Top 16 Best Business Management Software in 2024

Managing a business is like walking the tightrope to achieve business goals on time effectively. Overseeing projects, managing time, solving problems, and handling lack of communication within the team is not as simple as ABC. Most often, the everyday overwhelms of tasks may seem too much to handle. The struggle to efficiently coordinate tasks and projects across teams and departments is real.

Thus, as project managers, we’re all in the same boat. However, you can effortlessly ease your work and conquer common business challenges by utilizing good business management software.

These tools help to streamline project activities, control team workflow, and support overall business operations. But using just any tool will not guarantee success. You need to implement a tool that fits your bill and aligns with your processes from start to finish. 

To make things easier for you, we have listed the top business management software that will help achieve the desired business goals. We will also look at their key features and the types of business software. Let’s dive in!

A Quick Look at Top Business Management Software & Their Key Features

What is Business Management Software?

Business management software is power-packed with features that enable the smooth running of your business. Accurate time tracking, robust workload management, smooth team communication, and seamless invoicing are a few of its essential features. The tool is a one-stop solution for all your business requirements, leading to effortless project execution and successful project delivery.

Types of Commonly Used Business Management Software

Did you know that 54% of businesses do not have access to real-time KPIs due to a lack of good business management software?

This translates into wasted time, effort, and resources of an organization.

Each business has its unique tool requirements that help fulfill its goals. Let’s look at a few types of tools that lead the business to successful project execution.

1. Project Management Software

An ideal project management software streamlines business processes and tracks how the project is progressing. It helps control the workflow of multiple projects, bringing transparency and visibility into project tasks and activities. This lets you stay on top of your projects without having to burn the candle at both ends.

2. Time Tracking Software

A time tracking software accurately offers easy accessibility into an employee’s productive hours. It enables you to track the total time spent by an employee on a specific task or project. This also helps increase productivity and accountability in employees. For you, this will help eliminate the hassle of generating invoices every month.

3. Helpdesk Software

A helpdesk software allows seamless customer experiences. It helps you and your team to address customer queries proactively. It enables this by providing a platform that routes tickets to the appropriate department, helping in resolving them within minutes.

Also, you can automate responses to common customer questions, thus, further enhancing customer satisfaction through quick query resolution.

4. Budget Management Software

Budget management software ensures that you stay on track and do not overrun your budget by forecasting and detecting any possible derailment from the set budget. The tool helps manage and monitor the budget of a project, aiding in intelligent business decisions.

5. Resource Management

Project execution is incomplete without appropriate resource allocation. A resource management tool helps manage the resources of a project. It helps oversee whether the resources are under-utilized or over-utilized and accordingly shifts them to a suitable task in seconds.

Must-Have Features of a Business Management Solution

There are a few features that a tool must offer for smooth business operations. Let’s take a look at them.

1. Project and Task Management

More projects mean more tasks. And what do more tasks imply? A haphazardly moving project workflow? Well, not with a task management tool. An ideal task management tool helps run projects and tasks smoothly right from the beginning.

It eases creating and assigning tasks and tracking them as a project passes through the different stages. Moreover, the task automation feature is a respite for multiple free-flowing projects.

2. Resource Management

One of the critical elements of a project is, resources demand appropriate allocation as per the project requirements. Under-utilization and overutilization both lead to unnecessary wastage of resources. A tool offers resource allocation to tasks and subtasks in just a few clicks. Also, you can automate resource allocation to best suit your business needs.

3. Budget Management

A budget management tool allows you to set your business budget and keep track of expenses as the project progresses. The tool accurately forecasts whether the project is set to derail from the desired budget through financial KPIs such as working capital, liquidity ratio, and net cash flow. You can take advantage of predictive budget failure and respond with corrective measures immediately.

4. Time Management

In business, time is money. So how can you best assure that every second is best utilized to deliver successful projects? For this, a time management tool is just what you need. With its intuitive and interactive dashboards, a time management tool makes time tracking a breeze. As a result, this time tracking data helps track productivity and ensures uncomplicated project completion within the specified time.

5. Easy Collaboration

Collaboration among team members is what builds a long-lasting business. A collaborative tool enables trouble-free collaboration within teams and departments. With seamless document sharing and instant messaging ability, such a tool simplifies the coordination and alignment of projects across the organization.

How to Choose the Business Management Software

Choosing a tool cannot be a knee-jerk reaction. You must consider a few things before you decide to onboard a tool for successful business management.

Here, we will look at a few considerations to keep in mind while selecting a tool.

1. Core Features

An ideal tool has excellent business management features such as task visualization, analytical reports, and accurate productivity tracking. Such features ensure a streamlined team workflow and smooth project processes. With features that enable free-flowing projects, you can create tasks, assign resources, define deadlines, and get work done much more efficiently.

