Choosing the right PM tool can significantly impact your team’s productivity. This guide compares popular options to help you make an informed decision.
Quick Comparison
| Tool |
Best For |
Methodology |
Price Range |
Learning Curve |
| Jira |
Software teams, Agile |
Scrum, Kanban |
£6-12/user/mo |
Steep |
| Asana |
General teams, marketing |
Flexible |
Free-£20/user/mo |
Moderate |
| Monday.com |
Visual teams, operations |
Flexible |
£7-16/user/mo |
Easy |
| MS Project |
Traditional PM, enterprise |
Waterfall, Gantt |
£8-45/user/mo |
Steep |
| Trello |
Simple projects, personal |
Kanban |
Free-£10/user/mo |
Easy |
| Smartsheet |
Spreadsheet users, PMO |
Hybrid |
£6-22/user/mo |
Moderate |
flowchart TD
A{Team size?} -->|Small 1-10| B{Work type?}
A -->|Medium 10-50| C{Methodology?}
A -->|Large 50+| D[Enterprise: MS Project or Jira]
B -->|Simple tasks| E[Trello]
B -->|Mixed projects| F[Asana or Monday]
C -->|Agile/Software| G[Jira]
C -->|Traditional| H[MS Project or Smartsheet]
C -->|Flexible| I[Monday or Asana]
classDef blue fill:#108BB9,stroke:none,color:#fff
class A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I blue
Jira
Overview
Jira by Atlassian is the industry standard for software development teams using Agile methodologies.
Strengths
| Feature |
Details |
| Agile support |
Native Scrum and Kanban boards |
| Customisation |
Highly configurable workflows |
| Integration |
Connects with development tools (GitHub, Bitbucket) |
| Reporting |
Burndown, velocity, sprint reports |
| Scaling |
Jira Align for enterprise Agile |
Limitations
- Steep learning curve
- Can be overwhelming for non-technical teams
- Complex administration
- Expensive at scale
Best For
- Software development teams
- Agile practitioners (Scrum, Kanban)
- Teams needing development tool integration
- Organisations already using Atlassian products
Pricing (2026)
| Plan |
Price |
Features |
| Free |
£0 (up to 10 users) |
Basic features |
| Standard |
~£6/user/month |
Full features |
| Premium |
~£12/user/month |
Advanced features, SLAs |
| Enterprise |
Custom |
Unlimited, support |
Asana
Overview
Asana is a versatile work management platform suitable for various team types and project styles.
Strengths
| Feature |
Details |
| Multiple views |
List, board, timeline, calendar |
| Ease of use |
Intuitive interface |
| Templates |
Pre-built workflows for common use cases |
| Goals |
Connect work to company objectives |
| Automation |
Rules to automate routine tasks |
Limitations
- Limited Gantt functionality in basic tiers
- Reporting less powerful than competitors
- Can become cluttered with large projects
- Time tracking requires integration
Best For
- Marketing teams
- Cross-functional project teams
- Organisations wanting flexibility
- Teams transitioning from spreadsheets
Pricing (2026)
| Plan |
Price |
Features |
| Basic |
Free (up to 15 users) |
Tasks, list, board views |
| Premium |
~£9/user/month |
Timeline, forms, rules |
| Business |
~£20/user/month |
Goals, portfolios, approvals |
| Enterprise |
Custom |
SAML, admin controls |
Monday.com
Overview
Monday.com is a colourful, highly visual work operating system that appeals to teams wanting flexibility.
Strengths
| Feature |
Details |
| Visual interface |
Colour-coded, highly customisable |
| Flexibility |
Adapts to any workflow |
| Dashboards |
Real-time visibility across projects |
| Integrations |
200+ apps and tools |
| Automations |
No-code workflow automation |
Limitations
- Can be expensive as you scale
- Learning curve for advanced features
- Formula column complexity
- Mobile app less powerful than desktop
Best For
- Operations teams
- Creative teams
- Teams wanting visual project tracking
- Organisations needing customisation without code
Pricing (2026)
| Plan |
Price |
Features |
| Free |
£0 (up to 2 users) |
Basic boards |
| Basic |
~£7/user/month |
Unlimited items |
| Standard |
~£10/user/month |
Timeline, Gantt, automations |
| Pro |
~£16/user/month |
Time tracking, dependencies |
| Enterprise |
Custom |
Advanced security, reporting |
Microsoft Project
Overview
Microsoft Project is the traditional enterprise PM tool, now available in cloud (Project Online) and desktop versions.
