Ankit Prakash
No matter how much responsible you are about your work, you are bound to forget tasks now and then. It becomes tedious to manage tasks of a whole team with a large number of team members; monitoring each one’s task list view in real-time and also having a clear view as to how much progress has happened in work.
In such situations, team management apps come as a saviour. You sure must have heard of Basecamp as a project management tool, but today I am going to discuss some exclusive Basecamp alternatives.
App stores are flooded with apps that help in managing your team seamlessly.
But are all these apps worth trying?
How do you know which one will save your time and energy?
What is Basecamp?
Basecamp is a web-based project management and collaboration tool. It helps teams stay organized by assigning tasks, tracking progress, and managing communication between team members. It provides tools for file sharing, group chat, scheduling, and to-do lists. It also has a wide range of integrations with popular apps and services.
Finding Alternatives to Basecamp
I faced the same situation some 10 months back. As our number of projects and users increased, it became more difficult for me to manage tasks and track project progress, report to stakeholders , coordinate with my team members and the workload on the project managers was overwhelming.
Unknowingly time was wasted, the work speed lagged, project managers were confused, issue tracking became difficult, resource planning floundered and I found it hard to keep a track of which team member is doing what. My focus kept losing each passing day and I couldn’t concentrate on different areas of my work.
Not just me, but each team member seemed to be oblivious of what the other person is doing and which task they are working on. That being said , I wanted to have proper communication tools for transparency and unified tasks board where I can view everything at a glance.
So, we decided it’s time we start using team management apps or an apt software that can help track our progress in real-time and provide us with detailed project reports. Since the app market was already overflowing with team managing apps, based on the positive experience users shared about Basecampwe decided to start with it.
On right time 37Signals understood the need of web designer/agencies and came up with Basecamp – a clean, simple and elegant way of managing projects and collaborating with clients. I personally loved Basecamp so there was no need to start looking for Basecamp alternatives.
Frankly, $20 or so every month did not seem much compared to the services I was using. At that time I would have given my free software advice and asked everyone to use this tool even when this tool wasn’t offering any heavy discounts.
I liked that Basecamp did not try to do everything. Rather it did one thing and offered resources for the same and was perfect. But in two months’ of my experience with Basecamp , I started looking for other basecamp alternatives since it had some weaknesses.
As our projects and customers increased, I found Basecamp less useful. The one problem was, 37Signals did not try to improve Basecamp. Rather, additional services like Campfire and Highrise came into the market from them.
Some other pressing issues and limitations that forced us to looks for Basecamp alternatives and read more product review articles were-
- For using the chat services, I was asked to sign up for Campfire.
- Time tracking was missing – this feature can be availed by third party integration.
Sad that even the “New” Basecamp came with no trace of time tracking feature claiming that no one was using it. Well, we were using it to meet our goals and we loved it!
Basecamp refused to grow, but my team size was! I needed better options and other project management solution. Although I had a good experience with Basecamp but its limitations made me let it go.
18+ Basecamp Alternatives to use in 2023
While building a team during the last 10 months’ time, I tried many team management software and other basecamp alternatives with my project manager.
Here I will discuss how to pick up the best work management platform for your business. The project management tool helps teams to manage the project by breaking it into parts or sections and avoid unseen risk factors, along with their pros and cons.
I tried to find the best option for projects and task management, but honestly, nothing is perfect. I realized every work management app has its strength and weakness.
So, instead of searching for the perfect solution based on marketing gimmicks, I turned my focus on what problems I was facing with Basecamp. I started to look out for apps that will help me solve these problems first.
Hive: Intuitive, flexible, visual task management
Wrike: Powerful, customizable, streamlined project management
Asana: User-friendly, organized, versatile project tool
ClickUp: Feature-rich, user-centric, all-in-one productivity
Monday: Simple, visual, team-oriented project management
SmartSheet: Dynamic, user-friendly, versatile project platform
NiftyPM: Intuitive, collaborative, efficient project management
Podio: Customizable, collaborative, workflow-centric platform
Zoho Project: Comprehensive, scalable, integrated project management
1. TeamWork Project – Proven alternative to Basecamp
The next project management software on my list to git it a try was Teamwork Project. Why I tried teamwork as one of the Basecamp alternatives? I was browsing through review of different project management app when I chanced upon Topten REVIEWS.
There I saw Teamwork Project has received feedback or you can say verdict of 7.88 out of 10. I scrolled down the list of features and review featured against each. Hence, I decided to try Teamwork Project before anything as the price also seemed good to me.
The first thing I noticed in Teamwork Project is an entire page dedicated to a detailed comparison with Basecamp. Among its 100,000 companies mentioned like Pepsi, Forbes and EA. Here is an overview of the management features to love about this basecamp alternative:
- Sophisticated search – You just enter to search any term quite easily.
- Continuously updates iOS and Android mobile apps – These apps are loaded with the latest features.
- Time tracking option even available on the mobile app.
- Milestone Tracking – Enables to break large tasks into small achievable parts.
- Integration with 3rd Party Apps, like, Google Calendar, even Gmail and other Google applications.
- Teamwork has updated some of the features and has made the integration of the Teamwork projects and Teamwork CRM much better.
- You can also add the teamwork CRM home button to your smartphone and be updated about the details while on the go.
The best part about Teamwork is that it readily available Zapier integration, which opens up the wide integration of advanced web applications.
Teamwork’s Project free plans allow a maximum of five users, two projects and 100 MB storage space. To upgrade, you need to have a paid plan at $9/mo per user. With that, you get 300 projects and 100GB storage. They have a premium plan that is $15/mo per user, offers 250GB file space, a total of 600 projects and can add up to 100 users.
The disadvantage of Teamwork Project is that its features are price-restrictive, especially those in regards to integration with storage apps like Dropbox and Google Drive.
Update: Teamwork has launched Teamwork CRM, the new CRM makes it easy for you to manage your leads and opportunities. Once you close a deal, you’ll want to follow up and stay in touch with your customer.
2. Hive – Premier alternative to Basecamp
Hive is one more software tool like Basecamp which you should try-out for managing your team in your company. Hive project management systems have the potential with plenty of management features starting from planning and project scheduling to executing them with the team members, maintaining regular team communication, and monitoring the progress along the timeline.
Having a flexible project management system gets the job done with multiple views and actionable templates, you can quickly plan repetitive tasks. Using the intuitive interface, action cards, action lists, creating milestones and forms you can fasten up your project planning and execution and save time while switching back-and-forth the email mailboxes.
You can also share the forms and documents outside your organization, among clients, customers and more.
Built-in communication integrations with an instant messaging app like Slack and Zoom helps you instantly organize video conference and internal messaging and group chats.
File sharing with the team, teammates, partners invite for collaboration in a single project are some of the collaboration features that keep Hive head on head with Basecamp and other alternatives.
If you are already using Slack which has become a common tool for official team communication these days, Hive is a great option to consider.
Monitoring, project scheduling and tracking and resource scheduling with predictive alerts are some of the key features which make this task management tool visually quick to use within the complete team.
Upcoming management features of this basecamp alternative include 2-way email sync, meeting notes – to turn notes into actionable tasks, simple feedback loop process and approval workflows.
Update: Hive has launched Zoom notes! This Hive feature makes it easy for you to take collaborative notes, task tracking, right from within your zoom meeting only.
This Zoom notes feature help you to keep everyone on single page, updated with meeting agenda for better team collaboration. You can assign tasks, set deadlines, store private notes, team notes and track progress of team work right from Zoom meetings.
Apps and Integrations:
Hive instantly integrates with more than 1000+ tools, and also have integration available with Zapier, Dropbox, and more tools. You can immediately import existing tasks from other alternative systems like Asana, Trello, Basecamp systems – Incase you’re looking for instant migration.
For a remote working team, Hive also has apps available for iOs and Android mobile phones, along with Windows and Mac operating systems.
Hive vs. Basecamp:
While comparing this project management solution with Basecamp, Hive management features include kanban board, analytics reporting and insights, resource management, Gantt Charts, single dashboard view combining all projects, request forms and time tracking.
Hive Price Plans:
Hive price plans are pretty straight-forward, they mention one plan available at $12/user/month billed annually, or $16 billed monthly. If you have more than 20 users you need to talk to their team for their quotes.
Hive also offers its users with Workspace add ons such as proofing and approvals priced at $3/user/month + base price, resourcing at $4/user/month and so on.
| Paramters | Basecamp | Hive |
|---|---|---|
| What is good? | Manage everything from one central board. | Cloud collaborative tool Track progress through collaboration |
| What is not good? | Not many customization and branding options. | Has a slight learning curve |
| Best for | Businesses needing a centralized communication panel. | Medium-sized businesses |
| Pricing | Paid plan starts at $99/mo | Paid plan starts at $12/user/mo |
3. Wrike – Most popular alternative to Basecamp
At one point of time, I also tried the popular project management software Wrike to manage my team. The fact that Paypal, Adobe, HTC, Disney, and Nissan use this, I thought to give this Basecamp alternative a try, check the features, that may meet my team and project needs.
From Wrike, I liked the fact that resources and deadlines are moved centrally which helps project teams to align fast.
Features of Wrike are worth mentioning here are:
| 1.) Elegant and simple to understand user interface |
| 2.) Detailed time-tracking feature |
| 3.) Integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, as well as mobile apps |
| 4.) Provide Free up to five users and with 2GB storage. |
| 5.) Efficient resource allocation and management |
| 6.) Customized automated workflows |
| 7.) File widgets for efficient file management |
Wrike management software has all useful charts including, Gantt Charts, Baseline Chart and Performance Chart which shows and tracks all progress and achievements according to the plan. With great collaboration with all the team mates, Wrike also includes real time team documents editing, where everyone can collaborate on a single sheet, similar to Google Docs.
Wrike also helps to avoid confusion and uncertainty amongst the team with the help of their activity streams and @mentions feature. It also allows integrations with instant messaging apps such as Slack and Gotomeeting. Another, very different offer from Wrike, came in the form of exclusive case studies, learning resources that can help you with issue tracking and industry performance benchmarks.
All these helped me and my project manager in gaining more knowledge about our industry and at the same time eased out the learning curve.
Wrike is a great option for:
- Marketing Teams
- Creative Teams
- Project Management Teams
- Product Development Teams in a company across the Globe.
- Business operations teams
- Service professional teams
Not only this, if your company uses Google applications then, Wrike has very close integration with them, you get to:
- Easily attach documents straight from Google Drive
- Save time with Gmail gadget inside your Google account
- Integrate tasks into your Google calendar
Now only these, looking at overall feature integration of Wrike with Google Apps, we can call it a Google Project Management software Tool. Its intuitive interface and its integration with Google integrations are two of the reasons for its popularity amongst its competitors.
The pricing plan of Wrike: The free trial plan allows you to use 5 users. The paid plans of Wrike starts at $9.80 per user month for 5 GB storage and unlimited projects. You might need to connect with their help desk project manto get the enterprise plan.
Citrix, a unified digital workspace, has acquired Wrike to ease out the complexities of distributed work environments. As Citrix is a digital workspace while Wrike is a collaboration tool, combining these platforms will help leverage the potential of distributed hybrid infrastructure optimally.
Wrike AI Features:
Wrike’s project management tool now harnesses the power of AI and machine learning to improve workflows and boost efficiency.
The key features include AI-based task prioritization, sophisticated risk assessment, voice-controlled digital assistants, and the ability to digitize written documents and generate subtasks automatically. These capabilities empower users to maintain organization, focus on critical tasks, and achieve on-time project delivery.
