Pick the right project management tool for your marketing team.
Looking for the best marketing project management software for your team? You've come to the right place.
Marketers work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines, complex collaboration, and data-guided decision-making. Here, the right project management software can make all the difference. But with hundreds of options available, finding a tool that seamlessly aligns with the unique demands of marketing projects can be challenging.
In this article, we've compiled a comprehensive list of the best project management software that is well-suited for marketing teams and departments. We will explore the key features, benefits, and drawbacks of each tool, helping marketing professionals make an informed decision.
Marketing requires a tool that handles both creative thinking and strategic execution. This tool should not only help you manage projects effectively but also be a good fit for the collaborative, dynamic nature of marketing work.
While there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to marketing project management software, there are several key considerations that can guide your decision-making process:
Task tracking: Marketing projects involve numerous tasks and deadlines. You need a system that allows you to break down projects into tasks, set deadlines, and track progress efficiently.
User-friendly interface: Complex tools hinder productivity. Opt for software that's intuitive and user-friendly, minimizing the learning curve and ensuring swift adoption by all non-technical team members.
Collaboration: Marketing is a collaborative effort. Look for software that facilitates easy communication and real-time collaborative editing to streamline teamwork.
Easy file sharing: Marketing means dealing with an avalanche of files – graphics, content, campaign materials. Choose software that facilitates seamless sharing and storage of files relevant to the projects. Integrations with popular file-sharing services (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) can also be helpful.
Integrations: Your project management tool should seamlessly integrate with other marketing tools for a cohesive workflow.
Mobile accessibility: Marketers are often on the go. Mobile accessibility allows team members to stay connected and keep track of projects, tasks, and updates from anywhere.
While there may not be a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to marketing project management software, there are many great options to choose from. Some of them are fairly simple, while others are packed with complex features and customization options. Some are designed for smaller marketing teams, while others are best suited for large marketing agencies. Some are dedicated project management tools, while others cover many additional use cases.
The best choice ultimately depends on your team's unique workflow and requirements. To make your evaluation process easier, we've put together a list of the best project management software for marketing teams and agencies, based on real reviews.
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $6/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.7/5
Nuclino can be a great project management tool for marketing teams due to its streamlined design and versatile features. It's simple, intuitive, and clutter-free, ensuring that even non-technical team members can quickly get the hang of it without dealing with a steep learning curve.
Yet despite its simplicity, Nuclino offers a range of powerful features. One of Nuclino's standout features is its ability to organize marketing projects in multiple ways, from Kanban boards to mindmap-style graphs. Fields make it easy to track additional information about every project, such as its due date, assignee, priority, and more.
But Nuclino goes beyond basic task tracking. Each card on the board is its own long-form document, where team members can contribute ideas, outline campaign strategies, add to-do lists, embed visual assets, and finalize content — all within a single, cohesive platform.
All content in Nuclino can be collaborated on in real time, with all changes saved automatically and preserved in the version history, like in Google Docs. You can also easily exchange feedback directly in Nuclino using comments and mentions.
And while Nuclino can be used exclusively as a marketing project management tool, there is much more you can do with it. You can set up your marketing knowledge base, documenting important information, such as your content guidelines, SEO checklists, and best practices. You can track your social media schedule, plan content for your blog, manage growth experiments, and much more. Nuclino's balance of simplicity and versatility makes it the perfect tool for all your marketing team's needs.
What users say about Nuclino:
"Nuclino, first and foremost, is EXTREMELY easy to use. The GUI is self-explanatory, with a clean and modern front end. A positive experience from top to bottom."
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $10/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.5/5
Trello is first and foremost a digital Kanban board. It can be a good fit for a marketing team due to its user-friendly interface and flexibility. Marketers can easily create boards for different campaigns, events, or ongoing projects. The drag-and-drop functionality of cards makes it simple to move tasks through various stages, from planning to execution. Team members can quickly grasp the status of tasks and identify bottlenecks.
Trello integrates well with other tools commonly used in marketing, such as HubSpot, Mailchimp, Hootsuite, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack.
While Trello may lack the advanced features of more complex project management tools, its simplicity and ease of use make it an effective choice for marketing teams looking for a straightforward solution to keep projects organized and on track.
Looking for more tools similar to Trello? Check out this list of Trello alternatives.
What users say about Trello:
"I use Trello to manage projects in a very busy marketing office. The ability to easily assign tasks, see progress, and have all of this shared by a group is tremendously helpful. The simplicity of the user interface is great, along with the playfulness of the app."
Pricing: Starting from $5/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 3.9/5
HubSpot, founded in 2006, started as an inbound marketing and sales platform, gradually expanding its suite of services. While HubSpot is primarily known for its marketing automation capabilities, it also offers project management tools within its ecosystem. Teams can easily assign tasks, set deadlines, and communicate within the platform. The tool also allows users to track time spent on tasks, providing valuable insights for project evaluation and resource allocation.
