Basecamp is a real-time communication platform that’s designed to help teams manage their everyday work with a mix of task management, team collaboration and scheduling tools. It can be a good workflow management solution for some teams, thanks to features such as message boards, group chats, task lists, kanban boards, calendars and notifications.

It’s not a full-service project management software, however; though it’s a nice tool to help teams collaborate and track due dates. If you’re looking to retain the key collaboration and organization features that Basecamp offers, but need something more, then check out our list of Basecamp alternatives.

Why People Seek a Basecamp Alternative

Basecamp has a simple user-friendly interface that makes file sharing, tracking document progress and task management easy for most users, regardless of their familiarity with the software. However, the main reason why people seek a Basecamp alternative is because of its narrow feature set and limited functionality, especially when it comes to project management.

Luckily there’s plenty of Basecamp alternatives that offer the same or even more tools for a similar price. We’ll review some of those Basecamp alternatives later on, but first, let’s go over some of the main Basecamp disadvantages.

1. Limited Project Management Features: Basecamp is a good task management tool, but it’s missing features for most aspects of project management. For example, it doesn’t have Gantt charts, a critical project scheduling tool. There are Basecamp alternatives that have more varied and robust project management tools than Basecamp.
2. Lack of Resource Management Tools: Basecamp helps project teams collaborate, schedule their work and keep track of tasks, but it lacks resource management features that project managers need for evaluating their resource utilization.
3. Lack of time tracking tools: Basecamp lacks project timesheets or any other time tracking tools that would let project managers keep track of the time team members have worked. Also, the absence of Gantt charts affects the ability to track the project timeline.

Basecamp is a competent team collaboration tool that helps project managers and team members communicate, but as you can see, it lacks many important project management features, which makes many project managers look for Basecamp alternatives.

2024 Best Basecamp Alternative Software Rankings

If you’re struggling to make Basecamp work in your organization, there’s still hope, as there are several less confusing and more powerful Basecamp alternatives out there. Here are the best Basecamp alternatives of 2024, which we think are worth investigating. Who knows, you may find a perfect fit for your next project.

1. ProjectManager

ProjectManager is online project management software that facilitates team communication, collaboration and much more. It’s a user-friendly platform where teams can collaborate and work together more productively. Its project management tools allow teams to work more independently, whether they want to use task lists, boards, timelines or a simple calendar view.

Teams can collaborate whether they’re in the same office or working in different countries. Comments can be made at the task level, along with documents and images, which keeps everything organized. More than that, if team members need to pull in the project manager or another team member, they can @ the person, and they’ll be notified via an email alert.

But that’s not all. ProjectManager has a powerful set of project management tools and key features that make it more than a team collaboration software like Basecamp. You can try them out for yourself with this lengthy free 30-day trial. 

A Basecamp Alternative That Lets You Work How You Want

Like Basecamp, ProjectManager allows you to create projects that are made up of tasks. But unlike Basecamp, that’s only a fraction of its features. ProjectManager has multiple views of those projects, including kanban boards, task lists and calendars, so teams can work how they like. There are Gantt charts for managers that lay tasks out over a timeline, with bar charts showing duration, and milestones noting project phases.

The kanban board is a helpful task management tool that keeps teams focused on the task at hand, promotes collaboration and helps project managers with workload management. It’s a visual tool that shows the workflow in columns of to-do, doing and done, which helps teams avoid costly bottlenecks that slow down their progress.

Schedule and Manage Tasks with Calendars and Lists

There’s also a calendar view, like Basecamp, but it’s more than a placeholder for due dates. Tasks can be viewed in a calendar for those who prefer that, but there’s also more flexibility to filter and even add new tasks. Easily assign tasks to your team members, drag and drop tasks to update deadlines, or expand the details to get more workload management information.

ProjectManager also has a task list view with basic features such as file sharing and a message board like Basecamp’s to-dos, but ProjectManager offers more functionality. Teams can personalize their task list, which is then reflected across all project views and task management features like Gantt charts and kanban boards. There’s also a filtering function to search by the due date, owner, project and much more.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg with this software. It has additional key features that make it the best Basecamp alternative for project management like time tracking, resource management, schedule management, reporting and more. If you’re ready to upgrade your project management software experience with this Basecamp alternative, Click here for a 30-day free trial.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Project Management

ProjectManager Pros & Key Features

• Multiple project management tools
• Robust resource planning features for tracking resource utilization and project costs
• Task and management workflow features
• Cloud-based software with unlimited file storage
• Free trial
• Mobile project management app for Android and iOS

