If you’re a project manager you know your toolbox is incomplete without a proper resource management solution.
Tracking a project—including all the costs, resource leveling, and capacity planning that come with it — helps you get more work done in less time.
Tasks are completed on time. ⏰
Projects are completed within budget. 💸
Everyone celebrates once they get to the finish line. 🏆
But this only happens with the right resource management tools in the mix. It’s one of the best ways to streamline the resource allocation process and bring out your team’s true potential!
So, if you’ve landed here it’s because you’re on a quest to find the best resource management tool for the needs of your team, which is where this guide comes in. Below, we dive into the top resource management tools, highlight their features, and what third-party review sites say about each option.
10 Best Resource Management Tools & Software 2023
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat is Resource Management Software?
Resource management software is used to optimize, oversee, and benchmark the use of your available resources for a project—whether it’s staff, tools, budgets, or time. This type of platform provides project managers with the information necessary to correctly identify, use, and allocate resources as efficiently as possible to avoid bottlenecks or missed deadlines.
This allows teams to count on the best project outcomes in the least amount of time. In other words, resource management tools are there to maximize efficiency and level up team productivity from beginning to end.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Resource Management Software
what are the best tools to use to manage your available resources? Luckily for you, there are plenty of great options out there that you should know.
So, sit back, and relax because we’re providing the absolute best resource management software you can use across just about any project.
1. ClickUp
If you’re in search of the best resource management software that’s highly customizable, look no further than ClickUp. It’s the perfect addition to any project manager’s arsenal because of how much it’s able to do.
Whether you’re managing resources, fleshing out the initial parts of a project, or you want to keep your whole team on the same page with assigned docs and tasks, ClickUp is built to be flexible enough to do it. 📝
For example, with role-based views, ClickUp enables you to customize resource planning tasks and projects by assigning tasks to the appropriate team members. And with its reporting and analytics tools, you easily track progress, reassign resources as you go, and keep on top of overall usage.
Any original resource planning that’s not going right? Never miss it with plenty of customizable rule-based automations and the ability to create custom dashboards complete with charts and calendar views into your resource scheduling timeline. 📈
Features
- Custom dashboards: Analyze resource performance with custom-built dashboards
- Reporting: Generate reports to identify resource efficiency, resource constraints, and more
- Calendars and timelines: Visualize resource scheduling and your tasks in real time with interactive timelines and resource calendars
- Resource planning: Quickly identify resource usage with intuitive work scheduling and capacity planning tools, including pre-built templates
- Customizable automations: Automate resource assignments and project status updates to save time
Pros
- Built for team collaboration: Share docs and use ClickUp’s Whiteboard with your team in real-time to flesh out ideas or increase your project management efficiencies
- Easy to use: ClickUp has an intuitive interface that is easy to use and navigate compared to other resource management software in this list
- Highly customizable: ClickUp offers powerful customization options, allowing project managers to create a unique experience and make the tool work for the needs of each project and their resource planning process
Cons
- No sophisticated budgeting tools: ClickUp budgeting tools are not as in-depth as some financial resource planning tools
- Limited native time tracking: Some customers say ClickUp’s manual native time tracking can be hard to keep up with
Pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7 a month per user
- Business: $12 a month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (5,400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,000+ reviews)
TRACK RESOURCES FASTER WITH A PREMADE TEMPLATE
Want even more help getting your resources under control with ClickUp? Use our amazing Resource Allocation template to get a head start on how you can best track, manage, and view your available resources on ClickUp!
2. Monday.com
Monday.com is a solid resource management solution designed to help project managers quickly manage work along with resource scheduling features to see the big picture.
With intuitive drag-and-drop tools, project managers easily assign tasks, prioritize schedules, and track any resources they are assigned across several projects they’re managing.
This resource management tool is built with less flexibility than some of the other best resource management software options in this list, though it offers just about every major project management feature you’d expect.
Compare Monday.com to ClickUp!
Best features
- Drag and drop interface: Easily drag and drop tasks and resources for more efficient project management
- Highly visual dashboards: Monday isn’t afraid to create project management views for task tracking, resource allocation, and project insights with plenty of colors
- Time tracking: Monitor time and resource utilization through built-in timers and measurements for efficient resource planning
- Several project views: Timeline, kanban, calendar views, and more make it easier to context switch and track project progress for resource scheduling
Pros
- Integrations: Monday is decent at providing third-party integrations for a hassle-free workflow with additional tools
- Built-in email notifications: Teams stay on the same page with automated email notifications within the project management tool
Cons
- See your team member’s progress: Some team members don’t like that you can see each team member’s progress on the tasks they’re assigned—which is great for manager resource utilization purposes but not ideal for general resource management for team members
- Not as customizable as other alternatives: While Monday provides a complete framework to manage all kinds of projects, some users wish it was a bit more flexible project management tool
Pricing
- Individual: Free forever
- Basic: $8 a seat per month
- Standard: $10 a seat per month
- Pro: $16 a seat per month
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (6,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (3,000+ reviews)
Check out these Monday.com Alternatives!
