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Every project management company claims to have the best resource management software to help you boost productivity and keep projects on track and within budget. But too few live up to the marketing hype – the challenge is figuring out which ones will deliver.
To help you make an informed decision, I’ve tested dozens of resource management tools and put together a list of ten powerful solutions that serve different business types, budgets, and resource planning and management needs.
Each resource management tool has the features you need to optimize resources, manage workloads efficiently, and track time and expenses to reduce costs and increase productivity.
Taking all my research and test results into account, monday.com offered the best solution for a wide range of industries and needs. Its advanced features and all-in-one resource, product development, sales, and work management software give you everything you need to enhance performance, reduce burnout, and increase profitability.
What We Look For in the Best Resource Management Software
While reviewing resource management software, I focused on features that simplify capacity forecasting and workload management to help keep your projects on track and on budget.
Tools to optimize resources. These platforms offer helpful visualizations, including customizable board views, resource planning templates, workload scheduling, heatmaps, and team dashboards. These can help you assess capacity and efficiently allocate work for maximum productivity.
Reporting and analytics. All the software providers on my list offer detailed reports that include project milestones, deadlines, and performance metrics, so you can reallocate work to ensure timely delivery.
Financial management features. To help you assess productivity and keep projects on budget, my software picks have features that allow you to compare projected project costs against actual spend. These include budget forecasting, time-tracking, invoicing, and more.
AI-assistance and automations. I focused on resource planning software that offered easy-to-use smart tools that not only take over routine tasks but also help with planning workload needs and allocating resources.
Integrations. Each of these platforms integrates easily with various other software that your team may be already using, such as those involved with communication, productivity, marketing, and CRM. This improves efficiency, optimizes resource allocation, and improves decision-making across projects.
monday.com gives you multiple ways to analyze and optimize resource utilizationmonday.com earned the top spot on my list for its ease of use, customization, and powerful features. Whatever your industry, its comprehensive software helps you track workloads, allocate resources efficiently, monitor progress, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your workforce.
Thirteen different board views, hundreds of well-designed templates, and 30+ widgets make it easy to plan, schedule, allocate resources, and adapt to changing project priorities. When you add the Workload view to a project board, monday.com will give you a picture of over and under-utilized resources. You can filter and sort granular data by resource cost, project progress, required team size, and more.
In addition to its impressive planning tools, monday.com offers real-time tracking features that tell you how much time each team member is spending to complete a task. This can prevent budget and schedule overruns, address productivity issues, and limit project failures, which will improve your business margins and ensure client satisfaction.
Features
Capacity forecasting. monday.com software includes tools to simulate, compare, and analyze different resource allocation scenarios to help you determine which option yields the best possible outcome.
Financial resource management. You can track assets and expenses and get insights into potential cost overruns so that you can make strategic decisions and stay within project budgets.
Reports and analytics. Customizable reports and analytics tools track resource usage in real-time, identify patterns in resource consumption, and provide valuable insights into team and individual productivity.
One-click integrations. It’s easy to integrate tools like Slack, Zoom, Google Drive, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, and Zapier. You can also pair multiple monday.com products, including its CRM, software development, and comprehensive work management tools.
Workload, Chart, and Timeline views, capacity forecasting, progress tracking, real-time project/time tracking, automated status notifications, financial resource management, AI support
Resource-centric reports
Customizable reports/dashboards, benchmark vs. cumulative data, task/project progress, team productivity, estimated vs actual cost, performance trends, sales forecasting (CRM)
ClickUp gives you tools to plan, monitor, and optimize resource allocationClickUp is a user-friendly, highly visual software and my top pick for managing resources in small to mid-sized businesses. It gives you multiple tools to visualize your team’s capacity, ensure even distribution of work, and manage projects more efficiently.
The Team (formerly Box) view organizes tasks by assignee, giving you a picture of what each team member is working on, their accomplishments, and their capacity. The Workload view lets you quickly see who is overburdened so you can reallocate work to optimize performance. Other views offer scheduling, project tracking, timelines, and aggregate activity insights.
