4 Free Project Management Software Solutions

When starting up a new project you have a quest to be as efficient as possible. There’s plenty of software out there to help you get organized but often it’s not cheap. But don’t panic. There is project management software which is even better than inexpensive – it’s free.

There are four great options for you in online solutions which are free whether you run OS X, Windows 7, Red Hat, or even a combination of these. Each also allows lots of opportunities to upgrade at a later date. These upgrades will be worth it for your business but for starters let’s concentrate on some the top deals that won’t make any demands on your wallet.

Two categories

Online project management software falls into two categories: the management of projects – calendars, milestones, tasks, and all the ‘to do’ matters – and online communication between team members, freelancers, and sales staff. These can include whiteboards, forums, chat and messaging systems. Along the same lines, there are two main doctrine involved in online project management. Put simply, it’s less is more and more is more.

So, on the “more” side, Ace Project and Zoho Project are two perfect business software s. Ace and Zoho have online storage, there are plenty of add on options to grow and expand your business – which come at a nominal price by the way – and can be customized as much as you desire. Ace is certainly high when it comes to free projects, storage, and tracking functionality, while Zoho serves up Google Docs integration and an alphabet of features and extra products.

Small business owners can benefit

Small business owners will find delight as well as great functionality when it comes to simple and user-friendly organizing software in the forms of Huddle and Basecamp. Both are pretty versatile although Huddle enables but a single manager while Basecamp offers no online storage. However, when it comes to ease of use in both operation and management, they both come out high on free software solutions list. Huddle has the best file management system of the bunch under review as well as providing options to bundle together Web, audio, and video conferencing.

Obviously none of these software options are perfect but for the money – no money that is – they’re certainly not to be sniffed at and do the job for which they’re intended. Small business owners would, however, do well to assess their overall needs and ensure these products for the bill for their own particular requirements. But if you grow to love any of them, upgrade it. But for the non-technologically minded, these very user-friendly and easy to understand four pieces of software should serve your small business project management needs from the word go.

Spot ratings:

AceProject

Free (add on plans available at cost)

For small businesses aspiring to get and stay organized, AceProject looks like the best of the line-up. Not only will it help you keep tabs on projects, you will also be able to manage employees and expenses.

Basecamp

Free (add on plans available at cost)

Already Basecamp has over 3 million active users. It’s been around for seven years. It helps small businesses and large businesses, from wedding planners to hedge fund managers, to get and stay organized.

Huddle

Free (add on plans available at cost)

With the ability to manage projects, store files, schedule and hold meetings, and facilitate communication through wikis and forums, Huddle’s free online service hands small businesses many of the tools they’ll need to get organized. Its effective file management is top notch.

Zoho Projects 2

Free (add on services available at cost)

This is free but limited to $80 worth of online services. Its complementary version can provide a whole range of online collaboration tools – messages, forums, wikis, and online chat. It’s also a comprehensive manager as you can configure project milestones, assign responsibilities, set due dates, schedule meetings, and even post documents to an online storage space. This application is, however, high maintenance and it’s rather more complicated to use.