TLDR (Summary)
The best project management tool for freelancers depends on what's missing from the current workflow. For an all-in-one platform that connects projects, time tracking, and invoicing, Plutio starts at $19/month. For task management alone, Trello offers a free tier. For freelancers who already have invoicing covered, Toggl Track offers dedicated time tracking starting free for up to 5 users.
Only two tools on this list cover all six core freelance needs (tasks, time tracking, invoicing, proposals, client portal, scheduling) without requiring additional subscriptions. The more tools in the stack, the more weekly hours go to moving data between apps instead of doing billable work.
Essential features in a freelance PM tool
A project management tool works for freelancers when it reduces admin time rather than adding another app to the daily rotation.
Most PM tools are built for teams. They include resource allocation, workload balancing across departments, and permission hierarchies that a solo freelancer never touches. What freelancers actually need covers a different set of requirements:
- Task management with deadlines: Track deliverables across multiple client projects with clear status and due dates.
- Built-in time tracking: Start timers on tasks directly, not in a separate app. Tracked time feeds into billing.
- Invoicing from tracked time: Convert hours into invoice line items without manual data entry or spreadsheet reconstruction.
- Proposals and contracts: Keep original scope linked to the project so both sides can reference what was agreed.
- Client visibility: Give clients a view into project progress without handing over access to internal notes and financials.
Tools that handle just one of these work fine until the freelancer needs the rest. That's when the disconnected stack problem starts: Trello for tasks, Toggl for time, QuickBooks for invoicing, Google Docs for proposals. Each tool handles its job individually, but nothing connects. For a deeper look at how these pieces fit together, see our complete project management guide.
The question isn't which PM tool has the most features. The question is which tool covers enough of the workflow that the freelancer doesn't need three more apps to fill the gaps.
All-in-one freelance platforms
All-in-one platforms handle projects, invoicing, and client communication in a single place, which eliminates the need for a separate tool stack.
Plutio ($19/month)
Plutio covers projects, time tracking, invoicing, proposals, contracts, scheduling, and client portals starting at $19/month. Every feature connects: tracked time flows into invoices, proposals link to projects, and clients see progress through a portal without accessing internal tools. The Core plan includes all features with a limit of 9 active clients. The Pro plan at $49/month removes client limits and adds team collaboration for up to 30 contributors.
The trade-off: no free plan. A 14-day trial gives full access to every feature, but after that the minimum is $19/month. For freelancers who need the complete workflow from proposal through payment, that cost replaces $30-65/month in separate tool subscriptions.
Bonsai ($25/month for full features)
Bonsai positions itself as a freelancer business platform, but the Basic plan at $15/month only includes time tracking and task management. Invoicing, proposals, contracts, scheduling, and the client portal all require the Essentials plan at $25/month. The split means the $15 price tag on the homepage only covers part of the workflow.
The trade-off: matching what Plutio offers at $19/month requires Bonsai's $25/month plan. The Basic tier looks affordable until freelancers realize invoicing and proposals aren't included.
HoneyBook ($36/month)
HoneyBook handles invoicing, proposals, contracts, and client communication starting at $36/month. The platform focuses on the client-facing side: sending proposals, collecting signatures, processing payments, and managing leads.
The trade-off: no time tracking on any plan. Freelancers billing by the hour need a separate time tracking tool, which recreates the disconnected stack problem HoneyBook otherwise solves. Task management requires the Essentials plan at $59/month. At $36/month for Starter, HoneyBook costs nearly double what Plutio charges while covering fewer features. For freelancers who bill per project and don't need time tracking, the platform handles the client workflow well.
All-in-one platforms save admin time by keeping data connected. The real comparison isn't feature count but which platform covers the most workflow at the lowest price without needing extra tools.
Task and project management tools
Task-focused tools handle project organization well but leave invoicing, proposals, and billing to other apps.
Trello (Free / $5/user/month)
Trello uses kanban boards to organize tasks across projects. The free plan allows up to 10 boards per workspace, which works for freelancers managing a handful of clients. The Standard plan at $5/user/month adds unlimited boards, advanced checklists, and custom fields.
The trade-off: no built-in time tracking, invoicing, proposals, or contracts. Freelancers using Trello for task management still need Toggl for time, QuickBooks for invoicing, and Google Docs for proposals. The tool itself is free, but the complete stack adds $25-50/month on top.
Asana (Free / $10.99/user/month)
Asana offers task management with multiple views: list, board, timeline, and calendar. The free Personal plan works for individuals managing straightforward projects. The Starter plan at $10.99/user/month adds timeline views, workflow automation, and dashboards.
The trade-off: no time tracking, invoicing, proposals, or contracts. Asana is built for teams coordinating across departments. A solo freelancer uses maybe 20% of Asana's feature set while still needing separate tools for everything billing-related.
Monday.com (Free / $9/seat/month, 3-seat minimum)
Monday.com offers work management with a free plan for up to 2 users and highly customizable boards. The Basic plan at $9/seat/month adds unlimited items, timeline and Gantt views, and guest access.
