By opting for process management software free of charge, companies can improve efficiency considerably, while staying within budget. This applies especially to startups, where it’s vital to set up efficient workflow processes that allow your team to perform at its best efficiency without burdening you with a steep monthly subscription.
Finding the right free task management software may sound like a big ask, but it’s not. Granted, there are many confusing options out there, with many business process management tools (BPMs) claiming to be free when in reality you’ll be asked to pay as soon as you access crucial features apart from the very basic.
Here, we’ve ranked all the best tools for remote teams that also come with a free version. Our team has tested each app in depth to discover which of these offer process management software free of charge, 100%. We’ll start off with a comparative overview, before taking a deep dive into the pros and cons for each.
Table of Contents
The Best Free Process Management Softwares at a Glance
| Tools | Best For | Standout Features | Free Plan |
| Teamplate | All-in-one, streamlined workflow | Flexible template-based workflow management that includes chat, email, video calls, file sharing, calendar & more | 100% free plan with unlimited users and features |
| Trello | Visual task management | Simple board-based project tracking | Up to 10 boards per Workspace |
| Asana | Teams needing comprehensive task and project management | Task assignment, timelines, project tracking, | Up to 15 users with basic task and project management features |
| ClickUp | Customized task views | Project management with time tracking | Free up to 5 spaces, 100MB storage limit |
| Jira | Software development teams and agile methodologies | Issue tracking, sprint planning | Free up to 10 users with basicfeatures |
| Monday.com | Visual project tracking | Customizable dashboards, automation | Free up to 2 users with access to basic boards |
| Confluence | Detailed documentation management and knowledge sharing | Version control, permission management | Free plan for up to 10 users with basic documentation features |
| Wrike | Complex project management needs | Advanced Gantt charts, real-time reporting | Free up to 1 shared space, basic project management only |
| Notion | Notes and databases | Collaboration in a flexible digital workspace | Free up to 10 users |
| Hive | Project management with communication features | Integrated project management with communication tools | Free up to 10 users with limited project and task management features |
What Makes the Best Free Process Management Software?
What makes the above the best free process management softwares? All of them possess certain basic features that are an essential requirement for the top online communication platforms. Let’s take a look in more detail below.
Top Features to Look For in Free Process Management Softwares
- A free version: You can use any of the above process management software free of charge at least in their basic format.
- Strong collaboration features: Every software allows your team to collaborate seamlessly across various functionalities.
- Flexibility: Features like permission controls, addition of members, and even customized views are available.
- Hosted: You don’t need specialized knowledge to set up any of these free process management softwares as they’re hosted by the company that created them.
- Advanced Integrations: The above process management software free options can all be integrated with other popular tools and apps for a fully seamless workflow.
How We Evaluated & Tested the Apps
While testing process management software free of charge we followed a specific process to decide which of these deliver the full suite of functionalities that are needed for efficient remote team collaboration.
First of all we went through the actual signup process for each of them, and completed any onboarding provided. This gave us a good indication of exactly how intuitive or time consuming these tools are.
For the purpose of reviewing, we created a test project and applied the same methodology while using each process management software free of charge. We also set up a handful of fake tasks, complete with details like deadlines, attachments, users, adding links and so forth to determine whether all functionalities are supported.
Our experts then had free reign to customize each project as they saw fit, toggling between view options, adding new users, automating some processes and so forth.
By carrying out these process management software free trials we gained a 360-degree view of the capabilities of each tool, allowing us to reach a final verdict as to which ones are truly the best.