ProjectManager Cons & Limitations

• Limited customization
• Because it offers more and more robust features it might take more training than Basecamp and other simpler Basecamp alternatives
• Few native integrations
• No free plan

Pricing

• Team: $13.00 user/month
• Business: $24.00 user/month
• Enterprise: contact sales for a custom quote

ProjectManager Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4 / 5
• Capterra review: 4.1 / 5

2. ClickUp

ClickUp is a project management app that offers an array of features beyond just simple task management and collaboration. For one, it has multiple ways to view a project: task list, kanban board, Gantt chart, calendar and box. The task list is a high-level view of your team’s work, which can be grouped, sorted and filtered. The kanban board is a drag-and-drop workflow tool that appeals to teams working in an agile project management framework. Box view shows who is working on what and whether their tasks are allocated correctly.

While the company uses the tagline “One app to replace them all,” there’s a bit of hyperbole to that statement. For one thing, reporting is limited, which is a significant shortcoming. Additionally, ClickUp doesn’t have the greatest user interface. While as a Basecamp alternative there are certainly more features, but they’re not well-organized and it’s easy to get lost in the software.

The free version is a good place to start, but it doesn’t provide any of the tools that project managers and teams need. Even if you decide to invest, the task management features prove too much for small projects and underperforming for larger projects. That being said, it’s a good Basecamp alternative for expanding your project management capabilities without getting too sophisticated.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Team Collaboration

ClickUp Pros & Key Features

• Has a variety of tools that help with brainstorming sessions such as meeting notes and whiteboards
• Basic task management tools are good for team leaders and project management beginners
• Works for scrum and agile teams
• Free plan
• Mobile project planning app for Android and iOS

ClickUp Cons & Limitations

• The software offers a wide variety of tools, which clutters its interface and makes it hard to navigate
• Some of its tools don’t help with project or work management
• Limited project management functionality
• No free trial

Clickup Pricing

• Unlimited: $5/user/month, billed annually
• Business: $12/user/month, billed annually

Clickup Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.7/5

3. Monday.com

Monday.com is a work management software that offers easy-to-use task management tools to help teams manage workflows and projects. It facilitates the process of creating schedules, tracking the completion of everyday tasks and monitoring resource allocation. One of its main advantages over Basecamp is that it goes beyond task management and offers tools for project management, business operations planning and resource management.

However, Monday.com still lacks some of the functionality a project manager needs from certain task management tools, like its timeline view, which is not a fully-featured Gantt chart but a lightweight task scheduling tool. It doesn’t allow you to enter much information about your tasks besides a task name and due dates so it won’t allow you to track resources or costs. Also the lack of project calendars is another disadvantage in comparison to Basecamp or most Basecamp alternatives.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Task Management

Monday.com Pros & Key Features

• Task lists allow to allocate resources, prioritize work and track progress with a smooth user interface
• Simple-to-use task management features
• Mobile project management app for Android and iOS
• Free trial

Monday.com Cons & Limitations

• Timeline view mimics a Gantt chart but lacks Gantt chart software features
• No calendar view, which is important for task management
• Some of its features are hard to set up and use
• Limited team collaboration features

Monday.com Pricing

• Basic: $8/user/month, billed annually
• Standard: $10/user/month, billed annually
• Pro: $16/user/month, billed annually
• 3-seat minimum

Monday.com Reviews

• G2 review: 4.7/5
• Capterra review: 4.6/5

4. Slack

Slack has become the team communication platform embraced by businesses for its ability to reduce the clutter of email and foster better communications among team members. It’s one of the Basecamp alternatives that definitely has a “cool” factor going for it, though, honestly, that vibe is hard to hold onto. There’s always another cool brand coming around the corner.

You can customize the program collaboration tools, which is great for startups and smaller teams. It’s easy to use and set up, add team members and create channels for specific departments, all of which makes for a smooth communication platform. It’s also fun, creating bots, posting emojis and GIFs, but those bells and whistles hide what is essentially a one-trick pony.

Slack is a great productivity tool, but it can’t be considered one of the best project management software. There’s no file preview to see something before downloading it, you can download conversations to archive them, but mostly it just has no project management features outside of communications.

Therefore, if you’re looking for Basecamp alternatives for task management, resource management, or anything to monitor and track progress or report back to stakeholders, you’re going to have to saddle this software with a bunch of other apps. Nobody wants to use makeshift project management software.

