Best OKR Management Software - Top Tools By Type
Understanding what tools are available for managing Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) can help your organization choose the right approach.
There is a spectrum available, from simple spreadsheets to advanced performance management platforms, that can support OKR tracking.
We have curated a list of the best options and organized them by type, highlighting examples, pros, and cons along the way.
General-Purpose Tools for Tracking OKRs
Many teams begin their OKR journey with familiar, general-purpose tools they already use. These aren’t specialized OKR software, but they can be adapted. Common choices include:
Spreadsheets (e.g., Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel)
Spreadsheets are a very popular starting point. In fact, an estimated 56% of startups use Google Sheets to track OKRs before switching to a dedicated tool. They’re free, accessible to anyone with an account, and highly customizable with formulas or templates. Google’s own re:Work site and others offer OKR templates for Sheets to help structure your goals.
- Pros: Easy to edit and share, familiar interface, real-time collaboration in cloud spreadsheets.
- Cons: Completely manual. No automated progress tracking or reminders, limited visibility across teams (siloed files), and no built-in OKR-specific features (you must set up the structure yourself). As your OKRs grow in number and complexity, a spreadsheet can become cumbersome and error-prone to maintain.
Documents & Slide Decks (e.g., Google Docs, PowerPoint)
Some organizations simply write out OKRs in a document or present them on slides. This can be useful for communicating goals (as Andy Grove famously did by posting index cards on a bulletin board), but these require manual updates.
- Pros: Extremely simple and flexible; anyone can read or print a doc with OKRs.
- Cons: No tracking functionality. It’s essentially a static record. It’s easy for these to become out-of-date unless someone manually updates progress.
Team Wikis or Notes (e.g., Notion, Coda)
Modern collaboration tools like Notion or Coda provide more structure than plain documents. They often have templates or databases for OKRs (for example, Coda offers a free OKR starter kit template).
- Pros: Flexible pages where you can link objectives, key results, and updates; more visual or interactive than a spreadsheet.
- Cons: Still not a dedicated OKR system. You rely on manual updates and discipline. As with spreadsheets, there are no automatic roll-ups or reminders unless you build complex custom setups. These tools are great for small teams learning OKR basics, but larger organizations may want to consider more robust options once OKRs scale up.
Project Management Apps (e.g., Asana, Trello, Monday)
While not built specifically for OKRs, project management and task-tracking tools can be repurposed to track objectives. Teams might create a project or board for each Objective and use tasks or cards as Key Results. Asana even has a Goals feature that can mimic OKR tracking.
- Pros: Leverages a system your team already uses for execution; provides visual Kanban boards or timelines to link tasks with goals.
- Cons: These platforms weren’t built for OKRs and often lack core features. For example, generic tools won’t automatically roll up progress from tasks to a Key Result percentage, nor will they send OKR check-in reminders. There’s no native visualization of alignment (how team objectives link to company objectives) without manual work.
Purpose-Built OKR Tracking Software
As organizations mature in their OKR practice, they often turn to software dedicated solely to OKR management. These purpose-built OKR tools are designed around the OKR methodology and include features that make goal tracking easier and more insightful than manual methods.
Here are some common categories of purpose-built OKR tools:
Lightweight OKR Trackers (e.g., Weekdone, Tability)
These tools focus on simplicity, helping teams run quick check-ins and keep objectives visible without overwhelming users. They’re often designed for small teams or startups that need OKRs without adding heavy processes.
- Pros: They are easy to set up, usually offer free plans for small teams, and include automated reminders that make staying on track straightforward.
- Cons: Their limited customization and reporting capabilities can make them less effective for organizations with complex structures or advanced needs.
OKRs + KPIs Platforms (e.g., Perdoo, Quantive Results)
Some systems combine OKRs with other performance metrics, like KPIs or strategic initiatives. This dual approach is especially useful for organizations looking to connect everyday work with long-term strategy.
- Pros: They link OKRs with KPIs through dashboards and strategy maps, offering strong alignment visualization across company goals and individual results.
- Cons: They can require significant upfront setup and training, making them more complex than simple trackers and potentially harder for small teams to adopt.
Collaboration-Focused OKR Tools (e.g., Ally.io [acquired by Microsoft], Profit.co)
These platforms emphasize teamwork and engagement, weaving OKRs into communication and project management systems. Their goal is to keep objectives visible in daily workflows, ensuring accountability across teams.