How to Choose the Best Free Process Management Softwares
So maybe you’d like to carry out your process management software free trials? In this case, it helps to have a structured plan so that you know what to look for and to help you pick the best solution for your team. The below checklist will help you reach an informed decision.
| Feature | What to Consider |
| Budget | Is the process management software free to use? Or does it come with hidden costs? |
| Value | Does the free version provide enough features to meet your core requirements before upgrading? |
| Ease of Use | Is the software intuitive enough for your team to start using it without a steep learning curve? |
| Scalability | Can the software adapt as your team’s needs expand and projects become more complex? |
| Customizability | Are the workflows flexible enough to adjust to your team’s specific processes and preferences? |
| Collaboration Features | Does it facilitate efficient teamwork, with tools for communication and real-time collaboration? |
| Security Safeguards | Does the platform ensure robust data security and comply with industry standards? |
| Integrations | Does it seamlessly connect with your team’s existing tools and platforms? |
| Mobile Access | Is the software optimized for managing tasks and workflows remotely from mobile devices? |
A Detailed Look at the Best Free Process Management Softwares
Several platforms offer process management software free trials, allowing you to test the features before committing. But what we’re looking for here are remote tools that you can use for free in the longterm. Below, we go into more detail about which apps allow you to do this and to which extent, delving into pros, cons, user reviews, and pricing details.
Teamplate – Best Streamlined Workflows & Comprehensive Functionalities
Pros
✔ All communication needs are centralized in one hub: You won’t need to use any third party applications such as email or Kanban boards. Instead, you can do everything from one comprehensive dashboard.
✔ Instant Messaging: Your chats will be stored and you can convert them straight to tickets automatically.
✔Integrated Email: There is no need to switch applications, and full automation is also available here to turn emails into tasks.
✔ Integrated Calendar: Schedule your daily meetings and stay on track right through the dashboard.
✔ Board and Tickets: Plan, track, and oversee all your team’s tasks from a Kanban-style dashboard
✔ Video Calls & Screen Recordings: Unlimited remote meetings which can be recorded for improved reporting.
✔ Data Room: A secure place where to keep all your company’s files and documents, with flexible permission controls.
✔ Spaces & Personal Space: A secure place where to collaborate with other team members. Each team member also has access to their own personal space where to keep track of personal notes and ideas.
✔ 100% Free: This is the only process management software free of charge that gives you access to the full suite of functionalities.
Cons
To date, Teamplate is the only product on this list to have received consistent five stars on verified user review platforms like TrustPilot and Capterra.
Customer Stories
Using process management software free has never been easier with Teamplate, and user reviews confirm this. Users on G2.com all agree that Teamplate is easy to use, facilitates collaboration and has no real ‘cons’ to speak of. The five star ratings reflect these views, such as the one pictured above by Arash T.
Price Options
- 100% Free, Every Time: Includes all features like chat, email, video conferencing, screen recording, project management and more without limitations.
Trello – For Visual Project Management
Pros
✔ Attachments and Due Date Management: Trello allows you to attach files directly to cards and set due dates, making it easy to keep track of important documents and deadlines.
✔ Visual Task Tracking with Boards and Cards: The board and card layout provides a clear, visual way to manage tasks and projects, perfect for teams that prefer visual organization.
✔ Butler Automation for Repetitive Tasks: Trello’s Butler feature automates repetitive tasks such as moving cards, sending reminders, and updating fields, saving time for teams.
Cons
✘ Limited Free Plan Features: The free plan limits users to only 10 boards per workspace, which can be restrictive for larger teams or more complex projects.
✘ No Built-in Gantt Charts: Trello lacks native Gantt charts, a key feature for project timelines, forcing you to rely on third-party integrations or Power-Ups.
✘ Basic Reporting and Analytics: It doesn’t offer advanced reporting or analytics features, so it’s difficult to track project progress at a high level.
✘ Limited Dependency Management: The process isn’t straightforward, so handling complex workflows with interdependent tasks is an issue.
✘ Storage Limit on Free Plan: There is a 10MB attachment limit per file, which can be limiting when working with larger documents or media files.
✘ Power-Ups Can Be Costly: Although you can enhance functionalities by adding Power-Ups for added functionality, many of these come with additional costs after a certain number on the free plan.
Customer Stories
Not everyone is as fond of Trello’s visual boards as you might imagine. Some users like David D have reported problems when dealing with larger project where you “have to scroll back and forth”.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Unlimited cards and members, 10 boards per Workspace, and 1 Power-Ups per board.
