12 Best Project Management Apps and Tools for Students

If you are a student, especially one who is pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree, you can feel like you are constantly juggling a million different things.

Classes, homework, extracurriculars, socializing… the list goes on.

And on top of all of that, you often have to work on group projects. If you are not careful, project management can easily become a project in and of itself.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help. In this article, we will review the 12 best project management apps and tools for hustling students like you who are looking for something that makes your academic life a lot easier.

With these apps, you can easily keep track of deadlines, assigned tasks, and progress reports.

1. ClickUp

If you’re looking for an all-in-one project management solution, ClickUp is the way to go.

It’s packed with features to help you stay organized and on top of your project, while still being easy to use.

With ClickUp, you can create tasks and subtasks, set priorities and due dates, assign tasks to team members, and track your project’s progress.

And if you need a little help getting started, there are plenty of tutorials and support resources available.

With ClickUp automation, you can easily create automatic processes for your routine project management tasks, saving you time and energy.

Besides, thanks to their collaboration feature, you can easily highlight or annotate project documents, making it easy for team members to provide feedback (real-time editing).

Main Features

• Gantt charts
• Checklists
• Calendar view
• Automation
• Recurring tasks
• Mind mapping (for project brainstorming)

User Experience

The user interface of ClickUp is clean and easy to use, and the site is very responsive. I’ve found that I can easily keep track of what I need to do and when it’s due, which is a huge help.

The ability to create subtasks is also really helpful, as it allows me to break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Agreed that the interface can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you’ll quickly get used to it and find that it’s actually quite intuitive.

And if you ever get stuck, there are plenty of resources (tutorials, FAQs, etc.) to help you out.

Pricing

ClickUp has a forever-free plan. The Unlimited plan costs $9/month, the Business plan costs $19/month and the Business Plus plan costs $29/month.

2. Notion

Notion is a flexible project management tool that can be adapted to a variety of different learning styles and preferences.

For example, students who prefer visual learning can use Notion to create mind maps or flow charts of their project plan (all thanks to Apption’s embeddable Notion widgets).

Those who prefer more linear and sequential learning can use Notion to create a step-by-step guide with deadlines and checkpoints.

And for students who like to take a more hands-on approach, Notion allows you to create custom templates and workflows that can be easily shared with team members.

No matter what your learning style is, Notion can help you keep your projects organized and on track.

Without ever leaving your keyboard, you can – create project timelines, assign tasks to team members, set deadlines and reminders, upload and share project files, and much more!

The awesome part?

Notion comes with a variety of templates that you can use to get started with your project management. There’s even a project management template specifically for students!

Collaborating on projects has never been easier – with Notion’s real-time editing and commenting features, you and your team can work on the same project at the same time without ever getting in each other’s way.

Main Features

• Customizable project management templates
• Kanban boards
• Gantt charts
• File sharing
• Deadlines and reminders
• Team collaboration

User Experience

At first glance, Notion may seem like yet another online productivity tool. However, upon closer inspection, it quickly becomes apparent that Notion is much more than that.

It is a versatile platform that can be used for everything from taking notes to managing projects.

And the best part is that it is extremely user-friendly. The interface is clean and uncluttered, making it easy to find the features you need.

Navigation is intuitive, and tasks can be completed with just a few clicks. Whether you’re looking for a simple way to keep track of your thoughts or a powerful tool for managing complex projects, Notion is sure to exceed your expectations.

Pricing

Notion offers a free plan that includes unlimited pages and blocks. The Personal plan starts at $5 per month while the Team plan costs $10 per month.

3. Motion

Motion is an AI assistant that manages your entire life and schedule.

Motion connects to your calendar and uses AI to automatically plan out your day in the most optimal way possible.

It looks at all the tasks, meetings, and projects you have coming up and figures out the best way to fit everything in.

It’s like a personal assistant that actually understands your priorities and schedule preferences.

You can create specific workspaces for different areas of your life, like school, work, hobbies, etc.

Then Motion will make sure the important stuff gets scheduled properly while still leaving room for downtime and the fun stuff.