ClickUp’s generous free plan includes features and essential Timeline and Workload Activity views for resource management that competitors only offer in premium plans. Since the free plan still has limitations, I’d recommend using it as a starting point and upgrading to a paid plan when you’re ready to access all the capabilities ClickUp offers.
Features
Profiles. Team profiles are another useful tool for monitoring performance. When you click on a profile you can see what an individual team member is working on, what they’ve recently completed, and their planned work.
Performance monitoring. Dashboards allow you to track everything from the money and time spent on an individual task to a visualization of overall team workload. You can add widgets to your dashboards to get real-time resource insights.
AI capabilities. An embedded AI assistant can help you plan, understand project progress, and set up automations to save time and increase your team’s efficiency.
Native and third-party integrations. Choose from 1,000s of ClickApps and third-party integrations, including popular communication tools like Slack, Google Workspace and Microsoft productivity apps, and CRMs like Hubspot and Salesforce. You can also use ClickUp’s API to build tailored solutions.
Smartsheet Workload tracking automatically configures sheets for resource managementSmartsheet’s workload tracking features offer a visual snapshot of team availability, making it easier to distribute work evenly and avoid costly delays. The Heatmap identifies over-allocations and is particularly helpful for addressing bottlenecks and balancing resources across multiple projects. The Workload Schedule provides granular details about your team’s capacity and allows you to reassign tasks and rebalance work with just a few clicks.
More than 300 customizable workload templates for different industries and project types help you assign tasks efficiently, track employee availability, and avoid over-allocating resources. It’s easy to switch from tracking dependencies on a Gantt chart to getting an overview of workflows and statuses on a Kanban-style Card view. In addition, Smartsheet’s Calendar view is ideal for resource scheduling and time management.
Smartsheet has a free plan, but it doesn’t include its resource management capabilities. However, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial of the Business plan to test Smartsheet’s workload tracking features and learn if it’s right for you.
Features
Project budgeting. Smartsheet’s budgeting tool lets you track resource costs, allocate funds, and monitor expenses in real-time, ensuring projects stay within budget.
Forecasting tools. You can predict future resource needs and project outcomes using Smartsheet’s forecasting tools, which analyze past data to guide planning.
Dynamic reports. Smartsheet reports update automatically, providing a real-time overview of resource usage, project timelines, and task completion.
Connectors and integrations. Smartsheet connectors and integrations with software like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google, Dropbox, and Salesforce allow you to centralize data and manage work across all your tools.
Agile teams can find, track, and correct issues using Jira software
I was impressed by Jira’s ability to adapt to the resource management needs of software and DevOps teams that need to stay nimble. It offers pre-built templates for Agile frameworks, like Scrum and Kanban, and customizable tools that can help manage sprints, backlogs, and scope changes. You’re also able to easily analyze team performance and identify areas for improvement.
Its comprehensive toolset can identify potential bottlenecks, track bugs, and limit work in progress, maximizing efficiency and preventing burnout. Jira Plans (formerly Advanced Roadmaps) are especially useful for long-term planning and monitoring resources across multiple teams and projects. They allow you to create different forecast scenarios so you can choose the best option and appropriately assign tasks based on availability and skills.
Jira’s dashboards give you real-time visibility into resource allocation, making it easier to detect when resources are overloaded. You can tailor dashboards to track specific metrics, such as team availability and project timelines. Another useful tool is automated alerts, which highlight tasks that are stuck, so you can quickly take action to reallocate and avoid project delays.
Features
Resource allocation insights. Customizable reports forecast future capacity and delivery timelines. Other reports break down issues by various metrics (assignee, priority, status), helping you manage workload and prioritize effectively.
Goal tracking. Jira’s goal-tracking features help Agile teams set, monitor, and achieve objectives with real-time progress updates. You can easily create and track goals for sprints or projects.
Advanced automations. Jira’s automation engine allows you to create custom workflows that streamline repetitive tasks, such as assigning issues or updating statuses, saving you time and effort.