4. Asana – Reliable alternative to Basecamp
I had heard a lot about Asana. So, I decided to try this task management tool and one of the popular basecamp alternatives. Asana is a wonderful project management alternative like Basecamp and function as a great team management app.
It allowed me to add more than one person of my team to a task, track what others are doing, mark a task finished and also create different teams as per my need. I could also create custom fields to help me create task priorities.
Management features I loved about Asana:
- User-friendly interface, easy to understand (allows you to use various color schemes to color code your task views and task boards)
- Integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, messaging app like Slack, GitHub, WordPress and many more – these are all the apps we use day and night. It makes it something very easy to get the job done on these platforms.
- Perfect for Small and Mid-size businesses; especially for growing startup like us.
- Mobile and tablet compatible – One of the most required features for flexible team.
- Social Media sharing and Time tracking feature set available
- Ability to see team members’ tasks and priorities
- Easy task management -Follow tasks and add followers to them
- Set due dates and goals – Reminder is a wonderful feature
- REST API for users to create custom-interfaces
The pricing model of Asana: Basic Model which is Free. The paid plans pricing starts at $10.99 per user per month and the business plan is priced at $24.99 per user per month both prices are when priced annually.
Asana offers open-source Chrome extension and its REST API can manage users, projects, tasks, workplaces, and stories! This Task management software serves companies like Twitter, Uber, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Rdio, NationBuilder, new york times and Airbnb.
Rosenstein from Hops & Hominy compares the working of Asana to a healthy human brain. He opines Asana is the future where coordinating collective actions will be hassle-free for every organization on earth. To Rosenstein, Asana has its heart in helping people self-actualize, help their fellow men and leverage their potential.
Asana was great for my team until the trial period expired. The paid plans seemed costly for us, since all these features I was getting by paying at Asana, I could avail them for free at Podio.
I always enjoy the drag and drop
Also, you can find my Wrike vs Asana review and Asana alternatives.
5. ClickUp
ClickUp is a powerful project management tool that stands out from Basecamp with its versatile features and flexible pricing options. With ClickUp, users can experience a seamless workflow and enhanced productivity.
One notable feature is its customizable interface, allowing teams to adapt the platform to their specific needs. This feature-rich tool enables users to create detailed task lists, set due dates, assign responsibilities, and collaborate effortlessly.
In terms of pricing, ClickUp offers a variety of plans tailored to different business requirements. The Free plan provides basic functionality, making it ideal for small teams or individuals.
For more advanced features, ClickUp offers the Unlimited and Business plans, which include features like time tracking, goals, and integrations with popular third-party apps. This flexibility allows users to choose the plan that best suits their needs and budget.
6. Monday
Monday is an all-in-one project management solution that distinguishes itself from Basecamp with its comprehensive feature set and affordable pricing options.
Designed to simplify project management, Monday provides a user-friendly interface that enables teams to streamline their workflow and collaborate efficiently. One standout feature is the intuitive visual timeline, which allows users to track project progress and ensure timely completion of tasks.
In terms of pricing, Monday offers competitive plans that cater to different business sizes and requirements. The Basic plan provides essential features at an affordable price, making it suitable for small teams or startups.
As businesses grow, they can opt for the Standard or Pro plans, which offer additional features such as time tracking, advanced reporting, and integrations with popular tools like Slack and Google Drive.
With Monday’s flexible pricing, teams can scale their project management capabilities as their needs evolve.
7. Airtable
Airtable is a versatile project management tool that offers a unique blend of spreadsheet functionality and database features, setting it apart from Basecamp. With Airtable, users can organize and track projects with ease, thanks to its visually appealing and user-friendly interface.
One notable feature is its flexible data structure, allowing users to create custom workflows tailored to their specific needs. This feature-rich platform empowers teams to manage tasks, track progress, and collaborate effectively.
When compared to Basecamp, Airtable’s pros include its robust integration capabilities, offering seamless connectivity with popular apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Trello.
It also provides powerful data visualization tools, making it easy to analyze project metrics and gain actionable insights.
However, Airtable’s cons lie in its learning curve for new users and its pricing, which may be higher compared to other project management solutions.
8. Kantata
Kantata is a powerful project management tool that stands out from Basecamp with its unique features and competitive pricing plans. One of the standout features of Kantata is its intuitive and user-friendly interface, designed to make project management a breeze.
Its seamless integration with popular third-party apps and services ensures a smooth workflow for teams.
Unlike Basecamp, Kantata offers advanced time tracking and reporting capabilities, allowing teams to accurately monitor and analyze project progress.
With Kantata, you can easily collaborate with your team members, assign tasks, and track deadlines, all in one centralized platform. Its affordable pricing plans make it a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes.
9. SmartSheet
SmartSheet, offers a comprehensive project management solution that differentiates itself from Basecamp through its unique set of features and pricing plans.
What sets SmartSheet apart is its strong integration with all CRM, providing users with seamless coordination between project management and customer relationship management.
SmartSheet allows teams to create dynamic and interactive spreadsheets, making it easy to track tasks, set priorities, and manage deadlines. Unlike Basecamp, SmartSheet offers advanced automation features, enabling teams to streamline repetitive tasks and enhance productivity.
The pricing plans of SmartSheet are flexible and scalable, accommodating the needs of small teams as well as larger enterprises, making it a versatile option for businesses.
10. Notion
Notion is a highly versatile and customizable all-in-one workspace that offers a range of unique features and advantages over Basecamp. With its flexible layout and block-based structure, Notion allows users to create customized databases, wikis, and project boards tailored to their specific needs.
Unlike Basecamp, Notion offers powerful collaboration features, including real-time editing and commenting, enabling teams to work together seamlessly.
Notion also stands out with its extensive library of templates and integration options, providing users with a wide array of possibilities for project organization and management.
However, one potential downside of Notion is its steep learning curve, as its extensive features and customization options may require some time to fully grasp.
