Basecamp is a project management and team communication platform founded in 1999 (originally as 37signals) in Chicago. The company pioneered the remote work collaboration software category and its founders Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson have been outspoken advocates for calm, focused work environments and sustainable business practices. The platform serves millions of users and is notable for having pioneered the flat-fee unlimited-user pricing model that several competitors have since adopted.
Basecamp offers three plans. The free plan allows one project and three users, making it suitable only for minimal testing. The Plus plan charges $15/user/month on monthly billing with all features, 500GB storage, and the ability to invite clients and contractors at no additional cost — only employees count toward billing. The Pro Unlimited plan charges $299/month (annual) or $349/month (monthly) for unlimited users, unlimited projects, 5TB storage, priority support, and a 1:1 onboarding session.
For teams of 20 or more, Pro Unlimited at $299/month annual works out to less than $15/user/month and becomes increasingly cost-effective as headcount grows. A team of 50 people on Pro Unlimited pays $5.98/user/month — far below most per-user project management tools. Nonprofits receive a 10% discount; teachers and students qualify for free accounts.
Basecamp’s core feature set covers message boards, to-do lists, a shared schedule, document storage, group chat (Campfire), and hill charts for project progress visualization. The platform has a deliberate philosophy of simplicity — it does not offer Gantt charts, resource management, built-in time tracking, or workflow automation, which is both its most praised and most criticized characteristic.
Optional paid add-ons include Timesheet ($50/month) and Admin Pro Pack ($50/month), available only on Pro Unlimited. Teams needing time tracking or advanced reporting will need these add-ons or external tools.