Best Project Planning Software For Mac

If you want to redesign your home or office, we’ve taken a look at the very best home design software for Mac in 2019. Whether you want a straightforward floor planner to map out an office layout or desktop interior design software for your Mac to create the home of your dreams, you’ll find a tool here to fit.

It’s important to be aware from the start that there’s a difference between floor planning tools and interior design apps.

Floor planning apps like the excellent SmartDraw are for exactly that – mapping out layouts for offices, real estate, homes etc.

Home design software such as the impressive Live Home 3D go much further however and allow you to visualize interiors in 3D, choose materials and even do Virtual Reality walkthroughs in some cases.

There hasn't been a Mac version of Microsoft Project since Project 4.x (Project 97) and today, Microsoft Project for Mac does not exist. There are some workarounds to use Microsoft Project on a Mac, like using an emulator or virtual machine to run Windows applications, like Parallels or VMWare (for more information on running Microsoft Project on a Mac, check out these 5 ways to run Windows on Mac ).

There’s also a difference between Cloud based apps i.e. those that are online and can be used in any browser and desktop software that work specifically on Mac. We’ve made it clear in these reviews which are Cloud based and which are desktop apps.

The important thing to bear in mind is that whereas almost all interior design tools also do floor planning, most floor plan software doesn’t do interior design.

However, floor planners have the advantage of being simpler, faster and usually cheaper if you don’t need all the features of a home planner.

We’ve made it clear in the reviews below what each tool is designed for to make it easier to choose the right app for your needs.

Note that if you’re looking for more technical CAD software suitable for professional architects, you may be better reading our guide to the best CAD software on Mac instead.

Although some of the apps here are suitable for landscaping, we also recommend checking out our look at the top landscaping software for Mac as this area has its own specific demands and requirements.

With this in mind, here then are the best floor planners and home design software for Mac in order of ranking.

1. Live Home 3D (Home Design – Desktop)

Live Home 3D (formerly known as Live Interior 3D) is a powerful but easy to use home design software for Mac desktops.

The interface to Live Home 3D is perfect for beginners to floor planning as it’s so clear and logically laid out without being overwhelming.

The graphics in general are also superb with high quality 2D objects and highly realistic 3D rendering. You can design in 2D and 3D with a selection of furniture and objects from the vast Trimble SketchUp 3D Warehouse which allows you to download thousands of objects and models.

You can switch between 2D and 3D at any time and with no waiting around to see how your floor plans look close up. Just click on “Walk” at the top of the interface to walk through your new office or home design.

The overall attention to detail in Live Home 3D is amazing with around 2,100 materials to choose from – if the building material exists then it’s probably in Live Home 3D. If an object isn’t in the library, you can also import them in Wavefront .OBJ format.

There are Arc Wall and Straight Wall tools for different shapes and you can easily drag and drop doors onto the walls to add them into your floor plans. You can also share designs directly to social media, as well as export to PDF, JPG, PNG, TIFF and HEVC encoding for making high quality videos.

Even more impressive is that you can export to USDZ format which means you can view any piece of furniture, a room or an entire house in AR using iOS Quicklook on your iPad or iPhone.

Live Home 3D is also very hot at keeping-up with the latest Macs and versions of macOS. It’s the only floor planning software for Mac we’re aware of that is optimized for using the Touch Bar in the latest MacBook Pros.

It’s also fully integrated for saving to iCloud and to take advantage of 64 bit architecture in the latest versions of macOS. Live Home 3D also supports the Dark Mode in the latest version of macOS Mojave.

Live Home 3D is available in two versions – Standard and Pro but the Standard version is very basic. For serious home design, we strongly recommend Live Home 3D Pro as it includes essential features like unlimited floor levels, furniture and impressive full HD walkthroughs.

You can also buy 600 additional add-on materials such as different types of carpet, wallpaper and bricks for a small fee.

You can find full details on Live Home 3D pricing here and there’s a 30 day money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with it.

There’s also our full review of Live Home 3D for a more detailed look.

