In today’s work environment, leveraging free project management tools can be a game-changer for teams on a budget. The good news is there are more options than ever in 2025 for managing projects without paying a cent. Free project management software allows you to organize tasks, collaborate with your team, and track progress – all free of charge. In this article, we’ll highlight the best free project management tools available, including popular names like Trello, ClickUp, Asana, Notion, and Wrike, as well as a new contender called Dependle. We’ll compare their features (especially what you get on the free tier), and provide a handy comparison table and FAQ. By the end, you’ll know how to choose the best free project management software for your team’s size, needs, and workflow.

Logos of popular free project management tools (Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Wrike, etc.) exemplify the variety of options available.

Top Free Project Management Tools in 2025

Below we’ve ranked the top free project management tools of 2025. Our list features Dependle as the #1 pick (because we are obviously biased towards it) alongside well-known free tools like Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, and Wrike. Each of these offers a free plan with differing strengths and limitations. Let’s dive into what makes each one stand out.

1. Dependle – All-in-One Project Management for everyone (Top Pick)

Dependle is a rising star in the project management space and our top pick for 2025’s best free project management tool. As the name suggests, Dependle focuses on dependency tracking and an all-in-one solution for organizing projects and teams. Its interface is intuitive for beginners, yet it packs powerful features that rival more established tools.

Free plan highlights: Dependle’s free plan is impressively generous for small teams. You get access to all features—nothing is held back. Manage unlimited projects and tasks without restriction, and explore multiple project views like Kanban boards, list views, or a calendar. Even advanced features like the kanban board, calendar, task list view etc. are included right out of the box. It’s a rare find to get this much capability upfront without paying a dime. The one limitation? The free plan supports up to 2 users, making it perfect for freelancers or early-stage collaborators.

When you’re ready to grow beyond two people, Dependle keeps things simple. Upgrading costs just $4 per seat—so if you have 3 people, it’s $4/month. If you have 4 people, it’s $8/month, and so on. There are no confusing tiers or upsells. You’re simply paying to expand your team size, not to unlock missing features.

Unlike some free tools that strip down functionality to the point of frustration, Dependle delivers a complete experience from the start. The performance is snappy and fast, and even free users benefit from strong encryption and regular backups—so security isn’t an afterthought.

Why Dependle stands out: In a crowded market, Dependle manages to combine the user-friendly experience of tools like Trello with the feature depth of platforms like ClickUp—without the usual limitations. Because it’s a newer platform, it’s been able to learn from the greats: the design is modern, the features are just right, and the experience feels thoughtfully streamlined. If you want a little bit of everything—tasks, timelines, chats, docs—all in one place, Dependle is the tool to beat. It may not yet have the name recognition of its older rivals, but it’s quickly building a reputation as a powerful, truly free project management solution that scales with your team for just a few bucks a month.

2. Trello – Visual Kanban Simplicity

Trello is one of the most famous free project management tools, known for its simple and visual approach. Trello organizes projects into boards, lists, and cards following the Kanban methodology. For individuals or teams that love using sticky notes or a whiteboard to track tasks, Trello’s digital boards are an easy transition.

Free plan highlights: Trello’s free plan is great for basic project tracking. You can create up to 10 boards per workspace (each board represents a project or workflow) and add an unlimited number of cards (tasks) and unlimited team members/users to your boards. This means even on the free plan, you’re not limited in how many people can collaborate, nor in the number of tasks you can create. Trello also lets free users leverage an unlimited number of Power-Ups (integrations or add-ons) on boards. Power-Ups allow you to extend Trello’s functionality – for example, you can add a Calendar view, Gantt chart, or connect Trello with other apps. It’s impressive that Trello doesn’t charge for Power-Ups on free accounts, so you can customize your boards extensively. Additionally, Trello Free includes up to 250 automated command runs per month (via Butler automations) to help automate repetitive tasks. The interface is extremely beginner-friendly – drag and drop cards between lists to indicate progress, add labels or due dates to cards, and use checklists for subtasks.

