Best Free Project Management Software (That's Actually Free)
Let's cut through the noise. Half the "free project management software" lists out there include tools with 14-day trials masquerading as free plans. That's not helpful.
I've tested dozens of these tools and will tell you exactly what you get for $0—the real limits, the features that matter, and when you'll inevitably need to pay. If you're a small team, freelancer, or just trying to get organized without spending money, here's what actually works.
Quick Verdict: Best Free PM Tools by Use Case
- Best overall free plan: ClickUp (unlimited tasks and users, but 100MB storage)
- Best for simplicity: Trello (10 boards, unlimited cards, dead simple)
- Best for growing teams: Asana (up to 10 users, unlimited projects)
- Best for truly unlimited everything: Plaky (unlimited projects, tasks, users)
- Best for customization: Monday.com (only if you're solo—2 user limit)
1. ClickUp – Most Feature-Rich Free Plan
ClickUp's free plan is genuinely impressive. You get unlimited tasks and unlimited free plan members with no arbitrary user cap. The platform includes Kanban boards, sprint management, calendar view, collaborative docs, and even in-app video recording.
The catch? Storage is limited to just 100MB total—not per user, total. You can only create up to 5 Spaces (project containers), and some views like Gantt charts have usage limits (100 uses). There's also a cap of 100 automations per month.
What you get free:
- Unlimited tasks and members
- Kanban boards, calendar, and list views
- Collaborative docs and whiteboards
- 24/7 support (yes, even on free)
- Sprint management
- Basic custom fields
What's missing:
- Unlimited storage (locked behind $7/user/month Unlimited plan)
- Unlimited Gantt charts and dashboards
- Time tracking
- More than 100 automation actions
Best for: Teams that want maximum features without paying, and don't need much file storage.
2. Trello – Best for Simple Kanban
Trello is the OG of visual project management, and its free plan is solid for basic needs. You get unlimited cards and unlimited Power-Ups (integrations), but you're capped at 10 boards per workspace.
The free plan includes 250 workspace command runs per month for automations—enough for light use but it'll run out fast if you're automation-heavy. Views beyond Kanban (timeline, calendar, table, dashboard) are locked behind the Premium plan at $10/user/month.
What you get free:
- Unlimited cards
- Up to 10 boards per workspace
- Unlimited Power-Ups
- Basic automations (250/month)
- Mobile apps
What's missing:
- Timeline, dashboard, and table views
- Advanced checklists
- Unlimited boards
- Priority support
Best for: Individuals or small teams who just need straightforward Kanban boards without complexity.
3. Asana – Best Free Plan for Small Teams
Asana's Personal plan is free and supports up to 10 teammates—more generous than Monday.com's 2-user cap. You get unlimited tasks, unlimited projects, and basic views including list and board (Kanban).
The problem? No Timeline or Gantt views on free. No custom fields. No workflow automation. The free plan is fine for task management but lacks the planning tools that make Asana powerful.
What you get free:
- Up to 10 teammates
- Unlimited tasks and projects
- List and board views
- Basic integrations with Slack, Gmail, Teams
- 100MB file uploads
- Unlimited messages and activity logs
What's missing:
- Timeline/Gantt views
- Custom fields
- Workflow builder and automations
- Forms
- Advanced reporting
The Starter plan at $10.99/user/month unlocks most of what you'd actually want.
Best for: Small teams (under 10 people) who need basic task tracking without heavy planning needs.
4. Monday.com – Restrictive Free Plan, Great Paid Tool
Monday.com has a free plan, but let's be honest: it's basically a trial. You're limited to 2 users, 3 boards, and 200 items total. That's not even enough for a serious solo freelancer.
You get access to 200+ templates and basic columns (text, numbers, status), plus unlimited workspaces and dashboards. But without automations, integrations, or the ability to invite more than one other person, the free plan is really just for testing the interface.
