- What are task management tools?
- How to choose the best task management tool
- The best task management tools to check out
- Other top task management tools
- So, what’s the best task management tool?
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, choosing the right task management tools is vital for enhancing productivity and streamlining operations. As we move into 2024, the toolkit for managing projects and tasks has expanded, with a range of solutions tailored to diverse business needs.
Task management solutions vary widely to suit different project needs and working styles. There are Kanban board-based tools that provide a visual overview of tasks, traditional list-based software, and no-code databases like Baserow, that make it easy for teams to create custom task management applications tailored to their specific needs.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the many software tools available, including what they are, how they work, and the best task management tools to look out for in 2024.
What are task management tools?
Task management tools are software applications designed to help individuals and teams organize, track, and manage their work tasks and projects efficiently. These tools offer a range of features to facilitate planning, assigning tasks, setting deadlines, and monitoring the progress of activities. They let you break down projects into manageable tasks, prioritize work, and ensure that deadlines are met.
The best task management tools should offer a blend of features that cater to the diverse needs of individuals and teams. Collaboration features allow team members to communicate, share files, and update the status of tasks in real-time. Automation helps to streamline repetitive processes. And integration capabilities ensure the software works seamlessly with your other tools, creating a unified work environment.
Some task management tools require technical expertise for setup and customization. However, the rise of no-code platforms like Baserow has dramatically changed the landscape, making task management accessible to everyone. These platforms eliminate the need for coding, allowing users with no technical background to easily develop and tailor their task management systems.
How to choose the best task management tool
Choosing the best task management tool requires thoughtful consideration of your team’s specific needs, workflows, and communication styles. Whether you’re an individual juggling a few projects or an enterprise coordinating across departments, the right tool can significantly enhance productivity and streamline operations.
Collaboration is key for effective task management, extending beyond internal teams to include outsourced help and clients. Integrations with popular tools such as Slack can further streamline your team’s communication. Visualizing tasks in various formats is another important factor. In addition, pricing is a significant consideration, especially for teams with budget constraints.
When selecting a task management tool, look for features that cater to both your current and future needs:
- Real-time collaboration: Look for software with real-time collaboration features like file sharing and comments on tasks. Set the right level of access by assigning roles and permissions to your team members.
- Task creation and assignment: Choose a tool that lets you easily define tasks, assign them to team members, and establish clear responsibilities and timelines.
- Scheduling and views: Task management tools should enable the planning and visualization of tasks and deadlines. Look for a variety of views including Gallery, Timeline, Calendar, Grid, Kanban, and more.
- Task prioritization: Features that allow teams to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance can help focus on critical items.
- Progress tracking and reporting: Progress tracking through the dashboard and reporting features offers insights into productivity and task completion.
- Notifications and reminders: Look for things like notifications and automated alerts for upcoming deadlines and tasks.
- Customizable workflows: The best task management software offers the flexibility to tailor workflows to specific project needs. No-code platforms excel in this area, enabling users to create custom workflows, without any coding.
- Integration and automation capabilities: Integrating with other tools like email, and CRM systems, and automating repetitive tasks can streamline workflows.
- Security and data protection: Robust security measures are necessary to protect sensitive information. Look for a solution that ensures data protection, with options for self-hosting to maintain control over data.
- Business continuity through open source software: Users can modify the source code to meet their growing needs, plus they’re not locked into a proprietary system, ensuring business continuity.
- Pricing: Pricing structure is an important part of choosing the right task management tool. Small teams might prefer a per-user per-month pricing plan, while larger teams may want to consider an enterprise plan with custom pricing.
- Task dependencies: Look for ways to visualize task dependencies to complete a project on time and assign the right priorities.
- Capacity planning: To manage team workload and capacity, look for a tool with capacity planning features to ensure your projects are properly staffed at all times.
The best task management tools to check out
Baserow
Baserow is an open-source, no-code database tool that simplifies task management for users of all skill levels. It combines the simplicity of a spreadsheet interface with the robustness of a database, allowing users to create custom databases, web applications, and workflows, without needing any programming knowledge.
This flexible platform caters to a wide range of use cases, from task management and project tracking to CRM, inventory management, and more. Users can create custom databases tailored to their needs, collaborate in real-time with changes updated instantly, and visualize tasks in various views like Form, Kanban, Grid, Calendar, and Gallery.
