Basecamp Product Guide
Interested in discovering how Basecamp really performs? This product guide was compiled from real user reviews and lays out how the product performs for them. Get an accurate picture of Basecamp from those who know it best.
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Throughout the guide below, there are links directly to reviews. Select the reviewers most relevant to you, and those links will be highlighted in blue.
Table of Contents
Project Execution
Project Management Fundamentals
User sentiment regarding Basecamp’s project management fundamentals is generally positive, with many users praising its ability to streamline project organization and task assignment. The platform’s project management features are highlighted as effective in keeping projects on track and facilitating collaboration among team members. Users appreciate the ease of use in establishing project groups, assigning tasks, setting due dates, and attaching files within the system. Additionally, the real-time communication capabilities and integration services contribute to the overall efficiency of managing projects through Basecamp. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“Basecamp is a basic project management tool. It doesn’t have anything too complex and for that reason might be a good fit for an organization looking for something simple with a low learning curve.” – Consultant in Other, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp helps keep projects on track and organized so you are agile and can respond quickly, which is essential in public relations. Basecamp allows visibility company-wide so it is easy to see where projects are in the process and where files are located.” – Director in Marketing, Public Relations & Communications, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp is perfectly suited for project teams in a flat organization. Customizing ad hoc teams and leveraging resources and providing a common workspace with all the tools you need in one central location.” – Program Manager in Corporate, Marketing and Advertising, 51-200 employees
Task Management and Tracking
User feedback consistently highlights Basecamp’s task management and tracking features as robust and efficient. The platform excels in helping users organize, assign, and monitor tasks across various projects. Reviewers appreciate the ease of use and the ability to track task progress effectively. While some users suggest minor improvements such as additional view options or subtask functionalities, overall, Basecamp’s task management and tracking capabilities are well-regarded for enhancing project management workflows. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“Running an IT company, we have 50+ employees who are using it for task management and to deliver work in a timely manner by assigning tasks along with dates. The team is following a timeline to deliver projects and can assign tasks and sub-tasks to other colleagues.” – Director in Information Technology, Information Technology & Services, 11-50 employees
“It’s very appropriate when projects are very similar and a template can be created that saves time. It’s especially useful when a project has many different tasks that must be kept track of and these tasks are assigned to different members on the team.” – Director in Professional Services, Human Resources, 11-50 employees
“I wish Basecamp had more view options. For example, it’d be nice to have a built-in gantt option like other task management tools have. Basecamp does not have the ability to add subtasks to tasks.” – Project Manager in Marketing, Design, 1-10 employees
Task Prioritization and Assignment
Users consistently highlight Basecamp’s task prioritization and assignment capabilities as key strengths of the platform. They appreciate the intuitive interface that simplifies the process of creating and assigning tasks to team members. The ability to set deadlines, track progress, and assign responsibilities efficiently contributes to improved project management and overall productivity. While some users mention minor inconveniences like the need for streamlined processes in assigning dates to tasks, the general sentiment leans towards positive experiences with Basecamp’s task prioritization and assignment features. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
“Introducing some reasonably priced paid plans for individual customers; would be immensely beneficial.; I wish the app would continuously remind you to complete assignments!; Easy to use, with the ability to establish project groups and related tasks, assign users and due dates, and attach files.” – Professional in Professional Services, Staffing & Recruiting, 201-500 employees
“Assigning a team member and a date to a task should be able to be completed all in one click. Right now we have to assign the task then go back in and assign a date. This is more time consuming but it’s still a quick process.” – Director in Professional Services, Human Resources, 11-50 employees
“The ability to assign to do’s and view other’s to-do lists is super invaluable to me as a manager.” – Director in Other, Broadcast Media, 1001-5000 employees
Team Dynamics
Team Collaboration and Communication
Users consistently praise Basecamp for its team collaboration and communication features. They highlight the platform’s ability to enhance communication among team members, facilitate collaboration on projects, and streamline the sharing of information and updates. Reviewers appreciate the ease of use and the centralized nature of Basecamp, which allows for efficient communication and task management within teams. The emphasis on organization, alerts, and project visibility contributes to a positive experience in terms of team collaboration and communication. Additionally, users find Basecamp’s tools for task management, check-ins, and project organization to be particularly beneficial for fostering effective communication and collaboration within teams. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“Communication and collaboration between small teams of up to 20-25 people is where Basecamp works best.” – C-Level Executive in Information Technology, Education Management, 11-50 employees
