I have searched for years for a high-quality, flexible project management system. I found it in Basecamp. Basecamp is scaleable to handle a handful of projects for a sole proprietor on a tight budget, or countless initiatives for a large, distributed network. It requires no downloads or software beyond the web browser. It has swiftly become THE key tool in managing our project pipeline, with milestones, to-do lists, team members and essential files. I have set up three of my own clients with the software and they all love it because they finally have a cheap, efficient knowledge management tool that does not follow a "per seat fee." Non-profit organizations seem to benefit most from this software because usually they don't have much tech support, while Basecamp offers them a seamless way to connect a project.

There is a free 30-day trial version. Pricing is based on number of projects, not users. It begins at 1 project=free, and then ends at unlimited projects = $150/month. We started with the $12/month 3 project plan, and it swiftly became so core to our business processes, we upgraded immediately. Sounds expensive, except that the program allows the owners (us) to set permissions for unlimited users, who aren't required to pay anything.

The company posted a great manifesto and so far they are living up to it and making our mom-and-pop shop a happier place to work.

-- Peter Durand

Basecamp
Free for 1 project
$12/month and up for 3 or more
Available from Basecamp