Per seat, per tier or flat. Here’s what project management software really costs your team.
Thirteen tools, each billed differently — per-seat plans with minimums and caps, Jira’s annual user tiers, and flat plans with no per-user fees. Enter your team size; we test every published plan from the official pricing pages and keep the cheapest one that covers you. Unknowns stay Not listed.
All project management comparisons Best tools by use case Asana, ClickUp & Trello alternatives
10 users · paid plans · billed annually — monthly-equivalent bill, cheapest qualifying plan per tool. Grey = needs a sales quote or a price the vendor doesn’t publish.
Taskade 
ProofHub 
Trello 
Basecamp 
Nifty 
Jira 
ClickUp 
Smartsheet 
Notion 
Wrike 
Linear 
Asana 
Airtable Sortable comparison
Cheapest paid sticker, plus what three common teams really pay on paid plans (annual billing). Click a header to sort.
| Tool | From (annual) | 3 users /mo | 10 users /mo | 50 users /mo | Free? | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trello | $5/user/mo | $15 | $50 | $250 | Free plan | Visit |
| Taskade | $6/mo | $6 | $10 | $25 | Free plan | Visit |
| ClickUp | $9/user/mo | $27 | $90 | $450 | Free plan | Visit |
| Smartsheet | $9/user/mo | $27 | $90 | $950 | No | Visit |
| Jira | $9.70/user/mo | $79.17 | $79.17 | $404.17 | Free plan | Visit |
| Notion | $10/user/mo | $30 | $100 | $500 | Free plan | Visit |
| Wrike | $10/user/mo | $30 | $100 | $1,250 | Free plan | Visit |
| Nifty | $10/user/mo | $30 | $79 | $399 | Free plan | Visit |
| Linear | $10/user/mo | $30 | $100 | $500 | Free plan | Visit |
| Asana | $10.99/user/mo | $32.97 | $109.90 | $549.50 | Free plan | Visit |
| Airtable | $20/user/mo | $60 | $200 | $1,000 | Free plan | Visit |
| Basecamp | $29/mo | $29 | $79 | $199 | Free plan | Visit |
| ProofHub | $45/mo | $45 | $45 | $45 | No | Visit |
Alternatives & compares
Switching tools and head-to-heads, costed with the same engine.
Asana alternatives
Work management for teams: free for 2 users, Starter $10.99/user/mo annual ($13.49 monthly), Advanced $24.99
ClickUp alternatives
All-in-one work app with a free forever plan: Core $9/user/mo yearly ($12 monthly), Business $17 ($25)
Trello alternatives
Kanban boards by Atlassian: free for up to 10 collaborators, Standard $5/user/mo annual ($6 monthly)
Jira alternatives
Atlassian’s agile tracker: free for 10 users, Standard $9.70/user/mo monthly or $950/yr for up to 10 users
Smartsheet alternatives
Spreadsheet-style project management: Pro $9/member/mo yearly for 1–10, Business $19 (3+ members)
ClickUp vs Asana
From $9/user/mo vs $10.99/user/mo on annual billing.
Asana vs Trello
From $10.99/user/mo vs $5/user/mo on annual billing.
ClickUp vs Notion
From $9/user/mo vs $10/user/mo on annual billing.
ClickUp vs Trello
From $9/user/mo vs $5/user/mo on annual billing.
ClickUp vs Jira
From $9/user/mo vs $9.70/user/mo on annual billing.
Asana vs Notion
From $10.99/user/mo vs $10/user/mo on annual billing.
Asana vs Jira
From $10.99/user/mo vs $9.70/user/mo on annual billing.
Jira vs Linear
From $9.70/user/mo vs $10/user/mo on annual billing.
Trello vs Jira
From $5/user/mo vs $9.70/user/mo on annual billing.
Notion vs Trello
From $10/user/mo vs $5/user/mo on annual billing.
Asana vs Smartsheet
From $10.99/user/mo vs $9/user/mo on annual billing.
Smartsheet vs Airtable
From $9/user/mo vs $20/user/mo on annual billing.
Asana vs Wrike
From $10.99/user/mo vs $10/user/mo on annual billing.