- Pros: They integrate directly with tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Jira and encourage collaboration through ownership tags, notifications, and discussion threads.
- Cons: They sometimes overlap with project management software, creating redundancy, and many advanced integrations are locked behind enterprise-level pricing.
Enterprise-Grade OKR Suites (e.g., Gtmhub, WorkBoard)
At the top end, these platforms are built for large, complex organizations with hundreds or thousands of users. They’re designed to provide advanced governance, analytics, and integrations while maintaining scale and security.
- Pros: They deliver robust analytics and dashboards, can manage complex multi-level hierarchies, and include enterprise-grade compliance features.
- Cons: They tend to be expensive and require dedicated administrative support, training, and change management to use effectively.
Limitations of Single-Function OKR Tools
While these platforms excel at structured goal tracking, they only solve the OKR problem in isolation. They do not replace broader HR or performance management systems (e.g., 1:1 feedback, reviews, or talent management). If your organization needs OKRs tied directly to performance evaluations, you’d use a system like PerformYard alongside, or instead of, these dedicated tools.
Performance Management Platforms with OKR Features
All-in-one performance management platforms include OKR tracking as part of a broader suite for managing employee performance and development. These aren’t purely OKR tools; instead, they combine reviews, goal-setting, continuous feedback, 1:1s, and even engagement or recognition features, with OKRs as one module. The benefit is connecting goals directly with performance management.
With this approach, OKRs become part of each employee’s performance profile. Teams can set objectives, track progress, and link results to review discussions or bonus considerations, all while creating stronger alignment and accountability.
PerformYard illustrates this category. It’s a complete performance management tool that supports OKRs alongside structured reviews and feedback. HR teams can customize OKR templates, set check-in schedules, and have employees log progress during regular reviews. These updates stay visible across the platform, fostering transparency and alignment.
The main advantage is integration: goals, reviews, and development plans exist in one system. Managers can connect OKRs to reviews, competency assessments, or coaching. This creates a more holistic performance culture where OKRs support overall success.
Trade offs? Broader platforms may lack the depth of specialized OKR tools (e.g., advanced alignment maps or AI-driven suggestions). PerformYard’s strength lies in combining goal tracking with performance review cycles. Companies that want goals kept separate from evaluations may prefer a standalone OKR tool, but many value the convenience of managing both in one system.
Quick Comparison of OKR Tool Options
Each of these options can support OKR management, but the right choice depends on your organization’s needs and resources.
Smaller teams often start with general tools like Google Sheets because of the zero cost and simplicity. As the number of objectives and contributors grows, the manual effort and lack of visibility in those tools can create more friction than benefits, prompting a switch to more specialized software.
Dedicated OKR software introduces efficiency and OKR best-practice features, though it exists in a silo.
Finally, a comprehensive platform like PerformYard brings OKRs into the wider performance management ecosystem, which can be invaluable if you want goal-setting, performance reviews, and employee development all in one place.
Considerations for Choosing the Best OKR Management Tools
Team Size Considerations in Selecting an OKR Tool
Choosing an OKR platform should start with an honest look at your team’s size and structure. A tool that’s ideal for a small startup can fall short in a large enterprise environment. Here are key factors related to team size.
- Scalability: Ensure the software can scale effortlessly as you add users. For enterprise needs, it should be no harder to add 100 users than it is to add one. Small teams might be fine with basic plans or even spreadsheets, but fast-growing companies and large orgs require an OKR tool that can handle hundreds or thousands of users without performance issues.
- Roles & Permissions: Larger organizations often need granular role-based access controls. Look for platforms that let you define custom roles and permission levels (who can create, edit, or view OKRs) so information can be shared or restricted appropriately. In a small team, everyone might see all goals, but in a big company you may need private OKRs or departmental visibility controls.
- Onboarding & Training: Big deployments benefit from guided onboarding. An enterprise-grade OKR tool should provide implementation support and training resources to roll out across hundreds of employees smoothly. In contrast, a small team of 5 might prioritize a tool that’s plug-and-play with minimal setup. Evaluate whether the vendor offers onboarding help, customer success managers, or coaching. These can be crucial when scaling OKRs company-wide.
