- Best overall: monday
- Best for virtual collaboration: Confluence
- Best for simple projects: Asana
- Best for customization: ClickUp
- Best for agile project management: Jira
- Best for beginners: Trello
- Best for agencies: Wrike
- Best for managing client relationships: Teamwork
- Best for spreadsheet users: Airtable
- Best for centralized project management: Basecamp
Project management software has become an essential tool for marketing teams, as it helps to streamline workflows, improve communication, and enhance collaboration.
With so many options available, it can be challenging to decide which project management software best suits your team’s needs. In this article, we will compare the top project management software for marketing teams.
What is marketing project management software?
Marketing project management software is designed to help marketing teams plan, execute, and manage their campaigns, projects, and day-to-day operations. It provides a centralized platform where teams can manage tasks, collaborate, allocate resources, set deadlines, and track progress from the planning phase to completion.
I evaluated the best project management software for marketing, based on which tools can help ensure marketing initiatives are executed on time, within budget, and with maximum impact. The result is this list of the top ten marketing project management software based on my research.
Top marketing project management software comparison
This table provides a quick comparison of how the top software compares in terms of the core project management features needed for marketing.
| Free forever plan | Starting price (per user per month) | Native time tracking | Storage | Customizable workflows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| monday.com | Yes | $12 | Yes (limited) | 500 MB to 1000 GB | Highly customizable |
| Confluence | Yes | $6.05 | No | 2 GB to unlimited | Limited |
| Asana | Yes | $13.49 | Yes (limited) | Unlimited | Yes |
| ClickUp | Yes | $10 | Yes | 100 MB to unlimited | Highly customizable |
| Jira | Yes | $8.15 | Yes (limited) | 2 GB to unlimited | Highly customizable |
| Trello | Yes | $6 | No | Unlimited | Yes (Limited) |
| Wrike | Yes | $9.80 (billed annually) | Yes (limited) | 2 GB per account to 15 GB per user | Yes |
| Teamwork | Yes | $13.99 | Yes | 100 GB to 500 GB+ | Yes |
| Airtable | Yes | $24 | Yes | 1 GB TO 1000 GB | Yes |
| Basecamp | No for business, Yes (Teachers and Students) | $15 | No | 500 GB to 5 TB | Yes (Limited) |
monday: Best overall
monday.com is perfect for marketing teams that value a visually intuitive and user-friendly interface. This marketing project management software allows teams to monitor projects at a glance, enhancing collaboration and simplifying task management. It’s a multifaceted tool that can be customized to meet the unique needs of marketing projects.
Pricing
- Individual: Free forever for up to two seats.
- Basic: $9 per seat per month, billed annually, or $12 per seat, billed monthly.
- Standard: $12 per seat per month, billed annually, or $14 per seat, billed monthly.
- Pro: $19 per seat per month, billed annually, or $24 per seat, billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Contact monday work management sales for pricing information.
Standout features
- An intuitive visual drag-and-drop interface simplifies the creation and management of marketing projects.
- Pre-built templates help teams enjoy a variety of marketing-specific templates.
- Custom automations to help users streamline marketing processes and save time.
- Data visualization, such as multiple chart types, to visually represent marketing data and track progress.
- Collaboration via real-time communication, file sharing, and document collaboration tools within the platform.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Highly visual and customizable interface. | Can be expensive for larger teams. |
| Wide range of templates and automations. | Limited reporting features compared to competitors. |
| Suitable for both simple and complex projects. |
Why I chose monday
monday.com’s advanced features and user-friendly interface are a great fit for marketing teams. Its customizable board views and automation capabilities help marketing teams visualize their tasks, deadlines, and progress, ensuring that all projects stay on track. The tool provides various templates specifically designed for marketing projects, such as campaign planning, content creation, and social media management. These templates streamline the planning process and accelerate project execution, saving time and effort for marketing professionals.
For more information, check out this full monday.com review.
Confluence: Best for virtual collaboration
Confluence is ideal for marketing teams looking to centralize their knowledge base and documentation. As a project management software for marketing, Confluence serves as a powerful collaboration platform, ensuring teams and agencies can easily access and share project-related information, best practices, and guidelines. This organized knowledge repository helps marketing professionals stay aligned and make informed decisions.
Pricing
- Free: $0 for 10 users for the monthly subscription only.