3. Mosaic
If we had to sum up Mosaic as a resource management tool, the words intuitive and comprehensive come to mind. This resource planning tool provides users the ability to manage their resources, access analytics, and make data-driven decisions.
Mosaic offers plenty of tools for resource scheduling, enabling project teams to assign tasks, track availability, and manage resource availability. Mosaic uses a mix of features—including AI capabilities—to ensure your team’s both aligned and centralized for project planning.
Best of all, this resource management tool is built upon the idea that everyone’s workload is visible so team members stay engaged and hit milestones on schedule. ⌛
Best features
- Project collaboration: The resource management tool allows teams to collaborate on projects in real-time, which enables smooth and seamless communication for better resource planning
- Resource and project analytics: Mosaic provides analytics to help users gain insights into performance, resource utilization, and project progress.
- Notifications: The platform sends notifications via email and SMS to ensure users stay up to date on project information.
Pros
- Great support team: Mosaic’s support team is quick to answer any of your support questions about task management, resource management, or project management roadblocks
- Helps cut down on managerial tasks: Along with its automation features, Mosaic helps teams automate repetitive tasks, cutting down time spent on manual project management tasks
- Keep burnout away: Visualize your team’s capacity so you never overload any one member and keep burnout at bay with informed resource allocation
Cons
- Platform glitches: Some users have reported disappearing tasks after they’ve been finalized
- Inconsistent exporting functionality: Sometimes document format changes and is disorganized when exporting CSVs
Pricing
- Team Plan: $9.99 a user per month
- Business Plan: $14.99 a user per month
- Enterprise Plan: Contact the team
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (80+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (20+ reviews)
4. Runn
Runn.io is a powerful resource management software option that offers users a comprehensive suite of features to help them effectively plan, manage, and track projects. With it, users maximize resource utilization, improve decision-making, and accelerate project execution with better resource planning. 🏎️
Its interactive interface and pre-built reports allow users to gain insights into project management progress quickly and easily. This resource planning tool has solid analytics capabilities and also helps users identify trends and pinpoint areas of improvement.
Additionally, Runn integrates with plenty of popular project management tools to ensure seamless collaboration across teams for the best resource management experience.
Best features
- Automated dashboards: Visualize data for better project tracking and resource management
- Self-service reporting capabilities: Team members are able to create custom project management reports in no time
- Built for maximization: Maximize resource allocation by identifying usage trends and bottlenecks
Pros
- Forecasting tools: Plan ahead for future projects by using its forecasting tools to craft project scenarios and estimate budgets
- Best for service-based teams: IT, architecture, consultancies, and agencies are the types of teams that stand to get the most out of Runn for resource management needs
Cons
- No mobile app: Run does not enable teams to easily manage resources on the go
- No in-built collaboration tool
- Costly: The project planning tool may be expensive for smaller teams depending on the specific features they’re looking for
- Additional Features May be too complex and feature-rich for basic resource management needs
Pricing
- Free: $0 per person for up to five people
- Pro: $10 per person per month
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (1+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (25 reviews)
5. Hive
If overbooking is a constant problem as you allocate resources amongst projects, Hive offers tools built to prevent this from happening. Plus, you get custom roles, so you’re not only in control of your resource allocation but who decides who will control the workload management functions.
The resource management and project planning user interface present a simple yet efficient way of visualizing resource allocation according to the project phase, team roles, and milestones. It allows users to quickly assess allocations, resource scheduling, overall capacity, and progress.
Much like other resource management tools, Hive offers the features you’d expect, from time off management to automated notifications for enhanced project planning. If you’re big on simplicity and visibility as a project manager, consider Hive as an option for resource management and resource planning.