“Basecamp is a really great tool for online collaboration. It was a real lifesaver for planning and executing projects during the pandemic since our staff and volunteer teams could not gather in person very much.” – Administrator in Other, Non-Profit Organization Management, 11-50 employees
“Basecamp is extremely easy to use. We use it to manage communication and tasks with our clients and the training need for new clients is very minimal.” – Project Manager in Marketing, Design, 1-10 employees
Document and File Sharing
User feedback on Basecamp’s document and file sharing capabilities varies widely. Some users praise the platform for its efficient cloud storage of data and files, making collaboration and task management more streamlined. Others, however, express concerns about limitations such as the inability to download files effectively on mobile devices and challenges in locating specific files within the platform. Despite these mixed opinions, Basecamp’s document and file sharing functionality remains a key aspect of its overall project management features. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“Showing the activity status of team members.; Can’t download files effectively on mobile phone.” – Professional in Professional Services, Staffing & Recruiting, 201-500 employees
“Basecamp is great for organizing all of our project details, comps, and final files – as long as everyone agrees to use it in the same way.” – Employee in Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, 1001-5000 employees
“It saved us a lot of money over other project management tools.; Overall management of files and our SOP’s became a lot easier having everything in one place.” – C-Level Executive in Marketing, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
Remote Work and Team Coordination
Users generally praise Basecamp’s remote work and team coordination capabilities. They appreciate how Basecamp serves as a centralized hub for remote teams to collaborate efficiently, share updates, and track project progress. The platform’s chat functions and task management features have been particularly beneficial in facilitating communication and ensuring alignment among team members working remotely. Despite some minor concerns about cluttered folders and the lack of integrated time tracking features, users overall find Basecamp to be a valuable tool for enhancing remote work coordination and team productivity. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
“Basecamp is great for remote teams with a lot of projects. It is not well suited for teams who want to see a birds eye view of all projects and timelines, but there are some plugins that help with that.” – Manager in Marketing, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp works great as a project management tool to coordinate within a group of people. It works great especially between multiple companies or companies where the workers are not in close proximity. As remote workers, it has really helped keep our conversations and messages focused and centralized for easy access and review.” – Manager in Marketing, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp allows us to create individual task lists, schedules, to-dos and upload specific files for each location to help organize our projects. Since Basecamp is an online application, we are able to use the program from anywhere without having to log onto our servers. This has allowed our remote employees to collaborate and manage projects while out in the field, increasing our overall company productivity.” – Employee in Engineering, Environmental Services, 11-50 employees
Client and Project Management
Client Communication and Management
User consensus leans towards dissatisfaction with Basecamp’s client communication and management capabilities. Reviewers have highlighted issues such as difficulties in client collaboration, lack of notifications leading to missed messages, and challenges in keeping track of client communications. Some users found Basecamp’s interface to be non-intuitive and cumbersome for clients to navigate, impacting the overall client experience. Despite some positive feedback on project management features, the general sentiment suggests that Basecamp falls short in effectively facilitating client communication and management. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“Basecamp works really well for us and our QA process at this point – granted we are not using Basecamp to the extent of its abilities. It doesn’t work as well when it comes to logging all client communications and back and forths with clients, things tend to get lost, at least that was our experience.” – Employee in Marketing, Marketing & Advertising, 51-200 employees
“In my experience, the software was hard to use, not intuitive, was hard to use and confusing for clients, and what finally did it for me was the lack of notifications. It literally did not notify me, teammates, or the client multiple occasions.” – C-Level Executive in Corporate, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp is great for the organization of design or copy comps and sharing progression of the project. It is not meant to be only a file share site, but integrates well with box, dropbox, and google drive for larger files. It allows for client sharing, so that only certain messages and files are seen by your clients, but requires a bit of training within your team to function properly.” – Employee in Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, 1001-5000 employees