So let’s say you’re a student trying to balance classes, assignments, clubs, and maybe even a part-time job.

Motion will be your best friend!

You can set up a workspace for each class, add all your upcoming assignments and project deadlines, and let the AI figure out the ideal schedule.

Main Features

• AI prioritizes and schedules your tasks, meetings, and events
• Create dedicated workspaces to organize different areas of your life
• Resolves scheduling conflicts to optimize your productivity
• Intelligent calendar learns your preferences over time
• Automated rescheduling when things don’t go as planned
• Easy meeting scheduling with booking links, you can share

User Experience

Motion has a clean and modern interface that puts a big emphasis on your main calendar view.

But they don’t sacrifice depth, since you can still zoom into projects, tasks, and all the nitty-gritty details pretty easily.

The whole point is to give you a clear, centralized workspace where you can visualize your schedule and what needs to get done.

And of course, the secret sauce is Motion’s AI algorithms working behind the scenes to perfectly slot all those tasks and meetings into your calendar.

Pricing

There’s a free 7-day trial to test it out. Then it’s $34/month ($19/month on annual billing) for the individual plan.

4. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a cloud-based platform that allows users to collaborate on projects and manage workflows.

One of the key features of Smartsheet is its flexibility – users can create their custom views and forms, and add new columns and sheets as needed.

This makes Smartsheet an ideal tool for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders.

Smartsheet also offers a variety of features to help team members stay organized and on track, including real-time updates, Gantt charts, and email notifications.

And because Smartsheet is cloud-based, users can access their data from anywhere, at any time.

Whether you’re coordinating a global marketing campaign or simply trying to keep track of your team’s tasks, Smartsheet can help you get the job done.

Main Features

• Project management
• Task management
• Gantt charts
• Flexible views and forms
• Real-time updates

User Experience

Smartsheet is easy to use and offers a variety of features, including task tracking, file sharing, and real-time updates.

The user interface is clean and intuitive, making it simple to get started with Smartsheet.

However, the platform is also powerful and flexible, with options for customizing workflows and integrating with other Business tools which can make it somewhat overwhelming for new users.

Pricing

Smartsheet enables you to try out all the fancy Business plan features for a whole month, totally free! When you’re ready to commit, you’ve got two options to pick from:

1. Go Pro for $12 a month per person (or save a bit and pay $9 if you’re cool with yearly billing).

2. Or level up to Business for $24 a month per person (again, you can save some cash with yearly billing at $19 per person).

5. Taskade

6. Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is a project management software that can be used by students to manage their school projects.

It includes features such as task lists, milestones, Gantt charts, and file sharing.

Students can use Zoho Projects to collaborate with their classmates on projects and to keep track of their progress.

Additionally, It can be used to communicate with instructors and to submit project deliverables.

With features like Project Timesheets, project managers can track the time spent on tasks and generate reports.

And with Task Automation, project managers can automate repetitive tasks such as sending reminders and assigning tasks.

You can connect Zoho Projects with any of your favorite software which makes the project management process more robust.

Main Features

• Task lists
• Gantt charts
• File sharing
• Project Timesheets
• Task Automation

User Experience

Zoho Projects is designed to be user-friendly, and it offers a variety of features to help users stay organized and on track.

The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, and users can create custom views to better suit their workflows.

Additionally, Zoho Projects offers a variety of integrations with other Zoho products, as well as third-party tools like Google Drive and Dropbox. This makes it easy to attach files and share project information with team members.

Pricing

Zoho Projects offers a free plan as well as a 10-day free trial on their paid plans:

1. Premium (Starts at $4.25/month/ up to 50 members)
2. Enterprise (Starts at $8.50/month/ unlimited members)

7. Coda

Coda.io is a document app that allows users to create and edit documents on the go.

The app is available for both iOS and Android devices, and it offers a variety of features that make it a convenient tool for busy professionals.

One of the most useful features of Coda.io is its real-time collaboration capabilities. users can invite others to view and edit their documents in real time, and they can also leave comments on specific sections of the document.

This makes it easy to get feedback from colleagues or clients without having to schedule a meeting.