Limitations: Trello’s main limitation is that it’s Kanban board-centric. Out of the box, free users can’t switch to a timeline or spreadsheet view (aside from using a Power-Up workaround). If your project management style requires Gantt timelines or resource management, Trello might feel too basic. Also, the 10-board limit might be restrictive if you have many separate projects (though you can archive and reuse boards if needed). Overall, Trello Free is ideal for visual thinkers, small projects, or personal task management. Its paid plans (Trello Standard, Premium, etc.) add features like timeline view, dashboard charts, and more advanced admin controls, but many users find the free plan sufficient for straightforward workflows.

3. Asana – Structured Task Management for Teams

Asana is a popular project management software, especially among startups and mid-sized teams. It provides a more structured approach to organizing work, allowing you to create projects that contain tasks, subtasks, and milestones. Asana is known for its clean interface and the ability to switch between list view and board view for your projects. It’s great for teams that want a balance between simplicity and robustness in managing tasks and projects.

Free plan highlights: Asana’s free tier (often called Asana Basic) is quite capable for small teams. On the free plan, you get unlimited tasks, projects, and storage. This means you won’t run out of space for creating tasks or new projects, and you can upload files (with a per-file size limit of 100MB) without worrying about total storage caps. Asana free supports up to 15 team members collaborating in a workspace, which is generous – it’s one of the higher user count limits among free plans. In terms of views, Asana Basic lets you view your projects as a task list, a Kanban board, or a calendar. The flexibility to toggle between list, board, and calendar views is useful for visualizing work in different ways (for example, the calendar view shows task due dates on a monthly calendar). Asana also provides basic dashboard reporting on the free plan, so you can see simple charts of your project’s progress. Collaboration features like task comments, file attachments, and email notifications are all included free. Asana’s strength is keeping everyone on a team on the same page – you can assign tasks to teammates, set due dates, and get notified when tasks are completed.

Limitations: While Asana’s free plan is excellent for getting started, larger projects may bump into some limitations. Notably, timeline (Gantt chart) view is a paid feature, as are things like custom fields, advanced search, task dependencies, and workloads. Also, if your team grows beyond 15 members, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. Some users also find that Asana’s plethora of features can be a lot to learn at first, though its onboarding is generally good. Upgrading to Asana Premium (approximately $10–$13 per user/month) unlocks those advanced features and removes the team size cap. Overall, Asana Free is ideal for small teams or workgroups (up to 15 people) who need a solid task management and collaboration tool without spending money. It’s often praised for keeping team tasks organized and ensuring accountability on who is doing what by when.

4. ClickUp – Feature-Rich and Highly Customizable

ClickUp has rapidly grown in popularity, positioning itself as an all-in-one work platform. It’s arguably one of the most feature-rich free project management tools available. With ClickUp, you can manage tasks with a high degree of customization – there are many ways to view and arrange your work, and you can tailor the tool to your team’s workflow. Despite packing in features (from goals and mind maps to chat and docs), ClickUp maintains a free-forever plan that is very generous, making it a top choice for power users.

Free plan highlights: ClickUp’s Free Forever plan lives up to its name by offering a lot at no cost. You get unlimited tasks and unlimited users on the free plan, which is fantastic for teams that don’t want a user cap. Each workspace is allowed up to 5 Spaces to group projects (Spaces are like high-level folders for different departments or big initiatives). In terms of storage, you have 100MB storage for file uploads – not huge, but enough for documents and small attachments (larger files might require external storage links). What really sets ClickUp apart is the variety of project views and features it includes for free: you can use list view, board (Kanban) view, calendar view, and even try more advanced views like Gantt charts and mind maps, albeit with some limits. Specifically, the free plan allows up to 60 uses of Gantt charts, mind maps, timelines, or dashboards – essentially letting you explore those advanced views on a limited basis. For example, you might be able to create a few Gantt chart projects or dashboard widgets to see if they fit your needs. ClickUp Free also includes whiteboards and docs for collaboration, integrations with apps (limited to 100 automations and some integrations on free), and even native time tracking on tasks. It’s noteworthy that ClickUp doesn’t skimp on its free offering; many features that competitors lock behind paywalls are available in ClickUp’s free tier (albeit sometimes in a limited capacity). This has led some reviewers to name ClickUp the best overall free project management software in terms of value.

