Many professionals prefer using Mac computers for their work, including project management, which means they need dedicated software that works on macOS.

Here, we have highlighted some of the best project management software for Mac users with the pros, cons, pricing, and standout features for each software. We have also shared our methodology for evaluating the software as well as tips on choosing the best Mac project management software.

SEE: Hiring kit: Project manager (TechRepublic Premium)

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Top project management software for Macs

Gantt chartsKanbanNative time trackingStarting price for paid plansFree version
WrikeYesYesYes$8.00Yes
monday.comYesYesYes$8.00Yes
ClickUpYesYesYes$5.00Yes
TeamworkYesYesYes$5.99Yes
TrelloNoYesNo$5.00Yes
HiveYesYesYes$12.00Yes

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Wrike: Best for team collaboration

The Wrike logo.
Image: Wrike

Wrike is a versatile project management solution available as a desktop app for Mac and Windows. It is a cloud-based application, so it can be used on any device that has internet access. One of the top features of Wrike is its visualization tools, including Gantt charts, waterfall schematics and kanban boards. New users might take some time to get familiar with the user interface.

SEE: Wrike review: What are the top features and cost? (TechRepublic)

Standout features

  • Wrike Sync: You can use Wrike two-way sync with applications such as GitHub and Jira to automatically sync all important information for the project.
  • AI Project Risk Prediction: Wrike has in-built artificial intelligence tools that can alert users of any hurdles or issues that can delay the project.

Pros

  • Free plan offers unlimited users.
  • Excellent project visibility tools.
  • Desktop app.
  • Offline mode.

Cons

  • The mobile app needs improvement.
  • Steep learning curve.

Pricing

  • Free plan: No cost for unlimited users.
  • Team: $8 per user per month.
  • Business: $24.80 per user per month.
  • Enterprise: Custom quote.
  • Pinnacle: Custom quote.

Wrike

monday.com: Best for startups and small businesses

The monday work management logo.
Image: monday.com

monday.com offers incredible functionality, as it can be used for everything from project management to software development. The project management tools offered by monday.com cover all phases of project management, from project planning to closing.

SEE: monday.com Work OS Review (2023): Pros, cons and pricing (TechRepublic)

Users can choose to view a high-level project overview or dig into more granular details of each task. In addition, monday.com has a clean and intuitive dashboard, making it easy to learn for beginners.

Standout features

  • Data visualization: monday.com offers a variety of ways to view and analyze data that can be customized by adding a dashboard or widgets according to user preference.
  • Automation: Recurring or common tasks can be automated on monday.com. This includes setting up triggers, conditions and actions, which make it easy to automate specific tasks. For some tasks, users can even build custom automations from scratch.

Pros

  • Ease of setup and use.
  • Data visualization tools, including timeline view with dependencies.
  • Free trial includes advanced features.

Cons

  • Limited reporting features.
  • Lack of advanced features in lower tiers.

Pricing

  • Free: Free plan for up to two seats.
  • Basic: $8 per seat per month.
  • Standard: $10 per seat per month.
  • Pro: $16 per seat per month.
  • Enterprise: Customized pricing.

monday.com

ClickUp: Best all-in-one project management software

ClickUp logo.
Image: ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management tool offering the right balance between user-friendliness and functionality. It offers file sharing, status alerts, task management and several other tools from project initiation to completion. It’s also highly customizable and offers several automation tools for repetitive tasks.

SEE: ClickUp: Project management software review (TechRepublic)

Standout features

  • Native time tracking: Users can track time, add notes, set estimates and view reports as well as filter time sheets using the native time tracking tools.
  • Dashboards: ClickUp offers multiple views, including customized dashboards, charts and a selection of over 50 widgets.

Pros

  • 24/7 live support.
  • Multiple views.
  • Highly customizable

Cons

  • Prone to bugs and glitches.
  • Clunky interface.

Pricing

  • Free plan: No cost.
  • Unlimited: $5 per person per month.
  • Business: $12 per person per month.
  • Business Plus: $19 per person per month.
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing.

ClickUp

Teamwork: Best for client-facing users

The Teamwork logo.
Image: Teamwork

Teamwork often features in the list of top project management software for Mac users, as it offers a full range of project management tools. Some of the best features of Teamwork include workload management and time tracking, which help businesses streamline their project management processes.

SEE: Teamwork: Project management software review (TechRepublic)

Available in both desktop and mobile app versions, Teamwork can be used for collaboration, customer relationship management, knowledge sharing and more.

Standout features

  • Budget tracking: Using Teamwork, users can manage the budget of each task or project or view historical budgets. This feature is available on Grow and Premium versions, with a maximum of 30 active budgets.
  • Client-facing features: Teamwork offers various client-facing features, including team chat tools, client-access controls, collaborative document editors and more.

Pros

  • Dedicated tools for workload management and time tracking.
  • Variety of visualization tools for project data.
  • Built-in apps and third-party tools.

