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Although some of the world’s biggest brands, including Hitachi and Volvo, use VivifyScrum to manage their projects, the project management software was primarily designed for Agile development teams of all sizes. VivifyScrum offers task and team management, boards, time tracking, reporting, integrations, and more. The PM tool’s pros are an intuitive interface, highly-detailed task management, and Agile-friendliness, but VivifyScrum falls short in terms of reporting, the lack of a free plan and Gantt charts, and is known to have a spotty search function.
If some of those cons make VivifyScrum a no-go for your software development team, you will be happy to know that there are several project management alternatives. We will discuss the following top VivifyScrum alternatives in terms of their features, pros, disadvantages, and pricing so you can pick the right PM tool for you:
- Basecamp: an excellent option for large software development teams seeking tons of features for an affordable price.
- Jira: an ideal pick for Agile teams needing flexibility and customization from their PM software.
- Monday.com: a user-friendly choice for project managers needing multiple views and time tracking.
- Smartsheet: a smart choice for development teams that prefer working with spreadsheets and need solid collaboration and reporting capabilities.
Jump to:
Basecamp
Over 75,000 organizations use Basecamp across the world. The project management software is ideal for software development teams seeking an all-in-one solution to manage tasks and projects. It is particularly attractive for large teams, as Basecamp unlocks all of its features regardless of the plan you pick, and its Pro Unlimited plan allows for unlimited users.
Features of Basecamp
Basecamp is true all-in-one project management software that provides many features for development teams. Some of its highlights include:
- Team collaboration
- Centralized dashboard
- Kanban boards
- Document management
- “Doors” integration system
Project managers can keep their development teams on the same page with Basecamp’s various collaborative features, including real-time chat, email-replacing messages, and direct messages. The centralized dashboard offers access to all projects from one place, and Kanban boards are included through Basecamp’s Card Table view.
Developers and project managers can easily store, share, and discuss documents and files in Basecamp, plus extend its functionality with third-party apps through the Doors system.
Pros of Basecamp
Why choose Basecamp as a VivifyScrum alternative? Because it offers the following pros:
- All features for one price
- Strong collaboration
- Client portal
- Automatic check-ins
Basecamp’s biggest pro is that you can unlock all the PM tool’s features for a single price. The project management software offers many ways to collaborate, and its client portal lets project managers keep in touch with stakeholders outside the team. The automatic check-ins are another plus and come in handy for keeping developers in sync.
Disadvantages of Basecamp
Basecamp does have some disadvantages as a developer tool, including:
- Limited pricing options
- No free plan
- Not ideal for Agile teams
Unlocking all features for one price is a plus, but Basecamp only has two plans to choose from. Smaller teams may find it expensive, and the lack of a free plan only emphasizes that. Also, since it was initially made for the Waterfall methodology, Basecamp may not be a perfect fit for Agile development teams.
Basecamp Pricing
Basecamp has two pricing plans, with a free trial for each:
- Basecamp: $15 per user, per month.
- Basecamp Pro Unlimited: $299 per month for unlimited users.
As mentioned, you get all of Basecamp’s features, regardless of the plan you choose.
Check out our Basecamp Project Management Review for more information about its features.
Jira
Over 100,000 organizations use Jira to optimize productivity. The feature-rich PM software is ideal for Agile development teams seeking customization and flexibility.
Features of Jira
Jira gives project managers and developers a long list of features to play with. The PM software’s highlights include:
- Project templates
- Multiple views
- Dashboards
- Roadmaps
- Advanced reporting
- Bug tracking built-in
- Automations for workflows
- Integrations
Project managers will love Jira’s templates, which include pre-built projects for Kanban, Scrum, tracking, DevOps, and more, which allow for quick starts. The project management tool has multiple views to visualize progress, dashboards, and roadmaps to keep development teams in sync. Jira also offers robust reporting (version reports, burnup/burndown charts, sprint reports, etc.), drag-and-drop automation, and thousands of third-party integrations.
Pros of Jira
What makes Jira the top PM software for Agile development teams and a solid VivifyScrum alternative? Pros like these:
- Scalability
- Templates for software development projects
- Solid security
- Seamless automation
Jira can serve Agile development teams of all sizes, allowing you to scale it to 20,000 members. The development-centric templates are superb for getting started fast, as is Jira’s security and drag-and-drop automation.
Disadvantages of Jira
Jira does have some disadvantages, such as:
- Steep learning curve
- Limited collaboration built-in
- High cost for some teams
Yes, Jira is loaded with features, but using them can be a chore and will take some time with Jira’s steep learning curve. Jira could use more collaborative features out of the box that do not require third-party integrations, and it may seem costly to smaller teams.
Jira Pricing
Jira has four pricing plans, plus a free trial:
- Free: For up to 10 users.
- Standard: $7.75 per user, per month.
- Premium: $15.25 per user, per month.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing.
The Free plan is a nice touch, although some call it limited. The Standard plan offers 250GB of storage, audit logs, and data residency, while Premium offers guaranteed uptime, unlimited storage, and advanced roadmaps. Choose Enterprise if you need unlimited sites, centralized security controls, and 24/7 support.
You can learn more about Jira and its features in our Jira Project Management Tool Review.
Monday.com
Monday.com is a VivifyScrum alternative known for its user-friendliness, multiple views, and customizability. Used by teams of all sizes in different industries, Monday.com is also heralded as an affordable project management tool.
