6 Best Project Management Software for Creative Agencies

The best project management software can increase the speed at which your team reaches its targets. If you are unsure about the best project management software for a creative agency, we have you covered.

This article provides detailed information on the features, pricing and benefits of a creative agency's best project management software.

What is project management software?

Project management software is designed to help teams organize, coordinate, and deliver projects more efficiently. It covers a variety of workflows between teams and seamlessly integrates with other apps.

What is creative agency project management software?

Creative agency project management software refers to a type of software that is specifically designed to assist creative agencies in managing their projects more efficiently. 

This type of software provides a centralized platform where creative teams can share their ideas, allowing for efficient project completion within the allocated timeline and budget.  

Why do creative agencies need project management software?

If you work in a creative agency, you know how challenging it can be to manage multiple projects while ensuring high-quality deliverables, timely completion, and staying within the allocated budget. This is where project management software comes in handy.

Streamlining workflows and enhancing collaboration

You can easily assign tasks to different team members, set deadlines, and monitor progress in real-time, all from a single platform. 

Centralizing project-related information

It centralizes your project-related information, reducing the need for manual updates and emails, improving communication, and ensuring that everyone on the team has access to the latest project information.

Ensuring timely and cost-effective project delivery

Project management software helps you ensure timely and cost-effective project delivery by providing real-time updates on project progress and identifying potential delays or budget overruns.

Improving transparency with clients

Project management software improves transparency with clients by providing real-time updates on project progress and deliverables. This helps build client trust and ensures they are satisfied with the project's outcome.

All these features are obtainable in a creative agency's best project management software. Let’s take a look at the best of this software that is available on the market today.

Check this: Top 6 Creative Agency Project Management Tools Worth Using

List of best project management tools for creative agency

Here is a list of the best creative project management tools available in the market.

1. ClientVenue

ClientVenue is a top-notch creative project management tool with a wide range of features that can make your work easier, such as automating project requests, project planning, service booking, group work, team collaboration, and payment handling, all in one place. 

Businesses can easily achieve collaboration on projects using this graphic design project management tool because of features like creating and sharing project plans, assigning duties to team members, and tracking progress.

ClientVenue is very easy to implement as compared to other programs. The user interface is super user-friendly, and tasks as it facilitates a seamless execution of tasks.

Top Features

• Client communication
• Time tracking
• Daily Standups
• Manage teams
• App integration
• Real-time project management
• Resource management
• Budget management
• Company branding

Pros

• ClientVenue's analytics and reporting features provide valuable insights into project progress, helping you optimize workflows and increase productivity.
• ClientVenue's automated workflows increase efficiency and reduce the time spent on routine tasks so that you can focus on more important work.
• ClientVenue makes collaborating with your clients and team members easy through real-time communication and collaboration tools.
• With the customizable branding feature, you can create a consistent brand image across all client interactions, improving brand recognition and trust.
• he time tracking feature ensures accurate billing and invoicing, preventing disputes and increasing client satisfaction.

Cons

• I have not encountered any drawbacks yet.

ClientVenue: Pricing

ClientVenue offers two pricing plans, and both offer a full featured 14-day free trial. They are:

Professional: The monthly professional plan is priced at $25 per user. Its features include: 

• Unlimited Projects
• 10 GB Storage Drive
• Timesheets & Resource Management
• Client Invoicing & Payments
• Branded Whitelabel Portal
• People Performance Reports
• Integrations
• Priority support

Enterprise: The plan is priced at $40 per user per month. Including everything in the professional plans, its features are:

• Client Accounts
• 100 GB Storage Drive
• Dedicated Services Selling Page
• Dedicated Accounts Manager
• Custom Development
• 1 on 1 Custom Onboarding & Coaching
• Daily Standups

2. Wrike

Wrike is an award-winning project management software designed to help creative teams streamline their projects from start to finish. It's an excellent choice for scaling organizations looking to improve their workflow and efficiency.

Top Features

• Time tracking
• Custom request forms
• Visual proofing
• Project portfolio management
• Interactive Gantt charts
• Pre-built templates
• Dashboards
• Workflow automation

Pros

• With Wrike, you get access to much more powerful enterprise-level work management features like Gantt Charts, the Wrike Proof tool, Workflow statuses, and file-sharing tools to help you manage your projects effectively.
• Wrike also includes handy built-in time tracking software to help you keep track of how your team members spend their work hours.
• You get detailed metrics like task digest, task duration, tracked time, and top performers, which can help you calculate deliverables and optimize your workflows.
• Wrike supports two-factor authentication, an essential tool to ensure online safety when dealing with sensitive client and company information.

Cons

• Wrike's mobile apps for Android or iPhone don't have all the features available on the desktop software. This means using Wrike on a computer rather than on the go is better.
• Getting started with Wrike can be challenging for your team, which may slow down your progress when working on tasks.
• Wrike is advanced software with many features, meaning it can take time to learn how to use it effectively.

Pricing

Wrike offers five pricing plans which are:

Free: This plan is designed for starting teams and is free. Its key features include Web, desktop and mobile apps, Project and task management, board view, table view, and active task limitation application.

Team: This plan is priced at $9.80 per user per month. 

• 2-25 users
• Unlimited projects
• Unlimited custom fields
• Unlimited request forms
• 20 free collaborators
• Interactive Gant charts
• Automation (50 actions/user/month)
• Custom workflows
• Analytics View
• Calendar view
• Dashboards
• Use case templates
• Google and Microsoft SSO
• External requester collaboration
• Integrations and open API
• 2 GB storage per user

Business: The Business plan is priced at $24.80 per monthly user. It features

• 5 – 200 users
• Folder structure and nested projects
• Cross-tagging
• Project blueprints
• Custom item types 
• Automation (200 actions/user/month)
• Approvals and guest approvals
• File and video proofing (30+ file formats)
• Resource management, workloads and time tracking
• Reports and unlimited dashboards
• user groups and permissions
• DAM Integrations and Cloud Content Connector
• Adobe Creative Cloud Extensions
• 5 GB storage per user 

Enterprise: The plan is designed for large teams and is a great option for Enterprise-grade security and scalability. For the pricing, contact Wrike. Its features

• Business plan features plus
• 5 to unlimited users
• SAML-based SSO
• Two-factor authentication (2FA)
• Password policies
• Custom access roles 
• Customization user types
• Admin permissions
• User audit reports
• Automation (1000 actions/user/month)
• 10 GB storage per user

Pinnacle: This plan is designed for a team with complex work needs and offers advanced tools and analytics for complex work. For the pricing, contact Wrike. It features:

• Enterprise plan features plus:
• 5 to unlimited users
• Locked Spaces
• Advanced reporting and BI
• Team utilization and performance dashboard
• Job roles
• Budgeting and billable hours
• Bookings (project-level efforts and time planning)
• SharePoint and HTML5 proofing and approvals
• Automation (1500 actions/user/month)
• 15 GB storage per user

3. Asana

Asana is an all-inclusive project management system with various features, like task management, time tracking, and team communication, that help you manage projects more efficiently. This software is perfect for large organizations that manage multiple projects and track organizational goals.

Top Features

• Project templates available for every team
• Visualize tasks using Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendars, and task lists
• Manage sub-tasks and task dependencies
• Task automation feature
• Track organizational goals and project portfolios
• Integrations with Slack, Google Drive, Zapier, Pipedrive, calendars, and more

Pros 

• Managing tasks in Asana is both organized and efficient. Users can easily see an overview of all their tasks and stay on top of their work.
• As a collaboration tool, Asana makes it easy for users to invite others to their Workspace and work together on tasks. It also sends alerts to collaborators when any changes are made to tasks.
• Asana is well-integrated with many other project management apps, which helps to fill in any gaps in the program's functionality. For example, it integrates with Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.
• Asana has a simple user interface and an intuitive design, making it easy for users to navigate and use the software effectively.

Cons

• Asana is a tool that helps you manage tasks for your projects, but it doesn't have any features to track the time spent on tasks. 
• Although Asana is designed to be easy to use, it requires some prior experience. If you are new to project management, you may find it challenging to understand and utilize all the features of Asana.
• Asana allows you to simultaneously assign one user to a task. If multiple people need to work on the same task, you must create multiple tasks in Asana.

Pricing

Asana offers three pricing plans; Basic, Premium and Business.

