Twelve project tools let a team organise tasks with assignees, dates and a shared board without paying — nine hosted free-forever plans and three open-source applications. Project management has the most generous free plans in software and the most quietly shrunk ones: Asana’s free plan is now two seats, not ten. The table leads with the seat cap. Prices are USD and were checked on 21 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free project tool that fits
- Unlimited free members: ClickUp Free Forever — unlimited tasks and members, no card; 60 MB storage and five Spaces are the walls.
- Kanban for a small team: Trello — ten boards and ten collaborators per workspace, unlimited cards.
- Software team up to ten: Jira Free — Scrum and Kanban boards, backlog and reports for ten users; Plane for an open-source alternative with twelve.
- Self-host a full PM suite: OpenProject Community — Gantt, boards and wiki with no user cap on your own server.
Which project management software tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool on this page runs a shared task board indefinitely without a subscription. Nine are hosted free-forever plans and three — OpenProject, Plane and Taiga — are open source with a hosted free tier or community edition. Nothing on the brief was trial-only, so nothing is excluded; Basecamp and Todoist are included with the note that one is a single-project plan and the other a task manager rather than a full PM tool.
Free PM plans are capped by seats (ClickUp and Wrike unlimited or unstated, Plane twelve, Jira and Trello ten, Basecamp three, Asana and monday.com two), by containers (Trello ten boards, ClickUp five Spaces, monday.com three boards, Todoist five projects, Basecamp one project, Taiga one private project), and by storage (ClickUp 60 MB, Jira 2 GB, Basecamp 1 GB). Two numbers older guides still quote are wrong: Asana’s free plan is two seats per project, and monday.com’s is two seats and three boards.
The table shows the one limit most likely to push you to a paid plan, whether a card is needed to start, and the Free Score. The rows below open into the full Scorecard with every limit, the upgrade trigger, the cheapest paid step and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C |
Free forever | Unlimited members · 60 MB · 5 Spaces | No | 92 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | 10 boards · 10 collaborators/workspace | No | 86 | Scorecard ↓ |
| J |
Free forever | 10 users · 2 GB | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Open source | 12 seats · open source | No | 83 | Scorecard ↓ |
| O |
Open source | Self-hosted · no user cap | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| N |
Free forever | 10 guests · 5 MB uploads · team block cap | No | 78 | Scorecard ↓ |
| W |
Free forever | No caps stated · basic views | No | 76 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Free forever | 5 projects · 5 people/project | No | 72 | Scorecard ↓ |
| T |
Open source | 1 private project · 3 members | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | 2 seats · 3 boards | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Free forever | 2 seats per project | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| B |
Free forever | 1 project · 3 users · 1 GB | No | 56 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 21 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free project tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1C
ClickUpUS · unlimited tasks and members with docs, Kanban, sprints and time tracking free forever, no cardFree foreverUnlimited members · 60 MB · 5 SpacesNo card92⌄
- What’s free
- Free Forever: unlimited tasks and free members, docs, Kanban, calendar, sprints, time tracking, SyncUps calls, 24/7 support, 1 form, 500 AI credits per workspace
- Hard limits
- 60 MB storage · 5 Spaces · 5 active automations and 100 executions · 3 whiteboards · 1-day activity history · 90-day chat history
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- Storage past 60 MB, custom fields, Gantt or timeline (trial-only on Free), or automation volume
- Cheapest paid step
- Unlimited $7/user/month billed yearly ($10 monthly) in one section of the page; ‘Core’ $9/user/month yearly in another
- Best free for
- A team of any size that lives in tasks and docs and keeps files elsewhere
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · clickup.com/pricing · eesel.ai (paid tier names)
2T
TrelloUS · unlimited cards on up to ten boards per workspace with unlimited Power-Ups, the simplest free KanbanFree forever10 boards · 10 collaborators/workspaceNo card86⌄
- What’s free
- Free: unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, unlimited Power-Ups per board, Inbox, activity log, iOS and Android apps, two-factor authentication
- Hard limits
- 10 boards per workspace · up to 10 collaborators per workspace · 10 MB per file · 250 workspace automation runs per month
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated; the page mentions cards only as payment for paid plans.