Popular and niche integrations. The Atlassian Marketplace is stocked with 3,000+ add-ons you can tailor to different use cases, such as Adobe XD, Lucid Chart, Slack, and Microsoft and Google apps. You can also integrate Jira with other Atlassian tools, like Confluence, to enable cross-functional collaboration between business and software teams.
The Teamwork Project Tracker template is useful for monitoring resources
I found Teamwork’s client-centric collaboration tools to be especially suited to agencies and service providers. Clients are free users, with managed access to project updates, milestones, and deliverables. Integrated messaging, real-time updates, and feedback ensure clients and team members are always aligned.
Teamwork offers a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy to manage resources without having to deal with a steep learning curve. Its Tracking templates and Portfolio boards help you monitor progress, manage capacity, and track billable hours on multiple projects. This helps you balance workload and available resources to ensure timely project delivery.
Teamwork has a free plan but many of its best features are only available on its top-tier plans, which are expensive when compared to other solutions. However, the combination of ease of use, efficiency, and targeted features makes Teamwork a strong contender for businesses handling client-based projects.
Features
Long-term and short-term forecasting. The Schedule planning feature (only available on Grow and Scale plans) helps you plan and allocate resources as far as a year in advance. The Workload planner lets you view current workload, assign tasks, and set priorities based on team members’ availability.
Predictive time tracking. Teamwork’s built-in time tracking features let you view estimated, available, logged, and allocated time, so you can see and manage resources in the short and long term.
Financial and utilization insights. Nine different reports offer detailed information about project costs and resource utilization, helping you manage budgets and optimize team performance effectively.
Useful integrations for client work. Teamwork integrates with popular tools like Slack, HubSpot, Google Workspace apps (Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Docs), Mailchimp, and more. These integrations make Teamwork a highly adaptable tool for managing resources and improving efficiency.
Zoho Projects’ risk-tracking features can improve project outcomesZoho Projects is a budget-friendly resource management software solution. It’s especially suited to solopreneurs and small/growing businesses that are looking for a platform that provides essential features at a budget-friendly price.
Its project baseline and forecasting tools can help you identify whether you’re using resources as planned. In addition, the Resource Utilization reports provide an easy-to-read overview of workload distribution.
Zoho Projects is highly affordable, starting at just $4.00 per month per user. However, it has limitations, such as fewer project views (Kanban, Gantt, List, and Calendar) compared to competitors.
Features
Risk and issue tracking. Tools help you identify and track potential risks that can negatively impact projects. This allows you to log issues and prioritize fixes.
Cross-project resource management. You can manage resources across multiple projects from a single dashboard, making it easier to optimize your team’s capacity and distribute resources effectively.
Budget and expense tracking. Financial tools allow you to monitor actual costs against budgeted amounts for all your resources (time, people, or materials). This is vital for small businesses with tight budgets.
Extensive integrations. Zoho Projects integrates with other Zoho products, including its CRM, analytics, marketing, finance, and communication apps, as well as third-party tools like Slack, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace.
Forecast quarterly sales performance with HubSpot’s free template
HubSpot is my top recommendation for sales, marketing, and service businesses looking for a powerful CRM with project and resource management tools. It offers useful features that can enhance business outcomes, including templates for planning and forecasting, insights into your pipelines, and data-rich reports.
If you need additional resource management tools, you’ll find plenty of HubSpot-certified integrations in the app marketplace, such as Operating Resource Management, Marketing Event Management, ERP Bridge, HubSpot CRM for Confluence, and more. While the free plan gives you essential management and forecasting tools, you’ll have to upgrade to a Professional plan to access more advanced features.
TeamGantt has pre-built marketing, event planning, and software development templates
The aptly named TeamGantt simplifies project and resource management by specializing in Gantt charts. You can view all your projects on a single Gantt chart, monitor project health with detailed reports, and track workloads and availability across teams. Drag-and-drop functionality allows you to adjust timelines, reassign tasks, and reorder priorities with ease. Its straightforward approach is effective for small teams.
