Imagine waking up every morning feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list. You know you have a lot to do, but you’re not sure where to start.
It’s like a never-ending battle of looming deadlines and unhappy clients!
As someone who has been there, I know that feeling of constantly juggling different tasks and projects, finding it extremely hard to keep track of everything while on the go.
But there’s an effective solution that can help you out – cloud project management software.
I’ve used a lot of different cloud-based project management software over the years. These tools offer the advantage of accessing your tasks from anywhere, on any device!
In this blog, I’ll share my thoughts on the top 7 tools to help you find the perfect fit based on your unique needs.
| Software Name | Best For | Pricing Starts From |
| ProProfs Project | Simplified Project Management | $39.97/month |
| monday.com | Resource Management | $24/month |
| Asana | Task Management | $10.99/user/month |
| Wrike | Collaborative Work Management | $9.80/user/month |
| Smartsheet | Project Planning | $7/user/month |
| Zoho Projects | Charts & Reporting | $3/user/month |
| Basecamp | Remote Work Collaboration | $15/user/month |
7 Best Cloud Project Management Software Solutions
The tools I will discuss here are the ones I’ve worked closely with or heard good feedback from industry experts, colleagues, software review sites, webinars, etc.
What I can assure you is that no matter what specific business needs you may have, there’s a cloud project management solution out there for you!
1. ProProfs Project – Best for Simplified Project Management
(Image Source: ProProfs Project)
Having used ProProfs Project for over a year, I believe it is an exceptional cloud project management software for small to medium-sized businesses.
Firstly, the single-view dashboard provides a centralized view of all tasks, projects, and deadlines. No more switching between tabs or platforms to find the information I need. It’s all right there – neatly organized and easily accessible!
Next, I think the ability to break down tasks into subtasks has enhanced my workflow.
I mean, it really helps when you can break complex projects into smaller, more manageable chunks, isn’t it? And with the Gantt charts and Kanban boards, visualizing workflows is a breeze!
I can also create custom fields for each client I work with. This has made it incredibly convenient to manage tasks by storing additional information related to them
What you’ll like:
- Offers a wide range of customizable project templates, making it easy to start new projects
- Robust collaboration features like real-time updates, file sharing, task comments, etc., to boost cooperation among teams
- Task assignments, deadlines, and progress tracking to ensure that the project is running on time
- Provides insights into project progress, team performance, resource utilization, etc., via reports to make data-driven decisions
- Includes time tracking functionality, enabling teams to analyze time spent on various tasks and projects
What you may not like:
- The software requires a stable internet connection to function seamlessly
- The trial period seems short to explore the tons of features the software packs in
Pricing: Starts at $39.97/month. A 15-day free trial is available.
2. monday.com – Best for Resource Management
(Image Source: monday.com)
After receiving multiple recommendations about monday.com’s project management platform, I finally decided to give it a go.
My initial impressions are centered around the resource management feature.
It allowed me to track project resources, including people, equipment, and budget. I could spectate who is working on what task and quickly reassign tasks if needed. This helped avoid overallocation and ensured that all of my resources were being used efficiently.
Collaboration with team members was also a seamless thing. I could create shared boards and tasks, leave comments and feedback, and track project progress in real time.
What you’ll like:
- The tool lets you plan, schedule, and allocate resources from projects to maximize efficiency
- A no-code building block system helps create workflows tailored to specific needs
- The ability to make informed decisions with real-time dashboards that display specific information about your projects
- Simple Gantt charts and Kanban views for easy understanding of project progress
- Pre-built automation templates to automate repetitive tasks like sending task statuses, reminders, etc.
What you may not like:
- The free plan limits most features like automation, integrations, calendar views, etc., making it almost impractical even for small businesses
- The tool can be challenging for non-technical team members, according to some users
Pricing: A free plan is available for 2 users. Paid options start at $8/seat/month.
3. Asana – Best for Task Management
(Image Source: Asana)
Asana is a great cloud-based project management platform. I was intrigued by its task management capabilities, something I read about on multiple software review sites.
The software lets you assign tasks to team members, set deadlines, and create subtasks to break projects into smaller segments, making them easier to tackle.
Additionally, team members can comment on tasks, promoting transparency and communication within your team.
Asana also offers powerful project tracking and progress visualization features. I can easily see the status of each task, monitor project milestones, and view comprehensive project timelines.
However, I found that the free plan restricts several features, such as cutting down access to templates, dependencies, etc.