Basic plan: This plan is free and can be used to manage tasks and personal todos. It features:

• Unlimited tasks
• Unlimited projects
• Unlimited messages
• Unlimited activity log
• Unlimited file storage (100MB per file)
• Collaborate with up to 15 teammates
• List view projects
• Board view projects
• Calendar view
• Assignee and due dates
• Project Overview
• Project Brief
• iOS and Android mobile apps
• Time tracking with integrations - See time tracking apps
• 100+ free integrations with your favorite apps

Premium: This plan is priced at $10.99 and tracks team projects with features and resources like:

• Timeline
• Workflow BuilderNEW
• Unlimited Dashboards
• Reporting across unlimited projects
• Advanced search
• Custom fields
• Unlimited free guests
• Forms
• Rules
• Start dates and times
• Task Templates
• Milestones
• Admin Console
• Private teams & projects

Business: This plan has everything in the Premium plan. It is priced at $24.99 per month and features: 

• Portfolios
• Goals
• Workload
• Custom rules builder
• Forms branching & customization
• Approvals
• Proofing
• Lock custom fields

4. Trello

Trello is a well-liked project management tool among web designers because of its easy-to-use and intuitive interface. It uses a card-based system that helps you manage your tasks, making organizing and prioritizing them a breeze.

Trello's boards provide a convenient way to manage project workflows visually. With Trello, you can tailor your board workflows to suit your team's specific processes. This customization feature makes adapting Trello to your team's unique needs easy, streamlining your project management process.

Top Features

• Task automation
• Comments and attachments for collaboration
• Kanban boards, timelines, and calendars for project visualization
• Add-ons for extended functionality
• Extensive app integration of Form

Pros

• Trello can be tailored to fit the specific needs of your project by customizing boards, lists, and cards to fit your workflow and requirements.
• Trello's collaboration features, including attachments and comments, make it easy for team members to work together and stay up-to-date on project progress.
• Trello integrates with many other tools and platforms, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Dropbox, making it easy to manage project-related tasks and files in one place.
• Trello is known for its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for team members to quickly get up to speed and start managing tasks and projects.
• Trello's mobile app for iOS and Android allows team members to access and manage tasks on the go.

Cons

• Although Trello has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for many users to get started quickly, some team members may find it takes time to fully understand its features and capabilities.
• Trello is a great tool for managing tasks and projects, but it may not have all the features and functionality that some teams need for more complex projects.
• Trello's reporting features aren't as robust as some other project management tools, making it difficult to track progress over time and identify areas for improvement.
• Trello's privacy settings are somewhat limited, so it may not be the best choice for projects that require strict privacy or security measures.
• While Trello does offer a free version, it has some limitations, including a limited number of power-ups and integrations. For more complex projects, a paid plan may be necessary.

Pricing

Trello offers four pricing plans. 

Free: This plan is free and suitable for individuals or teams looking to organize any project. Included in the free plan are the following: 

• Unlimited cards
• Up to 10 boards per Workspace
• Unlimited Power-Ups per board
• Unlimited storage (10MB/file)
• 250 Workspace command runs per month
• Custom backgrounds & stickers
• Unlimited activity log
• Assignee and due dates
• iOS and Android mobile apps
• 2-factor authentication

Standard: Priced at $6 per user per month, this plan is suitable for teams that need to manage work and scale collaboration. Included in the standard plan is everything in the free plan plus:

• Unlimited boards
• Advanced checklists
• Custom Fields
• Unlimited storage (250MB/file)
• 1,000 Workspace command runs per month
• Single board guests
• Saved Searches

Premium: Priced at $12.50 per user per month, it is suitable for teams that track and visualize multiple projects in several ways, including boards, timelines, calendars, etc. It features everything in standard, plus:

• Views: Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, and Map
• Workspace views: Table and Calendar
• Unlimited Workspace command runs.
• Admin and security features
• Workspace-level templates
• Collections
• Observers
• Simple data export

Enterprise: This plan is priced at $17.50 per user per month and is suitable for organizations that need to connect work across teams with more security and controls. Its features are everything in premium, plus:

• Unlimited Workspaces
• Organization-wide permissions
• Organization-visible boards
• Public board management
• Multi-board guests
• Attachment permissions
• Power-Up administration
• Free SSO and user provisioning with Atlassian Access

5. ClickUp

ClickUp is a project management tool that helps marketing teams manage tasks, campaigns, documents, and clients in one place. It makes it easy for teams to work together and stay organized. Plus, it offers a great free plan for creative project management software.

Top Features 

• Marketing campaign management tools
• Client management features
• Document management features
• Collaborative task management
• Data-driven insights with customizable dashboards and reports

Pros 

• ClickUp is a popular platform that solves project management issues. Its user-friendly interface helps teams plan, track, and manage any work, making it an effective productivity tool.
• ClickUp simplifies task management and work planning by allowing users to create individual tasks and assign them to specific team members.
• ClickUp lets you connect all the relevant elements of a specific work item in one place, using a simple task as a vehicle. You can link tasks to projects and relevant documentation, reducing confusion and making creating easier.
• With ClickUp, project managers can create Agile workflows using board view. The flexible kanban board helps teams visualize work, keeping it organized and prioritized. 
• ClickUp's custom statuses and templates enable a high level of customization for team projects and tasks. Templates can tailor team spaces with custom workflows, features, tags, and privacy settings.

Cons

• With a large team, notifications can become overwhelming, and ClickUp has many. 
• ClickUp's time tracking feature could use some improvement. It would be helpful to have widgets that display cumulative time-tracking logs to help team members track their progress and determine what they need to do to complete tasks efficiently.
• ClickUp's board views can sometimes be cluttered, making it hard to find important information quickly. 
• Generating and accessing reports can be time-consuming, as data is pulled from multiple sources. Improving the speed and accuracy of the reporting feature would help users work more efficiently and get better insights into their project progress.
• ClickUp can be a bit overwhelming for new users, especially if they're not used to using project management software. Getting used to the platform's many features and settings takes some time.

Pricing

ClickUp offers five pricing plans. They include:

Free forever: The free forever plan is free and offers: 

• 100MB Storage
• Unlimited Tasks
• Unlimited Free Plan Members
• Two-Factor Authentication
• Collaborative Docs
• Whiteboards
• Everything View
• Real-Time Chat
• Kanban Boards
• Sprint Management
• Native Time Tracking
• Calendar View
• In-App Video Recording
• 24/7 Support 

Unlimited: This plan is priced at $5 per month and offers everything in the free forever plan, including: 

• Unlimited Storage
• Unlimited Integrations
• Unlimited Dashboards
• Guests with Permissions
• Unlimited Gantt Charts
• Unlimited Custom Fields
• Column Calculations
• Email in ClickUp
• Teams (User Groups)
• Goals & Portfolios
• Form View
• Resource Management
• Agile Reporting

Business: This plan is priced at $12 per month. It features: 

• everything is unlimited and
• Google SSO
• Unlimited Teams
• Custom Exporting
• Advanced Public Sharing
• Advanced Automation
• Advanced Dashboard Features
• Advanced Time Tracking
• Granular Time Estimates
• Workload Management
• Timelines & Mind Maps
• Goal Folders

Business Plus: Priced at $19 per month, it features 

• EVERYTHING IN BUSINESS AND
• Team Sharing
• Subtasks in Multiple Lists
• Custom Role Creation
• Custom Permissions
• Custom Capacity in Workload
• Increased Automation & API
• Admin Training Webinar
• Priority Support

Enterprise: This is a customized plan and features 

• EVERYTHING IN BUSINESS PLUS AND
• White Labeling
• Advanced Permissions
• Enterprise API
• Unlimited Custom Roles
• Team Sharing for Spaces
• Default Personal Views
• MSA & HIPAA Available
• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Live Onboarding Training
• Dedicated Success Manager
• Access to Managed Services

6. Monday

Monday.com is a flexible project management tool that can be customized to suit your specific needs. It has several features, including task management, time tracking, and collaboration tools, that make managing projects easier for you and your team.

Top Features

• Collaboration Tools
• Customizable Dashboards
• Multiple Views
• Time Tracking
• Automation
• Integrations

Pros

• You can customize workflows, dashboards, and views to match your team's needs.
• Monday.com has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, making it simple even if you're new to project management software.
• The built-in messaging feature, @mentions, and comments make it easy for team members to communicate and work together effectively.
• Monday.com's automation tools can help your team save time and effort by automating repetitive tasks and workflows.