11. Nifty PM
Nifty PM is a comprehensive project management tool that offers a range of unique features and advantages when compared to Basecamp. One notable feature of Nifty PM is its robust time tracking capabilities, allowing teams to accurately monitor and bill project hours.
Nifty PM also stands out with its integrated communication tools, including real-time chat and video conferencing, promoting efficient collaboration and eliminating the need for external communication apps.
Unlike Basecamp, Nifty PM offers agile project management features, such as sprint planning and kanban boards, which are particularly beneficial for software development teams.
However, one drawback of Nifty PM is its pricing, which may be higher compared to Basecamp, especially for larger teams or organizations on a tight budget.
12. Podio – Trustworthy alternative to Basecamp
After a few days, I started with another on my list of basecamp alternatives Podio. I was impressed with this tool for Sony uses it. Found in 2009 and acquired by Citrix 2012, Podio is definitely a fresh take on team collaboration software. I will give a quick overview of features Podio offers –
- Android, iOS, and Web-browser compatible
- Integration with Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, Zendesk, GoToMeeting and Freshbooks
- Full open API
- In-built IM and video chat for team communication
- Includes private and open workspaces
- Management of files and sharing
- GoToMeeting integrations
I immediately took a liking to this cloud-based project management software Podio. Any app that connects me to Evernote and Freshbooks, is always welcome. So, my next alternative to basecamp to try was Podio.
Although Asana promised “Teamwork with emails”, I still took a liking to Podio for its integration feature, especially its integration with Campaign Monitor, Dropbox, and Google Docs. The icing on the cake was our custom integration with Mailchimp alternative – Mailerlite.
Podio also has a freemium model. However, I would say this is where Asana out beats Podio. It offers a free version for limited access rights and functionality control to up to 5 users. After that, it is $9 per employee, per month. Asana definitely wins and I also like its price.
Pricing/Billing plan of Podio: Upto 5 Employees and 5 External Users, Try Podio for free.
13. Bitrix24 Project Management – Popular Basecamp alternative
It is a social Intranet for companies. It’s also a task management app, integrated with document sharing and time-tracking with social network apps. What it offers include blogs, calendars, files, tasks, photos, workgroups, likes, task comments, kanban boards and more! It advocates a freemium model.
Get the free version of this task management software here. You can also avail the enterprise plan or the Enterprise Version of Bitrix24.
| Paramters | Basecamp | Bitrix24 |
|---|---|---|
| What is good? | Manage everything from one central board. | Great tool having all the project management features that small to medium-sized businesses need. Help a lot with effective communication. |
| What is not good? | Not many customization and branding options. | Advanced features are not very up to the mark. |
| Best for | Businesses needing a centralized communication panel. | Small to medium-sized businesses |
| Pricing | Paid plan starts at $99/mo | Paid plan starts at $49/mo |
14. Zoho Projects – Valuable alternative to Basecamp
Break down your complex tasks into simple milestones and task lists with the capable task management of Zoho Projects. Advanced features that the project management software Zoho projects offers makes it a strong Basecamp competitor with time tracking.
Names like Techcrunch, PC World features in their customers’ list. Its integration with Dropbox and Github, along with new mobile apps makes Zoho Projects a simple Basecamp alternative. People can sign up for free versions of Zoho that too without entering their credit card details. The professional plan with Zoho projects features price is Rs. 1200 month per user.
15. Atlassian Jira – Close alternative to Basecamp
Atlassian Jira, another tool like Basecamp and its underrated competitor, has more than 23,000 consumers and a user-base of 30,000,000. LinkedIn and NASA are some of the most prominent names among others who use Jira.
This application includes Google integration, time management, and tracking features, and also has a HTML5 enabled mobile interface. Jira also has self-hosted option for a one-time price of $10 for 10 users, $3500 for 25 users and so on. If you are to use Jira on an open-source project, Atlassian will let you use it for FREE.
16. Freedcamp – Recognized Basecamp alternative
Freedcamp is touted amongst the best alternative to Basecamp as recommended by some of my fellow users. It is most explicitly cited as “the closest free alternative you will ever get to Basecamp” that helps teams to grow. With 140,000 customers at bay, Freedcamp by Enavu has Google, ABC and Chase Bank on the list.
The simple interface, integration with social platforms, browser alerts, and other group conversations and communication tool makes Freedcamp a great management tool to track your project progress. Freedcamp is free for unlimited users, but it comes with a file size limit of 10 MB that some people may not like a lot.
It has three more plans the minimalist, business plan and the enterprise plan. All of these plans offer unlimited storage, project reports, and tasks that is something that a lot of project managers would like.
17. Chanty – Efficient Basecamp alternative
Chanty is a team collaboration tool for companies of all sizes. One-on-one video calls, as well as group video conferences with screen sharing, are available in Chanty.
It also offers a task management feature with the Kanban board for managing projects. You can turn messages into tasks, assign team members and set deadlines.
Chanty is available on the Web, desktop, Mac, Android, and iOS.
Integration
Chanty integrates with third-party apps that include Trello, Asana, Zapier, Google Drive, Dropbox, Onedrive, Github, Gitlab, Bitbucket, Mailchimp, Giphy among many others.
Why do we love Chanty?
- Task management with the kanban board
- Audio/video calling with screen sharing
- Private , public , group and one to one conversation
- Unlimited searchable message history.
- 3-rd party integrations
18. Stackby – Strong alternative to Basecamp
Stackby is a management tool and one of the best basecamp alternatives that help teams and businesses to automate their projects and tasks and collaborate effectively. A powerful tool that brings in the capabilities of spreadsheets, databases, and API into a single workspace. With stackby, you can build spreadsheet-like databases with the help of pre-designed templates framework.
You can have things organized in rows and columns which is definitely an advantage for the owner or manager of all these files.
Also, for expense management, you can use their expense tracking templates. The basecamp alternative software Stackby also allows you to drag and drop both cards and panels on your Kanban view.
