickUp lean toward docs plus tasks; Trello, Asana, and monday.com lean toward tasks.
- How will you pay? Annual billing is cheaper on most tools, but check refund and seat rules first.
Common mistakes
- Buying the top tier on day one. Most small teams never use portfolio or resource-management features.
- Ignoring seat minimums. A 2-person team on a 3-seat minimum pays for 3.
- Running two tools at once. Pick one place where tasks live, and link docs from it.
- Skipping a real trial. Move one live project in and use it for two weeks before committing to annual billing.
FAQ
What is the best free project management software for small teams?
Trello and Jira have the most generous user limits: Trello’s free plan covers up to 10 collaborators per Workspace with up to 10 boards, and Jira is free for up to 10 users. Asana and monday.com’s free plans cap at 2 people.
Is Trello or Asana better for a small team?
Trello is simpler and cheaper ($5 per user per month on annual Standard). Asana costs more ($10.99 on annual Starter) but adds timelines, Gantt views, dashboards, and forms. Pick Trello for boards and Asana for structured projects.
How much does project management software cost for 5 people?
At list prices on entry tiers, about $25 to $55 a month: Trello Standard or Basecamp Freelancer about $25, Notion Plus or Planner Plan 1 about $50, and Asana Starter about $55. Prices checked October 18, 2026.
Is Microsoft Planner free?
Basic Planner is included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Planner Plan 1, which adds timelines, sprints, and goals, costs $10 per user per month paid yearly.
Which project management tool has flat pricing?
Basecamp charges per account rather than per user, from $25 a month for its Freelancer plan to $299 a month for its Unlimited plan, billed annually.
Do I need Gantt charts?
Only if your work has dependencies and fixed dates, such as launches or client deliverables. Gantt or timeline views usually require a mid-tier plan.
Sources
Official vendor pricing pages only. All checked October 18, 2026 (PKT).
Changelog
- October 18, 2026: First published. Free-plan limits and US list prices for Trello, Asana, monday.com, ClickUp, Notion, Basecamp, Jira, and Microsoft Planner checked on official pricing pages. No hands-on testing.
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