Cons

• Monday.com can be expensive, especially if you have a large team or complex workflows.
• Although Monday.com offers some reporting features, it may not provide enough detail for some users.
• You can customize Monday.com to suit your team's needs, but there are restrictions on how much you can change.
• Monday.com has many project management features but does not have all the tasks that some users require.

Pricing

Monday.com offers five pricing plans; Individual, Basic, Standard, Pro and Enterprise.

Individual: The Individual plan is free and includes the following:

• Up to 3 boards
• Unlimited docs
• 200+ templates
• Over 20 column types
• Up to 2 team members
• iOS and Android apps

Basic: The Basic plan is priced at $8 per seat/month. It includes Individual plus:

• Unlimited free viewers
• Unlimited items
• 5 GB file storage
• Prioritized customer support
• Create a dashboard based on 1 board

Standard: This is priced at $10 per seat/month. It includes Basic, plus:

• Timeline & Gantt views
• Calendar view
• Guest access
• Automation
• (250 actions per month)
• Integrations
• (250 actions per month)
• Create a dashboard that combines up to 5 boards

Pro: This is priced at $16 per seat/month. It includes standard, plus:

• Private boards and docs
• Chart view
• Time tracking
• Formula column
• Dependency column
• Automation
• (25,000 actions per month)
• Integrations
• (25,000 actions per month)
• Create a dashboard that combines up to 10 boards

Enterprise (Contact us): Includes Pro, plus:

• Enterprise-scale
• Automation & Integrations
• Enterprise-grade security
• & Governance
• Advanced Reporting
• & analytics
• Multi-level permissions
• Tailored onboarding
• Premium support
• Create a dashboard that combines up to 50 boards

Which is the best project management software for creative agencies?

ClientVenue is a project management tool that any creative agency can use, regardless of size. It's designed to adapt to the needs of both small and large organizations, so you can be confident that it can grow with your business.

One of the best features of ClientVenue that makes it the best project management software for a creative agency is its task management system. This feature allows you to track and manage creative projects and also manage your client affairs efficiently, which can be helpful for companies who want to monitor their clients' progress.

ClientVenue is also great for businesses that want to improve communication and customer satisfaction. With its secure and personalized project management features, you can rest assured that your clients' needs will be met, and their experience will be enhanced.

ClientVenue is also customizable to suit the unique needs of your business. It's user-friendly and has powerful features that can help streamline your workflow and increase productivity.

Features offered by ClientVenue for web creative teams

Project Management

ClientVenue is a project management tool that offers an intuitive dashboard to track project progress, deadlines, and priorities. You can easily create and manage tasks, assign them to team members, and set due dates.

Check This: Top 5 Project Management Software for Creative Agencies Worth Trying

Collaboration Tools

Collaboration is made seamless with real-time communication and file-sharing tools that allow your creative team to work together effortlessly. Clients can provide feedback and approve designs, simplifying the review process.

Time Tracking

Time tracking is made easy with ClientVenue's feature that helps you monitor the time spent on each project, ensuring accurate billing and invoicing.

Also read: 10 Best Time Tracking Software for Web Design Agencies for 2024

Customizable Branding

Customizable branding allows you to create a consistent brand image across all client interactions, and you can customize the platform's branding to your liking.

Automated Workflows

Automated workflows are available, allowing you to automate routine tasks such as sending emails or updating project statuses, which saves time and increases efficiency.

Analytics and Reporting

ClientVenue offers comprehensive analytics and reporting features, allowing you to track project progress and identify areas for improvement.

Client Management

Client management is simplified with ClientVenue, as you can store client contact information, track communication history, and manage project details in one central location.

Conclusion

If a creative agency needs a comprehensive project management solution, your best option is ClientVenue. ClientVenue is the best project management software for creative agencies and comes with a range of features to help you manage your projects effectively. 

Using ClientVenue's all-in-one platform can save time and improve your productivity. You won't need to switch between multiple tools or waste time figuring out how to use different software programs. Instead, you can focus on your work and let ClientVenue handle the administrative tasks.

You can try it with a free trial to see if it fits your team. ClientVenue offers competitive pricing plans that are suitable for businesses of all sizes.

So, don't hesitate to try it and take advantage of the best deals offered by ClientVenue.