Task Management Software is a useful tool for individuals and teams in the workplace. And as more teams transition to remote work and look for ways to improve collaboration and productivity, task management tools are more important now than ever.
The core of task management is the organization of specific pieces of work, coordinated to facilitate maximum collaboration between teams.
What is Task Management Software?
By definition, task management tools are any digital platform that helps individuals and teams manage their tasks. These are more than just simple to-do-lists. Task management tools allow teams to collaborate digitally by organizing, prioritizing, and assigning tasks to each other.
So what exactly does task management software do? As with most software, there is a range of complexity and technological advancement among different systems. With that being said, typical features include:
- Task scheduling to set deadlines in advance.
- Task customization and editing to update for specific situations.
- Task assignment, which may include internal coworkers, external partners, or both.
- Notifications/Alerts to remind users about upcoming tasks and responsibilities.
- Recurring tasks or templates to standardize repetitive steps in your workflow.
- Sub-tasks or parent tasks to create additional steps within a task.
- Time Tracking to record the amount of time spent on tasks.
- Progress reporting to track current positioning in regards to the overall goal.
- Task organization using tags, labels and channels to group by common team or project.
- To-do-lists for easy task visualization.
Benefits Of Using Task Management Systems
Whether you use task management systems as an individual or as part of a team, there are many benefits to your daily workflow. Three of the top benefits include:
Streamlined workflow. Task management software helps individuals and teams record, assign, and organize all of the processes of a given workflow. This is beneficial because it ultimately reveals where there are redundancies, inefficiencies, and bottlenecks to be fixed.
Improved productivity. Task management software reduces the number of time workers have to spend sifting through information and getting organized. It also helps workers prioritize tasks, stay on top of current responsibilities, and prevent things from slipping through the cracks. When all is said and done, task management software can significantly improve team productivity.
More effective collaboration. How many times have you discussed next steps during a meeting or over the phone, but then you forget to write them down. Or perhaps you have a new due date for a project you’ve been working on, but now you have to individually tell each member of your team. Task management software brings everyone together on one platform, which helps improve communication and ensures that everyone knows what tasks they are responsible for, and when they need to complete them by.
The Best Task Management Tools on the Market
1. Hive
Hive is an all-encompassing productivity software that helps teams work faster. As a task management tool, Hive can be used by teams of all sizes to manage upcoming tasks, assign work to team members, and collaborate within the platform. In addition to being a great task management software, Hive is loved by thousands of teams for its project management capabilities, remote work tools, and powerful team collaboration solutions.
Some features of Hive:
- Flexible project layouts: Kanban, Gantt, Portfolio, Calendar, Table, Summary & more
- Create and assign tasks from meeting notes
- Create and assign tasks from emails
- Assign tasks to internal and external users
- Time-tracking and resourcing
- Upload, organize, and attach files to tasks
- Create repeatable tasks with templates
- Communicate on tasks with comments and tags
Start your Hive 14-day free trial to create your workspace and start managing tasks in minutes.
2. Todoist
Todoist is a leading task management tool that helps people see everything they have to do in one place. It functions as an online to-do-list, where users can manage tasks and projects, whether for themselves or as part of a team. People like Todoist for its user-friendly interface and mobile app, which make it quick and easy to use on a daily basis as things pop up, which is why it’s the best task management software for small business.
Because this software is less comprehensive than other task management tools though, Todoist is best for teams or organizations with simple workflows. For more complex needs like Gantt charts or Kanban boards, we recommend checking out other project management software options.
Some features of Todoist:
- Create subtasks and recurring tasks
- Commenting on projects and tasks
- Favorites for keeping key projects, labels or filters top of mind
- Prioritization levels
- Todoist Karma awards points for completing tasks and maintaining streaks
3. ProofHub
ProofHub is a task management and team collaboration software used by teams of all sizes and industries. ProofHub allows you to have complete control over team members which helps in delegating tasks and receiving real-time progress updates when managing project activities. You can create task lists and even divide a task into smaller, more manageable subtasks with ProofHub. ProofHub’s Forms are another splendid feature that helps streamline work requests and gives users the ultimate control.
Furthermore, with the power of this Gantt chart tool in your hands, you may adjust work schedules in response to changing deadlines, highlight key paths, and track progress without jeopardizing the project.
Some features of ProofHub:
- Kanban boards to see work moving in multiple stages
- Gantt charts to visualize and plan tasks
- Custom task fields to store relevant task information
- In-built chat tool to communicate effectively
- Custom reports to see project progress
4. MeisterTask
MeisterTask is a task management software that was designed with agile teams in mind, but it can accommodate teams with many different workflows. This software was made with streamlined features that are meant to be intuitive and user friendly. In the platform, teams use customizable Kanban-style boards to organize tasks and monitor the progress of a project. One of the most appealing aspects is MeisterTask’s free basic plan, which offers limited usability (for an unlimited number of project members) for no cost.