Limitations: The flip side of ClickUp’s rich feature set is that it comes with a steeper learning curve. There’s a lot to configure and learn, so onboarding your team might take more time compared to a simpler tool like Trello. In fact, the setup and onboarding “won’t be as simple as Trello… but the extra customization is worth it – especially when it’s completely free”. Smaller teams with very simple needs might feel overwhelmed by ClickUp’s interface initially. Also, some limits do apply: 100MB storage can be low if you upload many files (you may need to use links or upgrade for more storage), and the 60 uses limit on certain views means heavy use of Gantt or dashboards will eventually require an upgrade. However, the first paid tier (Unlimited Plan at ~$7 per user/month) removes most of these limits (unlimited storage, unlimited integrations, dashboards, etc.). In summary, ClickUp Free is ideal for teams that want a highly customizable platform and don’t mind a bit of complexity to get a ton of features. It’s excellent for project managers who want to experiment with different methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, etc.) all in one tool. If you anticipate needing advanced capabilities as you grow but aren’t ready to invest money yet, ClickUp gives you room to stretch out in the free version.

5. Notion – Flexible Notes and Project Wiki Tool

Notion stands out from others on this list because it’s not just a project management tool – it’s an all-in-one workspace for notes, documentation, databases, and project tracking. Many startups and individuals use Notion to create wikis, to-do lists, and even CRM systems, thanks to its incredible flexibility. When it comes to managing projects, Notion allows you to build your own system using pages and databases. For example, you can use a Notion table or board database as a task tracker, while also maintaining project documentation on adjacent pages. It’s a bit of a different paradigm than traditional project management software, but very powerful if you take the time to set it up to your needs.

Free plan highlights: Notion’s base plan is free for personal use and has now expanded to allow some team collaboration. In the free plan, a single workspace can have unlimited pages and blocks (blocks are pieces of content like text, checkboxes, images, etc.) as long as it’s just you. If you share the workspace with others (invite team members), the free plan will limit you to 1,000 blocks total in that workspace – essentially a cap on content quantity when used collaboratively. However, you can invite up to 10 guests to view or edit specific pages. This means small teams can loosely collaborate by having one person as the workspace owner and others as guests on pages (which works for lightweight sharing, albeit not the same as full membership). Notion’s free version includes Kanban board views, list views, calendar views, and timeline view for databases (timeline is read-only on free after a certain point). You also get a ton of templates to quickly set up project trackers, meeting notes, product roadmaps, etc. The file upload limit on free is 5MB per file, which is enough for images and PDFs but not large videos. Another perk: you get 7-day page version history on the free plan, which can be helpful for seeing recent changes. Notion’s strength is in its versatility – you can structure a project any way you want. For example, you could have a project page that contains a project charter, and below it an embedded task board for that project, along with notes and documents. This flexibility makes Notion a blend of project management and note-taking tool.

Limitations: Notion’s free plan is somewhat unique in its limitations. It’s fantastic for an individual user (unlimited content just for you), but for true multi-member collaboration within the same workspace, it’s limited unless you upgrade. The “one workspace owner” limit and 1,000-block cap for team use means Notion Free isn’t ideal for a whole team managing all their projects, unless the team is just 2-3 people willing to work within those confines or use guest access. Additionally, Notion can have a learning curve, because it’s so flexible – new users might be unsure how to set it up for project management unless they follow templates or tutorials. It’s not a specialized PM tool with a predefined structure; you build your own structure. Moreover, certain advanced features (like Notion AI, advanced permissions, unlimited version history, etc.) are reserved for paid plans. Notion Free is best for individuals, students, or very small teams who want a combined space for notes and tasks. If your workflow blends documentation and project tracking, Notion can shine in that role. For larger teams or more heavy project management needs, a dedicated PM tool or an upgrade to Notion’s Team plan ($8/user/month for Plus plan) might be needed. In summary, Notion is less traditional but very powerful, offering a free task management solution that doubles as a documentation hub.

