The best resource planning software in 2025

In today's rapidly evolving business environment, finding the right resource planning software is critical for efficient team scheduling, budget management, and project oversight. This article offers a comprehensive look at the top resource planning solutions for 2025—analyzing their core functionalities, integration capabilities, and cost-effectiveness. Whether you're a startup hoping to streamline assignments or an enterprise looking for a robust project management tool, understanding the latest trends will help you make an informed, future-ready decision.

Resourceplanner.io

Ideal for teams that need a straightforward, easy-to-use resource planner with an appealing price point. Great for small businesses or startups looking for cost-effective resource management.

Advantages

  • Freemium Model: Generous free tier for up to 10 users, making it a great choice for smaller teams.
  • Cost-Effective: For a team of 20 people, it costs just $20 per month, translating to $1 per user. This stands out as one of the most budget-friendly options in the market.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Extremely intuitive, so your team can start using it effectively with minimal training.

Disadvantages

  • Limited Integrations: Currently no integrations with other tools. However, the company plans to add a REST API in upcoming releases.

Bonsai

Ideal for agencies, consultancies, and in-house service teams that want a visual resource planner tightly linked to time tracking, budgets, and client billing. Perfect for optimizing people’s workloads without hopping between separate tools.

Key Features:

  • Live resource visibility & optimization: Real-time dashboard shows team workloads and automatically suggests optimal project assignments to maximize utilization, while visual capacity planning prevents overbooking.
  • Confident project planning & forecasting: Plan and staff new projects using drag-and-drop scheduling that respects PTO, with integrated margin projections that identify capacity gaps and signal exactly when to hire or subcontract.
  • Seamless integration: Bonsai seamlessly connects scheduling with invoicing, contracts, and financial reporting—providing complete project profitability without switching between platforms.

Disadvantages

  • Resource management features only available on the Premium plan
  • Not suitable for enterprise needs

Eresourcescheduler.com

Ideal for larger companies that require flexible integrations and advanced permission setups. The modular approach appeals to businesses seeking tailor-made solutions.

Advantages

  • Open REST API: Seamlessly integrate with existing project management or finance tools.

  • Role-Based Permissions: Assign permission sets based on specific roles, ensuring data security and clarity in responsibilities.

  • Modular Architecture: Customize the software according to your needs by picking and choosing relevant modules.

Disadvantages

  • Learning Curve: The interface is less intuitive, which can lead to a longer onboarding period.

  • No Permanent Free Plan: Only a 14-day trial is offered.

  • Higher Cost: Priced at $100/month for a 20-person team, which may be steep for smaller organizations.

Runn.io

Ideal for firms that need end-to-end visibility of resource allocation and prefer built-in or integrated time-tracking capabilities to measure project performance effectively.

Advantages

  • Integrated Time Tracking: Track project performance within the same platform, centralizing data for better insights.

  • Multiple Integrations: Works with popular time-tracking tools like Harvest, Clockify, and WorkflowMax.

Disadvantages

  • Premium Pricing: At $280/month for 20 users, Runn.io is among the pricier solutions.

  • Complex Navigation: Despite modern design elements, some users find it overcomplicated and not very intuitive.

Projectmanager.com

Ideal for teams looking for a comprehensive project management solution that includes resource planning as part of a broader set of features.

Advantages

  • All-in-One Project Management: Provides robust functionalities such as task management, Gantt charts, and reporting tools—all in one place.

Disadvantages

  • High Pricing: Similar to Runn.io, the cost is about $280/month for a 20-person team.

Adobe Workfront

Ideal for established organizations that need powerful, integrated workflows across multiple departments. If you handle large, cross-functional projects, Workfront could be a strong contender.

Advantages

  • Enterprise-Grade Features: As part of the Adobe family, Workfront offers advanced workflow automations, custom fields, and robust reporting.

  • Scalable Solution: Tailored for large-scale enterprises with complex approval processes and multiple teams.

Disadvantages

  • Pricing and Complexity: The enterprise-level capabilities come with a higher price tag and a steeper learning curve.

Smartsheet.com

Ideal for companies seeking a spreadsheet-like project management tool that also offers strong collaboration features and dashboards for reporting. Particularly useful for teams transitioning from Excel-based workflows.

Advantages

  • 30-Day Free Trial: Allows you to explore features risk-free.

  • Robust Integrations & API: Connect with other productivity and collaboration tools easily.

  • Reports & Dashboards: Generate real-time insights to keep stakeholders informed.

  • Intuitive Interface: Spreadsheet-like layout is user-friendly and visually appealing.

Disadvantages

  • Costly Timeline View: Accessing the timeline (Gantt) feature requires the Business plan, which can run up to 440 Euros per month for 20 users.

Forecastapp.com

Ideal for mid-sized to larger teams looking for collaborative resource planning where live, up-to-date visibility is crucial, and who can accommodate the higher price point.

Advantages

  • Real-Time Updates: Great for collaborative planning where multiple team members need instant feedback.
  • 30-Day Trial: Sufficient for in-depth testing before committing.

Disadvantages

  • No Integrations: Currently no option to connect with external tools, limiting flexibility.
  • No Free Plan: The absence of a free tier can be a barrier for smaller organizations.
  • High Pricing: Costs $100/month for a 20-person team.

Forecast.app

Does it sound similar to Forecastapp.com? But it is not. It is a different tool. Someone is playing game with domain names...

On top of that, they are not trnasparent with pricing and you need to contact them to get the quote. Not a fair game. There is also no free plan, nor public demo - you can only book a call with them.

Conclusion

Choosing wisely is key. If oyu are looking for a robust solution, that is offers more than just resource planning, you should go with robust platforms like Productive or Smartsheet. If you are looking for a simple solution, that is easy to use and budget friendly, you should go with resourceplanner.io because it's the best price/quality ratio on the market.

Adam Ilčišák