Some features of MeisterTask:
- Varying levels of responsibility with distinction between task “assignees” and “watchers”
- Built in Time-Tracking
- Option to add custom fields to tasks
- Multiple checklists within tasks
- Attach files and images to tasks
- Task relationships and tags
5. Casual
Casual is a visual task management tool that lets you arrange your tasks however you work best. Casual is great for all types of small or growing project-based teams, not just project managers. What’s different about Casual is that they don’t show tasks in traditional project layout views, instead letting users organize tasks how they actually see them in their mind. If you have never worked with visual project management, Casual even has pre-set templates that can help you get started.
Some features of Casual:
- Visual workflow creation
- Charting
- Task dependencies and grouping
- Assigning tasks and setting deadlines
- Repeatable tasks and projects
- Milestone tracking
6. BIGContacts
BIGContacts is a robust CRM offering exceptional task management capabilities. It lets you streamline business processes by bringing all tasks and associated data to a single platform, eliminating the back and forth between platforms. This improves individual productivity and boosts the overall efficiency of tasks. BIGContacts lets you automate recurring tasks and set up reminders to never miss an important deadline.
All your team members can track their pending tasks using to-do lists and get a comprehensive view of the activity calendar to stay updated with upcoming events. Along with providing a comprehensive view of tasks, BIGContacts also offers intelligent reports, enabling you to monitor the progress and effectiveness of tasks with ease. Moreover, all these tasks can be tracked on the go with the mobile version of this tool. BIGContacts automates task management, so you can do more in less time.
Some features of BIGContacts:
- Tasks & to-do lists with prioritization
- Team and individual calendar view
- Automated reminders and alerts
- Recurring tasks
- Mobile CRM access
- Easy task assignment & tracking
7. nTask
nTask is a task management and project management tool that facilitates tracking project development, collaboration across teams, and risk assessment. The application has an intuitive and minimalistic interface, making it effortless to onboard new users. nTask is also easy-to-access being available on multiple platforms.
Some features of nTask:
- Task management
- Risk management
- Project management
- Team management
- Gantt charts
- Kanban boards
8. SmartTask
SmartTask is an all-in-one work management platform that helps solopreneurs, SMBs, and enterprises organize and manage their work from one location. Stop juggling between multiple apps for project & task management, CRM, time tracking, communication, and collaboration as you will get all of them with SmartTask.
It has typical task management features like recurring tasks, subtasks, due dates, and dependencies and lets you manage tasks with the list, board, calendar, and timeline views. You can handle multiple projects with the portfolio view and allocate resources effectively with the workload view.
Team collaboration features in SmartTask lets you group chat, audio call, video conference, and share files with anyone in the organization. SmartTask integrates with Zapier, Integromat, Slack, Jotform, Mailchimp, and many other applications. It also offers a white labeling feature that allows you to show off your branded workspace.
Some features of SmartTask:
- Manage tasks with the list, board, calendar, and timeline views
- Recurring tasks, subtasks, due dates, reminders, and dependencies
- Track time on tasks automatically and manually
- Trigger video conferences and voice calls from tasks
- Comment on tasks
- Import tasks from emails
- Productivity scoring
9. Tasklog
Tasklog is a task management tool specifically designed for freelancers and is a great task management software for small business. Created with typical freelancing functions in mind, this tool helps freelancers manage their daily tasks in one single digital dashboard.
Users can create to-do-lists, manage projects, and assign tasks to clients. Tasklog also shows overviews and data insights to help users understand where they are most productive, what they have accomplished, and how they are pacing overall.
Some features of Tasklog:
- Assign tasks to specific time entries
- Time-tracking
- Online invoicing and expenses
- Client task assignment
- Customizable Pomodoro Timer
- Reporting and insights
10. Hubspot Task Management
While HubSpot isn’t a traditional task management tool, its CRM platform has project and task management capabilities. If you’re a marketer or a salesperson and you’re looking for an integrated tool, then you might consider HubSpot CRM because of the free marketing, sales, service and, of course, task management tools that are natively integrated.
Once you want to set a task for a contact, simply choose the company, contact or deal in the HubSpot CRM. Click “Create task” and add your details and notes; set a due date; set an email reminder, task type, and task owner (all optional); and then click “Save Task.”
Once you’re ready to tackle your open tasks, you have the advantage of all of your contact information, meeting notes and deal stage in one place.
11. FunctionFox
FunctionFox is a task management tool specifically loved by creative professionals at marketing agencies, PR firms, and design teams both large and small. These teams love this software because it was created by an ad agency with very specific needs in mind.
This platform is robust enough to support creative teams with the things they need on a daily basis — including creative project management, time-tracking, and resourcing — without additional features that may clutter their workspace. There are various pricing plans, affordably starting at $5 per month per user.
