Best Project Management Software for Consultants
The 6 project management software we recommend if you're selling your expertise directly to clients — independently scored on the same five-criterion rubric, filtered to the picks that actually fit how you work.
Short answer
The best project management software for solo consultants and freelancers are ClickUp, Airtable, Asana. ClickUp is our top pick at 8.5/10. If budget is tight, ClickUp has the best free plan.
Our top picks for consultants
ClickUp
8.5/10
Highest-scoring pick at 8.5/10 — best for Agencies wanting one tool for all project work.
- ✓Incredible value — replaces many tools
- ✓Highly customizable views (list, board, gantt, calendar)
Basecamp
7.8/10
Strongest capability-per-dollar — value score 8.5/10.
- ✓Flat per-account pricing — no per-seat charges as team grows
- ✓Combines messaging + tasks + files + schedule in one place
Airtable
8.5/10
Start at $0 and upgrade only when you outgrow it.
- ✓Extremely flexible — fits almost any use case
- ✓Multiple views (grid, gallery, kanban, calendar)
All 6 project management software for consultants, ranked
ClickUp
Top pickOne app to replace them all
ClickUp is a feature-packed project management platform covering tasks, docs, whiteboards, goals, time tracking, and reporting. The most popular choice for agencies wanting one tool for internal project management and client delivery tracking.
Strengths
- ✓Incredible value — replaces many tools
- ✓Highly customizable views (list, board, gantt, calendar)
- ✓Strong free tier
Watch-outs
- ✗Feature overload can overwhelm new users
- ✗Notification system is noisy by default
- ✗Mobile app lags behind desktop
Airtable
The database your team will actually use
Airtable is a flexible database platform that works like a supercharged spreadsheet. Used by agencies for client tracking, content calendars, project databases, and custom workflows. Extremely versatile with a large template library.
Strengths
- ✓Extremely flexible — fits almost any use case
- ✓Multiple views (grid, gallery, kanban, calendar)
- ✓Large integration ecosystem
Watch-outs
- ✗Team plan gets expensive per seat
- ✗Record limits on free plan
- ✗Not a true project manager — needs customization
Asana
Project management for teams who want clarity
Asana is a mature project management platform used by teams of all sizes. It excels at task tracking, project timelines, and cross-team coordination. The free tier is generous for small teams.
Strengths
- ✓Excellent task visualization (list, board, timeline, calendar)
- ✓Strong integrations ecosystem
- ✓Generous free tier
Watch-outs
- ✗Can feel complex for small teams
- ✗Reporting features locked to higher tiers
- ✗No built-in time tracking
Monday.com
The work OS that adapts to any team's workflow
Monday.com is a visual Work OS — a flexible platform that teams use for project management, CRM, HR processes, and more. Its strength is customizability: boards can be shaped into timelines, Kanban views, calendars, Gantt charts, or dashboards. This flexibility comes with a cost: per-seat pricing makes it one of the more expensive PM tools, and the learning curve is steeper than Trello or Asana.
Strengths
- ✓Highly customizable — builds boards for almost any workflow
- ✓Multiple views: Kanban, Gantt, timeline, calendar, dashboard
- ✓Strong automation builder for repetitive tasks
Watch-outs
- ✗Expensive — per-seat pricing adds up fast for larger teams
- ✗Free plan limited to 2 seats (barely useful)
- ✗Can feel overwhelming for simple project tracking
Basecamp
All-in-one project management and team communication
Basecamp combines project management with team communication in one opinionated platform. Each project gets a message board, to-do lists, a shared document space (Docs & Files), a group chat (Campfire), a schedule, and an automatic check-in feature. Basecamp charges a flat fee per account rather than per seat, making it cost-effective for growing teams. It's famously opinionated — there's one way to do things — which works well for teams that want structure without configuration.
Strengths
- ✓Flat per-account pricing — no per-seat charges as team grows
- ✓Combines messaging + tasks + files + schedule in one place
- ✓Client access built in — invite clients to specific projects
Watch-outs
- ✗Very opinionated — minimal customization
- ✗No Gantt charts or resource management
- ✗Integration ecosystem much thinner than ClickUp or Monday
Trello
Visual project boards that anyone can use in minutes
Trello is the original Kanban board tool — cards on lists on boards. It's the easiest project management tool to get started with and remains useful for individuals and small teams managing straightforward workflows. Acquired by Atlassian in 2017, Trello integrates with Jira and Confluence for teams in that ecosystem. Power-Ups extend functionality, though the free plan limits boards to one Power-Up each.
Strengths
- ✓Fastest onboarding of any PM tool — usable in minutes
- ✓Unlimited cards on the free plan
- ✓Part of Atlassian — integrates with Jira, Confluence
Watch-outs
- ✗Weak for complex projects (no native Gantt, dependency tracking)
- ✗Free plan limits workspaces to 10 boards
- ✗Power-Ups limited on free tier
Project Management Software for consultants, compared
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best project management software for consultants?
ClickUp is our top pick at 8.5/10 — the strongest fit if you're selling your expertise directly to clients.
What's the best free project management software for consultants?
ClickUp offers the best free plan in this list — a genuine way to get going at $0.