Best Mobile Project Management Apps in 2023
If you travel a lot for work, or frequently find yourself in places without Wi-Fi, then a project management mobile app is a must. To help you make a decision, we’ve compared and contrasted some of the best project management mobile apps by a variety of criteria.
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Top project management mobile apps comparison
Besides affordable pricing, you want to make sure that your project management mobile app for individuals has certain key features. Here are some of the features to look for when comparing project management mobile apps.
Offline useMultiple project viewsTeam collaborationForever free planPricing AsanaYesYesYesYes$10.99 per person per month monday.comYesYesYesYes$8 per person per month TrelloYesYesYesYes$5 per person per month SmartsheetNoYesYesYes$7 per user per month ClickUpYesYesYesYes$7 per user per month NotionNoYesYesYes$8 per user per month WrikeYesYesYesYes$9.80 per person per month Asana: Best for offline use Image: Asana
Not all project management mobile apps support offline use, but Asana does. Even if you don’t have an internet connection, you can still check your notifications, comment on tasks, change due dates or assignees, complete tasks and more. Once you reconnect to the internet, the tasks will sync so that the rest of your team can see the changes you made. It even keeps a tally of the actions you make offline, and the count goes down as the changes sync.
Figure A
The Asana mobile app. Pricing Basic: $0 per user per month for up to 15 people. Premium: $10.99 per user per month billed annually, or $13.49 per user per month billed monthly. Business: $24.99 per user per month billed annually, or $30.49 per user per month billed monthly. Enterprise: Contact the sales team for a custom quote. Features Multiple project views available. Workflow builder helps standardize task execution. Document storage and management. Advanced reporting and analytics. Pros Mobile app available for offline use. Great task management features. Free plan allows unlimited projects and tasks. Integrates well with third-party tools. Cons No native time tracking. No Gantt chart/timeline view on the free plan. Advanced security features only available on the Enterprise plan. Not suitable for projects with complex dependencies.
For more information, read the full Asana review.
monday Work Management: Best for full functionality
Image: monday work management
Some project management platforms have a mobile app, technically, but it provides extremely limited functionality. monday Work Management stands out for offering a mobile app that offers almost all the same features as the desktop version. You can create boards, communicate with your team, receive notifications, manage your account and more — all using the mobile app. The desktop version is also great, offering a full slate of features to satisfy even hard-to-please power users.
Figure B
The monday mobile app.
Pricing Individual: $0 for up to two seats. Basic: $8 per seat per month billed annually, or $10 per seat per month billed monthly. A free trial is available. Standard: $10 per seat per month billed annually, or $12 per seat per month billed monthly. A free trial is available. Pro: $16 per seat per month billed annually, or $20 per seat per month billed monthly. A free trial is available. Enterprise: Contact the sales team for a custom quote. Features Prebuilt automations for project management workflows. Many different data visualization options. WorkForms tool lets your team customize and share surveys. Easy data import function. Pros Offers comprehensive functionality. Unlimited documents on all plans. 200+ templates available. Great selection of integrations. Cons Must upgrade to a Standard account for Gantt chart views. Must upgrade to a Pro account for time tracking. Advanced features present a high learning curve. Free plan limited to only two people.
For more information, read the full monday review.
Trello: Best for affordability
Image: Trello
It’s not always easy to translate kanban boards to the smaller dimensions of a phone screen, but Trello has managed it with its mobile app. Not only is it easy to create and navigate kanban boards in the mobile app, it also offers excellent offline functionality — such as creating new boards, adding cards and attaching pictures. And with paid plans starting at only $5 per person, Trello is one of the most affordable project management software for freelancers.
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The Trello mobile app.
Pricing Free: Up to 10 boards per workspace. Standard: $5 per user per month if billed annually, or $6 per user per month if billed monthly. Premium: $10 per user per month if billed annually, or $12.50 per user per month if billed monthly. A free trial is available. Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month when billed annually. Features Intuitive kanban boards. Built-in automation tool called Butler. Choose from card, board, timeline, table, calendar, dashboard, map and workspace views. Good selection of native integrations. Pros Unlimited file storage on all plans. Unlimited users on the forever free plan. Seamless syncing with other Atlassian products. Completely transparent pricing plans. Cons Free plan limited to 10 boards per workspace. Project management features aren’t as robust as some competitors. Limited customization options. Reporting tools could be improved.
For more information, read the full Trello review.
Smartsheet: Best for mobile app exclusive features
Image: Smartsheet
Smartsheet’s mobile app includes multiple features that you can only get on the mobile app; they’re not in the desktop version. With Smartsheet’s mobile app, you can use your GPS to enter your location into a sheet or form field and scan a barcode or QR code to update or search for sheet data. You can also take a photo with your device, edit it and upload it directly to a sheet or form submission. However, you will still need to use the web app for other tasks, such as building automated workflows and creating dashboards.
Figure D
The Smartsheet mobile app.
Pricing Pro: $7 per user per month billed annually, or $9 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available. Business: $25 per user per month billed annually, or $32 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available. Enterprise: Quotes are available upon request.
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Features Choose from grid, Gantt chart, calendar and kanban board project views. Build flexible, automated workflows for repetitive tasks. Library of 280+ templates to choose from. Document storage and management included. Pros Mobile app offers exclusive features. Spreadsheet-inspired interface will feel familiar to many users. Build your own app in the low-code WorkApps tool. Free plan supports up to 100 automations a month. Cons Free plan only supports two sheets. Some features are add-on only. Document storage limited to 500MB on the free plan. Grid interface can feel outdated compared to some alternatives.
For more information, read the full Smartsheet review.