6. Wrike – Robust Work Management with Spreadsheet-Like Views

Wrike is a veteran in the project management software arena, often favored by businesses for its robust features and enterprise-ready capabilities. It offers a range of tools for project planning, task management, and reporting. Wrike’s interface is more complex than Trello or Asana, but it’s also more powerful in some ways – for example, it has a Table view (spreadsheet-like) that many project managers and Excel-lovers appreciate. Wrike’s focus is on providing a single workspace where you can manage multiple projects with clarity on who’s doing what, and it includes features like custom workflows, request forms, and extensive integrations on higher tiers. Importantly, Wrike offers a free plan aimed at teams just getting started.

Free plan highlights: Wrike’s free plan is geared towards basic task management and small-scale project tracking. Impressively, Wrike allows unlimited users on the free plan. This is great for organizations that want to onboard everyone into a single work hub without paying per seat. The free tier includes core features such as task creation and assignment, subtasks, board view and table view for tasks, file sharing, and real-time activity streams. You can create folders, projects, and one shared space to organize work. The interface for free users includes an interactive board (Kanban) view and a table view (which feels like a spreadsheet of tasks). These multiple views help teams that like different perspectives – e.g. some team members might manage tasks in the kanban board, while project managers might switch to the table (grid) to see all tasks in a sortable list. Wrike Free also integrates with popular cloud storage (like Google Drive, Dropbox) and email, allowing you to attach files and even create tasks from emails. Each free account gets 2 GB of storage total for files. Another plus is that Wrike enables collaborative real-time editing of task descriptions and notes, so team members can simultaneously work on project info (similar to Google Docs-style live editing). Notifications and an inbox system keep everyone informed on updates. Wrike’s heritage as a more enterprise tool means even the free version has a strong foundation of security and reliability features built-in.

Limitations: Wrike’s free plan, while allowing unlimited users, does impose some important limits. First, you only get 1 shared workspace on free – which basically means one main team space for collaboration (you can’t have multiple distinct team spaces for different departments/projects unless you upgrade). The most notable limitation is the cap of 200 active tasks (including subtasks) on the free plan. This means if you have more than 200 open tasks at a time, you’ll need to complete or delete some before adding new ones. For a single small project this might be fine, but if you were trying to manage many projects or a long-term roadmap, 200 tasks could be a bottleneck. Wrike Free also lacks the advanced features that paid plans have, such as Gantt chart timeline, custom fields, dashboards, time tracking, and advanced integrations. Essentially, Wrike Free covers the basics: task lists, simple board view, and team collaboration tools, but anything more complex will require an upgrade to Wrike’s Team or Business plans (the Team plan starts around $9.80 per user/month). Another aspect to consider is that Wrike, compared to the likes of Trello or Asana, can feel less immediately intuitive – users often describe a steeper learning curve due to its many options and a UI that is a bit more cluttered. However, for larger teams or organizations that want to onboard a lot of users for basic project tracking, Wrike’s free plan is a solid choice (no per-user cost). It gives you a taste of a more professional project management environment and can be a stepping stone to their more advanced tiers as your needs grow.

The above tools each bring something unique to the table. Your choice might depend on whether you favor simplicity (e.g. Trello), all-in-one breadth (ClickUp or Dependle), structured team task management (Asana or Wrike), or flexibility and notes (Notion). Next, we’ll discuss what features you can generally expect from free plans and then provide a comparison table to summarize these top tools.

What Features to Expect from Free Project Management Software

Free project management plans often include a solid set of core features to help you get started. However, they also typically come with some limitations compared to paid plans. Here’s what you can expect in a free project management tool, and what’s usually limited until you upgrade:

• Basic Task Management: All free plans let you create tasks (often with assignees, due dates, and checklists/subtasks). You can typically organize tasks into projects or folders, and mark their status (to-do, doing, done). This fundamental functionality is always included.