Best features
- Time tracking: Track time manually, add time, and record meetings as part of your time tracking process so resource planning is done in real-time
- Collaboration and messaging: Message and collaborate with team members right on its dashboard without having to jump back and forth from your resource management tool
- Hive for Zoom: Hive integrates with Zoom to enable you to take notes as you go and track tasks for better task management capabilities
Pros
- The Hive Forum: Easily give feedback on features within its Hive Forum and learn about helpful resource management tips
- Customizable workflows: Hive is pretty flexible in terms of allowing you to create workflows that fit your existing resource management process
- Two-in-one tool: Project managers use Hive for both general project management and resource allocation
Cons
- Glitchy messaging tool: Some users report a glitchy messaging dashboard where it becomes hard to find older messages
- Basic mobile app: Compared to other mobile apps for resource management, Hive’s app offers pretty basic functionality for project management purposes
- Missing key native integrations: Hive doesn’t make it easy to integrate with other project management tools and CRMs in your workflow like HubSpot
Pricing
- Solo: Free forever
- Teams: $12 per user per month
- Enterprise: Contact the team
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (400+ reviews)
6. Resource Management by Smartsheet
What sets Resource Management by Smartsheet apart are features like its project forecasting tools. With its resource planning tools, you’re not only able to plan for your current resource needs, but it also forecasts how many resources you’ll need to budget for future projects.
Resource Management by Smartsheet gives you a comprehensive overview of every resource on the project, including their availability and workloads, so that you seamlessly manage all the projects that come your way without falling behind.
With automated notifications and updates, you’ll always stay in the loop with this resource management software so you stay coordinated and on schedule.
Best features
- Total visibility into workloads: Allows stakeholders to get workload management views and project management features like progress reports
- Automated notifications and updates: Keeps resource planning managers informed of any changes to the project for on-the-spot resource scheduling needs
- Forecasting and analysis tools: Helps project managers with resource planning to get ahead and optimize resource utilization
- Visual representation of available resources: Resource management software helps quickly assess resource availability and manage capacity
Pros
- Adaptable templates and sheets: Don’t start from scratch with Smartsheet’s templates that are flexible enough to customize to your project needs
- Advanced filtering: Never lose any tasks or notes with advanced filter options for optimal resource management
Cons
- No desktop app: You won’t be able to download a desktop app with Resource Management by Smartsheet
- Works similarly to Excel: If you’re looking for a resource management tool that goes beyond what an Excel sheet does with rows and columns you might want to look at alternatives
Pricing
- Pro: $7 per user per month
- Business: $25 per user per month
- Enterprise: Contact the team
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.0/5 (100+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (60+ reviews)
Check out these Smartsheet Alternatives!
7. Hub Planner
If you bring together a scheduler, plenty of time sheets, and reporting features you get Hub Planner. As resource management software goes, it’s simple and to the point for better project management capabilities.
While you might not be able to customize it at a more granular level as you would with a tool like ClickUp, it still offers solid features for smaller teams for project management, resource scheduling, and resource planning.
Its best set of features would probably have to be its dynamic budgeting tools. The tool offers an intuitive budgeting wizard that helps create a customized budget for each project and tracks actuals vs. forecasted expenses. 💰💰💰
Hub Planner also includes an interactive cost analysis dashboard that provides a visual overview of budget usage and costs. With automated budgeting and tracking alerts, managers are alerted when a project is either over or under budget—making this a great financial resource planning tool.
Best features
- Drag-and-drop scheduler: It’s easy to create project schedules with an accessible drag-and-drop schedule maker
- Easy to learn and manage: Hub Planner doesn’t have a steep learning curve like other resource management software so it’s easy to onboard and integrate into your team workflow
- Dynamic billing rates: Have a complex billing process? Hub Planner enables you to track internal and external billing rates so you know how much you’re profiting from each project
Pros
- Easy to navigate: Hub Planner users enjoy this resource management software option because of its ease of use rather than feature capabilities
- Auto-fills project hours: Save time by letting Hub Planner auto-fill your hours and work as a faster resource planning tool
Cons
- Feature sophistication: Teams that use Hub Planner work best when they need a basic project or resource planning tool for more straightforward workflows
- Tracks resource usage through downloadable reports: Need to see how well your resource allocation is doing? You’ll need to download a report to find out
Pricing
- Plus & Play: $7 per resource per month
- Premium: $18 per resource per month
- Business Leader: Contact the team
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4/5 (17+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (100+ reviews)
8. nTask
With nTask, you collaborate, plan, and analyze all your projects with your team. Much like other project management and resource management software, nTask offers the basics in terms of milestone setting, budgeting, resource management, and a drag-and-drop kanban board planner that adds visibility to any project. 🔎
So, what makes nTask stand out then?