To get started quickly, you can choose from a range of pre-built templates for common task management or other scenarios. These templates can be customized further to fit the unique requirements of any project. Repetitive processes can be automated, and Baserow integrates seamlessly with other tools in your workflow, such as email platforms, communications tools, and more.
Being open-source, the software can be tailored to meet your unique needs. It’s designed to scale with you, from managing simple to-do lists to handling complex projects with numerous tasks and collaborators—its performance remains consistent as your project grows.
Baserow offers a range of hosted and self-hosted pricing plans to suit various needs, from individuals and small teams to large enterprises. The Free plan is ideal for those starting, offering core features and collaboration capabilities. Premium plans start from $5 per user/month. While the Enterprise plan caters to large organizations seeking custom solutions, dedicated support, and enterprise-grade security and scalability.
Baserow’s top task management features
- Centralized no-code platform for all team members and tasks
- Ready-to-use templates for quick task setup
- Advanced task filtering, visualization, and sorting
- Real-time collaboration features, comments, and notifications
- Automation options for improved efficiency
- Multiple view options including Grid, Gallery, Kanban, Calendar, and Form
- API-first for seamless integration with other software
- Advanced features like role-based access control, admin panel, SSO, and priority support
- Self-hosting option for organizations with specific privacy requirements or compliance standards.
- No vendor lock-in
- Unlimited databases, rows, and storage on self-hosted plans
- Competitive pricing from $5 user/month
Todoist
Todoist is a productivity and task management tool designed to help individuals and teams organize their work and personal lives. It functions primarily as an online to-do list, allowing you to manage tasks, set deadlines, and organize projects across various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers. Its user-friendly interface and straightforward design make it accessible for users of all tech levels, allowing for quick task entry and updates.
Its key features include the ability to easily create tasks and subtasks, set recurring deadlines, prioritize items with different levels, and categorize tasks into projects for better organization. Users can also share projects and assign jobs to others, making it suitable for team collaboration. Additionally, Todoist offers productivity tracking through Todoist Karma, a unique feature that gamifies task completion and encourages users to stay productive by earning points and visualizing progress.
With its simplicity, flexibility, and cross-platform support, Todoist is popular with users looking for an efficient way to manage daily to-dos and projects without the complexity of more comprehensive project management tools. It’s especially suited to small businesses and individuals looking for essential task management tools and an easy-to-navigate interface.
Todoist’s top task management tools
- Easily add tasks with due dates, times, and details
- Break down tasks into smaller, manageable parts
- Pre-built templates for common projects and workflows
- Assign priority levels to tasks
- Easy to organize tasks into projects
- Collaboration features such as adding comments to tasks and projects
- Labels and filters for sorting and finding tasks quickly
- Reminders and notifications
- Todoist Karma
- Integrations with other apps and services
- AI assistant
Trello
Trello is a visual collaboration and task management tool that helps you organize your projects into boards, lists, and cards. It lets individuals and teams track the progress of their tasks and projects in a highly visual way, making it ideal if you want a straightforward system that allows you to see the entire scope of a project at a glance.
Each Trello board can be customized to fit the specific needs of a project or team. Lists can represent different stages of a project, and cards can be moved between lists as tasks progress. Users can share boards, attach files, assign jobs, set deadlines, and exchange comments directly on cards, keeping everyone on the same page, quite literally!
Trello’s built-in automation tool, Butler, simplifies repetitive processes through customizable rules and commands. What’s more, you can integrate Trello with many other tools and services, such as Google Drive, Slack, and Dropbox, allowing you to connect your work across different platforms.
The platform provides a free plan, ideal for individuals or those just needing basic task management features. For large organizations needing security features, control, and support, the Enterprise plan starts at $17.50 per user per month.
