Top 10 Basecamp alternatives in 2023

Looking for a free alternative to Basecamp for project management and team communication? Consider one of these ten free and paid solutions!

In this article, we‘ll give you a comprehensive overview of the most common requirements for software like Basecamp and some reasons to look for a new solution.

After reading this post you‘ll learn what the best Basecamp alternatives are, their key features and pricing, strengths and drawbacks based on independent customer reviews.

 

What is Basecamp?

Basecamp is a cloud-based service for project management and team communication. It includes important business features, including messaging, real-time chat, schedules and to-do lists, file storage, and document workflow.

Basecamp has some significant advantages for remote teams:

• Favorable pricing. Basecamp does not roll out unmotivated prices. The free plan provides 20 users with 3 projects and 1 GB of storage space. The Business plan is just $99 per team every month.

Whether you have 10 or 100 users, the price remains $99 per month. This makes Basecamp much more affordable for smaller teams compared to the competition.

• Comfortable communication. Basecamp makes the interaction between team members really diverse. Project-related team charts, a message board, Pings for private messages, Campfires for informal discussions.

Communication is one of the key features of Basecamp.

• User-friendly interface. Basecamp is easy to learn and navigate through even for less tech-savvy users. Many people also love it for a powerful search. You can find everything across files, projects, and chats without switching between countless tabs.

These major advantages make teams worldwide decide for Basecamp.

 

Why do you need a Basecamp project management alternative?

Above we listed some persuasive strengths of Basecamp. Now about drawbacks — most of the provided features and tools are pretty basic. They can be good for simple projects, such as collaborative blogs. Larger teams often need more advanced and customizable functionalities.

Here are some common reasons why people want to find Basecamp software alternatives.

No reporting tools

With Basecamp, you can‘t expect data-driven project management. The solution doesn’t have analytical tools to gain useful insights.

There is no Gantt chart view or another way to visualize dependencies between tasks and due dates. Meanwhile, such features are necessary for project control managers to make sure orders are delivered against the negotiated deadlines.

No time tracking

Project management software is also valuable for time tracking tools. They let employees analyze the current workload and assess how much extra time the team needs to finish the task. Basecamp does not have such feature, you‘ll need to integrate a third-party app.

No subtasks

Complex projects always have a multi-level structure where many tasks are divided into smaller subtasks with a dedicated assignee. Basecamp doesn‘t have subtasks.

No project overview

Many users who tested Basecamp would like to have an overview of the entire workflow, not a single project. Such information can be valuable for stakeholders and other decision makers. Unfortunately, Basecamp doesn‘t seem to provide such functionality.

No tags and labels for tasks

In large projects, the priority and nature of each task are not the same. Basecamp users can‘t tag a task with labels or mark one as important.

 

These are just some of the most common drawbacks and reasons why businesses want to run an alternative to Basecamp — free of charge and on a commercial basis.

 

Basecamp alternatives: what to look for?

Whether you need a self-hosted Basecamp alternative or just want a free solution for project management and team communication, there must be fundamental features and tools in new software.

Let‘s look at some important components in Basecamp alternatives.

1. Project management

When it comes to managing a complex project engaging multiple teams from different fields, you need a clear understanding of milestones, progress of each task, budget and scheduling. Without the appropriate software for project management and project controls, the team can lose the track of events. As a result, you notice late deliveries and additional costs.

To avoid unwanted risks, businesses need tools to do the following:

• Assign tasks to employees
• Track down progress
• Set deadlines
• Browse workload
• Communicate
• Create reports

The list can be extended or customized depending on the requirements of your team.

Examples of popular project management solutions are Wrike, Asana, monday.com.

2. Electronic document workflow

Many teams exсhange hundreds of documents everyday, whether it is a product of their job or corporate papers. Text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations are at the cornerstone of content collaboration in remote companies. Today simple editing is not enough — a document can be co-authored by ten people or even more. The seamless collaboration includes the following:

• Secure storage and sharing
• Collaborative editing
• Tracking changes
• Version history
• Commenting

A successful document workflow starts with an office suite and necessary add-ons. Among the most trusted office solutions are Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, ONLYOFFICE Docs.

Choose a simple and user-friendly solution. The team should spend as little time as possible learning how to use new software.

3. Communication

Remote teams need a corporate social environment to exchange messages instantly. Email can become too slow and messy for team communication — use your inbox to send bulky and confidential files to customers and partners.

Forum-based discussions are always a good way to brainstorm the ongoing issues with teammates. Try secure messengers, e.g. Telegram or Signal.

Quick tip: Separate working chats from personal ones. Telegram allows creating a folder to group chats with your colleagues and find them quickly.

4. Customer relations management

Client-oriented business is the key to success. How to build relationships with your prospects and turn potential customers into loyal audience?

Start with a customer relationship management (CRM) system to see the entire customer lifecycle and support clients on their way to purchase. With such software, you can create customer databases, add contacts, deal opportunities, save communication history, create invoices and reports, etc.

The popular CRM providers are Salesforce, HubSpot, Bitrix24.

5. Planning and scheduling

Remote teams need to keep track of corporate and personal events. That is where calendars from Yahoo! or Apple still do their job. But they must be group calendars available for all employees engaged.

Add meetings, conferences, vacation dates, sometimes birthdays, and other events to a team calendar. Ideally, calendars must be integrated with your project management solution and CRM system.

 

We based our list of the best Basecamp alternatives on these five tasks. Most of the services allow integrating third-party apps for additional features.

 

The 10 best Basecamp alternatives

We gathered the top-recommended solutions for those who want to replace Basecamp with a free, open-source, or proprietary service and unlock new project management features.

ONLYOFFICE Workspace

ONLYOFFICE Workspace is an online office that comes with collaborative editors for text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, project management, CRM, email, and calendar.

Available for on-premise deployment on Windows and Linux, open-source ONLYOFFICE Workspace is a self-hosted Basecamp alternative for companies that need project management features within a local network.

Apart from self-hosting, ONLYOFFICE Workspace provides a comprehensive set of security tools, including encryption at rest and in transit, password protection, 2FA, SSO, automatic backups, IP restriction, etc.

All security features except for Private Rooms are available within the Business plan for small and medium-sized businesses.

ONLYOFFICE Workspace key features

• Project management
• Editing of documents, spreadsheets, presentations (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX)
• Flexible file sharing permissions
• Email management
• Calendar

ONLYOFFICE Workspace vs Basecamp

In ONLYOFFICE Workspace, you get some missing functionalities of Basecamp. They are built-in time tracking, subtasks, tags for marking task priority, advanced document editing, reporting tools to analyze the whole campaign instead of overviewing each project.

Basecamp and ONLYOFFICE Workspace have similar communication capabilities: emailing, forum-like discussions, personal and group chats. In Basecamp’s mobile apps for iOS and Android, you can message directly to one or multiple colleagues. In ONLYOFFICE for mobile devices, a conversation is possible in project discussions only.

ONLYOFFICE Workspace pricing

The cloud version of ONLYOFFICE Workspace is free for startups with max. 5 users, which makes it a good Basecamp free alternative for smaller teams. For other companies, the prices start at $4 per user/month.

ONLYOFFICE Workspace rating

Capterra — 4.5 (306 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.5 (305 reviews)

 

Discover the benefits of ONLYOFFICE Workspace for your team today! Try it free in the cloud or host it on your server.

START IN CLOUD DEPLOY ON-PREMISES

For the cloud version, 30 free days of the Business plan are included — later you can choose to stay or switch to the free Startup plan.

 

ClickUp

ClickUp is a popular solution with project management features, customizable tasks, nested subtasks and checklists, 15 different views to monitor workflow, automation for repetitive tasks, reporting tools.

Another cloud-based service, ClickUp enables disaster recovery, data encryption and retention, role-based access control, and other common security features. Currently, ClickUp does not run locally.

ClickUp key features

• Project planning
• Recurring task automation
• Time tracking
• Workflow visualization
• Collaboration on documents

ClickUp vs Basecamp

ClickUp offers unlimited users and unlimited projects. The solution lets you send and receive emails right within ClickUp tasks, leave comments to documents, choose between 50+ automation rules, create custom priorities, and more.

Basecamp and ClickUp can be integrated. Any action in Basecamp will generate a new task in ClickUp. The integration makes a mix of efficient project management and team communication.

ClickUp pricing

The free plan offers real-time chat, document collaboration, email, Kanban boards, 100 MB storage, and time tracking. For $5 per user/month, you unlock project management features, such as Dashboard view, Gantt charts, agile reporting. Other plans for $9 and $19 per user/month allow customization, advanced workload management, and automation.

ClickUp rating

Capterra — 4.7 (2343 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.7 (2313 reviews)

 

Asana

Asana is often preferred by companies as an alternative to Basecamp for project management with important tracking tools. Entirely cloud-based, it provides distributed teams with a centralized environment for planning and monitoring activities.

This solution is not among self-hosted Basecamp alternatives. Asana provides such security tools as multi-factor authentication and Google SSO. Some of them are only available in the plan for large enterprises, namely data export and deletion, SAML, cross-regional backups.

