7 of the Best Alternatives To Basecamp

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Basecamp is a project management tool that was developed by 37 Signals, a web development company, based in Chicago, USA. Basecamp was actually the first product released by 37 Signals back in 2004. Due to its success the company re-branded to Basecamp and focused exclusively on the ongoing development of this product in 2014.

In terms of the project management tool itself, Basecamp provides combines all the tools teams need in a single, straightforward package that makes work feel like less work. That means Basecamp includes features such as message boards, schedules and document storage.

However all of these “extras” do on occasion appear to get in the way, with a recent review stating: “This is essentially a task management platform that does not give you the ability to see your tasks. It’s a collaboration platform that goes out of its way to isolate you from your team.”

In addition, there were other comments that highlight it’s design and email notifications are a point of contention. With one users stating that “It still looks like it’s from the 90’s.”

So if you are looking to moving into 2019 and beyond and want a task management tool that keeps tasks front and center of the solution then you may be looking for an alternative to Basecamp. Perhaps you’re also looking for alternatives for your web development team too if you’re undertaking a re-brand, you can look into web developers such as Rocket Pilots and more to see if they can create the site you have envisioned.

In the list below we detail our favorite alternatives to Basecamp and why you and your team may want to consider them.

The Best Alternative To Basecamp Is Task Pigeon

Task Pigeon is a modern, easy to use and effective task management tool for individuals and teams. Unlike Basecamp it keeps tasks and projects front and centre, making it easy to see what you and your team are working on at any one time.

As an alternative to Basecamp, Task Pigeon also makes it easy to switch between different projects or categories, filter to view tasks that are due soon, in progress or complete and has a number of other stand out features.

Some of these additional features that will appeal to teams include the ability to create sub-categories that make it easier to organise various departments and projects within your team, private tasks and private categories to help keep tasks private/visible to a select number of users, and the ability to easily switch between various views such as a list view, task tile view or Kanban board view.

Finally, Task Pigeon is an attractive alternative to Basecamp as it has a 100% free tier, which compares favorably to Basecamp which is $99 per month, regardless of how many users you have. Even if you do decide to upgrade to the premium tier of Task Pigeon then you only pay a price per user, rather than a larger upfront fee which makes it more cost effective for smaller teams.

Trello Is A Kanban Based Alternative To Basecamp

Trello - Monday.com alternative

Trello is another tool that is synonymous with task management and the earlier days of the internet, SaaS based software. Trello was also originally developed in a software agency, Fog Creek Software in 2011, before being spun out in 2014.

As an alternative to Basecamp, Trello makes a lot of sense, especially if you specifically want a kanban based tool. The entire Trello dashboard is focused on this view and it is easy to add and move tasks between boards.

Unlike Basecamp, Trello doesn’t offer native file storage or message boards, but like almost all other task or project management tools allows you to connect and upload files from Google Drive, Dropbox, MS OneDrive, etc.

Trello is also another free alternative to Basecamp. There is a 100% free tier available and even if you choose to pay then it is a monthly fee per user, rather than a larger upfront fee of $99 per month. This certainly makes it more affordable for smaller teams.

Notion.so – A Minimalist Alternative To Basecamp

Notion is essentially a modern alternative to Basecamp. Instead of looking like something created in the 90’s Notion brings a modern, yet minimalist approach to task management.

Notion can suffer from the same issue as Basecamp where there are a bunch of extra features that you and your team don’t need, want or use. But if you are looking for additional inbuilt capabilities, including a knowledge base, note taking and document repository and database or spreadsheet view then Notion is a worthy alternative.

Looking at Notion’s core task management component. It too has a familiar feature to how Basecamp operates. There are boards to create, tasks to assign and the ability to tag projects or update task statuses.

As an alternative to Basecamp Notion also has you covered if you are looking for a free option. The free plan of Notion is limited by a 5mb upload limit, but this and more can be unlocked by moving to the team plan at $8 per user, per month.

Nutcache, A Comprehensive Basecamp Alternative

Nutcache is a slightly more detailed, and some would say complex, alternative to Basecamp but if you find yourself looking for more robust functionality then it could be something to consider.

Primarily Nutcache aims to bring the best of agile to your businesses workflow management. It does this through their visual project planning tool, the Agile Planner which allows you to see at a glance every task assigned to your team.

Other features of Nutcache that differ from Basecamp are a project timeline view, that allows project managers to see at a glance the stories their team members are currently working on, but also to assign new cards, whether they are already planned or not, as well as the ability to track expenses and bill your time.

Like Basecamp, Nutcache does not have a free tier. For teams the minimum cost for Nutcache is $30 per month for a team of up to five users. If cost is an issue for you then Nutcache will allow up to 15 users on their $90 pro tier, whereas Basecamp allows you to have unlimited users for just $99 per month.

Proofhub Is Another Good Alternative To Basecamp

Proofhub is a Basecamp alternative that wants to be “the one place for all your projects, teams and communications.” As a result it offers features that will be familiar to Basecamp users such as discussion boards, chat and a file management system.

Where Proofhub differs to Basecamp is on its strong focus on the governance and tracking of performance. For example it provides in built reporting functionality, the ability to restrict access via IP and pull a log of all changes and additions made to a task.

At the core task management later Proofhub includes gantt charts and a workflow board view (i.e. Kanban Boards) and also includes other features such as time tracking.

As an alternative to Basecamp, Proofhub has also chosen a similar pricing strategy. It has two pricing tiers, $50 for the essential plan and $99 for ultimate control when billed monthly. It is therefore more likely to be a suitable alternative to Basecamp for teams who can afford the higher upfront pricing and don’t want a free product or per user pricing option.

Nostromo, A Modern Alternative To Basecamp

Nostromo is another Basecamp alternative that positions itself as an all in one project management tool for teams.

Nostromo primarily uses a Kanban board view which makes it easy to categories tasks and drag and drop them across your boards to update them. Cards listed on boards can then be converted into a “to-do list” with individual checklist items for a more granular approach to task management.

Where Nostromo is strongest compared to Basecamp is in their more modern design and focus on collaboration for designers, rather than general file management. This feature may not be required by all teams but can be a nice bonus where you often find yourself collaborating with other team members of marketing material, software design or client work.

Finally, Nostromo does have a reporting function so that you can see how much time has been spent on each project or task, which can also be valuable for managers to be across.

Nostromo, like Basecamp, doesn’t have a free tier. Their cheapest plan does however start at $10 per month for a team of two. For a comparable price of $100 per month, when billed annually in advance, Nostromo allows for up to 20 users.

Basecamp Alternatives – Zenkit

Zenkit is an alternative to Basecamp that recognizes that there are different tools for different jobs, and also different ways of visualizing tasks. As a result Zenkit provide an alternative to Basecamp that provides a variety of task views including table views, kanban boards, calendar views, table views and mindmaps.

The mindmap feature in particular is interesting as it allows you to visualise how different tasks and projects all come together. For those more suited to Basecamp however, you will feel right at home with the Kanban Board and table view which is similar to many other task management tools.

Moving beyond dashboard views, Zenkit also provides features such as the ability to favorite tasks or projects, activity tracking, task labels, as well as the ability to utilize formulas in the table view.

It does all this in a modern and somewhat minimalist environment which contrasts to the more outdated design of Basecamp.

In terms of pricing Zenkit is also an attractive alternative to Basecamp. There is a free personal plan, which can actually be used for teams of up to 5, and then a paid plan that starts at $9 per user, per month. This plan comes with an increase limit on the number of work spaces you can have, attachment limits and additional features.


About Author

Paul Towers - Founder @ Task Pigeon