Trello’s top task management features
- Visual organization of projects with customizable boards
- Cards for individual tasks that contain all details, comments, and attachments
- Checklists within cards to track progress
- Due dates and reminders
- Color-coded tags
- Built-in automation (Butler) to streamline repetitive actions and workflows
- Integrations called Power-Ups connect Trello with other apps and services
- Add files directly to cards from your computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more
- Team members can comment on tasks for communication and updates
- Pre-designed board templates for various use cases to get started quickly
- Mobile App: Access Trello on the go with fully-featured iOS and Android applications
- Gantt chart style view to plan and visualize project timelines and dependencies
Asana
No list of the best task management tools would be complete without Asana. This popular web and mobile application is designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work, offering a comprehensive set of features for task management, whether managing simple to-do lists or complex projects.
At its core, Asana lets you create projects and within those projects, list tasks that need to be completed. Each item can be easily assigned to specific team members, given a deadline, and categorized for easy tracking. This straightforward approach is supported by a suite of features, including multiple views like List, Kanban, Calendar, and Timeline, real-time collaboration features, and easy integration with a wide array of other software tools, including Google Drive, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more.
Users can add custom fields, create unique project templates, and set up automation rules to streamline repetitive tasks, with detailed dashboards and reporting tools that provide insights into project progress and completion rates. In addition, AI-driven features like smart fields, smart editors, and smart summaries, can write text or summarize key points based on user instructions.
Asana offers a tiered pricing structure to accommodate a range of needs and organizational sizes, starting with a free Personal plan designed for individuals and small teams, which includes basic task management tools. The Advanced plan starts at $34 per person per month, offering additional features like automation, advanced reporting, and time tracking. For larger organizations, the Enterprise plan provides enterprise-grade security, support, and customization, with pricing on request.
Top features for task management
- Easy-to-use interface
- My Tasks feature which auto-promotes entries based on due dates
- Search and filtering functions,
- Focus Mode that encourages deep work by minimizing distractions
- Project timelines and calendars
- Pre-built templates
- Task dependencies
- Automation rules
- Integrations with over 100 other apps
- Workload view to monitor and manage the workload of team members
Super Productivity
Super Productivity is an open-source task management tool designed to help you enhance personal productivity and project management. It offers a comprehensive suite of features for task management, time tracking, and organization, without the need for switching between different applications.
It lets you easily create time sheets and work summaries, track and document your work, and share it with clients and team members. Other features include productivity insights, integrated to-do lists, and collaboration features for team projects. In addition, it integrates directly with services such as GitHub, GitLab, Jira, and others, making it particularly appealing for anyone who works with these platforms regularly.
Being open-source, Super Productivity allows you to customize the software to meet your specific needs. It also reduces your dependency on specific vendors for updates, support, and enhancements, ensuring business continuity. Community contributions ensure the tool is continuously improved and updated with new features which can be invaluable for rapid innovation, troubleshooting, and developing best practices.
Top features
- An open-source task management tool
- Time tracking and productivity insights
- Seamlessly integrates with GitHub, GitLab, Jira, and other services
- Pomodoro Timer to promote focused work sessions and regular breaks
- Attach notes and links to tasks
- Highly customizable interface and workflow options
- Break Planner for a healthy work-life balance
- Can be used offline
- Full control over your data
Quire
Quire is a cloud-based task management tool designed around the concept of an infinite nested task list. Tailored for both freelancers and team-based environments, its nested task list approach lets you easily break down complex projects into smaller, more manageable tasks and subtasks.
The platform offers strong collaboration features for team projects, and has a variety of view modes, including Task List, Kanban, and Timeline, to accommodate different working styles and project needs. It also supports recurring tasks, streamlining the management of regular activities without the need for repetitive scheduling.
Integration capabilities with tools like Zapier, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and GitHub allow for seamless connection with other applications and services. Voice control through Siri and Google Assistant, synchronization with Google Calendar, and a Gmail add-on that converts emails into tasks are among the other innovative features that enhance Quire’s task management capabilities.
Top features
- Infinite nested task list for breaking down large projects into smaller, manageable tasks and subtasks
- A variety of views including Task List, Kanban, and Timeline
- Smart Sublists let you create filtered views based on deadlines, assignees, or custom tags
- Automate repetitive tasks.
- Task prioritization
- Real-time collaboration features for sharing tasks, discussing projects, and updating statuses in real-time
- Integration with Zapier, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and GitHub
- Voice command features
- Syncs with Google Calendar and offers a Gmail add-on to convert emails into tasks directly
Remember the Milk
This user-friendly task management tool lets you manage tasks efficiently from anywhere—whether you’re at your computer or on the go with your smartphone. It can be synced with all your devices, and it supports both online and offline functionality, making it ideal for those who need to stay productive regardless of their internet access.
Remember the Milk makes it easy to create tasks and subtasks, including due date, priority, repeat, tags, and more. You can even add tasks without leaving your inbox, thanks to the Gmail add-on. Share your lists, assign tasks to others, and choose from multiple ways to get reminders, including notifications via email, text, Twitter, and through its mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.
The search wizard lets you search your tasks using 50 different search operators. Smart Lists take it a step further by automatically generating lists based on specific search criteria. Integration with other productivity tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Twitter, and Evernote, as well as voice assistants like Google Assistant and Siri, amp up task management by enabling you to manage your tasks wherever you are.
Top features
- Smart Add lets you easily input tasks with details like due date, priority, repeat, tags, and more
- Receive reminders via email, text, instant messaging, Twitter, and mobile app
- Create unlimited lists to organize tasks by project, area, or any other categorization
- Break tasks down into smaller, more manageable subtasks
- Organize and prioritize tasks with tags and color-coding
- Attach files to tasks by integrating with Google Drive and Dropbox
- Use 50 different search operators to find tasks quickly
- Access Remember The Milk on various devices and platforms, including web, Mac, Windows, Linux, mobile, and smartwatches
- Integrate with popular apps and services like Gmail, Google Calendar, Twitter, and Evernote, and voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Siri
- Manage tasks offline
WeekToDo
If you’re looking for free task management tools, then WeekToDo is a great option. It focuses on the essentials of task management, offering a calendar, task lists, and alerts, without overwhelming users with excessive features. This makes it ideal for those looking to manage their weekly tasks without the clutter of more complex systems.
You can set alarms, use color coding, create recurring tasks, and manage subtasks, all via a user-friendly interface. The tool is available as a native app for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and can also be accessed directly from your web browser, offering flexibility in how and where you can manage your tasks.
WeekToDo is developed with privacy in mind, ensuring all your data is securely stored on your device, thereby eliminating concerns about data privacy and tracking. Its open-source nature invites contributions from developers, ensuring the continuous improvement and development of the platform. It also supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a broader audience.
Top features for task management
- Open-source design with a focus on privacy
- Easily set tasks, subtasks, and recurring tasks
- Ensures user data is stored locally
- Most features can be accessed without needing to sign up
- Provides dark and distraction-free modes
- Set reminders for tasks, events, or actions based on various parameters
- Can be used without an internet connection, enhancing accessibility
- Free from external advertisements for a cleaner user experience
- Easy to use with no unnecessary features
Taiga
Taiga is an open-source task management tool that provides a wealth of features for work management, including task boards and a variety of templates to get users started quickly. Its focus on Scrum and Kanban methodologies makes it an ideal choice for those already familiar with these approaches, offering tools such as backlog and sprint planning, per-role estimations, and sprint task boards.
As an open-source tool, Taiga is highly customizable and allows for self-hosting, giving you greater control over security and data management. This is particularly appealing to larger teams that require significant customization and want to maintain tight control over their project management environment.
The platform supports easy updates, leverages community contributions, and ensures robust security measures are in place. Its customization options, ability to add wikis to any project, and simple filtering and search functions, make it an ideal task management tool for those well-versed in agile methodologies.
Top features
- Comprehensive support for agile methodologies
- Open-source and customizable
- Good collaboration features for development teams
- Customizable project templates
- Collaboration across teams with diverse functions and roles
- Available in over 20 languages
- Supports defining deliverables, regular alignment, prioritization, and effective communication within teams
- Visibility into ongoing activities and completed deliverables
- Offers a straightforward setup with no complex training required
- Enables teams to customize their workflow, integrate with other tools, and host Taiga on their servers
- Integration with tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, and more
Anytype
Anytype positions itself as the “everything app” for those who value trust, autonomy, and privacy in their digital workspace. Its local-first approach means that data storage, processing, and encryption happen directly on the user’s device rather than on centralized servers, ensuring privacy and also significantly speeding up its performance.
