Best Project Management Software for Solo Founders in the UK

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The Problem With Most Project Management Advice

Most “best project management software” guides are written with teams in mind. They rave about collaboration features, permission levels, shared inboxes, and multi-user dashboards. If you’re running your business solo — whether you’re a freelancer, consultant, or early-stage founder — that advice can lead you straight towards tools that are bloated, expensive, and frankly exhausting to set up.

What you actually need is something that helps you stay on top of your work without becoming a second job to maintain. You want clarity, not complexity. You want to spend five minutes reviewing your tasks each morning, not half an hour configuring workflows.

This guide cuts through the noise. We’ve focused specifically on tools that work brilliantly for one person — and that won’t charge you a fortune for collaboration features you’ll never use.

What Solo Founders Actually Need From a Project Management Tool

Before diving into the tools, it’s worth being clear about what matters when you’re working alone:

• Simplicity — you don’t need Gantt charts or resource planning
• Speed — you should be able to capture a task in under ten seconds
• Flexibility — your work probably spans multiple client projects or business areas
• Affordability — you’re watching every pound, especially in the early stages
• Low maintenance — you need a system that runs itself, not one you constantly tinker with

With those criteria in mind, here are the tools we’d genuinely recommend.

The Best Project Management Tools for UK Solo Founders

1. Todoist — Best for Pure Task Management

If you just want a reliable, no-nonsense to-do list that actually works, Todoist is hard to beat. It’s been around since 2007, it’s polished, and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

What we like:

You can add tasks using natural language — type “Send invoice to client Friday at 9am” and Todoist will create a task with the correct due date and time automatically. This is genuinely useful when you’re in the middle of something and need to capture a thought quickly.

The free plan is generous for solo use: up to five active projects, task reminders, and flexible list and board layouts. If you want a much higher project limit (300 projects instead of five), a calendar view, task durations, and custom reminders, the Pro plan costs £5 per user per month billed annually (£7 if you pay month-to-month) — which is excellent value.

There’s a decent mobile app, it syncs across all your devices, and the interface stays out of your way.

What to watch out for:

Todoist is purely a task manager — it won’t store your notes, client information, or documents. If you need those things alongside your tasks, you’ll want to pair it with another tool or consider Notion (see below).

Best for: Sole traders and freelancers who want a clean, reliable to-do system without any fuss.

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro plan £5/user/month (billed annually; £7 month-to-month).

2. Trello — Best for Visual Thinkers

Trello uses a Kanban board format — columns of cards that you drag from left to right as work progresses. It’s one of the most intuitive interfaces in the project management world, and it’s particularly good if you’re the kind of person who thinks visually.

What we like:

Setting up Trello takes about ten minutes. You create a board, add some lists (something like “To Do,” “In Progress,” “Done”), and start creating cards. Each card can hold checklists, due dates, attachments, and notes — so you can use it as a lightweight project tracker or client management system.

The free plan allows unlimited cards, up to ten boards, and unlimited Power-Ups (integrations). For most solo founders, that’s more than enough. The Standard paid plan is around £4 per user per month (billed annually) and adds unlimited boards and some more advanced features.

Trello also has templates you can copy instantly — there are good ones for freelancers managing clients, tracking content ideas, or running a product launch.

What to watch out for:

Trello can become unwieldy if you try to use it as an all-in-one system. Cards don’t handle long-form writing well, and if you’re managing complex information — like detailed client notes or multi-stage processes — it can start to feel messy. It’s also a collaboration-first tool at heart, so some of the more useful features (like automation) are restricted on the free plan.

Best for: Founders who prefer a visual workflow and want to track the status of projects at a glance.

Pricing: Free plan available. Standard plan from approximately £4/user/month.

3. Notion — Best All-in-One Workspace

Notion is in a different category to Todoist and Trello. Rather than being purely a task manager or board tool, it’s a flexible workspace where you can build whatever system works for you. Think of it as a cross between a wiki, a database, and a project manager.

What we like:

For solo founders, Notion’s real strength is that you can keep everything in one place — your tasks, your client notes, your business ideas, your meeting summaries, your SOPs (standard operating procedures), and even a simple CRM. Instead of juggling five different apps, you have one.

The free plan is surprisingly capable for individuals, and the paid Plus plan is around £8.50 per user per month (billed annually) — though you can get a lot done without paying anything at all.

Notion’s AI features are increasingly useful too — you can ask it to summarise notes, draft content, or pull information from your pages. Be aware, though, that Notion has changed how AI is sold: the old standalone AI add-on has been discontinued, and full Notion AI is now bundled into the higher Business plan (around £16.50 per user per month) rather than being available as a cheap bolt-on. Free and Plus users get only a limited AI trial, so if AI is central to your workflow, factor in the cost of moving up to Business.

