Quick comparison: best project management software
| Tool | Paid entry price (per user/month) | Free plan limits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trello Standard | $5 annual; $6 monthly | Up to 10 boards per workspace, 10 MB files, 250 command runs/month | Premium $10 annual / $12.50 monthly |
| Asana Starter | $10.99 annual; $13.49 monthly | Personal: 2 users, free | Timeline, unlimited automations, reporting at Starter |
| ClickUp Unlimited | $7 yearly; $10 monthly | 5 Spaces, 60 MB storage, 100 automation runs | Business $12 yearly / $19 monthly; second section on page conflicts |
| Notion Plus | $10 (yearly billing saves up to 20%) | 5 MB per file on Free | Business $20; AI trial on Free and Plus |
Trello: simplest boards at the lowest price
Trello lists Free at $0 (up to 10 boards per workspace, 10 collaborators, 10 MB files, 250 workspace command runs a month), Standard at $5 per user billed annually or $6 monthly (unlimited boards, 250 MB files, 1,000 command runs), Premium at $10 annually or $12.50 monthly (unlimited command runs) and Enterprise at $17.50 billed annually.
The page gave no separate automation limit beyond command runs.
- Lowest paid entry price of the four
- Clear annual and monthly prices
- Unlimited boards from Standard
- Free plan capped at 10 boards
- Small file limits on Free and Standard
- Enterprise has no monthly price listed
Asana: structured work with timelines and automations
Asana Personal is free for up to 2 users. Starter is $10.99 per user billed annually or $13.49 monthly, adding Timeline and Gantt views, reporting dashboards, unlimited automations, forms, custom fields and unlimited free guests. Advanced is $24.99 annually or $30.49 monthly and adds portfolios, goals, resource management, approvals and proofing.
The page lists AI allowances: Starter includes 5 AI Teammates and Dash requests per user per month (up to 50 per account) and 50K AI Studio credits per billing account per month.
- Timeline, reporting and automations at Starter
- Unlimited free guests
- Clear tier-by-tier feature list
- Highest entry price of the four
- Free plan only 2 users
- Advanced is costly for small teams
ClickUp: most features per dollar, but verify pricing
In its first pricing section ClickUp lists Free Forever at $0, Unlimited at $7 per member yearly or $10 monthly, and Business at $12 yearly or $19 monthly. Free allows 5 Spaces, 60 MB of storage and 5 active automation rules with 100 executions a month; Unlimited has unlimited storage and Spaces, 500 active rules and 1,000 executions.
A second section on the same page shows different tiers (Free, Core, Business, Enterprise, Max) with Business at $17 yearly against a $25 regular price and no monthly price. The two sections disagree, so confirm the price at checkout.
- Unlimited storage on Unlimited
- Large automation allowances
- Lowest paid price after Trello
- Pricing page is internally inconsistent
- Free storage only 60 MB
- Many features can be a lot to set up
Notion: flexible docs plus tasks
Notion lists Free at $0, Plus at $10 and Business at $20 per member per month, with yearly billing saving up to 20%; the page shows one price per plan rather than separate annual and monthly figures. Free files are limited to 5 MB while Plus and Business allow 5 GB per file.
Free and Plus include a trial of Notion AI; Business includes Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes and Enterprise Search (Beta). Block limits and the guest limit were not clearly stated per plan.
- Combines documents, wikis and tasks
- Large file uploads on paid plans
- AI features included on Business
- Block and guest limits not clear per plan
- Higher entry price than Trello or ClickUp
- Less task-specific than Asana or Trello
Verdict: best project management software in 2026
Our short verdict on the best project management software: decide using the price, limits and data gaps shown above, not the headline discount.
If you are still comparing the best project management software, use the free plans, trials or refund windows as your real test.
For the cheapest simple board, Trello is the pick on published prices. For timelines, reporting and automations on a small team, Asana Starter is the structured choice at a higher price. ClickUp offers the biggest feature and automation allowances, but check the price at checkout. Notion suits teams that want docs and tasks in one place.
Start on the free plans, since all four offer one, and move up only when a specific limit such as boards, storage or automation runs blocks you.
Related guides for the best project management software: CRM software for small business · email marketing software.
Sources (vendor pages read October 2026): Trello pricing · Asana pricing · ClickUp pricing · Notion pricing
Project management software FAQs
What is the best project management software for small teams?
On price and clarity, Trello is the simplest ($5 per user annually), Asana Starter has the most structure ($10.99) and ClickUp the most allowances ($7 yearly, subject to verification).
Is there a free project management tool?
Yes. Trello, Asana (2 users), ClickUp and Notion each have a free plan with limits.
How much does Trello cost?
Standard is $5 per user per month billed annually or $6 monthly; Premium is $10 or $12.50.
How much does Asana cost?
Starter is $10.99 per user billed annually or $13.49 monthly; Advanced is $24.99 or $30.49.
How much does ClickUp cost?
Unlimited is $7 per member yearly or $10 monthly in one section of its page; another section shows different tiers, so confirm before buying.
How much does Notion cost?
Plus is $10 and Business is $20 per member per month; yearly billing can save up to 20%.
Which is best for automations?
ClickUp lists the largest automation allowances; Asana Starter includes unlimited automations.
Do these have guests or client access?
Asana Starter lists unlimited free guests; Notion lists an external guest limit of 10 but does not say which plan it applies to.
[…] Related: see our full breakdown in Best Project Management Software for Small Teams (2026). […]