2. Reliable User Reviews

User reviews help gain trust and reliability for a specific tool and its features. This is because users provide you with their personal experience of using the tool and let you make an informed business decision. Ensure that their feedback is genuine and has been published in recent times.

3. Listed on Top SaaS sites

Before you select a business management tool, research well about its features and functionality. Visit top SaaS-based review sites like Capterra and SoftwareWorld. These sites offer genuine software reviews and bring credibility to the tool’s capabilities. Thus, review tools and come up with SaaS marketing strategies in detail that best suit your business requirements.

4. Top User Rating

Ratings give a better review of particular software. Rated by previous and existing users, ratings reflect the preferability of the tool at a glance. They give a better idea of the tool’s usability and capability as a business management tool. For assured software success, go for a tool with not less than a 4.5 rating.

5. Pricing

Pricing is one of the most crucial considerations while selecting a tool. A tool should be reasonably priced. If you onboard an overpriced tool, you are most likely to discontinue its usage after some time. So, it’s best to choose a well-equipped tool with the essential business management features and comes at an affordable price.

6. Trial Version

Deploying a trial version of a tool allows you to rest assured of the tool’s capability and be certain about getting the most bang for your bucks. Using the free trial version is also important because it assures that the tool is capable of managing your business’ unique set of challenges.

List of Best Business Management Tools

1. ProProfs Project

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ProProfs is an all-in-one business management software. It offers an impressive overview of the organization’s projects and tasks. Know where your resources are allocated and where there is scope for improvement instantly. Arm your business with excellent management features such as goal tracking, advanced reporting, team availability, and invoicing capabilities.

With its multiple views such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, Calendar view, and List view, you can extract any information regarding tasks, resources, and deadlines on the go. Ensure a smooth-flowing project from start to finish with ProProfs robust workflow management. Using the tool, you can build a project’s workflow within minutes.

Features:

• Extract reports for project progress, budget tracking, and more
• Interactive and easy-to-use dashboard
• Task and resource automation available
• Multiple project views to track progress
• Seamless document and file-sharing capabilities

Pricing:

Starts at $39.97/month.

What we liked: The tool’s exceptional workload and project management features.

What could be better: 15-day trial should be extended.

2. StudioCloud

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Whether you have a small business or a large enterprise, StudioCloud is an excellent tool for managing your overall business operations. It manages client communications by providing an easy view of all client data, such as client notes, events, and invoices.

The tool’s scheduling ability lets you schedule stakeholders and team members to tasks or events, who are then automatically notified of the same. Also, you can propel your business by smoothly managing employees through the logbook, which briefs you about each member’s project tasks and activities.

Features:

• Customizable calendar system
• Employee time card tracking available
• Automatic email/text reminders for meetings or events

Pricing:

1. Starter Version – $0
2. Select and Add-on – $10/add-on/month
3. PartnerBoost – $35/month (2+ user login)
4. EmployeeBoost – $65/month (3+ user login)

What we liked: The tool’s client management capabilities.

What could be better: Mobile version.

3. ProProfs Desk

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ProProfs Helpdesk is an online help desk tool that offers seamless business management solutions through its customer support ability. It is your one-stop solution hop for creating, automating, and prioritizing tickets within seconds.

The tool allows you to break tickets into child tickets and automatically route them to the concerned department or team. Its canned responses are a relief for resolving customer queries instantly. You can even automate canned responses for quick query resolution that helps strengthen customer relationships. Thus, for unhindered and reliable customer support management, go for Proprofs Helpdesk for your business.

Features:

• Advanced features like child ticket and ticket routing
• Incredible customer experience
• Support across multiple channels

Pricing:

1. Free – $0
2. Essentials – $10/user/month (billed annually)
3. Premium – $/user/month (billed annually)

What we liked: Resolving queries with canned responses saves time and effort.

What could be better: Third-party integrations.

4. Utiliko

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Utiliko allows you to save time and accomplish your future to-do list goals faster with automated recurring tasks. This will enable you to focus on only the most important tasks while automating tasks that can be managed by a tool. It cuts back on revenue by eliminating unnecessary costs on accurately estimating the billable and non-billable hours and generating client invoices.

Also, manage expenses for a specific client or project and monitor vendor transactions with the tool’s intuitive dashboard. Moreover, get paid for work done faster with Utiliko’s integrated payment gateway.

Features:

• User-friendly mobile application
• Customer relationship management
• Billable time tracking

Pricing:

1. Special Offer – $29/user/month
2. Special COVID-19 Full Package – $349/user/annually

What we liked: Contact management.

What could be better: Third-party integration.

5. NetSuite OneWorld

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NetSuite helps standardize the business processes and workflows in minutes. This ensures that you never have to create and set workflows that are similar in a pattern repeatedly.

Thus, for projects that require similar processes, the tool offers the most effortless process setup. Also, you can track and control business costs with convenient visibility into the financial metrics of a project, enabling informed business decisions at each stage of the project. Besides, you can track and manage resources at any given point with its anytime accessible resource administration capabilities.

Features:

• Automate currency conversions
• Inventory management
• Performance metrics

Pricing:

1. Available on request

What we liked: Work process standardization.

What could be better: Customizations.

6. Timely

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Timely offers the all-in-one solution for effortless tracking. Whether you need to track time, projects, or teams, you can do it all with Timely, instantly. With its automatic time tracking feature, you can track teams without getting into the hassle of manual work. Visualize project progress and keep an eye on possible deviations with the tool’s interactive project views.

Also, you can keep a check on team workload and set priorities as per team availability. The tool is everything you need to run your business without a hitch.

Features:

• Simplified time tracking
• Easy-to-use dashboard
• Automated workflows

Pricing:

1. Starter – $8/user/month
2. Premium – $14/user/month
3. Unlimited – $20/user/month
4. Unlimited+ – Available on request

What we liked: Exceptional project tracking ability.

What could be better: Third-party integrations.

7. Zoho One

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Increase your sales tenfold with Zoho One’s impressive quotes stage funnel. It lets you track everything in one place – be it sales, marketing campaigns, or employee productivity. You can improve your business’ operational efficiency simply by monitoring the processes through the tool’s user-friendly interface. Communication within teams is taken care of by the tool’s in-built team chat and discussion features.

Zoho One’s human resource management capabilities help manage employee interview scheduling and seamless employee onboarding. Never miss a beat with the tool, be it tracking leads or automating sales generation.

Features:

• Optimized marketing campaigns
• Human resource management
• Client relationship management

Pricing:

1. All Employee Pricing – $33.62/employee/month
2. Flexible User Pricing – $53.8/user/month

What we liked: Great sales optimization capabilities.

What could be better: Customer service.

8. Zendesk

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With Zendesk, resolving customer queries has never been easier. You can route tickets, address queries and respond to them in a matter of seconds. You can automate most responses with easy setup across categories and departments. Receive queries across the website, mobile app, or social media, enabling more significant customer satisfaction.

You can customize the customer experiences to promote the best support system that instantly solves queries within minutes. You can even enhance the support system with detailed reporting. Moreover, you can access customer interaction logs and provide in-house training to employees to improve their service.

Features:

• Actionable reports and data
• Multi-channel support
• Custom fields and tags

Pricing:

1. Support Team – $19/agent/month
2. Support Professional – $49/agent/month
3. Support Enterprise – $99/agent/month

What we liked: Quick and relevant customer service.

What could be better: Mobile application.

9. Salesforce

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Salesforce helps you manage your business by offering seamless customer support for companies big or small. It helps bring customers closer to the business by addressing their concerns or queries and proactively resolving them within minutes. The cloud-based platform helps close more sales swiftly. You can access the complete history of a customer’s engagement with the business, be it queries, frustrations, or customer satisfaction. You can also integrate Salesforce with many platforms, for example, connect Salesforce to Google Sheets as a data backup option, transmit records to another CRM, and more.

As a result, enhancing customer journeys is as easy as pie with Salesforce. So whether it’s marketing, sales, commerce, or service, manage everything while engaging with customers in a single place – Salesforce.

Features:

• Instant query resolution
• Access customer history
• Modern customer engagement platform

Pricing:

Salesforce has four types of license editions or subscriptions:

1. Essentials – $25/user/month (billed annually)
2. Professional – $75/user/month (billed annually)
3. Enterprise – $150/user/month (billed annually)
4. Unlimited – $300/user/month (billed annually)

What we liked: Personalized customer support.

What could be better: Learning curve.

10. Scoro

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Run your business with Scoro, a robust business management software. The collaboration tool helps you get organized with project tasks and activities by simplifying the workflow of everyday processes. You can get the big picture of where your resources are allocated and which resources can be re-allocated for best resource optimization. Being an easy-to-use tool, it allows seamless onboarding for businesses of all sizes.

The tool offers comprehensive reports on revenue that enable real-time insight into project expenses at each stage of the project. Also, you can extract reports for task status that help translate team productivity into revenue generated.

Features:

• Up-to-date project view
• Short learning curve
• Insightful financial reports
• Intuitive and interactive dashboard
• Productivity and revenue tracking

Pricing:

1. Essential – $28/user/month (5 users)
2. Work Hub – $42/user/month (5 users)
3. Sales Hub – $42/user/month (5 users)
4. Ultimate – Available on request

What we liked: Collaborative platform that enables smooth business management.

What could be better: Dashboard customizations.

11. Trello

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Trello is a scalable and versatile platform that offers solid business management capabilities. Avoid wasting countless hours trying to set up a project workflow. The tool provides automation capabilities to create workflows that best complement the team’s needs and project scope.

You can track how each project is progressing and which tasks need customization in their workflows. Also, you can share files and documents with team members on the go, ensuring seamless collaboration from anywhere and anytime.

Features:

• Trello boards and lists
• Easy workflow customizations
• Productivity metrics
• Dashboard and timeline view

Pricing:

1. Free – $0
2. Business Class – $10/user/month
3. Enterprise – $17.50/user/month

What we liked: Automation capabilities.

What could be better: Storage capacity.

12. TimeCamp

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Control the time that each task takes to complete with TimeCamp’s robust time tracking ability. The tool enables team productivity tracking with its easy-to-use dashboard. You can automatically set up time tracking and extract insightful reports related to an employee’s productive hours. Also, it offers solid attendance and leaves management so that you never have to go through endless paperwork for tracking employee availability.

All you have to do is look at the tool’s interactive dashboard and monitor employee hours from anywhere and anytime. Moreover, its timesheet system replaces the otherwise cumbersome invoicing process with hassle-free client invoicing.

Features:

• Tracks idle time of user
• Automatic & customizable time tracking
• Attendance and leave management

Pricing:

1. Free – $0
2. Basic – $5.25
3. Pro – $7.50
4. Enterprise – Available on request

What we liked: The tool helps gain insight into project profitability.

What could be better: Ease of use.

13. Bitrix24

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Bitrix24 manages your business by breaking project activities into smaller ones. It offers easy task and project management that enables solid business management capabilities. The tool is great for teams of all sizes, making it the go-to tool for small, medium, and large businesses alike.

With its instant messenger and video calling feature, you can keep teams connected from anywhere in the world. For increased business productivity, manage workload by quickly automating recurring and customized tasks. As a project manager, you can make critical business decisions by tracking the time and costs of projects to ascertain a positive ROI.

Features:

• One place for all your document storage needs
• Personalized reports for informed decision making
• Easy project visualization through Gantt charts, Kanban boards

Pricing:

1. Free – $0
2. Basic – $30/month (5 users)
3. Standard – $60/month (50 users)
4. Professional – $120/month (Unlimited users)

What we liked: Setting up automation is a breeze.

What could be better: User interface.

14. Basecamp

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Stay on top of your business needs with Basecamp. It offers an interactive user experience for excellent team management. The tool provides an overview of task dependencies and approaching deadlines, enabling crystal-clear communication about all project tasks ‘what’ and ‘when.’ Scheduling events across the organization comes easy with Basecamp.

It allows you to add events to the team calendar with specified dates and timings. This way, teams get notified of upcoming events almost instantly. Moreover, the tool allows you to discuss the events on the event’s page itself.

Features:

• Increase team accountability with transparent workflow
• Message boards for seamless conversations
• Activity view for easy business management

Pricing:

1. Basecamp Business: $99/month

What we liked: An engaging platform for everyday business operations.

What could be better: Drag and drop functionality.

15. Odoo

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Get your entire organization on the same page with Odoo. It is a great business management tool that offers many apps for all your team’s needs. Be it helpdesk, CRM, invoicing, or marketing automation, get convenient access to all these and more with Odoo. The tool’s project management ability provides easy planning, organizing, and scheduling for project tasks and activities.

You can even extract insightful reports for a thorough project analysis. Increase productivity with customized project stages that offer an effortless glance at how your projects are progressing right from the start.

Features:

• Awesome project and task visualization
• Attach files and documents to any task
• Access timesheets offline

Pricing:

1. Per user – $7.50/month

What we liked: One platform to manage every business need.

What could be better: Customer support.

16. Fyle

Fyle is a modern expense management software built to smoothen the expense management process for both employees and the finance team. The software help boosts productivity by automating mundane expense reporting tasks from receipt tracking to employee reimbursement. 

Fyle ensures finance teams receive error-free expense reports on time. With its robust policy check engine, the software identifies out-of-policy expenses in real-time and ensures no data entry error and potential expense fraud pass by undetected. You can seamlessly integrate it with your existing accounting software to reduce manual work and errors.

Features:

• Receipt scanning for paper and digital receipts
• Automatic card expense reconciliations
• Next-day ACH feature

Pricing: 

1. Standard – $4.99 per user/month
2. Business –  $8.99 per user/month
3. Enterprise – Available on request

What we liked: Intuitive platform that enables smooth expense management

What could be better: The learning curve is a bit steep and could be better

Comparison of Best Business Management Software