Quick answer: Our top pick is Hive, followed by Nifty and Microsoft Project. Entry prices start near $10/mo. All 5 are compared below on price, strengths and the key trade-off of each, so you can match one to your needs.
We compared the field so you can skip the trial-and-error. This guide rounds up the 5 tools we'd actually recommend for this job, with what each does best, what it costs, and who should pick it.
We weighted picks on output quality, value for money, learning curve and how well each tool fits the specific workflow in this guide. Pricing is summarised from public plans at the time of writing.
Free Deliver plan (limited seats); Deliver from ~$10.99/user/mo; Grow ~$19.99/user/mo; Scale ~$54.99/user/mo; Enterprise custom (billed annually).
Agencies and client services
The picks, ranked
1. Hive work management
Flexible project and work management with multiple project views, native chat, time tracking and a growing AI assistant, aimed at collaborative teams. Picked here for how cleanly it handles collaborative cross-team work.
Why it's on this list: Project management that bundles native chat and an AI assistant alongside Gantt, Kanban and calendar views. Made for collaborative cross-functional teams wanting PM plus built-in chat in one workspace.
Standout features:
Approval workflows and proofing
Customizable dashboards
Standout strength: Free plan for up to 10 members with unlimited tasks.
Worth knowing: Integrates with 20+ apps including Microsoft Teams, Jira and QuickBooks.
Pricing: Free plan; Starter from ~$5/user/mo; Teams ~$12/user/mo; Enterprise custom (billed annually; verify current tiers).
All-in-one project management combining tasks, milestones, docs, chat and time tracking in one workspace, with a strong free tier for small teams. It stands out for small to mid-size teams without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: An all-in-one workspace tying tasks to milestones, with docs and chat, plus unlimited members on free. A natural fit for small-to-mid teams wanting one milestone-driven workspace for tasks, docs and chat.
Standout features:
Project portfolios and overview dashboards
Tasks, milestones and Gantt-style roadmap tracking
Standout strength: Unlimited team members even on the free plan.
Worth knowing: Affiliate program (FirstPromoter): 20% recurring on paid plans.
Pricing: Free plan; Starter from ~$7/member/mo; Pro ~$10/member/mo; Business ~$16/member/mo; Enterprise custom (billed annually).
Microsoft's classic project scheduling and portfolio tool with powerful Gantt, critical path, resource management and Power Platform/Teams integration. A strong default when traditional/waterfall project managers is the priority.
Why it's on this list: Microsoft's classic powerhouse for detailed Gantt scheduling, critical path and enterprise portfolios. A natural fit for traditional/waterfall project managers in Microsoft 365 orgs needing detailed scheduling and PPM.
Standout features:
Critical path management and baselines
Resource management and workload tracking
Standout strength: Deep Microsoft 365 / Power Platform integration.
Worth knowing: Critical path, baselines and the desktop client require Plan 3 or higher.
Pricing: Project Plan 1 from ~$10/user/mo; Plan 3 ~$30/user/mo; Plan 5 ~$55/user/mo (cloud, billed monthly/annually; on-premise editions separate).
Enterprise-grade work management with custom workflows, request forms, proofing and resource management, popular with marketing, agency and professional-services teams. It stands out for marketing and creative teams without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: Enterprise work management with proofing and resource planning aimed squarely at marketing and creative teams. A natural fit for marketing, creative and professional-services teams needing proofing, request forms and capacity planning.
Standout features:
Custom workflows, custom item types and shareable dashboards
Wrike AI (AI Essentials / Elite) for content and risk prediction
Standout strength: Strong for marketing/agency work: proofing, request forms and resource planning built in.
Worth knowing: Business plan targets teams of 5-200 users.
Pricing: Free plan; Team from ~$10/user/mo; Business ~$25/user/mo; Enterprise and Pinnacle custom (billed annually).
Project management built specifically for client services and agencies, with built-in time tracking, billing, budgets and profitability reporting. Picked here for how cleanly it handles agencies and client services.
Why it's on this list: Project management built specifically for client work, with time, billing and profitability baked in. A natural fit for agencies and client-services teams that bill time and need profitability/retainer tracking.
Standout features:
Invoicing, budgeting and profitability/retainer reporting
Client/intake forms and unlimited free client users
Standout strength: Free guest/client users on all plans.
Worth knowing: Deliver requires min 3 users; Grow and Scale require min 5 users.
Pricing: Free Deliver plan (limited seats); Deliver from ~$10.99/user/mo; Grow ~$19.99/user/mo; Scale ~$54.99/user/mo; Enterprise custom (billed annually).
Don't over-think the ranking: the gap between adjacent picks is small. Decide what you can't compromise on — price, a specific strength, or learning curve — and let that pick for you. Free tiers and trials mean a 30-minute hands-on test beats another hour of reading.
FAQ
What is the best option in this list?
We'd reach for Hive first, though the ‘best’ tool is the one whose trade-offs fit your priorities — compare the entries before deciding.
Are there free options?
Yes — Hive, Nifty and Wrike offer a free plan or tier, so you can validate fit before paying. Check each entry's pricing line above.
How were these tools chosen?
Each pick is judged on fit for the specific job in this guide — its real strengths, pricing and who it suits — using features and facts drawn from independent reviews and the vendors' own documentation, cited in Sources below.
How often is this guide updated?
We revisit pricing and rankings regularly as vendors change plans and ship features.
Sources
The features, strengths and facts cited for each pick above are drawn from these independent reviews and vendor pages: