The success of projects in companies stands and falls with how they are managed. This project management software comparison is designed to help you find the right project management tool. We have compared 19 software solutions. A summary of the comparison is available for download.
More and more projects, less and less overview?
The new website, the planning of a trade fair or just the daily tasks. We are surrounded by numerous small and large projects and tasks. Sometimes across departments, sometimes only a few colleagues are involved, and more and more people are starting to define projects for themselves as well. But no matter how big or small, a project stands and falls with how well it is managed. And this is where things get complex as the number of projects and the number of people involved increases – especially in times of increasingly remote teams. Who is supposed to deliver what and when? Does the resource planning match the actual effort? Which subtasks are pending? If you want to avoid an unmanageable paper chaos and excessive coordination meetings, you can’t do without a project management tool.
19 project management software tools in comparison
When you think of project management tools, the first thing that comes to mind are the classics Asana, Trello and Co. So far, so familiar. But there is also a pleasingly wide selection of tools, some of which are much more specialized and could be a better fit depending on the task at hand. We have compared 19 project management tools for you. In this way, we want to help you orient yourself and become even clearer about your own requirements and selection criteria.
What are the criteria for a project management tool?
We have identified over 130 criteria, which we have assigned to 14 different categories. These range from general functions and features of the software to general information about the provider and pricing. The project management tools were compared in these criteria categories:
General information: When selecting a suitable software, it is not only the range of functions that is important for the decision, but also which company is behind it. For one, it is important to work with large companies with many locations. The other attaches importance to regional proximity to the provider. We have compiled the most important information about the companies for you.
The Pitch: The list of benefits of each solution is long, and you need to carefully consider which one best suits your team and the task at hand. That’s where it helps to condense the tools into a central statement. You’ll find this condensate in the form of the pitch on the coming pages. We asked the providers to formulate it to the point in just a few words. What makes the tool so special?
The providers’ industry expertise: Every industry has its own peculiarities and many a special requirement for a project management tool. Therefore, it can be worthwhile to take a look at who is already successful in your industry or perhaps even has its focus there. Our overview provides you with information about this. Unfortunately, not all providers could be prioritized. However, a list that a software is equally specialized in all industries has no informational value. Therefore, we have omitted the information for some tools.
Languages of the user interface: A project management tool must be usable within the whole company, even across national borders. Here it can be important as a criterion in which languages the user interface is available. We have compiled this for you in the following overview.
Core functions of the tools: What can the tools do? This is the central question. With which features and functions can the individual solutions make your projects better structured, more transparent and ultimately more efficient and successful? We have compiled for you which core functions the tools include.
Additional functions of the tools: In addition to the core functions that come as standard, there are also a whole range of additional features that the solutions have on board to make collaborative work on projects even easier and more successful.
Visualization & Reporting: Larger projects involving a large number of team members can quickly become confusing. This can make the difference between success and failure. For example, if it is not clear where the project is currently stagnating, who has to give which approval or what will take longer than estimated. Therefore, visualizations are very important in order to be able to display and record the project quickly and transparently for everyone. The same applies to reporting functions.
Resources, finances and questions about organization: Managing projects always means taking a look at the budget and keeping an eye on it. Resource planning is also an important feature in a project management tool. In this criteria category, we have also compiled some other information about the providers, such as whether they are a training company and whether they have certifications.
User communication: A big part of successful project management is communication. So a suitable project management tool should make communication between everyone involved in the project as easy as possible. We have summarized how tools accomplish this.
Integrations & interfaces: A project management tool is the central unit for the project, but of course it is not the only software needed for a project. With this in mind, having as much connectivity as possible is important to the selection process. Which tools and programs can be connected via API and which interfaces are already on board by default?
Legal criteria: In this category, we have asked everything around GDPR and legal issues related to project management tools.
Additional services provided by vendors: Purchasing or renting the software is usually not enough. Employees have to be trained, adjustments have to be made, and perhaps you need fast and flexible customer support. We have asked you which additional services the providers can offer for their software.
Price approach of the solutions: Service offering, service level and software setup – these are all very important selection criteria. However, budget planning also plays an important part in the decision-making process. Does the right software match your ambitions and requirements as well as the financial framework you are willing to invest? Our compilation will give you an overview.
Braintool
Company name: braintool software GmbH
Headquarters: Stuttgart, DE
USP (according to own statement): “A-Plan is an easy-to-use PM software that covers the most important aspects of project and resource planning. Multiple users can manage projects together in a central database. Also available as a stand-alone application. A-Plan is inexpensive and users quickly find their way around. Due to its flexibility, the solution covers the relevant requirements for a PM solution.”
Can Do
Company name: Can Do GmbH
Headquarters: Munich, DE
USP (according to their own statement): “Can Do is the only software for project management and resource planning in which modern technologies such as AI support you cloud-based and give you the decisive edge over your competitors. And it makes planning errors and capacity bottlenecks a thing of the past, so you can complete more projects with higher quality at the same time.”
ClickUp
Company name: Mango Technologies, Inc.
