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.
Choosing the right tool here comes down to fit, not hype. 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 looked at where each tool genuinely earns its keep for this use case, what the entry tier really costs, and who walks away happy. Pricing reflects 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. It stands out for collaborative cross-team work without a heavy setup cost.
Why it's on this list: Project management that bundles native chat and an AI assistant alongside Gantt, Kanban and calendar views. Aimed squarely at collaborative cross-functional teams wanting PM plus built-in chat in one workspace.
Standout features:
Hive AI assistant (Buzz) for planning and content
Multiple project views: Gantt/timeline, Kanban, calendar and table
Standout strength: Flexible views suit different team styles.
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. Best suited to teams that care most about small to mid-size teams.
Why it's on this list: An all-in-one workspace tying tasks to milestones, with docs and chat, plus unlimited members on free. Made for small-to-mid teams wanting one milestone-driven workspace for tasks, docs and chat.
Standout features:
Multiple views (List, Kanban, Calendar, Timeline)
Recurring tasks and task dependencies
Standout strength: All-in-one workspace (tasks, docs, chat, time) at a modest price.
Worth knowing: Free plan allows unlimited team members but only 2 active projects and 100 MB storage.
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. Picked here for how cleanly it handles traditional/waterfall project managers.
Why it's on this list: Microsoft's classic powerhouse for detailed Gantt scheduling, critical path and enterprise portfolios. Built 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. Best suited to teams that care most about marketing and creative teams.
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:
Built-in proofing and approvals (HTML5, video, documents)
Resource and capacity planning, workload charts (Business and above)
Standout strength: Strong for marketing/agency work: proofing, request forms and resource planning built in.
Worth knowing: Lineup as of Jan 2026 is Free, Team, Business, Pinnacle, Apex.
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. Best suited to teams that care most about agencies and client services.
Why it's on this list: Project management built specifically for client work, with time, billing and profitability baked in. Made for agencies and client-services teams that bill time and need profitability/retainer tracking.
Standout features:
Workload and resource scheduling
Proofing and approvals for deliverables
Standout strength: Free guest/client users on all plans.
Worth knowing: SOC 2 compliant with US or EU data hosting options.
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).
If you're optimising for budget, start at the lower-priced options and only move up when you hit a real limit. If output quality or team features matter more than price, the top picks above will save you time. When two options look close, try both free tiers on one real task before committing — the right fit is usually obvious within an hour.
FAQ
What is the best option in this list?
For most people, Hive is the strongest all-round pick in this guide, but the right choice depends on your budget and exact workflow.
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: