Project management software can make a huge difference when you are managing multiple projects, people, deadlines, clients, and budgets at the same time.

But choosing the right one is not always easy, as there are dozens of project management tools available in the market where most of them look similar on the surface.

The real difference comes down to how your team actually works and how much of your business the software can manage beyond just tasks.

So if you are searching for the best project management software, I’ve looked at the leading options and compared them based on usability, project tracking, automation, integrations, reporting, and suitability for Australian businesses.

Best Project Management Software: TL;DR

If you are short on time, here is my quick comparison of the top project management software options for Australian businesses in 2026:

Platform	Best for	Key strength	Key limitation	When to choose
Clevero	Australian service businesses	Project management connected to CRM, scheduling, billing and automation	More specialised than general-purpose PM tools	You want to manage projects and the wider business in one system
monday.com	Visual and cross-functional teams	Intuitive boards, dashboards and automation	Costs and advanced features can increase at scale	You want something visual that teams can adopt quickly
ClickUp	Highly customisable teams	Large feature set and flexible workflows	Can feel overwhelming to configure	You want one highly customisable work management platform
Asana	Structured team collaboration	Clean interface and strong task/dependency management	Some advanced capabilities require higher plans or add-ons	You want straightforward project and task management
Jira	Software and Agile teams	Sprints, backlogs, dependencies and developer workflows	Can be excessive for non-technical teams	You manage software development or Agile projects

My pick: If you are an Australian service business and want project management connected directly to your CRM, scheduling, invoicing and accounting workflows, Clevero is the strongest option to consider.

Now, if you want a detailed comparison, read on.

5 Best Project Management Software in 2026

The best project management software is not necessarily the one with the most features, but can be the one that makes it easier for your team to know what needs to be done, who needs to do it, when it needs to be completed, and what happens next.

Modern project management platforms generally cover task management, timelines, collaboration, automation, reporting and integrations. But the right choice changes depending on your team.

The options below are the ones I would consider first based on those different requirements.

1. Clevero

Clevero is an Australian based low-code business management software that includes project and task management alongside CRM, scheduling, workflow automation, invoicing, reporting and accounting e integrations.

The biggest reason I would consider Clevero is that it doesn’t treat project management as an isolated activity.

The workflow can look more like:

Lead → Client → Quote → Project → Tasks → Scheduling → Service Delivery → Invoice → Payment → Reporting

That is a much broader workflow than simply moving tasks across a Kanban board.

Clevero’s own project management offering also highlights automated reminders, milestone updates, risk alerts and accounting integration.

This can reduce the double-handling that happens when project information sits in one system and financial or customer information sits somewhere else.

Clevero supports integrations with Australian accounting platforms such as Xero and MYOB, as well as payment and website platforms including Stripe and WordPress.

Its project management platform includes automated task assignment, deadlines, milestone tracking, notifications, collaboration, risk alerts, dashboards and scheduling. Clevero also positions project management alongside accounting integration and workflow automation.

Pros

• Built for Australian service businesses
• Project and task management
• CRM and customer management
• Offers a wide range of integrations
• Workflow automation
• Can consolidate several business systems into one platform

Cons

• Pricing is customised rather than presented as a simple public per-user plan

 

2. monday.com

monday.com is a popular project management platform famous for its board-based interface. This makes projects easy to understand at a glance, while timelines, Gantt charts, calendars, automations and integrations provide more advanced capabilities as your needs grow.

You don’t necessarily need a project manager or technical specialist to understand what a board is doing. That matters because project management software only works when the team actually uses it.

Pros

• Easy to use user winterface
• Large template library
• Good integration options

Cons

• Pricing increases as you add users and capabilities
• Some useful features require higher tiers
• Large boards can become difficult to manage
• Might need another standalone system if you need CRM, accounting and billing elsewhere

Also read: Practical Business Management Software for Australian Teams

 

3. ClickUp

ClickUp is designed to bring tasks, projects, goals, documents, dashboards, workflows and other work management functions into one platform.

That flexibility is its biggest advantage, and also its biggest problem. Because you need someone who understands how to configure ClickUp properly, to build a very sophisticated system.

Else, you can end up spending more time configuring the project management software than actually managing the project.

