Project management software comparison: Tool alternatives to Asana, Trello & Co.

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. 

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More and more projects, less and less overview?

The new website, the planning of a trade fair or simply 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 were able to prioritize. However, a listing 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 our market 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 asked everything around DSGVO and legal issues related to project management tools.
• Additional services by the providers: 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 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.

These project management tools are included in the comparison:

Unique Selling Propositions of the companies