🗂️ project management · 7 paid apps · 14 free alternatives
Free alternatives to
project management software.
We indexed 7 paid project management subscriptions costing $81/mo ($971/yr) combined and mapped them to 14 genuinely free and open-source alternatives.
Paid project management Apps vs Top Free Alternatives
7 SaaS bills you can cancel
| Paid SaaS App | Monthly Price | Vibe-Code Verdict | Top Free / Open-Source Replacements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asana | $13.49/mo | core only · fork it | |
| Basecamp | $15/mo | core only · fork it | |
| Jira | $7.91/mo | core only · fork it | |
| Shortcut | $10/mo | core only · fork it | |
| Smartsheet | $12/mo | core only · fork it | |
| Trello | $12.50/mo | core only · fork it | |
| Wrike | $10/mo | core only · fork it |
Top Free & Open-Source project management Tools
14 distinct tools · sorted by coverage & stars
The enterprise project suite; free in money, expensive in menus
Linear-and-Jira-shaped work tracking without the subscription; the stack behind it is not small
Project tracking, time sheets, Gantt, and wikis from the era when software admitted it needed configuration
A full project tracker for ten people; user eleven is where JetBrains remembers billing
A small-team project suite that remembers goals and timesheets, not just tickets
Scrum and kanban without Atlassian archaeology; reporting and integrations are thinner
Tasks, docs, chat, calendar, and files; hosted Huly died in July, so this is self-host or nothing
Airtable-shaped tables, forms, kanban, and automation; AI is where the upsell begins
Trello's boards without Butler, upsells, or anyone else holding the database
The actual product, self-hosted: formulas, relational records, forms, and views in one small workspace.
Spartan kanban that is finished, not fashionable; maintenance mode means only fixes
Airtable's database half with public forms and your own disk underneath
Projects, discussions, files, calendars, milestones, and time tracking in one enormous self-hosted office
A polished self-hosted Trello clone; the free edition keeps the core board-and-card job intact
project management Open-Source FAQ
What are the best free alternatives to project management paid tools?+
The top free alternatives to project management software are OpenProject, Plane, Redmine, YouTrack. Across this category, there are 14 verified free tools (12 open source) that replace 7 paid SaaS products.
Which paid project management apps can be replaced with free alternatives?+
You can replace Asana, Basecamp, Jira, Shortcut, Smartsheet, Trello, Wrike using free and self-hostable alternatives, saving up to $81/mo ($971/yr) in combined subscription fees.