HubSpot stands out among other marketing project management software because it brings project management into the same platform where marketing campaigns are planned and executed, without the need for separate tools. It's a solid option for large and growing teams.
What users say about HubSpot:
"I love that I can create a task for any member of the team and go online and check the status of a project based on the notes left by each member. Any member of the team can jump in to close an opportunity. It is a very useful program."
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $4/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.6/5
Todoist was originally designed to serve as a personal task management tool, but over the years it has been adopted by teams across various domains, including marketing. It's not flashy, but its practical features make it a dependable choice for marketing project management.
Todoist offers all the basic features needed for managing marketing projects. You can create projects, organize tasks within them, and set deadlines. Tasks can be assigned priority levels, helping marketing teams focus on high-impact activities.
There are also several unique features that make it stand out. For example, the app uses natural language processing to simplify task creation. Additionally, Todoist gamifies the task management experience, keeping users motivated and engaged with Karma points and streaks.
Looking for more tools similar to Todoist? Check out this list of Todoist alternatives.
What users say about Todoist:
"I've first used Todoist as a personal task tracker, and seen it evolve into a more powerful platform. I gave it a test with my company (marketing agency and also an investment fund) and used it with my team. I am very pleased about all its easy integrations, very straightforward UX, and a complete help center with a lot of information to help you right configuration."
Pricing: $15/user/month or $299/month for unlimited users
Rating on Capterra: 4.3/5
Basecamp is a project management tool that has been around since 1999. It's a straightforward and user-friendly platform that provides a centralized space for marketing teams to collaborate on projects, share files, and communicate.
Basecamp offers features like to-do lists, file sharing, message boards, and scheduling tools. It helps keep tasks organized and ensures that everyone on the team is on the same page. The message boards allow for threaded discussions, making it easy to track conversations related to specific campaigns or projects.
One notable aspect is its flexible pricing model which allows you to choose between per-user and flat-rate pricing. Unlike tools with tiered pricing based on features, Basecamp's pricing is simple and offers all paid features under one plan.
Looking for more tools similar to Basecamp? Check out this list of Basecamp competitors.
What users say about Basecamp:
"Our marketing team was the first to implement Basecamp, and, eventually, the benefits to project management were so evident that most of our company uses the platform—from R&D to technical support. The application is quite intuitive, requires very little training for use, and offers multiple ways to communicate: private messaging, group chat, and message boards."
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $10.99/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.5/5
Asana is a project management tool that's gained traction among marketing agencies for its flexibility and powerful workflow automation features. Marketing projects often involve tasks that are dependent on each other. Asana's automation enables automatic task triggering once a dependent task is completed, ensuring a smooth workflow without constant manual oversight.
Another notable feature of Asana is its Timeline view that allows you to visually plan and track project progress over time. This view is particularly useful for scheduling campaigns and ensuring timely execution.
Looking for more tools similar to Asana? Check out this list of Asana alternatives.
What users say about Asana:
"Asana is a great platform for designers and marketing teams but may not be the perfect solution for more business and finance-oriented individuals. Asana feels like an upgraded Basecamp and Zoho with pretty visuals, fun integration, and task/priority management in a nutshell. We currently use it for marketing projects internally and it is being used daily which has been helping workloads and making sure that the team is aware of what is going on."
Pricing: Starting from $5/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 3.9/5
If you prefer Microsoft products, then Microsoft Planner can be a great marketing project management tool for you. It integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft applications like Teams and SharePoint. If you're used to Microsoft tools, the interface of Planner will feel familiar and make it an easy fit for your marketing team.
Microsoft Planner uses boards to organize tasks, allowing marketing teams to categorize assignments, campaigns, and projects visually. You can attach files directly to tasks and use threaded comments to exchange feedback with your team members.
Planner also provides a quick overview of task progress with charts and visual indicators. This feature is valuable for marketing managers who need a snapshot of project advancement and potential bottlenecks.
Looking for more tools similar to Microsoft Planner? Check out this list of best Microsoft Planner alternatives.
What users say about Microsoft Planner:
"I have really enjoyed using Planner for what it is — basic project and task management. Super simple to use and with a good range of functionality, Planner is a light project management tool that is an important part of the Office 365 suite."
There are many other great project management software solutions that deserve an honorable mention, including MeisterTask, Zoho Projects, Toggl Plan, and more.
This list is by no means exhaustive — the market for project management software is remarkably crowded and competitive. Attempting to definitively rank them would be subjective, given the diverse needs of marketing teams and agencies. Ultimately, the best choice depends on the specific needs and preferences of the marketing team. Whether it's the simplicity of Nuclino, the budget-friendly pricing of Basecamp, the versatility of Asana, the Microsoft integration of Planner, or the comprehensive approach of HubSpot, the key is to make sure the project management tool you choose aligns well with your marketing workflow.