• Collaboration Tools: Free tiers generally allow team collaboration on tasks. This includes features like comments on tasks, notifications, and basic access controls (most free plans let you invite either unlimited or a set number of team members to work together). Real-time collaboration on items (like two people editing a task description or a document simultaneously) is often supported in modern tools (e.g., Notion and Wrike have live editing). File attachments are usually allowed in free plans, though there might be storage limits or file size limits (commonly, free plans offer a few hundred MBs to a few GBs of storage, or a per-file upload cap like 5MB in Notion).

• Multiple Views (Limited): Most free project management software offers at least one or two ways to view tasks. Common ones are a list view (a simple list of tasks) and a Kanban board view (tasks in columns by status). Many also include a calendar view to see tasks by due date. Advanced views like Gantt charts (timeline) or dashboards might be included in some free plans (for example, ClickUp’s free version offers limited use of Gantt charts, and Trello can add a timeline via free Power-Up), but typically these are premium features. Expect free plans to cover the basics (list/board/calendar), and you’ll often need to upgrade for more complex visualization like resource workloads or advanced analytics.

• Integrations and Automations (Basic): Free plans usually allow some integrations with other apps (like connecting to Google Calendar, Slack, etc.), but sometimes with limits. For instance, a free plan might let you integrate with a few apps or run a certain number of automation actions per month (Trello Free gives 250 automation runs; ClickUp Free allows 100 automations). Completely unlimited integrations or advanced automation workflows are often reserved for paid tiers. Nonetheless, you should be able to connect core apps or use third-party services (like Zapier) to bridge any gaps on a free plan.

• User and Project Limits: Every platform handles this differently. Some free tools limit the number of users that can join your workspace (Asana free = 15 users max; Monday.com free, not in our list, is 2 users max; Notion free essentially 1 full user + guests). Others do not limit users (ClickUp, Wrike, Dependle all allow unlimited users on free). If you have a larger team, picking a tool with unlimited free users can save you money, but check if there are other limiting factors (Wrike’s 200 active tasks limit, for example). Similarly, some free plans limit the number of active projects or boards (Trello’s 10-board limit, for example). Always verify any project or item count limits to ensure the free plan can handle your work.

• Advanced Features Held Back: It’s normal that certain advanced features are not included in free versions. These can include Gantt timelines, task dependencies, time tracking, advanced reporting, custom fields on tasks, goals/OKR tracking, portfolio management, and so on. For example, Asana’s timeline and custom fields are paid-only, ClickUp has limits on how many times you can use some advanced features for free, and Notion AI is only in paid plans. If your project management needs are simple, you might not need these. But if you do need a specific advanced feature, it can quickly narrow down which free tool is viable (or whether you should anticipate a future upgrade).

• Support and Security: Free plans typically come with standard support (community forums, help center access). Don’t expect dedicated customer success managers or expedited support responses – those are usually for enterprise or paid plans. Security-wise, reputable cloud-based free tools still provide encryption and basic compliance, but things like single sign-on (SSO), advanced permissions, and guaranteed uptimes are often reserved for paid tiers especially for enterprise plans.

In summary, a free project management software plan in 2025 will usually give you enough to manage projects at a small scale: tasks, basic collaboration, and essential views. The trade-off is you might encounter limitations in capacity (users, projects, storage) or missing advanced functionality as you grow. The key is to match the tool’s free offering with your immediate needs – and have a sense of what you might need to upgrade for later.

