Freedcamp Review

Freedcamp is a solid but quite basic and unremarkable project management software. It has all of the conventional makings of a great tool but does very little to set itself apart from competitors when considering its paid options. However, if you're looking for a free task management platform, this tool exceeds expectations.

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1. Enhance Organization: Project management software streamlines task assignment, scheduling, and resource allocation, ensuring that small businesses stay organized and focused on their goals.
2. Improve Collaboration: With features like real-time messaging, file sharing, and collaborative editing, project management software fosters teamwork and communication among team members, regardless of their location.
3. Boost Efficiency: By automating repetitive tasks, providing clear project timelines, and facilitating better resource management, project management software helps small businesses work smarter and achieve more in less time.

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Every few years, a new trend is introduced either by some revolutionary thinker or by accident.

Interestingly, it doesn't really matter who thinks it up or introduces it; what matters is what changes because of it and the aftermath of its introduction, which is typically a long string of copycats and ripoffs that attempt to cash in on the new trend until it dies off.

While testing Freedcamp, I couldn't help but feel like I was testing yet another copycat in a long line of copycats in project management software.

Don't get me wrong; the software takes what other vendors have done and delivers those features in a convenient and reliable package. But the only thing setting Freedcamp apart from the competition is the free version of its software and its relatively cheap pricing model for paid options. More on that later.

Who is Freedcamp for?

Freedcamp is perfect for users looking for a straightforward software that covers the project management basics without all of the complications and fancy features -- especially if you're on a tight budget.

In fact, I would recommend this tool to any team and project manager new to this kind of software.

There are very few project management tools on the market that offer unlimited users, storage, and projects with the free version of the software, and that is Freedcamp's secret sauce.

Once you get past those benefits, though, you'll find a paint-by-numbers project management tool beneath the surface. Once you graduate to its paid versions, Freedcamp doesn't have any unique functions that you can't find in any other tool -- many of which are cheaper.

Freedcamp's features

Freedcamp offers many of the basic features you'd expect from a paid project management software but leaves a few behind, such as budgeting, Gantt charts, and kanban boards.

As I've mentioned, Freedcamp really shines with its free version, which offers unlimited users, projects, and storage -- almost unheard of with free project management tools.

Management and planning features:

• Task prioritization and scheduler: Freedcamp offers task lists, Gantt charts, and kanban boards that allow you to tag relevant users, comment on task progress, and share project resources (documents, graphics, charts, etc.).
• Shared team calendar: A team calendar is included on the main dashboard as well as in its own separate menu selection that displays tasks, their duration, and their priority.
• Time tracking: With Freedcamp, you can track the time spent on individual tasks and then bill those tasks accordingly using the invoicing feature.

Documentation features:

Freedcamp includes a docs and files section where you can upload images, documents, and spreadsheets from your computer and organize those files into their own respective folders.

Collaboration features:

• File sharing: Each Freedcamp task has a file uploading and sharing system so you can quickly share resources with the rest of your team.
• Communication: Not only does each task in Freedcamp have a comment section so you can communicate with your team about individual actions, but the platform also includes a separate discussion tab where you can create threads related to different aspects of your project.
• Team dashboards: Freedcamp's main dashboard includes a task list, a notification ticker, a projects list, and a compact shared team calendar that allows you to see everything happening within that week.
• Mobile application: Freedcamp offers a mobile version of its software for both iOS and Android users so you can remain in contact with your team and coordinate project tasks on the go.

Security features

• Single Sign-On (SSO) integrations: Freedcamp integrates with multiple big-name SSO providers, such as Google SSO, Okta, and Microsoft Azure AD.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Freedcamp allows you to set up additional identity verification through 2FA.
• Account permissions: Protect your assets by using granular permissions (task, team, and project) controls to restrict access to only the correct users.

Budgeting and reporting features

• Report dashboards: Track the progress and workloads of your teams through Freedcamp's reporting dashboards (only available with Business and Enterprise plans).
• Invoicing: Using the time-tracking features, you can create and send invoices to your clients.

Working in conjunction with the time-tracking feature, you can create and send detailed invoices to your clients.

Freedcamp's ease of use

Freedcamp is simultaneously easy to use and somewhat difficult to navigate. In the main dashboard, you have access to some of your most important pieces of information such as a simple task list, important updates, a project list, and a simplified shared team calendar.

The only available menu is the top navigation bar, which includes buttons for the home dashboard, projects, the task list, the main shared calendar, and the widget creator.

Freedcamp's main dashboard is not intuitive in its design despite looking simple. Image source: Author

Unfortunately, this home dashboard doesn't give you a direct path to other features such as files, discussions, time tracking, or reporting. Instead, I had to search for these features, which was a little frustrating at first.

To navigate to the dashboard for a specific project, click on the "choose project" dropdown at the top left-hand corner of the screen and click on a current project, which takes you to its dashboard.

