What is the best project management app for a freelancer?

Question

Joost Moerenburg · Accepted Answer

Everybody is different and needs a different view. Process is simple. Start with a list of ideas, then add it to a trellol like board. Most of my clients like excel tables more.. Possible with one click! Then drag'n'drop your todo list to a calendar for a simple planning. Finally show it all in a mind map. Every task has custom fields, and you can add all kinds of additional information (e.g. Documents, Priority, Price)

Eva Reder · Answer

AND CO is by far the best accounting / invoicing / payment software for freelancers out there! 
As a freelancer, tracking time, accounting & tracking expenses are the last thing you want to do. Through a combination of smart tech and experienced experts, AND CO takes care of your admin work: proposals, contracts, invoicing, task-management, accounting, time-tracking, and payments.

AND CO is 100% free, without ads or hidden subscription fees.

How is that possible? The company recently got acquired by Fiverr and can now offer all its services free of charge.

Andrei Țiț · Answer

The dream of every freelancer: task management, Kanban boards, AND time tracking bundled up together in a modern interface. This translates into less time spent on switching between several apps and a smooth workflow, due to better better integrations between modules and consistency among features.

The best part? It's completly free if you're a freelancer or solopreneur.

Pedro Ferreira Ramos · Answer

Workstreams is worth checking out!
Very well suited for freelancers that work for companies using Slack. You can setup a Kanban Board for every project you're working on & list your tasks there. Super handy for freelancers that need to update clients frequently. workstreams does it by default! and saves your time. The client can easily follow progress on a given project using Workstreams' goals.
https://medium.com/workstreams-ai/inspire-your-team-with-goals-47af32a9c898

Sameer Sontakey · Answer

Asana is my favorite tasks management tool. Their free tier is awesome and you probably won't even need to upgrade tbh.

Quoc Huy Tran · Answer

If you need a basic tool (well actually not basic but you will see it as a basic tool because of the User Interface), Trello is a good start. I've been using Trello since 2013. You're talking about Freelancing so I think the most important thing here are:

1. You might have more contracts. So create one board for one contract. 
2. In each board, create a column for General Information such as: Contract, Document, Requirements, Invoice, Receipt. 
3. The 2nd column might be Deals from Customers. Here you can refine the requirements and what to do for them. 
4. The 3rd column is To Do. Clearly, you put your tasks here. Each main task is a Trello Card. Sub-tasks are your Checklist Items. 
5. The 4th is In Progress column. Drag your Cards from To Do column to this column to know your current status. 
6. Last one will be Done column. I don't need to explain more in this column.

During the work you need to use Trello Labels to high light your important stuff. You can search your works easily by filtering these labels during the time.

Hope this can help. And good luck with your freelancing career!

Katya Sklyarova · Answer

My recommendation is TMetric + Redmine, these apps can provide you with all the necessary functions for project management and time tracking.

Phil P R Turtle · Answer

Complete freelance and small group business solution. Project Management, integration with communications platforms. Well worth a try.

Gary Spagnoli · Answer

The templated projects are key for us here. We have templates for each type of service we offer - so if you're a Web Design freelancer, you can create templates for eCommerce, Lead Generation, Marketing Sites, whatever it may - and it makes the kick off process for a client and you much easier. Freelancing grew into a digital agency largely because of effectively using tools like Basecamp.

Answer

Price is right for the individual user.

Al Tsang · Answer

Flexible with multiple different views including KanBan, Calendar and you can even create a view for someone so they have the exact info they need.

David Tiong · Answer

Try out Azendoo, been using it for a while now and is great for scheduling and tracking tasks, with direct messaging and activity messaging for other team members or clients - great for inviting clients as guests.

Humberto Santos · Answer

Use it for years now, great product with great features, truly customisable for any needs.

Édgar Leonardo Medina Silva · Answer

If you want to have a Project Management Platform that integrates Google Apps in one place, this is the best choice available.

Andrea Rapuzzi · Answer

Simple, multipurpose and reliable

Jonathan Gilde · Answer

I enjoy using Asana as well as Trello. Asana is great to see the big picture campaigns, when things are happening, and organize everything you have going on. Trello can certainly do that too, but I like to use it for more specific tasks since it can get crowded VERY quickly.

