Product Roadmap Tools: The Top 5 in 2024

Great products start with great roadmaps. But what are great roadmaps without great roadmapping tools? Maybe you’ve heard others or yourself saying, “Why can’t I just do it in PowerPoint?” only to later find that, with an ever-evolving roadmap that needs to be connected to both a strategy and planned development work, not just any tool is going to cut it.

The solution? Dynamic roadmapping tools built for the ever-changing work of product managers and their teams. In this blog, we’ll explain these tools, why they are useful, and our suggested criteria for assessing them before presenting you with an in-depth review of the top five roadmapping tools. Let’s dive in. 

What is a roadmapping tool? 

A roadmapping tool is a specialized software application designed to help individuals, teams, and organizations plan, visualize, and communicate the strategic direction and progression of their products, projects, or initiatives over time. 

These tools enable the creation of product roadmaps, which are dynamic documents that outline the vision, direction, priorities, and progress of a product through various stages of its lifecycle, from development to launch and beyond.

Why Use a Roadmapping Tool?

There are plenty of reasons why you might use a tool for roadmapping. Here’s the most common: 

Strategic Alignment: Roadmapping tools help ensure that all stakeholders, including product managers, developers, executives, and even customers, are aligned with the product’s vision and strategic goals. This alignment is crucial for making informed decisions and prioritizing features or projects that offer the most value.

Visualization of Plans: They offer visual representations of timelines, milestones, and dependencies, making it easier to understand the product’s development journey at a glance. This visualization aids in

Goal Setting and Progress Tracking: Roadmapping tools support the setting of strategic goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for product development. They allow teams to track progress against these goals, facilitating a results-driven approach to product management.

Stakeholder Engagement and Buy-in: By sharing roadmaps with stakeholders, you can solicit feedback, gain buy-in, and ensure everyone understands and supports the product direction. This engagement is crucial for securing resources, support, and alignment across the organization.

The 5 best roadmapping tools to consider

Our criteria for assessment

Automations and integration capabilities (0-5): Effective roadmaps are dynamic, changing with the market, customer needs, etc. Automations and integrations can help keep your roadmap up-to-date with changing data in the roadmap and other tools. Tools with more integrations and automation functionality will score higher in this category. 

Visibility (0-5): Roadmaps are about visibility for yourself and your stakeholders. This includes the ability to see when deadlines will be hit, what project completion is dependent on, project details, how it levels up to business goals, etc. Tools with more functionality that enable visibility will score higher in this category. 

Cross-collaboration and feature-richness: (0-5)

When pitching a new tool to stakeholders, tools strictly for making and sharing roadmaps that lack other product and project management features are more likely to be turned down. In this category, tools that go above and beyond will receive higher scores. 

Pricing ($-$$$$)

This one’s pretty straightforward – tools at a higher price point in comparison to the other tools we list will receive a relative score represented by $ symbols. 

Zenhub

NEW: Check out Zenhub’s Roadmap Enhancements here.

Zenhub is a platform purpose-built for teams practicing Agile project management. Zenhub’s real-time roadmaps are designed to enable product managers to plan seamlessly alongside development teams. Due to Zenhub’s native integration with GitHub and built-in automations, roadmaps in Zenhub are highly dynamic, updating as the team updates Issues in GitHub. Zenhub makes it easy to predict when projects will be completed and quickly identify risks and blockers in your product plans.  

Automations and Integrations Capabilities (5/5): Automations are one of Zenhub’s biggest strengths, especially in the roadmapping tool. Zenhub roadmaps leverage real-time data from both Zenhub and GitHub to automatically update the contents of your roadmap and predict project end dates. Because this is an Agile tool, end dates are calculated using your team’s calculated velocity, making them highly accurate, especially for teams that have used Zenhub for a few sprints. 

Additionally, Zenhub boards (which are connected to the roadmap) enable a variety of automations that can be set up based on rules the user wishes to enforce, such as adding a label to an Issue when it flows from one pipeline to the next. 

With its native GitHub integration, any changes to metadata in a GitHub Issue are always reflected in Zenhub. This makes Zenhub ideal for product managers who struggle to get adequate communication from the development team but still want accurate data. 