Calendar and Deadline Tracking
User feedback on Basecamp’s calendar and deadline tracking functionality varies across reviews. Some users appreciate the calendar view feature, which helps in managing tasks and deadlines effectively. They find it beneficial for planning their day, week, and addressing overdue tasks promptly. However, others express concerns about the lack of integration with external calendars and the limited visibility of task details in the calendar view. While some users find the calendar and deadline tracking capabilities of Basecamp helpful for keeping track of project timelines and ensuring accountability, others suggest improvements to enhance its functionality further. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“I enjoy the calendar view. As long as you’re always assigning deadline dates to the tasks, the looking at the calendar view can really help you determine your outlook for the day, the week, and quickly see any tasks past due that need to be addressed or moved.” – Director in Marketing, E-Learning, 11-50 employees
“CONS: While creating sub-groups within lists is helpful, it would be nice to have a better way to tag tasks with attributes, like priority level; Rigid structure is nice for simplification, but for some projects more flexibility is needed; No Gantt-type view or way to create dependencies or relationships between tasks and deadlines.” – Director in Other, Internet, 1-10 employees
“I’d like to see some other visual representation of tasks, like a Kanban board; The calendar-based report of tasks would be helpful but it was too crowded; Recurring templates were a pain to use (e.g., if you want the same tasks every month).” – Director in Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees
Project Scheduling and Timelines
While some users appreciate Basecamp’s project scheduling and timelines features for helping them stay organized and meet deadlines, others find it lacking in providing a comprehensive overview of all projects and timelines. The platform’s ability to assign tasks, create projects, and manage timelines is acknowledged positively by some, but there are concerns about the clarity and hierarchy of project components. Users highlight the importance of visibility, notifications, and accountability in project timelines, but also mention challenges in keeping timelines clear and avoiding project fragmentation. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
“Showing timelines visually which would allow you to see if a project is on track; I would love to be able to have projects under teams.” – Director in Marketing, Public Relations & Communications, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp is great for remote teams with a lot of projects. It is not well suited for teams who want to see a birds eye view of all projects and timelines, but there are some plugins that help with that.” – Manager in Marketing, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
“It’s so easy for one project to turn into a jumble of many smaller pieces; No hierarchy for projects; No timeline. It’s hard to keep timelines of project components clear.” – Manager in Marketing, Management Consulting, 51-200 employees
Project Development
Project Templates and Tools
User sentiment regarding Basecamp’s project templates and tools functionality appears to be generally positive. Many reviewers appreciate the time-saving aspect of creating templates, allowing for a head start on projects and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. The ability to assign tasks to different team members and track progress efficiently is also highlighted as a valuable feature. However, some users have mentioned minor drawbacks such as a learning curve for effective use and the need for additional view options like a Kanban board. Despite these minor concerns, the consensus leans towards the effectiveness and efficiency of Basecamp’s project templates and tools in enhancing project management processes. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“The ability to create templates saves an incredible amount of time. It’s very appropriate when projects are very similar and a template can be created that saves time.” – Director in Professional Services, Human Resources, 11-50 employees
“I’d like to see some other visual representation of tasks, like a Kanban board; The calendar-based report of tasks would be helpful but it was too crowded; Recurring templates were a pain to use (e.g., if you want the same tasks every month).” – Director in Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees
“It has helped me a lot to keep in better communication with the clients and employees of the company, thus improving the relationship within the workplace. I have been able to obtain better results in the management of a project, thus being able to specify each objective correctly, completely, and without any setback.” – Manager in Other, Consumer Goods, 10,001+ employees
Marketing and Campaign Management
User feedback consistently highlights Basecamp’s effectiveness in streamlining marketing and campaign management processes. The platform’s ability to centralize project-related information, facilitate collaboration with external agencies, and enhance communication within marketing teams has been well-received. Users appreciate how Basecamp enables them to coordinate marketing campaigns efficiently, track tasks, share files, and maintain project timelines effectively. The consensus among reviewers is that Basecamp serves as a valuable tool for organizing marketing initiatives and ensuring smooth campaign management. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“It has saved me time when having to get the same message out to multiple restaurants; It has helped us make smarter operational decisions because we can all collaborate on an answer in a shorter amount of time (instead of calling a meeting!!!); The calendar function allows us to plot out our marketing agenda for the month and add/change it together as needed.” – General Manager in Corporate, Restaurants, 11-50 employees
