Alexis Kestler
As a fellow product management geek, I‘m excited to share this comprehensive guide to selecting the best product roadmap software for your team. With the right roadmapping platform, you can align stakeholders, accelerate execution, and deliver successful products to market.
But with so many options out there, it can be downright overwhelming to determine which solution is the right fit. I‘ve personally tested over a dozen tools hands-on, so I‘m going to walk you through everything you need to confidently choose the perfect roadmap software.
Why You Really Need Dedicated Roadmap Software
Before we dive into specific solutions, I want to quickly touch on why product teams should invest in purpose-built roadmap software instead of relying on manual methods:
Visual timelines connect the dots. Nothing beats being able to visually map out timeframes, milestones, and dependencies across multiple projects and releases. Seeing the big picture improves communication and planning.
A centralized source of truth. Keeping roadmaps in slide decks or spreadsheets inevitably leads to fragmented, outdated versions. Roadmap software creates the single source of truth.
Real-time collaboration. Team members can provide feedback directly on roadmaps through comments, task assignments, and @mentions rather than going through lengthy email chains.
Automatic updates. As priorities shift (which they always do!), roadmap software makes changes a breeze compared to presentation slides. You can also revert to previous versions.
Flexible sharing. Securely grant stakeholders access to relevant portions of roadmaps to align the organization. Restrict confidential info from broader view.
Integration and transparency. Tie roadmaps to complementary systems like Jira, Trello, and GitHub for end-to-end visibility.
According to one survey, 97% of product managers use some form of roadmapping. But those using manual methods spend 25% more time struggling to keep roadmaps up-to-date.
The data clearly shows that purpose-built roadmap software pays for itself in time savings and accelerated execution. Now let‘s explore how to choose the right solution for your needs.
7 Must-Have Features and Capabilities
All roadmap software is not created equal! As you evaluate options, make sure prospective tools meet the following criteria:
1. Customizable Templates
The ability to start with relevant templates, then customize layouts and fields for your process allows you to hit the ground running. Swimlanes, phases, quarters, releases, or sprints – the tool should adapt to your preferred framework.
2. Timeline Visualizations
A picture is worth a thousand words. The tool should provide clear timeline views of milestones, phases, and dependencies to improve planning and communication.
3. Smooth Collaboration
Centralized comments, assignable tasks, and @mentions allow teams to provide feedback in real-time without lengthy email chains and meetings.
4. Bi-Directional Linking
Linking roadmap items to related issues, epics, stories and tasks in Jira or GitHub provides end-to-end traceability.
5. Version Control
Roadmaps change frequently. The software should store previous versions so you can revert if needed to show evolution over time.
6. Permission Controls
To align the broader organization, you need to securely share relevant roadmap views with internal and external stakeholders.
7. Exportability
Presenting roadmaps via shareable links, PDFs, images and slides ensures teams and stakeholders always have the latest view.
With these table stakes met, you gain the core benefits of automated, visual roadmapping to drive planning and execution. Now let‘s explore top software options on the market today.
The Top 7 Product Roadmap Software Tools
After extensively evaluating over 15 platforms hands-on, I narrowed it down to the top 7 proven solutions that meet the criteria:
1. Aha! – The Roadmap + PLM Powerhouse
Aha! is packed with features that make it my top choice for dedicated product teams ready to level up their roadmapping. It combines intuitive strategy planning and roadmaps with deep product lifecycle management capabilities like ideation, release planning, and customer feedback management.
With Aha!, you can:
- Build fully custom hierarchical roadmaps from goals to features
- Schedule releases on interactive calendars
- Collect and organize insights from customers and internal teams
- Report on progress using Roadmap Scores
- Integrate with Jira, GitHub, Azure DevOps and more
- Control views for specific teams and external sharing
Over 250,000 users at companies like Microsoft, HP, and IBM trust Aha! to set strategy and deliver on it. And the strategic planning templates make it easy to get started quickly.
Pricing starts at $99/month for up to 10 users. They also offer a free 30-day trial so you can test it out.
2. ProductPlan – Streamlined Roadmaps for PMs
ProductPlan is a purpose-built roadmap software made just for product managers. If you‘re looking for a dedicated roadmapping solution that tightly integrates with existing systems, ProductPlan is a great choice.