You can watch how to create a floor plan in Live Home 3D below:

2. SmartDraw (Floor Planning – Online)

SmartDraw is a remarkably slick and easy to use online 2D diagramming software that’s excellent for creating 2D floor plans and blueprints.

Note that unlike Live Home 3D, SmartDraw is Cloud based so there’s no desktop app and costs $9.95 per month.

SmartDraw used to be a Windows only application but the release of SmartDraw Online Edition (formerly SmartDraw Cloud) means that Mac users can finally use it too in any browser.

SmartDraw Online feels like something that was designed for macOS which isn’t surprising since the developers created it mainly using Macs as a user friendly alternative to Visio in mind.

SmartDraw is extremely slick, easy to use, logical and makes it very easy to draw floor plans on Mac. One of the things that’s really impressive in SmartDraw is the sheer number of templates available.

There are literally thousands of templates including a huge number of ready-made floor plans which you can customize very quickly.

The other really clever thing about SmartDraw is that it automatically snaps objects and shapes into place to keep floor plans neat and symmetrical.

This is surprisingly time-saving rather than having to manually align and adjust shapes. If you want to import Visio floor plans on your Mac, SmartDraw will also import Visio VSD and VSDX files and it’s the only tool for Mac that can export to the latest Visio 2016 VSDX format if you want to send it to a Visio user.

Most recently SmartDraw’s floor planning tools have has been updated to make it easier to:

Set angles just by typing
Show the distance between a corner and openings like doors and windows
Print the grid
Adjust dimension lines
Adjustment walls easily
Improve the rotation of shapes attached to walls

You can get started now with SmartDraw for free to judge for yourself.

You can also read many more reasons why we like it in our review of SmartDraw.

3. Lucidchart (Floor Planning – Online)

Lucidchart is another easy to use cloud diagramming software that makes designing floor plans very easy on all platforms.

Lucidchart is similar to SmartDraw although it has a Chrome extension which allows you to work offline as well. Although it has less templates than SmartDraw, it still has plenty to complete most diagramming tasks quickly and easily.

There are several Floorplan templates that you an customize and adapt for your own designs. You can also import and even export to Visio format although you’ll need a Team subscription or higher in order to do this.

Lucidchart also has an iPad app which allows you to create floor plans on the move (see our review of the Lucidchart iPad app for more).

Overall, Lucidchart is a simple, convenient and fast way to draw floor plans on macOS.

You can read more in our Lucidchart review and you can also sign-up for a free account.

You can watch an overview of how to create a floor plan in Lucidchart below:

4. Homestyler (Home Design – Online)

Homestyler was originally made by Autodesk, the makers of the industry leading AutoCAD for Mac software and was an incredibly powerful floor planning software for Mac and PC.

It discontinued the product in 2017 but it has been continued as a somewhat lighter version under Chinese ownership by Easyhome.

The surprising thing is that Homestyler is still completely free to use but still feels like a professional floor plan app. The only requirement is that you sign-up for an Easyhome Homestyler account.

The latest version of Homestyler has recently been given a facelift with a new interface that’s streamlined and more responsive than the old Flash based one.

Creating floor plans in Homestyler is simply a case of dragging and dropping elements in your web browser. You can add small details like grass, gravel and water elements to add realism to your floor plans. It even allows you to import and export DWG files.

When it was owned by Autodesk, Homestyler could even provide pricing for your mock ups although unfortunately that is no longer possible. However, the new owners have added some interesting touches such as 3D walk throughs, an enhanced furniture library and mobile apps with Augmented Reality.

These allow you to take a photo of a room and then start decorating it with products immediately from the Easyhome catalog which really brings things to life.

You can also share designs made in Homestyler to social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc.

It’s really amazing that Homestyler is a free application and if you just want some fun redesigning your home, you can’t do much better.

5. Floorplanner (Floor Planning – Online)

Floorplanner is a very slick dedicated online floor plan software that makes creating floor plans or redesigning your home fun. Floorplanner is designed with beginners in mind that need help creating professional and striking floor plans on Mac.

Floorplanner conveniently snaps items and objects into place to keep your designs both geometrically correct and tidy with minimal effort. There are even convex tools to help you create complex rounded walls and dividers in floor plans.

Like Homestyler, you create designs in 2D but you can render them in 3D. This is a really nice touch as it allows you to better visualize what your floor plans will look like if you were standing in the room.

The good thing is that you can use Floorplanner for free although this only entitles you to one saved floor plan. You then need to pay $4.99 for each additional floor plan or you can pay $14.95 which entitles you to 5 floor plans per year with additional floor plans at $2.99 each.

The Pro version is $29.99 per year and gives you 15 floor plans and additional floor plans $1.99 each plus it allows you to brand floor plans.

Floorplanner is great for beginners and professionals alike and although it’s not the cheapest floor planning software for Mac, it’s probably worth it for those serious about creating professional floor plans.

You can watch Floorplanner in action below:

6. Roomle (Floor Planning – Desktop)

Roomle is a very attractively made 2D and 3D room planning app for Mac and iOS that makes it very easy to create floor plans.

Roomle is very slick and extremely well thought out making it easy for beginners to floor design to create professional and attractive looking floor plans.

Roomle is free to use although you need to register in order to save designs, send directly via email and work on more than design at once.

For professionals or furniture buyers, there are also business packages available.

Roomle has a surprisingly minimal interface with very few visible tools.

Roomle puts a big emphasis on walls and floors giving you full control over the thickness, material and type of walls and floors in your designs.

You can very easily change floorings, wall colors and drop furniture from Roomle’s extensive catalog of objects and materials.

The smart thing about Roomle is that it’s integrated with the furniture catalogs of major manufacturers such as Ikea, Samsung and Vitra meaning you can use (and purchase) objects from these brands in your designs.

You can plan in both 2D and 3D and use the 3D orbit view to get a birds eye or ground level view of how your floor plan would feel like for real.

There is less detail in the 3D view compared to most of the other floor planning apps for Mac featured here

The export options are limited – there’s no DMG support for example and you can’t share directly to social media but you can save floor plans in JPG format.

You can also print them directly from your browser or the Roomle iPad/iPhone app. The Roomle iOS app is one of the best mobile floor planning apps we’ve tried allowing you to pretty much everything you can do in the web version.

There’s even a Roomle Viewer VR app which allows you to view rooms with any VR viewer on iPhone.

Considering Roomle is completely free to use, it’s an amazingly accomplished floor planning app for Mac users.

You can see Roomle’s impressive 3D walk-through in action below:

7. OmniGraffle (Floor Planning – Desktop)

OmniGraffle is easily the best desktop diagramming software designed specifically for Mac and an excellent alternative to online floor plan software.

OmniGraffle is designed specifically for macOS (there’s no Windows version) so it naturally looks and works great on Macs.

OmniGraffle is extremely powerful and is a popular alternative to Visio on Mac although you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version ($199) to get Visio import features and advanced diagramming tools.

However, the Standard version of OmniGraffle is more than enough to create floor plans.

OmniGraffle has a limited number of templates but the good thing is there is a mini-industry of user-generated OmniGraffle templates and stencils out there, many of which you can download for free.

Check out our review of OmniGraffle for Mac for more.

You can also watch how to create a floor plan in OmniGraffle below.

8. ConceptDraw Diagram (Floor Planning – Desktop)

ConceptDraw Diagram (formerly ConceptDraw Pro) is a professional drawing tool which is suitable for creating complex diagrams of all types including floor plans and building designs.

ConceptDraw has a wide variety of templates for things such as office layouts, piping and instrumentation diagrams, heating and ventilation systems, air conditioning (HVAC) and emergency exit plans.

You can also just have a bit of fun with it such as map out the floor plan for the apartments in Friends but at $199, it’s an expensive tool to just indulge in a bit of doodling.

However, if you’re looking for an all purpose diagramming tool or an alternative to Visio for Mac users, it’s definitely worth taking a closer look.

You can check out our full review of ConceptDraw Diagram for more.

You can also try a free trial of ConceptDraw before buying.

9. SketchUp (Home Design – Online/Desktop)

SketchUp (formerly Google Sketchup) has evolved from a free online 2D design tool that was once owned by Google to a very powerful 2D and 3D modelling software that produces professional floor plans.

SketchUp might look familiar because it’s used by Chip and Joanna Gaines in the HGTV show Fixer Upper.

SketchUp was known as Google Sketchup until 2012 when Trimble Navigation bought it and turned it into a powerful, professional 3D architectural software.

The professional version of SketchUp is SketchUp Pro which is a professional tool costing $299 per year and there’s a more limited version SketchUp Shop which costs $119 per year.

However, there is also a basic free version for non commercial use called SketchUp Free which works online allows you to model in 3D for free with a generous 10GB of online storage.

There are also far fewer floor plan templates in the non Pro versions of Sketchup to get you going although it’s very easy to create them from scratch. One thing that Google SketchupPro really excels in is furniture and objects – there’s an enormous database of 3D models of just about any type of furniture or object – for chairs alone there are 35,000 choices.

SketchupPro isn’t cheap at $695 but it’s a very powerful professional floor planning and interior design tool. There are many SketchupPro video tutorials to help you get started and you can watch how to get started with Sketchup Pro below:

10. Ikea Home Planner (Home Design – Online)

It’s hardly surprising that furniture giant Ikea has gone into the world of floor planning software and Ikea Home Planner is Ikea’s way of helping you re imagine your home (and then buy its furniture of course).

Ikea Home Planner is actually a plugin for Chrome, Safari and Firefox that allows you to create floor plans in your browser.

Although it’s nowhere near as advanced as most of the other software featured here, it is completely free to use and fine for creating simple mock-up floor plans.

Ikea Home Planner allows you to place objects around a floor space to rearrange your home in 2D and 3D. The smart thing is you can “look” around the room at ground level in 3D mode to see exactly how your new home design would feel.

Of course, because it’s an Ikea product, you can get pricing for all of the objects so that you can order them in store or online where available.

Of course, you are limited to objects and furniture in the Ikea catalogue although as anyone that has been to an Ikea will know, that’s pretty extensive. It’s also limited to lounge and kitchen floor plans.

You can watch Ikea Home Planner for Mac in action below:

11. Sketch (Floor Planning – Desktop)

Sketch is a beautifully designed digital design application that’s mainly aimed at user interface and UX designers but it can also whip-up some pretty good floor plans.

Some of the companies that use Sketch for web design include Google, Apple and Facebook so that gives you an idea of how highly rated it is.

Although it’s not cheap at $99.00, it’s definitely worth a closer look if you’re a UI or UX designer or if you like your apps designed specifically for Mac.

Sketch is Mac only and features state-of-the-art boolean operations, multiple pages and boards and makes things quick and snappy when working on multiple projects with symbols and shared styles.

You can see how you can use Sketch to design floor plans when one Sketch user decided to redesign her apartment using it. She even created a useful free Sketch floor plan template to save you time creating your own.

There’s also a growing collection of free Sketch plugins created by the devoted Sketch community to enhance your floor plans. You can try a free trial of Sketch before deciding whether it’s the right floor planning software for you.

12. Sweet Home 3D (Home Design – Desktop/Online)

Finally there’s Sweet Home 3D Which seems to have been around forever on Mac.

Sweet Home 3D is a free interior design application for Mac which allows you to create 2D and 3D floor plans. Sweet Home 3D is unusual in that it has both a Mac desktop client and a web version.

However, unfortunately we can’t recommend using Sweet Home 3D anymore because both the web version and Mac desktop client use Java.

There are too many problems with Java on OS X, not least that it’s impossible to uninstall Java on Mac that it’s not worth the hassle anymore. Apple is gradually phasing out support for Java and so we don’t recommend going for a Java based solution like Sweet Home 3D when there are so many other options available.

You can see Sweet Home 3D in action below:

Mac Home Design & Floor Plan Software Checklist

There are a few things to be aware of when choosing home design software on Mac.