ClickUp: Best for creating and updating tasks
Image: ClickUp
The ClickUp small business project management mobile app makes it easy to create new tasks or update existing ones. With the ClickUp app, you can also comment on tasks, assign work to team members, track time, check and clear notifications, edit custom fields, create notes and view the dashboard. However, you will need to use the desktop interface for other tasks, such as using whiteboards or Gantt view.
Figure E
The ClickUp mobile app.
Pricing Free Forever: $0; best for personal use. Unlimited: $7 per user per month billed annually, or $10 per user per month billed monthly. Business: $12 per user per month billed annually, or $19 per user per month billed monthly. Enterprise: Quotes are available upon request. Features More than 15 project views. More than 1,000 integrations. Built-in team chat messaging tool. Create documents, wikis and knowledge bases. Pros Interface is colorful and easy to navigate. Free plan allows unlimited users. 24/7 customer support for all plans. Excellent customization options. Cons Some users report occasional performance issues and lags. Can present a learning curve due to the number of features. Storage for the free plan is limited to 100MB. Must use the desktop app for a number of actions.
For more information, read the full ClickUp review.
Notion: Best for note taking
Image: Notion
If you’ve been taking notes in Google Docs or the Notes app, it’s time to upgrade your life with Notion. Notion is a digital collaboration tool that combines simple task and project management with note taking and wiki creation so that you can centralize everything in one app. It’s not suitable for managing extremely complex projects with lots of dependencies, but it will suffice for many people’s needs.
Figure F
The Notion mobile app.
Pricing Free: No cost plan with limited features. Plus: $8 per user per month billed annually, or $10 per user per month billed monthly. Business: $15 per user per month billed annually, or $18 per user per month billed monthly. A free trial is available. Enterprise: Custom quote. Features Wiki and document creation. Customizable templates for different workflows. Multiple project views available. Pros Simple and well-organized user interface. All-in-one productivity tool. Invite up to 10 guests on the free plan. Excellent community support. Cons Offline use is extremely limited. No Gantt charts. No time tracking. Not suitable for managing complex projects.
For more information, read the full Notion review.
Wrike: Best for power users
Image: Wrike
If you’re managing complex projects and need a project management mobile app that can handle it, try Wrike. It definitely presents a steep learning curve, but it can manage complex projects and dependencies for those willing to master its features. The mobile app makes it possible to monitor the status of your tasks and projects, access your reports and documents and collaborate with teammates in real time.
The Wrike mobile app.
Pricing Free: $0 per user per month. Team: $9.80 per user per month. Business: $24.80 per user per month. Enterprise: Quotes are available upon request. Pinnacle: Quotes are available upon request. Features Subtask management included on all plans. Automations available on paid plans. Folder hierarchy keeps documents organized. Voice assistant interaction available on mobile app. Custom request forms. Risk predictions. Billing and invoicing tools. File and video proofing. Forecast and visualize project risk with the analytics tool. Resource management features. Pros Well organized and designed interface. Suitable for complex project portfolio management. Extremely powerful features and customizability. Premium security and data privacy features. Cons Free plan limits the number of active tasks. Team plan only supports up to 25 users. Must upgrade to Business plan for time tracking and template creation. Learning curve is very high compared to alternatives.
For more information, read the full Wrike review.
Key features of project management mobile apps Offline use
Some mobile apps offer extremely limited use if you don’t have an internet connection, or no function at all. This is a big drawback if you need to get work done without Wi-Fi, such as when you’re on a business flight. If you frequently find yourself without an internet connection, prioritize project management mobile apps that can be used offline.
Mobile functionality
Some project management platforms offer a mobile app, technically, but it only has a few features, forcing you to move to a desktop if you want to get any real work done. Other software offer a robust mobile app that offers most of the same features as the desktop and web app versions. Some others, such as Smartsheet, even provide extra features that are only available on the mobile app.
Task management
Any good project management mobile app should let you take care of basic task management. You should be able to create new tasks, assign tasks to workers, update the task status and change the categories using the mobile app. The app should also display upcoming tasks and notifications in an easy-to-find place.
Project views
The best project management mobile apps offer multiple project views, allowing you to view them as calendars, cards (kanban), grids (spreadsheets), timelines (Gantt charts) and more. Some platforms limit certain project views to higher tier paid plans, so keep this in mind as you compare platforms.
Team collaboration
Switching to a different app to chat with work colleagues is especially annoying when you’re on a mobile app or tablet, which makes it difficult to have multiple windows open at once. Fortunately, many of the best project management mobile apps offer chats, comments and other communication tools. This keeps everything centralized and makes it easy to talk with coworkers while you get work done.
How do I choose the best project management mobile app for my business?
When choosing the best project management mobile app for your needs, first consider how much you will be using the mobile or tablet apps. For instance, if you plan to be on desktop 80% of the time and mobile the remaining 20%, then a less robust app may not hinder you that much. If you plan to be on mobile the majority of the time, however, then you need to prioritize the app’s functionality.
When testing a free account or free trial, don’t only use the desktop or web app — download the mobile app on whatever device you plan to use it on and take it for a test drive. Be sure to also test the app on airplane mode to figure out how much you can get done when you’re offline.
If you travel a lot for business, definitely try to use the app during a trip before committing to an annual plan. You can always opt for a month-to-month plan first if the free trial period isn’t long enough to test a paid plan. If the plan works for you, then you can switch to an annual subscription later to save some money.
Methodology
We reviewed these project management mobile apps based on a number of criteria, including pricing, ease of use, user interface design and the steepness of the learning curve. We also weighed additional features such as offline use, document management, automation, project views and templates. We also evaluated these platforms by consulting user reviews and product documentation.
