Find the Top Zoho Alternatives for Project Management This Year
Are you one of Zoho’s users who finds the project management platform helpful but is looking for something a little bit more?
Zoho is a project management software that also offers customer relationship management to help users and organizations with overall business processes. But just like any other CRM software and project resource management app, it has its limitations.
Some of these include:
- Learning curve due to number of features, third party integrations, and Zoho apps
- Limited customer support
You will need better business management and CRM software to keep up with customer demands while being able to work on actionable project plans. We've curated a list of the best Zoho alternatives to help you on your journey. Let's dive in!
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is an all-in-one and popular project management software app built to help small to large teams simplify their workflow, improve team collaboration, and manage simple to complex projects (such as construction) more effectively. ClickUp allows users to create a custom CRM for free. Get customized reports, integrate third-party apps, and project management tools to organize your sales teams all in one place.
Best Features
- Various views including List view, Board view, Box view, Gantt Chart view, Calendar view, and more
- Simplified task hierarchy to give you more flexibility and control
- Build the perfect CRM to grow your sales pipeline and customer relationships
Limitations
- Learning curve due to amount of available features
- No Table view in the mobile app, yet
Pricing
- Free: Free forever plan
- Unlimited: $7 per user per month
- Business: $12 per user per month
- Business Plus: $19 per user per month
- Enterprise: Contact sales
User Ratings
G2: 4.7/5 (4800+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.7/5 (3100+ reviews)
Get started with ClickUp free, no credit card required
2. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a cloud-based work management platform for enterprises and organizations. This application helps teams plan, execute, and report on tasks and projects at a scale. The platform features a familiar spreadsheet interface and view to help project managers and their teams track and complete projects. Smartsheet offers project management through different views including Gantt, Calendar, Kanban, and more. Smartsheet is also a great way to collaborate with internal and external parties making it a great option for large scale projects.
Best Features
- API allows users to develop their own programs and tools
- Save time by automating repetitive tasks and processes
- Flexible views and dashboards to suit your needs
Limitations
- Learning curve due to customization features
- Time tracking and resource management tools require purchase
- No free plan
Pricing
- Smartsheet doesn’t have a free plan
- Pro: $7 per user per month
- Business: $25 per user per month
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
User Ratings
G2: 4.4/5 (9100+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (2500+ reviews)
3. Wrike
Wrike is a popular project management system with built-in time tracking features. Whether you’re a small team or an enterprise-level user, Wrike will serve you well. As one of the top Zoho alternatives, Wrike takes pride in its state-of-the-art features, marketing tools, and customer support that have endeared thousands of teams to it.
Best Features
- A built-in chat function that allows you to keep tabs with your teams
- Efficient time logging and time tracking capabilities
- KPI monitoring and reporting to track deliverables
Limitations
- Wrike’s complex web API makes onboarding difficult for teams
- Many will find the desktop version of Wrike to be non-intuitive
- Wrike is relatively expensive compared to equally powerful tools
Pricing
- Wrike offers a free version
- Team: $9.80 per user/month
- Business: $24.80 per user/month
- Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing
User Ratings
G2: 4.2/5 (1200+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.2/5 (1600+ reviews)
4. Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a popular project management platform that offers online Gantt chart software and ability to add your charts to a Microsoft PowerPoint. It's a great alternative to Zoho if you extensively use the Microsoft ecosystem.
Best Features
- Powerful features and detailed options
- Gantt charts show all timeline info in one view with a split screen
- Access many templates
Limitations
- Steep learning curve and an overwhelming amount of data for individuals or small teams
- Expensive pricing plans
- You need to purchase all the software in the Microsoft Suite and cannot use MS Project separately
Pricing
- Project Plan 1: $10 per user per month
- Project Plan 3: $30 per user per month
- Project Plan 5: $55 per user per month
User Ratings
G2: 4.0/5 (1500+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.4/5 (1200+ reviews)
5. Basecamp
Basecamp is one of the best project management apps where project managers can easily assign tasks and prioritize work. It improves inter-departmental and remote work communication by keeping all relevant project planning files, documents, briefs, etc. in one project management solution. No more short status meetings! This Zoho CRM alternative also offers various features such as marketing automation, lead management integrations, and CRM solutions through integrations.
Best Features
- To-do lists to create and assign tasks
- Chat functionality to communicate in real-time
- Reports to track progress and address issues
- Separate inbox for notifications helps reduce on-screen clutter
Limitations
- Cannot add tasks with attributes when creating sub-groups
- It does not have a detailed dashboard to manage multiple projects
- No dependency tracking and slow load
Pricing
- Basecamp offers a 30-day free trial for each plan
- Basecamp: $15 per user/month
- Pro Unlimited: $299/month
User Ratings
G2: 4.1/5 (5000+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.3/5 (13000+ reviews)
6. Toggl
Toggl is a project management tool that helps project managers keep track of project tasks and prioritize their workload. Toggl is one of the Zoho CRM alternatives that comes with powerful project, task, and time management features that make project tracking and collaboration straightforward. Free users will have to upgrade to a business or professional plan to integrate Toggl Track, a time tracking tool.
Best Features
- Simple drag-and-drop interface for unlimited project plan timelines
- Backlog to save unscheduled tasks
- Color-coded milestones
Limitations
- The free plan is limited to solo users
- Workspace guest users (external stakeholders or teammates) are paid premium features
- Project data exporting to use with other tools is a paid premium feature (find exporting solutions with Toggl alternatives)
Pricing
- Free plan
- Team plan: $9/user per month
- Business plan: $15/user per month
- Enterprise plan: Contact Toggl for details
User Ratings
G2: 4.3/5 (30+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (100+ reviews)
7. ProProfs
Proprofs Project is an online application with a project management tool that helps users plan work and collaborate to finish projects and tasks on time. It has a simple and easy to understand interface to help manage and organize projects in a single dashboard. The tool offers various collaboration and task tracking functions. Proprofs Project also helps provide useful insights and reports to how future project completions can be improved.
