Permanent free project tracking plans

10 free project tracking tools—and the limits to test first

Separate permanent free plans from trials, then test users, projects, records, files, automation, dashboards, permissions, history, and export before moving real work.

A free plan is useful when it can run today’s project and makes tomorrow’s upgrade trigger visible. “Free trial” and “permanent free plan” are not the same promise.

Free-plan stress test

Test the limits that interrupt a real project

Do not stop at “free forever.” Add the work your team actually needs.

Add the fifth teammate

A workable free plan

The team can still assign, review, and collaborate on current work.

Upgrade signal

The free tier is personal-only or reaches its collaborator cap.

Create a second active project

A workable free plan

Projects remain separate with usable views and reporting.

Upgrade signal

Project, board, base, or workspace limits force a workaround.

Collect one request or update form

A workable free plan

Submitted data enters the same project record and workflow.

Upgrade signal

Forms, submissions, or external access require an upgrade.

Automate one overdue reminder

A workable free plan

The current quota supports the expected monthly volume.

Upgrade signal

Automation limits are too low for the team’s update frequency.

Open a management dashboard

A workable free plan

The dashboard shows current data and opens the project details behind each result.

Upgrade signal

Dashboards, filters, history, or permissions sit behind a paid tier.

Ten permanent free starting points

Review what each free plan is good for—and what to verify

Every profile links to the current official pricing page. Recheck the plan before moving production work.

Product information checked 2026-08-28. Open each official source to confirm the edition and limits that apply to your team.

01

Jodoo

A five-person pilot that needs intake forms, linked project records, workflow, role views, dashboards, and room to reshape the process.

The current free plan publishes five users, 20,000 data records, 10,000 automated actions per year, and unlimited apps within usage limits.
Estimate how quickly projects, actions, updates, evidence, and reminders will consume the shared record and automation allowances.
Official product information
02

Asana

A two-person team that wants tasks and projects in list, board, and calendar views without configuring a database.

The Personal plan currently includes two users, unlimited tasks and projects, status updates, and core project views.
Dashboards, forms, custom fields, rules, and larger-team collaboration require a paid tier.
Official product information
03

monday.com

Two teammates testing a visual board-based workflow with only a few active workspaces.

The free edition currently supports up to two seats, three boards, and three workdocs.
Count the boards needed for separate projects and confirm which views, automations, integrations, dashboards, and permissions sit above Free.
Official product information
04

ClickUp

A team that values unlimited tasks and members more than file storage, forms, and advanced administration during the pilot.

Free Forever currently lists unlimited tasks and members, Kanban boards, calendar, one form, and 60 MB storage.
Upload representative evidence and test how the one-form, storage, custom-field, dashboard, integration, and automation limits affect the workflow.
Official product information
05

Trello

A small team whose project can remain a simple card flow with clear stages.

Free currently includes up to ten collaborators per workspace, ten boards, unlimited cards and Power-Ups, and 250 command runs per month.
Dashboard, Timeline, Table, and Map views are Premium; also test the 10 MB per-file limit with real project evidence.
Official product information
06

Notion

An individual or small group combining project notes, documents, and lightweight database views.

The free workspace is a practical way to test connected documentation and a simple project database.
Invite the actual collaborators and test page history, guest access, file uploads, charts, automations, permissions, and exports before standardizing.
Official product information
07

Airtable

A very small team that wants relational project tables, views, and forms as a flexible prototype.

Linked records make it possible to separate projects, milestones, actions, and owners without starting with a fixed project suite.
Model expected records, attachment volume, automation runs, editor seats, interface access, history, and extensions against the current Free limits.
Official product information
08

Wrike

A team testing essential task and project coordination before adopting request, reporting, resource, or governance controls.

The free starting point can demonstrate Wrike’s core folder, project, task, and collaboration model.
Test the exact intake, dashboard, custom-field, automation, storage, workload, and permission capabilities needed by the pilot.
Official product information
09

Zoho Projects

A small team already using Zoho that needs a limited project-and-task pilot.

The free tier provides a direct way to test projects, milestones, tasks, and ecosystem fit.
Confirm the current user and project caps plus storage, timesheet, automation, reporting, dependency, and portfolio availability.
Official product information
10

Teamwork.com

A small client-services team testing delivery work, client context, and basic collaboration.

The free option can expose whether Teamwork’s client-project model fits before commercial and workload features are added.
Use a real client project to confirm the current user/project allowance and the boundaries around time, workload, forms, automation, reporting, and financial features.
Official product information
What usually breaks first

Compare free-plan constraints by the job they interrupt

A limit matters when it prevents an update, handoff, review, or export—not just when the number looks small.

ConstraintImmediate effectUpgrade trigger
Users or collaboratorsA teammate cannot update or review assigned workThe core project team exceeds the permanent free allowance
Projects, boards, bases, or workspacesTeams combine unrelated projects or archive useful historyThe current portfolio needs separate active workspaces
Records, tasks, submissions, or itemsLive work or intake reaches the capThe expected monthly/annual volume approaches the current plan limit
Files and storageEvidence moves to disconnected foldersProject closeout depends on drawings, photos, documents, or approvals
AutomationsReminders and routing stop at the quotaThe workflow needs repeated due-date, owner, or exception rules
Dashboards, permissions, and historyManagement or governance views become manualDifferent roles need controlled access, drill-down, and retained changes
Jodoo free starting point

Know what the current Jodoo free plan gives the pilot

The official Jodoo pricing page currently lists a free plan for five users. Verify the latest plan before rollout.

01

5 users

Enough for a small team pilot rather than a single-person sandbox.

Give project owners, one manager, and an administrator real tasks.
02

20,000 data records

Projects, actions, issues, updates, and decisions share the current published data allowance.

Estimate annual record creation and evidence volume.
03

10,000 automated actions per year

A focused pilot can test reminders and routing within the current published quota.

Model the expected frequency before scaling.
04

Unlimited apps within usage limits

The project tracker can connect to other business applications without buying a separate app slot.

Keep one connected set of project records rather than duplicating projects across apps.
Free-plan questions

Questions to answer before relying on free project software

01Is free project tracking software really free?

The ten profiles on this page have a permanent free starting point as of the source-check date, not only a time-limited trial. Each plan has limits; verify the current official page before moving production work.

02Does a free plan count guests and collaborators as users?

Products define users, members, collaborators, guests, and viewers differently. Test the exact roles your project needs and confirm how each one counts against the plan.

03Can we export data if we outgrow the free plan?

Export scope varies by product and plan. Confirm which records, attachments, history, and related data can be exported before committing a long-running project.

04Should we use the Excel template instead?

Use the workbook when one coordinator needs an immediate file and concurrent updates, permissions, reminders, history, and drill-down are not yet essential. Move to the app when those collaboration needs appear.

05What is the difference between a free plan and a free trial?

A free plan can continue within stated limits; a free trial ends or changes after a set period. Confirm whether the edition is permanent, which features are temporary, and what happens to data or automations when the trial expires.

06Can a free project tracker include clients or external collaborators?

Sometimes, but guest roles, external forms, permissions, comments, and client views vary widely. Add one real external participant during the pilot and confirm what they can see, update, and export without consuming an unexpected paid seat.

Test with your own project

Start with the limit you can live with—not the loudest free claim

Test five users, multiple projects, intake, one automation, one dashboard, and export before moving the first real project.

Start the Jodoo free project tracker