How much does project management software cost in 2026?
Most project management tools cost $10 to $15 per user per month on annual plans. For a 10-person team, that means $110 to $150 every month — and the bill keeps growing as you add people. Monday.com, Asana, ClickUp, Teamwork, and Notion all use this per-seat model. Basecamp offers a flat-rate option at $299/month, but that is out of reach for most small teams.
Thicket is $49/month flat — unlimited users, unlimited projects. No per-seat fees, no surprise overages, no penalty for growing your team. Below, we break down exactly what each tool costs at every team size so you can make the right call for your budget.
Per-seat pricing at a glance
Annual billing rates — the prices most teams actually pay.
| Tool | Plan | Per user / mo | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday.com | Standard | $12.00 | Per seat |
| Asana | Starter | $10.99 | Per seat |
| ClickUp | Business | $12.00 | Per seat |
| Basecamp | Plus | $15.00 | Per seat |
| Teamwork | Deliver | $10.99 | Per seat |
| Notion | Plus | $12.00 | Per seat |
| Thicket | Pro | $49/mo total | Flat rate |
What your team actually pays: 5 to 50 users
Per-seat pricing looks modest at one user. Multiply it across your real team and the numbers shift fast. Here is the monthly cost at four common team sizes.
| Tool | 5 users | 10 users | 20 users | 50 users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday.com | $60/mo | $120/mo | $240/mo | $600/mo |
| Asana | $55/mo | $110/mo | $220/mo | $550/mo |
| ClickUp | $60/mo | $120/mo | $240/mo | $600/mo |
| Basecamp | $75/mo | $150/mo | $300/mo | $750/mo |
| Teamwork | $55/mo | $110/mo | $220/mo | $550/mo |
| Notion | $60/mo | $120/mo | $240/mo | $600/mo |
| Thicket | $49/mo | $49/mo | $49/mo | $49/mo |
All competitor prices shown at annual billing rates. Monthly billing is typically 15–30% higher. Thicket's price is the same on both billing cycles. Prices verified March 2026.
How much you save with flat pricing
$49/mo with Thicket
$49/mo with Thicket
$49/mo with Thicket
$8,412/yr saved
Tool-by-tool breakdown
Monday.com
Monday.com Standard costs $12/user/month (annual) or $14/user/month billed monthly. It includes timeline and Gantt views, guest access, and integrations. The next tier (Pro) jumps to $19/user/month for time tracking, formula columns, and advanced reporting. A 20-person team on Standard pays $240/month.
Thicket comparison: $49/month for the same 20 users — saving $191/month ($2,292/year).
Asana
Asana Starter is $10.99/user/month (annual) or $13.49/user/month billed monthly. It covers timeline, workflow builder, forms, and reporting dashboards. The Advanced tier is $24.99/user/month for goals, portfolios, and approvals. At 20 users on Starter, you pay $220/month.
Thicket comparison: $49/month — saving $171/month ($2,052/year) at 20 users. See our full Asana alternative comparison.
ClickUp
ClickUp Business is $12/user/month (annual) or $19/user/month on monthly billing — one of the biggest annual-vs-monthly gaps in the market. It includes timesheets, custom fields, automations, and workload views. A 10-person team pays $120/month (annual) or $190/month (monthly).
Thicket comparison: $49/month — saving $71–$141/month depending on billing cycle. See our full ClickUp alternative comparison.
Basecamp
Basecamp has two pricing tiers. Basecamp Plus is $15/user/month — the most expensive per-seat rate in this comparison. Basecamp Pro Business is $299/month flat with unlimited users, which only makes sense if your team has 20+ members. Neither tier includes time tracking, Gantt charts, or custom fields.
Thicket comparison: $49/month flat with features Basecamp charges extra for. See our full Basecamp alternative comparison.
Teamwork
Teamwork Deliver costs $10.99/user/month (annual) or $13.99/user/month on monthly billing. It includes task management, time tracking, milestones, and basic reporting. The Grow tier jumps to $19.99/user/month (annual) for resource management and profitability tracking. A 20-person team on Deliver pays $220/month.
