Founded in 1999, Basecamp was the pioneer in cloud-based project & communication management software. Key features that made Basecamp popular:

• Simple & Elegant Task Management
• Search (keyword, person, images & files)
• Direct Messaging & Group Chat
• A portal for clients to view tasks and communicate with users
• Documents & file storage

So why would you need a replacement for Basecamp?

1. 1. While Basecamp is simple and easy-to-use, the tool is just too simplistic, leaving out valuable communication and collaboration functionality that most modern project management apps include.
   2. Basecamp does not compete with project management apps (or so they claim!). Their competition is with EMAIL! So think of Basecamp as an alternative to email: it does not provide the necessary structure and features to manage in-depth projects.
   3. Pricing: The annual fee for Basecamp is $1,188. We believe that this is rather steep for small businesses to shell out for simple project management.

Bottom-line: Basecamp has been in business for nearly twenty years and long past its prime. There are significantly better tools today, offering more for less. Let’s look at some affordable project management solutions in the market.

List of Project Management Software – Basecamp Alternatives in 2019

1) Trello – Setup boards to organise everything you’re working on, delegate tasks among colleagues, get custom workflows, add to-do lists within task cards, attach files and comment on items. The idea is that you manage all aspects of a project within the app, regardless of whether it’s team-based or individual. Hundreds of third-party integrations.
Ideal for: Real estate management, software project management, school bulletin boards, lesson planning, accounting, web design, gaming and law office case management.
Annual Fee for upto 10 Users = $1,199 [Business Class]

2) TeamWave – Integrated Project Management, CRM & HR software. All-in-One platform for small business. PM features include: To-dos, file sharing, team calendar, messages, events, milestones, estimates, timesheet & more. Best suited for collaboration with clients or partners (you decide what they see!)
Ideal for: Digital agencies (SEO, web design, content marketing, creative), financial services, Service-based small businesses, etc.
Annual Fee for UNLIMITED users = $468 [Includes Project Management, CRM & HR]

3) Wrike – Designed around a minimalist multi-pane UI and consists of features in two categories: project management, and team collaboration. Project Management features are those which help teams track dates and dependencies associated with projects, manage assignments and resources, and track time. These include an interactive Gantt chart, a workload view, and a sortable table that can be customized to store project data.
Ideal for: marketing companies, digital agencies, media, etc.
Annual Fee for upto 10 Users = $3,000 [Business]

4) TeamWork Projects –  Feature-rich productivity tool to manage projects with your team. Teamwork allows you to keep all your projects, tasks and files all in one place and easily collaborate with a team. Visualise the entire project through a marked calendar and gantt chart and setup reporting. The interface may be overwhelming for beginners but a good tool for advanced users.
Ideal for: software companies, high-tech, engineering, freelancers, web design, etc.
Annual Fee for upto 10 Users = $1,080 [PRO]

5) Podio – Organize team communication, business processes, data and content in project management workspaces. Users can also select business “apps” from an online app store or build their own according to project needs.
Ideal for: Companies that need SCRUM & Business Process Management. 
Annual Fee for upto 10 Users = $1,320 [Plus]

6) Jira [Atlassian] – Plan, track, and manage your agile and software development projects in Jira. Customize your workflow, collaborate, and release great software.
Ideal for: software companies, high-tech, engineering, etc.
Annual Fee for upto 10 Users = $120

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a project management tool other than Basecamp you’ll soon find out one thing: So. Many. Options.
The search can be overwhelming, even though you can do the exact same work in a superior platform for a lower cost.

So while you’re looking, don’t forget the goal: to get more done in a productive way that your whole team loves using. The easier the project management software, the more time there is to actually get things done.