- Standard Plan: $5 per user/month, adds unlimited boards, custom fields, and advanced checklists.
- Premium Plan: $10 per user/month, includes dashboard and calendar views, timeline, and unlimited automation.
- Enterprise Plan: Starting at $17.50 per user/month, designed for larger organizations with enhanced security, permissions, and admin controls.
Asana – For Large Teams
Pros
✔ Task Assignment with Due Dates: You’ll find it very easy to assign tasks to team members with specific due dates, ensuring accountability and clarity on project timelines.
✔ Custom Project Views: You can switch between list, board, calendar, and timeline views to manage tasks in a way that fits your team’s preferences.
✔ Integration with Over 100 Tools: Asana integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams.
Cons
✘ No Built-in Time Tracking: There are no native time-tracking capabilities, so if you’re after detailed time management you’re going to need third-party apps.
✘ Limited Free Plan for Large Teams: The free plan is best suited for small teams, as it lacks advanced features like project milestones and dependencies.
✘ Learning Curve for New Users: You can use a very wide range of features and views, but these are often overwhelming for new users and require training or time to get used to.
✘ Advanced Features are Not Included: Features like workload management and detailed project reporting are only available in the paid tiers.
✘ Dependency Management is a Paid Add-On: You can only access task dependencies like ‘waiting on’ or ‘blocked by’ in the paid versions, so there is very limited flexibility for complex projects in the free plan.
✘ Limited Mobile App: Although you can carry out basic task management via the mobile app, it lacks full functionality compared to the desktop version.
Customer Stories
While many users appreciate its myriad functionalities, most users complain that Asana is less flexible than its competitors, while the visual dashboard is not intuitive when it comes to data integrations.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Includes unlimited projects, tasks, and basic collaboration for up to 15 users, but lacks advanced features.
- Premium Plan: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually), includes advanced project tracking features such as timelines, reporting, and task dependencies.
- Business Plan: $24.99 per user/month (billed annually), adds portfolio management, goals tracking, and workload management.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing with advanced security, admin controls, and priority support for large organizations.
ClickUp – For Customized Task Views
Pros
✔ Built-In Time Tracking: ClickUp includes a native time-tracking feature, so you and your team can monitor how much time is spent on each task without needing third-party integrations.
✔ Highly Customizable Dashboards: You can create custom dashboards with widgets for tracking key metrics, tasks, and goals, giving you full visibility over team productivity.
✔ Unlimited Task Hierarchy: The software supports subtasks, checklists, and nested folders, making it easy to organize even the most complex projects with multiple levels of tasks.
Cons
✘ Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features: ClickUp’s vast customization options can be overwhelming for new users, requiring more time to master.
✘ Limited Offline Functionality: The platform requires an internet connection for most of its features, which can be a drawback for teams working in areas with unreliable connectivity.
✘ Mobile App Can Be Buggy: The ClickUp mobile app, while feature-rich, can occasionally suffer from slow loading times and bugs, making it less reliable for mobile task management.
✘ Complex Setup for Automations: Setting these up can be tricky, especially for users unfamiliar with automation logic, requiring more effort to configure correctly.
✘ Limited Free Plan Features for Larger Teams: While the free plan is generous, it lacks some advanced features like goal tracking and detailed reporting, which larger teams might need.
✘ Overly Complex for Simple Projects: ClickUp can feel bloated due to its wide array of features, leading to unnecessary complexity.
Customer Stories
ClickUp’s functionalities and integration options come in for criticism for users, with some pointing out that competitors do a much better job where these are concerned.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Offers unlimited tasks and users, with limited storage (100MB), up to 5 spaces, and basic project management features.
- Unlimited Plan: $5 per user/month (billed annually), includes unlimited storage, integrations, and dashboards.
- Business Plan: $12 per user/month (billed annually), adds advanced features like goal tracking, timelines, and custom fields.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, offering advanced security, white labeling, and dedicated support for large organizations.