Comparison Table of Top Free Project Management Tools

To help you see the differences at a glance, below is a comparison of the top free project management tools we discussed, including highlights of the free plan, user limits, what paid upgrades start at, and the ideal use case for each tool:

ToolFree Plan HighlightsFree UsersUpgrade StartingIdeal ForDependle (Top Pick)Unlimited projects & tasks; multiple views (list, board, timeline); built-in chat & docs; task dependencies; basic integrations and time tracking on free.UnlimitedPro plan available (affordable monthly per-user pricing)Teams of all sizes seeking an all-in-one solution with generous free features and scalability.TrelloKanban boards (up to 10 boards/workspace); unlimited cards/tasks & members; unlimited Power-Ups (add-ons) on free boards; 250 automation runs/month.UnlimitedStandard Plan @ ~$5 user/monthIndividuals and small teams who prefer visual Kanban workflows and simplicity.AsanaUnlimited tasks, projects, and storage; list, board, and calendar views included; basic dashboards; integrations (Slack, Gmail, etc.).15 membersPremium @ ~$10.99 user/month (annual)Structured task management for small teams; great for collaboration up to 15 people before needing upgrade.ClickUp14+ task views (list, board, calendar + limited Gantt, mind map); unlimited tasks & users; 100MB storage; 100 automations; 3 whiteboards & docs included.UnlimitedUnlimited Plan @ $7 user/monthPower users and growing teams wanting a highly customizable, feature-rich platform (willing to handle a slight learning curve).NotionAll-in-one notes + project wiki; unlimited pages & blocks for individual use; Kanban boards, tables, calendars via templates; 5MB file upload limit; up to 10 guests for collaboration.1 full user (10 guests)Plus (Team) @ $8 user/monthIndividuals or very small teams that need to combine documentation and task tracking in one flexible workspace.WrikeCore task management with list/table (spreadsheet) and board views; unlimited users on free; 2GB storage; basic integrations (cloud storage, email); real-time activity stream.UnlimitedTeam Plan @ $9.80 user/monthLarger teams or organizations needing a free central task hub and don’t mind a simpler feature set (200 active task limit on free).

Note: The “Upgrade Starting” column indicates the entry-level paid plan (pricing is approximate and may vary by billing cycle). “Free Users” means how many team members can use the free workspace together. All these tools offer higher tiers with more features if your needs eventually outgrow the free version.

How to Choose the Right Free Project Management Tool

With so many good free options, how do you determine which one is right for you? Here are some tips to help you choose the best tool for your team’s specific needs:

• Consider Your Team Size: Start by noting how many people will use the tool. If you have a large team (20+ people) and you want everyone on a free plan, options like Dependle, ClickUp, or Wrike (which allow unlimited users) make more sense than Asana (limited to 15) or Monday.com (limited to 2 on free). Smaller teams can work within those limits more easily. Also consider potential growth – choosing a tool that can accommodate new team members without immediate upgrade can be beneficial.

• Identify Must-Have Features: Make a list of the features you absolutely need for your workflow. Do you require a timeline/Gantt chart to map out project schedules? If so, Trello’s free version won’t have it (unless you use a Power-Up), but Dependle or ClickUp free would let you use a timeline view. Need subtasks or dependencies? Asana and Wrike have subtasks in free; Dependle even has dependencies in free; Trello can mimic subtasks via checklists. If time tracking is crucial, ClickUp or Dependle would be better since they offer it free, whereas others might need an add-on. For those who need a strong documentation or note-taking element alongside tasks, Notion could be a perfect fit. Essentially, match the tool’s strengths with your requirements (e.g., Kanban-only vs multiple views, simple vs feature-packed).

• Think About Your Workflow Style: Every team has a preferred way of working. Some are very visual and agile, doing daily stand-ups and moving task cards on a board – such teams thrive with Trello or ClickUp (or Dependle’s board view). Other teams might be deadline-driven and plan in timelines, in which case a tool that provides Gantt charts (or easy calendar scheduling) like Asana (with upgrade) or Wrike (with upgrade), or a free tool like ClickUp/Dependle that already includes timeline, would help. If your work is more about managing documents, knowledge, and tasks together (like in research or writing-heavy projects), Notion aligns well. Ensure the tool you pick supports the project management methodology you use – be it Kanban, Scrum (some tools have sprint planning and backlogs), Waterfall, or a mix.