“Basecamp was used at my organization for the marketing team/department. It makes project management and collaboration easy for our creative teams. We also used it in collaboration with external agencies such as our web developer, SEO and content partners.” – Director in Marketing, Glass, Ceramics & Concrete, 51-200 employees
“Basecamp is very good if you have a small team. It is mainly suited for a Design or Marketing team. I have used it with both. It is more for feedback and collaboration. It doesn’t include roadmap, sprints and other things needed for engineering.” – Manager in Product Management, Internet, 201-500 employees
Development and Technical Projects
User feedback on Basecamp’s development and technical projects capabilities is diverse. While some users find it beneficial for facilitating communication and collaboration within development teams, others express limitations in its ability to support high-output marketing or development teams. The platform appears to be more suited for individual task tracking rather than comprehensive project management in certain scenarios. Users highlight its value in organizing tasks, assigning responsibilities, and tracking progress, but also note challenges in client collaboration and project efficiency. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
“Basecamp is great for having in-depth discussions about product feature development with virtual & global teams. It is not a one-stop-shop for development tasks, though.” – Professional in Product Management, E-Learning, 501-1000 employees
“We use Basecamp across our whole organization, but it is key for our Development team. We manage over 20 individual apps: Windows, Web, Mobile. We run separate Basecamps for each application to track individual development tasks through ideation, coding, testing, debugging and release.” – C-Level Executive in Information Technology, Financial Services, 51-200 employees
“I cannot think of a situation where Basecamp is well suited except as a free software for individual task tracking, literally nothing more in my opinion.” – C-Level Executive in Corporate, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
Integration and Efficiency
Integration and Automation Features
User feedback on Basecamp’s integration and automation features is generally positive, with many reviewers appreciating the platform’s ability to streamline tasks and enhance collaboration through its integration capabilities. The automation features have been noted to save time and improve workflow efficiency for teams using the software. While some users have suggested improvements such as deeper integration with external platforms, overall, Basecamp’s integration and automation features seem to be well-received by its user base. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“I can automate my Basecamp tasks utilizing well-known integration services that are compatible with Basecamp.” – Professional in Professional Services, Staffing & Recruiting, 201-500 employees
“Basecamp is a basic task list tool with a few cool features, and is well suited for most companies to track their projects.” – Director in Marketing, E-Learning, 11-50 employees
“Base camp is good for communicating with other users but not apt for project management. It lacks advanced features in project management like milestones, and schedule charts.” – Manager in Human Resources, Hospital & Health Care, 1001-5000 employees
Reporting and Progress Updates
User feedback on Basecamp’s reporting and progress updates functionality varies across reviews. While some users appreciate the platform’s ability to track progress and provide visibility into project status, others express concerns about the limited reporting capabilities and the need for more robust progress tracking features. It seems that opinions are divided on how effectively Basecamp handles reporting and progress updates, with some users finding it beneficial for keeping track of tasks and work status, while others feel that there is room for improvement in terms of reporting depth and customization options. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“Reporting on the pace of projects; Better Dashboards for reporting and executives; Email integration” – Executive in Information Technology, Real Estate, 501-1000 employees
“Reporting is limited; some export facilities to track task progression would help” – Director in Information Technology, Management Consulting, 11-50 employees
“They have virtually no reporting within the system, which makes it very difficult to figure out how to improve systems and optimize.” – Manager in Customer Service, Computer Software, 11-50 employees
Onboarding and Team Training
Reviewers have expressed mixed sentiments regarding Basecamp’s onboarding and team training capabilities. While some users find the platform easy to use and appreciate its range of features that facilitate minimal training for non-technical users, others have highlighted challenges such as a high learning curve and issues with notification overload. The lack of customization for specific onboarding processes has been a drawback for some users, leading to delays in achieving business objectives. Despite its collaborative features and ease of use, Basecamp’s effectiveness in supporting comprehensive team training and onboarding processes appears to vary among users. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