Freedcamp's project dashboard gives you access to more of the software's features. Image source: Author

Once there, there's a new side menu giving you access to the aforementioned discussions, time tracking, and files -- but still no reporting. I tested the "Minimalist" tier, which is just above the free tier, but you need to upgrade to an even higher level to get access to any reporting functions.

I find it quite surprising that such a key feature such as reporting (even simple reporting capability) is hidden behind not one pricing tier, but two. Not exactly a dealbreaker considering the low prices for this tool, but surprising nonetheless.

Once you nail the navigational quirks, Freedcamp is pretty easy to use. Task creation, calendar management, file storage, and discussions work as expected.

Freedcamp's task management screen is simple, yet unremarkable. Image source: Author

As of the end of 2020, Freedcamp has added new task management functions, including Gantt charts and kanban boards, which really add to the versatility of the platform. When I reviewed Freedcamp in 2019, the only real options for task management were the simple task list and a shared calendar for visualizing task due dates.

Freedcamp's Gantt charts aren't mindblowing in their design, but at this low price point, who can complain? Image source: Author

These features, although useful, don't give enough contextual information into the execution process of the project, such as the span of time it takes to complete work, or the bottlenecks that are slowing things down.

However, the addition of these features really improves my view of the Freedcamp platform. While the functionality and design are still unoriginal within the project management software market, I always welcome the inclusion of more easy-to-use features that users are actually looking for.

Freedcamp's pricing

Freedcamp has almost supplanted Podio as one of the cheapest project management tools I've ever seen.

Freedcamp's free version has a lot to offer, including task management, shared team calendars, file sharing, team communication, and many other options. The reason I say Freedcamp "almost" beats Podio is because while the monthly rates for the paid tiers are very inexpensive considering everything you get, the former structures its pricing on a per-user basis versus the latter's flat rate.

That being said, Freedcamp is extremely affordable for its first two pricing tiers and even relatively affordable when it comes to the top Enterprise tier:

• Free: Unlimited projects, tasks, storage, and users.
• Minimalist: $1.49/user per month -- Includes all core functions plus email integrations, Google Calendar and Drive integration, Dropbox integration, and OneDrive integration.
• Business: $7.49/user per month -- Includes all previous features plus issue tracking, invoicing, CRM capabilities, project templates, and reporting.
• Enterprise: $16.99/user per month -- Includes all previous features plus project overviews, customizable branding, priority email and phone support, data archiving, private cloud servers, two-factor authentication, and single sign-on capabilities.

My main complaint with Freedcamp in terms of pricing is that it reserves seemingly basic features such as reporting and templates for the higher pricing tiers. I understand placing specialized features such as private cloud servers or two-factor authentication in the more advanced options, but basic features belong in the basic options.

For this reason, I took a few points off of Freedcamp's features and pricing scores.

Working with Freedcamp support

All of Freedcamp's pricing tiers have access to some kind of support, but it hides phone support behind another paywall: You'll have to buy into the Enterprise pricing tier for that, and for $16.99 per user, per month, that's a high price to pay to speak to a real human being.

The lower tiers allow access to a multitude of useful video tutorials and product guides, but contact forms are your one form of customer support at those levels. You can expect to get a response within 24 hours.

Benefits of Freedcamp

The greatest benefit of Freedcamp is the price. This software has a lot to offer for very little.

If you're looking to learn the ropes of project management software and don't want to waste tons of money in the process, this is the perfect tool for you. Freedcamp can do almost anything most other project management tools can do.

Sure, you'll leave certain functions behind, such as integrations, templates, and reporting, but you'll be hard-pressed to find another free tool that offers unlimited users, projects, and storage.

If you're looking for a tool that can manage your tasks, track the time spent on those tasks, store files, create team discussions, build invoices, and create reports, then Freedcamp has you covered.

Additionally, Freedcamp also takes pride in its security capabilities -- particularly important during 2020, which has seen a dramatic increase in cyberattacks. Along with its SSO, 2FA, and account permissions features, Freedcamp has partnered with Cyberoo, an Italian cybersecurity firm.

Cyberoo has put Freedcamp through sessions of penetration testing and determined that the platform is secure against hacking attacks, making it a solid option for distributed teams. This is great news for those working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic who are concerned about the vulnerabilities of a decentralized workstyle.

The bottom line on Freedcamp

In a bubble, Freedcamp is a solid option. It offers almost everything you'd need to track and manage your project to a successful conclusion, albeit with a few features left on the table (Gantt charts, budgeting, and kanban boards).

It's a quality software option -- especially for the price -- despite a few disappointments, such as making reporting available only for Business users and higher.

However, we don't live in a bubble, and I can't help but wonder why an experienced project manager would choose a paid version of Freedcamp when you can get far more for less money with options like Podio. If everything you need is provided by the free version of Freedcamp, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better option, but if you're already prepared to pay for a tool, you can do better.