The best thing about Stackby is that it offers the feature that take and manage data from various sources such as sites, services, and other applications. You can gather them and put them in your pre-designed Stackby database. A layout feature allows you to organize and visualize your data and project activities as per your preference by adding your own custom fields. The paid plan starts at $5/user month and they have a scalable enterprise plan.
Comparing all alternative tools with Basecamp:
| Basecamp alternatives | Pricing | Features Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Teamwork | Teamwork offer 4 plans: Free: Forever free Pro: $10/user/mo Premium: $18/user/mo Enterprise: Contact the sales team All the pricing is based on annual billing | An easy-to-use project management tool with plenty of features that you won’t find in Basecamp. This project management tool is expensive when it comes to integrations with storage apps such as Dropbox. |
| Hive | Hive offer 2 plans: Professional: $12/user/mo Enterprise: Call support All the pricing is based on annual billing | Hive is one of those tools that is cloud collaborative providing a bird’s eye view of all the projects. It makes team collaboration easier and makes it easy to track progress. |
| Wrike | Wrike offers 4 paid plans: Free: $0 Professional: $9.80/user/mo Business: $24.80/user/mo Enterprise: Contact sales team | Team collaboration and communication features is one of the best where all team members know what the other is doing. With a single click, you know how much time is spent on a task/project. Wrike not just offers the key features of Basecamp but offers a lot more than that. |
| Asana | Asana offers 4 paid plans: Basic: Forever free plan Premium: $10.99/user/mo Business: $24.99/user/mo Enterprise: Connect with the sales team All the pricing is based on annual billing | Asana is one of the tools with key features of “task management” good for small to medium-sized teams. The free plan allows you to add up to 15 users. Not great if you’re looking for a comprehensive management tool. |
| Podio | Podio offers 4 paid plans: Basic : $7.20/user/mo Plus: $11.20/user/mo Premium: $19.20/user/mo Enterprise: Contact the sales team The pricing is based on annual plans. | Podio works perfectly if you want to do workplace automation A great option for small as well as big businesses where you get a bird’s eye view of your projects. The spreadsheet and calendar integration is not that smooth. |
| Bitrix24 | Bitrix24 offer 4 plans: Free Tier: Free plan Plus Tier: $39/user month Standard Tier: $99/user month Enterprise Tier: $199/user month | One of the best tools that offers everything that a small to medium-sized business will need to collaborate and communicate in their company. If you want to improve communication in your business without complex features then Bitrix24 is the best deal. |
While I think the above eight options are the closest collaboration tools and competitors to Basecamp, two more I think is worth mentioning as Basecamp alternatives are tom’s planner , Proofhub , Trello and Glip. Both these project management tools make communication and customization robust enough adding them to the list of best Basecamp alternatives. They offer simplicity, good support and can be used by anyone.
Mostly all of these collaboration tools are mobile compatible in nature and offer social media integrations with Facebook, Instagram, and other related platforms.
Comparison with Basecamp:
Basecamp vs. Asana
In the hunt for a perfect tool for project scheduling and management, I started with Basecamp, followed by using another alternative to basecamp over time; one by one. Here is a very first comparison of Basecamp vs Asana:
- Basecamp offers a flat rate of $99 irrespective of number of users you have. Asana, on the other hand, offers a free plan with generous features. The paid plans starts at $9.99/ month per user. So, if you’re looking for a cheaper option for a decent team then go for BaseCamp.
- Basecamp offers 500GB space and allows a maximum file size of 2 GB which is more or less enough. Asana has a different take on storage. A company spokesperson quoted “Asana doesn’t specialize in storage functionality, so instead offers integrations with cloud providers Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box. For individual files uploaded to Asana, there’s a 100MB limit per individual attachment”. But the good part is that there is unlimited file storage.
- Basecamp has a ‘master’ calendar for the whole team. Also, you can have specific project calendars. Asana hosts the option of having personal as well as project-specific calendars. Also another point worth mentioning is that Asana is quite popular amongst the tech teams for its strong project planning and tracking capabilities.
| Paramters | Basecamp | Asana |
|---|---|---|
| What is good? | Manage everything from one central board. | Key features of task management |
| What is not good? | Not many customization and branding options. | Not a comprehensive tool. |
| Best for | Businesses needing a centralized communication panel. | Small to medium-sized businesses. |
| Pricing | Paid plan starts at $99/mo | Paid plan starts at $10.99/user/mo |
Next comparison I want to do with,
Basecamp vs. Podio
- Podio provides a review of all the tasks across the workplace, unlike Basecamp which reveals the ‘To-do’ lists only. In Basecamp you will need to navigate across all the Accounts to get the status view of your task.
- In basecamp ‘Discussions’ pick up from where To-dos take leave, but sadly these are separate features. Podio has the task management features like Task comment threads and descriptions features in contrast to Basecamp.
- Basecamp definitely has its priority set to clients engaging priority, and it is perfect. Podio has a weird way of showing the “contacts”. They have something called “External Users” which are supposed to be either contacts, or clients! It is confusing, in other words.
- However much we negate emails, it ultimately boils down to one truth- emails are important. Your clients may have different systems to worry about. In such cases, emails are saviours. Basecamp does this most effectively and beautifully. The email notifications for project tracking are a seamless way to have control. Podio is a mixed bag in this case. There are a lot of features that keep project manager or the user wondering what’s happening. The lack of integration of emails for actual conversations is where Podio lags.
| Paramters | Basecamp | Podio |
|---|---|---|
| What is good? | Manage everything from one central board. | A great option for workplace automation. |
| What is not good? | Not many customization and branding options. | Calendar integration and document sharing is not very smooth. |
| Best for | Businesses needing a centralized communication panel. | Small as well as big businesses. |
| Pricing | Paid plan starts at $99/mo | Paid plan starts at $7.20/user/mo |
After Podio, let’s compare,
Basecamp vs. Teamwork Project
Well, Teamwork went on to have a detailed overview of how it has all the features that are missing in Basecamp. Starting with project boards, time tracking, , recurring tasks, task assignment of multiple people to one task, advanced privacy options- Teamwork kind of built itself keeping Basecamp in mind I think! To add to that, they also list down review from ex-Basecamp users who now use TeamworkPM. Seems like Teamwork took the Basecamp vs Teamwork bit too seriously!!
