What is the best agile project management tool?

For some time now, agile project management has been gaining popularity! Initially, it was created for software development teams. However, you can apply it to your projects even if they are not related to IT and even if they are large in scale.

Agile project management is different from traditional management. The latter follows a linear path and offers very little (if any) opportunities for changes. On the other hand, agile project management is more flexible. With it, you can modify your products throughout the process.

I will explain to you: your projects will be broken down into several stages. As the procedures progress, you will be able to modify your products (whatever they may be). Indeed, there is continuous improvement. That is why, in most cases, the final result of an agile project turns out to be very different from the initial plan.

I told you earlier that agile project management is suitable for all types of projects, regardless of the business domain. That being said, it is particularly well suited for managing products with rapidly evolving deliverables. IT and technological projects fit this description perfectly.

If these small advantages that I have listed have been enough to convince you, this guide to find the best agile project management tool will certainly interest you. Among a whole range of software, I have selected the top 7!

The Top 7 Best Agile Project Management Tools

• Jira Software

• Monday.com – Le meilleur outil de gestion de projet agile et simple

• Toggl Plan – Le meilleur outil de gestion de projet pour les équipes créatives

• Pivotal Tracker – Le meilleur outil de gestion de projet agile pour les intégrations

• CollabNet VersionOne – Le meilleur outil de gestion de projet agile pour l’évolutivité

• Targetprocess – Le meilleur outil de gestion de projet agile pour la sécurité des entreprises

• ActiveCollab – Le meilleur outil de gestion de projet agile pour le suivi du temps

Continue below to learn more about the features, benefits, use cases, pricing, and potential drawbacks of each tool.

#1 - Jira Software - Best Agile Project Management Tools

- Supports all agile frameworks

Personally, I particularly recommend Jira Software from Atlassian. It fits well in many situations: for all sizes of companies, all sectors of activity, and all types of projects.

One of the reasons why I am drawn to Jira is its ability to adapt to any agile project (even in agile projects, there are indeed different types of projects).

Are you using Scrum? In that case, Jira will help you better track your sprints. It provides sprint permissions, workflows, and a publishing hub.

Also, to help you (you and your team) prepare well on a daily basis, Jira is simply what you need. You will no longer waste a lot of time on your meetings; they will be faster and more effective, for each member of the team.

Maybe you're not too much into "scrum", but more into "kanban"? That's okay. Jira is still made for you. With it, your teams will be able to access a flexible workflow, swimlane and column plans, presentation cards, WIP limit configuration, and total visibility of everything on your kanban boards.

What about mixed methods (both scrum and kanban)? If you are concerned, Jira helps you with work reports. These reports will then help you better manage your teams, make well-informed decisions based on all the data you have available.

However, if you are a beginner, you need to prepare yourself a little. Jira Software is not an easy-to-use tool. It will take time. With a little patience and motivation, I am sure you will succeed!

Regarding Jira's prices, they start at $10 per month for up to 10 users. If you have more than 10 users, there are plans starting at $7 per month. In essence, the prices adjust based on the size of your team; the prices per user decrease as more users are added.

All this to say that Jira can meet your needs whether you have a team of five or 5,000 people.

Maybe you simply intend to try Jira to start. A free trial is possible. If you never exceed 10 users, the free trial is valid forever!

Have you thought about deploying Jira on your own servers? There is a way to do that.

#2 - Monday.com - The best agile and simple project management tool

- Starting from $39 per month

In terms of simplicity, there is nothing like Monday.com! It's no wonder that over 100,000 organizations worldwide trust it (including GE, Adobe, Uber, Hulu, and Costco; I'm sure you know at least one of them!).

Teams made up of remote workers are the most concerned by this platform. It is not just a space for collaboration, it is much more than that: a centralized project management center.

You are about to launch a product? I recommend Monday.com! It is also ideal for sprint planning and bug tracking.

With this agile project management tool, you will also have access to detailed reports, overviews, and real-time updates. What more could you ask for? Better yet, even if you are a beginner (and do not have technical knowledge), you will have no trouble using it.

The fact that it is simple does not exclude it from offering more advanced features, so do not worry at all. It is very efficient as an agile project management tool.

Finally, the price of Monday.com depends on several factors: chosen plan, number of users on your team, and contract duration. In any case, it starts at $39 for 5 users. But if you want, why not try it for free for 14 days?

#3 - Toggl Plan - The best agile project management tool for creative teams

- The free plan supports up to 5 users

There is another tool just as easy to use as Monday.com. You guessed it, I'm talking about Toggl Plan. It has an incredibly intuitive interface for agile project management. Yes, it has everything you could need to manage a project with the agile method. You can even choose your own methodology with it.