- Upgrade trigger
- An eleventh board or collaborator, a file over 10 MB, or more automation runs
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $5/user/month billed annually ($6 monthly)
- Best free for
- A small Kanban team with a handful of boards
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · trello.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Ten boards and ten people covers a small team entirely, and the $5 step is the cheapest paid tier among the big names. The board cap is per workspace, so a second workspace is a legitimate workaround.
3J
JiraUS/Australia · Scrum and Kanban boards, backlog and reports for ten users on Jira Cloud FreeFree forever10 users · 2 GBNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Jira Cloud Free: up to 10 users, Scrum and Kanban boards, backlog, reports, community support
- Hard limits
- 10 users · 2 GB file storage · automation 150 steps per subscription per the support doc (a third party says 100 rule runs a month) · community support only
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated on the pages we could read.
- Upgrade trigger
- An eleventh user, more than 2 GB, more automation, audit logs, or a support SLA
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard about $7.91/user/month monthly (third-party; the vendor pricing page did not render)
- Best free for
- A software team of up to ten that works in sprints
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · support.atlassian.com (pricing page is JS-rendered) · resolution.de (Standard price)
Why it ranks here. The engineering standard, free for ten. Atlassian’s pricing page rendered only metadata to our fetch, so the limits come from its support documentation and the paid price from a third party, both flagged; the automation cap is stated two ways.
4P
PlaneUS · an open-source Jira alternative with cycles, modules and pages, free for twelve seats hosted or self-hostedOpen source12 seats · open sourceNo card83⌄
- What’s free
- Free: projects and work items, cycles and modules, layouts and views, intake, estimates, project pages; open-source and self-hostable
- Hard limits
- 12 users · limited guests · basic roles · storage limit not stated
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A thirteenth seat, advanced roles and guests, or Pro features
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $6/seat/month (billing period not clearly labelled; yearly ‘save 25%’); two-week trial
- Best free for
- A small product team that wants Jira’s shape without Jira, and the option to self-host
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · plane.so/pricing
Why it ranks here. Two more free seats than Jira, a cleaner interface and a self-host path. The license is not named on the pricing page and the paid billing basis is unlabelled, both flagged.
5O
OpenProject CommunityGermany · full open-source project management — work packages, Gantt, agile boards, wiki — self-hosted with no minimum usersOpen sourceSelf-hosted · no user capNo card82⌄
- What’s free
- Community edition: free, open source, self-hosted; work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, wiki, time and cost reporting; community forum support
- Hard limits
- No user cap stated · baseline comparison limited · no email or phone support
- Time limit
- Unlimited (open-source license)
- Card required
- No. Self-hosted download.
- Upgrade trigger
- Enterprise add-ons (portfolio and resource management), SSO, or vendor support
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic cloud €5.95/user/month, minimum 25 users (USD not shown)
- Best free for
- A team that can self-host and wants Gantt and portfolio planning without per-seat fees
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · openproject.org/pricing
Why it ranks here. The most complete free PM suite here, with Gantt charts that every hosted free plan withholds. Self-hosting and forum-only support keep friction low; the cloud’s 25-user minimum makes it a poor paid step for small teams.
6N
NotionUS · databases with subtasks and dependencies, forms, sites and Notion Calendar free for individuals and tiny teamsFree forever10 guests · 5 MB uploads · team block capNo card78⌄
- What’s free
- Free: databases with subtasks, dependencies and custom properties, basic forms, basic sites, Notion Calendar, a trial of Notion AI
- Hard limits
- 10 guests · 5 MB file uploads · 7-day page history · team workspaces of two or more members capped at a block count the page does not state
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The team block limit, an eleventh guest, uploads over 5 MB, or longer page history
- Cheapest paid step
- Plus $10/member/month monthly (yearly saves up to 20%)
- Best free for
- An individual or two-person team that wants docs, wiki and tasks in one place
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · notion.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Unbeatable for a solo user; for a team the unpublished block cap is the wall, and Notion does not say where it is. Scored on what the page states.