What you’ll like:
- Workflow builder to create customized automated processes that streamline collaboration within your team
- Allows you to visualize project progress and keep track of milestones and deadlines using Gantt charts and Kanban boards
- Shows all your team’s tasks and deadlines in one shared calendar
- Integrates with essential tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc., to support your team’s workflow
- Real-time insights into progress and performance, with the ability to generate comprehensive reports on project data
What you may not like:
- The free plan puts a limit on almost every relevant feature like task dependencies, templates, workflow builder, etc.
- Some users find the process of switching between project views complex
Pricing: A free plan is available with limited task templates, Gantt charts, etc. Paid options start at $10.99/user/month.
4. Wrike – Best for Collaborative Work Management
(Image Source: Wrike)
Collaborative work management is essential if you want a central place for team members to work on tasks, share files, track progress, etc. In my opinion, Wrike is a good fit for this role.
Wrike’s dashboard has a unique three-pane view that keeps everything within reach. It offers forms and requests to create and fulfill tasks – a nifty feature to assign accountability to team members.
One of the features that I found particularly useful is the task tool that tracks individual and overall task progress.
It can be helpful to keep track of different tasks and ensure that everything is on schedule.
For instance, I was able to track the progress of a task assigned to one of my team members who was working remotely. I could see how much time she had spent on the task, what she had accomplished so far, and what was left to be done.
What you’ll like:
- A comprehensive dashboard to view key project elements, such as tasks, progress, and analytics
- Visibility across multiple work streams by tagging and categorizing tasks
- Gantt charts to utilize interactive project scheduling across teams to visualize timelines, dependencies, milestones, etc.
- Automated workflows eliminate manual efforts like sending task reminders and streamline processes
- Enables you to work from anywhere with a robust app experience available on both mobile and desktop devices
What you may not like:
- Some users have reported that the mobile app is not as user-friendly as the desktop version
- The free plan hinders your experience by limiting Gantt charts, calendar views, automation, etc.
Pricing: A free plan is available with limitations to dashboards, real-time reporting, etc. Paid options start from $9.80/user/month.
5. Smartsheet – Best for Project Planning
As someone who had just given up on the spreadsheet life, I was skeptical about Smartsheet, another cloud project management software.
However, upon using it, I discovered that the project planning feature was incredibly efficient.
It gives a clear, detailed roadmap that describes how you will achieve your goals. You can define the project’s scope, deliverables, and the tasks you need to meet them.
But not just that, you get everything in one place – task schedules, deadlines, roles and responsibilities, resources such as staffing, budget, plans to manage time, costs, risk, etc.
The software also provides customizable templates – a bonus that can save time on manual data entry!
What you’ll like:
- Customizable dashboards provide a bird’s-eye view of every project in your portfolio
- Makes it easy to collaborate with teams by having all associated files, notes, and project information in one centralized location
- Extensive controls to audit user access, ownership, and usage, ensuring efficient resource management
- Integrates with third-party apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc., enabling seamless collaboration across platforms
- A secure framework to manage requests within projects, ensuring that only authorized users can access or modify project data
What you may not like:
- The free plan limits access to publish sheets, reports, and dashboards
- A few users have reported that pages do not update in real time, which can lead to outdated information
Pricing: A free plan is available with a limited number of sheets to track projects and tasks. Paid options start from $7/user/month.
6. Zoho Projects – Best for Charts & Reporting
As someone who has used Zoho’s products before, I had to see how their cloud-based project management tool fares. And it didn’t disappoint!
What stood out to me first was the tool’s reporting capabilities and charts.
It’s an excellent tool to visualize project progress and get deep insights into how work is moving forward. You can use Gantt charts to create dependencies between related tasks, reschedule them easily, and track progress closely.
Next comes the resource utilization chart. It helps you manage your team’s workload – distributing work evenly among members. You can clearly see who is overloaded so you can reassign tasks accordingly.
What you’ll like:
- The ability to break projects down into simpler items, such as milestones, task lists, sub-tasks, etc., to organize your work efficiently
- Allows you to set recurring tasks, dependencies, reminders, etc., to automate repetitive workflow and save time
- Enables you to stay updated with your team using feeds, activity streams, forums, chat, etc.
- Workspace customization to suit your needs by creating custom fields, templates, and workflows
- Integrates with other Zoho apps like Zoho CRM, Zoho Invoice, Zoho Analytics, etc. to streamline your workflow
What you may not like:
- The customer support team’s response could’ve been better, according to some users
- Some users have found that the software has a steep learning curve – not very suitable for beginners
Pricing: A free plan is available for only up to 2 projects. Paid options start from $4/user/month.
7. Basecamp – Best for Remote Work Collaboration
Last on the list, I have Basecamp – a cloud project management platform known for its focus on remote work collaboration. A lot of people in the industry recommended me to try it.
First impressions: I think if you have a remote team, you should try this out.
