Best Project Management Software for Freelancers in 2026: Boards, Time Tracking, Invoicing and Client Tools

The best project management software for freelancers depends on whether you only need a task board or want the client side of the business handled too. Paymo and Bonsai combine projects, time tracking and invoicing in one hosted app, Plutio and Dubsado add proposals, contracts and forms, and Trello or the open-source Vikunja are enough for simple boards.

Enlisted's catalogue has plenty of tools that name freelancers on their own sites, so this guide splits them by job: all-in-one client work, boards and task lists, time tracking and billing, and client approvals. Self-hosted options sit beside the hosted ones, and each pick states what it leaves out.

What freelancers need from project management software

Freelancers do three jobs that big-team tools tend to split into separate products. Naming them makes it easier to see what you are actually shopping for.

• Plan and track work. A board, list or timeline per client so deadlines stay visible.
• Track and bill time. Hours logged against clients and projects, turned into invoices.
• Handle the client side. Proposals, contracts, approvals and a way for clients to see progress.

Some products cover all three, some cover one well. A solo worker rarely needs team features such as resource planning or portfolios, so check the cost of those features is not baked into the price.

How we picked

Every pick either names freelancers or solo service businesses on its own site, or does one of the three jobs above in a way a one-person business can run without an admin. Enlisted's data decided the rest: licence and recent GitHub activity for open-source tools, published pricing routes for hosted ones. Tools that matched only on the word "solo", such as an idea validator or a bidding tool for one marketplace, were left out because they do not manage projects. Pricing is described in general terms because plans change. None of this is first-hand testing; it draws on the catalogue, vendor sites and pricing pages. See how Enlisted ranks tools.

Best all-in-one tools for freelance client work

These products put projects, time and billing in the same account, which is the main reason a freelancer would pay for one.

1. Paymo: best for projects, time tracking and invoices with a free plan

Paymo is hosted project management software that combines task boards, Gantt charts, time tracking, invoicing and estimates, online payments and file proofing, aimed at freelancers, small agencies and service teams. Automatic time tracking is one of its listed features, and it has desktop and mobile apps.

It has a free plan for one user, a trial of paid plans, and paid plans priced per user, so a solo worker can start without paying and add seats later.

• Best for: freelancers who want boards, hours and invoices in one app and a free way to start.
• Watch out for: the free plan is for a single user, and there is no self-hosted option.

2. Bonsai: best for going from proposal to contract to invoice

Bonsai is hosted business management software for freelancers and small agencies. It lists a CRM and pipeline, estimates, proposals, agreements, forms and a client portal, plus tasks, time tracking and timesheets, and invoicing with online payments, expenses and bookkeeping. The vendor also offers an MCP connection so AI assistants can act on Bonsai data.

There is no free plan, only a 7-day free trial, and plans are billed per user.

• Best for: independent consultants and small agencies who want the whole client lifecycle in one place.
• Watch out for: no free plan, and the project tools are lighter than a dedicated task manager.

3. Plutio: best for running a freelance business from one app

Plutio is a business management app for freelancers and small service businesses that puts client work, projects, proposals, contracts, invoicing, forms and bookings in one product. It adds automations for repeatable workflows and an AI assistant that can draft proposals and chase invoices, with apps for iPhone and iPad, Android, Mac and Windows.

Plutio has no free plan. Its plans scale with how many contributors you add, which matters if you later bring in subcontractors.

• Best for: solo freelancers who want proposals, projects and invoices without stitching tools together.
• Watch out for: you pay from day one, so use the trial to judge it before committing.

4. Dubsado: best for forms, contracts and workflows around a client

Dubsado is business management software for solo service providers that combines forms, contracts, appointment scheduling, invoicing and client portals. Its workflows automate steps in a client engagement, and the vendor targets creatives, licensed and specialized services, and event and coordination businesses.

Dubsado sells yearly plans, with extra brands and users as add-ons, and offers a free trial. HoneyBook is a close alternative covering proposals, contracts, invoices and project tracking, but the vendor says it is available to business owners in selected countries, so confirm yours.

• Best for: solo service providers who want automated onboarding, paperwork and payments.
• Watch out for: it centres on client management more than task planning, so its project boards are not the main draw.

Best for simple boards and task lists

If you already invoice elsewhere, a board per client may be all you need.

5. Trello: best simple hosted kanban board

Trello is a visual task tool built on boards, lists and cards, with an inbox that collects tasks from email and Slack, a planner that syncs with your calendar, automation and Power-Ups that connect other apps. It is free for a limited number of collaborators per Workspace, which is more than a solo worker needs.

It works on the web and on mobile. For other boards, the Trello alternatives guide covers the field.

• Best for: freelancers who want a board per client and nothing else to learn.
• Watch out for: time tracking and invoicing are not part of it, so you add separate tools, and it is closed source and hosted only.

6. Vikunja: best open-source task manager you can self-host

Vikunja is an open-source, self-hostable task and project manager with a Go backend and a Vue front end, licensed AGPL-3.0, which also exists as a hosted service. It covers to-do lists and broader project management, and exposes an API for connecting other tools.

Self-hosting is free. The README mentions a Pro tier that adds an admin panel, audit logs and time tracking, so time tracking is not in the free edition.