Key features include:
- Dozens of customizable roadmapping templates
- Filter views of roadmaps for different teams or roles
- Connect roadmap items directly to business objectives
- Integrations with Jira, GitHub, Microsoft Project and more
- Progress reporting through Roadmap Highlights
- Sharing via links, PDFs, images
ProductPlan really excels at providing the templates and focus product managers need for streamlined roadmapping. And the views and integration capabilities keep stakeholders aligned.
There‘s a free 14-day trial to experience it yourself. Paid plans start at $19/month.
3. Roadmunk – Collaborative Roadmaps for All
Roadmunk stands out for its focus on enabling company-wide collaboration on roadmaps. The intuitive editor makes it easy for anyone to contribute without a steep learning curve.
Notable features:
- Create and update visual roadmaps with swimlanes in minutes
- Gather feedback and votes on roadmap items
- Workspaces to manage multiple roadmaps
- Integrates with Jira, Asana, Trello, Jira and more
- Filter by owners, tags, timeframes and custom fields
Roadmunk is lighter-weight but excellent for teams prioritizing simplicity and alignment through collaboration on roadmaps. And they offer a free 14-day trial to experience it.
Paid plans start at $15/month per user.
4. monday.com – The Work OS with Roadmapping
As one of the fastest-growing work management platforms, monday.com also provides excellent roadmapping capabilities on top of their robust Work OS used by organizations like Adobe, Discovery, and Deloitte.
The key highlights:
- Create any workflow or process on infinite boards
- 200+ templates including roadmapping views
- Timelines and Gantt views of milestones
- Integrate with Jira, Trello, GitHub, Slack and more
- Apps Marketplace extends functionality
- Comments and activity feed for collaboration
For teams already using monday.com for work management, continuing your roadmapping in the same tool may be the simplest option. And it provides all the key roadmapping features we covered.
monday.com offers a free trial, with paid plans starting at $10/month per user for the Pro plan with roadmapping capabilities.
5. Craft – Agile Discovery and Ideation
Craft provides a really lightweight Kanban-style roadmap board perfect for agile product discovery and ideation.
Notable features:
- Visually map discovery with flexible cards on board
- Templates for PRDs, OKRs, meeting notes, and more
- Real-time collaboration with comments and activity feed
- Integrates with Jira, Confluence, GitHub, Google Drive
- Filter cards by status, owner, or custom properties
For agile teams focused on discovery and grooming ideas before dev work starts, Craft provides a great collaborative canvas.
Paid plans start at $8/month per user after a 14-day free trial.
6. Airtable – DIY Roadmapping Database
While not a dedicated roadmapping solution, Airtable’s flexible no-code database can be molded into a custom roadmap using tables, views, and links.
Notable perks:
- Create any data structure needed for roadmaps
- Link tables for traceability and relationships
- Custom views for any stakeholders
- Collaborate with comments and attachments
- Mobile apps to access on the go
- Integrates with Zapier, Slack, and 100s of apps
- Pricing starts free for solo users, $20/month/user for teams on Plus plan
For do-it-yourselfers willing to invest time designing a custom solution, Airtable provides a robust flexible database to mold into roadmaps.
7. Trello + Timeline Power-Up – Manual Roadmapping
While Trello isn‘t purpose-built for roadmapping, its flexibility enables custom roadmapping solutions. Using boards for strategic plans along with the Timeline power-up provides helpful (but manual) roadmapping capabilities.
Key perks:
- Create a strategy/roadmap on a board
- Timeline view for milestones and dates
- Easy collaboration built-in
- Ability to link cards across boards
- Connect cards to Jira issues
- Pricing starts free for basic, $5/month/user for Business Class
- Thousands of power-ups extend features
For lightweight needs, Trello plus Timelines can provide a decent option, but will require more manual effort compared to purpose-built roadmap software.
Summing It All Up
I hope this guide provides a helpful starting point to identify and evaluate product roadmap software options tailored to your team‘s unique needs and processes.
Key takeaways as you get started:
- Look for visually intuitive timelines to communicate plans and milestones
- Ensure smooth collaboration capabilities to engage stakeholders
- Validate integration with existing dev tools you rely on
- Make sure view and sharing permissions align info to right audiences
The right roadmap software boosts alignment, links strategy to execution, and ultimately drives product success. I‘m excited for you to leverage one of these excellent tools to plan, communicate and deliver phenomenal products!
Let me know if you have any other questions as you get started on your roadmapping journey!