Verdict: Best Free Basecamp Alternative for Team Communication

Slack Pros & Key Features

• Allows users to communicate remotely
• Instant messaging and file sharing tasks
• Free plan

Slack Cons & Limitations

• No task management features but it integrates with task management tools
• Sometimes there are bugs that affect its usability
• There are other tools that offer the same for a less expensive monthly fee

Slack Pricing

• Pro $7.25/user/month, billed annually
• Business $12.50/user/month, billed annually

Slack Reviews

• G2 review: 4.5/5
• Capterra review: 4.7/5

5. Wrike

Wrike is one of the more popular Basecamp alternatives. It’s a digital work management app that helps teams to track projects, and it has a fairly simple user experience. The foundation of this tool is based on folders, projects and tasks. Tasks can be assigned to one or many team members, with files attached and a detailed description added. Teams can collaborate by commenting and even adding emojis, which gives the software a nice personal touch.

Simple as it might appear, this Basecamp alternative can be overwhelming for new users. It’s not very easy to use and getting up to speed with the software is going to take a long time. If you have no project management experience then expect frustration. That includes onboarding. It’s crucial to get new team members in the software and ready to work, but the process is difficult and time-consuming. While you can track progress, you can’t filter data to help you zero in on what you want to see. Add to that the slow loading speed, and it’s hard to understand the tool’s popularity.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Workflow Management

Wrike Pros & Key Features

• Variety of task management tools
• Project budgeting and workload management features
• Mobile project management app for Android and iOS
• Free trial
• Free plan

Wrike Project Cons & Limitations

• Has lightweight Gantt charts with limited task management features
• Overall task management functionality is basic compared to Basecamp and other Basecamp features
• Can be hard to configure its settings and pre-built templates to fit your project or workflow
• The user interface could be improved for some of its tools, like its Gantt charts, which seems outdated when compared to other software

Wrike Pricing

• Professional plan: $9.80 user/month
• Business plan: $24.80 user/month

Wrike Reviews

• G2 review: 4.2 / 5
• Capterra review: 4.3 / 5

6. Asana

Asana is another popular Basecamp alternative that is a work management tool with dashboards that allow for communication across the project team and even the entire company. One of the benefits of Asana is that it’s customizable, which gives users more freedom. It might not have all the features you want but does have integration with third-party apps such as Google Drive and Outlook, which helps.

One of the biggest faults with this Basecamp alternative is the last time-tracking feature. It puts a big hole in the middle of an otherwise attractive task management system. In fact, it might be a deal-breaker considering the importance of tracking in keeping to your project schedule and delivering the project on time. Like many of the Basecamp alternatives on this list, you need experience using the tool to get the most out of it, which might alienate those new to project management. Another big problem with Asana is that you can only assign one team member to a task at a time. For many projects, this is critical.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Team Management

Asana Pros & Key Features

• Simple to use task management tools
• Workload and time tracking features
• Mobile project management app for Android and iOS
• Free plan
• Free trial

Asana Cons & Limitations

• Like Basecamp, Asana is better equipped for task management than it is for project management
• Limited project management tools
• Most of its features are overly simple and lack functionality, which make users look for more robust Basecamp alternatives

Asana Pricing

• Premium plan: $10.99/user/month, billed annually
• Business plan: $24.99/user/month, billed annually

Asana Reviews

• G2 review: 4.3/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

7. Trello

Trello is a simple collaborative tool that helps users to organize their projects and everything related to that work. It’s unique in our list of Basecamp alternatives in that it puts all its project eggs in one basket: kanban boards. It’s understandable. Kanban boards are visual tools that are easy to use. They offer transparency into what’s being worked on, who’s working on it and the progress of that work.

That uniqueness, however, can make some look for a Basecamp alternative. Without Gantt charts and other views, you’re forcing users to work how you want, not how they want. Unless you’re a kanban enthusiast, you’ll likely go to look elsewhere. Because of its focus, you’ll find it ideal for smaller projects that aren’t complex. The moment you move into more specialized projects, you’re going to hit the wall of Trello’s limitations. That and the fact that you can’t see task dependencies is a sure way to experience delays when executing your project.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Kanban Project Management

Trello Pros & Key Features

• Feature set is compatible with agile and scrum teams
• Offers many integrations which allow users to customize the software
• Mobile project management app for Android and iOS
• Free plan
• Free trial

Trello Cons & Limitations

• Limited variety of task management tools, like Basecamp it relies on to-do lists, kanban boards and project calendars
• Users commonly need to purchase add-ons and third-party integrations, which makes the software more expensive than most Basecamp alternatives
• Not ideal for managing complex projects or a project portfolio due to its narrow project management feature set.

