I just started freelancing after being employed. At my previous job we used basecamp to manage time and what to do on projects. I like basecamp a lot but I'm trying to cut costs as much as possible now when I'm starting of.
So my question is simple; What are the free alternatives to basecamp for managing projects?
While this product is actually commercial, you can install Mingle on a server and have five users use it for free for a year to evaluate the product.
I've used it and I really enjoy it for project management. I think after a one year evaluation you'd be willing (and hopefully able after a year a freelance) to invest in it.
There are a lot of similiar tools with a little lower pricing.
These guys appear to have something for free for a small project. http://projects.zoho.com/jsp/home.jsp
We use a project called Ace Project Systems. It's free for one project with up to 5 users. Their most expensive plan is only $99 / month.
I used this as a replacement to BaseCamp.
I haven't used it but you might want to give Redmine a try although it may be overkill. This question may also be useful for you.
I went through the exact same thing a few years back, and even tried Mingle. I found it great; very flexible and certainly the prettiest out there. But I ended up spending more time managing myself than doing the work; not good.
I've since settled on Fogbugz, and not looked back. It's true strength lies in dealing with the management of software projects though, so if you're after a general purpose "you need to comb your hair this morning" management tool / to-do list then it might not be the best fit. The best feature by far is it's ability to statistically analyse your previous task time estimates vs task time completions and apply them to upcoming deadlines. The result is that it predicts the real likelihood of meeting a project deadline with scary accuracy!
A more lightweight to-do list style service is Todoist. Amazingly minimal, but really flexible and useable as a result.
Basecamp has a free option available -- 1 project, unlimited users, unlimited time. VersionOne currently has a deal to get their Team Edition for free. Rally has a community edition that is free.
I'm a big fan of Google for many things. They also have a (Open Source only) project management section you might be interested in:
http://code.google.com/projecthosting/
According to the website,
Project Hosting on Google Code is fast, reliable, and easy open source hosting service. Project Hosting on Google Code gives you:
- Instant project creation on any topic
- Subversion code hosting with 1 gigabyte of storage space and download hosting support with 2 gigabytes of storage space
- Integrated source code browsing and code review tools to make it easy to view code, review contributions, and maintain a high quality code base
- An issue tracker and project wiki that are simple, yet flexible and powerful, and can adapt to any development process
- Starring and update streams that make it easy to keep track of projects and developers that you care about
I would recommend using gmail and google docs. The combination provides:
I've reviewed a couple of alternatives to basecamp on my blog. Some of them might be of interest to those of you doing Agile stuff.
Some of the systems other commenters have mentioned are included.
After trying out many mind-boggling software applications for PM, we settled for Worketc which really worked for our small business with flying colors. This software gives a CRM solution (http://www.worketc.com/CRM_Solution ) while also taking care of the more mundane tasks such as time-tracking and billing. A nice interface with your people from time to time can be refreshing. Worketc has turned me into a solicitous manager without overdoing it. Soon, enough, business growth, more sales, better life were within reach.
We are using VisionProject (www.visionproject.se). They have some alternative ways of charging the customers and have some free alternatives. This is a Project Management System that can be used for a lot more, for example as a helpdesk, time management, document management, etc.
Open Atrium is a good solution if you are familiar with Drupal as it can be extended a hell of a lot with minimal effort. However it is still good to go with a bug tracker out of the box. It's quite polished so clients will be happy using it. I'm assuming you want something client - friendly like basecamp without being totally dumbed down to the point of uselessness.
The other one I would try is redmine. Their website isn't much but the software is top notch. Full of useful features which most software development shops would use like scm integration.
If you look around you can get hosted solutions for both of these. Try sourcerepo.com for redmine. There are some smaller shops that do Open Atrium hosting.
Give TeamLab a try!
TeamLab is a 100% free platform for project management and social networking. You can register for TeamLab and use it in the cloud free of charge, with no functional or time limits. It is also open-source, so you can customize the software according to your needs.
I think it must be a perfect solution for you!
Check out our website at http://teamlab.com/