How Much Does Project Management Software Cost? 2024 Pricing Guide

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Pricing is one of the most important factors in choosing any software, especially a project management solution.

Some vendors provide transparent pricing information on their websites, while others prefer to provide a specialized quote, as companies’ requirements for software can vary.

We’ve developed this comprehensive guide to detail pricing types, additional costs a company needs to consider and pricing examples from well-known project management software vendors.

What Is Project Management Software?

Project management software helps businesses keep track of their tasks and projects from start to finish. The types of project management software range from simple task-tracking tools to complex project and portfolio management (PPM) solutions. Common features include task management, resource management, Gantt charts, budget and expense management, time tracking and collaboration.

Project Management Pricing Models

Project management software vendors use two popular pricing models: subscription hosting plans (cloud) and perpetual licensing (on-premise). Here’s a look at each:

Subscription plans – When the vendor hosts the software on their servers (also known as Software-as-a-Service), the company typically pays a monthly or annual subscription fee. This is beneficial for companies that don’t want to host and maintain their data. The standard pricing structure is per user, per month, which is usually based on the number of employees who access the software. Most project management vendors offer scalable subscription plans that are based on the number of users and the types of features included in each plan.

Some subscription plans are pay-as-you-go (no contracts required) and can be canceled anytime, while others may require a contract.

Perpetual licensing – With perpetual licensing, the company hosts the data on its own servers, so it only needs to pay for the software upfront. It may also pay a recurring (e.g., annual) cost to the vendor for support or product upgrades. Perpetual licensing may be an attractive option for businesses who are concerned with data security or have complex needs (e.g., large organizations).

The perpetual licensing fee varies based on the number of users.

Additional Costs to Consider

Many services are included in the original subscription or licensing price. However, some vendors may provide others at additional costs, so companies will need to take that into consideration.

Implementation – Prices of implementation services vary by vendor and can include access to a dedicated implementation specialist, installation, software customization, data migration and integration to other software (e.g., ERP or CRM systems).

Training – Some vendors include basic training services for free, but others may offer them at an additional cost, especially if the training is done at the client’s site.

Support – Basic support (e.g., knowledge base, email support) is typically included in the price. However, some vendors offer plans that include advanced support, such as priority support or access to a dedicated customer service manager.

Project Management Vendor Pricing

Below, we’ve compared pricing for popular project management software. Some vendors in the market don’t publicly provide pricing details, so you’ll need to contact them directly for a quote.

Asana – Asana has a free plan for teams with up to 10 users that offers basic dashboards and search functionality, as well as unlimited tasks, projects and conversations. Organizations that want more features, customization and security can choose from one of Asana’s paid plans: Starter, Advanced, Enterprise or Enterprise Plus. The Starter plan starts at $10.99 per user, per month (billed annually), while the Advanced plan costs $24.99 per user, per month. Pricing for the Enterprise and Enterprise Plus plans are not publicly available, so you’ll have to contact Asana for a quote. For more information on the features of each plan, check out our Asana pricing post.

Basecamp – Basecamp costs $15 per user, per month, which includes includes 500 GB of storage and unlimited projects, integrations, support, training and security. It bills only for the company’s employees or internal contributors, so external collaborators (e.g., clients, vendors) can use the software for free.

There’s a Pro Unlimited plan for unlimited users at $299 per month (billed annually), which adds on 5 TB of storage, 24/7 priority support, a one-on-one onboarding tour and the option to pay by check.

Birdview PSA (formerly Easy Projects) – This hosted solution comes in three pricing packages: Lite, Team and Enterprise. The Lite plan starts at $27 per user, per month (billed annually) and includes 100 GB of storage space, a built-in calendar, Gantt charts, native mobile apps and other features. The Team plan starts at $41 per user, per month and adds on billing, cross-project dependencies and advanced analytics. The Enterprise plan (pricing only available by quote) has additional features, such as 1 TB of storage, AI project completion forecast and advanced security.

Celoxis – Celoxis has monthly, biannual or annual billing. Its annual billing starts at $22.50 per user, per month. If the company wants to purchase a perpetual license, they’ll need to contact the vendor for a price quote. There’s a five-user minimum to purchase the software regardless of deployment. Clexois also offers three optional training packages: Essentials ($1,650), Enhanced ($2,775) and Comprehensive ($4,250).

FunctionFox – FunctionFox is available in three tiers: Classic for basic timesheet and project tracking ($35 for first user, plus $5 per user, per month), Premier for advanced project management ($50 per month for first user, plus $10 per user, per month) and In-House for internal creative teams ($150 per month for first user, plus $20 per user, per month). There’s also a free plan for small teams and individual users that need a simple project tracking tool. The free plan accommodates up to three users, two active projects and unlimited tasks and clients.

Jira – Companies looking for cloud-based deployment and that have a small team of up to 10 users can take advantage of the free plan, which includes basic features, up to 2 GB file storage and community support. For larger teams (over 11 users), Jira offers three pricing tiers: Standard ($8.15 per user, per month), Premium ($16 per user, per month) and Enterprise (requires a price quote). The Standard plan accommodates up to 35,000 users and has a 250 GB file storage space. The Premium plan includes additional features, such as unlimited storage and 24/7 premium support, and the Enterprise plan adds on unlimited sites, the Atlassian Access and 24/7 enterprise support.

For on-premise deployment, there is the Data Center annual licensing plan that varies based on the number of users. Check out our Jira pricing post for specific examples.