ClickUp vs Wrike
From $9/user/mo vs $10/user/mo on annual billing.
Asana vs Basecamp
From $10.99/user/mo vs $29/mo on annual billing.
Basecamp vs Trello
From $29/mo vs $5/user/mo on annual billing.
Notion vs Airtable
From $10/user/mo vs $20/user/mo on annual billing.
ClickUp vs Nifty
From $9/user/mo vs $10/user/mo on annual billing.
Basecamp vs ProofHub
From $29/mo vs $45/mo on annual billing.
ClickUp vs Linear
From $9/user/mo vs $10/user/mo on annual billing.
Best-of shortlists
Each list is ranked for a stated team — not “best for everyone.”
Cheapest project management software
Lowest verified paid bill for a 10-person team, billed annually — flat and per-seat plans costed side by side.
Best project management for small teams
5 users on monthly billing so you can cancel — paid plans only, prices from each official page.
Best free project management software
Forever-free plans and their user caps from each official pricing page, costed for a 5-person team.
Best flat-priced project management (no per-user fees)
Flat monthly prices for a 25-person team, billed annually — Basecamp, Nifty, ProofHub and Taskade vs per-seat tools.
Best project management for software teams
15 engineers on annual billing — Jira, Linear, ClickUp and more, with Jira’s user tiers applied.
Best project management for large teams
100 users billed annually — per-seat costs, tiers and flat plans compared at scale.
FAQ
How much does project management software cost in 2026?
Verified on official pricing pages (2026-11-04), cheapest paid plan billed monthly: Trello Standard $6/user, Jira Standard $9.70/user, ClickUp Core $12/user, Notion Plus $12/user, Smartsheet Pro $12/user, Linear Basic $12/user, Asana Starter $13.49/user, Nifty Pro (per member) $16/user, Airtable Team $24/user, Basecamp Freelancer $29/mo flat, ProofHub Essential $50/mo flat. Wrike and Jira publish annual prices only (from $10/user/mo and $9.70/user/mo).
Per-user or flat pricing — which is cheaper?
Per-user plans win for small teams; flat plans win as you grow. For 10 users on paid annual plans the cheapest are Taskade $10/mo (Pro), ProofHub $45/mo (Essential), Trello $50/mo (Standard), Basecamp $79/mo (Pro). Flat plans to watch: Basecamp Pro Unlimited ($199/mo annual, unlimited users), Nifty Unlimited ($399/mo annual), ProofHub Ultimate Control ($89/mo annual) and Taskade Business ($25/mo annual, unlimited users).
What is the cheapest project management tool for a 50-person company?
50 users on paid plans, billed annually: Taskade $25/mo (Business), ProofHub $45/mo (Essential), Basecamp $199/mo (Pro Unlimited), Trello $250/mo (Standard). Caps knock out Smartsheet Pro (10), Wrike Team (15), Basecamp Pro Plus (15) and Nifty Business (30).
Why does Jira cost more for 11 users than for 10?
Jira’s annual plans are sold in user tiers: Standard is $950/yr for 1–10 users, $1,450 for 11–15, $2,450 for 16–25, $4,850 for 26–50 and $9,700 for 51–100 (checked on the official page). Monthly billing is $9.70 per user up to 100 users. Free covers up to 10 users.
Which project management tools have a free plan?
11 of 13: ClickUp (unlimited members, 60 MB storage), Asana (up to 2 users), Trello (up to 10 collaborators per Workspace), Notion (individuals), Wrike (essential task management), Jira (up to 10 users), Basecamp (1 project, 3 users), Airtable (5 editors, 1,000 records per base), Nifty (unlimited members, 2 projects), Linear (2 teams, 250 issues) and Taskade. Smartsheet and ProofHub offer free trials instead (length Not listed).
What does “Not listed” mean?
The official pricing page does not publish that number — for example Wrike’s month-to-month price, Basecamp’s annual price below Pro Unlimited, or Taskade’s monthly price for Starter and Business. We never estimate it. monday.com showed prices only in euros from our region, so it is not listed yet.
Are these affiliate links?
Visit buttons route through /go/ links marked nofollow sponsored. Rankings come from the cost engine and published prices only; commissions never change a price cell.