platform for that use, especially because you can
customize it to your needs.
If your team is not so technically minded, you’d be
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works out of the box. Our top pick for beginners is
GanttPro. For small teams on a budget and growing
teams, we recommend Zoho Projects. For small- to
mid-size teams handling client work, we recommend
Teamwork. All three are Editors’ Choice winners.
REDMINE IS FREE
Redmine is open-source and totally free. A community
of volunteers maintains the project, which launched in
the mid-2000s. There are plug-ins for Redmine that
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paid options for it. If the plug-ins aren’t enough, you
can purchase entire third-party apps that add on to
Redmine’s capabilities and improve its interface: For
example, an app called Easy Redmine makes Redmine
slicker looking and includes its own plug-ins that you
can buy, including tools for resource management,
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While you’ll never pay to use Redmine, you’ll have to
expend resources to install, customize, update, and
otherwise maintain the app. And because you aren’t
paying a company for a service, there’s no dedicated
line of support to help you if something goes wrong.
With other project-management apps, the highest tiers
of service usually come with a dedicated point of
contact in the company’s support team or other support
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Redmine. A community of Redmine users discusses the
software online freely and openly, but that’s a far cry
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group of people who are being paid to help you.
Redmine
PROS
Free. Open source.
Customizable. Includes
time estimates,
dependencies, Gantt
charts, project wikis.
CONS
Requires self-installation
and maintenance. No
included support
(beyond the online
community). Not
suitable for all teams
and projects; favors
software developers.
BOTTOM LINE
Redmine is the go-to
project management
app when you want a
free and open-source
option. It’s focused on
issue- and bug-tracking
and is particularly
targeted at
development teams who
can also install and
maintain it.