- Standard: $6.05 per user per month, billed monthly. $600 per year for one to 10 users.
- Premium: $11.55 per user per month, billed monthly. $1,150 per year for one to 10 users.
- Enterprise: Only billed annually. Available for teams with more than 800 users. Contact Confluence sales for pricing information.
Standout features
- Confluence serves as a centralized hub for marketing documentation, project plans, and meeting notes, promoting collaboration and information sharing through knowledge management.
- Version control features let you maintain a history of changes to documents, allowing users to easily track and compare previous versions.
- Dynamic content enables support for multimedia content such as images, videos, and GIFs, making it easy to create engaging marketing documentation.
- Templates, including marketing-specific templates, to quickly create and organize content.
- Seamless integration with Jira, enabling marketing teams to manage tasks and track project progress within the same platform.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent for documentation and knowledge management. | Not a stand-alone project management tool, best used in conjunction with Jira. |
| Easy to organize content with nested pages and spaces. | Limited functionality for task management and resource allocation. |
| Rich text editor and collaboration features. | |
| Supports version control for tracking changes. |
Why I chose Confluence
Confluence’s collaboration features and integration capabilities make it an excellent project management tool for marketing teams. It provides a centralized platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing, allowing marketing teams to create, edit, and organize content in one place.
For more information, check out this full Confluence review.
Asana: Best for simple projects
Asana is an excellent marketing project management software option for teams that require an intuitive and easy-to-use platform. It offers a clear visual overview of tasks and timelines, promoting transparency and accountability. By centralizing all project information in one place, Asana ensures everyone is on the same page and can easily track progress, deadlines, and responsibilities.
Pricing
- Personal: $0; remains free forever.
- Starter: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $13.49 per user, billed monthly.
- Advanced: $24.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $30.49 per user, billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Custom quote.
- Enterprise+: Custom quote.
Standout features
- Intuitive visual interface simplifies task management and collaboration for marketing teams.
- Customizable workflows, so teams can create custom processes and templates tailored to specific marketing campaigns and projects.
- Timeline view to offer a visual timeline for planning, tracking, and managing marketing projects with deadlines and dependencies.
- Reporting and analytics to provide insights into team performance and project progress to ensure marketing goals are met.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent task management and organizational capability. | Not ideal for complex projects with multiple dependencies. |
| Customizable dashboards and flexible project views. | Lacks advanced resource management tools. |
| Easy to use, even for beginners. |
Why I chose Asana
Asana’s straightforward interface and powerful features make it an attractive choice for marketing professionals looking to optimize project management. Its reporting and analytics tools make it easy for marketers to track project progress and identify improvement areas. This data-driven approach can help marketing teams make more informed decisions and optimize their workflows.
For more information, check out the full Asana review.
ClickUp: Best for customization
ClickUp is a versatile marketing project management software tool that appeals to marketing teams seeking comprehensive and customizable project management capabilities. With its extensive feature set and integration capabilities, ClickUp enables marketing professionals to streamline their processes, improve communication, and stay on top of tasks. This all-in-one solution is well-suited to a variety of marketing needs, enhancing efficiency and collaboration.
Pricing
- Free Forever: Free forever for personal use, allowing an unlimited number of users.
- Unlimited: $7 per user per month, billed annually, or $10 per user, billed monthly.
- Business: $12 per user per month, billed annually, or $19 per user, billed monthly.
- AI Add-On: $7 per user per month.
- Enterprise: Contact ClickUp sales for pricing information.
Standout features
- Multiple views to enable users to switch between list, board, and calendar views, suiting different marketing team preferences.
- Custom field creation for tasks, enabling users to track specific information related to marketing projects.
- Customizable automation features to simplify marketing processes, reduce manual work, and increase efficiency.
- Goal and milestone features to help teams stay on track and achieve objectives.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Affordable pricing plans, including a free version with unlimited users. | Steep learning curve for some advanced features. |
| Strong integration options with other tools. | High customizability may inadvertently introduce complexity to the tool. |
| Time tracking feature available across all plans. |
Why I chose ClickUp
ClickUp’s versatility makes it a project management software that is well adapted for marketers in terms of managing their projects and tasks. It allows marketing professionals to create custom workflows, task templates, and automation, so they can tailor the tool to their specific needs.
For more information, check out this full ClickUp review.
