Best Project Management Apps for Teams 2021

This is a category that is very close to our line of business. In fact, for work, we constantly rely on such platforms to reach our goals. This is why we at AppGrooves approached this task with particular attention to detail. Considering the number of features available as well as the innate ability of each app to adapt to the needs of different industries was essential. They are, after all, intended to be used by bankers, media people, and those working in retail alike.

Of course, the speed of execution and the presence (or, hopefully, absence) of crashing was a top priority. We also asked an important question - does the app work on its own, or do you have to keep referring to the website?

Last but not least, we also paid attention to the visual aspect. After all, if you use any of these for work, chances are you will be staring into them for hours. It will be better if they're easy on the eye.

Asana seems to have garnered a good deal of praise in the last year or so. Its enormous popularity appears to rest on its great quality, so we decided to give it a go and see if it lives up to its fame. Surprisingly enough, we got exactly what we expected - a thoroughly good, easy-to-use platform that covers all the needs the average business person may have. We practically have no complaints. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

You begin your journey by setting up a profile - or simply signing in with Google. You can then join an existing team or create your own. The first page you will be confronted with is a list of projects that you will slowly but surely populate with important tasks. You will be able to sort them by most recent and even look through any saved favorites. It is possible to search by task name, description, users involved, and apply many other criteria to filter the entries.

It is also possible to review individual tasks, always have a clear notion of the due dates, and receive a notification whenever a deadline is approaching. Everything is at the palm of your hand and no more than a few taps away. The inbox will serve to store private messages and notifications of any mentions. Starting a new conversation will also be beyond easy, and attaching important files is only limited by your internet connection speed.

Currently, active tasks are not the only thing you can browse through. Already completed and even archived projects will also be available - even if they're a couple of years old. Unlike Slack, which tends to wipe everything away after a while (unless you pay, that is), Asana stores your entire database for a very long time.

Notifications, as well as emails, are available to remind you of any important events or due dates but, if you need to, you can always snooze them for a limited amount of time. This will give you a chance to rest and recharge your batteries. If anything goes wrong with the app, you can always contact customer support (through your browser) but, chances are, this won't be necessary. The software is sturdy and, in our experience, performs without a flaw. The layout leaves zero room for mistakes.

However, the pricing can sometimes be a source of confusion, so it's important to note how that bit works. As of 2021, you can use Asana with up to 14 other people free of charge. If you want to include more members in your team, there are a couple of options available to you. Premium will set you back $10.99 for each additional user, while Asana Business (which comes with several additional perks) will cost $24.99 per user. These are prices worth paying for such a reliable platform.

It would be unfair to our readers to pretend that Asana is perfect. It isn't. Nothing in this world is. This app does, however, come pretty darn close. Perhaps the biggest challenge we encountered is the ease of use. While it ran smoothly for us - seasoned professionals in the business - we noticed a few odd bits that the beginner may struggle with. The whole system may take a day or two to get used to. Afterward, anyone will be able to take full advantage of its powerful features.

This substantial piece of software has another, albeit minor, issue. Getting mentioned or tagged in a post automatically generates an email (which can be turned off) and a notification. The latter tends to be a few minutes late, which, in lines of work where every second count, could prove a bit frustrating. Still, the general majority of business people won't even notice this tiny flaw.

When it comes to apps as comprehensive as this, the possibilities are practically endless. We are talking about a solution that covers many different scenarios. Compared to its competitors, it offers something quite different. Let's put it this way - Asana is a blank canvas you can paint on, Smartsheet is a box of tools you can play with.

Once you sign up, you will face the most important question of all - what is it that you would like to achieve? The first option is to manage projects, which is something most users are likely to opt for. Another allows you to track requests and is an excellent way to go if you are in a business that relies heavily on customer service.

There are two other scenarios that the apps cover - capturing information and visualizing it. This sets Smartsheet apart from all other platforms and positions it at the cross-section between Asana and Google Sheets. It is an excellent system to use if you are working in analytics of any kind - be it banking, media, or even healthcare. You will quickly get a clear idea of where you stand and how you can improve your performance.

Our main goal was, of course, to manage projects in our company. That's what we focused on, and, in that respect, the app performed as good as any. Within this part of the platform, additional presets and templates were available to use. Each was tailor-made for a certain task - from regular projects, organizing individual tasks to covering barcode inventory management, bug tracking, and event planning. It's about as comprehensive as it gets.

Of course, with such a massive platform, it is easy to get lost. Luckily, the search function makes plowing through thousands of individual tasks a lot easier. You can also push notifications to take action immediately - if that is what your job demands. Creating conversation is equally easy.

Perhaps our only complaint is that going back to square one is borderline impossible. If you've picked one major goal to focus on - be it project management or data gathering - you will need to perform quite a bit of digital gymnastics to create another separate ecosystem devoted to a different kind of objective. Once you pick your template, you're pretty much stuck and need to create a completely new account to manage the other thing. If you are working for more than one company, you will definitely need to do this.

Still, with the sheer number of scenarios covered and the wealth of templates and presets available, this app had to be included in our top 3. If only the last bit were a bit easier, it could've beat Asana. Still, for now, its second spot is guaranteed.

