The Pros and Cons of Using ProjectManager.com Software

ProjectManager.com is the award-winning online project and portfolio management software designed to bring clarity, control, and efficiency to teams everywhere. This scalable Software as a Service (SaaS) solution centralizes every aspect of the work lifecycle, from initial planning and resource allocation to execution and real-time reporting. Trusted by leading global organizations and over 35,000 teams, ProjectManager.com provides a comprehensive toolkit, including interactive Gantt charts, flexible Kanban boards, and detailed dashboards for tracking progress.

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It ensures that managers gain the deep insights needed for data-driven decisions, while team members benefit from easy collaboration, automated time tracking, and a unified platform that eliminates the need to juggle multiple, disconnected tools. The result is flawless project execution and measurable business excellence. If you’re considering ProjectManager.com for your team or organization, it’s essential to understand its pros and cons, as well as features, use cases, and pricing, so you can make an informed decision.

On the other hand, if you need a more cost-effective project management tool, explore AceProject as an alternative. Its pricing is not on a per-user basis, giving you more flexibility to manage your company’s finances.

ProjectManager.com – Project & Work Management Software

ProjectManager.com was first established in New Zealand in 2008 by founder Jason Westland, with the goal of creating powerful yet accessible online software for project teams. The company develops comprehensive project management software that helps teams plan, track, and execute projects through features like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and real-time dashboards. While maintaining development roots in Auckland, the company strategically relocated its headquarters to Austin, Texas, in 2018 to focus on global scaling and better serve its growing US client base.

The platform has grown from an ambitious startup to an award-winning solution, recognized by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and for its rapid growth on the Inc. 5000 list. Today, ProjectManager.com is a robust SaaS solution trusted by major organizations, including the United Nations, NASA, and Volvo, demonstrating its capability to handle high-stakes projects across diverse industries like IT, construction, and professional services.

The Pros or Advantages of ProjectManager.com

Evaluating the pros and cons of any project management software is crucial for informed decision-making. A balanced assessment ensures that a new platform aligns with your team’s specific operational needs and budgetary constraints. Here are some of the top pros of ProjectManager.com:

Robust All-in-One Feature Set: The platform provides a comprehensive suite of tools, meaning teams don’t need to juggle multiple applications. It effectively covers planning, scheduling, time tracking, resource allocation, and portfolio management, centralizing all project data in a single, accessible system for greater control and efficiency across the entire work lifecycle.
Intuitive and User-Friendly Interface: New users consistently praise the application’s clean, organized, and straightforward design, which promotes quick adoption. This intuitive layout, combined with clear labels and navigation, reduces the initial learning curve, allowing teams to become productive faster and focus on project execution rather than software training.
Advanced Time and Cost Tracking: The software includes built-in time-tracking features and timesheets that simplify monitoring labor hours and calculating labor costs. This precise, automated tracking is critical for accurate budgeting, invoice generation, comparing planned versus actual effort, and ensuring projects remain financially viable.
Flexible Multiple Project Views: ProjectManager.com caters to diverse team preferences and project needs by offering dynamic views. Users can switch seamlessly between classic, interactive Gantt charts, agile Kanban boards, simple task lists, and calendars, ensuring every team member and manager can visualize work in their preferred methodology.
Real-Time Data and Reporting: The platform’s real-time dashboards and customizable reporting tools provide instant status updates on progress, budgets, and resource workload. This immediate access to live data is invaluable for making proactive, informed decisions, identifying potential bottlenecks early, and keeping all stakeholders continuously informed.
Powerful Resource Management: Managers have visual tools to monitor team capacity, view resource availability, and reassign tasks with drag-and-drop ease. This helps in balancing workloads, preventing team burnout, avoiding scheduling conflicts, and making sure that the right people are assigned to the right tasks at the optimal time.
Seamless Microsoft Ecosystem Integration: A significant benefit is its easy and seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, including Microsoft Project and Office files. This feature reduces the friction of data transfer and ensures that organizations heavily reliant on Microsoft tools can combine all their project data into one safe, accessible place.
Strong Foundation for Team Collaboration: The cloud-based platform fosters secure collaboration by allowing users to store project documents, comment directly on tasks, and receive real-time updates and notifications. This centralizes communication, eliminates reliance on external email chains, and keeps distributed or hybrid teams aligned.