The tool is incredibly versatile. It can serve as a daily journal, strategic writing tool, knowledge base, trip planner, study hub, recipe book, and habit tracker among many other uses. Its future releases promise even more functionality, including team wikis, shareable docs, a community hub, and collaborative projects, making it a comprehensive solution for a wide range of needs.
As an open-source platform, Anytype lets you tailor and improve the system to precisely fit your specific requirements. This autonomy liberates you from the typical constraints of vendor lock-in, such as reliance on expensive proprietary solutions and dependency on the original developers for updates or changes. Consequently, you gain greater business continuity and increased control over your technology infrastructure, for a more flexible approach to managing your digital tools.
Top features
- Combines task management with note-taking
- Highly customizable and flexible system
- Open-source, no-code tool with a focus on data privacy
- Peer-to-peer syncing & end-to-end encryption
- Block-based editor
- Customizable templates
- Supports real-time team collaboration, sharing of projects, and tracking of revisions and comments
- Various views including graph and database
- Mobile apps on both iOS and Android
- The software is still in development
- Offline functionality
Other top task management tools
Hive
- Best for: Teams looking for a versatile, all-in-one project and task management tool with real-time collaboration.
- Key features: Automated workflows, time tracking and resource management, native chat, and email integration.
- Best suited for: Marketing teams, creative agencies, and project managers needing a flexible platform for managing multiple projects.
- Pricing: Starts at $5 per user/month with a free trial available. Custom pricing for enterprise solutions.
nTask
- Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses needing a simple, intuitive task management tool with integrated risk and issue tracking.
- Key features: Task and project management, meeting management, risk and issue tracking.
- Best suited for: Teams in need of a straightforward tool for task tracking, project planning, and managing meetings in one place.
- Pricing: Free basic plan available. The premium plan starts at $3 per user/month, with a Business plan at $8 per user/month.
ClickUp
- Best for: Provides an all-in-one workspace solution that combines project management, document collaboration, goal setting, and time tracking.
- Key features: Customizable task and project views, goal tracking, docs & wikis for knowledge sharing.
- Best suited for: Teams across different sectors looking for a flexible platform to adapt to their specific workflow needs.
- Pricing: Offers a Free Forever plan. Paid plans start at $7 per user/month, with more features available in higher-tier plans.
Monday.com
- Best for: Teams and businesses looking for a visually intuitive task management tool with extensive automation and integration options.
- Key features: Color-coded boards for task tracking, automation, and a wide range of integrations.
- Best suited for: Businesses of all sizes, especially those that benefit from visual project tracking and require extensive customization.
- Pricing: Free plan with 2 seats. ****The basic plan starts at $30 for 3 seats. The Enterprise plan includes enterprise-grade security and governance, and enterprise support, with pricing on request.
Wrike
- Best for: Large organizations and teams needing a powerful project and task management tool with advanced reporting and collaboration features.
- Key features: Effort management feature, real-time collaboration and document editing, customizable dashboards and workflow.
- Best suited for: Enterprises and teams with complex project management needs, requiring detailed reporting and effort tracking.
- Pricing: Free plan available. The professional plan starts at $24.80 per user/month, with additional tiers for more advanced needs and custom pricing for Enterprise and Pinnacle solutions.
So, what’s the best task management tool?
Finding the best task management tool depends on your specific needs and operational requirements.
If you want business continuity, data privacy, and the ability to build customized databases without the need for extensive technical expertise, then Baserow offers the perfect blend of database functionality and no-code simplicity. It’s available in hosted and self-hosted versions so you’re not tied to vendor limitations, and being open-source you can customize and scale the platform as your business grows. It’s great value, with a great free plan for smaller teams and Premium plans starting from just $5 per month. Plus, it has an app builder for things like building public portals to manage tasks with people outside your organization.
On the other hand, if your priority is a highly visual platform that offers an intuitive and engaging user experience for managing projects, Trello might be the best choice. Its board and card system provides a straightforward and visually appealing way to organize work, making it a favorite among teams that value clarity and simplicity in their task management tools.
Ultimately, the decision comes down to your specific requirements. Whether you prioritize data management capabilities, visual task tracking, or any other specific feature set, the best task management tool for you is the one that aligns most closely with your operational needs and helps you achieve your goals with greater efficiency.
Ready to get started? Create an account with Baserow today!
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