Jira – For Developers
Pros
✔ Solid Agile Tools: Jira is tailored for agile teams, offering features like sprint planning, backlogs, and real-time agile boards, making it ideal for software development projects.
✔ Comprehensive Issue Tracking: It excels in tracking bugs, issues, and tasks with detailed workflows and custom statuses, making it easier to manage complex development cycles.
✔ Advanced Reporting and Dashboards: The platform provides highly customizable reports and dashboards, offering insights into team performance, progress, and workload distribution.
Cons
✘ Steep Learning Curve for Non-Technical Teams: Jira’s technical nature and focus on software development can make it difficult for non-technical teams to adopt and fully utilize its features.
✘ Limited Free Plan for Large Teams: The free plan only supports up to 10 users, which is insufficient for larger teams that need strong project management tools.
✘ Overly Complex for Simple Projects: For teams not using agile methodologies or working on simple tasks, Jira’s extensive features can feel unnecessarily complex and overwhelming.
✘ Expensive for Smaller Teams Needing Advanced Features: If you want to use Jira’s more advanced features, like advanced roadmaps and reporting, you will need to fork out for higher-tier plans.
✘ Heavy Reliance on Add-Ons: Functions like time tracking or invoicing require add-ons, which can quickly increase costs.
Customer Stories
While Jira is one of the most recognisable process management software free-to-use, this does not remove the fact that many find it too complicated, requiring a steep learning curve that can put off some team members.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Supports up to 10 users with limited features, including agile boards and backlog management.
- Standard Plan: $7.75 per user/month (billed annually), includes up to 35,000 users with additional storage (250GB) and permissions management.
- Premium Plan: $15.25 per user/month (billed annually), includes unlimited storage, advanced roadmaps, and 24/7 support.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, includes enterprise-level security, administration controls, and dedicated support.
Monday.com – For Visual Project Tracking
Pros
✔ Highly Visual Interface: Monday.com offers a visually appealing interface with customizable columns, colour-coded tasks, and drag-and-drop functionality, making project tracking simple and intuitive.
✔ Automations for Repetitive Tasks: The platform allows you to set up automations to handle repetitive tasks, such as status updates and notifications, reducing manual work without requiring any coding.
✔ Multiple Project Views: Your team can switch between multiple views like Kanban, Gantt, timeline, and calendar to suit their specific project management needs.
Cons
✘ Limited Free Plan for Small Teams: The free plan is restricted to 2 users and lacks access to advanced features such as automations, integrations, and Gantt charts, which limits its usefulness for growing teams.
✘ Complexity Increases with Advanced Features: While the platform is easy to start with, more advanced features like automations and detailed reporting require a steeper learning curve to configure properly.
✘ No Native Time Tracking: Team that need this feature must rely on third-party integrations or external tools.
✘ Price Increases Quickly with Larger Teams: As the number of users grows, the pricing can escalate rapidly, especially when adding premium features and integrations.
✘ Limited Customization in Basic Plans: While there are customization options in the basic tier, full flexibility (such as creating advanced dashboards or using complex automations) is reserved for higher-tier plans.
✘ Mobile App Missing Key Features: The mobile app is functional but lacks some key features available in the desktop version, such as certain integrations and advanced project views.
Customer Stories
Once again, simplicity is key when using process management software free. As the above user April L points out, project management functionalities on their own aren’t enough to make it a winner if the overall UX is “confusing”.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Allows for up to 2 users with basic task tracking features and limited project boards.
- Basic Plan: $8 per user/month (billed annually), includes unlimited boards, 5GB of storage, and a few integrations.
- Standard Plan: $10 per user/month (billed annually), adds timeline views, automations (250 actions/month), and guest access.
- Pro Plan: $16 per user/month (billed annually), includes advanced integrations, unlimited automations, and time tracking.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, offering enhanced security, advanced reporting, and premium support for larger organizations.
Confluence – For Centralized Knowledge Sharing
Pros
✔ Centralized Knowledge Sharing: Confluence excels as a documentation and knowledge-sharing tool, allowing you to store, share, and collaborate on company knowledge in a central location.