The Cons or Disadvantages of ProjectManager.com

Evaluating the drawbacks is just as important as reviewing the benefits, as it highlights potential friction points and costs not immediately apparent. Acknowledging these limitations allows organizations to create necessary workarounds, allocate budget for supplementary tools, or choose an alternative solution better suited to their specific environment. Here are the cons of ProjectManager.com you should know:

Steeper Learning Curve for Non-Experts: While the interface is considered intuitive for project managers, some users and less technical team members report a steep learning curve due to the sheer volume of advanced features. This complexity can initially overwhelm teams and slow down the process of company-wide adoption.
Limited Advanced Resource Optimization: For very large, enterprise-level organizations, the depth of the resource management and portfolio optimization capabilities may be less robust than dedicated, specialized tools. Managers seeking highly granular, automated adjustments for massive resource pools might find the features slightly constrained.
Higher Cost for Advanced Features: Many of the powerful, professional-grade features, such as portfolio management, advanced reporting, and extensive integrations, are restricted to the higher-priced Business and Enterprise subscription tiers. This pricing structure can be expensive for smaller businesses or mid-sized teams operating on a tight budget.
Occasional Mobile App Limitations: Users on the go have reported that the native mobile application (iOS and Android) lacks some of the comprehensive functionality and real-time responsiveness found in the full desktop version. This can limit the ability of field-based or remote staff to perform more complex management duties.
Inflexibility in Custom Reporting: While the platform offers customizable reports, some reviewers note that the reporting module could be more adaptable and misses certain filtering criteria or flexible formats. This can make it difficult for users to extract and share specific, highly tailored executive-level insights.
Customer Support and Responsiveness: A number of user reviews indicate occasional delays or less-than-optimal responsiveness from the customer support team. While not universal, the quality and speed of support can be a frustration point, especially for users relying on prompt assistance during critical project phases.

ProjectManager.com Key Features

ProjectManager.com comes with powerful features designed to ensure successful project execution, regardless of the methodology employed. The software’s unique value lies in unifying traditional and agile practices onto a single platform. This flexibility allows managers to choose the best view for each project and provides team members with user-friendly tools that keep them focused, organized, and collaborative. Here are the core features offered by ProjectManager.com:

Gantt Charts: These offer powerful, interactive, and highly intuitive charting features. Users can set dependencies, schedule milestones, and track baselines, enabling managers to create detailed online project plans and easily communicate timelines to all stakeholders.
Online Project Dashboards: This feature provides an immediate, visual snapshot of project health. Dashboards instantly display task, cost, and time tracking data in easy-to-understand charts, allowing both managers and team members to know if they are on track at a glance.
Project Timesheets: Online timesheets simplify the process for team members to log their hours against tasks. They are easy for the team to use and even easier for managers to swiftly review and approve, which ensures accurate labor cost tracking and payroll processing.
Kanban Boards: Kanban boards allow teams to organize and visualize work using custom columns and drag-and-drop cards. This supports agile methodologies by helping teams manage backlogs, limit work in progress, and quickly adapt to changing priorities.
Portfolio Management Tools: Managers gain high-level oversight to see all their projects, programs, and portfolios. This tool keeps multiple initiatives aligned with organizational goals, simplifies strategic decision-making, and provides real-time business intelligence across the enterprise.
Workflow Automation: Users can automate repetitive administrative tasks, such as priority changes and approval requests. This functionality enhances quality control, speeds up processes by eliminating manual steps, and frees the team to concentrate on execution.
Task Lists: The Task Lists feature allows for straightforward management of daily work. This view provides a simple, grid-style layout for tracking assignments, due dates, and status updates, ensuring team members have clear personal and project to-do lists.
Mobile App: The dedicated mobile application ensures projects can be managed from anywhere. It keeps the desktop and mobile views in sync, allowing team members to update tasks from the worksite or shop floor, maintaining real-time accuracy on the go.

ProjectManager.com Use Cases

ProjectManager.com is a powerful and flexible platform designed to handle the diverse needs of various industries and teams. The software’s ability to adapt its views and features—from robust Gantt charts to flexible Kanban boards—makes it an ideal solution for different project types and methodologies. It serves as an essential tool for high-level management, ensuring alignment across portfolios, and for specialized teams needing granular control over resources and execution. Its use cases include:

