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Skip the generic roundups. This guide cuts through the noise with a decision framework built for IT teams juggling client projects, internal sprints, and support work simultaneously—plus a shortlist of tools that actually handle mixed workloads.
Ryan Mitchell31 August 202610 min read1,212 viewsTL;DR: Most task tracking software roundups rank tools by feature count and stop there. This one evaluates each option against the constraints IT company owners actually face: lean teams, no dedicated ops staff, and work that spans client projects, internal sprints, and support queues at the same time. You'll leave with a clear decision framework and a shortlist worth your time.
Task tracking software is a system that captures every task across your projects, assigns ownership, and surfaces what's overdue before it becomes a problem.
Most tools in this category do three things: create tasks, assign them to people, and show status in a shared view. That covers personal to-do apps too, which is where the category gets muddy.
What separates project task tracking software from a simple checklist is accountability at scale. A real system logs who owns what, tracks time against each task (manually or via a running timer), and gives managers a live view of workload across both client-facing and internal work simultaneously.
If you're an IT company owner managing billable client projects alongside internal ops, that dual-track visibility is the thing that matters. A personal to-do app won't show you that your senior engineer is at 140% capacity across three client accounts.
The task tracking and management process looks different depending on team size and work type — the criteria below are built specifically for small IT businesses.
Picking the best task tracking software for a small IT business is harder than most comparison articles admit. Here are the six criteria that shaped this list.
Ease of setup. Can a non-technical project lead configure the workspace in under a day? Tools that require dedicated onboarding sessions drain time before a single task is logged.
Free plan specifics. "Free" varies wildly. Some caps sit at three users; others limit active projects or hide reporting behind a paywall. The task tracking and management process you actually need may not survive those limits.
Integration depth. Does it connect natively to your ticketing system, Slack, or billing tool, or does it require a Zapier workaround? Native integrations hold up better under volume.
Agile support. Sprint boards, backlog views, and story-point tracking matter if your team ships in two-week cycles. Not every free task tracking software option includes these without an upgrade.
Remote team visibility. Can a distributed team see who owns what, in real time, without a status meeting? Look for workload views and dependency tracking, not just a flat task list.
AI automation. Automatic task assignment, deadline nudges, and progress summaries are now table-stakes features, not premium add-ons.
For a deeper look at how these criteria apply to your setup, the guide on choosing the right task tracker for your IT team walks through each one with worked examples.
Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Taro (Worksbuddy) | IT teams running client + internal work | Paid tier available | Yes | AI-driven task ownership with time tracking built in |
Asana | Mid-size teams needing workflow structure | ~$10.99/user/month | Yes (up to 10 users) | Timeline and dependency mapping |
ClickUp | Teams wanting one tool for everything | ~$7/user/month | Yes (limited storage) | Highly customizable views |
Monday.com | Visual project boards, client reporting | ~$9/user/month | No | Dashboard-level reporting |
Trello | Simple kanban for small teams | ~$5/user/month | Yes (10 boards max) | Fast setup, minimal learning curve |
Notion | Teams blending docs and task tracking | ~$10/user/month | Yes (limited blocks) | Flexible database structure |
Free plans vary more than a yes/no tells you. Asana caps at 10 seats, Trello limits you to 10 boards per workspace, and ClickUp restricts storage. If you're evaluating project and task tracking software for a growing IT team, those limits matter fast. The deeper breakdown follows in the next section — each tool gets honest pros, cons, and a clear best-for verdict.
Taro leads this list because it's built specifically for IT company owners running both client projects and internal work at the same time. Most task tracking software forces you to choose a mental model: either project-centric (good for client delivery) or sprint-centric (good for internal dev work). Taro handles both in one workspace.
Taro (by Worksbuddy)
Taro is an AI-powered task management agent that handles ownership assignment, deadline tracking, and cross-project visibility without requiring you to manually update statuses. When a task slips, Taro flags it before it becomes a missed deadline. When ownership is ambiguous, it surfaces the gap rather than letting it sit.
Key capabilities:
Automatic task assignment based on workload and role
Built-in time tracking for tasks and projects, both manual entry and live timer
Cross-project dependency mapping so client work and internal sprints don't collide
Real-time status updates without manual check-ins
Pros: Handles mixed workloads natively. Time tracking is built in, not bolted on. Designed for small IT teams, not reconfigured from an enterprise product.
Cons: Newer to the market than legacy tools, so third-party integrations are still expanding.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid tier starts at a competitive rate for teams of up to 15.
Best for: IT company owners managing client projects alongside internal work who need one system, not two.
Asana
Asana is a mature project task tracking software with strong timeline views and workflow automation. It works well for teams that run structured, deadline-driven projects.