“Basecamp is extremely easy to use. We use it to manage communication and tasks with our clients and the training need for new clients is very minimal.” – Project Manager in Marketing, Design, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp is great for the organization of design or copy comps and sharing progression of the project. It is not meant to be only a file share site, but integrates well with box, dropbox, and google drive for larger files.” – Employee in Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, 1001-5000 employees
“Basecamp was a bit difficult for some of our customers to understand, so we ultimately didn’t stick with using it for onboarding. It essentially delayed our business objectives because it didn’t prove to be the tool we thought it could be.” – Manager in Customer Service, Computer Software, 11-50 employees
Quality and Feedback
Feedback, Reviews, and Accountability
Users consistently highlight Basecamp’s robust feedback mechanisms, efficient review processes, and strong accountability features. The platform’s ability to streamline communication, facilitate collaboration, and ensure task ownership has garnered positive feedback from users across various departments. Additionally, Basecamp’s user-friendly interface and prompt customer support have contributed to an overall positive user experience in terms of feedback, reviews, and accountability. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
“Communication. Since it sends you emails as well as gives you a notification in the top bar when you’re needed, it’s easy to stay on track with comments and feedback.” – Employee in Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, 1001-5000 employees
“Basecamp is very receptive to user feedback. Overall, we have had very few technical issues with the system itself.” – Project Manager in Marketing, Publishing, 51-200 employees
“Team communications: we use Basecamp to communicate so we don’t waste time scheduling extra meetings.” – Employee in Marketing, Telecommunications, 11-50 employees
Pricing and Subscription Plans
User opinions on Basecamp’s pricing and subscription plans are diverse. While some users appreciate the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the plans, others find the pricing to be on the higher side for the features offered. The ability to have unlimited users and projects for a single price is a notable advantage highlighted by some reviewers. However, there are suggestions for improvements such as including updates in the purchase price and providing more flexible pricing options for different team sizes. Ultimately, the sentiment regarding Basecamp’s pricing and subscription plans is a mix of positive and constructive feedback. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
“It saved us money each month with their single tiered price.” – C-Level Executive in Marketing, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
“Basecamp Personal offering includes 20 users which allows you to run the platform free of charge on an unlimited basis for a small to medium size team; Paid-for version allows unlimited users at a very cost-effective price and offers substantial value for money versus the market competition.” – Director in Information Technology, Management Consulting, 11-50 employees
“In my opinion, the price is way too high for failing basic proj mgmt app needs.” – C-Level Executive in Corporate, Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees
Resource Management
User Access and Permissions
User feedback on Basecamp’s user access and permissions functionalities varies across reviews. Some users appreciate the ease of adding new users and managing access permissions, highlighting the platform’s user-friendly approach to controlling data visibility. However, others express concerns about limitations in rearranging uploaded documents and the efficiency of notifications, suggesting room for improvement in refining access controls for a more streamlined user experience. Despite differing opinions, Basecamp’s user access and permissions feature remains a key aspect of the platform that users continue to evaluate and provide feedback on. (Source Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
“More intuitive permissions controls.” – Program Manager in Corporate, Marketing and Advertising, 51-200 employees
“Control of user permissions – we can manage which data the client has access to and which is internal facing, as well as assign different team members access to different projects.” – Director in Other, Internet, 1-10 employees
“Limiting permissions; Correcting or editing attached documents. The negative impact is that everyone who has access gets every communication (too many notifications), whether they are implicated in the matter or not.” – Administrative Assistant in Corporate, Real Estate, 11-50 employees
Customization and Personalization
Users have expressed mixed feelings regarding Basecamp’s customization and personalization capabilities. While some find the tool user-friendly and affordable, others have highlighted limitations in terms of customization options and reporting features. The lack of customization has led to frustrations for some users, particularly in managing project visibility and explaining certain sections to clients. Despite its simplicity and budget-friendly nature, Basecamp may not fully meet the customization needs of organizations seeking more advanced customization and reporting functionalities. (Source Reviews: 1, 2)
“The lack of customization has been frustrating at times. For example, there isn’t a way to hide whatever you want in a project, so we’ve had some customers confused about certain sections where we’ve had to explain to them to just ignore those.” – Manager in Customer Service, Computer Software, 11-50 employees
“It’s a good tool, very user-friendly and very affordable, but there are just better systems out there that allow more customization and reporting to get you what you need.” – Manager in Customer Service, Computer Software, 11-50 employees
