base camp calls itself “the all-in-one toolkit for working remotely.” And, while it can come in handy for development teams working at a distance, our list of Basecamp alternatives will show that it is not the only project management software of its kind.
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What is Basecamp?
Basecamp is project management software that launched in 1999. The software specializes in helping software development teams work remotely via its collaborative features like message boards, group chat, file sharing, to-do lists, scheduling, automatic check-ins, and more that can also boost productivity and efficiency.
Why Choose a Basecamp Alternative?
Although Basecamp is one of the top project management tools on the market, it does come with flaws that could make project managers seek an alternative. But before we discuss those flaws, let us look at Basecamp’s strengths.
Project managers get a ton of toys to work with in Basecamp. It offers task reporting, centralized file and document sharing, automatic check-ins, robust messaging, universal search, to-do lists, task management features, and more. And, as a bonus, Basecamp also offers a portal for outsiders like stakeholders to collaborate with development teams, view task progress, and so forth.
Where does Basecamp fall short? For starters, the software was designed for the waterfall software development methodologywhich some agile teams may find outdated. It is also quite costly at $99 per month for the Business plan. That alone may cause teams to seek a more budget-friendly alternative. Add in a lack of out-of-the-box time tracking, and you now have multiple reasons to at least consider Basecamp alternatives.
What should you look for in a Basecamp alternative? Things like a user-friendly design, Gantt chartsboard and list views, to-do lists, time tracking, a handy search feature, team management, and a reliable mobile app for both Android and iOS.
If you are still interested in learning more about Basecamp and if it is the right project management solution for your development team, check out our Basecamp Project Management Software Review.
What are some alternatives to Basecamp?
Here is a list of some of the top Basecamp alternatives that could fulfill your team’s needs as a project management software solution.
Monday.com
Like Basecamp, Monday.com helps teams boost productivity, stay organized, and collaborate no matter where they are. Unlike Basecamp, Monday.com offers robust reporting, workload tracking, budget tracking, and many more built-in features that the former can only provide via third-party integrations.
Need more reasons to choose Monday.com as your Basecamp alternative? Teams looking to visualize projects in many ways will enjoy its multiple views that exceed Basecamp’s offerings. And, while Basecamp has a $99 monthly flat fee for its Business plan, Monday.com is more flexible with these multiple pricing plans:
- Individual plan – For individuals looking to stay organized. Zero cost.
- Basic plan – $8 per user per month. Built for managing team projects.
- Standard plan – $10 per user per month for teams seeking more collaborative features.
- Pro plan – $16 per user per month for teams that need to manage complex workflows.
- Enterprise plan – For large organizations needing enterprise-grade features. Contact Monday.com for a quote.
You can learn more about Monday.com by reading our review: Monday.com Project Management Tool Review.
Trello
It may not be the most powerful PM software on this list, but Trello is popular among smaller developer teams because it is easy to use, simple, functional, and free for most users. If you want to use Kanban boards to stay organized and collaborate, Trello may be the right Basecamp alternative for you.
Trello’s interface takes little time to get used to, as it lets you manage tasks via drag-and-drop functionality. You can make use of labels, tags, and categories, create checklists and track progress, plus attach and share files.
The most significant benefit of Trello is that its free version has all the basics you need to get started and streamline your tasks. And its activity log offers notifications to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
The drawbacks of Trello begin with its simplicity, which could be ideal for some, but may not be enough for others seeking a more robust set of project management features. Project tracking is limited, and there are no task dependencies. And, if you want to add bells and whistles to extend Trello’s functionality via integrations, you will need to use Power-Ups, many of which are not free.
Trello’s pricing is as follows:
- Free plan – For individuals and teams looking to get and stay organized.
- Standard plan – For work management and collaboration. Billed at $5 per user per month.
- Premium plan – For expanded visualization and tracking multiple projects. Billed at $10 per user per month.
- Enterprise – For organizations in need of top-notch collaboration and security. Billed at $17.50 per user per month.
If you want to learn more about Trello and whether or not it is the right PM tool for your development team, check out our article: Trello Review: Features, Pros, and Pricing.
team work
If you need project management software for your enterprise-level company, give team work a try It offers excellent security, plenty of integrations, and many project management features like Gantt charts, smart search, goal and milestone tracking, built-in time tracking, and more.
Teamwork’s strengths include Zapier integration, Android and iOS apps that give you every desktop feature on the go, and a robust free plan with 100MB of storage.
The software falls short in terms of templates, as project managers and developers will not find too many designs here to get started quickly. Teamwork’s performance gets sluggish when loading projects filled with many tasks. And, while its lengthy list of features is impressive, Teamwork may overwhelm beginners with that wide selection and its design that is not 100 percent user-friendly.
Teamwork’s pricing is as follows:
- Free Forever plan – No cost for up to five users per plan.
- Deliver plan – Project management basics for $10 per user per month.
- Grow plan – The most popular offering for managing complex projects is priced at $18 per user per month.
- Scale plan – Unlimited financial budgets, profitability reports, etc. Contact teamwork to get a quote.
You can learn more about Teamwork by reading our sister site’s review: Teamwork Pricing and Reviews.
wrike
Large development teams may turn to wrike as a Basecamp alternative for their project management needs. The collaboration tool offers @mentions to boost team communication, time tracking, resource tracking, and dashboards you can customize to your needs.
Wrike’s strengths are its multiple integrations, user-friendly interface, and strong mobile app. Its weaknesses are a lack of an in-house chat feature, plus the absence of a tool to take notes. And while the Free plan can help you get started, its features are so basic that you will need to whip out your credit card to truly get any work done.
Wrike’s pricing is as follows:
- Free plan – For beginners.
- Professional plan – $9.80 per user per month for fast-growing teams.
- Business plan – The most popular customizable offering is priced at $24.80 per user per month.
- Enterprise – For larger teams seeking enterprise-grade security and scalability. Contact Wrike for a quote.
- Pinnacle – For teams with complex needs. Contact Wrike for pricing.
You can learn more about Wrike by reading our review: Wrike Project Management Software Review.
asana
asana is a Basecamp alternative ideal for smaller teams. The project management software offers collaboration, simplicity, and an eye-catching interface, along with features like a board view for agile teams, a calendar view for a quick glance at your schedules, project permissions to invite guests, and custom fields that make categorization a cinch.
Besides its simplicity and user-friendly interface, Asana’s strengths are its collaborative features like real-time chat and an activity feed, the option for multiple workspaces, and the ability to add attachments to tasks.
Asana’s weaknesses are that it lacks document editing and native time tracking and does not allow you to convert comments into tasks.
Asana’s pricing is as follows:
- Basic plan – A free offering for teams or individuals new to project management software.
- Premium plan – $10.99 per user per month. Built for teams looking to track projects and create plans.
- Business plan – For teams and companies who want to unlock all of Asana’s features for managing work. Priced at $24.99 per user per month.
- Enterprise plan – For large organizations seeking the ultimate level of support, control, and security. Contact Asana for a quote.
Check out our Asana Project Management Software Review to learn more.
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