Cons

  • Advanced features require extra training.
  • Interface feels a bit outdated.
  • Modifications take time to become visible.

Pricing

  • Free: No cost.
  • Starter: $5.99 per user per month.
  • Delivery: $9.99 per user per month.
  • Grow: $17.99 per user per month.

Teamwork

Trello: Best free project management software

Trello logo.
Image: Atlassian

Trello uses management boards, templates, roadmap features and other tools to simplify project management. The kanban-style design of the main dashboard is visually appealing and easy to use. Users can quickly and simply cross-collaborate, assign tasks, view workflow and share files. And the mobile app and desktop interface offer extra flexibility.

SEE: Try this amazing Trello project management template (TechRepublic)

Standout features

  • Automation: The Butler is the automation tool offered by Trello that allows users to create rules, commands and buttons to reduce repetitive work.
  • Trello boards: The kanban-style interface is the signature feature of Trello. The board system allows users to oversee the progress of multiple tasks.

Pros

  • Plenty of functionality in the free version.
  • Drag-and-drop style interface.

Cons

  • Reliance on kanban boards.
  • No native time-tracking tool.
  • The free plan allows the upload of files 10MB or less.

Pricing

  • Free: No cost.
  • Standard: $5 per user per month.
  • Premium: $10 per user per month.
  • Enterprise: Starts at $17.50 per user per month and gets cheaper with more users.

Trello

Hive: Best for project management analytics

Hive logo.
Image: Hive

Hive, launched in 2016, is a relatively newer entry to the project management software market. However, it offers competitive pricing and features, including data visualization tools, portfolio views, Gantt charts, kanban boards and to-do lists. It also offers a native messaging app for team collaboration and a compact and simple interface.

SEE: How to use project templates in Hive (TechRepublic)

Standout features

  • Automation: Hive project management software offers in-built templates and automation options to maximize user productivity. For example, users can set up buttons to automatically trigger specific actions or workflows to manage recurring or repetitive tasks.
  • Hive Analytics: Hive’s powerful analytics tools allow businesses to gather valuable insights about the project. This includes workload control, employee monitoring, forecasting reports and performance assessment.

Pros

  • Well-designed layout.
  • Plenty of add-ons and integrations.
  • Powerful analytics tools.

Cons

  • Mobile app version has significantly reduced functionality.
  • Privacy controls need improvement.
  • No low-tier plans.

Pricing

  • Free plan: No cost.
  • Teams: $12 per user per month.
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing.

Hive

How we evaluated Mac project management software

The Mac project management software were evaluated through a combination of expert reviews, user ratings, and TechRepublic’s in-depth software reviews. Some of the major factors considered in evaluating the project management software included the software’s pricing structure, functionality and user interface. In addition, the tools were assessed for their core project management tools, such as Gantt charts, time tracking and kanban boards.

How to choose Mac project management software

Project management software offers several advantages. However, to ensure you get all of the benefits from the software, you need to choose a software that is the ideal fit for your business. There are some project management software that won’t work on Mac computers, so you have a smaller pool to choose from. Here are a few tips to choosing the right Mac project management software.

Identify your challenges

Each project management has its pros and cons. However, before you dig deeper into the details of the software, you need to identify the challenges or problems you want the software to solve. For example, if you are working on multiple projects and are struggling to manage them, it could result from a lack of team collaboration, scheduling conflicts, going over budget or other types of problems.

SEE: Develop professional project management skills for just $49 (TechRepublic Academy)

Create a list of top priorities

Once you have identified the challenges and have criteria, the next step is to prioritize what is important for your needs. For example, data visualization could be more important to you than integration with other software.

Similarly, Mac users would want a project management software that is fully compatible with the Apple ecosystem. After you have a list of priorities, you can create a list of top software options. This will be a short list of the best project management software based on your needs.

Test run

To make an informed decision on which project management software is best, you need to do a test run of the software. Sign up for a free trial to get a feel for the software. Ideally, you want to test as many features as possible, so software with a full-feature free trial will have an advantage. In the test run, look at the software in-depth, checking everything from basic features to the extra options.

Gather feedback

If you are investing in a new project management software, it is worth the extra effort required to gather feedback from your team. After all, you want the software to facilitate your team, not bog them down. So, it is vital to get their feedback on the test run.

People who use Mac computers are often used to simple, smooth and streamlined user interfaces, so any software that feels slow or clunky may not be ideal for Mac users.

Does Microsoft Project work on a Mac?

Microsoft Project is designed and optimized for the Windows operating system, so it cannot be used on macOS. There are a few indirect methods to use Microsoft Project on a Mac, but they require downloading certain files and programs such as a parallel or virtual desktop application. This might be too technical for some users, so check out these Microsoft Project alternatives.

Read next: The 7 best construction project management software for 2023 (TechRepublic)