Most of the best floor planners and interior design software for Mac is online and although some have already moved to HTML5, the majority still use Adobe Flash. It’s therefore recommended to use Google Chrome rather than browsers such as Firefox or Safari as it tends to perform better and be more stable with Flash based software. Although Firefox and Safari both work with Flash, they are more prone to block elements especially if your version of Adobe Flash needs updating. Chrome generally works better with Flash and is faster and more responsive when running Flash based applications such as floor planning software.
Avoid Java based home design software on Mac. There are simply too many problems with Java on Mac, not least that its impossible to fully uninstall Java from Mac. Although there isn’t much floor planning software on either Mac or PC that still uses Java, Sweet Home 3D still does and is one of the most popular which we mention at the end of these reviews.
Floor planning software doesn’t need to be expensive. The great thing is that some of the best software for creating blueprints on Mac is completely free to use. Homestyler and Roomle are perfect examples of professional 3D floor planning software for Mac which are professional interior design software for Mac which don’t cost a cent. Others like Live Home 3D are produce high quality results and are very reasonable priced at around $30 while most of the rest use a subscription based pricing model. Some like Floorplanner offer freemium versions which limit you to just one saved floor plan and then charge you for each additional floor plan you create. The days of needing expensive CAD software or dated apps like HGTV Home Design For Mac are gone.
Although VR is still a fledgling technology when it comes to floor plans, it’s ideal for doing walk-throughs of 3D floor plan designs. So far however, only Roomle supports VR with a VR Viewer app for iPhone which works with any VR viewer. This is likely to change though as more floor planning apps embrace VR on Mac.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, there’s some really excellent and free floor plan software for Mac out there both desktop and online.

If you want a floor plan or home design software with a Mac desktop client,Live Home 3D is slick, easy to use and makes interior design fun.

If you’re in a hurry and just want a 2D floor plan with nothing to download or install, you can’t do much better than SmartDraw for its huge number of floor plan templates, ease of use and slick interface.

For professional floor planners, we’d have to say Homestyler is the best as it’s made by the same makers of AutoCAD for Mac, is incredibly powerful yet is totally free to use.

Roomle is an excellent intermediate option and far more accessible for those starting out in floor design plus it has the best mobile apps for iPad and iPhone of any floor plan software out there.

Finally, Floorplanner is also really well done but it can be expensive as you have to subscribe to a monthly subscription fee and doesn’t offer any major advantages over the other floor planning software for Mac featured here.

If you have any comments, experiences or suggestions for other floor plan or interior design software on Mac, let us know in the comments below.

What Is Project Management Software?

Teams that have to handle multiple projects can't simply rely on human memory to keep them all organized. Furthermore, trying to keep everything together via email is a recipe for productivity disaster. To deliver projects on time and within budget, teams must write down information, plot deadlines, and share documents. Individual members need to be in constant communication with one another. When your team needs to get serious about managing projects, the solution is to use project management software.

Project management services are online systems for working and collaborating on projects. These real-time workspaces let team members and outside partners keep an eye on every detail that brings a project to fruition. They typically provide an overview of all the projects in the pipeline, as well as the nitty-gritty details about the daily work being done to move the projects forward. Some contain tools for managing resources as well, whether those resources are workers, materials, or money.

The very best project management apps help teams handle common problems, such as slipped deadlines, by automatically rescheduling tasks that are affected by them. They generate reports that give managers insight into which team members have too much—or too little—work on their plates. Many track time spent on projects and integrate with invoicing and billing systems.

The most important thing to know about project management apps, as opposed to other kinds of work-management apps, is that they are for projects. That might sound like a tautology, but it's important.

Projects are a specific type of work. Every project has a start date, end date, and deliverable. Building a house is a project. Launching a new website is a project. Maintaining a website, however, is ongoing work with no clear beginning or end date. Publishing a monthly magazine is a project that you complete once a month. Writing daily content for a blog is ongoing work. You could, theoretically, manage each blog post as its own project, but if the turnaround time is quick and only a few people are involved, using full-scale project management software is overkill.