Some features of FunctionFox:
- Multiple layouts including Gantt/timeline, task boards, and list views
- Time-tracking
- Budgeting
- Client collaboration
- Reporting and analytics
More Great Tools To Manage Your Tasks
12. Chanty
Chanty is a team collaboration tool used for task management and communication between teams of all sizes. It helps you align all your work-related tasks in one place with multiple integrations. Chanty allows you to stay up to date, streamline repetitive activities, and increase productivity without leaving the platform. With over 75,000 companies using Chanty, it is a perfect choice for your team to complete tasks on time, stay connected and be your most productive self.
Some features of Chanty:
- Be organized with a teambook
- Kanban board
- Turn messages into tasks
- Create, assign and set due-dates to tasks
- Audio and video calls
- Voice messages
- Thread discussions
13. Paymo
Paymo is a comprehensive tool that is especially useful for teams who want to manage tasks, estimate costs, and bill clients all in the same platform. Once you’ve planned out your project and corresponding tasks, simply convert it into an estimate with pre-filled tasks, hourly budgets, and costs. After you send it to your client for approval, you can quickly turn it into an invoice right in the app.
Paymo also lets you turn timesheet data into an invoice for clients, so you can stay up to date with payments as the project progresses. Oh and if you’re a freelancer, you can use Paymo for free.
Some features of Paymo:
- Task prioritization levels
- Ability to attach files to any task
- Kanban and Gantt project views
- Invoicing, estimates, and expense management
- Mobile app for both Android and iOS
14. ProProfs Project
ProProfs Project is an easy-to-use tool that lets you manage and prioritize tasks in a centralized space. Maximize productivity with its quick interface and seamless collaborative capability. You can extract deep insights into project status and identify gaps. You can even view your task status on its interactive Gantt charts and track task progress from start to finish. Meet your deadlines faster with task customization and time tracking.
Some features of ProProfs Project:
- Assign and manage tasks on a centralized dashboard
- Measure task progress effortlessly
- Set task status as open, on-hold, or complete
- Prioritize tasks with simple drag and drop functionality
- Give feedback on each task and subtask
- See team performance with smart reports
15. Timecamp
If you need a reliable app for daily automatic work tracking, TimeCamp will be a perfect choice. Using this app, you can add as many projects, tasks, and subtasks as you wish to create an easily manageable work structure. What’s more, you’ll get an even more transparent project organization if you add tags.
But what’s TimeCamp is the most known of is automatic time tracking. Whether you use a web timer, a desktop or mobile app, or a browser plugin, the tool logs working hours and (if you want it to!) collects the computer activities, so you don’t have to waste time filling timesheets manually.
Some features of TimeCamp:
- Automatic time and activity tracking
- Daily and weekly timesheets
- Wide range of built-in and custom reports
- Billable/non-billable hours
- Attendance management
- 30+ direct integrations with tools like Trello, Asana, Jira, Opensearch, Monday & more
16. Any.do
Any.do is a simple yet complete task management solution if you are looking for a tool that gives you a quick overview of the tasks on your plate. The software offers an intuitive calendar, helping you to easily see how events and tasks fit together. Any.do allows you to organize tasks and filter your workflow by date or category. The app is available for iOs and Android.
Some features of Any.do:
- Calendar
- Time tracking add-ons
- To-do list reminders
- Daily planner to organize and prioritize to-dos
- Color-coded tasks
- Advanced customized recurring tasks
17. WebWork Tracker
In addition to facilitating task management, WebWork Time Tracker is an awesome time tracking and employee monitoring software suitable for big and small companies. Companies use the tool to increase their profitability, offering the most accurate reports and time tracking. Its features allow users to easily count time spent on every single project, website, or other platforms.
The tool is of significant importance for freelancers and companies that hire remote employees. It is the most straightforward but truthful way to calculate working time and consider work productivity. Time tracking is not the only advantage of the tool — a variety of screenshot monitoring modes allow the software access to an employee’s screen, collecting and presenting valuable data.
Some features of WebWork Tracker:
- Time Tracking with screenshots
- Attendance Monitoring
- Apps/website usage monitoring
- Activity Level/ Productivity Monitoring
- Task Management
- Team Chat
18. Nifty
Milestones in Nifty are a unique way to track the progress of any initiative, big or small. Tasks are attributed to Milestones that display phases of a project, indicating deliverables or sprints, and highlight the progress of a project as tasks are completed. Nifty is fantastic for anyone who wants to see the “big picture” context of whatever they’re working on.