Jira: Best for agile project management
As a marketing project management software tool, Jira is an excellent choice for marketing teams seeking flexibility. Its agile methodology support and customizable features enable seamless collaboration, streamlining workflows, and fostering communication. Marketing teams and agencies can easily track progress and optimize resources, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
SEE: Learn how to get started using Jira for project management
Pricing
- Free: $0 for 10 users for the monthly subscription only.
- Standard: $8.15 per user per month, billed monthly. $850 per year for one to 10 users.
- Premium: $16 per user per month, billed monthly. $1,600 per year for one to 10 users.
- Enterprise: Only billed annually. Available for teams with more than 800 users. Contact Jira sales for pricing information.
Standout features
- Agile project management makes Jira suitable for marketing teams that use scrum or kanban.
- Customizable workflows for teams to manage campaigns and projects.
- Advanced reporting features to help teams analyze project progress and performance.
- Scalability makes Jira effective for small and large marketing teams alike, with the ability to expand as needed.
- Ticketing management system ideal for software development teams.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Scalable for both small and large teams. | Jira might be more difficult to learn and adopt compared to other tools on this list. |
| Strong integration with other Atlassian products. | Jira’s extensive features and customization options can be overwhelming, particularly for non-technical users. |
| Advanced reporting and analytics capabilities. | |
| Designed for agile development, making Jira suitable for marketing teams using agile methodologies. |
Why I chose Jira
Jira is commonly used by software development teams, but it can also be adapted for other types of projects and teams. Agile marketing teams with technical users or client base may find Jira’s flexibility to be quite useful for managing their tasks and projects.
For more information, check out this full Jira review.
Trello: Best for beginners
Trello is a versatile project management software suitable for different use cases, including marketing project management. The simple and intuitive kanban-based interface allows users of all technical levels to get started quickly. Users can easily create, assign, and track tasks. In addition, Trello offers customization tools to tailor the software to your specific marketing project management needs.
Pricing
- Free: Up to 10 boards per workspace.
- Standard: $5 per user per month, billed annually, or $6 per user per month, billed monthly.
- Premium: $10 per user per month, billed annually, or $12.50 per user per month, billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Range from $7.38 to $17.50 per user per month when billed annually.
Standout features
- Kanban board-based interface for efficient collaboration and quick project status checks and updates.
- Customizable checklists to ensure all marketing project tasks get completed.
- Built-in automation tools to help minimize repetitive, recurring, and time-consuming marketing tasks.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Generous free plan. | Reliant on kanban boards. |
| Excellent task-tracking tools. | Not suited for complex marketing projects. |
| Highly visual interface. |
Why I chose Trello
I selected Trello for marketing teams who are new to project management because of its simplicity, ease of use, and visual nature. The visual board layout allows for easy organization and prioritization of tasks, making it highly intuitive for marketing professionals.
For more information, read the full review of Trello.
Wrike: Best for agencies
Wrike helps marketing teams streamline planning, collaboration, and execution of marketing strategies. Wrike’s intuitive interface allows for smooth communication between team members, whether they are in-house or remote. Users can create detailed tasks, set priorities, and assign them to team members while tracking progress with Gantt charts, kanban boards, and custom dashboards.
Pricing
- Free: No cost for unlimited users.
- Team: $9.80 per user per month, billed annually. Supports up to 2–25 users.
- Business: $24.80 per user per month, billed annually. Supports up to 5-2000 users.
- Enterprise: Contact the company for a custom quote. Supports 5 to unlimited users.
- Pinnacle: Contact the company for a custom quote. Supports 5 to unlimited users.
Standout features
- Multi-language support for up to 8 languages.
- Task and project portfolio management.
- Real-time reports.
- Advanced analytics and data visualizations.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| AI project risk prediction. | Limited storage. |
| Adaptable and highly customizable. | Advanced resource and capacity planning capabilities only available in the highest tier plan. |
| Impressive Gantt chart. |
Why I chose Wrike
Its custom workflows, automation, and in-depth reporting features empower marketers to handle complex projects and campaigns effortlessly, ensuring better results and faster delivery.
For more information, read the full review of Wrike.
Teamwork: Best for managing client relationships
Teamwork is a project management software tool designed to cater to the diverse needs of marketing teams who work heavily with external partners. With its comprehensive features and collaboration tools, Teamwork enables marketing professionals to efficiently manage projects, track progress, and communicate with ease. Its scalability and adaptability make it a reliable marketing project management software tool for organizations of all sizes.
