Basecamp

Overview

Basecamp, from 37signals, is a project management and team collaboration tool that keeps each project in one self-contained space. A project gathers to-do lists, a message board for threaded announcements, a Campfire group chat, schedules, docs and files, and a card-table Kanban board, so a team runs the work without spreading it across separate email, chat and task apps. Progress is read through Hill Charts and the Lineup rather than Gantt charts, and automatic check-ins post recurring questions to cut status meetings. Pricing is a flat monthly fee for the account rather than a charge per seat: the paid plans are graded by the number of active projects and the storage they include, 37signals states "No per-user fees, everyone's included", and from the Studio plan upwards the number of people is unlimited.

Best for small and remote teams that want projects, chat and docs in one calm, flat-priced tool.

Basecamp is the calm, opinionated end of project management, and the way it charges changes which question you have to answer before signing up. Because the bill follows the plan and not the headcount, growing the team costs nothing extra, but running many things at once does: the limit that bites is the number of active projects, so count yours first. The other tradeoff is that it stays intentionally simple, with no built-in resource planning and no Gantt charts or dependencies, so teams that plan by capacity and critical path will find it thin. It suits small and remote teams that value one tidy hub over a deep feature set.

Key Facts

Features

Task planning

Yes, to-do lists and card tables (Kanban), with per-project schedules and message boards

Resource planning

No dedicated resource planning

Time tracking

Not built in, available as the paid Timesheet add-on

Reporting and controlling

Yes, the Lineup, Hill Charts and Mission Control for progress

Integrations and API

Yes, a public API documented on GitHub, plus a directory of third-party integrations and Zapier

Integrations

• Zapier
• Zoho Flow
• Harvest
• Toggl
• Clockify
• Everhour
• Timely
• Tick
• GitHub
• Honeybadger
• Marker.io
• TestLodge
• Ganttify
• Bridge24
• Easy Insight
• Klipfolio
• Grow
• Deskpro
• SupportBee

Deployment and Support

Deployment

• Cloud (SaaS)
• Browser-based

Support

• Email helpdesk
• Community forum

Onboarding

• Documentation and knowledge base
• Video tutorials

Company size

• Freelancers
• Small and mid-sized

Suitability

The table combines the industries the vendor addresses with the company sizes the tool is aimed at. An empty cell means the combination is not stated, not that it is ruled out.

Pros and Cons

Pricing

• Free

  $0

  One project for personal use, 5 users, 1 GB storage.

• Freelancer

  $25

  Per month. Up to 3 active projects, 20 users, 5 GB storage.

• Studio

  $59

  Per month. Up to 10 active projects, unlimited users, 25 GB storage.

• Pro

  $99

  Per month. Up to 25 active projects, unlimited users, 100 GB storage.

• Unlimited Edition

  $299

  Per month, billed annually. Unlimited projects, unlimited users, 1 TB storage, with 5 TB more available for $100 per month.

Best For

• Agencies
• Consulting
• Technology

Alternatives and Comparisons

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