Awesome as they may be, Asana and Smartsheet are apps best suited for small to medium-sized teams. Basecamp 3, on the other hand, allows you to dream big. No conglomerate is too large for its scope. In fact, if you go for the premium option, there is no limit to the number of team members you can add. Seriously. Still, let us cover the basics first.

The beginning is standard enough - sign up, create a new team, launch a new project, and you're good to go. Functionality is consistent. There is no lag, no glitches, and the app is free from the tendency to crash that some others have a habit of cultivating. In short, the technical aspect is more than sound, even if we do tend to be nit-picky in this department.

There is nothing to complain about, and the navigation can only be described as smooth sailing. The visual theme is nice enough - a tasteful combo of while, yellow, and black - that gives an impression of a busy beehive.

With Basecamp 3, it is very easy to track your assignments, save drafts, plan well in advance, and manage more than a few entirely separate teams. In fact, this is the bit where the app shines the brightest.

As we have already mentioned, this platform aims to cover more ground than any other. It offers most of the options its competition has - but on a larger scale. Naturally, this will come at a price. No less than $99 per month, in fact, which is something that will discourage most small business owners.

This will, of course, be understandable. The app does, after all, focus on major players in the field, companies employing hundreds or even thousands of professionals. For such corporate giants, this platform is practically ideal. Managing a large team yet keeping it simple enough for anyone to understand is in itself an art.

Again, the price for the Pro plan is pretty hefty but, for your money, you will be getting quite a few features that will serve well any big business. Unlimited users, unlimited projects, 500 GB of storage space, and so much more. Still, due to the price tag, we couldn't give this excellent app the top spot. After all, we do care about our reader's finances and, if you're just starting, you simply won't be able to invest that much into the process. For any big player, however, this will be your go-to for sure. If in doubt, you have an entire month's time to test the Pro version for free.

This surprisingly large platform offers a considerable number of options that can be tweaked to suit just about any line of business. It is mostly a good solution but, unfortunately, suffers one major drawback. Larger files such as audio tracks or videos can take forever to upload. We're talking hours for some genuinely chunky pieces - regardless of the speed of your connection. Also, the app has a tendency to buffer an entire video before playing, which makes things even slower. Many users will be forced to use DropBox instead, which creates unnecessary confusion. It's not a good look for an app that aims to be all-encompassing and a go-to solution for remote work.

A middle of the road solution, it is not exactly memorable in any way. The app is simply not quite there yet. Scheduling tasks is a bit slow and not as streamlined as one would wish it to be. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won't. The rest of the features are more or less ok, but the app itself remains barely average. It is good enough to be used if you are forced to do it but not exactly great enough for you to choose it on your own.

With deep nesting tasks and robust API, Quite boasts an easy user interface with no clunky bits. Everything tends to run smoothly but, the more you use it, the more tiny little flaws you will discover. For example, the platform doesn't allow you to add more than 20 different projects, which is a limit that even a small-scale business will reach. It may work if you have no more than 3 employees but, in all other circumstances, you will be better off opting for another solution. If we also add restricted offline usage to the mix, it is quite obvious that Quire won't get a passing grade from us.

This little ecosystem boasts some pretty cool features like searching team members by their phone number and using filters to look for specific reports. Extremely configurable and adaptable to anyone's needs, it, unfortunately, suffers from severe connectivity problems. Even if your wifi is solid and you're standing right next to the router, it may still report an error. We found this quite odd and definitely not something that would recommend the app to a wide user base. This has, obviously, soured our experience. We are, after all, talking about a communication platform and, nowadays, said communication happens online. A definite pass - until they fix this bit, at least.

This up and coming contender is not yet quite as famous as some of the others. It is, however, well worth a try. It is not only useful in business but also in life. Yes, MeisterTask crosses that boundary and can cover projects such as organizing a wedding or moving house. Of course, its main focus is still the corporate world. It is flexible enough but will sometimes crash while you're trying to update a task - and exhibit a few other minor glitches along the way. These are growing pains that this relatively new app will soon overcome. Luckily, the crash usually won't affect your progress, and all of your changes will somehow be saved. Odd but true. In a year or two, perhaps, this could be a serious threat to Asana.

The colorful design and a wealth of features are the hallmarks of this app. It is playful yet serious enough to cover most of your needs. Still, the features will often strike you as poorly arranged. The interface is not intuitive at all. It takes a good deal of time to get used to. Sometimes you will simply feel as if you were running in circles. Such a steep learning curve makes this platform less than ideal. In our book, a project management app is no good if you have to spend a long time teaching yourself how to do it - only to go back to square one once you try to help your employees figure it all out. Definitely not something for those who are short on time and need an oven-ready solution.

Somewhat similar to monday.com, it is another one you need to devote your time to. This will be fine if you have someone to show you the ropes - otherwise, it's a "no" from us at AppGrooves. Upgrading is also something you should commit to at your own peril. Don't get us wrong - it's an ok app once you get the hang of it - but it's also the sort of thing that you will use only if your boss absolutely demands it. Otherwise, you will likely skip it - just like we intend to do in the future.