Strengths
| Feature |
Details |
| Gantt charts |
Industry-leading scheduling |
| Resource management |
Detailed capacity planning |
| Critical path |
Automatic calculation |
| Microsoft integration |
Works with Teams, SharePoint, Office |
| Enterprise features |
Portfolio management, demand management |
Limitations
- Steep learning curve
- Expensive for full features
- Overkill for simple projects
- Desktop version dated
Best For
- Large, complex projects
- Traditional/Waterfall methodology
- Organisations using Microsoft ecosystem
- Project managers needing detailed scheduling
Pricing (2026)
| Plan |
Price |
Features |
| Project Plan 1 |
~£8/user/month |
Web app, simple projects |
| Project Plan 3 |
~£25/user/month |
Desktop + web, resource management |
| Project Plan 5 |
~£45/user/month |
Portfolio, demand management |
Trello
Overview
Trello (Atlassian) is a simple, card-based Kanban tool ideal for small teams and personal productivity.
Strengths
| Feature |
Details |
| Simplicity |
Drag-and-drop cards on boards |
| Quick start |
Minimal setup required |
| Power-Ups |
Add functionality as needed |
| Free tier |
Generous free plan |
| Familiarity |
Intuitive for most users |
Limitations
- Limited for complex projects
- Basic reporting
- No native Gantt or timeline
- Can become unwieldy at scale
Best For
- Small teams and personal projects
- Simple workflows
- Teams new to PM tools
- Kanban visualisation
Pricing (2026)
| Plan |
Price |
Features |
| Free |
£0 |
Unlimited cards, 10 boards |
| Standard |
~£4/user/month |
Unlimited boards, checklists |
| Premium |
~£8/user/month |
Views, dashboard, admin |
| Enterprise |
~£15/user/month |
Organisation-wide features |
Smartsheet
Overview
Smartsheet bridges the gap between spreadsheets and PM software, appealing to users comfortable with Excel.
Strengths
| Feature |
Details |
| Spreadsheet familiarity |
Grid-based interface |
| Gantt charts |
Built-in scheduling |
| Automation |
Workflow automation |
| Dashboards |
Real-time reporting |
| Forms |
Collect data from stakeholders |
Limitations
- Less intuitive than visual tools
- Mobile experience limited
- Formula language learning curve
- Can become spreadsheet-like chaos
Best For
- Teams transitioning from Excel
- PMO and portfolio management
- Construction and engineering
- Organisations needing structured data
Pricing (2026)
| Plan |
Price |
Features |
| Pro |
~£6/user/month |
Basic features |
| Business |
~£22/user/month |
Automation, branding |
| Enterprise |
Custom |
WorkApps, admin controls |
Feature Comparison Matrix
Core Features
| Feature |
Jira |
Asana |
Monday |
MS Project |
Trello |
Smartsheet |
| Kanban boards |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Limited |
Yes |
Yes |
| Gantt charts |
Plugin |
Premium |
Standard |
Yes |
Plugin |
Yes |
| Timeline view |
Yes |
Premium |
Standard |
Yes |
Premium |
Yes |
| Resource management |
Basic |
Business |
Pro |
Yes |
No |
Business |
| Time tracking |
Plugin |
Plugin |
Pro |
Yes |
Plugin |
Add-on |
| Custom fields |
Yes |
Premium |
Yes |
Yes |
Premium |
Yes |
| Automation |
Yes |
Premium |
Standard |
Limited |
Premium |
Business |
| Mobile app |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Limited |
Yes |
Yes |
Integrations
| Tool |
Jira |
Asana |
Monday |
MS Project |
Trello |
Smartsheet |
| Slack |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Microsoft Teams |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Native |
Yes |
Yes |
| Google Workspace |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Limited |
Yes |
Yes |
| GitHub/GitLab |
Native |
Plugin |
Plugin |
No |
Plugin |
Plugin |
| Salesforce |
Plugin |
Yes |
Yes |
Plugin |
Plugin |
Yes |
| Zapier |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Decision Matrix
Rate your priorities (1-5) and match to tools:
| Priority |
Weight |
Jira |
Asana |
Monday |
MS Project |
Trello |
Smartsheet |
| Ease of use |
_ |
2 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
| Agile support |
_ |
5 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
| Gantt/scheduling |
_ |
3 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
4 |
| Customisation |
_ |
5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
| Free tier |
_ |
4 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
| Enterprise features |
_ |
5 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
4 |
Implementation Tips
Before You Choose
- Define requirements - What must the tool do?
- Involve users - Who will use it daily?
- Trial first - Use free trials before committing
- Consider growth - Will it scale with you?
- Check integrations - Does it work with your other tools?
Successful Rollout
| Phase |
Activities |
| Plan |
Define structure, workflows, permissions |
| Pilot |
Test with small team, gather feedback |
| Train |
Provide training resources and support |
| Launch |
Roll out with clear communication |
| Support |
Ongoing help and iteration |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake |
Impact |
Avoidance |
| Over-engineering |
Complexity kills adoption |
Start simple, add complexity later |
| No governance |
Inconsistent usage |
Define standards and templates |
| Ignoring training |
Low adoption |
Invest in user training |
| Wrong tool for team |
Frustration, workarounds |
Match tool to actual workflow |
Before deciding, verify:
Last updated: 13 January 2026
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