How Project Management Apps Work

Many projects are managed by a dedicated project manager, and that's true even with software equivalent. While a project manager might still be the person overseeing the project and helping to redirect resources as needed, she or he is not the only person touching the project management app.

All kinds of people involved with the project use the app to update their progress on assigned tasks. They check into the project management app to, for example, see their designated tasks and to enter how much time they spent on an assignment. Employees, contractors, and sometimes even clients can use the project management app to share documents, sign off on plans, and so forth.

In a best-case scenario, every milestone, task, and subtask is assigned to a specific person and given a deadline. Typically, other team members can see who is responsible for what, whether that person is on track to complete it on time, and if there are any unanswered questions about the job. That level of insight is important because it alerts people who are further down the planned chain of events of possible delays before they occur.

Free Project Planning Software

Having visibility into every team member's task list is also useful for understanding whether people are falling behind because they're overworked. When you can see that a colleague has six task assignments all due within the next 48 hours, it's easy to spot the problem and redistribute the work before deadlines slip. By looking at a Gantt chart (a pretty common feature in project management apps), for example, a manager can see clearly who is doing what, and how various tasks are related, too. It helps everyone use available resources more effectively.

Projects also usually have assets, which range from a detailed description of the project and its parts to a visual mockup. People on the project team all need access to these assets, and the project management app becomes the central place where they live.

Many project management solutions include storage space so that your team can upload files right into the workspace, where everyone on the team can see and discuss them. It's also common for services to have an option to connect to third-party online storage services, such as Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive, so that team members can link or upload files to the project management system from the repositories they already use.

Free Project Management Tools

A few project management software systems have free versions, but they are generally quite limited. The primary limitation is the number of projects you can manage (think one or two), although sometimes a service might restrict the amount of storage space you get or prevent you from using certain features.

Almost all project management apps have, at a minimum, a two-week free trial. When a free trial has a time limit on it, we don't count it as having a free tier of service. To us, free means you get to use it forever with no charge, even if there are some tight restrictions.

While it's helpful to try out software for free while you decide whether to upgrade, most businesses, in the end, will need (or want) the features and space allotments that come with paid accounts. Still, it's often helpful to try a product for longer than a couple weeks before deciding whether it's right for you, your team, and the work you all do.

Which project management system has a free version? Teamwork Projects, Zoho Projects, TeamGantt, and ProofHub all do (although ProofHub's free account isn't advertised online and you have to contact the company to request it).

Free trials often come with other limitations, which we've listed in the Price section of the complete reviews; the reviews are linked in the table above and the in the short capsules below.

Collaboration Software

Although it may sound similar in concept, collaboration software is a little different from true project management software. While you do collaborate in a project management app, project management software is something much more specific.

Collaboration software comprises many different kinds of apps and services that handle everything from video conference calls to letting two people type on a document at the same time.

Modern project management services often include native communication and collaboration tools. They may also let you connect to the collaboration apps that your team already uses, such as Slack or Google Docs.

Whether you use the integrated communications tools or connect to an outside one, the idea is that your team can log into one workspace and have everything they need to get work done at hand, including a prioritized to-do list, all the necessary assets, notes from other colleagues, a calendar of deadlines and milestones, and a place to ask questions and find answers. Some project management apps even offer billing and expense tools, too.

Workflow Software

Earlier we mentioned that project management apps are designed for managing projects, but not other kinds of work. What kind of work isn't a project? Any kind of ongoing work fits the bill, such as fixing bugs as they get reported or answering support calls. Ongoing work often is marked by recurring tasks.

For ongoing work, people often talk about using workflow management tools rather than project management apps. Workflow management software and project management apps have considerable overlap in what they do from a theoretical standpoint. They both help groups of people write down what needs to be done and figure out when to do it. Project management apps, however, provide structure for ushering the work along its course, whereas workflow management apps are more flexible. With workflow management, you often have to decide how to use the tool. That's not usually the case with project management apps, which have a more prescribed use.