Headquarters: San Diego (Kalifornien), USA
USP (according to own statement): „ClickUp is the future of work management with tasks, docs, goals, and more. Data silos and duplicate spend have no place in a modern workplace. ClickUp brings all of your work into one place—one app to replace them all. Whether you’re proofing ads or working on sprints, ClickUp is fully customizable for every type and size of team.“
DeskTime
Company name: DeskTime
Headquarters: Riga, LAT
USP (accroding to own statement): „Boost productivity by 30%; Minimize business losses; Be more organized;“
Evoloso/pm-smart
Company name: Evoloso Organisationssoftware & Consulting GmbH
Headquarters: Graz, AT
USP (according to their own statement): “The smart multi-PM software that is more consistently oriented to IPMA / PMI than any other! Pm-smart is a comprehensive, practice-oriented, easy-to-learn, scalable project management software and supports your project management according to the technical competence elements of IPMA / ICB4 and the PMI standard. The SW is specifically used in the technical environment for all project sizes.”
References: www.voestalpine.com / www.magna.com / www.wienerberger.at / www.viennaairport.com / www.shw.de
Factro
Company name: Schuchert Managementberatung GmbH & Co. KG
Headquarters: Bochum, DE
USP (according to their own statement): “factro is an intuitive cloud software for professional task and project management, hosted in Germany. Thanks to its ease of use with a wide range of functions, companies from all industries can digitize their collaboration. We know that a tool alone does not solve problems, and we provide personal, individual and needs-based support for questions as well as implementation.”
References: www.bosch.de ; www.allianz.de ; www.vr.de ; www.condor.de ; www.kaercher.de
InLoox
Company name: InLoox GmbH
Headquarters: Munich, DE
USP (according to their own statement): “InLoox is the only software on the market that offers such deep and seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook.”
References: Mayer & Cie. GmbH & Co. KG, Emons Spedition GmbH, Brückner Architekten, Bechtle-Comsoft, Rügenwalder Spezialitäten.
MindGenius 20
Unternehmensname: MindGenius Limited
Sitz: Glasgow, SCOT
USP (nach eigener Aussage): „MindGenius seamlessly combines tools and techniques that aid creativity with tools and techniques to manage projects through to a successful conclusion. Tools that help you do the right things and also do things right.“
Referenzen: Alford, Arora Organ Recovery, Baker Hughes, British Council, University of Edinburgh
objectiF RPM
Company name: microTOOL GmbH
Headquarters: Berlin, DE
USP (according to own statement): “High customizability, individual consulting and excellent support directly from the manufacturer”.
References: Voith, Korian, FEV , Qundis
Paymo
Company name: Paymo
Headquarters: Oradea, ROM
USP (according to own statements): „Paymo is a collaborative work management platform that allows you to track your team’s progress, collaborate in context, and make smarter decisions. It does so by acting as a single source of truth, where several modules like planning, resource scheduling, time tracking, and billing feed into each other to co-exist under the same roof – without messy integrations.“
Planio
Company name: Planio GmbH
Headquarters: Berlin, DE
USP (according to own statement): “Integrated all-in-one solution for online collaboration and project management”.
Proggio
Company name: Proggio
Headquarters: Israel
USP (according to own statements): „Proggio is a patent based collaborative timeline for managing projects in a unique and visual like no other.“
Projektron BCS
Company name: Projektron GmbH
Headquarters: Berlin, DE
USP (according to their own statement): “Projektron BCS can support their entire project lifecycle – from offer to billing. Due to the modular structure, you decide which functions you really want to use.”
References: ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Finanz Informatik Solutions Plus, E.ON Inhouse Consulting, uniVersa Versicherungen, HanseMerkur Versicherungen.
ProofHub
Company name: ProofHub LLC
Headquarters: Walnut, CA
USP (according to their own statement): „ProofHub brings your project management and team collaboration efforts under one roof. As an all-in-one tool for planning projects, managing tasks, communicating with teams, having real-time discussions, tracking time, sharing files, giving feedback, reporting, and a lot more, ProofHub helps teams get more done together in one central place.“
RationalPlan
Company name: Stand By Soft SRL
Headquarters: Craiova, ROM
USP (according to their own statement): „Follows the PMBOK guidelines. Suitable for novice or accidental project managers. Offers an additional dedicated desktop client for improved performance compared to a browser based interface. Strong scheduling engine with milisecond granularity. Can be used either as a Cloud service or as an On-Premise solution.“
Sciforma
Company name: Sciforma
Headquarters: Paris, FRA
USP (according to their own statement): “Sciforma is a robust, “out of the box” PPM tool that allows PMOs to reap the benefits of rapid implementation and ROI. The solution is functionally scalable and grows with your organization. Overall, Sciforma is very user-friendly, being intuitive and easy to use, showing each user role exactly what they need to do their job.”
References: 1&1, Hannover Re, NXP, Exceldor, Enercare
Teamhood
Company name: Eylean, UAB
Headquarters: Vilnius, LIT
USP (according to their own statement): „Customizable and connected advanced Kanban boards, that improve structured categorization of tasks and opens next level for visualization“
Troi
Company name: Troi GmbH
Headquarters: Munich, DE
USP (according to their own statement): “As a process consultant and software-as-a-service provider, TROI accompanies agencies and companies in digitizing the project workflow along the entire process chain. By using TROI software in combination with a unique consulting concept, TROI creates a sustainable digital transformation through standardization and automation, thus ensuring greater profitability.”
References: https://bbdo.de/, https://de-de.possible.com/, https://www.vogelsaenger.de/, https://hirschtec.eu/, https://www.neublck.de/
Zoho Projects
Unternehmensname: Zoho Corporation
Sitz: Europa HQ: Utrecht, NL
USP (according to their own statment): „Privacy focused products with our own datacenters in Europe, simplicity with little learning curve and no need for any DMG file installation, meaning we cannot track anything from the system, access to Zoho’s larger ecosystem of 45+ SaaS products, best value on market.“
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