Manufacturing: In the manufacturing industry, ProjectManager.com can be used to manage production schedules and supply chain management to ensure the timely delivery of products. The software can help with task management, resource allocation, and tracking progress, allowing teams to stay on schedule and meet deadlines.
Construction: Construction projects require careful planning, resource allocation, and budget tracking. With ProjectManager.com, construction teams can manage project timelines, budgets, and resources, ensuring compliance with safety regulations. The software can also help manage risk, track subcontractors, and communicate with stakeholders.
Information Technology: IT projects often involve complex software development processes, including task management, bug tracking, and code review. ProjectManager.com can help IT teams manage software development projects, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and track progress. The software also supports agile project management methodologies, allowing teams to adapt to changes in project requirements.
Professional Services: In professional services, such as consulting, legal, or accounting, client projects need careful management, including project planning, budgeting, and time tracking. With ProjectManager.com, professional service teams can manage client projects, track billable hours, and collaborate with clients and colleagues.
IT and Development Teams: IT and development teams require efficient project management tools to manage complex software development projects. ProjectManager.com offers features such as agile project management, task management, code review, and bug tracking, which help teams to streamline their development processes, stay on schedule, and deliver high-quality products.
Engineering Teams: Engineering projects require careful planning, design reviews, testing, and product development. With ProjectManager.com, engineering teams can manage complex engineering projects, track progress, and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
Product Management Teams: Product management teams need to prioritize features, track progress, and collaborate with cross-functional teams. ProjectManager.com offers product roadmaps, task management, and collaboration tools, which help product management teams streamline their processes and deliver high-quality products.
Marketing Teams: In marketing, campaigns require careful planning, content creation, social media management, and tracking metrics. With ProjectManager.com, marketing teams can manage campaigns, track progress, and collaborate with colleagues to ensure successful campaigns.
Enterprise Teams: Large-scale projects require efficient project management tools to manage resources, budgets, and progress reporting. ProjectManager.com offers features such as resource allocation, budget tracking, and progress reporting, allowing enterprise teams to manage large-scale projects efficiently.
Creative Teams: In the creative industry, projects require efficient collaboration tools, task management, and approval workflows. ProjectManager.com offers features such as task management, collaboration tools, and approval workflows, helping creative teams to deliver high-quality projects efficiently.
Event Planning: Event planning requires careful management of budgets, vendors, and attendees. ProjectManager.com offers features such as budget tracking, vendor management, and attendee registration, allowing event planning teams to manage their events efficiently.
Non-Profit Teams: Non-profit projects require careful management of donors, grants, and events. ProjectManager.com offers features such as donor management, grant tracking, and event planning, helping non-profit teams to manage their projects and fundraising campaigns efficiently.

ProjectManager.com Pricing and Costs

ProjectManager pricing plans are structured to deliver competitive value across different organizational sizes, offering progressively advanced features tailored for task, resource, and portfolio management. Before committing to a subscription, every new user can access a 30-day free trial to explore the software’s full capabilities without obligation. ProjectManager offers three main pricing tiers:

ProjectManager Team ($14/user/month billed annually or $17/user/month): This plan is the starting point, suitable for smaller teams needing essential project and task management features. The plan includes core functionality such as Gantt charts, multiple project views (list, kanban board, calendar), task tracking, and essential reporting capabilities for up to 20 projects and a maximum of 10 users.
ProjectManager Business ($26/user/month billed annually or $30/user/month): Ideal for larger teams and organizations, this plan incorporates more advanced features essential for comprehensive project, portfolio, and resource management. This tier significantly builds on the Team plan by adding support for unlimited users, up to 100 projects, robust timesheets, workload management, advanced reporting, and portfolio dashboards.
ProjectManager Enterprise (Custom Pricing): This is the top-tier solution, tailored for large organizations requiring advanced security, custom integrations, and priority support. It encompasses all features of the Business plan and adds critical benefits for large-scale operations, such as Single Sign-On (SSO), unlimited projects, the ability to set custom roles, API access for bespoke integrations, and the support of a dedicated account manager.

For more detailed information about ProjectManager.com’s pricing structure and subscription options, explore our comprehensive ProjectManager Pricing Plans & Costs Guide. It provides an in-depth analysis of each tier to help you choose the most cost-effective option for your organization.

Conclusion

ProjectManager.com stands out as a comprehensive and highly adaptable project management platform that effectively unifies traditional and agile methodologies within a single ecosystem. The platform’s primary advantage lies in its ability to offer multiple work visualization options—ranging from detailed Gantt charts with critical path analysis to streamlined Kanban boards—all integrated within one collaborative workspace.

The software serves organizations across diverse industries by delivering essential capabilities, including advanced resource allocation, comprehensive time tracking, and executive-level portfolio reporting. Although the pricing structure reflects the platform’s enterprise-grade features, it represents an excellent solution for organizations that require a unified, scalable platform capable of accommodating varied project workflows while maintaining consistent delivery standards and measurable business outcomes.