With Basecamp, collaboration with team members becomes easy. You can share files, assign tasks, and communicate with them in real time – thanks to its built-in messaging system, as well as discussion boards and group chats.
Another thing that I found helpful is its ability to integrate with other tools.
For example, you can integrate the tool with your email client (Outlook, MailChimp, etc.) so you receive notifications about new tasks and messages directly in your inbox.
What you’ll like:
- An easy-to-navigate interface where you can create projects, add team members, and assign tasks with just a few clicks
- A centralized space for important discussions related to projects to keep everyone on the same page
- A range of reporting tools that allow you to track progress and identify areas for improvement
- Provides an organized space to create, share, and discuss docs, files, etc.
- Enables you to automatically poll your team regularly to receive updates, gather information, check progress, etc.
What you may like:
- Some users feel that Basecamp’s project tracking capabilities are limited compared to other tools
- The software does not offer time estimates for tasks, making it difficult to plan and manage projects
Pricing: Starts at $15/user/month.
Which Is the Best Cloud Project Management Software?
The best cloud project management software is essentially the one that helps streamline your workflows and facilitates collaboration among physical and virtual teams. But that should not change the fact that the software should be easy to use as it will be primarily used by team members every day.
So, what are my top three recommendations going to be? Let’s find out –
Option A: ProProfs Project
ProProfs Project is an exceptional cloud-based project management software for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a single-view dashboard for a unified overview of tasks and projects. The tool gives you the ability to break down tasks into subtasks and the option to create custom fields for better organization and convenience. An added bonus is its simple and clutter-free UI.
Option B: monday.com
monday.com’s project management platform comes highly recommended and offers a variety of plans to choose from. It excels in resource management, allowing users to easily track and allocate project resources such as people, equipment, and budget. Collaboration with team members is seamless, with shared boards, comments, and real-time project progress tracking.
Option C: Zoho Projects
Zoho’s cloud-based project management tool impresses with its outstanding reporting capabilities and charts. It provides deep insights into project progress and offers features like Gantt charts for task dependencies and rescheduling, as well as a resource utilization chart to manage team workload effectively.
Among these three tools, I think the one tool that manages to do it all is ProProfs Project. I mean, you simply can’t help but appreciate its simplicity when it comes to cloud project management.
Regardless, to see whether this cloud project management software fits your specific business needs, there’s always a way to test the water using the 15-day free trial.
Learn More About Cloud Project Management Software
What is cloud project management software?
Cloud project management software is a convenient tool that helps you plan, track, and manage projects online. Hosted on a cloud server, it enables users to access it from anywhere with an internet connection, just like traditional project management software, but with the added perk of internet accessibility.
What are the features of cloud project management software?
Cloud based project management tools offer a variety of features that can help you manage projects more effectively. Here are some of the top features:
- Task management: It includes task creation, assignment, due dates, and progress tracking. This allows you to easily keep track of all the tasks that need to be completed.
- Collaboration tools: This includes file sharing, commenting, discussion forums, etc., to easily collaborate on projects, even if located in different parts of the world.
- Reporting and analytics: It can help you track team progress, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions.
- Time tracking: This feature helps teams track how much time is spent on each task and project to identify areas where efficiency can be improved.
Read More: Must-Have Project Management Software Features Explained
How do you choose the best cloud project management software?
When choosing cloud project management software, there are a number of factors to consider, including –
- Core Features: Make a list of the features that are most important to your team, such as task management, collaboration tools, reporting and analytics, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, time tracking, mobile access, etc.
- Pricing: Cloud project management software programs vary in price, so it is important to compare pricing plans and find a program that fits your budget.
- Ease of use: How easy is the software to use? Make sure that you and your team members will be able to learn and use the software quickly and easily.
- Integrations: Does the software integrate with other tools and systems that your team uses? This can be important for streamlining your workflow and avoiding data silos.
- Scalability: If you plan on growing your team or business in the future, choose a software program that can scale with you.
To learn more about how to choose the best cloud based project management software, watch:
What are the benefits of cloud project management software?
Cloud project management software offers a number of benefits over traditional, on-premises project management software, such as –
- Improved communication and collaboration: A reliable software tool can help teams communicate and collaborate more effectively by providing a central place to share files, discuss tasks, and track progress.
- Increased visibility and accountability: It provides stakeholders with real-time visibility into project progress, which can help to increase accountability and keep projects on track.
- Reduced risk: Cloud project management software can reduce the risk of project failure by providing tools to identify and mitigate potential risks.
- Improved efficiency and productivity: Such software can also improve efficiency and productivity by automating tasks and streamlining workflows.
Do you want a free Project Management Software?
We have the #1 Online Project Management Software for effective project management.