7W
WrikeUS · task and project management with board and table views on web, desktop and mobile, no cardFree foreverNo caps stated · basic viewsNo card76⌄
- What’s free
- Free: web, desktop and mobile apps, project and task management with assignments, attachments, schedule, board and table views
- Hard limits
- No user, storage or task caps stated on the page
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- Gantt, dashboards, or integrations beyond the basics (Team plan)
- Cheapest paid step
- Team $10/user/month billed annually, 2–15 users
- Best free for
- Basic task tracking for a team that does not need Gantt yet
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · wrike.com/price
Why it ranks here. The page publishes no numeric limits for the free plan, which is either generous or opaque; we score capacity on what is stated and flag the row for in-app verification. Gantt and dashboards, Wrike’s strengths, are paid.
8T
TodoistUS · the task manager: five personal projects with reminders, boards and three filters freeFree forever5 projects · 5 people/projectNo card72⌄
- What’s free
- Beginner: up to 5 personal projects, Smart Quick Add, reminders, list and board layouts, 3 filter views, 1 week of activity history, email and calendar integrations
- Hard limits
- 5 personal projects · 5 people per project · 3 filters · 5 MB uploads · 1-week history
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A sixth project, more collaborators, larger uploads, or longer history
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $5/month billed yearly ($60/year); $7 monthly
- Best free for
- Personal task lists and small shared projects, not full project management
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · todoist.com/pricing · Todoist Help Center (Pro price)
Why it ranks here. A task manager scored against a project-management job; it does its own job superbly and the cheap Pro tier is honest. The pricing page’s figures did not render, so the price is from Todoist’s help centre.
9T
TaigaSpain · open-source agile boards with unlimited public projects and one private project for three membersOpen source1 private project · 3 membersNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- Free: unlimited public projects, 1 private project with up to 3 members and 300 MB storage; open source for self-hosting
- Hard limits
- 1 private project · 3 members per private project · 300 MB private storage
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A second private project or a fourth private member
- Cheapest paid step
- $5/month per team member billed annually ($60/year); $7 monthly
- Best free for
- Open-source or public agile projects, and self-hosters
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · taiga.io/pricing
Why it ranks here. Generous for public work, tight for private: one project and three people. Self-hosting removes the caps, which the pricing page does not mention.
10M
monday.comIsrael · the work-management brand, free for two seats and three boards, no cardFree forever2 seats · 3 boardsNo card62⌄
- What’s free
- Free: work management for individuals; boards, docs and basic views
- Hard limits
- Up to 2 seats · up to 3 boards · up to 3 docs · item and storage limits not stated
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The page states start free, no credit card needed.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third seat or a fourth board; paid plans start at three users
- Cheapest paid step
- Basic $9/seat/month billed annually, minimum 3 users
- Best free for
- Solo or pair use with three boards or fewer
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · monday.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Two seats and three boards is a demo, not a plan, and the paid step has a three-user minimum. Listed because it is the most advertised name in the category.
11A
AsanaUS · unlimited tasks and projects with list, board and calendar views, now free for two seatsFree forever2 seats per projectNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- Personal: unlimited tasks and projects, list, board and calendar views, unlimited storage at 100 MB per file, status updates, 100+ integrations
- Hard limits
- Up to 2 seats per project and team · 100 MB per file
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third user, timeline or Gantt, or custom fields
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $10.99/user/month billed annually ($13.49 monthly)
- Best free for
- A solo founder or a two-person team
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · asana.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Asana’s free plan was ten users; the page now says two seats per project, and that single change moves it from near the top of this list to near the bottom. Unlimited tasks and storage do not help a team that cannot join.