✔ Page Versioning and History: It offers version control, enabling users to track changes, view past versions of documents, and easily revert to earlier drafts when necessary.
✔ Integration with Jira: If your team is already using Jira, this is a great companion for project management and issue tracking.
Cons
✘ Steep Learning Curve for Non-Technical Users: Confluence’s feature set and layout can be intimidating for non-technical teams, requiring some initial training to use effectively.
✘ Limited Collaboration on Free Plan: Only basic collaboration features are free, so advanced features like team calendars and real-time collaborative editing need to be paid for.
✘ Search Functionality Can Be Weak: Despite its strength in storing documentation, Confluence’s search feature sometimes struggles to retrieve relevant information from large databases.
✘ Limited Customization on Basic Plans: Customizing pages and workflows requires premium features.
✘ Requires External Apps for Full Functionality: To unlock additional features like diagrams or reporting, Confluence often relies on third-party apps from the Atlassian Marketplace, which can increase costs.
Customer Stories
When the main complaint is that “there are better out there”, you’ve got to take notice and look at other process management software free trials before committing. In the words of Brandon S, Confluence is “just okay”, and your organization needs more than just okay.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Available for up to 10 users, offering basic document creation and collaboration with limited storage (2GB).
- Standard Plan: $5.75 per user/month (billed annually), includes up to 35,000 users, more storage (250GB), and enhanced collaboration tools.
- Premium Plan: $11 per user/month (billed annually), adds advanced features like analytics, admin insights, and team calendars.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, offering unlimited storage, advanced security features, and enterprise-level admin controls.
Wrike – For Spreadsheet-like Features
Pros
✔ Advanced Task and Project Dependencies: Wrike allows you to set multiple task dependencies, making it easy to manage complex projects with interrelated tasks and milestones.
✔ Customizable Workflows: Your team can create and modify workflows to fit their specific processes, allowing for a more tailored approach to project management.
✔ In-Depth Reporting and Analytics: Wrike offers detailed reporting capabilities with customizable dashboards, providing insights into project progress, team performance, and workload.
Cons
✘ Overwhelming for Small Teams: Wrike’s feature set can be too extensive for small teams or simple projects, leading to unnecessary complexity for those who only need basic task management.
✘ Limited Features on Free Plan: The free plan restricts access to advanced features such as Gantt charts, time tracking, and custom workflows, making it less suitable for growing teams.
✘ Difficult to Navigate at First: Wrike’s interface can feel cluttered, and new users often complain about the steep learning curve when trying to navigate the platform efficiently.
✘ Expensive for Full Feature Access: Unlocking features such as advanced reporting, resource management, and integrations can drive up costs.
✘ Customization is Limited on Lower Plans: Only higher-tier plans offer full customization options, such as custom fields and advanced workflows, which can be limiting on the lower-cost plans.
Customer Stories
User-friendliness comes under fire again with this free process management software. The main complain here appears to be that Wrike requires a specialist project manager to oversee admin, which is far from ideal.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Limited to basic task management for up to 5 users with simple boards and task lists.
- Professional Plan: $9.80 per user/month (billed annually), includes Gantt charts, dashboards, and up to 200 tasks.
- Business Plan: $24.80 per user/month (billed annually), adds custom workflows, time tracking, and reporting for more advanced project management.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, includes advanced security, user permissions, and enhanced integrations for large-scale projects.
Notion – A Hub for Notes, Tasks & Databases
Pros
✔ All-in-One Workspace: Notion combines note-taking, databases, task management, and wikis into a single platform, removing the need for multiple tools to manage projects and documents.
✔ Highly Customizable Databases: You can create custom databases with different views, filters, and properties, allowing for a flexible way to manage information and tasks.
✔ Collaborative Editing in Real-Time: Teams can collaborate on documents and projects in real-time, with changes instantly reflected across the workspace.
Cons
✘ Limited Features on Free Plan for Teams: While the free plan is great for personal use, it lacks advanced collaboration features and restricts file uploads, which can hinder team productivity.