| Paramters | Basecamp | Teamwork |
|---|---|---|
| What is good? | Manage everything from one central board. | Easy to use project management tool |
| What is not good? | Not many customization and branding options. | Expensive for integrations especially with apps like Dropbox. |
| Best for | Businesses needing a centralized communication panel. | Medium-sized businesses |
| Pricing | Paid plan starts at $99/mo | Paid plan starts at $10/user/mo |
Basecamp vs. Wrike
Features available in Wrike only are:
- Can include one task in several projects
- Several projects and subprojects can be viewed on one screen
- Cross-project prioritization available
- Office files can be edited without downloading
Wrike allows you to share a single task or the whole project, while Basecamp allows you to loop-in someone in a discussion topics only via email.
While Basecamp gives Newsfeed, Wrike has-
- Allows to create Custom reports
- Time-tracking
- Hierarchy of projects
- Recurring tasks
- Gantt Charts
- Customized project Dashboard
- Task dependencies
| Paramters | Basecamp | Wrike |
|---|---|---|
| What is good? | Manage everything from one central board. | Collaboration and communication are very good. Offers features that Basecamp has in addition to a lot more features. |
| What is not good? | Not many customization and branding options. | Challenging for beginners. |
| Best for | Businesses needing a centralized communication panel. | Agencies and marketing teams. |
| Pricing | Paid plan starts at $99/mo | Paid plan starts at $9.80/user/mo |
Basecamp is good in the initial stage, but sadly Basecamp stood rooted to its original features, with no improvisation at all, and wasn’t working that well for the advanced needs of service professionals.
These are few slick tools worth noticing if you have a smaller team size or is a solo-preneur. You can also check some of these open source project management tools for small business referred by Capterra.
I hope this post has helped you in some way for sure. As we come to the end of our article I would like to ask if you know of any other alternatives? Tell us in the comments.
Questions asked before selecting the Basecamp Alternatives:
What are some of the drawbacks of Basecamp that are overcome in other alternatives?
It lacks the time tracking features for project management so you never know if the deadline is met.
No function to create your favorite list by starring your options.
Lacks some of the most basic features that other alternatives offer.
Does Basecamp offer a free trial?
Yes, you get a 30-day free trial with Basecamp.
Which is the cheapest alternative to Basecamp?
Other alternatives that will come at a cheap price or not will depend on how many users you have. As all other project management software like Wrike, trello, Hive, tom’s panner, Proofhub, Zoho projects offer price on per user month plan.
When should I check other alternatives of Basecamp?
You should check Basecamp alternatives if you’re looking for some advanced project management features like reporting, time tracking, Gantt charts, and project templates.
How much does Wrike cost compared to Basecamp?
Below are the pricing charts for both project management software Wrike and Basecamp respectively:
Wrike plans:
Free (5 users)
Professional plan (5,10,15 users) :$9.80
Business(5-200 users):$24.80
Enterprise: Customizable
BaseCamp: $99/month
Which is better, Basecamp or Bitrix24?
Bitrix24 is better than Basecamp as with Bitrix24 you get a range of features with flexible pricing options.
Does any management tool allow budget allocation?
As of now, there are not many management tools that offer in-built budget allocation but they have a range of several integrations to help you with it. Or you can take the help of the custom fields to do expense management.
How helpful are gantt charts?
Gantt charts helps to simplify a lot of complex information into an understandable format. Tools like Wrike and Teamwork provide gantt charts that offer simplicity and help to visualize everything related to a project at a glance.
Why is Basecamp used by so many people?
One of the primary reasons for Basecamp’s popularity was its ease of use and how straightforward it is to use and implement.
What is the difference between Basecamp 2 and Basecamp 3?
Basecamp 2 offers a 60-day free trial while Basecamp 3 offers a 30-day free trial. Depending on your needs you can choose the one that is apt for your business.
How many integrations does Basecamp support?
Basecamp offers integration with Slack, Gmail, trello, google calendar, google sheets, etc.
Is Basecamp value for money?
Yes, Basecamp is of tremendous value and offers a lot of features at competitive pricing. If you want to check it out for yourself try their 30-day free plan.
What is the pricing of basecamp and what does it offer?
The pricing of Basecamp business is locked at $99/ month and offers everything that includes countless projects, all features, and unlimited users. But Basecamp lacks customization options
What can you do with a social basecamp?
Basecamp for Hootsuite allows you to take action on a particular social media post by adding assignees and subscribers and adding it to a basecamp to-do list.
Is there any difference between Slack and Basecamp?
Slack is a project management and communication tool while Basecamp is more focused on projects and tasks. If you are a small business then Slack is the way to go otherwise Basecamp is a better bet.
What do you need to be able to use Basecamp?
You just need a device with a web browser and internet connection and you will be able to use Basecamp.
Is there a Basecamp app?
Yes, Basecamp comes with an app and you can use it on the web, iOS, and Android.
Which is a better option to buy Trello or Basecamp?
Trello is much better than Basecamp in terms of features, support, interface, and user experience. Although it is expensive when you compare it to Basecamp.
Does Basecamp support 2FA (two-factor authentication)?
Yes, Basecamp has enhanced security and offers two-factor authentication.
I am going to try out Wrike. During past I have tried other, liquidplanner and aceproject. Now, I’m going check for more working applications for management of my team work 🙂
Yes Kane. I recall, while I was trying out Wrike, with few people in team, they were very quick to understand the whole concept behind Project Management. And for Marketing team it turned out to be the best tool.
Another great project management tool I would like to add is Brightpod (www.brightpod.com). It takes the entire campaign planning & collaboration process online so you don’t miss anything. Do give it a try.