In addition, Coda.io also offers a variety of templates that can be used to create standard documents, such as contracts or proposals. This saves users from having to start from scratch every time they need to create a new document.

You can drag and drop and insert any elements you want into your project management document.

Main Features

• Create and edit documents on the go
• Real-time collaboration capabilities
• A variety of document templates
• Drag and drop interface

User Experience

Coda is a document app that strives to provide an exceptional user experience. The app is designed to be clean and organized, with a minimalistic interface that makes it easy to navigate.

The app also features a variety of helpful tools, such as the ability to create tables and insert links just by dragging and dropping.

And its templates are not only easy to use but also customizable, so you can create a document that perfectly suits your needs.

Pricing

If you’re new to Coda, don’t worry as they offer a free plan for beginners. And if you find that you like it and want to upgrade, their Pro plan is only $10/month. But if you think you’ll need the power of the team behind you, go ahead and sign up for their Team plan at $30/month.

8. Sorted

Sorted is a simple, yet effective, hyper-scheduling app (only for Apple users as of now) that helps you organize your life. It allows you to create task lists, set reminders, and track your progress over time.

It does this by combining your to-do list, calendar, and notes into one place as a unified timeline so you can get a clear overview of what needs to be done and when.

It can act as your time-blocking companion and project management tool, all in one. You can use it to plan and organize your school projects by creating tasks, setting deadlines, and assigning team members.

Their Magic Select and Time Ruler features make it easy to adjust your schedule on the fly and plan ahead for future projects. You can easily rearrange tasks, set alarms, and add subtasks with just a few taps.

Most importantly, the selection capability is so flexible that you can move things around without losing your place.

Sorted also supports Natural Language Processing (NLP) which allows you to create tasks in plain English and it will automatically interpret what you need to do.

Main Features

• Repeat tasks
• Flexible tasks timeline
• Theme options
• Integration with Siri
• Automatic backup

User Experience

Sorted is a great app for organizing your life. It’s simple to use and very user-friendly. You can create multiple lists, set reminders, and even share lists with others.

I love being able to see all of my tasks in one place and knowing that I won’t forget anything important.

It also syncs with my calendar, so I can see my tasks for the day, week, or month.

Pricing

Sorted has a free plan. However, their paid plan for iOS costs $14.99 while the premium plan for macOS costs $24.99.

9. Craft

With Craft.do, you can easily create and edit documents with others in real time. No more waiting for comments or tracking changes – with Craft.do, everyone can work on the same document at the same time.

And because of Craft.do is cloud-based, you can access your documents from anywhere. So whether you’re working on a project at school, at home, or on the go, you can always stay up to date.

Agreed that Craft does not compete with Coda when it comes to project management features.

But it’s still one of the easiest project management tools for students, as it allows real-time collaboration on project documentation.

Craft also provides various page styling options and a range of document templates (for project proposals, project reports, etc.) that you can use to get started on your project quickly.

And just like Notion, you can create internally linked database entries in Craft.do to better organize your project information.

Main Features

• Real-time collaboration on project documentation
• Various page styling options
• Range of document templates
• Internal linking of database entries
• Easy export options
• Templates

User Experience

The Craft.do document app is designed to make your life easier by helping you keep track of all your important documents in one place.

The app is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. You can create folders to organize your documents, and the search function makes it quick and easy to find what you’re looking for.

The app also allows you to share documents with others, and you can set permissions so that only certain people have access to certain documents.

Pricing

Craft comes with a Starter plan that is free to use. The Personal Pro plan costs $6/month whereas the Business plan costs $12/month.

10. Trello

Trello is a project management tool that can be used by students to help them stay organized and on track.

With Trello, students can create boards to track their assignments, due dates, and progress.

They can also add notes and attachments to their boards, making it easy to keep all of their course materials in one place.

In addition, Trello offers a variety of features that make collaboration easy, such as the ability to @mention other users and leave comments on boards.

Simplicity blended with a handful of features makes Trello an excellent simplistic project management tool for students.

One another superpower of Trello is Power-ups. It gives you the ability to enhance the functionality of your boards by integrating with other productivity tools, such as Google Drive, Evernote, and Slack.