Asana key features

• Project management
• Kanban-style boards
• Automation for recurring tasks
• Monitoring workload
• Request tracking

Asana vs Basecamp

Asana is one of the best alternatives to Basecamp which provides analytics. Different views like Kanban-style boards, Gantt charts, forms, and calendars make projects easier to visualize and comprehend. Managers can plan and see the workload in real time.

Asana is not easy on the wallet for a smaller team. Some features are only available within the most expensive plan, whereas a free plan is very limited.

Asana pricing

Asana is more expensive than Basecamp — the prices start from $10,99 per user/month. Be ready to shell out $24,99 per user/month for all features, custom automation rules, and advanced integrations.

Asana rating

Capterra — 4.4 (10101 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.4 (9899 reviews)

 

Wrike

Wrike is a project management solution with a focus on Gantt charts. Users can build analytics to learn insights about team performance and see infographics to know project implementation status.

Wrike is not available on-premises and seems to provide most security tools for large teams only. SSO, 2FA, audit reports, and custom access roles will be unlocked in the enterprise-grade plan.

Wrike key features

• Project management
• Workflow visualization
• Automation for recurring tasks
• Request forms
• Team calendars

Wrike vs Basecamp

Wrike is initially a project management app with a focus on maximizing task organization and productivity, planning projects with deadlines, setting task dependencies, etc. There is native scrum management, time tracking, reporting tools.

Basecamp is more about team communication and offers an affordable environment with an intra-company chat, calendars, to-do lists, and file storage.

Wrike pricing

The free plan provides you with basic task management, 2 GB storage space, cloud storage integrations, and Board view.

Advanced plans for $9,80 and $24,80 per user/month have more storage space and enable connecting professional services, such as MS Project, Salesforce, and Business Intelligence.

Wrike rating

Capterra — 4.2 (1687 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.2 (1687 reviews)

 

monday.com

Monday.com is a highly customizable project management solution. Managers can adapt it to any team, create projects, plan events, and track progress. Native tools and integrated third-party apps let managers gain insights into the way the team performs.

While self-hosting is unavailable for Monday.com, the service promises data encryption and two-factor authentication. Sadly, most security features like SSO and IP restriction are only included in the most expensive plan.

Monday.com key features

• Project management
• Workflow visualization
• Automation for recurring tasks
• Communication in threads
• Document workflow

Monday.com vs Basecamp

Monday.com is easy to use and looks intuitive. The solution offers reporting for general project progress, budgets, KPIs, etc. Teams can personalize schedules, manage all documents and conversations centrally, stay updated on the latest progress.

Basecamp users love how the app informs them about the progress, whereas Monday.com can become very busy with notifications.

Monday.com pricing

Monday.com is not a cheaper Basecamp alternative.

The free plan accommodates up to 2 team members. Larger teams need to upgrade to one of the paid plans from $8 per user/month. The Pro plan is twice as expensive.

Monday.com rating

Capterra — 4.6 (2478 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.6 (2437 reviews)

 

Google Workspace

Formerly known as G Suite, Google Workspace provides business users with editing text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, calendar, Gmail, extended cloud file storage. The communication tools are chat and video meetings.

Google Workspace is only available online, security measures include but are not limited to data encryption and recovery, information rights management (IRM), 2FA, SSO, and much more.

Google Workspace key features

• Document editing
• File storage
• Communication via chat and video meetings
• Email management
• Calendar

Google Workspace vs Basecamp

There are more communication tools in Google Workspace. Email, chat, personal or group video conferences with hundreds of participants! You get terabytes of corporate storage, advanced document editing features, and planning with calendars.

Basecamp has basic project tracking tools that are enough for smaller teams. Google Workspace does not have project management features at all.

Google Workspace pricing

There is no free corporate plan, the cheapest one costs $6 per user/month and includes all features and tools. Other plans just accommodate more participants in video conferences, storage, and advanced security. They cost $12 and $18 per user/month respectively.

You can make a solid Basecamp personal alternative of Google Workspace. Each separate app is available for home use free of charge.

Google Workspace rating

Capterra — 4.7 (10887 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.7 (10887 reviews)

 

Toggl Plan

Toggl Plan is a dedicated solution for scheduling tasks and project milestones, creating custom workflows and managing them using timelines and Kanban board. Promoted as a Basecamp alternative, it has a strong focus on project planning.

Toggl Plan does not seem to have much focus on enterprise-level security. You may expect SSO and data encryption though. Self-hosting is also unavailable for this solution.

Toggl Plan key features

• Project planning
• Resource planning
• Task management
• Workflow visualization

Toggl Plan vs Basecamp

Independently from the pricing plan, in Toggl Plan you get an unlimited number of workspaces, project timelines, milestones, and tasks. There is a native tool for time tracking, creating recurring tasks, adding multiple assignees to a task.