Pricing Tiers for OKR Software
OKR software is typically offered as cloud-based SaaS with per-user pricing, often in tiered plans. While exact prices vary by vendor, the landscape can be summarized in three broad tiers:
- Free or Low-Cost Plans (Under $5 per user/month): Many OKR tools have a free tier or starter plan aimed at small teams. These often support a limited number of users and include basic OKR tracking features. Free/low-cost plans are great for trying out the software or for very small organizations. However, they may lack advanced features like integrations, analytics, or support. For example, some tools are free for up to 5 or 10 users with core goal-setting and tracking functionality. This tier typically offers goal creation, simple progress tracking, and maybe one or two integrations, but may impose caps on the number of OKRs or projects.
- Standard Plans ($5–$15 per user/month): The majority of OKR SaaS products charge in this range for their professional or business plans. At ~$5–$15 per user monthly, you can expect full-featured OKR management: unlimited goals and users, alignment features, dashboards and reports, and integrations with other workplace tools. For instance, an OKR solution might start around $7–$10/user/month for the full platform if billed annually. Many vendors cluster in the $5–$15 range because it covers small to mid-size business needs. This tier often includes email/chat support and sometimes OKR coaching resources. It’s common for plans here to offer goal alignment, check-ins, basic analytics, and integrations with popular apps (Slack, Jira, etc.) as part of the package.
- Enterprise Plans (Custom or $15+ per user/month): Enterprise pricing is usually custom-negotiated and can be higher (often $20+ per user or flat-rate deals) depending on the scale and additional services. At the enterprise level, you get advanced features like AI-driven insights, enhanced security (SSO, encryption), custom integrations, and dedicated support. Vendors may bundle OKR software into a larger performance management suite for enterprises. These plans often include features like unlimited hierarchies, advanced permissions, API access, and onboarding assistance. Enterprise plans are ideal for large organizations that need robust functionality and are willing to invest in training and support.
Key Features to Look for in OKR Software
OKR tools generally offer a rich set of features to ensure goals are aligned, visible, and on track.
Below are some of the common features you’ll find (and should consider) when evaluating OKR software:
- Goal Alignment & Visibility: One of the biggest advantages of OKR software is the ability to cascade and align goals across the organization. This means individual and team OKRs link up to company-level objectives, so everyone sees how their work contributes to the big picture. Look for features like visual alignment maps or tree views that show the hierarchy of objectives. Also, ensure the platform supports transparency. By default, many make OKRs visible company-wide to break down silos, with options to set private goals when needed.
- Progress Tracking & Reporting: Effective OKR platforms offer real-time progress tracking, typically via numeric progress bars or percent-complete indicators on each key result. They often include automated reminders or check-ins (e.g. weekly prompts to update status). Reporting features should let you slice data by team, department, timeframe, etc. For example, you might generate a quarterly OKR progress report or a heatmap of which goals are at risk.
- Integrations with Other Tools: OKR software works best when it fits into your existing workflow. Most leading platforms integrate with popular collaboration and project management tools. Common integrations include Slack and Microsoft Teams (to send OKR reminders or updates in chat), Jira, Asana, Trello (to link OKRs with project tasks or user stories), and HR systems or calendar apps.
- Dashboards & Analytics: Nearly all OKR solutions provide a dashboard to visualize goal progress and metrics. Dashboards give at-a-glance views of how each objective is tracking (often using charts or traffic-light colors). Advanced tools include analytics modules to analyze OKR outcomes over time or measure engagement. For instance, you might see a company OKR dashboard with overall completion percentages, and be able to drill down into team performance.
- User Roles & Permissions: In larger organizations, role-based access is essential. Quality OKR software will let you manage users and teams with appropriate permissions. You should be able to designate administrators, team owners, goal owners, and regular employees with view or edit rights. This ensures security and clarity. Audit logs of changes are another useful feature in this category.
- Performance Management & Engagement Add-Ons: Some OKR platforms double as or integrate with performance management systems. This can include linking OKRs to performance reviews, employee scorecards, or even compensation. Many tools also have engagement features like pulse surveys, feedback/recognition modules, or one-on-one meeting trackers. Such add-ons help reinforce a culture of continuous improvement and can drive higher adoption of the OKR system (employees see it tied to their growth and rewards).