Thanks for the comment Himali.
I will definitely give it a try, and I can see, brightpod is specially for managing marketing projects. This will definitely interest me.
Ankit, I want you to suggest Proofhub which is great project management tool with many pro features like gantt charts, reports which other tools lack, Check it out!
Thanks for the update Mia.
I will look into this tool 🙂
What is your review about smartsheet and dapulse?
I see, dapulse has some feature similar to trello. Although, I am a big fan of Trello. It is too easy to use.
Hey White,
I am quite new to smartsheet and dapulse, will have to spend some time and then I would be able to review it 🙂
I’d like to mention Worksection here.
This project management tool is very easy to use, it’s quite simple, but it’s really powerful and comfortable tool of project management 🙂
We used Basecamp for a while but then we left it because it was really to simple, in particular we needed a powerful editable Gantt chars and some cost management. In the end we found Twproject that is really easy to use but at the same time full-featured. I suggest it to everyone http://twproject.com
Hello Sarah,
Thanks for adding your suggestion!
I will check the same 🙂
Moved from Basecamp to Bitrix24 – never looked back. Best free project management platform ever. I really liked how Bitrix24 did what neither Basecamp nor Asana, Trello, etc did – they’ve added client management (CRM), quotes and client billing in the free plan.
Thats great to hear Sam 🙂
HI Ankit,
Please check out TeamWave – Integrated suite of business apps that includes PM, CRM and HRMS. We have built a unified platform for collaboration, sales, marketing and support.
All the apps are absolutely free, no catch 🙂
TeamWave has no integration to Office 365, therefore no way to see events in Outlook calendar, get reminders about events and so forth. Same with contacts.
I don’t like Bitrix24 tech support which is non-existent but they can integrate with O365.
Thanks a lot Rudy for adding detail to this 🙂
Hey Preetish,
Thanks for the update. I am looking through the tool Teamwave, it appears promising.
For something that does everything for you in one, easy to use tool, try SuiteDash at https://suitedash.com
Project Management is just the beginning with this app, it also has lots of other business management tools like Invoicing, time tracking, contracts, internal chat, etc…
Our team uses it every day, and they’re adding new features almost every week.
Hey Coca,
Thanks for introducing SuiteDash.
I am going through this tool, and it looks promising. Keep up the great work 🙂
Hi, if cost isn’t an issue, which would be the best ones out of those above mentioned?
Hey Jason,
Asana and Podio are great Basecamp alternatives.
I agree with Ankit’s summary that there’s no silver bullet application out there so I think your starting point needs to be what are your current pain points and which tool can best alleviate them.
For most teams of a medium size I’d say you can break down their basic needs into the following areas:
1) Project Task Lists
——————————————–
These are the quickest and easiest way to define the tasks needed to get a project done.
2) Project Tracker (Gantt)
——————————————–
Helps to estimate timelines at the outset and keep a track on overall progress.
3) Schedule (Task Calendar)
——————————————–
A way for project and team managers to see who is doing what and when. This view should allow you to see the bottlenecks where you’ve got too much work on.
For individuals this view should give them a detailed view of what they’ve got on that week.
4) Time Tracking
——————————————–
Without time tracking your ability to track progress on projects will be extremely limited. Also your ability to bill for work done will be finger in the air stuff.
5) Simplicity
———————————————
Many of the more powerful tools out there – e.g. Wrike and Mavenlink – for me fall into the trap of over-complexity and tend to overlook some of the basics that the like of Basecamp do so well.
So when assessing Project Management tools I would use these as your base level requirements and anything else is a bonus.
Now, here comes the good news. I’ve spent the last four years using project management tools and being frustrated in one area or another so decided to setup my own company and build a tool that does cover the 5 key points above.
You can try it for FREE at http://www.workstack.io
Hey Spencer,
The application looks great have good UI and features. Let me try the application 🙂
Great – the product is in BETA so new features are coming online all the time.
If you have any queries just let me know and I’d be happy to help you out.
Cool!
Ankit, you would also like to check https://gridle.io
It is just not a project Management Tool, but also adds collaboration, unified communication, file sharing and analytics.
So no need to manage other tools along with Basecamp, while most basic but important tools are part of default features at Gridle.io.
Communication, File Storage & Sharing, Responsibility Assignment, Calendar, Work Progress & Monitoring, Reviews & Reporting And Task Management all at one place.
Meaning, no different tool for each of the above. No Fuss. No Hassles.
Also, it has a great offering of $1000 of Free Credits for Startups: https://gridle.io/pricing
Thats great to hear Prasanjit 🙂
Hi,
Which is best if you need something with many users? Say, more than 50?
And cost would also be a factor since we’re a non-profit.
Adding to Prasanjit. Gridle is free for non-profit organisations.
Thats great to hear Hitesh.
Staci you must give https://gridle.io a sure shot try. It is way cheaper and easier than Wrike
Hey Staci,
Looking at your requirement, I must say you should give Wrike a try.
Just found this article on Twitter as we are currently searching for a project management tool. We are testing several tools, and so far I can recommend http://www.stackfield.com! It’s really easy to use and offers features like group chats, tasks, file management and a calendar for each project!
@ankit Which one you recommend?
Rajeesh, it depends on your number of team members you have in your team.
Wrike and Teamwork are great alternative and then Asana, Trello are also good.
Great article. It is really interesting to see what other people are using, For couple of months I have been using Basecamp Alternatives which is Asana, reason why I drop basecamp is that Basecamp is not a genuine venture administration application yet rather more like a To-do rundown or errand administration item.
Thanks for the detail Eric!
It depends on what you are looking for, there are many good Basecamp Alternatives listed here already. However, if you are using Basecamp tool for product management, you may want to check out Asana as my company have been using this without any issues!
How are Basecamp and its alternatives helpful for your business? Basecamp and its alternatives like Asansa, Podio, Teamwork etc help you to efficiently manage your business processes. These management apps help you to build a proper plan for your projects thereby giving you an opportunity to effectively utilize time and resources.