John Salzarulo · Answer

Way faster and easier to use than Trello - Also the feature of being able to schedule something for the future and have it show up is amazing. Otherwise my task list has like a million things on it. A daily priority is huge for me. Also  - I can use all of it without ever leaving the keyboard. Such nice keyboard shortcuts. It's super fast once you get set up.

Raphael Costa · Answer

Most powerful project management app! It's easy and free!

Vinh Pham · Answer

If you're a visual person, then you'll like Trello's card system. Customizable and easy to use drag and drop system. You can invite other people and assign tasks as needed.

Ramon · Answer

Beautiful UI, Reliable, comprehensive features and powerful automation. Editor's choice by Pcmag

Maciej Rodzoś · Answer

New product, give it a try guys. :)

Leo Bassam · Answer

Plutio is designed specifically for freelancers.

With Plutio you can manage your entire freelance business, not only your projects!

Plutio brings your projects, tasks, clients, files, conversations and even invoices into one place.

Evan Schoepke · Answer

I use Bonsai to manage all my freelance projects and tasks and love the simple and clean UI.

Aaron Green · Answer

Try Streamtime, we are about to release a free plan too ...

Pavel Kukhnavets · Answer

Have you tried Hygger.io? 
I'd say this is one of the most friendly and helpful tools I've ever tried. And I am sure, the platform is rather appropriate for freelancers' needs. There you'll find the most demand options and features project managers need - Kanban boards with Swimlanes and WIP limits, time tracking option, timesheet report, a backlog priority chart, easy-managed roadmap and many more.

Answer

Super intuitive - try the most intuitive actions and they will work exactly as you expect
Works really fast - smooth experience and you never have to worry about unsaved data getting lost. It's saved already!
Flexible design - use it however you want. You will figure it out yourself very soon.

Zaid Dabus · Answer

I've used a few PM tools over the last four years and my favorite is hands down Basecamp 3! It has card and list views so its convenient for those who aren't the most visual people. I prefer it over Trello solely based on aesthetics - I love the way Basecamp looks and feels on desktop and iphone. I prefer it to Asana because I feel like Asana can get overwhelming when you have more than five people on a given project at a single time. I often get lost in endless notifications and movements on Asana.

One caveat I will point out is that Basecamp 3 sometimes feel like less of a "project management" app and more of a central hub for your team to see what they need to work on and communicate. Asana and Trello are much more collaborative than Basecamp is.

Ayush Mittal · Answer

Freedcamp for project/task management. Entirely free, unlimited projects for an unlimited time.

Categorisation is super useful and the dashboard home gives you an important overview of each subproject within the main project plus the people working on a particular project. Every subproject can have a task list, milestones, discussions, timesheets, files, calendar, etc.

Answer

Be a part of this new sharing economy. Join the website early to be the first build your reputation and receive all of the freelancing! Or, join to find freelancers.

Michiel Destoop · Answer

If you want to manage marketing projects, you definitely have to try Husky Marketing Planner. Each project has related tasks, campaigns, budget, results and notes. Set up a marketing plan for each customer and invite customers and other partners on plan or project level.

Sahil Parikh · Answer

Good for a team as well a freelancer.

Chocopunk · Answer

Like trello with horizontal layout. 
If you're a freelancer and work on a few project/clients at a time, I find it easier to put one project/client on each line and have an overview of your whole tasks on the dashboard without having to click away to check on a specific project.

Daniel Lobo · Answer

You can give winio a try. It's crazy simple to start working on it. You have projects and inside of it attachments, tasks, and discussions. It doesn't have a ton of features that you won't use anyway. It just does its thing.

Metanerd · Answer

Some say they find it a bit overpowered, but the functions you don't need you can simply ignore. Sadly it's macOS/iOS only but it made my live so much easier. This is just my personal opinion, but I think I now used all of the productivity apps since I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to this stuff.

It's for you if:

- you want to have a lot of functions covered in one app
- you want full control of all aspects in complex planning/todo/lists/reminders
- you don't mind spending some more money at once without monthly costs
- you are in the Apple ecosystem
- you love the GTD system

It's (probably) not for you if:

- you are a very visual person
- you don't want to spend some time learning how to use the app
- if you don't use Apple devices or want to have access via web

I'm a freelancer/web designer and I love being able to just copy/duplicate a certain list of tasks and save it as a template for later use. For example for actions that are always the same (setting up hosting, moving files to ftp, etc.)

