Smartsheet is the best enterprise project management software for most large organizations, because its Enterprise plan adds portfolios, scenario planning and SAML single sign-on to a grid people across departments already know. A custom system by Black Badger ranks second and is the better choice when your PMO has its own stage gates, intake rules and resource model that you would otherwise pay per seat to force into a product.
The ranking, entry by entry
1 Smartsheet
Best for large organizations that plan in a grid and need portfolios
Smartsheet ranks first because it asks the least of the people who have to use it. The grid looks like a spreadsheet, so finance, operations and field teams pick it up without a training program, and a PMO still gets Gantt and approvals on top. The Enterprise plan is where a large organization lands, since it adds Portfolios, Scenario Planning and SAML single sign-on to Business. Business and above list unlimited automations.
Watch for. Enterprise is priced by quote and needs 10 or more members, so the published Business price is not your price. Ask for the number at your real member count.
- Price
- From $9 a member a month, billed yearly (Pro) Pro is $9 a member a month yearly or $12 monthly and covers 1 to 10 members. Business is $19 yearly or $24 monthly with a 3 member minimum. Enterprise needs 10 or more members and is priced by quote.
- Main limit
- Pro stops at 10 members and 250 automations a month, no API calls
2 Custom build by Black Badger
Best for A PMO whose governance no product models without workarounds
We publish this guide and we build custom software, so read this entry knowing that. A custom build ranks second because a large organization rarely runs projects the way a product assumes. Stage gates, funding approvals and resource requests across departments are specific to you. Black Badger builds the system around those rules, with no licenses and no per-seat fee, and you own the code and every account it runs on.
Watch for. A build starts with discovery and a written scope, so it is not available immediately. We work mainly with companies of 50 or more employees, and after launch you pay running costs such as hosting.
- Price
- One-time build scoped in writing, no per-seat fee After launch you pay running costs such as hosting, database and email. There are no licenses, so adding a person adds no fee.
- Main limit
- Needs a scoping call first, and suits companies of 50 or more employees
What a custom build involves, and how to ask about one
3 Planview
Best for organizations running a formal strategic portfolio selection
Planview ranks third and is the vendor on this list most plainly built for portfolio work. It sells several products, including Planview Portfolios, PPM Pro, AdaptiveWork and AgilePlace, and it suits a large organization that wants strategic portfolio management and is prepared to run a formal selection. It sits below Smartsheet because nothing about cost is public. No page we read states a price, a minimum number of users or a storage cap.
Watch for. Every figure comes from a sales quote. Decide which Planview product you are evaluating before the first call, because the family is wide.
- Price
- Not published, quoted per customer The Projectplace pricing page describes one per-user plan and says to contact Planview for pricing. The AdaptiveWork page lists no price and links to demos and contact.
- Main limit
- No public price or plan limits, every figure needs a sales quote
4 Microsoft Project and Planner plans
Best for schedulers who need baselines and critical path
Microsoft Project and Planner plans rank fourth. Planner and Project Plan 3 is the one a scheduling office prices, since it adds the Project desktop app, baselines, critical path and resource management for scheduling and costing. It ranks below Planview because the portfolio tier is harder to budget. Microsoft names a Plan 5 with portfolio and enterprise resource management, but its price was not on the pages we read.
Watch for. Plan 1 shows portfolios as view-only. Anyone who has to manage a portfolio, as opposed to viewing one, needs a higher plan.
- Price
- From $10 a user a month, paid yearly (Planner Plan 1) Planner Plan 1 is $10 a user a month and Planner and Project Plan 3 is $30 a user a month, both paid yearly on auto-renewing annual subscriptions. Microsoft states that an annual commitment is required for global and billing administrators buying online.
- Main limit
- Plan 1 shows portfolios view-only, full resource tools start at Plan 3
5 Asana
Best for business teams that want portfolios without heavy training
Asana ranks fifth. It is the task tool most business teams already recognize, and the Advanced plan lists unlimited portfolios at a published per-user price. It ranks in the middle because the enterprise controls are spread across the top two plans. SAML, SCIM provisioning, universal resource management and capacity planning are Enterprise features, and audit logs, data residency and SIEM integration appear only on Enterprise+.
