What should a project status report include?

Progress against what was promised, what changed since last time, what’s at risk, and what you need from the reader. The project status update guide has a template.

Can status reports be automated?

Partly. Dashboards update from the work, and tools like Unblockd draft the update for a person to check. Someone still has to say what the numbers mean and what’s needed next.

How do I report status to a sponsor without giving them access to our tools?

Publish a read-only view, send a regular update, or give them a page outside your tools. Smartsheet can publish a dashboard to a link, and Unblockd gives the sponsor a private page with progress and the decisions they owe.

What is the difference between a status report and a dashboard?

A dashboard shows the numbers whenever someone looks. A status report says what they mean: what moved, what’s at risk, and what you need from the reader. Most sponsors want the report, with the dashboard one click away.

How often should I send a status update?

Weekly suits most projects. Send sooner when a decision is needed, and keep the cadence steady so the sponsor learns when to expect it.

The best project status reporting tools in 2026

For dashboards your executives open themselves, Smartsheet and Asana are strong; monday.com and ClickUp suit teams that want reporting inside a flexible work tool; Teamwork.com keeps client status beside billable time; Wrike fits complex portfolios. If the reader is a sponsor or stakeholder outside your tools, on any kind of project, Unblockd sends them progress against deliverables with proof, and puts the decisions they owe at the top.

By the Unblockd team · Prices checked October 5, 2026 · We make Unblockd, one of the 7 tools below.

On this page

At a glance

Smartsheet: Best forSpreadsheet-style plans with executive dashboards; Published pricePro $9, Business $19 per member a month billed yearly ($12 and $24 monthly); Free optionFree trial

Asana: Best forStatus updates and portfolios across teams; Published priceStarter $10.99, Advanced $24.99 per user a month, billed annually; Free optionFree Personal plan for up to 2 users

Unblockd(ours): Best forStatus for a sponsor or stakeholder outside your tools; Published priceTeam $15 per team member a month. Sponsors are free; Free optionFree plan: 1 project and up to 3 teammates

monday.com: Best forDashboards inside a flexible work tool; Published priceBasic $9, Standard $12, Pro $19 per seat a month, billed annually; Free optionFree plan for up to 2 seats

ClickUp: Best forReporting on a budget; Published priceUnlimited $7, Business $12 per user a month billed yearly ($10 and $19 monthly); Free optionFree Forever plan

Teamwork.com: Best forClient-facing status inside a client-work tool; Published priceBasics $9.99, Accelerate $24.99 per user a month, billed yearly; Free option14-day free trial

Wrike: Best forComplex portfolios and cross-team delivery; Published priceTeam $10, Business $25 per user a month; Free optionFree plan

The best project status reporting tools in 2026: who each tool is best for, its published price, and its free option, as of October 5, 2026
Tool	Best for	Published price	Free option
Smartsheet	Spreadsheet-style plans with executive dashboards	Pro $9, Business $19 per member a month billed yearly ($12 and $24 monthly)	Free trial
Asana	Status updates and portfolios across teams	Starter $10.99, Advanced $24.99 per user a month, billed annually	Free Personal plan for up to 2 users
Unblockd(ours)	Status for a sponsor or stakeholder outside your tools	Team $15 per team member a month. Sponsors are free	Free plan: 1 project and up to 3 teammates
monday.com	Dashboards inside a flexible work tool	Basic $9, Standard $12, Pro $19 per seat a month, billed annually	Free plan for up to 2 seats
ClickUp	Reporting on a budget	Unlimited $7, Business $12 per user a month billed yearly ($10 and $19 monthly)	Free Forever plan
Teamwork.com	Client-facing status inside a client-work tool	Basics $9.99, Accelerate $24.99 per user a month, billed yearly	14-day free trial
Wrike	Complex portfolios and cross-team delivery	Team $10, Business $25 per user a month	Free plan

How we chose

We judged each tool by the report its reader receives, not by the size of its feature list.

Who reads it: A PMO lead wants a portfolio dashboard. A sponsor wants one page that says whether the project is on track and what they owe. The right tool depends on the reader.
How it stays current: A report that someone retypes every Friday is stale by Monday. We looked at what each tool builds from the work itself.
Access for readers: Readers outside your tool may need a seat, a guest account, or just a link.
Price per reader: Per-user pricing can make giving sponsors and stakeholders access expensive.

We read each vendor’s own pricing page and product pages, and wrote down only what they say. Where a page didn’t confirm something, we left it out.
Prices are the published list prices in US dollars before tax, as of the date at the top. Vendors change them often, so follow the source link before you buy.
We make Unblockd, and it’s on every list. We placed it where it fits the criteria, and we say plainly where another tool is the better choice.
Nobody paid to be listed, and there are no affiliate links.

Smartsheet(the vendor’s site)

Best for: spreadsheet-style plans with executive dashboards.