Workflow management is tricky to classify because sometimes it's handled as a standalone issue and sometimes it's rolled into other apps. Editors' Choice Asana, for example, handles workflow management pretty concretely, as do kanban board apps—more on these below. But all-in-one work hubs, such as Podio, can include workflow management tools if you add them to your account. They can also have full-scale project management applications inside them, too. But workflow management isn't necessarily the core of the service, and neither is project management. Those are just apps you can add to your account.

Kanban board apps are another kind of workflow management software. Kanban can be described as a style of working. It comes from Japan, and it was traditionally used in manufacturing for just-in-time delivery. These days, kanban apps are popular among software development teams. Kanban is typically a visually oriented system that is particularly good at controlling how much new work a team takes on before the current batch of work in progress is complete. The idea is to keep work flowing smoothly by not overloading workers with too many competing mandates. Some businesses do use kanban to manage projects, but kanban apps aren't really project management apps.

Task Management Software

Task management software is slightly different from project management software. Project management apps do include task management features in them, but you can get standalone task management apps if that's the only piece you really need.

One of the clearest examples of a task management app is Asana, which, confusingly, is also a very clear example of a workflow management app, as mentioned above—one with kanban functionality, to boot. With Asana, you can assign tasks to specific individuals, and add descriptions, deadlines, and attached documents to each one, but they aren't necessarily part of a larger project.

Task-management apps work pretty well for ongoing work. You can manage a project in Asana, but it takes a little more work on your part to do so. The best way to explain it is with an analogy.

Think of Asana (any kanban app) as a deck of cards. Now think of a project management app as a board game. Board games have with rules, and the game is usually the most fun when you play it as it was designed to be played. With a deck of cards, however, you can play a game someone else invented or you can make up your own game. Before you play cards, you have to make sure everyone at the table knows the rules and plays by the same rules, because they aren't written down on a handy sheet of paper for you all to follow.

The same thing happens when you start using a task management app. You have to spend a lot of time figuring out how you're going to use it. On the one hand, it's very flexible. On the other hand, it can take considerable trial and error to get it right.

That's not to imply that project management systems are inflexible. With a board game, you could certainly make up your own rules or create variations on the rules. But you buy a board game with an understanding that it works best when you use it for its intended purposes. You use a project management app with the understanding that you are going to manage projects by assigning tasks and deadlines, monitoring work, tracking billable hours, and so forth.

Project Management for Small Business

Many small businesses turn to project management software because they're overwhelmed by working in email. The right project management platform can help kill email, but know that it won't happen overnight. It takes time for employees to learn the software, and for your organization to figure out how best to use it for the projects you have.

Small business and enterprises have very different needs, however, and it's important to find the project management tool that best fits your business.

Best Mac Project Management Software

One tip-off as to whether a project management solution is better suited for small companies or large enterprises is how they charge. Project management platforms that can support enterprises typically have a per-user-per-month fee structure, while those that cater more to very small businesses often charge a flat monthly rate for a set number of licenses or for unlimited licenses. And it's not that a very small business can't or shouldn't use the same software that the big players use, but sometimes it's overkill, and who wants to get stuck paying for features they don't need?

Another differentiating factor is whether the project management platform has many permissions levels. For instance, these services can have different permissions levels for executives, portfolio managers, project managers, and team members. Having such hierarchical roles can ensure that each person in the organization has the right level of access. In a very small business, where each employee wears a lot of different hats, permission levels might not be as advantageous.

Best Simple Project Management Software For Mac

There are other differences, too, aspects you'll want to consider for your particular business, team structure, and style of working. The summaries below will guide you toward finding the right service for your organization. When you're ready to get the full story on a particular service, click through to read an in-depth review.

What's Not Here?

Best Project Management Software For Mac 2017

We review far more project management software than we can fit into a story like this. Plenty of well-known services, including the very popular Basecamp, Microsoft Project, and Workfront are not currently in our list. There's only room for the 10 best here, and those services (and others) simply don't make the cut. Rest assured, however, that we update this story frequently, and the rankings change as the services themselves do. If you're looking for service that's not in this story, please visit our project management product guide, which includes more services than can fit in this story.

