7 Best Creative Project Management Software in 2024
Pick the right project management tool for your creative team or agency.
Managing creative projects requires a nuanced approach that conventional project management tools often lack. The dynamic nature of creative work demands a project management approach that understands the intricacies of ideation, collaboration, and constant iteration.
Whether you're a design agency, a content creation team, or a marketing department, the right software can make all the difference in streamlining your creative workflow. But while there are numerous project management tools to choose from, finding the right fit for creative projects can still be a challenge.
What is creative project management software?
Creative project management software is a specialized project management tool tailored to the unique workflows and collaboration needs of creative teams and agencies. Creative project management tools are used in such industries as graphic design, marketing, branding, and advertising.
These platforms tend to go beyond basic project management functionalities to address the specific challenges associated with creative projects, such as iterative processes, collaboration on visual assets, and the need for efficient feedback loops.
It's worth noting that some general-purpose project management tools can be flexible enough to support the workflow of managing creative projects. Platforms like Nuclino, Asana, Trello, and others, while not designed exclusively for creative industries, offer customization options that allow users to adapt the software to their specific needs.
Best project management tools for creative agencies or teams
While there may not be a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to creative project management software, there are many great options to choose from. Some of them keep it simple, while others are packed with complex features and customization options. Some cater to smaller creative teams, while others are tailored for larger agencies. Certain tools focus solely on project management, while others have broader applications.
The best choice ultimately depends on your team's unique creative workflow and requirements. To make your evaluation process easier, we've put together a list of the best project management software for creative teams and agencies, based on real reviews.
1. Nuclino
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $6/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.7/5
If you're looking for a creative project management tool that is modern, lightweight, and user-friendly, Nuclino can be a great option. It doesn't exclusively cater to creative projects, but its design and feature set align with the dynamic and collaborative nature of creative work. The interface of Nuclino is clean and intuitive, so that creative professionals, including those less tech-savvy, can quickly get the hang of it.
In Nuclino, you can organize your creative projects in several visual ways, including a Kanban board, a hierarchical list, a mindmap-style graph, and a table. Fields make it easy to track additional information about every project, such as its due date, assignee, priority, and more.
Each card on the Nuclino board is its own long-form document. Team members can contribute ideas, sketch out project strategies, create to-do lists, embed visual assets, and finalize creative content — all within a unified platform.
All content in Nuclino can be collaborated on in real time, with all changes saved automatically. Nuclino maintains a version history for each document, allowing creative teams to track changes and revert to previous versions if needed. This ensures accountability and makes it easier to refine creative concepts over time. You can also exchange feedback directly in Nuclino using comments and mentions.
And while Nuclino can be used exclusively as a creative project management tool, there is much more you can do with it. You can set up your create team's knowledge base, documenting important information, such as design principles, brand guidelines, creative assets, and best practices. You can organize client information, collaborate on design briefs, onboard new team members, and much more. Nuclino's balance of simplicity and versatility makes it the perfect tool for all your creative agency'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."
2. Trello
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $10/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.5/5
Launched in 2011, Trello quickly gained popularity for its simplicity and flexibility.
This project management tool uses boards, lists, and cards to help creative teams organize and prioritize tasks. The visual nature of Trello makes it easy to grasp the project's progress at a glance. Tasks move across lists, mirroring the workflow stages, from ideation to completion. The ability to attach files directly to cards facilitates seamless sharing of design mockups, images, or other project assets.
Trello doesn't impose a rigid structure, allowing creative teams to tailor it to their specific workflow. Whether managing a content calendar, tracking design iterations, or organizing a social media campaign, Trello adapts to various creative processes.
Looking for more tools similar to Trello? Check out this list of Trello alternatives.
What users say about Trello:
"Trello is extremely user-friendly and an excellent organizational tool for creative people. I love how easily you can create a board for absolutely anything. I use my Trello boards for business, pleasure, and personal organization. Since I have begun using Trello to track business projects, to ensure all tasks are completed within the deadline I have set, I have been able to complete more tasks than I did using a paper to-do list."
3. Basecamp
Pricing: $15/user/month or $299/month for unlimited users
Rating on Capterra: 4.3/5
Basecamp is a great option for those who are looking for a creative project management tool that allows for easy client access. It recognizes the importance of client collaboration in creative projects and makes it simple for external stakeholders to view progress, provide feedback, and stay informed.
Overall, Basecamp is a straightforward tool that brings a lot of functionality together in one platform. You get message boards, to-do lists, file sharing, and scheduling all in one place. Creative teams can upload, share, and provide feedback on images, designs, and other project-related files directly within the platform. Message boards enable teams to discuss project details, share ideas, and provide updates.