Thicket comparison: $49/month — saving $171/month ($2,052/year) at 20 users.
Notion
Notion Plus costs $12/user/month (annual). It is a flexible workspace that combines docs, databases, and wikis — but it is not a dedicated project management tool. You will need to build your own task views, timelines, and workflows from scratch. A 20-person team pays $240/month.
Thicket comparison: $49/month with purpose-built project management features out of the box.
Why flat pricing changes the decision
Per-seat pricing creates a tax on collaboration. Every new team member, every client who needs access, every stakeholder who wants visibility — they all add to your monthly bill. That leads to workarounds: shared logins, excluded teammates, spreadsheet side-channels. Flat pricing removes that friction entirely.
Add anyone without budget approval
Contractors, clients, part-time contributors — everyone gets access at no extra cost.
Predictable costs as you grow
Your bill stays $49/month whether you have 5 people or 50. No budget surprises at headcount milestones.
No feature gates by tier
Thicket Pro includes tasks, docs, discussions, forms, timesheets, and API access. One plan, everything included.
Built for project management
Purpose-built task lists, project timelines, and team discussions — not a generic docs tool with project features bolted on.
Read more about why we do not charge per user and how flat pricing changes the way teams work together.
Annual cost comparison
Most teams commit to annual plans for the discount. Here is what you will pay over 12 months.
| Tool | 5 users | 10 users | 20 users | 50 users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday.com | $720/yr | $1,440/yr | $2,880/yr | $7,200/yr |
| Asana | $659/yr | $1,319/yr | $2,638/yr | $6,594/yr |
| ClickUp | $720/yr | $1,440/yr | $2,880/yr | $7,200/yr |
| Basecamp | $900/yr | $1,800/yr | $3,600/yr | $9,000/yr |
| Teamwork | $659/yr | $1,319/yr | $2,638/yr | $6,594/yr |
| Notion | $720/yr | $1,440/yr | $2,880/yr | $7,200/yr |
| Thicket | $588/yr | $588/yr | $588/yr | $588/yr |
Thicket annual plan is $468/year ($39/month equivalent). Competitor prices at their annual billing rates.
Frequently asked questions
Most project management tools charge between $10 and $15 per user per month on annual plans. Monday.com and ClickUp charge $12/user/month, Asana starts at $10.99/user/month, Teamwork Deliver is $10.99/user/month, and Basecamp Plus is $15/user/month. Thicket is the exception — it charges a flat $49/month for unlimited users.
For small teams of 5 or fewer, most tools cost $50–$75/month. Thicket Pro is $49/month flat regardless of team size, making it the cheapest option once your team grows past 4–5 people. The savings increase dramatically at 20+ users.
On annual billing, Monday.com Standard costs $12/user/month while Asana Starter costs $10.99/user/month — so Asana is slightly cheaper per seat. However, both scale linearly with team size. A 20-person team pays $240/month on Monday.com versus $220/month on Asana.
Teamwork Deliver (their most popular plan) costs $10.99/user/month billed annually, so a 10-person team pays about $110/month. Their Grow plan is $19.99/user/month, which brings a 10-person team to $200/month.
If your team is growing, per-user pricing becomes increasingly expensive. A 20-person team pays $200–$300/month on most tools. Thicket charges $49/month flat — no matter how many people you add — making it the most cost-effective choice for teams that are scaling.
Basecamp Pro Business is $299/month flat for unlimited users, but their Plus plan is $15/user/month. For most small-to-mid-sized teams, the Plus plan is cheaper until you reach 20 users. Thicket offers flat-rate pricing at $49/month — significantly less than Basecamp Pro.
ClickUp Business costs $12/user/month (annual) or $19/user/month (monthly). A 10-person team on ClickUp pays $120–$190/month. Thicket Pro is $49/month flat for unlimited users — saving $71–$141/month at that team size alone.
Yes. Thicket Pro ($49/month) and Basecamp Pro Business ($299/month) both offer flat-rate pricing with no per-user fees. Thicket is the most affordable flat-rate option available in 2026.