A unique pricing model allows businesses to pay for project manager access only – other team members and collaborators can use the software for free. That said, project views are very limited (Gantt, List, Calendar, and Kanban) on paid plans and the free plan lacks most features and includes just one project, making it suitable for personal use only.
You can add 20 different widgets to your Striven project dashboard
Unlike other options on my list, Striven is an all-in-one ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software that integrates project management, resource planning, a CRM, and other tools for managing business activities and optimizing productivity. It helps you streamline operations and prioritize with features for accounting, inventory, CRM, and HR, all in a single platform. This centralization increases efficiency by eliminating the need for multiple systems.
Striven’s planning, budgeting, and reporting capabilities enhance your ability to monitor project progress, predict outcomes, and track key metrics. While Striven offers a free 7-day trial, it doesn’t have a free plan. Pricing starts at $10.00 per user/month, which might be high for smaller businesses.
Get data-driven insights about your team’s workload and performance
Agencies, consulting, and professional services businesses looking for an all-in-one project, resource, and client management solution may want to consider Bonsai. It makes it easy to assign tasks, set priorities, manage capacity, and track costs, allowing you to keep projects profitable and within budget. You’ll also get useful insights into your team’s performance and productivity.
Bonsai’s time tracker is fully integrated with its project management billing and accounting tools, so you can generate invoices in seconds. Unfortunately, there’s no free plan, but you can sign up for a free trial to test the software and decide if Bonsai is right for you.
Choose the Best Resource Management Software for Your Business
The best resource management software for your business will depend on its size, type, clients, and budget. The right tool should also be easy to use and offer the features you need to optimize resource allocation, keep projects on budget, and boost productivity.
For most businesses, whatever their size or industry, monday.com is my top recommendation. It offers advanced reporting and resource management tools, and its visual interface is easy to use.
If affordability is a priority, consider ClickUp. ClickUp is great for small to mid-sized businesses looking for a well-priced resource management solution with solid features.
On the other hand, Smartsheet suits firms with large-scale projects. Its spreadsheet-like interface can help you manage resources efficiently on data-heavy projects.
Here’s a quick comparison of my top choices.
Free Plan
Best Feature
Best For
Starting Price
monday.com
✔
Powerful and feature-rich resource management software for any type of work
Companies looking for a comprehensive tool for optimizing resources to boost productivity
Are there free resource management software solutions?
Yes, most of the resource management providers in this review offer free plans that include features for resource planning, management, budgeting, and more. Those that don’t have a free plan do offer free trials. ClickUp has one of the most generous free plans. It includes advanced features often reserved for paid plans, making it an especially good choice if you’re on a tight budget.
Which resource management software is best for a small business?
ClickUp is a good choice for SMBs that need to control costs without sacrificing essential features. Its free and paid plans balance functionality and affordability and will scale with you as your business grows. Zoho Projects is another suitable solution, though its features are more limited.
How do I choose the right resource management tool for my needs?
Start by evaluating essential features, including resource allocation, time-tracking, and reporting tools. You’ll also want to consider your business needs, budget, and the software’s scalability. It’s important to test the software before you commit by signing up for a free plan or free trial to be sure it will meet your needs.
For more help choosing the best resource management software for your business, see our expert review of the 10 best project management software in 2025.
Dawn specializes in writing about a range of software products, including website builders, backup services, credit card processing solutions, and project management platforms. She has 10+ year’s experience as a technical writer and has written a number of articles for CEOs and senior executives at client companies that have appeared under their bylines. When she’s not researching and testing digital services, she brainstorms with educators to ensure all students have access to enriching learning opportunities.
With an extensive background in editing, website and graphic design, and a love for all things tech, it was only a matter of time before Christine would find her way to Website Planet. After living several lives in the real estate and financial industry – both in a creative and administrative capacity – Christine has finally come full circle as Website Planet’s Managing Editor for credit card processing and project management software.
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