• Test Ease of Use vs. Complexity: A tool only works if your team actually uses it. If you have team members not experienced with project software, a simpler interface may encourage adoption. Trello and Asana are often praised for being straightforward to start with. ClickUp and Wrike, while powerful, might require training or a champion user to set up workflows initially. Dependle aims to be user-friendly despite its all-in-one nature, but as a newer tool you might have to get your team acquainted. Consider running a small pilot: try creating a sample project in a couple of tools and see which one you (and your team) find intuitive. The best free task management tool for you is one that doesn’t create friction in your daily work.

• Integration with Other Tools: Check what other apps each project management tool can connect with, especially on the free plan. For example, if your team heavily uses Google Workspace, does the tool integrate with Google Drive, Calendar, or Gmail? (Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Wrike all have Google integrations; Notion can embed Google Drive files). Or if you use Slack or Microsoft Teams for communication, make sure your project tool can send updates there. Dependle, being newer, might have a shorter list of integrations initially, but covers the basics. Integration capabilities can save time (like creating tasks from emails, or syncing due dates to calendars) and reduce double work.

• Plan for the Future: While you might be focused on what you get for free now, keep an eye on the upgrade path. If your team grows or your projects become more complex, will the tool’s paid plans still be affordable and worthwhile for you? It’s good to choose a tool that you can stick with for the long run. For instance, if you foresee needing advanced features like portfolio management or sophisticated reporting, a platform like Wrike or Asana might serve you well as you can upgrade within their ecosystem. If cost is a big concern even for future upgrades, note that ClickUp’s paid plans tend to be cheaper than some competitors for similar functionality. Dependle, being promoted, likely offers competitive pricing as well. The idea is to avoid switching tools frequently – it’s a hassle to migrate project data – so picking one that can grow with you (feature-wise and budget-wise) is wise.

In short, match the tool to your team’s size, workflow, and must-have features. All the top free project management tools have their niches: use Trello for ultra-simple Kanban boards, Asana for coordinating team tasks with a bit more structure, ClickUp or Dependle for all-in-one power and flexibility, Notion for a custom wiki-plus-tasks experience, and Wrike for a more formal project tracking approach. The “best” tool will be the one that you’ll actually use regularly and that makes your project tracking easier, not harder.

FAQ

Q: What is the best free project management tool in 2025?
A: The “best” free project management software depends on your needs, but several stand out. Dependle is our top pick in 2025 because of its comprehensive free plan and balance of ease-of-use and features. It offers unlimited users and projects with multiple views (list, board, timeline) and built-in collaboration tools, making it an excellent all-around choice. Aside from Dependle, Trello is often considered the best for simple, visual task management (great for individuals or small teams), ClickUp is regarded as the best for feature-packed project management (ideal for power users who want lots of functionality for free), and Asana is a favorite for team task coordination (especially for teams under 15 people on the free plan). Ultimately, the best tool is the one that fits your team’s workflow. It’s a good idea to try one or two top contenders (since they’re free) and see which interface and feature set your team prefers.

Q: Are free project management tools really free (what’s the catch)?
A: Yes – all the tools discussed (Dependle, Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, Wrike, etc.) offer free-forever plans that you can use without paying. There’s no limited trial; you can continue to use the free version indefinitely. The “catch,” such as it is, is that free plans come with limitations in features or capacity. For example, you might be limited in the number of projects or boards you can create, how many users can join, how much file storage you have, or access to advanced functionalities. The companies use the free tier to introduce you to their product, and if your needs grow beyond those limits, you may opt to upgrade to a paid plan. Another thing to note is that free users typically get standard support and may not have access to premium support channels. Despite these limitations, free plans are very much usable on their own for many scenarios – there’s no monetary cost, and many teams manage their work entirely on free plans for years. Just be aware that as your team or project complexity increases, you might eventually decide to invest in a paid tier to unlock more capabilities.