Pricing
- Free forever: Free forever for up to five users.
- Deliver: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $13.99 per user, billed monthly.
- Grow: $19.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $25.99 per user, billed monthly.
- Scale: $54.99 per user per month, billed annually, or $69.99 per user, billed monthly.
- Enterprise: Contact the company for custom quotes.
Standout features
- Built-in time tracking for better resource allocation and billing in marketing projects.
- Personalized and team dashboards for real-time insights into project progress and team performance.
- Collaboration tools to facilitate communication with chat and messaging features, file sharing, and document collaboration.
- Supports task prioritization with tags, color coding, and deadlines to manage marketing campaigns effectively.
- Project portfolio management to provide a structured approach to handling multiple projects.
- Advanced privacy settings and role-based permissions to protect sensitive marketing data.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Time tracking and invoicing capabilities. | Steeper learning curve compared to other tools. |
| Good for managing cross-functional teams. | Limited third-party integrations. |
| Supports custom workflows and templates. |
Why I chose Teamwork
Teamwork offers tools and resources to make the client management process efficient. The platform allows you to schedule client meetings, track client interactions, share project updates, and manage client expectations.
For more information, check out the full Teamwork review.
Airtable: Best for spreadsheet users
With its clean and well-organized UI, customization tools, and ability to handle large volumes of data, Airtable is one of the best project management software for marketing. While Airtable is based on a spreadsheet-style interface, it offers much more than Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. With Airtable, you can integrate with third-party marketing tools for seamless data sync and use real-time collaboration tools to keep the marketing team aligned on project goals and progress.
Pricing
- Free: Unlimited bases for up to five users and unlimited commenter and read-only users.
- Team: $20 per user per month if billed annually, or $24 per user per month if billed monthly.
- Business: $45 per user per month if billed annually, or $54 per user per month if billed monthly.
- Enterprise Scale: Contact Airtable for pricing information.
Standout features
- Interface Designer to build and customize apps.
- Customizable workflows to design and automate marketing processes.
- Create forms that feed data directly into ongoing projects.
- Real-time collaboration for marketing teams to collaborate efficiently.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Clean and organized user interface. | Gantt charts are only available on higher-priced plans. |
| Highly customizable. | Steep learning curve for users with limited spreadsheet experience. |
| Integration with several third-party marketing tools, such as CRM apps. |
Why I chose Airtable
Marketing teams familiar with spreadsheets may find Airtable’s interface useful for managing projects, tracking campaigns, organizing leads, and collaborating on creative assets. Airtable allows users to create customizable databases to track and organize various aspects of marketing efforts, such as content calendars, social media schedules, email campaigns, and more. Teams can easily add new columns, filter and sort data, create custom views, and collaborate in real time.
For more information, read our full Airtable review.
Basecamp: Best for centralized project management
Basecamp is known to offer simplified project management. It is ideally suited for small to mid-sized marketing teams that need a highly collaborative project management application. The powerful collaboration tools, including a group chat feature and message boards, will allow marketing team members to stay connected and work efficiently.
Pricing
- Free: Only available to teachers and students.
- Standard: $15 per user per month.
- Pro Unlimited: $299 per month if billed annually, or $349 per month if billed monthly.
Standout features
- Powerful communication tools, including a real-time chat feature.
- Customizable client access.
- Document management tools for marketing teams to upload, share, edit, and set the user permissions of files.
- Ability to split tasks.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Granular user access controls. | Scalability issues for complex marketing projects. |
| Centralized platform to manage multiple marketing projects. | Expensive compared to competitors. |
| Powerful filters and search capabilities. |
Why I chose Basecamp
Teams that prioritize communication and collaboration in their marketing projects can benefit greatly from Basecamp as a project management tool. With features like to-do lists, file sharing, and message boards, Basecamp enables efficient project organization and promotes transparency within the team.
For more information, read this full Basecamp review.
What are key features of marketing project management software?
User-friendly interface
Marketing project management software should have an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, allowing users to quickly adapt and minimize the learning curve. This will result in a more efficient workflow and higher adoption rates among team members.
Collaboration tools
Marketing teams need to collaborate across different departments and external partners. Their project management software should have built-in communication tools such as messaging, file sharing, and comment sections to facilitate seamless collaboration.