Did you know that the teams at The New York Times, Amazon, and Netflix trust Toggl Plan?

Creative teams will definitely find their happiness in Toggl, because it is quite flexible. You will not be forced to adhere to the rules of agility with this software. Moreover, if you work in marketing, writing... you are well placed to know that the work process is completely different (not at all like in technical fields).

Toggl also adapts to all types of projects, whether you follow Scrum, Kanban or other methods.

Assigning tasks to different team members is not necessarily child's play with other software. Fortunately, this is not the case with Toggl. It's as easy as saying "hello"! Once you do it, you can see all the goals and responsibilities, grouped in one place: the chronological calendar.

This feature is very useful, as it allows you to know when things will be completed. You will also know when you need to reassess the priority of certain tasks.

The calendar is not just about tasks. If your team is planning to take a vacation for a specific duration, it is best to include it in the calendar. This way, you can still organize yourself.

The modifications to this calendar (as well as certain other Toggl tools) are done by drag and drop.

If you're still not sure, there's good news: you and your team can start using Toggl Plan for free. After that, prices start at just $9 per user per month.

#4 - Pivotal Tracker - The best agile management tool for integrations

- Free for up to 3 users

Attention software developers: Pivotal Tracker is one of the best solutions for you in terms of agile project management. It has specific features for guided iteration. Your projects can easily be broken down into tasks and sub-projects that are easily manageable.

None of your team members will escape you. Pivotal Tracker gives you a clear overview of the progress of each team member's work, in real time.

I have not yet talked about this possibility for the other 3 plans earlier, but with this software, you are able to manage multiple projects at the same time. And if you belong to multiple teams, yet you want to manage everything in a single agile project management tool, I think Pivotal Tracker will not disappoint you.

When working as a team, we often share files. Pivotal Tracker allows you to do this easily! There is no chance of losing files; a powerful search syntax is integrated into this platform. You will, for example, have the ability to add labels to projects. Nothing is complicated with this platform; on the contrary, projects that seem complex are simplified!

This tool also stands out for the presence of a detailed breadcrumb trail of the project's history. In this way, you can see all the code changes for each project, without exception.

I did not tell you everything. There is another area in which Pivotal Tracker really stands out from the rest: integrations.

The platform seamlessly integrates with third-party applications such as Slack, Zendesk, Zapier, GitHub, and many others. In fact, I invite you to browse the Pivotal Tracker integration gallery; there are over 140 applications available.

They have integrations for all categories. From analysis to issue tracking, through road mapping, API, customer support, testing and much more, Pivotal Tracker has everything you need.

There is, however, one downside: it must rely heavily on these third-party applications for full functionality. In other words, it is not as feature-rich and robust out of the box as the other agile tools on my list.

Here is a quick overview of Pivotal Tracker pricing:

• Free - 3 collaborators and 2 projects

• 12,50 $ par mois – 5 collaborateurs et 5 projets

• 29,17 $ par mois – 10 collaborateurs et 10 projets

• 62,50 $ par mois – 15 collaborateurs et un nombre illimité de projets

• 125 $ par mois – 25 collaborateurs et un nombre illimité de projets

• 250 $ par mois – 50 collaborateurs et un nombre illimité de projets

All rates are based on an annual contract. Are you a team of 50 people? No worries, just contact the Pivotal Tracker sales team to find out the precise and applicable prices for companies.

But before you get started, a free trial (valid for all plans) for 30 days is available.

#5 - CollabNet VersionOne - The best agile project management tool for scalability

- More than 50,000 teams trust him

CollabNet VersionOne is exactly what businesses need (50,000 companies trust it), for all departments within the company. It is undoubtedly very popular!

But you don't know which version to choose? I recommend version 1 if you're starting from scratch. Lightweight and agile, it is also easy to use. With it, you can quickly evolve each department, each team that you manage.

Even in version 1, you can organize yourself in the best way with CollabNet. Collaboration happens in real-time.

The VersionOne tool supports scrum, kanban, XP, SAFe, and hybrid development.

It also integrates with other tools that you use, such as Salesforce, Microsoft TFS, HP, GIT, Jira, CA Agile... These are just examples, but in total, there are over 70 integrations for this project management tool.

VersionOne is an ALM platform, which stands for Application Lifecycle Management. In French, it is "agile all-in-one". Here are some examples of key features available on CollabNet:

• Team Collaboration

• Portefeuille et équipe kanban

• Planification agile du portefeuille

• Suivi des rejets et des itérations

• Gestion des idées des clients

• Tableaux de bord

• Gestion des cas types

• Feuille de route des produits

• Suivi des défauts

• Métriques et analyses agiles

• Gestion du budget et des allocations

I still prefer to warn you: for small teams, VersionOne's features will be a bit too numerous. The price probably won't be worth it.