You can also use their automation rules to automate repetitive tasks, such as creating new cards when items are added to a Google Drive folder or sending reminders to team members when a project is due (thank you, assistant Butler).

Main Features

• Kanban boards
• Checklists
• Attachments & Comments
• Calendar view
• Sort and filter tasks
• Power-ups & easy no-code automation

User Experience

Trello is extremely user-friendly. The interface is clean and straightforward, making it easy to understand how to use the tool.

Creating a board is simple, and you can add as many lists and cards as you need to keep track of your project.

Additionally, the calendar view helps see upcoming deadlines, and the Power-ups make it easy to integrate Trello with other productivity tools.

Also, effortless drag and drop to and from the Kanban boards make it so much easier to organize and manage your project.

Pricing

Trello has a free plan that allows you to create unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per workspace. The Standard plan costs $5/month, the Premium plan costs $10/month and the Enterprise plan costs $17.5/month.

11. Podio

Podio is a flexible project management tool that can be customized to fit the needs of any team. With Podio, you can create projects, set deadlines, assign tasks, and track progress all in one place.

You can also add files and multimedia content to your projects, making it easy to keep everyone on the same page.

In addition, Podio’s interface is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, so you can get started managing your projects right away.

You can even automate tasks with workflows, so you can focus on more important things.

Podio is a great project management tool for students because it is so versatile and easy

Whether you’re working on a small personal project or a large corporate initiative, Podio is a nice tool for keeping everything organized.

Main Features

• Customizable project management tool
• Create projects, set deadlines, assign tasks, and track progress all in one place
• Add files and multimedia content to projects
• User-friendly interface
• Automate tasks with workflows

User Experience

Podio has a simple, intuitive interface that makes it easy to get started. You can create a workspace for your team, and add project-specific apps to help you stay organized.

You can also use Podio to communicate with your team members and track progress on projects.

The best part of Podio is that it is highly customizable yet stupidly simple to use, so you can use it in a way that works best for you and your team.

Pricing

The free plan is free for five employees. The Basic plan costs $9/month followed by the Plus and Premium plans which costs $14 and $24 per month respectively.

12. Any.do

Any.do is a popular project management app that offers a range of features to help students effectively organize their tasks and projects.

Here’s how it works: just open Any.do and start adding your tasks and deadlines.

Break bigger projects down into smaller steps, so they feel more manageable.

Then you can prioritize what’s urgent and important.

The interface makes it super simple to add due dates, set reminders, assign tasks to study buddies, and mark things complete as you go.

Checking your personalized to-do list each morning helps you plan your day. And reviewing completed tasks before bed feels so rewarding!

You can even customize workflows for specific projects.

Like if you’re doing a group presentation, use Any.do to coordinate with your team, divide up the work, and make sure every part gets done on time.

The best part is Any.do syncs across all your devices. So your tasks, reminders, and priorities stay up-to-date on your phone, tablet, and computer automatically.

Main Features

• Schedule repeating tasks like class schedules
• Set due date reminders for tasks
• Quickly search for tasks by keyword
• Agenda view of tasks for the day
• Sync with Google, Apple, or Outlook calendar
• Use ready-made templates to manage projects

User Experience

Using Any.do is a breeze thanks to its intuitive and user-friendly interface.

Organizing tasks is easy with Any.do. Drag and drop to reorder your tasks manually or use the sort options to arrange them by due date, priority, etc.

Nest related tasks in collapsed project folders to keep things tidy. And color-code tasks using labels like “School”, “Family”, “Work” for quick visual sorting.

Pricing

Any.do’s Personal plan is free to use and ideal for beginner individuals. The Premium plan starts at $3/month (on annual billing). Additionally, the Teams plan costs $5/month billed annually.

Packing Up

A good project management app for students can help them to organize and plan their school projects more effectively.

By using the right tool, students can minimize distractions and better focus on completing their project goals.

With the amount of information available online, students need to find the right tool(s) that works best for them to stay organized and be successful in completing their project goals.

Hopefully, this article helped find the most suitable app for your project management needs!