Published price: Pro $9, Business $19 per member a month billed yearly ($12 and $24 monthly). Source, as of October 5, 2026
Free option: Free trial

Strengths

Dashboards and reporting across sheets.
A published dashboard opens from a link without signing in.

Limits

Pro is $9 and Business $19 per member a month, billed yearly.
Dashboards are built and maintained by someone on the team.

Pick it if your projects already run in sheets and your executives read dashboards.

Back to the list

Asana(the vendor’s site)

Best for: status updates and portfolios across teams.

Published price: Starter $10.99, Advanced $24.99 per user a month, billed annually. Source, as of October 5, 2026
Free option: Free Personal plan for up to 2 users

Strengths

Status updates are on every plan, including the free Personal plan.
Portfolios on Advanced track the health of related projects in one place.

Limits

Portfolios start at Advanced, $24.99 per user a month, billed annually.
Readers outside your company join as guests.

Pick it if several teams work in Asana and leadership wants a roll-up across projects.

Back to the list

UnblockdOur product

Best for: status for a sponsor or stakeholder outside your tools.

Published price: Team $15 per team member a month. Sponsors are free. See pricing
Free option: Free plan: 1 project and up to 3 teammates

Strengths

The sponsor sees progress against deliverables first, with the proof behind each one.
A weekly update is drafted from the work; by default a person on the team approves it before it goes out.
Decisions the sponsor owes sit at the top, answered in one tap from the email.

Limits

Built for one reader, the sponsor: there are no portfolio dashboards for a PMO.
Reads the plan from your project tool (one of 31) or holds a simple one itself.

Pick it if the person who needs your status isn’t in your project tool, and the report should also get you their answers.

Back to the list

monday.com(the vendor’s site)

Best for: dashboards inside a flexible work tool.

Published price: Basic $9, Standard $12, Pro $19 per seat a month, billed annually. Source, as of October 5, 2026
Free option: Free plan for up to 2 seats

Strengths

Dashboards built from your boards.
Guests see only the boards you invite them to.

Limits

Paid plans from $9 per seat a month, billed annually; check dashboard limits per plan.
Guests read boards, so the report is only as clear as the board.

Pick it if your team already works in monday.com and wants reporting in the same place.

Back to the list

ClickUp(the vendor’s site)

Best for: reporting on a budget.

Published price: Unlimited $7, Business $12 per user a month billed yearly ($10 and $19 monthly). Source, as of October 5, 2026
Free option: Free Forever plan

Strengths

A Free Forever plan.
Business adds unlimited dashboards for $12 per user a month, billed yearly.

Limits

Dashboards beyond the basics need Business.
A large workspace: readers outside the team need guidance on where to look.

Pick it if your team wants tasks, docs, and dashboards in one tool at a low price.

Back to the list

Teamwork.com(the vendor’s site)

Best for: client-facing status inside a client-work tool.

Published price: Basics $9.99, Accelerate $24.99 per user a month, billed yearly. Source, as of October 5, 2026
Free option: 14-day free trial

Strengths

Client users can be invited into projects, so clients follow the work where it happens.
Billable time is tracked and reported from Basics; time budgets and retainers come with Accelerate.

Limits

Clients read your project as your team set it up, so the status is only as clear as the project.
From $9.99 per user a month billed yearly, and the reporting that agencies want most (budgets, retainers) starts at $24.99.

Pick it if you run client projects with billable time and want clients, time, and status in the same tool.

Back to the list

Wrike(the vendor’s site)

Best for: complex portfolios and cross-team delivery.

Published price: Team $10, Business $25 per user a month. Source, as of October 5, 2026
Free option: Free plan

Strengths

Shareable dashboards from the Team plan.
Team supports 2 to 15 users and Business 5 to 200.

Limits

External users take a paid seat, according to Wrike’s pricing page.
Business is $25 per user a month.

Pick it if you run many projects across teams and want planning and reporting in one system.

Back to the list

Questions

What should a project status report include?: Progress against what was promised, what changed since last time, what’s at risk, and what you need from the reader. The project status update guide has a template.
Can status reports be automated?: Partly. Dashboards update from the work, and tools like Unblockd draft the update for a person to check. Someone still has to say what the numbers mean and what’s needed next.
How do I report status to a sponsor without giving them access to our tools?: Publish a read-only view, send a regular update, or give them a page outside your tools. Smartsheet can publish a dashboard to a link, and Unblockd gives the sponsor a private page with progress and the decisions they owe.
What is the difference between a status report and a dashboard?: A dashboard shows the numbers whenever someone looks. A status report says what they mean: what moved, what’s at risk, and what you need from the reader. Most sponsors want the report, with the dashboard one click away.
How often should I send a status update?: Weekly suits most projects. Send sooner when a decision is needed, and keep the cadence steady so the sponsor learns when to expect it.

Sources

Everything this page says about another tool comes from that vendor’s own pages, read on October 5, 2026. Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.

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