Best Features
- Plan and allocate tasks with the shared calendar tool featuring an intuitive dashboard
- Visualize milestones with Gantt charts
- Dashboard and timely notifications help users better collaborate and communicate
Limitations
- Does not come with automation features for repeatable processes
- Responsiveness and interface can be improved
Pricing
- Annual plan starts at $39.67 per month(billed annually)
- Monthly plan starts at $49.97 per month
User Ratings
G2: 4.4/5 (30+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.7/5 (70+ reviews)
Read: Top ProProfs Alternatives for Project Management
8. Kanbanize
Kanbanize is an agile project management software that uses kanban boards to create different custom workflows. It is also a resource management tool with time tracking as well workflow management and visualization. It has easy to use kanban boards which makes it a great option even for non software development teams. Kanbanize is a Zoho alternative that offers various project management solutions depending on the industry of the organization or business.
Best Features
- Measure and visualize performance with workflow analytics
- Create roadmaps with timeline planner
- Scale platform horizontally and vertically without breaking anything
Limitations
- App can be confusing due to complexity
- Functions and key features may not be needed by smaller teams
- Limited CRM features
Pricing
- 15 Users: starts at $149 per month
- 30 Users: starts at $299 per month
- 100 Users: starts at $799 per month
- 500+ Users: Contact for pricing
User Ratings
G2: 3.8/4(20 reviews)
Capterra: 4/8/5(100+ reviews)
9. Asana
Asana is a dynamic project management solution used by companies all over the globe. You get tons of flexibility over how it looks and can move your task list around very easily. Asana’s project management solutions gives you an access to an activity feed on your dashboard to keep up with what your team members are up to. This Zoho CRM alternative is great for small businesses who needs help with sales management through sales tools while being able to handle project planning and management at the same time.
Best Features
- Calendar view helps users visualize their schedule for better task management
- Sort tasks with various filters including due date and completion
- Hundreds of integrations to boost work productivity
Limitations
- Limited free features
- Slight navigation bugs
Pricing
- Basic plan: Free
- Premium plan: $12 per month per member
- Business plan: $24.99 per month per member
- Enterprise plan: Contact for details
User Ratings
G2: 4.3/5 (9100+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (11800+ reviews)
10. Nifty
Nifty is a task management tool and a popular Zoho alternative due to its breadth of features, ease of use, and affordability. It offers features to improve team collaboration, task management, reporting, and more to help teams streamline their workflow. Use Nifty as a CRM solution for workflow automation by taking advantage of its custom fields and integration capabilities with apps such as Zapier.
Best Features
- Overviews to scale project load with insights into roadmap timelines
- Built-in direct messaging and two-way Docs
- Guest permissions and public sharing for external collaboration
Limitations
- Limited tools to help facilitate and implement digital marketing strategies
- User interface and organization of dashboard can feel cluttered
Pricing
- Nifty offers a free plan
- Starter: $39 per month
- Pro: $79 per month
- Business $124 per month
User Ratings
G2: 4.7/5 (400+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.7/5 (140+ reviews)
11. Hive
Help your team move closer towards success with a project management platform like Hive. Choose from different kinds of views to map out your project timelines and get an overview of your team’s tasks and responsibilities. Hive helps users manage complex projects with simple workflows through collaboration tools and project templates that make project management easier. Track your team’s progress and collaborate through engaging and interactive meetings to help align everyone under the same goal, timeline, and scope all in one tool.
Best Features
- Use customizable workflow templates to build your workspace
- Collaborate and communicate with your team through chat or direct messages
- Identify areas for improvement with analytics and reporting tools
Limitations
- Mobile app could be improved
- Issues with notifications
- Steep learning curve particularly with assigning tasks and projects
Pricing
- Solo plan for individuals is free
- Teams: $12 per user per month
- Enterprise: Contact sales for pricing
User Ratings
G2: 4.6/5 (400+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (160+ reviews)
12. ProofHub
ProofHub is another efficient project management software that helps teams plan, organize, collaborate, and execute projects in one centralized location. Users get access to unlimited task assignments, in-app time tracker, chat function, and other productivity tools to help teams manage tasks more effectively. It also offers a flat-rate pricing model which makes it more affordable than Zoho's per-user pricing model.
Best Features
- Plan and organize projects with a table view, kanban board, or a gantt chart
- Assign and prioritize tasks with deadlines, time estimates, and labels
- Custom workflows show an overview of current task progress
Limitations
- Lack of control over email notifications
- The mobile app is limited, making it difficult to work on the go
Pricing
- Ultimate Control: $89/month
- Essential: $45/month
User Ratings
G2: 4.5/5 (60+ reviews)
Capterra: 4.5/5 (70+ reviews)
Manage Projects Successfully with Zoho Alternatives
While Zoho is a good task and project management software, there are so many other tools that offer advanced customer relationship management features while having project management tools at the same time.
If you’re looking for the best Zoho CRM alternative that can offer so much more, your search ends now!
ClickUp is an all in one project management application with hundreds of powerful tools that you can access all under one platform.
These features can be customized to help you stay productive to achieve any project goals and requirements. Get customer feedback, run marketing campaigns, manage your sales team, even run sales automation with this fully customizable tool. Create the perfect workspace to break out your projects and tasks and choose from over 35 ClickApps to customize your task management with this all in one CRM and project tool.
Keep everything organized all in one place with ClickUp. Try ClickUp for free today and discover how you can tackle any type of work with increased productivity and efficiency.
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