Like most enterprise solutions, the price of VersionOne is not available online, but you can try it for free for 30 days or request a demo.

#6 - Targetprocess - The best agile project management tool for enterprise security

- Cloud and on-site

Targetprocess is also aimed at businesses. Its difference lies in the fact that it is presented as a visual project management platform.

Indeed, it has all the tools and features necessary for managing enterprise projects. Targetprocess supports kanban, portfolio dashboards, portfolio backlogs, roadmap and milestone management, budgeting, process tracking, conflict resolution, workspaces, and workflow customization.

Targetprocess is not only reserved for teams. On the other side of the stage (meaning the clients), they also have access to it.

As for security (data confidentiality), you have nothing to worry about. It complies with the GDPR and ISO27001 standards. The company also offers private cloud hosting options for sectors subject to strict regulations.

While most organizations use Targetprocess as a cloud-based SaaS, on-premise hosting is also possible.

You will also benefit from one of the best customer support teams in the industry. Targetprocess ensures 24/7 monitoring and intervention, 365 days a year.

The tool integrates with third-party applications such as Salesforce, Zendesk, GitLab, Azure DevOps, etc.

It's a shame that Targetprocess pricing is not available online. But no worries, you can contact their sales team to inquire about it, request a live demo, and a free trial.

#7 - ActiveCollab - The best agile project management tool for time tracking

- Starting from $7 per month

So far, I have talked to you about software for big brands and companies. If you haven't found what you need yet because you are a small business, you finally have the solution: ActiveCollab. Luckily you read the guide until the end!

Although it is designed for small businesses, it is already very popular. Over the past 10 years, more than 50,000 teams have used it in their agile project management.

It is even more flexible. It includes time tracking software, ideal for teams that bill their work by the hour. But if you want to delve into the details of time tracking software, you better read the other article I wrote on

All I can say about ActveCollab is that it is affordable! It is available starting at $7 per month per user. You can save an additional 15% with an annual contract.

Unfortunately, not all features are standardized. To access time tracking functions and other integrations, you will need to pay an additional $4 per month per user. But it is still relatively inexpensive compared to others.

You also will not have as much flexibility when it comes to the agile methodology in question. Why? Task management dashboards are limited to column views and calendars, nothing more.

The best way to get an idea of this agile project management tool is obviously to subscribe to a 90-day free trial. This is much longer than the normal 14-day free trial period.

How to define the best agile project management tool?

With so many agile project management tools, how can you determine which one is the best for your business?

I am sharing with you the criteria that I considered when I made this list. This will help you further in the final choice of software. What should be important for each of the criteria? I will explain it to you.

Which Agile framework do you use?

Are you currently using an existing agile methodology to manage your team? Do you prefer a particular method over another? Know that not all agile project management tools support all methodologies.

For example, Jira Software handles scrum, kanban, and mixed methodologies. SprintGround considers scrum, kanban, and waterfall methodology (linear approach).

For enterprise software such as Targetprocess, they can support practices such as LeSS (Large Scale Scrum), DAD (Disciplined Agile Delivery), Scrum at Scale, Lean-Agile, SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), and more.

Therefore, make sure to choose a tool that fits with your preferred agile method.

What is the size of your team?

Project managers overseeing five or six developers will not need the same agile project management tool as an organization with hundreds or thousands of team members.

CollabNet VersionOne and Targetprocess are ideal for large organizations and businesses, while Monday.com and ActiveCollab are perfect for small teams. As for Jira Software, you have seen that it can accommodate teams of all shapes and sizes, up to 5,000 users.

What is the skill level of your team?

The agile project management method was once reserved for the technology industry, but as time passed, other sectors began to adapt to it. Software was then designed to be simpler and easier to understand. That being said, some software is more complex than others.

So, before deciding on the type of agile project management tool to use, don't you think it's important to think about it? Do members of your team have technical knowledge? Will they be able to use the software in question? Will the software also have an intuitive interface or not?

If you can't find the answer to these questions, request a demo. It will be even simpler if you try the software for free.

Have you previously defined a budget for the use of this agile project management tool?

You don't need to spend a fortune on an agile project management solution. We have seen rates starting at $7 per month.

When setting the price for a solution, be sure to read the fine print. In some cases, discounted rates require a minimum number of users or an annual contract.

For certain business solutions, you will need to request a personalized quote for your team.

Conclusion

There is no better agile project management tool. It all depends on what you need. A software may be better for you, and not for someone else. But if it were up to me, I would say that

For those of you who want the largest number of third-party integrations, try

If simplicity is the most important characteristic for you, try

No matter what you are looking for, you can find it on my list. I made sure to include something for everyone.