{"id":49895,"date":"2022-02-04T09:32:10","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T15:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/?p=49895"},"modified":"2026-02-02T09:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:32:13","slug":"best-project-planning-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/best-project-planning-software","title":{"rendered":"Best Project Planning Software of 2026 (Free & Paid)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The best project planning software gives managers the means to build a project plan<\/a>, manage team members, control costs and stay on schedule. To do that, it\u2019s equipped with project scheduling, time tracking, task management and resource management features.<\/p>\n

Yes, project planning software is massive. It\u2019s an umbrella under which a number of team collaboration and project planning tools reside, such as Gantt charts<\/a>, task lists, kanban boards, reports and more. If you\u2019re looking for a project planning software that meets these criteria, prepare to compare options because it\u2019s a crowded field and getting denser every day.<\/p>\n

The Benefits of Project Planning Software<\/h2>\n

Project planning software is designed to facilitate the planning, scheduling, resource allocation and change management of a project. Project planning software<\/a> is used by managers and stakeholders to chart the project\u2019s path from start to finish and organize task lists to have them all completed by the project deadline within the agreed-upon costs detailed in the project budget.<\/p>\n

With all that in mind, below are some of the best project planning tools available today, with their pros and cons.<\/p>\n

2026 Best Project Planning Software Rankings<\/h2>\n

1. ProjectManager\"\"<\/h3>\n

ProjectManager<\/a> is a cloud-based project and work management software that offers a full suite of project planning software features. With Gantt charts, sheet and list views, calendars and kanban boards, users can choose how they want to plan their project, depending on its scope and complexity, which places this planning software at the top of our best project planning software ranking.<\/p>\n

Plan with Interactive Gantt Charts<\/h4>\n

A successful project plan demands intelligent task organization and project scheduling. Almost any Gantt chart can organize tasks, link dependencies, set milestones and make assignments. ProjectManager\u2019s Gantt chart<\/a> goes further filtering for the critical path in your schedule, allowing you to see what tasks must be done and which you can skip. When the project schedule is done, create a time tracking baseline to compare your actual progress vs. your planned effort and keep your project on track. Get all that and drop-and-drag editing, which gives you the flexibility to pivot quickly as projects change.<\/p>\n\"ProjectManager<\/a>\n

Manage Resources<\/h4>\n

Gantt charts might be enough for smaller projects, but as you scale bigger, you need planning software that has the resource management features<\/a> to keep your team productive. ProjectManager<\/a> lets you set the team\u2019s availability and manage your time, tasks and resources. When you\u2019re making your project plan, use the calendar view to see who is working, who is on PTO and when there is a holiday. To keep your team\u2019s workload balanced, there\u2019s also a color-coded workload chart to see who has too many or too few tasks assigned. You can reallocate their work in real time to keep your team productive.<\/p>\n\"ProjectManager's<\/a>\n

Work How You Want with Multiple Project Views<\/h4>\n

Perhaps best of all, ProjectManager<\/a> has multiple project views that allow users to choose their favorite project planning tool. Whether you\u2019re planning on a Gantt, sheet or list view, kanban board<\/a> or calendar, the data is shared and updated together. The collaborative software connects teams with file sharing and real-time messaging no matter where they are or which project view they\u2019re using. That way, everyone is looking at the same real-time data, which means project plans can be more effectively executed. Then track progress on the live dashboard that automatically collects updates and monitors six project metrics to keep your plan on schedule.<\/p>\n\"project<\/a>\n

The project plan is a living document and ProjectManager makes project planning software easily adaptable to real-life working conditions. See how ProjectManager\u2019s time tracking, resource management and project scheduling features help you from planning through the successful closure of your project by taking a free 30-day trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pricing<\/h4>\n