Or… why we chose Basecamp for our project management needs…
For the last two years we have been using ProjectPier for project management. We chose it primarily because it is open source, and free. We could customize the design to match our branding and we owned all the data. Over the last week we have been trying to “systematize” our processes and have been readdressing our project management needs. We reviewed the following platforms in an effort to find the best fit for our needs and budget.
Our requirements were as follows:
- Web-Based
- Under $50/mo
- Minimum Hassle
- Multiple Projects and Users
So, how do these services break down and meet our requirements?
ProjectPier
- Pros
- Free, Open Source
- Self-Hosted
- Brandable
- Cons
- Self Hosted = Hassle
- Lacks features
- Not well supported
Basecamp
- Pros
- Hosted Service = No Hassle
- Super Easy to use
- Integrates with all the other services we use
- Scales Easy (can upgrade seamlessly if need be)
- Cons
- Not free (remember, we have free now)
Central Desktop
- Pros
- TONS of features
- Web Meetings, Time Tracking, Wikis, Documents, etc, etc, etc
- Cons
- Somewhat hard to use
- UI does not even compare to Basecamp
- Expensive upper plans (which are more ideal for larger businesses)
activeCollab
- Pros
- Self Hosted = Great Flexibility
- One time charge for software license, for unlimited use
- Nice, clean UI
- Own your own data
- Brandable – Can be themed
- Cons
- Self Hosted = Hassle
- Expensive to upgrade
Zoho Projects
- Pros
- Free Plan
- Collaboration features
- Time Tracking / Gantt Charts
- Integrates with all their other products
- Cons
- Feels too corporationy
- Didn’t like the plans
- Seems hard to use
Which did we choose?
Well, we kinda gave this away in the beginning of the post – but we chose Basecamp. First off I no longer have the time to manage our own implementations, upgrades, backups, etc for hosting our own. If that was the case we definitely would have stuck with ProjectPier – cuz it’s free and unlimited. This is also why we did not choose activeCollab – we don’t want to deal with hosting our own any longer. Once those were elminated, Basecamp blew the other options out of the water. It’s simple, easy to use, scalable, affordable, yada yada yada. If you are researching these options for your own small business – trust us. We spent a ton of time researching our options. Don’t waste your time – you can try Basecamp for free.
If you do want to own your data or brand your space – we would recommend ProjectPier. It’s free, easily customizable, and has unlimited everything. If you are interested in ProjectPier – 48Web offers installation, configuration, and customization of ProjectPier.
What project management software do you use and recommend? Let us know in the comments!
UPDATE: After some of the comments on this post I checked out DeskAway… See review here.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for providing a pros and cons list for each of these. It\’s helpful for those evaluating which project management software will fit them best.
We use <a href=\"http://www.myintervals.com\" title=\"Intervals\">Intervals</a>, an online project management tool that does time tracking and task management. I highly recommend it if your project management needs are focused on quality time tracking, especially if you bill hourly.
Thanks for providing such detailed information on these tools. You should also check out DeskAway, which recently was mentioned in Mashable’s 270 must use tools for business.
Disclaimer – I work for DA
Agreed with John from myintervals – great breakdown of pros and cons of each. Another time tracking solution to consider is TSheets. With Jott.com integration, clock in/out via SMS, an iPhone, Android, and standard mobile web app, and new and improved QuickBooks integration, there’s something for every professional at TSheets.
http://www.tsheets.com
We use DeskAway. We\’re pretty satisfied with it. The analytics in my opinion are way better than the one provided by Basecamp. Its self hosted. Its $25 a month – half the price of basecamp with more features according to my research (we tested out both before zeroing in DA back in Feb). But a good analysis nevertheless. From what i hear DA is integrating microblogging, invoicing etc. so that should make it a standout app in any case.
@John – Thanks for telling me about MyIntervals – I’ll take a look at it.
@Sal, @Harshil – DeskAway sounds like a very promising product and looks like it has some very cool features. I’ll take a look and add it to my review.
Thanks for sharing!
@DT The Jott integration with TSheets is a killer feature… I will have to check this out as well.
This sure is a much more crowded space than I previously thought….
Keep up the great comments and let us know what you use and how you use it!
We use DeskAway & feel that the other tools mentioned are much expensive than DeskAway. DeskAway is affordable & offers a lot of features.Though it is expensive it provides a very great service.Our team enjoys using DeskAway.
http://www.deskaway.com
Basecamp has no reporting capabilities (though the UI is fantastic and very user-friendly. If you manage 10+ projects in Basecamp and want to see what’s going on it is not easy, as you have to make sense of a very busy dashboard with enough colors to provoke a seizure. DeskAway has a simple tab that has very useful project reports in real-time, particularly the project overview report which allows you to see all of your projects’ status regarding which tasks are done, which are late, what % of each milestone is complete as a function of the number of tasks associated with it. If you are serious about project management and have to oversee many projects, this birds eye view of all your projects makes DsekAway a superior choice. Now, if you have a small number of projects, by all means look at Basecamp. I happen to use both Basecamp for odd projects/client project sharing and DeskAway for more numerous projects needing decent oversight. If you’re not able to monitor your projects efficiently, they’re not under control.
@Mark – Thanks for your insight. I did not discuss managing that many projects so it’s great information to share with someone looking for the right PM software choice for their business.
Nice list !!
I would like to add a PMS named Proofhub(www.proofhub.com). Initially we used basecamp (www.basecamphq.com) for project management purposes and it changed the email email games we used to play. Though we find out some even better product named Proofhub(www.proofhub.com)which provided the same or you can say better services at a cheaper and effective price. The thing is that wherever you are your work should be effective enough to attract more business.
Cheers!!
Thanks for sharing Justin
I would like to suggest HourDoc Time Tracking software . http://www.HourDoc.com is right treatment for time and labor management processes has to be an easy-to-administer and affordable solution for Freelancers, supervisors, employees and HR and payroll managers. They offer free application to companies less than 50 employees. You must Try it!
Basecamp and Backpack should be integrated together, I have no idea why they're sold as separate products while most people using one will need the other.
Agreed!