Even before I wrote this Basecamp review, I’d used the platform for a few years for my own projects. Basecamp might not have all the features of other top project management tools (like Gantt charts, for example). However, it is user-friendly and an excellent option for remote teams (when consistent communication is key).
If you’re looking for highly advanced features, like artificial intelligence, Basecamp might not be the best choice. However, if you want a streamlined way to manage projects and teams and ensure everyone stays on the same page, this tool is great.
Here, I’ll cover everything you need to know to decide if Basecamp is right for you, based on hours of first-hand experimentation.
Quick Verdict: Pros and Cons
Basecamp is one of the most user-friendly tools I’ve used for project management. It’s ideal for smaller teams (particularly those with remote workers), who want to keep track of progress, and boost communication. It can help you centralize all of your workflows, boost internal productivity, and reduce your reliance on external tools like Slack.
However, it lacks a few key features, like Gantt charts, and AI capabilities, that I think would make it more appealing to evolving teams.
Pros:
- Convenient and straightforward user interface
- Flat monthly price for unlimited users
- Excellent permissions management
- Supports integrations with various apps and services
- Fantastic communication tools
Cons:
- Missing features for AI and Gantt charts
- Reporting features are limited
Basecamp Review: Overview and Key Features
Basecamp is a streamlined project management and collaboration tool, packed with all the features you need to keep your team running smoothly. Primarily, Basecamp targets smaller companies looking for simple and convenient product management features.
It’s not the most robust project management platform I’ve ever used. In fact, Basecamp has deliberately cut down on features it considers “unnecessary” to give you a more lightweight solution that’s easier to integrate into your everyday workflows.
Like most project management tools, Basecamp regularly updates its platform. For instance, it recently reworked its home screen design, allowing users to customize their dashboard by pinning and reordering important teams and projects wherever they need to be.
It also gives you access to a range of traditional and unique “task view” options, such as a “card table,” which is essentially a variation of the standard “Kanban” task management strategy.
Basecamp works seamlessly with most of the tools companies already use, such as Box, Figma, Slack, and Salesforce. Here’s everything you need to know about the core features of Basecamp, and how they’ll impact your team.
Basecamp Review: Task and Project Management
Let’s start this Basecamp review with an oversight of the platform’s task and project management capabilities. First, Basecamp gives you a fantastic central environment where you can organize your projects and tasks, assigning deadlines, team members, and more.
You get a range of “view” options to choose from, including the fantastic card table mentioned above, which I think is even more streamlined than the Kanban-style boards offered by other platforms. There’s also the “Lineup” view which gives you a handy timeline view of all the projects you’re currently working on, with the current date displayed in the middle.
Unfortunately, Basecamp doesn’t offer true Gantt chart options, and there aren’t many options to dive into granular details about each task, tracking progress, workloads, and dependencies. That’s one of the reasons some people refuse to describe It as a true “project management” app.
However, it does give you the basic tools you need to make managing tasks and teams a little easier. The integrated to-do lists are particularly impressive, offering lots of information at a glance. You can also add notes to tasks, and assigned dates, which also adds little emojis to your display.
Plus, there are some handy templates to get you started too, so you don’t necessarily need to plan a full to-do list for a specific project from scratch. However, I think this feature would be enhanced by an AI system. For instance, Copilot in Microsoft Planner can actually create full project workflows for you based on prompts – saving you a lot of time.
Basecamp Review: Collaboration
The collaboration and communication tools in Basecamp are what really makes this platform stand out, in my opinion. In fact, I’d probably describe Basecamp as more of a collaboration tool than a project management platform.
Basecamp ensures every team member stays connected throughout entire project and task lifecycles – wherever they might be. You can set permissions for projects and users to determine who can share information and make changes to different tasks. You’ll also be able to have full, in-depth conversations with your colleagues through direct messages.
You can have conversations with team members in different task items and to-do lists, exchange important updates with the message board, and more. You even get full control over how people can reach you with customizable notifications. Plus, the “Hey!” menu aggregates all of your notifications into a single menu, to help keep you on track.
Sharing files and information is easy, thanks to cloud file support for Figma, Dropbox, Airtable, and countless other platforms. One particular feature I like is the ability to request regular check-ins for team members, with automated polls and messages.
Plus, you get a central file storage system with its own chat and comment functions so that you can create a collaborative knowledgebase for your team. You can even create multiple custom chat spaces for each team in your business.
Time, Document and Resource Management
If you want to keep track of how employees are using their time inside and outside of the office, there’s no built-in feature for this. However, Basecamp did introduce a “Timesheet add-on” recently, which allows you to track employee workflows within the app.
