Best Project Portfolio Management Software: 11 PPM Tools

Running one project well is hard enough. Running thirty at once, all competing for the same people, is a different problem. Somebody has to decide what gets started, what gets paused and what quietly needs to stop, and they need honest data to do it.

That's the job of project portfolio management, or PPM. The eleven tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from focused resource planners to enterprise suites, and every description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If you're newer to the discipline, my explainer on how many project management methodologies there are covers the main approaches.

PPM tools side by side

In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free edition, a free account or an open source version. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it or book a demo.

Tool	Type	Good for	Free plan
Celoxis	Project and portfolio management with PMO tools	Mid-size PMOs wanting full PPM without a long rollout	Trial only
Clarity	Strategic portfolio management from Broadcom	Large enterprises connecting strategy to delivery	Not stated
ITM Platform	Project, programme and portfolio management	Hybrid agile and waterfall portfolios	Trial only
Meisterplan	Portfolio-level resource management	Matching people to the right projects	Trial only
Planisware	Enterprise portfolio and project management	R&D and engineering-heavy portfolios	Not stated
Planview	Strategic and project portfolio management	Big portfolios across many departments	Not stated
Proggio	Visual project timelines and portfolio execution	PMOs tracking plans against actuals visually	Not stated
ServiceNow SPM	Strategic portfolio management on ServiceNow	Companies already running IT on ServiceNow	Not stated
Smartsheet	Work management platform	Spreadsheet-style portfolio tracking	Not stated
Tempus Resource	Strategic portfolio and resource management	What-if planning around people's skills	Trial only
Triskell	Enterprise portfolio management software	Linking objectives to programmes and portfolios	Trial only

Eleven project portfolio management tools

Celoxis

Best for: Mid-size project offices that want portfolio planning, resourcing and reporting without an enterprise-length implementation.

Clarity

Best for: Large enterprises that want strategy, investment and delivery data joined up across many disconnected tools and teams.

ITM Platform

Best for: Organisations running a mix of Gantt-planned and agile projects that want both managed in one portfolio view.

Meisterplan

Best for: Portfolio managers whose biggest headache is having enough people for the projects that matter, and who want to model trade-offs quickly.

Planisware

Best for: Large R&D, engineering and product organisations that want to optimise their whole portfolio and run projects more efficiently.

Planview

Best for: Enterprises delivering projects at scale that want portfolio, product and work management from one established vendor.

Proggio

Best for: PMOs and executives who want a visual timeline of work across projects, with plan-versus-actual tracking and risk views.

ServiceNow SPM

Best for: Organisations already using ServiceNow for IT that want portfolio planning and investment decisions on the same platform.

Smartsheet

Best for: Teams that like a spreadsheet layout and want project rollups, dashboards and PMO reporting without a specialist PPM system.

Tempus Resource

Best for: Portfolio teams that want to connect plans to people's skills and availability and test what-if scenarios before committing.

Triskell

Best for: Businesses that want to link objectives, initiatives, programmes and portfolios in one configurable PPM system.

What the government standard expects from a portfolio

GOV.UK publishes Government Functional Standard GovS 002, which sets expectations for the direction and management of portfolios, programmes and projects in government. Its latest version made portfolio, programme and project governance roles mandatory, and added clauses covering the transition, use and disposal of a solution.

You don't need to work in government for that to be useful. A PPM tool only helps if someone owns each decision. Before you buy, check that the tool makes owners, approvals and stage gates obvious, rather than burying them under Gantt charts nobody reads.

Portfolio, programme and project: the difference

A project delivers one thing. A programme groups related projects towards a shared goal. A portfolio is everything the organisation is investing in, ranked against its strategy and the people available to do the work.

Project management tools are great at the first level and weaker at the third. PPM software earns its place when leaders need to compare projects side by side, model what happens if one slips, and move people between them without guesswork.

Smartsheet's free period is explained in our Smartsheet trial guide.

Questions to ask each PPM vendor

1. How do we score and rank project proposals against our strategy?
2. Can we model what-if scenarios before approving new work?
3. How does it show who's overloaded across the whole portfolio?
4. Does it connect to the project tools our teams already use?
5. What reports will the leadership team get without manual work?
6. How long does a typical rollout take for an organisation our size?

Microsoft's option is covered in the Microsoft Project free trial.

Signs you need portfolio-level visibility

• Every project is priority one. Nothing gets ranked.
• The same people are on everything. Overload shows up late.
• Leadership asks for status by email. Reports are built by hand.
• Projects never get stopped. Nobody reviews the whole picture.

Do you make project portfolio management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

My plain advice on choosing PPM software

Start with the decision you struggle with most, usually "can we take this on?", and test whether each tool answers it with your real data. If it can show the knock-on effect of a new project on people and deadlines within a trial, you're looking at a serious option.

Be realistic about rollout. Enterprise suites can take months to set up fully, while lighter tools may be running in weeks. A simpler tool your managers use beats a powerful one they avoid. My piece on why project management is hard for small teams explains why.

Frequently asked questions

What is project portfolio management?

Project portfolio management is the practice of choosing, prioritising and overseeing a group of projects together, so investment and people go to the work that matters most.

What's the difference between PPM and project management software?

Project management software runs individual projects. PPM software compares many projects at once, ranks them against strategy and balances people across them.

Who uses PPM software?

Project management offices, leadership teams, finance and resource managers use it to decide what to fund, track overall progress and plan capacity.

Are there free PPM tools?

Most PPM tools offer trials rather than free plans. Check the free plan column in the table above and each vendor's site.

What is resource management in PPM?

Resource management matches people's skills and availability to the projects in the portfolio, so you can spot overload before deadlines slip.

How long does it take to set up PPM software?

Lighter tools can be running in weeks. Enterprise suites with integrations, custom scoring and approvals often take a few months.