LiquidPlanner– LiquidPlanner has a free plan that accommodates up to 10 users, 300 tasks and three projects. Then, there are three paid plans: Essentials, Professional and Ultimate. Each plan is billed annually. The Essentials plan costs $15 per user, per month and accommodates up to 50 projects and 5,000 tasks. The Professional plan starts at $28 per user, per month and accommodates up to 500 projects and 50,000 tasks, while the Ultimate plan costs $42 per user, per month and has no usage limits.

MindGenius – MindGenius is available as a perpetual license or a subscription license. The perpetual license costs $256, while the subscription license costs $160 for the first year, plus an annual fee of $56 for the second year and beyond.

The MindGenius Online subscription starts at $13.33 per seat, per month and accommodates up to 25 users. For companies with more than 25 users, there’s the Enterprise plan. Pricing is not publicly available for that plan, so please contact the vendor for a quote.

Monday – monday.com has four pricing tiers: Basic, Standard, Pro and Enterprise. The prices are available for companies with three, five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 100 and 200+ users. For example, for the Basic Plan, at $8 per seat, five users total cost $40 per month, whereas 40 users cost $320 per month. Companies with over 50 users must contact the vendor for a quote. Specific features listed in each plan can be found in our Monday pricing post.

Podio – Podio has a free account for up to five users that include task management and apps. It also boasts two pricing plans. The Plus plan is priced at $14 per user, per month and includes unlimited external users, automated workflows and the ability to set read-only access. Finally, the Premium plan costs $24 per user, per month and adds on advanced workflow features and an interactive sales dashboard.

Project Insight – This solution has a free plan for small teams that includes basic features such as task management, collaboration and portfolio management. Then, there are three plans. The Pro plan costs $9 per user, per month, the Business plan (for companies with multiple teams) costs $19 per user, per month, and the Enterprise plan (organizations with many teams and locations) requires a custom quote.

Replicon – Project Time Tracking (ProjectTime) is a cloud-based solution that’s designed to set up projects with complex work breakdown structures. It has two pricing tiers: ProjectTime and ProjectTime Plus. ProjectTime starts at $29 per user, per month, while ProjectTime Plus costs $39 per user, per month. ProjectTime Plus includes customizable features, as well as report sharing and scheduling, program management and multilingual support.

Smartsheet – Smartsheet has a free plan that accommodates a single user and up to two editors. It includes basic features, such as Gantt charts, dashboards and 500 MB attachment storage. Then, there are three pricing plans, namely Pro ($7 per user, per month), Business ($25 per user, per month) and Enterprise (contact vendor for a quote). We’ve detailed the features for each plan in our Smartsheet pricing post.

Trello – Trello is mainly a free platform that provides an unlimited number of cards. However, it also has three paid plans (billed annually): Standard, Premium and Enterprise. The Standard plan costs $5 per user, per month and includes unlimited boards, advanced checklists, custom fields, unlimited storage and saved searches. The Premium plan is $10 per user, per month. and adds on unlimited Workspace command runs, admin and security features, workspace-level templates, priority support and dashboard/timeline/calendar/workspace table views. The Enterprise plan starts at $17.50 per user, per month and includes all of the features of the Premium plan, plus unlimited workspaces, organization wide permissions, organization visible boards, multi-board guests, attachment permissions and free SSO and user provisioning with the Atlassian Access.

WorkOtter – WorkOtter has three scalable pricing plans: Member ($10 per user, per month), Team ($20 per user, per month) and Manager ($35 per user, per month). The Member plan targets individual users and includes timesheets, as well as the ability to send notes to other users and adjust project completion estimates. The Team plan adds on the My Home dashboard, expense management and chat functionality. The Manager plan, intended for project managers and executives, includes resource management, workflow management and project and portfolio management.

Workzone – Workzone provides three pricing plans (billed annually). The Team plans costs $24 per user, per month and includes most project and task management features and 100 GB storage.

The Professional plan costs $34 per user, per month and adds on 150 GB of storage, custom project intake forms and API access. The Enterprise plan requires a custom quote, and it includes 200 GB of storage, public access forms, cross-project dependencies, single sign-on (SSO), custom fields and reports, workspace groups and critical paths.

Wrike – This solution has a free plan for up to five users that includes Wrike’s basic features, such as task management and a mobile app. In addition, there are four paid plans. The Team plan starts at $9.80 per user, per month and the Business plan costs $24.80 per user, per month. Pricing for the Enterprise and Enterprise Pinnacle plans are not available, so please contact the vendor directly for a quote. We’ve listed the features that are available in each plan in our Wrike pricing post.

Zoho Projects – Zoho Projects offers one free and two paid plans. The free plan includes two active projects and 10 MB of storage for up to three users. The Premium plan costs $5 per user, per month and has 100 GB of storage, and the Enterprise plan is priced at $10 per user, per month for companies and has 120 GB of storage.

Bottom Line

Most of the vendors we’ve highlighted deploy scalable pricing tiers that offer specific features using the per-user, per-month strategy. Several vendors include free plans for small teams that only need basic features, while others provide free trials as a way for companies to test the software.

The key is to figure out the specifics of your projects, what features are must-haves versus nice-to-haves, and the number of users who will access the software. And don’t forget to factor in any additional costs.

If you’d like more information on project management software or want to compare different solutions, check out our definitive guide and our reviews of over 30 vendors.

Download This Pricing Guide As a PDF