12B
BasecampUS · one project with message board, to-dos, docs, chat and schedule, free for three people, no cardFree forever1 project · 3 users · 1 GBNo card56⌄
- What’s free
- Basecamp Free (Personal): one project with message board, to-dos, docs, chat and schedule
- Hard limits
- 1 project · 1 GB storage · 3 users
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- No. The page states no card is needed for the free account or trials.
- Upgrade trigger
- A second project, a fourth user, or more than 1 GB
- Cheapest paid step
- Freelancer $29/month, 3 active projects, 10 GB, up to 5 users
- Best free for
- A single small side project
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · basecamp.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. One project is the smallest container on this list; Basecamp’s free plan exists to show you the product. The $29 Freelancer step is flat-rate rather than per-seat, which suits a tiny team if you get there.
Which free project tool has no credit-card requirement?
ClickUp, Wrike, monday.com and Basecamp state that no card is needed; OpenProject, Plane and Taiga are open source. Trello, Jira, Notion, Todoist and Asana do not state a card requirement for the free plan, which we record as “not stated”. No free plan here converts to a paid one automatically.
Sort the twelve by the cap you will hit. Seats: ClickUp unlimited, Wrike unstated, Plane 12, Jira and Trello 10, Basecamp 3, Taiga 3 per private project, Asana and monday.com 2. Containers: Trello 10 boards, ClickUp 5 Spaces, Todoist 5 projects, monday.com 3 boards, Basecamp and Taiga 1 project. Gantt on the free plan: OpenProject only. Storage: ClickUp 60 MB is the number most teams hit first.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free project tool fits your situation?
Team of eight on a budget
ClickUp Free Forever. Unlimited members; keep files in Drive.
Kanban for a five-person agency
Trello. Ten boards and the cheapest upgrade.
Software team running sprints
Jira Free for ten; Plane for twelve and open source.
Need Gantt and will self-host
OpenProject Community.
Solo founder who wants docs and tasks together
Notion Free.
Personal tasks and one shared list
Todoist Beginner.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, organising tasks into projects with assignees, due dates and a board or list view a team can share. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 21 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections through the Update your free tier form.
How did we verify these free tiers?
For each product we opened the pricing page and recorded the free tier’s stated limits, the cheapest paid plan and its billing basis, and the card requirement if stated. Jira’s pricing page rendered only metadata, so its limits come from Atlassian’s support documentation and its price from a third party; Todoist’s price figures did not render and come from its help centre; ClickUp’s page shows two paid-tier naming schemes. All are flagged. Wrike and Notion publish no numeric limits for some caps, which we say rather than guess.
Prices are USD except OpenProject Cloud, which is priced in euros. The free seat counts for Asana and monday.com are as their pages state on the verification date and are lower than most published guides report. We did not run projects through these tools; the score measures the published free tier, not the product’s quality.
Frequently asked questions
Which free project management tool allows unlimited users?
ClickUp Free Forever. OpenProject Community has no cap if you self-host; Wrike publishes no user limit for its free plan.
Is Asana still free for 10 users?
No. Asana’s Personal plan now allows two seats per project and team. Teams of three or more need Starter at $10.99 a user.
Which free tool includes Gantt charts?
OpenProject Community, self-hosted. Every hosted free plan here sells Gantt or timeline views in its first paid tier.
Is Jira free?
Yes for up to ten users on Jira Cloud Free, with 2 GB of storage and community support. Plane is an open-source alternative free for twelve.
How much storage do free plans include?
ClickUp 60 MB total, Jira 2 GB, Basecamp 1 GB, Taiga 300 MB for private projects. Trello and Asana are unlimited in total with a per-file cap of 10 MB and 100 MB.
How is this different from the Best Project Management Software comparison?
This list answers ‘where can I run projects without paying’. The Best comparison answers ‘which one should I buy’. Both use the same no-sponsorship rule.
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