Workfront Alternatives and Competitors that Will Empower Your Project Management

GanttPRO Gantt chart maker
GanttPRO
Published in
6 min readFeb 3, 2023

Workfront is a modern project management tool that allows you to plan, organize, execute, review, and deliver on projects from one unified dashboard.

This popular SaaS platform that was acquired by Adobe Inc. in December, 2020 provides professional features, integrations, affordable pricing, and multifunctional nature. However, the list of Workfront alternatives keeps growing.

What makes users seek Workfront alternatives? What are the drawbacks and weak points of this PM tool? After all, what software solutions can replace Workfront with ease?

Let’s figure it out.

What is the power of Workfront?

Workfront allows for managing multiple projects and assigning tasks to members of your team. It helps businesses to get organized and collaborate professionally.

Workfront for project management

Designed for medium to large organizations, Workfront offers many powerful features, including:

  • Workflow management.
  • Work automation.
  • Multiple project views.
  • Templates.
  • Integrations.
  • Handy filters.
  • Reporting.
  • High security.
  • Scenario planning, etc.

This set of features looks really good. But why do users seek Workfront substitutes?

Below you’ll find six common reasons that can explain it.

5 reasons why users look for Workfront alternatives

Let’s try to understand why users explore alternatives to Workfront.

1. Limited timelines

An online timeline helps teams to visualize their tasks and events on a horizontal time scale. It is usually shown with the help of a Gantt chart.

You can find such charts in Workfront, however, they look too simple and not capable to visualize complex planning with a lot of activities, task dependencies, and project milestones.

2. Unclear pricing system

Workfront pricing may seem pretty affordable. However, the plans are not demonstrated on the website. There is only one option to know about them — to request a quote.

3. Steep learning curve

It’s not always easy to learn Workfront, from setting up to understanding how to properly use it.

4. Lack of chat

Weak communication is also about Workfront. There is no inbuilt chat there.

5. Poor automation

Many customers think that Workfront is hard to maneuver due to its rich customization. It can impede workflow and take a long time to implement.

These drawbacks don’t add credibility to this tool but luckily, there are some great alternatives that allow Workfront users to enjoy similar functionality and additional features to plan and manage their projects.

Best Workfront alternatives

Do you know any ideal tool that can be named the best alternative to Workfront?

Most likely not because there are no perfect solutions.

However, we’ve made some research to define the most appropriate Workfront replacements with their pricing, features, and ratings. Let’s figure them out!

1. GanttPRO

  • Pricing: starts at $7.99 user/month (billed annually).
  • Free trial: yes.
GanttPRO project management tool as Workfront alternative

Let’s start our list of the best Workfront alternatives with the award-winning Gantt chart maker that helps project managers to lead their projects to a confident win.

Applying GanttPRO project management platform, they get robust planning and scheduling features for their work. It allows for managing and completing projects of various complexity.

Here you can manage resources, set dependencies and milestones, collaborate, and much more. This Workfront alternative integrates with JIRA Cloud, Slack, and Google Drive. Export and importing are also available.

Project managers utilize GanttPRO in such spheres and industries as:

  • Software development.
  • Retail.
  • Construction.
  • Manufacturing.
  • HR.
  • Sales.
  • Education.
  • Healthcare. etc.
GanttPRO for planning nad scheduling

Features:

  • Gantt chart.
  • Board view.
  • Calendar.
  • Deadline management.
  • Resource management.
  • Budget management.
  • Reporting.
  • Time tracking.
  • Importing/exporting.
  • Templates.

2. Trello

  • Pricing: starts at $5 user/month (billed annually).
  • Free trial: yes.
Best Workfront alternatives: Trello

While some project teams prefer to work with project timelines, others appreciate handy Kanban boards with their columns and cards.

Trello is a Kanban-focused tool beloved by project managers and teams all over the world. It looks perfect for organizing work in general as well as every single task.

You get a neat interface and a powerful toolkit, used by the teams in the IT sector, education, retail, construction, HR, events, and other areas. It is possible to utilize Trello without payments.

Features:

  • Kanban boards.
  • Collaboration.
  • Labeling.
  • Tags and comments.
  • Brainstorming.
  • File attachments.
  • Budget management.
  • Alerts/notifications.
  • Order tracking.
  • Polls/voting.
  • Portfolio management.
  • Prioritization.
  • Templates.
  • QA management.
  • Integrations.
  • Guest access.

Also read:

Podio alternatives.

ClickUp alternatives.

Teamwork alternatives.

3. Smartsheet

  • Pricing: starts at $7 user/month (billed annually).
  • Free trial: yes.
Best Workfront alternatives: Smartsheet

Did you know that Smartsheet has much in common with Workfront?

This possible Workfront replacement provides big-sized spreadsheets, project planning functionality, task management, budget tracking, collaboration, and more.

Smartsheet offers multiple view options: Gantt, Kanban, grids, calendars, and other useful views. It suits small businesses as well as bigger organizations that have to manage different projects at once.

Features:

  • Online sheets.
  • Task planning.
  • Gantt, Kanban, calendar, and other views.
  • Commenting/notes.
  • Budget management.
  • Analytics.
  • Time tracking.
  • Customizable templates.
  • Prioritization.
  • Reporting.

4. ProProfs Projects

  • Pricing: starts at $39 user/month (billed annually).
  • Free trial: yes.
Best Workfront alternative: ProProfs Project

Another great alternative to Adobe Workfront is ProProfs Project (that is a part of ProProfs Suite, well-known as an attractive quiz maker).

The platform allows for organizing and managing many processes with the help of a single dashboard: from generating a weekly work plan to controlling complex workflows.

In ProProfs projects, you can create insightful reports and raise invoices in just a few clicks.

Features:

  • Task management.
  • Resource planning.
  • Gantt view.
  • Portfolio management.
  • Prioritization.
  • Client portal.
  • Budget management.
  • Expense tracking.
  • File sharing.
  • Reporting.

5. Visual Planning

  • Pricing: starts at $15 user/month (billed annually).
  • Free trial: yes.
Best Workkfront alternatives: Visual Planning

Visual Planning is used by businesses that want to make their work more efficient. The software was designed and launched by Stilog IST headquartered in France. It helps increase the productivity of daily routines by intuitively scheduling tasks and commitments with colleagues and clients.

The tool provides professional features for project groups in various industries:

  • IT
  • Construction.
  • Finances.
  • Manufacturing.
  • Marketing agencies.
  • Events, etc.

Visual Planning also has its own CRM system. It covers activities from lead management to detailed reporting.

Features:

  • Project scheduling.
  • Task management.
  • Budget management.
  • Document management.
  • Timelines.
  • Time tracking.
  • Collaboration.
  • Billing and invoicing.
  • Analytics.
  • Templates.

All the platforms listed above should be enough to help you choose the best Workfront substitute.

Final thoughts about appropriate alternatives to Workfront

There are so many great tools available beyond Workfront. If you need a multifunctional Gantt diagram — select GanttPRO; if your team requires friendly Kanban columns and cards — try Trello; in case your goal is to get stunning online tables — then join Smartsheet. ProProfs Projects and Visual Planning are also wonderful solutions.

Check out the full version of this article where you will find six more advanced tools that can be considered efficient Workfront alternatives: 11 Workfront Alternatives & Competitors: Quick Walkthrough for Your Easy Choice.

Also read:

Excel alternatives.

Google Sheets alternatives.

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