Some features of Nifty:
- Discussions for focused collaboration
- Use Gantt Charts to visualize project milestones
- Tasks to facilitate detailed organizing, prioritizing and managing
- Docs & Files in an organized hub for each project
- Time Tracking for efficiency and smart decision making
- Reporting with overviews across all projects
19. Trello
Trello is a project management software that utilizes Kanban boards, lists and cards as its key ingredients to give you a flexible overview of projects and tasks. Trello is an intuitive tool, its no-code automation features help you optimize the time spent on repetitive tasks.
Additionally, Trello allows you to invite new members to collaborate in your workspace, track tasks, and use color-coded labels for organization. And it integrates with many popular apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams, so there’s no need to stop using software you already love. Trello has a free version, and its paid plans start at $5 per user/month.
Some features of Trello:
- See your work from multiple angles: Kanban board, timeline, table, calendar, and more
- Automate repetitive tasks and enhance workflow
- Integrate with over a hundred of your favorite tools
- Dozens of premade templates
👉 Check out our guide to the top Trello alternatives to learn about more similar tools on the market.
20. Airtable
Airtable is a task management tool that lets you keep track of completed tasks in a separate view. The solution’s interactive interface helps you to manage your work routine while collaborating with your team. You can view your projects in different views, such as Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and calendar views. Plus, Airtable has several integrations and templates that offer a to-do list or task management structure ready to use. Airtable has a free plan with limited functionalities and a paid plan starting at $10/month.
Some features of Airtable:
- Interface customizable designer
- Different views: Kanban, calendar, Gantt chart and list
- Automations and integrations
- Sync data across teams and tables
- Comprehensive reports
👉 Unsure if Airtable is the best task management tool for your team? See how Airtable compares to others in the same category.
21. ClickUp
ClickUp is a task management software for small business, task management tool with a highly efficient dashboard view and collaboration features. The platform’s free version offers tools that you only get in the paid plans of several other softwares, such as goals, embedded emails, conditional automation, task checklists, custom task statuses, sprints, and 24/7 support. ClickUp also offers native email, several templates and free integrations.
Some features of ClickUp:
- Workload view
- Team chat
- Smart Notification
- Custom roles
- Dynamic Recurring Tasks
- Assigned Comments
- Docs & Notepad
- Customizable Board View
👉 To compare with other tools, check out these top Clickup alternatives on the market.
22. Wrike
Wrike is a project management application with robust features and flexibility to manage tasks, projects, and team collaboration. With Wrike, you can create and assign tasks, set due dates, and track progress, ensuring everyone stays aligned and productive.
One thing I really like about Wrike is its flexibility in adapting to various project management methodologies, including Agile and Kanban. It allows you to customize workflows, create task dependencies, and set up automation rules to streamline your processes. Wrike also provides real-time collaboration features, such as commenting, file sharing, and task discussions, which is great for keeping communication centralized and transparent.
Some features of Wrike:
- Customizable workflows and task dependencies
- Real-time collaboration and commenting
- Project timeline and Gantt chart views
- Automation rules for process optimization
23. Asana
Asana stands out as a task management tool with its unique balance of flexibility and structure. It has a customizable and easy-to-use interface that lets you create a personalized work view and tailor it to your specific needs. It features a “My Tasks” list, which auto-promotes tasks based on due dates, helping you prioritize and focus on what needs to be done now, and the sections and columns layout support Kanban, list, or matrix-style workflows.
There’s search and filtering functions, allowing you to locate any task, comment, or file, and reduce time spent navigating through projects. Asana also has a “Focus Mode” that encourages deep work by minimizing distractions, enabling you to work faster and more efficiently.
Some features of Asana:
- 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
24. Monday.com
Monday.com is a good task management software designed for workflow organization and project planning. Its visual dashboards make it easy to comprehend your projects’ statuses and progress at a glance, and it allows you to use customizable templates that match your workflow. It also offers automations that take care of routine tasks, letting you focus on strategic matters.
Monday.com also offers extensive integrations with popular tools such as Slack, Google Drive, and Mailchimp.
Monday.com features:
- Customizable templates
- Visual dashboards
- Automate repetitive tasks
- Extensive integrations with many popular third-party apps and tools
- Timeline and Gantt views
- Collaborative workspaces and team communication within the platform
👉 Check out some alternatives to Monday.com and compare them to find the best task management platform for your company.
25. Quire
Quire is a task management tool with robust features and a free plan. Nest your list of tasks or view your project in Kanban board view, with the flexibility of Quire you can also add folders, sections and permission control to your projects and tasks. Quire is available for iOs and Android mobile apps and offers integration to third-party applications, such as Google Drive, Slack, and Zapier. Customization is another plus of Quire, you can personalize your workspace, change the theme, add widgets, and create custom templates even on its free plan.
Quire’s features:
- Kanban board, Gantt chart
- Task management
- Document management
- Communication tools
- Discussion boards
- Smart folders
- Integrations
Do you have another task management tool that would be a great addition to this list? Let us know in the comments, and check back for updates as we explore more tools and options.