Trello Pricing

• Standard: $5/user/month, billed annually
• Premium: $10/user/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: $17.50/user/month, billed annually

Trello Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

8. nTask

nTask is a tool that manages tasks and files, and it helps with scheduling meetings and making checklists for project teams. It has collaborative tools, task management and time tracking. Already you can see how it widens the lens on your project as a Basecamp alternative.

It’s nice that nTask offers third-party integrations with other tools like Slack, though it would be more helpful if it folded a team communication feature into its own software. That said, most of the features are free, so it’s hard to complain too much about a product that helps you manage your tasks as a free Basecamp alternative.

There are no templates, which are a valuable tool to get a head start on projects. Adding documents and photos is available, but it’s not ideal as you can’t see the visuals in the project window. There are few customization or formatting options. But if you’re looking for inexpensive software with task management features, give this Basecamp alternative a look.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Task Planning

nTask Pros & Key Features

• Multilingual support
• High-level task management dashboard
• Free trial
• Mobile project planning app for Android and iOS

nTask Cons & Limitations

• Hard to use Gantt chart user interface and limited project planning features
• Limited variety of project tracking and reporting tools
• Not ideal for larger teams

nTask Pricing

• Premium: $3/user/month, billed annually
• Business: $8/user/month, billed annually

nTask Reviews

• G2 review: 4.3/5
• Capterra review: 4.5/5

9. Teamwork

Teamwork is a project management software that helps teams to track their projects and monitor their resource utilization. It offers task management tools like Gantt charts, kanban boards and task lists. It’s a good Basecamp alternative because it combines task management tools with costs, progress and resource tracking features.

However, while this Basecamp alternative attempts to offer a varied project management feature set some of its tools are limited. For example, its Gantt charts lack cost or resource tracking features at the task level, which means they can only be used for scheduling task due dates but can’t help you track task costs or resource allocation.

Verdict: Best Basecamp Alternative for Creative Project Management

Teamwork Pros & Key Features

• Good for managing your team’s workflow
• Project budgeting and time tracking tools
• Teamwork offers a free trial
• Teamwork has a mobile app

Teamwork Cons & Limitations

• Limited Gantt charts track limited task details, no cost or resource tracking
• User interface could be improved, especially on mobile devices
• Reports are difficult to customize to the user’s projects
• No project calendars
• Paid versions have a 3-user minimum

Teamwork Pricing

• Starter $5.99/user/month, billed annually
• Deliver $9.99/user/month, billed annually
• Grow $19.99/user/month, billed annually

Teamwork Reviews

• G2 review: 4.4/5
• Capterra review: 4.4/5

10. Kantata

Kantata is project management software that is especially helpful for the service industry. It manages projects, financials and helps teams to collaborate while giving managers resource management tools to control progress and performance. It has Gantt charts, which are a fundamental project management team and most wouldn’t even consider a Basecamp alternative that didn’t have this project workhorse.

Gantt charts alone, however, don’t make great project management software. Users have complained of having to figure out the software by themselves. Most of the other Basecamp alternatives on this list have superior customer service and training available. There are integrations to fill the gaps in the software, but again there has been criticism about how poorly they’re built. Add to that a bad user experience that is difficult to use and it’s going to intimidate new users and professionals alike.

Verdict: Best Basecamp alternative for project invoicing

Kantata Pros & Key Features

• Financial management and business intelligence tools for project accounting
• Simple-to-use project management features
• Resource allocation and utilization tracking tools
• Mobile project management app for Android and iOS
• Free trial

Kantata Cons & Limitations

• User experience could be improved by making the software more intuitive
• Missing basic task management features like to-do lists and kanban boards
• Feature set is not ideal for task management
• Doesn’t have a mobile project management app
• No free plan

Kantata Pricing

• Custom pricing depends on company information

Kantata Reviews

• G2 review: 4.1/5
• Capterra review: 4.2/5

ProjectManager is an online project management alternative to Basecamp. It has the communication platform you need, with unlimited file storage and comments tagged to tasks to keep conversations easy to follow. But it adds to this great communication feature with tools that help project managers plan, monitor and report on projects while giving teams the collaborative environment they want to work more productively. See what ProjectManager can do for you by taking this 30-day free trial and find out why it is the best Basecamp alternative for project management