• Best for: freelancers who want their task data on their own server or a low-cost hosted plan.
• Watch out for: time tracking sits in the paid Pro edition, and it has no client portal or invoicing.

7. Leantime: best open-source option for non-project managers

Leantime is an open-source project management system, licensed AGPL-3.0, for people who are not professional project managers. It offers kanban, Gantt, table, list and calendar views, milestones, sprints and timesheets, plus goal tracking, idea boards and wikis. It can be self-hosted or used through a hosted Pro plan with a trial.

Its pitch is being as simple as Trello but with more planning depth, which suits a freelancer who wants timelines and timesheets in one tool.

• Best for: freelancers who want boards, timelines and timesheets in a tool they can host themselves.
• Watch out for: Enlisted's entry lists no invoicing or client contracts, so you still need a billing tool, and the hosted plan is paid per user.

If you want more free choices, see our free project management software guide.

Best for time tracking and billing hours

Freelancers who bill by the hour often do better with a dedicated tracker alongside a plain board.

8. Toggl Track: best hosted timer with reports and invoicing

Toggl Track is a time tracking application for freelancers and teams with an online timer, automated tracking, timesheet reports, project budgets and invoicing from tracked time. It has apps for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android and a free plan for a limited number of users.

Harvest is a similar hosted option for professional teams that bill by the hour, with expenses, invoicing and a free plan limited to one seat and a small number of projects.

• Best for: freelancers who bill hourly and want accurate reports before invoicing.
• Watch out for: it tracks time, not tasks or client approvals, and it is closed source and hosted only.

9. Kimai: best open-source time tracker with invoicing

Kimai is an open-source, web-based time tracking application, licensed AGPL-3.0, with timesheets, reports and invoicing for freelancers and teams. It has multiple timers, punch-in and punch-out modes, tags and a JSON API, and it is built with PHP and Symfony. It can be self-hosted or bought as a hosted service with a trial.

For a lighter self-hosted option, Traggo tracks time by tags instead of tasks and runs as a single Go server.

• Best for: freelancers who want to own their time data and still send invoices.
• Watch out for: you maintain the server if you self-host, and it does not manage tasks or client projects.

10. Invoice Ninja: best source-available app for invoices, quotes and projects

Invoice Ninja is a source-available application for invoices, quotes, projects and time tracking, built with Laravel and Flutter. Its README says all Pro and Enterprise features of the hosted app are included in the source code, and it can be used as a hosted service or self-hosted, with desktop and mobile apps.

The licence is listed as "Other" rather than a standard open-source licence, so read it before assuming open-source terms.

• Best for: freelancers who want invoicing and light project tracking they can host themselves.
• Watch out for: its licence is source-available, not a standard open-source one, and its task boards are lighter than a full project manager.

Best for client approvals and scope control

11. TryApprove: best white-label portal for deliverables and sign-off

TryApprove is a white-label client portal for agencies and freelancers. Clients reach it through a magic link with no account or password and find onboarding documents, deliverables, approvals and invoices. Contracts carry e-signatures, deliverables keep version history, and clients can pin comments on designs and videos. Projects are split into tasks with their own files, comments and status.

You can start free with no credit card, and plans are on the pricing page.

• Best for: designers and other creatives who want clients to approve work in one branded place.
• Watch out for: it is a client-facing layer, so its project planning is task-level, with no Gantt or time tracking in the entry.

12. ScopePilot: best for handling out-of-scope client requests

ScopePilot is an AI tool for freelancers that checks a client request against the agreed scope, marks it as in scope or extra work, and estimates the hours and cost from your rate. It drafts a reply or change order that you review before anything is sent, and a client portal for scope and change requests is a Pro feature.

It is a narrow helper, not a project manager, so it works beside a board or all-in-one tool. You can start free with no credit card.

• Best for: designers, developers and other creatives who keep getting small requests outside the agreed deliverables.
• Watch out for: it does not plan work, and an AI estimate is a draft for you to adjust, not a quote.

For retainer-based services, Setorio lets freelancers sell services as monthly subscriptions with a client portal, task management and billing through their own Stripe account.

What freelancers should check before choosing

Three questions settle most freelance purchases, and each can be answered from the vendor's own pages.

1. How much of the admin do you want inside the tool? If you already send invoices and contracts elsewhere, a board such as Trello or Vikunja is enough. If you want proposals through to payment, look at Bonsai, Plutio or Dubsado. Our accounting software for freelancers guide covers the bookkeeping side.
2. What does the free plan really include? Paymo's free plan covers one user, and Harvest's covers one seat with a project cap, while Bonsai and Plutio offer trials only. Vikunja's time tracking is a Pro feature, so read the plan table before relying on a free tier.
3. How do clients see your work? Dubsado and TryApprove have client portals, Bonsai lists one with forms, and Paymo adds file proofing. Check whether clients need an account to view or approve.

Self-hosting is the other fork. Vikunja, Leantime and Kimai are open source, but you take on upgrades and backups, which a hosted plan avoids. As the business grows into a team, our guide to project management software for startups covers tools with more room to scale, and the project management category lists every tool above.

Which project management tool should a freelancer choose?