45 Basecamp Alternatives
Basecamp from 37signals is arguably the most popular project collaboration tool on the web. There are an untold number of web design and development shops whose designers instinctively reach for this project collaboration tool created by 37signals to help manage client projects for their own consulting practice.
Basecamp has many fans…
Being the brilliant marketers they are the folks at 37signals managed to establish a cult-like following for their offerings which include not only Basecamp and other monthly-fee based web apps but also the Ruby-on-Rails development framework on which Basecamp is based. Just search for “basecamphq” on Twitter and you’ll probably find many fervent fans of Basecamp recommending it to prospective new users.
…but others need more than Basecamp offers
There is also a large contingent who need online tools to manage their projects who feel Basecamp falls short. And if you found this via Google or another link then in all likelihood you are one of those people. 37signals has had an almost religiously held notion of “less software” which in many ways it is a brilliant philosophy but there is a need for moderation in all things. there are those who feel that it shouldn’t be viewed as a gospel and that there are times when more software is needed, case-in-point the constant customer refrain for GANTT charts to which 37signals responds [1] “No GANTT Charts in Basecamp.”
Basecamp Alternatives By Attribute
Chances are you are looking for an alternate to Basecamp with a specific feature or capability that Basecamp does not have. The following links each provide a list of Basecamp alternatives by one of its attributes such as open-source software you can host yourself, integrated customer-relationship management, those with a free-plan available and more:
Alphabetical List of
Basecamp Alternatives
Alternately maybe you just want to scan the list below? If can also see this same list of project management tools along with a short description about each here.
Blog Posts about Basecamp Alternatives
Or maybe you want to read what others have had to say regarding alternates to Basecamp? The following is a comprehensive list of blog posts offering their own lists as well as commentary in many cases:
- 14 (now 18) alternatives and additions to basecamp — anu (Twitter: @anu) provides a list of eighteen (18) alternatives and additions to Basecamp on his blog digital<?>query that includes numerous helpful comments from his readers.
- Alternatives to Basecamp for Project Management — Anne Zelenka discusses alternatives to Basecamp including online project management apps, Wikis, Online Office Suites as well as a short discussion of a “Concoct-your-own” approach on Web Worker Daily.
- Basecamp Alternatives for Managing Freelance Projects — Ayush Saran (Twitter: @ayushsaran) discusses alternatives to Basecamp specifically for freelancers on his blog archive with a goal of finding a suitable replacement that for his needs (and by assumption, for his income) is more cost-effective than Basecamp.
- 12 alternatives to Basecamp - Clark MacLeod (Twitter: @kelake) writes about the twelve (12) web-based project collaboration tools he finds more interesting and/or useful on his blog Pop Wuping. He also includes numerous links to more information on collaboration and collaborative software. Good comments here too. Warning: This page won’t load in IE7 so try it in FireFox, Chrome or Safari instead.
Did we Miss
a Great Basecamp Alternative?
Did we miss a great Basecamp alternative? If so, by all means let us know. And if you are not the vendor providing the solution feel free to just email us their website and we’ll do the rest.
Oh, and thanks in advance!
Footnotes
- Actually there are 3rd party add-ons emerging to provide GANTT charts for Basecamp such as AgileAgenda, PlannerX and PPMLite. Still these do not make Basecamp a panacea. Basecamp add-ons are typically an additional cost on top of the monthly fee for Basecamp, are usually not as well-integrated as native features would be and they come with the risk of being discontinued as was ExtraReports, the reporting add-on for Basecamp. Additionally GANTT charts are but one ideological limitation of Basecamp; there are many others which we plan to document soon.