Features of Monday.com
Project managers and developers can look forward to the following highlights when working with Monday.com:
- Pre-built templates
- Multiple views
- Automations for workflows and business processes
- Time tracking
- File sharing
- Integrations with third-party apps
Monday.com’s pre-built templates offer an easy way to get started without a ton of manual setup. There are multiple views (workload, form, map, timeline, calendar, Kanban, and Gantt) to offer plenty of flexibility when gaining insights into project progress.
The project management tool’s features continue with automation to save time on everyday tasks, time tracking out of the box, and file sharing, organization, and storage.
Monday.com also integrates with many third-party apps for added functionality.
Pros of Monday.com
Monday.com has many pros that make it a popular developer tool for managing projects, such as:
- Views for Kanban, Gantt, calendar, etc.
- Intuitive interface
- Customizations for views, dashboards, and more
- Integrated time tracking
There is no shortage of ways to visualize progress with Monday.com’s multiple views. The interface is intuitive enough for beginners to understand, and the PM tool offers customization with its automations, dashboards, templates, and more. Having time-tracking capabilities out of the box is another plus that many PM software solutions lack.
Disadvantages of Monday.com
Where could Monday.com improve as a project management tool? By addressing these disadvantages:
- Issues with expense tracking
- High cost
- Occasional performance problems
Expense tracking is a nice addition to Monday.com’s full feature list, but some have noted issues when using it to track their finances. While affordable on the surface, Monday.com can seem costly if you need to unlock some of its higher-end features. And, since boosting productivity is a sought-after benefit of using PM software, Monday.com’s occasional performance problems should be addressed to make it a better VivifyScrum alternative.
Monday.com Pricing
Project managers nd developer leads can pick from five Monday.com pricing plans:
- Free: For up to two people.
- Basic: $8 per seat, per month.
- Standard: $10 per seat, per month.
- Pro: $16 per seat, per month.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing.
Monday.com’s Free plan unlocks three boards, over 200 templates, 20-plus column types, and unlimited docs. The Basic plan offers unlimited items and free viewers, while Standard offers calendar, timeline, and Gantt views. Pro gives you a chart view, time tracking, and thousands of automations of integrations. And Enterprise offers enterprise-grade governance, security, integrations, and automations, plus premium support and custom onboarding.
You can learn more about Monday in our Monday.com Project Management Software Review.
Smartsheet
If developers on your team are comfortable with or prefer using spreadsheets to manage projects and track tasks, Smartsheet may be right up your alley. But beyond just offering familiarity with its spreadsheet-style format, the project management tool also offers strong collaboration, view flexibility, reporting, and automation.
Features of Smartsheet
Smartsheet’s features are highlighted by:
- Numerous views
- Automation for workflows
- Integrated time tracking
- Publishable and shareable reports
- Team collaboration
- Third-party app integrations
Project managers and programmers can visualize progress in Smartsheet through card, grid, calendar, and Gantt views. You can save time each week by automating recurring tasks with the PM software, plus track time out of the box to see how specific tasks are occupying team resources.
Reports in Smartsheet can be easily published and shared to give others insight into performance, and teams can stay in sync with collaborative features like conversations, file sharing, feedback forms, e-signatures, reminders, and more. And if its integrated features are not enough, you can extend Smartsheet’s functionality by integrating it with over 100 third-party apps.
Pros of Smartsheet
Some of Smartsheet’s strengths include:
- Multiple collaboration options
- Robust reporting
- Easy automations
- A variety of views
Team collaboration is a breeze with Smartsheet, and its shareable reports offer easy-to-understand insight into project progress. Automations could not be easier thanks to drag and drop, and the multiple views are another plus worth mentioning.
Disadvantages of Smartsheet
Smartsheet could improve in the following areas:
- Cost
- Flexibility
- No Kanban boards
As you move up Smartsheet’s pricing plans, it tends to get costly for budget-minded teams. The spreadsheet-centric format limits flexibility and may not be ideal for all, and the lack of Kanban boards that are quite popular in project management cement that point even further.
Pricing of Smartsheet
Smartsheet’s four pricing plans are as follows, and all come with a free trial except for Enterprise:
- Free: For one user and two editors.
- Pro: $7 per user, per month.
- Business: $25 per user, per month.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing.
If you are just beginning with project management, the Free plan may suffice with its dashboards, reports, 100 automations per month, and Gant, card, grid, and calendar views. Unlimited viewers come with the Pro plan, as do unlimited sheets, dashboards, forms, and reports. Business gives you unlimited free editors and automations, plus baselines and conditional logic forms. And Enterprise offers single sign-on, unlimited attachment storage, and enhanced security and controls.
Check out our Smartsheet Review for more information.
What to Look for In a Project Management Tool
Beyond finding a project management tool that fits your budget, consider features that can cater to your software development team’s needs, such as:
- Multiple views
- Collaborative features
- Time tracking
- Reporting and analytics
- Third-party integrations
- Resource management
- Task management
- Time-saving automation
We discuss this topic in more detail in our tutorial: What to Look for in Project Management Software.
Final Thoughts on VivifyScrum Alternatives
If VivifyScrum’s lack of a free plan and limited reporting overshadow its intuitive interface and Agile-friendliness, give one of its alternatives a try, as Basecamp, Jira, Monday.com, and Smartsheet are all solid PM software solutions.
Looking for other project management alternatives? Check out our list of the Best Project Management Software and Tools for Developers for even more options.
