Tools
PM software, compared honestly
Four tools I've actually used to run real projects and PMOs, compared on what matters in practice — not a checklist of every feature. Links marked PARTNER are affiliate links.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrike | Mid-size teams needing strong reporting and approvals | Free tier; paid from ~$10/user/mo | Visit PARTNER |
| Smartsheet | Teams that think in spreadsheets, PMOs needing rollup reporting | From ~$9/user/mo | Visit PARTNER |
| Monday.com | Cross-functional teams that want something visual and fast to set up | Free tier; paid from ~$9/user/mo | Visit PARTNER |
| Asana | Task and workflow management more than formal project scheduling | Free tier; paid from ~$11/user/mo | Visit PARTNER |
The direct take on each
Wrike
PARTNERThe tool I reach for when a project has real approval chains — the built-in proofing and approval workflow is genuinely better than the competition here, not just marketing copy. The reporting dashboards are the best of this group out of the box.
Smartsheet
PARTNERIf your team already lives in Excel, Smartsheet is the smallest behaviour change you can make while getting real PM functionality underneath. Cross-sheet rollup reporting is where it earns its keep for a PMO tracking multiple projects.
Monday.com
PARTNERThe easiest of the four to get a non-technical team using well within a day. Weaker on formal project-scheduling features (dependencies, critical path) than Wrike or Smartsheet, so I wouldn't pick it for a heavily gated, formal PMO environment.
Asana
PARTNERExcellent for task-level execution and team workflow, but it isn't really a project-scheduling tool — no true critical path. I use it for the operational layer underneath a project, not as the PMO's system of record.
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