Best Free Project Management Software

Best Project Management Software Featured in This Roundup:
Zoho Projects Review

MSRP: $25.00
Pros: Rich communication features. Generally easy to set up and use. Responsive. Great value. Deep configuration options. Time-management tools let you clock multiple tasks at once.
Cons: Resource data displayed in an unusual way. Not ideal for large teams.
Bottom Line: Zoho Projects has a low price, straightforward interface, and excellent array of features. It's a top choice for small businesses.
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LiquidPlanner Review

MSRP: $45.00
Pros: Rich tracking and resource management. Unique dynamic features. Drag-and-drop simplicity. Responsive site.
Cons: Expensive. Time-intensive to learn. Interface design could use a refresh. No invoicing or billing included.
Bottom Line: LiquidPlanner is an impressive online tool for managing projects, tasks, workers, and their time. Though expensive, it's one of the best project management apps on the market.
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Teamwork Projects Review

MSRP: $11.25
Pros: Simple and intuitive design. Optional kanban boards. Integrated calendar. Free account available. Great customization options.
Cons: No PDF or image markup tools. Gantt charts slightly cramped.
Bottom Line: With an extensive set of features and intuitive interface, Teamwork Projects is one of the best services for managing projects.
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Celoxis Review

MSRP: $25.00
Pros: Includes billable hours, income projection, and resource management tools. Ample reports. Useful task timer. Great value.
Cons: Cannot view or mark up attachments in app. No free version.
Bottom Line: For medium or large organizations, project management app Celoxis offers plenty of helpful tools for tracking projects, time spent on task, and financial resources.
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GanttPro Review

MSRP: $7.00
Pros: Well designed interface focused on Gantt charts. Custom fields for tasks. Kanban board view. Critical path feature and baselines. Saved history for undos. Permission levels.
Cons: No reporting tools, in-app timer, or customizable dashboards. Light on integrations.
Bottom Line: GanttPro is an excellent project management tool for small teams that just need the basics, such as Gantt charts. It lacks the reports, timers, customizable dashboards, and other tools found in more mature services, however.
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ProofHub Review

MSRP: $50.00
Pros: Clear interface. Quick and easy setup. Nice balance of features and simplicity. Competitively priced.
Cons: Lacks budgeting tools. No recurring option for tasks. Slow. Occasional interface annoyances.
Bottom Line: Project management app ProofHub aims for simplicity without skimping on major features. It's an excellent app with a competitive price for small businesses.
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Redmine Review

MSRP: $0.00
Pros: Free. Open source. Customizable. Includes time estimates, dependencies, Gantt charts, project wikis.
Cons: Requires self-installation and maintenance. Support limited to community docs.
Bottom Line: Redmine is a free open-source project management app focused on issue- and bug-tracking challenges. It's a great tool if you have someone on hand who can install and maintain it.
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TeamGantt Review

MSRP: $14.95
Pros: Intuitive, easy way to get into Gantt charts. Exceptional tutorial content. Reasonable price.
Cons: Doesn't update in real time. Lacks in-app notifications. Limited integration options for third-party tools.
Bottom Line: Highly intuitive for beginners, TeamGantt is an excellent project management app for small businesses. It could use improved communication tools, however.
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Wrike Review

MSRP: $24.80
Pros: Easy and quick setup. Intuitive to use. Tidy interface. Great feature set. Can be used to manage projects or ongoing work.
Cons: Most valuable features limited to Business-grade accounts. Timer difficult to find.
Bottom Line: When you need a project management and collaboration solution in a hurry, turn to Wrike. You can set it up quickly, and integrate it with many other apps and services.
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Mavenlink Review

MSRP: $39.00
Pros: Full-featured project management platform. Rich with features. Stable. Open API. Robust permissions levels. Excellent Smart Snips markup feature.
Cons: Can get expensive for small businesses. No mobile apps; mobile-optimized website only. No chat app or other bonus communication tools. Website could be easier to navigate.
Bottom Line: Online project management platform Mavenlink could be a good fit for midsize to large organizations, but it can get expensive for small businesses.
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