What you get free:
- Up to 2 users
- 3 boards maximum
- 200 items total
- 200+ templates
- Table and Kanban views only
- 5GB file storage
What's missing:
- More than 2 users
- Automations and integrations
- Timeline, calendar, and Gantt views
- Guest access
- Forms
The Basic plan starts at $9/user/month (minimum 3 users = $27/month). Check out our Monday.com pricing breakdown for full details.
Best for: Solo users testing the platform before committing. Teams should start with a paid plan. Try Monday.com free →
5. Plaky – Best Truly Free Option
Plaky flies under the radar but offers one of the most generous free plans: unlimited projects, unlimited tasks, and unlimited users. No arbitrary caps on the basics.
The interface is clean and the learning curve is minimal. You get Kanban boards, custom labels, filters, and basic collaboration features. The paid plans add Gantt views, automations, and advanced permissions starting at reasonable prices.
What you get free:
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited projects and tasks
- Kanban boards
- Custom labels and filters
- Mobile apps
- Basic collaboration (comments, mentions)
What's missing:
- Gantt views
- Automations
- Advanced permissions
- Unlimited activity log
Best for: Teams that need something truly free without user caps or task limits.
6. Freedcamp – Underrated Free Alternative
Freedcamp has been around forever and offers a legitimately free plan with no user limits. You can create unlimited projects and get features like Kanban boards, calendar views, file management, and basic time tracking.
The platform integrates with Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Dropbox. It's not as polished as Asana or Monday, but for $0, it punches above its weight.
What you get free:
- Unlimited users and projects
- Kanban boards and task lists
- Calendar view
- File storage
- Basic discussions
- Mobile apps
Best for: Teams that want unlimited basics and don't mind a slightly dated interface.
Open Source Options (Self-Hosted)
If you're technically inclined and want true ownership of your data, open-source tools are worth considering:
OpenProject: Full-featured PM tool with Gantt charts, Kanban, and time tracking. The Community edition is free forever if you self-host. Requires Linux experience to set up.
Taiga: Great for Agile teams. Free self-hosted option with Scrum and Kanban support.
Redmine: Mature project management tool with task tracking, time logging, and plugins. Highly customizable but needs technical setup.
These aren't "sign up and go" solutions—you'll need to handle hosting, updates, and maintenance. But they're genuinely free with no feature caps.
Free Plan Comparison Table
| Tool | Max Users | Projects/Boards | Key Limits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClickUp | Unlimited | 5 Spaces | 100MB storage | Feature hunters |
| Trello | Unlimited | 10 boards | Basic views only | Simple Kanban |
| Asana | 10 | Unlimited | No timeline/Gantt | Small teams |
| Monday.com | 2 | 3 boards | 200 items total | Solo testing |
| Plaky | Unlimited | Unlimited | No Gantt/automation | Budget teams |
| Freedcamp | Unlimited | Unlimited | Limited features | Basic needs |
When to Pay for Project Management Software
Free plans work until they don't. Here's when you'll likely need to upgrade:
- Your team grows past free limits – Monday's 2-user cap or Asana's 10-user cap will force an upgrade
- You need automations – Almost every free plan restricts or removes workflow automation
- You want real reporting – Dashboards, portfolios, and analytics are typically paid features
- Storage fills up – ClickUp's 100MB goes fast with screenshots and docs
- You need time tracking – Usually locked behind paid plans
For most growing teams, expect to pay $7-12/user/month for a solid experience. Check out our full project management software comparison or detailed tool comparison when you're ready to invest.
Bottom Line
If you need actually free with no tricks:
- ClickUp for maximum features (but watch the storage)
- Plaky for unlimited everything at the basics
- Trello for dead-simple Kanban
- Asana if your team is under 10 people
Monday.com's free plan is too restrictive for real work, but it's worth testing if you plan to upgrade. The paid plans are genuinely good once you're past the free tier—see our Monday.com review for details.
For more project management insights, check out our guides on best project management tools and Monday.com alternatives.