Task management
Task management capabilities enable users to create, assign, and track tasks, as well as set deadlines, priorities, and dependencies. A visual task management system, such as a kanban board or Gantt chart, can help teams stay organized and easily view progress.
Workflow automation
Automation capabilities can help streamline repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and improve efficiency. Look for software that allows you to create custom workflows, automate task assignment, and trigger notifications based on specific actions.
Time tracking and resource management
A good marketing project management software should allow users to track time spent on tasks and allocate resources effectively. This helps ensure projects stay on schedule and within budget.
Integration with existing tools
Marketing project management software should be able to integrate with the tools your team is already using, such as customer relationship management, email marketing platforms, social media management tools, and analytics tools. This will help centralize data and improve efficiency.
Customizability and scalability
A customizable and scalable tool can be tailored to your team’s unique needs and can grow with your organization as it evolves. This may include customizable dashboards, reports, and templates, as well as the ability to support an increasing number of users and projects.
What are the benefits of marketing project management tools?
Marketing project management software offers numerous benefits for marketing teams, both in-house and at agencies. When evaluating these tools, marketers should consider the following advantages:
Improved collaboration
Project management software enables seamless communication and collaboration among team members, allowing them to share files, ideas, and feedback. This fosters a more efficient and creative working environment.
Time and resource management
Marketing project management tools help teams allocate resources, set deadlines, and manage schedules effectively. This ensures projects are completed on time and within budget, optimizing resource utilization.
Centralized information
These tools act as a central repository for all project-related information, keeping everything organized and easily accessible. This reduces the risk of miscommunication or losing important documents.
Enhanced visibility
Project management software offers real-time visibility into project progress, which helps marketing teams identify potential bottlenecks and make data-driven decisions. This enables them to react proactively to any issues that may arise.
Task prioritization
Marketing project management tools allow teams to prioritize tasks based on importance, deadlines, and other factors. This helps to ensure the most critical tasks are completed first, leading to more efficient project execution.
Customizable workflows
Many project management tools offer customizable workflows, allowing marketing teams to adapt the software to their unique processes and needs. This helps to streamline project management and improve overall efficiency.
Integration with other tools
Modern project management software often integrates with other marketing tools, such as CRM systems, analytics platforms, and social media management tools. This creates a seamless, interconnected ecosystem that further enhances productivity and efficiency.
Performance tracking and reporting
These tools provide valuable insights into team performance and project outcomes through various reporting features. This helps marketing teams measure the success of their campaigns and make informed decisions for future projects.
Choosing the right marketing project management tool
When selecting marketing project management software, it’s crucial to consider the unique needs of your organization or agency. Begin by identifying your specific marketing workflows, team structure, and project types to ensure the software can accommodate them. Evaluate the platform’s ease of use, customization options, and scalability to guarantee a smooth user experience that supports your team’s growth.
Integration capabilities with your existing marketing tools, such as CRM, email marketing, and analytics software, will streamline processes and improve efficiency. Examine the available features, including task management, collaboration, resource allocation, and reporting, to ensure they align with your marketing goals.
Lastly, compare pricing plans and read reviews from other marketers to gauge overall satisfaction and return on investment. By considering these factors, you’ll be able to select the ideal project management software for your marketing team’s success.
Methodology
I considered several parameters when researching the top marketing project management tools, including features, cost, ease of use, and customer service and support, to determine the best tools to rank. I listed the tools above based on the capabilities we deemed crucial for marketing teams. Then, I examined their websites and data sheets to enhance our assessment of their value to marketing teams. Finally, I tried out some of the tools to get a first-hand feel.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What is marketing project management?
Marketing project management is the process of planning, executing, and overseeing marketing initiatives from start to finish. It involves coordinating tasks, managing resources, and ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget, and aligned with marketing objectives.
What are the benefits of using PM software for marketing teams?
Using PM software offers multiple benefits for marketing teams, including:
- Centralized collaboration.
- Resource management.
- Task management.
- Improved communication.
- Time management.
- Budget and resource tracking.
- Performance analytics.
- Better organization.
Is project management needed in marketing?
Yes, marketing campaigns are often complex and involve multiple moving parts, including content creation, media planning, budgeting, and stakeholder management. Without project management, marketing efforts may become disorganized, leading to missed deadlines, budget overruns, and sub-optimal campaign results. Project management provides structure, accountability, and clarity to complex marketing processes.