That is something users frequently bring up, as many . Recent Reddit discussions describe ClickUp as extremely powerful but also overwhelming, particularly when teams don’t have someone responsible for setting it up and maintaining the system.

Pros

• Customisable
• Offers good feature set
• Multiple project views

Cons

• Steeper learning curve
• Can feel cluttered
• Requires more configuration
• Easy to over-engineer workflows

Also read: Best Small Business Accounting Software for Australia in 2026

 

4. Asana

Asana is another project management platforms particularly good for teams that want a clean way to organise tasks, projects, dependencies and deadlines.

Its interface is relatively straightforward compared with some of the more feature-heavy platforms.

One area where Asana stands out is structured project planning, as you can create tasks, assign owners, establish dependencies, set deadlines and see how individual tasks fit into the wider project.

This makes it a particularly good fit for cross-functional teams. But if you need project financials, client records, scheduling and invoicing to be part of the same workflow, you may still need other software.

Asana does offer timesheets and budgets, but its current timesheet and budgeting functionality is available as an additional paid capability rather than simply being part of every plan.

That does not make Asana a bad choice. It simply means you need to understand what your definition of “project management” actually includes.

Pros

• Clean interface
• Strong task management
• Good project dependencies
• Strong integrations

Cons

• Advanced capabilities require higher plans or add-ons
• Financial and time management may require additional functionality
• Less focused on accounting and billing
• Can require other systems for client management

Also read: Best Practice Management Software for Accounting and Bookkeeping Firms in Australia

 

5. Jira

Jira is different from the other platforms on this list because it is particularly strong for software development and Agile project management.

If your team works with sprints, backlogs, bugs, releases, dependencies and development workflows, Jira is difficult to ignore. Jira currently offers a free plan for up to 10 users, with its Standard plan listed at US$7.91 per user per month.

It supports Scrum and Kanban boards, timelines, dashboards, reports, forms, dependencies and workflow automation. Jira also integrates with a large ecosystem of development and collaboration tools.

Jira can be excessive for a small business that simply needs to manage client projects. As users have mentioned Jira as potentially overkill without the administrative support and complexity that larger organisations can justify.

That does not mean Jira is difficult for everyone. It means you should not buy a tool designed around sophisticated development workflows if your team only needs simple project tracking.

Pros

• Excellent Agile support
• Dashboards and reporting
• Large integration ecosystem
• Free plan for small teams

Cons

• Can be complex for non-technical teams
• More configuration than simple project management tools
• Primarily associated with software and engineering workflows

Also read: Best Quickbase Alternatives in Australia

 

Choosing the Right Project Management Software for Your Business

Selecting the right project management software ensures clear accountability and prevents missed deadlines. If you are a software development team, Jira is the industry standard. If you want a highly visual, easy-to-adopt platform for general tasks, monday.com and Asana are excellent choices.

However, if you are an Australian service business experiencing the pain of “app clutter,” a standard task manager won’t fix your operational bottlenecks. You need a system that connects your front-office sales to your back-office delivery.

Clevero stands out as the ultimate solution, providing a low-code environment that replaces fragmented tools with a single automated hub for your CRM, project management, scheduling, and Xero invoicing.

Project Management Software: FAQs

1. What is the most used project management software?

Globally, tools like Jira (for software development), Asana, and monday.com represent some of the most widely used platforms due to their massive enterprise marketing and general-purpose flexibility. However, usage heavily depends on the industry; service businesses are increasingly adopting all-in-one operations platforms over standard task trackers.

2. Which software is best for project management?

The best software depends entirely on your workflow. Jira is best for developers, ClickUp is best for power users who want extreme customization, and Clevero is best for mid-market service businesses that want to merge project management natively with their CRM and accounting tools.

3. Does Office 365 have a project management tool?

Yes. Microsoft 365 organizations have access to Microsoft Planner, which is a simple, Kanban-style task management tool integrated into Microsoft Teams. For more complex needs, Microsoft also offers MS Project, though many businesses opt for more modern third-party alternatives.

4. What are top 10 project management tools?

While lists vary, the top contenders generally include Clevero (for unified business operations), monday.com, ClickUp, Asana, Jira, Trello, Smartsheet, Wrike, Notion, and Basecamp. Choosing the top one comes down to whether you need a simple task list or a robust, automated operational workspace.