Visibility (5/5): Zenhub offers excellent visibility into team progress, with features that provide a high-level, timeline-style overview of epics and projects aligned with organizational goals and sprints in real time. On Zenhub roadmaps, dependencies between Epics are also clearly displayed, as are key dates related to each Epic. Epics can contain multiple key dates. Additionally, roadmap elements can be exported as SVG, CSV, or PNG. 

Cross-collaboration and feature-richness (5/5): Beyond roadmapping, Zenhub is an extensive agile project management tool that leverages automation and AI to facilitate agile. Key features include automated sprint planning, auto-generated Agile reports, asynchronous planning poker, and AI-generated sprint reviews, acceptance criteria, and labels. 

Pricing ($$): Zenhub offers plans starting at $8.33 USD per user per month when billed annually or $12.50 per user per month. This pricing structure provides flexibility for teams of various sizes and needs, making it accessible to a broad audience.

Aha!

Aha!’s roadmapping tool is recognized for its comprehensive product development and management approach. Aha! is a roadmapping tool ideal for product managers looking to do more than just a roadmap, as it covers a wide variety of other PM tasks, including strategic planning, product knowledge management, and idea management. This makes it ideal for larger product teams but may not be ideal for those looking to collaborate with non-product managers in the tool.

Automations and Integrations Capabilities (3/5): While Aha! may not be ideal for managing projects with developers, you can still enhance its cross-team collaboration by integrating with popular development tools like JIRA and GitHub. Note – the depth of these integrations can vary, possibly requiring workarounds for some software ecosystems. For automations, Aha! includes task automation at the workspace level that can automate various metadata based on set triggers to maintain consistency across the tool. 

Visibility (4/5): Aha! excels in providing visibility into the product development process, offering detailed roadmapping capabilities that allow teams to set goals, assign priorities, and link everything back to their strategic objectives. Its analytics and reporting features, including customer feedback trends and goal progress, empower teams with actionable insights. However, some users have mentioned a desire for more visual customization in roadmaps and reports, indicating room for improvement in this area​.

Cross-collaboration and feature-richness (4/5): Aha! is designed to bring product development, management, and engineering teams together in one platform. It offers extensive tools for roadmapping, strategy development, and project management. However, Aha!’s pricing may make it more difficult to enable cross-collaboration if you wish to give collaborators greater editing rights, as full edit access is pricey. 

Pricing ($$$$): Aha! offers multiple products, each with its own pricing tier, which can add up for teams requiring a full suite of tools. The Roadmaps product starts from $39 per user per month (with a minimum of 3 users) when billed annually, with higher tiers offering additional features. While not the most affordable option, it does allow for unlimited feedback. 

ProductBoard

Productboard’s roadmapping tool is designed to align product teams around the user’s needs and company strategy. It offers a blend of functionality that prioritizes transparency, integration, and collaboration. Its capabilities allow teams to capture feedback, prioritize what to build next, and visually map their plans on a flexible roadmap. This focus on user feedback and strategic alignment helps ensure that teams are not just building features but the right features that match customer needs and business goals.

Automations and Integrations Capabilities (3.5/5): Productboard provides basic automation capabilities through “insights automation,” a native feature, and more advanced automation through its integration with Zapier. ProductBoard’s integrations are primarily suited for teams wanting to integrate with customer service tools like Zendesk, Intercom, Gainsight CS, etc. Still, other project management tools and developer tools are unavailable via native integration. 

Visibility (5/5): The tool excels in offering visibility into the product development process. Productboard’s roadmaps are dynamic and highly visual, making it easy for stakeholders to understand the direction of the product at a glance. The ability to track progress against objectives and link features directly to user feedback and strategic goals enhances transparency across the organization. This level of visibility is critical for maintaining alignment between product teams and stakeholders, ensuring everyone understands the why behind product decisions.

Cross-Collaboration and Feature-Richness (4/5): ProductBoard is rich in features that facilitate cross-team collaboration. It goes beyond simple roadmapping to include elements like feedback management, feature prioritization, and user insights, all within a user-friendly interface. This comprehensive approach helps product teams work more effectively with marketing, sales, and customer support teams, ensuring a cohesive product strategy. However, some users might find the platform’s extensive functionality more complex than simpler, more focused roadmapping tools and lacking tools for collaboration with development teams. 