What I love about the app:

- location based reminders (iOS)
- fast and reliably syncing between devices
- review system for tasks and projects
- scripting with Hazel/Apple scripts

What I miss/don't like:

- a web-based platform
- a Windows/Android based app for my other computers/Chromebook
- a visual upgrade
- the price. But then again, you pay it one time and don't have monthly fees

Additionally for very advanced project planning check out the other app from Omnigroup:

www.omnigroup.com/omniplan

John Ababseh · Answer

Besides the above picks, Pivotal Tracker is a good tool for agile PM, and the free version is all thats necessary. I like the functionality of assigning points to tasks based on the urgency and the length of the projects. Also, the icebox function is great for longer term tasks or things on hold.

Nandini Sharma · Answer

ProofHub is a highly beneficial tool that brings all the useful project management tools along with a native proofing tool. The proofing tool makes life easy for freelancers as it cuts the tedious task of reviewing and approval of designs easier than ever. Plus, there is an in built timer in the app as well, which you can use to track time spent on design works and bill the clients in the easiest possible manner.

Andrea Barghigiani · Answer

I understand that for most people the Trello's boards are easier to start, but now that Asana has both you do not have any excuse to not work with it!

Angela Tempest · Answer

I use Asana to schedule my daily work I can create a project for each customer and easily keep track of work to do for each day to see if I have capacity for anything extra if anyone asks.  I also use Trello for my own blogs for an editorial calendar and to keep track of jobs to do, information such as social media links and to plan ahead.

David Miller · Answer

My favorite app is ProProfs Project. Whether it’s about having a clutter-free view of all open projects or track timelines; I can do everything on-the-go with a lightweight mobile app.

The best part, it silently runs in the background and notifies me instantly whenever our clients assign new projects, add comments or change the status of individual projects. It’s working awesome for me as I don’t have to worry about missed notifications at all. Kudos to the entire team for designing such a delightful offering!

Filipa Nascimento · Answer

Hi! I recommend outplanr.com. It's a great project management app, where you can track in real-time your tasks, and add recurring tasks, and has a calendar board where you can plan you day and/or week. Also, you can add users with different permissions, like clients or part-time coworkers. Give it a try!

Hannah Balkins · Answer

Incorporating Taskworld project management in my methodology has turned to be an efficient way to organize my workflow. 
Taskworld will definitely help you to manage your schedule, finish work on time, measure performance and accomplish great results.

You’ll surely appreciate :

++ : the ease to create tasks, assign them and set due dates

++	: the colored labels and tags add clarity

++	: the built-in enterprise messaging system

++	: the @mentions to get someone’s attention

++	: the time tracking (use it to track how many hours were spent on tasks by each of you freelancers for example, in order to pay them by hour)

++	: the calendar view

++ : available on all devices : computers, smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android platforms)

++	: the performance chart included

++ : the price and the 15 days free trial

++	: it’s getting popular as it’s now used by AccorHotels

Ari Rule · Answer

I love this tool for project management. It syncs with your Google Calendar, you can create projects, tasks, and drop them into the calendar as you go to make sure you're not forgetting anything. I love it!

Valentin Bayard · Answer

As a young freelancer, I have started using Trello to organize my projects. I'm very fond of having only one board for everything. One card is one invoice. Each client has a label.
My columns go from Potential projects to Signed, Underway, Billed etc. I add a new column every month where I put the cards that I billed on that month.
I also use the Custom Field powerup to display the amount invoiced or billed for each project.

Josh Littlewood · Answer

You should check out Kite!

Thalassa van Beek · Answer

I only started becoming efficient as a freelancer after I started using Trello. I use it to communicate and align with clients on their seperate boards, I use it as a to-do list on a private board and I align with other freelancers I outsource to. I think it offers less options than Asana, but for me that makes it easier and more intuitive.

Yiğit Koçak · Answer

Highly recommended for users who prefer the GTD methodology.

- Create and assign tasks with Hitask's intuitive drag & drop UI.
- Store documents and files by attaching it to tasks.
- Set up deadlines for time-sensitive projects.
- Collaborate via in-app chat for specific tasks.
- Keep track of everything, anywhere with any device.
- Move beyond with 3rd party integrations like Google and Outlook Calendar.