Pros: Polished UI, reliable task dependencies, good reporting
Cons: Free plan caps at 15 seats and excludes timeline view and reporting features entirely. Automation is locked behind the Business tier ($24.99/user/month)
Pricing: Free up to 15 users; Premium starts at $13.49/user/month
Best for: Teams running client-facing projects with predictable phases
ClickUp
ClickUp offers a wide feature set and is frequently cited in roundups as a catch-all solution. In practice, the breadth creates configuration overhead that smaller teams feel immediately.
Pros: Highly customizable, generous free plan (unlimited tasks and members)
Cons: Free plan limits storage to 100MB and removes advanced features like goals and time tracking. New users typically spend 1-2 weeks configuring it before it's usable
Pricing: Free plan available; Unlimited tier at $10/user/month
Best for: Teams with a dedicated ops person to manage the setup
Monday.com
Monday.com is a visual work management platform with strong board views and CRM-adjacent features. It's popular with client-services teams.
Pros: Clean interface, good client-facing dashboards, strong integrations
Cons: No free plan for teams (only a 2-seat free trial). Pricing jumps quickly: Basic starts at $12/seat/month with a 3-seat minimum, so the floor is $36/month
Pricing: Starts at $12/seat/month (3-seat minimum)
Best for: Client-services teams that need polished reporting for external stakeholders
Trello
Trello is a Kanban-based free task tracking software option that works for simple workflows. It's easy to start but limited as complexity grows.
Pros: Fast to set up, intuitive for small teams, generous free tier
Cons: Free plan limits boards to 10 per workspace and removes automation beyond 250 runs/month. No native time tracking or dependency management
Pricing: Free plan available; Standard at $6/user/month
Best for: Solo operators or very small teams with straightforward task lists
Notion
Notion combines task tracking with documentation, which appeals to teams that want one tool for notes and work management.
Pros: Flexible database structure, strong knowledge management
Cons: Task tracking requires manual setup. There's no native time tracking, and project views like Gantt are absent without third-party integrations
Pricing: Free plan available; Plus tier at $12/user/month
Best for: Teams where documentation and task tracking overlap heavily
For a deeper look at how these tools compare across team sizes, see what are the best task tracker apps for teams and how to choose the best task tracker for your team.
Use this matrix to match your situation to the right task tracking software before you read another feature list.
Team size | Pure client projects | Pure internal sprints | Mixed (client + internal) |
|---|---|---|---|
Solo IT owner | Taro (free tier, unlimited tasks) | Trello free | Taro free |
Team of 5–15 | Taro paid, with time tracking per task | Asana Starter (~$10.99/seat/mo) | Taro paid |
Team of 15–30 | Monday.com Pro | ClickUp Business | Taro paid + subtask nesting |
A few rules that drive these recommendations:
Solo owners running client work need a tool that separates billable from internal tasks without a paid upgrade. Taro's free plan covers that; most others gate time tracking behind a paid tier.
Teams of 5–15 on mixed work are the hardest fit. Generic tools force you to choose one workflow. Taro's task and subtask structure handles both in the same project view, which is why it earns the recommendation here.
Teams of 15–30 split cleanly: pure sprint teams get more value from ClickUp's velocity reporting; client-facing teams need the billing visibility that Taro's time tracking provides.
If your situation doesn't fit a single cell, the task tracking and management process guide walks through how to layer both work types without duplicating effort. For a broader comparison of project and task tracking software options at this scale, that post covers the tradeoffs in more depth.
The best task tracking software for your IT business isn't the one with the most features—it's the one that handles your actual workload without forcing you into two separate systems. If you're juggling client projects and internal sprints in the same week, that constraint alone should narrow your list significantly. Start by running through the six criteria above against your current bottleneck: Are tasks slipping because ownership is unclear? Is your team at capacity but you can't see it? Does status reporting still require a meeting? The tool that solves that first problem fastest is the one worth your time. Taro's free plan lets you test this without commitment—wire up a few client tasks and an internal sprint, then see if the dual-track visibility actually changes how your team works.
Taro, Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com, Trello, and Notion all work for small teams, but Taro is built specifically for IT companies running client and internal work simultaneously. Your choice depends on whether you need agile support, client reporting, or simplicity over customization.
It surfaces overdue work before it becomes a crisis, eliminates status meetings by showing real-time ownership and workload, and prevents tasks from slipping through gaps between projects. Built-in time tracking also reveals where your team is actually spending hours.
Prioritize ease of setup, native integrations (not Zapier workarounds), real-time workload visibility, and AI automation for task assignment and deadline nudges. If your team runs sprints, agile support matters. If you manage client work, dependency mapping and time tracking are essential.
Yes, if it includes real-time workload views, dependency tracking, and live status updates without requiring synchronous check-ins. Distributed teams need to see who owns what and when tasks collide across projects without a meeting.
Most options integrate with Slack, email, and billing systems, but depth varies. Native integrations hold up better under volume than Zapier workarounds. Check the tool's integration library against your ticketing system and CRM before committing.
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