What to watch out for:

Notion has a learning curve. It’s incredibly flexible, which means there’s no single obvious way to set it up — and that can lead to over-engineering. Many people spend more time building their Notion system than actually working in it. Our advice: start simple. Use a template, resist the urge to customise everything immediately, and add complexity only when you genuinely need it.

It’s also worth noting that Notion isn’t the strongest dedicated task manager. If you want reminders, quick task capture on mobile, and recurring tasks, Todoist handles those things better. Notion shines as a home base for your whole business, not necessarily as a daily task tool.

Best for: Solo founders who want a single workspace for everything — notes, projects, clients, and planning.

Pricing: Free plan available. Plus plan from approximately £8.50/month.

4. ClickUp — Best if You’re Planning to Grow

ClickUp deserves a mention because it’s genuinely powerful, and the free plan is among the most generous in the industry. It combines task management, docs, goals, time tracking, and reporting in one place.

What we like:

If you’re a solo founder who plans to hire in the next year or two, ClickUp is worth considering now — so you don’t have to migrate your whole system later. It handles both simple to-do lists and complex project structures, and you can dial the complexity up or down as needed.

What to watch out for:

Honestly? It can be overwhelming. ClickUp has a reputation for being feature-heavy, and the interface — while improving — still takes some getting used to. For a true solo founder who just wants to stay organised, it’s probably more than you need. But if you like having options and know you’ll grow into the features, it’s worth a look.

Best for: Solo founders with ambitions to grow, who want to invest in one platform for the long term.

Pricing: Free plan available. Unlimited plan from approximately £5.50/user/month.

How to Choose: A Quick Decision Guide

Not sure which one’s right for you? Here’s a simple way to think about it:

• You just want a reliable to-do list → Go with Todoist
• You think in pictures and track project status visually → Go with Trello
• You want one place for all your business information → Go with Notion
• You’re planning to scale and bring on a team → Consider ClickUp

There’s no wrong answer here — the best tool is the one you’ll actually use. Don’t overthink it. Pick something, use it for a month, and adjust if needed.

A Note on Pricing in the UK

All of the tools above offer free plans that are perfectly usable for solo work. If you do upgrade, the costs are modest — typically £4 to £10 per month — and are a legitimate business expense you can claim against your tax bill.

Two of these tools (ClickUp and Trello) set their headline prices in US dollars, so the exact pound amount you pay can move with exchange rates — always check the live figure at checkout.

If you’re registered for VAT or keeping records for HMRC’s Making Tax Digital initiative, none of these tools natively handle your accounting — you’ll want separate software for that (see our guide to the best accounting software for sole traders). But some, particularly Notion, can be used to track invoices and client records informally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is free project management software good enough for a solo founder?

In most cases, yes. The free tiers of Todoist, Trello, and Notion are genuinely capable for one person. You’d typically only need to upgrade if you want advanced features like automations, unlimited history, or priority support. Start free and only pay when you hit a genuine limitation.

Can I use these tools on my phone?

All four tools covered in this article have iOS and Android apps. Todoist and Trello are particularly good on mobile — quick to load and easy to use on the go. Notion’s mobile app is functional but works best on a larger screen when you’re doing anything complex.

Do I need separate software for invoicing and accounting?

Yes. None of the tools in this guide are designed for financial management. For UK sole traders and limited company owners, you’ll want dedicated accounting software — particularly as HMRC’s Making Tax Digital requirements continue to expand. See our separate guide to accounting software for UK small businesses.

How do I avoid wasting hours setting up a system I never use?

This is a very real risk, especially with flexible tools like Notion. Our honest advice: start with a template, keep it minimal, and only build out your system once you understand what you actually need. Resist the urge to make it perfect before you’ve started using it. A simple system that you use consistently will always outperform an elaborate one that you avoid.

Our Recommendation

If we had to pick one tool for a UK solo founder starting from scratch, we’d suggest Notion for its versatility — the ability to manage tasks, store client notes, and plan your business all in one place is genuinely useful when you’re wearing every hat.

But if Notion feels like too much, Todoist is our runner-up. It’s simple, reliable, affordable, and it does exactly what you need it to do without any faff.

The most important thing isn’t which tool you choose — it’s that you choose one and actually use it. A blank Notion page and an ignored Todoist account help nobody. Pick the simplest option that meets your needs, stick with it for at least a month, and build from there.

Pricing and features correct at time of writing. Plans and capabilities are subject to change — always confirm current details on the provider’s website before purchasing.