Basecamp's distinctive strength lies in its simplicity. It doesn't overwhelm users with unnecessary features and keeps the focus on the work rather than navigating complex tools.
Looking for more tools similar to Basecamp? Check out this list of Basecamp competitors.
What users say about Basecamp:
"Basecamp was incredibly intuitive, well-designed, and functioned extremely efficiently for our creative team's needs. My favorite part of the software was the user interface. The overall design of the site makes it incredibly easy to see your list of projects and the status of each project. It also excels in communication."
4. Asana
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $10.99/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.5/5
Founded in 2008 by former Facebook executives, Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein, Asana has evolved into a powerful creative project management software solution.
Asana allows users to create tasks for each component of a creative project, from brainstorming ideas to final delivery. You can assign tasks to specific team members, set due dates, and monitor progress. Its task dependency feature ensures that the right tasks are prioritized and completed in the correct sequence, reducing bottlenecks.
Asana also integrates with various creative tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, Slack, and others. This ensures a seamless workflow and allows creative teams to use their preferred tools while keeping everything organized within Asana.
Looking for more tools similar to Asana? Check out this list of Asana alternatives.
What users say about Asana:
"Robust project management software for a creative agency. Asana has allowed our business to become so much more streamlined, and we no longer worry about dropping balls or missing deadlines. We have been able to accomplish so much more work because of our organization within Asana. We are a small design and web development agency, and we're finally able to track our projects from first inquiry to project close."
5. Wrike
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $9.80/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.3/5
Wrike is a powerful creative project management tool best suited for large agencies. Its interface is dense and packed with a variety of features, menus, and dashboards. Nearly everything can be customized and tailored to your team's unique creative workflow.
One notable feature is the interactive Gantt chart that allows you to plan and schedule tasks in a visual way. This is crucial for managing timelines and dependencies in creative projects where deadlines are often tight and interdependence between tasks is common.
Another noteworthy feature of Wrike is its Wrike Proof add-on which streamlines the review and approval process for creative assets, such as designs, images, and documents. Stakeholders can provide precise feedback by annotating directly on the creative asset.
Looking for more tools similar to Wrike? Check out this list of Wrike alternatives.
What users say about Wrike:
"If your business, creative agency, or team needs to keep tabs on a project and work together effectively without missing a beat, Wrike is the tool for you. The Approvals feature in Wrike was the main draw for us. This function is highly flexible and powerful. By using dashboards to communicate our progress to key stakeholders, we can make better use of meeting time by devoting less to reporting progress and more to making decisions. It's incredible how much you can personalize it."
6. Zoho Projects
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $5/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.2/5
If you are looking for affordable and straightforward software to manage creative projects, consider Zoho Projects. It's a great project management tool for small creative teams and agencies operating on a budget. It's not the most feature-rich option on the market but it covers all the basics, including task lists, milestones, and Gantt charts. It also offers built-in time-tracking functionality, enabling teams to log billable hours accurately. This can be a handy feature for creative agencies that need to bill clients based on hours worked.
Zoho Projects also seamlessly integrates with other Zoho applications and many third-party tools.
What users say about Zoho Projects:
"I have tried other similar products: MS Project (lack of collaboration), Basecamp (too expensive), and have found that Zoho offers all the functionality I need."
7. Airtable
Pricing: Free, advanced features starting from $10/user/month
Rating on Capterra: 4.7/5
While Airtable is commonly known as a collaborative spreadsheet, in recent years it has considerably expanded its feature set. It's not your typical project management tool, but its adaptability makes it handy for creative teams.
Airtable's strength lies in its adaptability. You can mold it to fit your creative workflow, whether it's tracking tasks, managing assets, or organizing project timelines. Customizable fields and views allow tailoring to the unique needs of creative projects. You can build powerful relational databases, visualizing them as Kanban boards, tables, timelines, calendars, and more.
Looking for more tools similar to Airtable? Check out this list of Airtable alternatives.
What users say about Airtable:
"Our entire marketing department uses AirTable! The creative team uses Airtable as a centralized location to track projects and status. I don't know how we survived without AirTable before, and can't imagine not having AirTable in the future."
Other creative project management tools
This list is by no means exhaustive — the market for project management software is remarkably crowded and competitive, and there are many tools that cater to the distinctive needs of creative teams and agencies. Other creative project management software solutions that deserve an honorable mention include Todoist, Toggl Plan, MeisterTask, and many more.
The creative process often involves fluidity, with ideas evolving and tasks interweaving in ways not easily captured by traditional project management tools. Creative project management tools, therefore, should offer flexibility and adaptability. They need to facilitate seamless collaboration, allowing team members to contribute, share feedback, and iterate in real time.
Ultimately, the best choice depends on the specific needs and preferences of the creative team, and finding the right fit will require careful consideration.
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