With nTask, the devil is in the details. For example, you’re able to create templates yourself to work on future projects. It also offers a built-in time-tracking solution that displays cost-to-completion metrics at every step of your project.
Best features
- Custom statuses: nTask is flexible enough for teams to create custom statuses for projects with additional nuance
- Link projects: Have multiple interlinked projects going on at the same time? nTask enables teams to link related projects so there are no missteps as you meet milestones and deadlines according to schedule
- Customizable due dates: It isn’t uncommon to not finish a project by the expected due date, that’s why nTask comes with small but mighty features like setting planned vs. actual due dates—ideal for resource scheduling
Pros
- Create teams: nTask enables project managers to create teams as a way to keep projects and resource scheduling organized
- Affordable: nTask is affordable, which makes it great for small to growing teams that don’t need resource management software to take a project to the finish line
Cons
- Slow to load: Depending on how you’ve set up your workflow, nTask may be slow to load compared to other resource management software options in this list
- Limited integrations: Working with a big tech stack may become a problem if nTask doesn’t integrate with any one of your task management tools
- Steep learning curve: Users have reported a bit of a steeper learning curve as the platform isn’t as intuitive as other resource management software options
Pricing
- Premium: $3 a month billed yearly
- Business: $8 a month billed yearly
- Enterprise: Contact the team
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (17+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (100+ reviews)
9. Celoxis
Celoxis is a blend of agile resource management tools and workflow automation features. It offers powerful reporting and business analytics that give project managers a full picture of their projects.
Celoxis also offers customizable visualizations, so that project managers make sense of their project data faster. It also equips your team with external-facing tools to manage clients with client portal features. 💡
Keep in mind that Celoxis has a way to go in terms of developing additional features to make its product more robust across different project needs. 🧠
Best features
- Customizable portfolio dashboards: Stay up to date with real-time project information within portfolios.
- Customizable visualizations: Allows users to get a better understanding of their project data.
- Automation: Offers tons of customizable automations
Pros
- Schedules automated resource and project reports: Resource management software helps you get a project report that includes the specifics of your project progress in your inbox
- Works great for smaller teams: You don’t have to be well-versed in sophisticated resource management software to start working with Celoxis and getting the most out of it
Cons
- Limited usage plans: Unlike other resource management software, Celoxis doesn’t offer too many plans to choose from, which may not work so well with you if you’re on a budget
- UX needs improvement: Depending on what you do with Celoxis’ dashboard, navigation isn’t always smooth
Pricing
- Cloud: $22.50 billed yearly
- On-Premise: Contact the team
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (60+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (200+ reviews)
10. Forecast
Working with clients? Forecast comes with plenty of resource management and project tools to ensure you nail customer satisfaction. You’re able to keep stakeholders updated while maintaining resource visibility in the back end. 🔎
As far as resource management software goes, Forecast doesn’t leave you wanting more, which is great in terms of your project planning. Timesheets, reports and its highly visual dashboard ensure you’re optimally spreading out your bandwidth across all ongoing projects for optimal resource planning. If you’re a service-based business, Forecast may be a solid option worth considering.
Best features
- Invoicing Features Easily create and send client invoices from within the platform
- All-in-one tool for agencies: Agencies manage clients, projects, and resources all from one centralized place
Pros
- Consistent product updates: Forecasts’ team is solid at providing consistent product updates
- Shows everyone’s availability for projects: Teams get on the same page by adding visibility to project planning availability as it changes
Cons
- Not the best on mobile: Forecast’s dashboard isn’t designed with a mobile view in mind.
- Doesn’t automate many repetitive tasks: Many tasks Forecast could automate to streamline processes have to be repeated manually.
- Geared for agency-type teams: Forecast is great for service-based businesses like agencies so its features may not serve any other business model fully.
Pricing
- Lite: $29 a seat a month
- Pro: Contact the team
- Plus: Contact the team
Ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (70+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (50+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseStart Resource Planning with Resource Management Software
Listen—the best resource management software isn’t always as clear as it seems. You need an option that can do more than simple project planning or discovery into your allocated resources.
Resource and project planning software like ClickUp gives you everything you need to best monitor, track, schedule, organize, and reprioritize your resources as effectively as possible.
Workload management features give team leads direct insights into who’s managing what—so you avoid burning out some of your team while giving the rest too little work. Assign tasks, comments, or users to projects and drag-and-drop their work for truly efficient resource management and project planning.
Get in the driver’s seat today and get ClickUp for free!
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