Watch for. Enterprise and Enterprise+ are priced by contacting sales. Check which of the two holds the controls your security team will ask for.
- Price
- From $10.99 a user a month, billed yearly (Starter) Starter is $10.99 billed annually or $13.49 billed monthly. Advanced is $24.99 billed annually or $30.49 billed monthly. Enterprise and Enterprise+ are priced by contacting sales.
- Main limit
- Portfolios need Advanced, resource tools and SSO need Enterprise
6 Wrike
Best for departments of up to 200 users on one fixed-price plan
Wrike ranks sixth on an enterprise list because of its plan sizes. Its Business plan has a published per-user price and is listed for 5 to 200 users, which makes it a clean fit for a department and a poor guide to enterprise cost. Above 200 users you are on Pinnacle or Apex, and both are priced by contacting Wrike.
Watch for. The pricing page states no automation run, storage or API limits. Ask for all three in writing before you plan integrations.
- Price
- From $10 a user a month, billed yearly (Team) Team is $10 for 2 to 15 users and Business is $25 for 5 to 200 users, both billed per user on an annual basis. Pinnacle and Apex are priced by contacting Wrike. Business and above are annual only.
- Main limit
- Team stops at 15 users, Business at 200, seats sold in groups of five
7 monday.com
Best for organizations that want visual boards and accept a quote
monday.com ranks seventh. Teams like the visual boards, and that is how it usually enters a large organization, one department at a time. The enterprise case depends on the Enterprise plan, because portfolio management, resource management and multi-level permissions are all listed there and not on Pro. Enterprise is by quote, and the pricing page asks for a quote above 40 users in any case.
Watch for. Automation and integration actions are metered by plan. Enterprise allows up to 250,000 a month, so count what your current boards run.
- Price
- From $9 a seat a month, billed yearly (Basic) Work management plans are Free (up to 2 seats), Basic $9, Standard $12, Pro $19 and Enterprise by quote, all per seat a month on annual billing. The page says plans start from 3 users and asks for a quote above 40 users.
- Main limit
- Pro caps automations at 25,000 a month, portfolios need Enterprise
8 ClickUp
Best for organizations that want tasks, docs and chat in one tool
ClickUp ranks eighth. It is one tool for tasks, docs and chat, and its Enterprise plan carries a long list of controls, with SAML single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, audit trails, custom permissions and data residency. It is last on the general list because its strength is controls and breadth, and a PMO shopping for portfolio and resource planning should test those parts closely before it commits.
Watch for. API calls are limited to 100 a minute on every plan below Enterprise. An integration-heavy rollout needs the Enterprise quote.
- Price
- From $9 a user a month, billed yearly (Core) Core is $9 and Business is $17 per user a month billed yearly. The page shows regular prices of $12 and $25 beside them. Enterprise is by quote and Max is $100 a user a month billed yearly.
- Main limit
- API limit is 100 calls a minute until Enterprise, then 10,000
Questions buyers ask
What makes project management software enterprise software?
Four things make project management software enterprise software. It rolls projects up into portfolios, it plans people and capacity across departments, it signs users in through the corporate directory, and it keeps a record an auditor can read. Most vendors hold those features on their top one or two plans, so the enterprise price is usually a quote and not the figure on the pricing page.
Why are so many enterprise plans priced by quote?
Enterprise plans are priced by quote because the vendors negotiate at this size. On the dates we checked, the Enterprise plans from Smartsheet, monday.com, ClickUp and Asana were all priced through sales, as were the two top Wrike plans, and Planview published no price. Treat any published figure as the price of a lower plan.
Why is a custom build on a list of enterprise project management products?
A custom build is on this list because for a large organization it is an option that deserves the same comparison. Black Badger, which publishes this guide, builds custom software, and we would sooner state that plainly and rank the route where it fits than leave it off. On this list it is second. On the lists about replacing a legacy tool or outgrowing a team tool it is first.
How current are the vendor prices in this enterprise project management ranking?
Each entry shows the date its facts were read from the vendor site. Vendors change plan names and prices often, so treat the figures as a starting point and confirm them on the linked pricing page before you budget.