Thanks for the comment Kimberly 🙂
However, after two years of use, I realized that Trello does not match completely. It had its flaws and I decided to start a startup and make a tool for collaboration as I see it. Two months ago, I wrote documentation, describing the features outlined in UX to programmer – developer less wandering. We did, and two working meetings to discuss about everything.
@Ankit Prakash Take look at this tool
Hey Olivia,
Thanks for the link!
I will check this shortly.
It is perfectly human instinct to start looking for an alternative, but it is all the more true in the field of technology. Similar is the case with Basecamp, I have myself got frustrated with it regarding different issues, one of them being tracking of time against estimate.
Thanks for the comment Kelly and great to hear about your view on Basecamp.
I hope, you should have found better alternatives to be used in place of Basecamp.
I liked Basecamp in general, but the price for several projects seems to high for me. Right now I’m trying out a new piece of PM software, deskun (https://deskun.com/). I like it so far, it quite easy to use and provides the features I’m looking for (multiple projects, delegation and low price). Have you heard anything on it, Ankit?
Hey Glen, I have checked deskun earlier too; but it is more for the end users who use Gmail as their primary mailbox.
Hi Ankit! I’m even more confused, to be honest. You said Asana’s freemium model is great but once its over we can switch to Podio but then you suggest Asana better again in comparison with it.Too many contradictions in your comparison of asana and Podio. How would you sum it up?
Marilyn, Asana is free up to certain number of users and tasks, whereas Podio is based on number of users and projects to be added. This is the major difference Podio and Asana.
How is this most updated version of Basecamp? Is it worth trying? I’ve read enough criticism of Basecamp otherwise, that it has failed in delivering on task and time management.
ANkit, Basecamp was a great product for business, but now there are many more alternatives available, which are far better when compared to Basecamp.
I have been using Asana for quite a long time and for me it is the best in terms of functionality and usability. It provides Google drive integration which is very useful and is free for a team of 15 people. This makes it quite a good pick for startups who are just beginning with their venture.
Arc 9 is a great alternative to base camp as it combines all the features of traditional tools like dropbox, vimeo and even basecamp. You can use it for videos, images and everything else without any hassle. It also allows you to invite clients to view your work and give feedback in any form whether visual or textual.
Thanks fro the suggestion Janet.
The basecamp for me is super easy to use. You need not be tech savvy in order to use and setup Basecamp. The only problem that I find is no integration with Dropbox or Google drive thus you need to upload the files manually.
Thata great to hear Theresa 🙂
Nice Information. Very well explained. Using a project management tool could really help in managing Projects, team and time! It indeed is very important to choose the right tool. I use proofhub for managing my projects and tracking time. It’s a great management tool. I’d recommend you to try it too!
Thanks for the comment Shweta.
I like Basecamp, but Trello is the better option for me. I found it when I was looking for project management tools on https://alternatives.co, and I haven’t used any other app since.
Wrike has enhanced their mobile app capabilities that I really liked. The users can now see the stream of ongoing tasks in their inbox, get redirected to the specific task by tapping on the push notification and view their work in offline mode. Wrike updated their calendar and added several features with it. Do you know how it is different from their previous version and how it can help to improvise my team efficiency? Can you please provide a quick overview of the Wrike smart calendar to let me better understand its benefits.
Yes Laura. Wrike has improved a lot since my last review. Their new mobile app is a must for all business team mates.
Being a top-notch project management tool, ProofHub is a great Basecamp alternative that is helping professionals to eliminate various project management woes. It acts as one place for your projects and team communications. It is an all-in-one project management software for your growing business needs.
I’d like to add Nifty PM (niftypm.com) here. Nifty is an all-in-one workflow management solution that centralizes, standardizes, and automates project reporting with real-time team and client collaboration. Nifty PM is a great alternative that ranks #1 on Product Hunt for project management.
That’s great Sky!
I will be going through this.
Ankit, if you were to recommend the best wallet-friendly option for startups with 25-50 people, what reservations would you have in recommending Freedcamp over Teamwork and Wrike?
Hi – I’m surprised with this article – that it’s dated JANUARY 7, 2019 but you don’t mention Basecamp3 – which has resolved ALL of these items you list.
Please update this review?
Thanks!
Bryan (an avid Basecamp3 user)
Hey Bryan,
Thanks for the prompt update. The team will be updating this blog within a couple of days.
Great list, great insights… Just need to apply it now ! Thanks for sharing. At Zenkit, we created our own free online tool along with an article on teamwork.
Whenever it comes to project management software I always get stuck between Wrike and Asana without thinking about any other.But, after reading your informative article it seems like there are several others that are worth trying. Thanks for enlightening me with so much information.
I was using basecamp for the past few years but it becomes expensive in some cases. I was looking for alternatives and stumbled on your article. It is quite an impressive post and provides me with sufficient information about other alternatives to try out.
What about 5pm (www.5pmweb.com) and smartQ (www.getsmartQ.com)
Thanks for suggestion; Chanty is a productive chat tool that facilitates easy communication between team members, this tool allows team members to chat with each other, it’s easy to use, it’s fast, and it supports unlimited messages.
Welcome Andrews 🙂
I like the ease of using Chanty. Chanty is a favorite software for our work groups because it’s easy to use and doesn’t require advanced technical skills. The quality of the video is much better than other similar apps I’ve used before. It’s better than the voice calling apps on my phone.
Thanks for the detail Olive.
I like the fact that I can change the format of the tasks in a second from Teamwork. After the project has been created, the next step is to create assignments and tasks. Next thing, next thing. The tool can be used to improve comprehension. Projects can be completed in a short amount of time. Monitoring time spent on a project helps to account for customers It took us a long time to understand how the tool works. We took a long time to get the right tools. I don’t like the beginning of the software.
Welcome Olive!