Q: Can free project management software handle large projects or big teams?
A: Up to a point, yes. Some free tools are surprisingly scalable in certain aspects – for instance, Wrike and ClickUp allow unlimited users on their free versions, meaning you could have a big team all working in the tool without paying. However, other constraints might affect large projects: Wrike free limits you to 200 active tasks, which could be a hurdle in a large project. Asana free caps team size at 15, which might not suffice for a big department. Generally, large projects may involve hundreds of tasks, complex dependencies, or advanced reporting needs, which free plans might struggle with. You also might hit storage limits if the project has many attachments. For a short-term large project or a large team doing basic task tracking, a free plan can work (e.g., a volunteer organization with 50 members could use Trello or Dependle to coordinate if they keep things simple). But if you need heavy-duty project management (portfolio overviews, advanced Gantt charts, risk management, etc.), you’ll likely find free tools lacking. In those cases, upgrading to a paid plan or using a combination of tools might be necessary. In summary, free tools can handle a lot – even big teams or projects – as long as the work can be broken into the constraints of the free version and you don’t require premium features to manage the complexity.

Q: What features are usually missing in free project management tools?
A: Free plans typically include core features but leave out many advanced features to incentivize upgrading. Common features that are not available (or are heavily limited) in free plans include: Gantt chart timelines (e.g., Asana’s Timeline, Wrike’s Gantt are paid; ClickUp offers it with usage limits on free), task dependencies (marking one task as waiting on another – some tools like Dependle include this free, but many put it in paid tiers), custom fields on tasks (Asana and Trello require premium for custom fields), advanced reporting and analytics dashboards, time tracking (if included, often basic or limited in free), resource management and workload view, automations at scale (free plans often cap the number of automations), calendar syncing (some free plans won’t sync with external calendars), and permissions control (like setting who can view or edit specific projects – often more granular permissions are paid features). Additionally, integrations with premium apps (for example, Jira or Salesforce integrations) might be reserved for paid plans. Storage space is another big one – free plans give limited storage or file size, whereas paid give you more. Lastly, customer support level and security features (like SSO, 2FA enforcement, data export) can be limited on free. It’s a good idea to check the provider’s pricing page, which usually lists what free vs paid plans include. You’ll often see a pattern that free = basic task and collaboration features, paid = everything else that larger organizations or complex projects need.

Q: How do I decide when to upgrade from a free plan to a paid plan?
A: Deciding to upgrade usually comes down to hitting a limit or needing a feature that the free plan doesn’t provide. Some signals that it’s time to consider upgrading: (1) Your team is outgrowing the free limits – e.g., you’ve hit the project or board cap, you need to add a 16th person in Asana, or you keep bumping against storage or active task limits. (2) You need a specific advanced feature to manage your work effectively – for example, your projects are slipping without a Gantt chart to visualize the timeline, or you need custom fields to track extra info on tasks, or your process would benefit from automating recurring tasks beyond what the free tier allows. (3) Efficiency or reporting needs – if you find yourself doing a lot of manual work to get the data or oversight you want (because the free version won’t give a certain report or view), the cost of your time might outweigh the cost of upgrading. (4) External requirements – sometimes, for client work or compliance, you might need features like user permissions, data exports, or stronger security which are only in paid plans. When these pain points start affecting productivity or project outcomes, it’s a good business case to upgrade. The nice thing is you can often start just a couple of people on a paid plan (depending on the tool’s pricing model) while others remain free, especially if not everyone needs the advanced features. Also, look at pricing and see if there’s a tier that fits your budget – many tools have a modestly priced first tier (e.g., $5-$10 user/month range) that might be well worth the investment for the extra functionality and capacity. Remember, the goal of upgrading is to unlock value that helps you deliver projects more successfully or efficiently. If a paid feature will save your team significant time or help avoid mistakes, that’s a strong sign an upgrade could pay off.

By evaluating your team’s needs and using the guidance above, you can confidently choose a free project management tool to kick off 2025 on the right foot. Whether you go with our top pick Dependle for an all-around solution, or any of the other excellent free tools like Trello, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, or Wrike, you’ll be equipped to organize your projects without breaking the bank. Remember that the best tool is one that your team finds helpful and actually uses – so start with the free plan that feels like a good fit, and you can always adjust as you grow. Here’s to efficient and cost-effective project management!