✘ No Native Time Tracking: There is no built-in time-tracking functionality, requiring integrations or workarounds for users who need to track time spent on tasks.
✘ Complexity with Large Databases: As Notion databases grow larger, they can become slow and difficult to navigate, especially when using complex filters or views.
✘ Steep Learning Curve for New Users: The flexibility and customization options in Notion can overwhelm new users, who may need significant time to learn how to structure their workspace effectively.
✘ Mobile App is Less Intuitive: The mobile version of Notion is not as user-friendly as the desktop version, making it harder to manage complex projects and databases on smaller screens.
Customer Stories
This is a recurring complaint with Notion, where users are under the impression they’re using a process management software free and then they are slapped with unexpected charges. Using 100% subscription-free collaboration tools like Teamplate eliminates such surprises.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Available for individual use with basic note-taking and task management features, up to 5MB file uploads, and limited sharing options.
- Plus Plan: $8 per user/month (billed annually), adds unlimited file uploads, advanced permission settings, and team collaboration.
- Business Plan: $15 per user/month (billed annually), includes advanced collaboration features, API access, and team permissions for large teams.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, offering enhanced security, compliance, and dedicated support for larger organizations.
Hive – For Seamless Project Management
Pros
✔ Built-In Email Integration: You and your team will be able to send and receive emails directly within the platform.
✔ Native Time Tracking: Hive comes with built-in time tracking, allowing teams to monitor how much time is spent on individual tasks without needing additional integrations.
✔ Flexible Project Views: The software offers a variety of views—such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and calendar views—giving teams the flexibility to manage projects in the way that works best for them.
Cons
✘ Steep Pricing for Full Features: Access to advanced features such as resourcing analytics, advanced reporting, and time tracking requires higher-tier plans, which can be costly for small teams.
✘ Limited Free Plan for Teams: The free plan only allows access to basic task management features, limiting collaboration tools and advanced analytics.
✘ Occasional Performance Issues: Hive can experience performance lags when dealing with large projects or extensive data, which may disrupt workflows for teams working on complex projects.
✘ Learning Curve for New Users: While Hive offers powerful tools, new users often face a learning curve when navigating the platform and setting up workflows.
✘ No Native Offline Mode: Hive requires an internet connection to function, which can be a drawback for teams needing to manage tasks offline.
Customer Stories
Using process management software free is still expensive if your team is using valuable time just to figure out how it works. Judging by user reviews, Hive has fallen into this trap that makes it appear too overwhelming for it to be efficient.
Price Options
- Free Plan: Allows access for unlimited users but limits features to basic task management and chat functionality.
- Teams Plan: $12 per user/month, includes project views, action templates, unlimited storage, and external integrations.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, offering advanced security, dedicated support, and customized solutions for larger organizations.
Benefits of Free Process Management Softwares Like Teamplate
Using process management software free of charge remains the best way to optimize operations, but only one software actually delivers the full range of features and gains consistently positive user reviews – Teamplate. This remote collaboration tool offers end-to-end project management in one powerful platform, with all features available for free.
The award-winning product includes all the communication and project management tools that your team needs on a daily basis – all without charging a cent. Here are some of the benefits that have been reported by over 1,000 customers who are using Teamplate’s process management software free.
- Centralized information: All documents and digital communication like email and chats are stored in one hub, reducing the risk of miscommunication, lost data, or simple time wasting.
- Reduced resources: Your team will need less time to complete the same amount of work, thanks to the automation of repetitive tasks.
- Increased transparency and accountability: All project deliverables and deadlines are clearly visualized alongside task goals.
- Increased collaboration: Your team will find it easier to brainstorm, collaborate, and share ideas thanks to the dedicated spaces and tools.
- Improved resource allocation: Visualization of projects ensures that tasks are assigned to the right people, correctly distributing workload and reducing delays.
Best of all, all the above are available to your team for free. If you’d like to start enjoying these benefits for a smoother, more efficient workflow, get in touch with the Teamplate team here and we’ll guide you through the process.
