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The cheapest project management tool for a solo consultant in 2026
One person, a handful of client projects, no team seats to buy. At one seat the free tiers decide the answer, and all four of these tools have a free plan that fits a solo user - they differ in how far it stretches. These are the real prices, read from each vendor's own page.
Prices last re-checked 2026-10-05. Numbers are read from each vendor's own pricing page; any exception is flagged under "What to watch".
Which one should you pick?
- Pick Trello if you need the best free option for one person. Visit Trello
- Pick ClickUp if you want views and storage, this is the best free option. Visit ClickUp
- Pick Asana if clients need to see progress, this is the best free option. Visit Asana
- Pick monday.com if this trade-off works for you: free to start, but the tightest free limits. Visit monday.com
The short answer
Short answer: Best free option for one person: Trello is free for unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per workspace, which is more than a solo consultant needs, and the paid step is only $5 per user per month on Standard ($6 monthly) if you outgrow it.
| Tool | Entry price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo (no annual discount published) | Unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, 10MB attachment limit |
| Standard | $6/mo, or $5/mo billed annually | Per user. Unlimited boards, advanced checklists, custom fields, 250 workspace co |
| Premium | $12.5/mo, or $10/mo billed annually | Per user. Calendar/Day/Table/Timeline/Dashboard views, AI, 1,000 command runs/mo |
| Enterprise | $17.5/mo (no annual discount published) | Per user. Organization-wide permissions, SSO, 250 workspace command runs/mo |
Prices checked 2026-10-05.
Best free option for one person: Trello
Trello is free for unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per workspace, which is more than a solo consultant needs, and the paid step is only $5 per user per month on Standard ($6 monthly) if you outgrow it. The trade-off: 10MB attachments on the free tier, so client files live elsewhere.
See Trello pricingBest free option if you want views and storage: ClickUp
ClickUp is free for unlimited members with unlimited tasks and board and list views, then $7 per user per month on Unlimited ($10 monthly) for unlimited storage, dashboards and Gantt. The trade-off: the free tier gives you 100MB of storage, which is the smallest here.
See ClickUp pricingBest free option if clients need to see progress: Asana
Asana is free for up to 10 teammates with unlimited tasks and projects and list, board and timeline views, then $10.99 per user per month on Starter. Inviting a client as a guest on the free tier is the reason to pick it. The trade-off: no annual discount is published, so the paid rate is the same monthly or yearly.
See Asana pricingFree to start, but the tightest free limits: monday.com
monday.com is free for up to 2 seats and 3 boards, then $9 per seat per month on Basic billed annually ($12 monthly). For one person the free tier is enough to start, but 3 boards is the tightest limit of the four. The trade-off: you will hit the board cap before you hit the seat cap.
See monday.com pricingThe prices, plan by plan
Trello
Trello is free for unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per workspace, then $5 per user per month on Standard, $10 on Premium and $17.50 on Enterprise, billed annually.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo (no annual discount published) | Unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, 10MB attachment limit |
| Standard | $6/mo, or $5/mo billed annually | Per user. Unlimited boards, advanced checklists, custom fields, 250 workspace command runs/mo |
| Premium | $12.5/mo, or $10/mo billed annually | Per user. Calendar/Day/Table/Timeline/Dashboard views, AI, 1,000 command runs/mo |
| Enterprise | $17.5/mo (no annual discount published) | Per user. Organization-wide permissions, SSO, 250 workspace command runs/mo |
Prices checked 2026-10-05.
What to watch: Trello prints the annual per-user rate by default; the monthly-billing rates come from the page's monthly toggle. Enterprise is quoted at the same rate either way.
Source: https://trello.com/pricing, read 2026-10-05.
See Trello pricingClickUp
ClickUp is free for unlimited members with 100MB storage, then $7 per user per month on Unlimited, $12 on Business and a custom quote for Enterprise, billed annually.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free Forever | $0/mo (no annual discount published) | Unlimited members, 100MB storage, unlimited tasks, board and list views |
| Unlimited | $10/mo, or $7/mo billed annually | Per user. Unlimited storage, integrations, dashboards, Gantt, 1,000 automations/mo |
| Business | $19/mo, or $12/mo billed annually | Per user. Advanced automations, time tracking, workload, 10,000 automations/mo |
| Enterprise | custom quote | Custom quote. SSO, advanced permissions, white labelling |
What to watch: ClickUp prints the annual per-user rate by default; the monthly-billing rates come from the page's monthly toggle.
Source: https://clickup.com/pricing, read 2026-10-19.
See ClickUp pricingAsana
Asana is free for up to 10 teammates, then $10.99 per user per month on Starter, $24.99 on Advanced and a custom quote for Enterprise, billed monthly.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | $0/mo (no annual discount published) | Up to 10 teammates, unlimited tasks and projects, list/board/timeline views |
| Starter | $10.99/mo (no annual discount published) | Per user. Timeline, workflow builder, 250 automations/mo, 500 form submissions/mo |
| Advanced | $24.99/mo (no annual discount published) | Per user. Goals, portfolios, workload, time tracking, 25,000 automations/mo |
| Enterprise | custom quote | Custom quote. SSO, SCIM, data residency, advanced reporting |
Prices checked 2026-10-05.
What to watch: Asana's pricing page shows the same per-user rate whether you pay monthly or yearly, so we record no annual discount rather than inventing one.
Source: https://asana.com/pricing, read 2026-10-19.
See Asana pricingmonday.com
monday.com starts at $9 per seat per month on Basic, $12 on Standard, $19 on Pro and a custom quote for Enterprise, billed annually; monthly billing costs more.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo (no annual discount published) | Up to 2 seats, 3 boards, 1,000 items |
| Basic | $12/mo, or $9/mo billed annually | Per seat. Unlimited boards, 5GB storage, 1,000 automations/mo |
| Standard | $14/mo, or $12/mo billed annually | Per seat. Timeline, Gantt, calendar, guest access, 250 automations/mo |
| Pro | $24/mo, or $19/mo billed annually | Per seat. Time tracking, formula column, private boards, 25,000 automations/mo |
| Enterprise | custom quote | Custom quote. Enterprise auth, audit log, multi-level permissions |
Prices checked 2026-10-05.
What to watch: monday.com prints the annual per-seat rate by default and switches to the monthly rate with a client-side toggle. Both sets are the vendor's own numbers, but the monthly figures come from the toggle rather than the static HTML.
Source: https://monday.com/pricing, read 2026-10-05.
See monday.com pricingQuestions people ask
What is the cheapest option here?
Trello: free for unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per workspace, then $5 per user per month on Standard if you outgrow it.
Can I run client projects on a free plan?
Yes. Asana is free for up to 10 teammates with unlimited tasks and projects, ClickUp is free for unlimited members and Trello is free for unlimited cards. monday.com's free tier is the tightest at 3 boards.
What is the cheapest paid plan if I outgrow free?
Trello Standard at $5 per user per month billed annually. ClickUp Unlimited is $7, monday.com Basic is $9 and Asana Starter is $10.99.
Do I need to pay for a team I do not have?
No. All four price per seat, so a solo consultant pays for one seat - and all four have a free plan that covers one person.
Which one is best for sharing progress with a client?
Asana, because its free tier covers up to 10 teammates, so a client can be added without buying a seat.
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