The trade-off: paid plans require a minimum of 3 seats, which means a solo freelancer pays $27/month for the Basic plan, not $9. Time tracking requires the Pro plan at $19/seat/month ($57/month minimum for 3 seats). No built-in invoicing, proposals, or contracts on any plan. The per-seat pricing model works against solo users.
Task tools organize work well but leave a gap between completing tasks and getting paid. Freelancers using task-only tools spend extra hours each week transferring tracked time and project details into separate invoicing and billing apps.
Specialist tools for freelancers
Specialist tools for freelancers do one thing exceptionally well, which makes them useful additions to an existing workflow but incomplete as standalone project management solutions.
Notion (Free / $10/member/month)
Notion is an open-ended workspace for docs, databases, wikis, and lightweight project tracking. The free plan works for individuals with unlimited pages and basic features. The Plus plan at $10/member/month adds unlimited file uploads and extended page history. Freelancers use Notion for client documentation, knowledge bases, and custom-built task databases.
The trade-off: no time tracking, invoicing, proposals, or contracts. Building a project management system in Notion means creating custom databases and templates from scratch. The openness is both the strength and the weakness. Notion can become anything but starts as nothing out of the box for freelance project management.
Toggl Track (Free / $9/user/month)
Toggl Track is a dedicated time tracking tool with a free plan for up to 5 users. The Starter plan at $9/user/month adds billable rates, project time estimates, and revenue tracking. The tool integrates with 100+ apps including Trello, Asana, and Monday.com.
The trade-off: Toggl Track handles time tracking and nothing else. No task management, invoicing, proposals, or contracts. At $9/month, it fills one piece of a stack that still needs 2-3 more tools. For freelancers who already have a task tool, adding Toggl brings the monthly cost to $14-20 for just tasks and time, without invoicing. For freelancers who price work hourly, a dedicated time tracker connected to the existing stack can work. For a full breakdown of tracking methods, see our freelance time tracking guide.
Specialist tools for freelancers earn their place when the freelancer already has most of the workflow covered and needs one specific capability. As a starting point for managing projects from task to payment, they create more tool switching than they solve.
Feature comparison at a glance
Comparing all 8 tools across the features freelancers actually need shows where each tool creates gaps that require additional subscriptions.
The six features below cover the core freelance project workflow: organizing tasks, tracking time, billing clients, documenting scope, giving clients visibility, and booking meetings.
- Plutio ($19/mo): Tasks, time tracking, invoicing, proposals and contracts, client portal, scheduling. All included.
- Bonsai ($25/mo Essentials): Tasks, time tracking, invoicing, proposals and contracts, client portal, scheduling. All included on Essentials. Basic plan ($15/mo) only covers tasks and time tracking.
- HoneyBook ($36/mo): Invoicing, proposals and contracts, client portal. No time tracking on any plan. Task management and scheduling require Essentials at $59/mo.
- Trello ($0-5/mo): Tasks only. No time tracking, invoicing, proposals, client portal, or scheduling.
- Asana ($0-10.99/mo): Tasks only. No time tracking, invoicing, proposals, client portal, or scheduling.
- Monday.com ($27/mo minimum): Tasks only on Basic. Time tracking requires Pro at $57/mo minimum. No invoicing, proposals, client portal, or scheduling.
- Notion ($0-10/mo): Custom task databases. No time tracking, invoicing, proposals, client portal, or scheduling.
- Toggl Track ($0-9/mo): Time tracking only. No tasks, invoicing, proposals, client portal, or scheduling.
Two tools on this list cover all six features without extra subscriptions: Plutio at $19/month and Bonsai at $25/month. Every other tool requires at least 2-3 additional apps to handle the complete freelance workflow from task to payment.
Picking the right freelance project management tool
The right PM tool depends on what's already working and what's causing the most friction in the current workflow.
Starting from scratch
An all-in-one platform eliminates the need to piece together a stack from day one. Plutio at $19/month covers the full workflow: projects, time tracking, proposals, contracts, invoicing, and client portals. Bonsai at $25/month covers the same territory at a higher price. Both replace 3-5 separate subscriptions and the weekly hours spent moving data between them.
Already have invoicing covered
Freelancers who already use QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or Xero for billing need a task tool paired with a time tracker that feeds into their existing invoicing system. Trello or Asana for tasks plus Toggl Track for time tracking covers project organization and hour logging. Track hours against tasks in Toggl, then transfer totals to the accounting software manually or through an integration.
Just need task organization
Trello's free plan or Asana's free plan handles project organization for freelancers who already have time tracking and invoicing sorted elsewhere. No need to pay for features that duplicate what already works. Start with the free tier and upgrade only if board limits or automation needs justify the cost.
The long-term cost isn't the subscription price. It's the weekly hours spent moving data between disconnected tools and the billable hours that fall through the cracks during the transfer. For a look at how a PM system connects to pricing, scope management, and client onboarding, the rest of The Freelancer Magazine covers each topic in depth.
Start with the workflow gap, not the feature list. The tool that closes the biggest gap in the current process delivers the most value, regardless of how many other features it advertises.