There are no team chats in Toggl Plan. It is a major drawback for bigger teams — additionally, they will have to find a free Basecamp alternative for communication.

Toggl Plan pricing

The plan for a team costs $8 per user/month and includes all features and tools except for project data exports, inviting guests, and SSO. The price can be reasonable if you need task management more than team communication.

Toggl Plan rating

Capterra — 4.5 (105 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.7 (1743 reviews)

 

Trello

Trello is an online project management program where you’ll be able to arrange and organize everything. From huge group projects to individual assignments, study, travels, etc. Nowadays Trello is probably the best Basecamp personal alternative.

The solution is only available for deployment in the cloud. Common security tools are among others 2FA, SSO, data encryption and deletion, backups and disaster recovery.

Trello key features

• Project planning
• Recurring task automation
• File attachment
• Mobile-friendly views

Trello vs Basecamp

Trello is your digital blackboard where you can add tasks in Kanban style. With apps for iOS and Android mobile devices, Trello also became a Basecamp software alternative for offline work — you can make projects available without an Internet connection.

Unfortunately, Trello doesn‘t have a native chat for in-team communication. If you need to interact, the best idea is to use Trello alongside Basecamp or third-party messengers.

Trello pricing

Trello has a free plan with up to 10 boards, unlimited cards, members, and an activity log. The paid plan for up to 100 members costs $10 per user/month. Thus, Trello is far from a free Basecamp alternative for business teams.

Trello rating

Capterra — 4.5 (20186 reviews)

G2 — 4.4 (12009 reviews)

 

Bitrix24

Bitrix24 is a social enterprise platform with rich functionalities for collaboration, task and project management, client base management, collaborative document editing, exchanging files, and business automation.

Availability of on-premise installation makes Bitrix24 one of the self-hosted Basecamp alternatives. The solution provides security with SSL and RSA encryption, 2FA, custom backup rules.

Bitrix24 key features

• Project management
• Document editing & collaboration
• Business automation
• CRM system
• File storage

Bitrix24 vs Basecamp

Bitrix24 is powerful in collaboration with chat, video calls, feed, company workspace, and knowledge base. You can manage projects, delegate and set tasks, navigate between tasks and projects using different views: Deadline, Planner, Kanban board, Gantt chart, or Calendar. Each account has file storage of up to 1TB. CRM with unlimited deals and contacts is also included.

Most of the awesome features in Bitrix24 are only available in the expensive plans. Some users report that audio conferencing does not work well in Bitrix24. However, the solution is a good alternative to Basecamp for sales departments.

Bitrix24 pricing

The free plan lets you get on board with basic project management and communication features, including up to 48 people in video conferences, public and private chats. To unlock the full potential of Bitrix24, you have to pay $159 per month for the whole team (not per user).

Taking into consideration the powerful features of Bitrix24, it is one of the best Basecamp alternatives for a similar price.

Bitrix24 rating

Capterra — 4.0 (485 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.0 (485 reviews)

 

OpenProject

OpenProject is another Basecamp open-source alternative for on-premise deployment. This free software for classical and agile project management will support your team along the entire project life-cycle. With numerous features and plugins, the solution helps manage complex projects in big teams.

OpenProject is a self-hosted alternative to Basecamp. After deployment, you get basic security measures that are user management and two-factor authentication. The source code is open and transparent — you can check it on malware and backdoors.

OpenProject key features

• Project management
• Bug tracking
• Compatibility with Agile and Scrum
• Resource management
• Creating product roadmap

OpenProject vs Basecamp

All project management features are available in the free Community version of OpenProject. They are a project overview page, product roadmap, meetings management, time tracking, budgeting and cost reporting, bug tracking, calendars, and more. Advanced features unlock agile boards and improved security.

Basecamp is better in communication — in OpenProject, you can only brainstorm ideas together in discussions. Teams may need a separate app for private instant messaging. Some people report a sharp learning curve and unavailability of Kanban boards in OpenProject.

OpenProject pricing

OpenProject users prefer this software as the best free Basecamp alternative. Paid Enterprise can be hosted in the cloud and on-premises, includes professional support, customization, and security features.

OpenProject rating

Capterra — 4.3 (46 reviews)

Software Advice — 4.2 (45 reviews)

 

Final thoughts

We learned what are the best Basecamp alternatives for project management and what to look for when choosing one. The decision depends on the vast majority of factors and your individual requirements for the software. Should it be free and open-source? Cloud-based and comprehensive? What is the most important for your team — project management features, communication, document workflow, or something else?

All the best Basecamp alternatives from our list offer free pricing plans or trial periods. Test any solution with your team, gather feedback, and assess the efficiency of the software for your business.