Pricing ($$$): Productboard’s pricing reflects its position as a premium product management tool, starting at $19 a month for basic features. While potentially a significant investment, especially for teams requiring their pro features (starting at $59/month), the value it provides in centralizing product management processes and enhancing team alignment can justify the cost for organizations focused on strategic product growth.

ProductPlan

ProductPlan’s roadmapping tool is tailored for teams seeking a high-level visual representation of their product strategy over time. It emphasizes ease of use, with drag-and-drop functionality that simplifies the process of creating and updating roadmaps. This user-friendly approach is particularly appealing to organizations that require a tool that team members can quickly adopt regardless of their technical proficiency. 

Automations and integrations capabilities (3/5): ProductPlan includes basic automations with popular tools such as Jira, Trello, and Slack. However, teams might find the need for manual updates or adjustments, as the platform focuses more on visualization than on automated project tracking or complex workflow automation.

Visibility (5/5): ProductPlan scores high on visibility, providing a clear, engaging visual roadmap that can be shared across the organization. It allows users to customize views for different audiences, ensuring that stakeholders have access to the information most relevant to them. Creating multiple roadmaps and layers within each roadmap also helps manage complex products or portfolios, making it easier for teams to track different work streams and how they contribute to the overall product strategy.

Cross-collaboration and feature-richness (3.5/5): ProductPlan is designed for collaboration, allowing team members to comment on items directly within the roadmap. This fosters an environment where feedback is easily shared and incorporated into the planning process. However, while it offers a solid set of features for roadmapping and collaboration, it might not be as feature-rich in areas outside roadmapping, such as detailed task management or in-depth analytics, compared to more comprehensive product management platforms.

Pricing ($$): The pricing for ProductPlan is moderate, making it accessible to a wide range of companies, from startups to large enterprises. The tool offers different pricing tiers based on the required features and level of support, providing flexibility for organizations to choose the plan that best fits their needs and budget constraints.

Roadmunk

Roadmunk is a roadmapping tool that caters to product managers looking for a comprehensive solution to plan, visualize, and communicate their product strategies effectively. It differentiates itself with its strong emphasis on highly customizable roadmaps that can be tailored to suit various audiences, from internal stakeholders to external clients. The platform’s flexibility in handling multiple visual formats, including roadmap (timeline) and swimlane views, supports strategic planning across varying project complexities. 

Automations and Integrations Capabilities (3/5): Roadmunk offers a range of integrations with popular tools such as Jira, Trello, and Slack, facilitating the synchronization of tasks and milestones across different platforms used within product development workflows. However, its automation features might be seen as foundational, focusing mainly on data import and synchronization rather than advanced workflow automations or AI-driven insights. This level of functionality supports basic needs for keeping roadmaps updated with minimal manual intervention but may leave teams desiring more sophisticated automations to streamline their planning processes further.

Visibility (4/5): The platform scores high in visibility, providing detailed insights into the product development lifecycle through its diverse range of roadmap visualizations. Users can effectively communicate initiatives’ status, priorities, and timelines, making it easier for stakeholders to grasp the strategic direction and decision-making rationales. Roadmunk’s filtering and sharing capabilities further enhance visibility, allowing customized views catering to different audiences’ informational needs.

Cross-Collaboration and Feature-Richness (4/5): Roadmunk facilitates cross-functional collaboration by allowing teams to share roadmaps easily and securely with internal and external stakeholders. It offers a solid suite of features for roadmap creation and management, including prioritization frameworks and feedback collection tools. While its core strength lies in roadmapping, the platform also incorporates elements of project management and stakeholder engagement, albeit not as extensively as some all-in-one product management solutions.

Pricing ($$$): Roadmunk’s pricing reflects its positioning as a premium roadmapping solution, with various tiers offering increasing levels of functionality and support. The cost may be justified for organizations that place a high value on strategic planning and visual communication of their product roadmaps. However, it could be prohibitive for smaller teams or startups with tighter budgets.

Final thoughts

Selecting the right roadmapping tool is crucial for product managers and their teams aiming to navigate the complexities of product development with efficiency and strategic alignment. The top 5 roadmapping tools of 2024 offer unique strengths in automation, integration capabilities, visibility, cross-collaboration, and pricing. By understanding the specific needs of their projects and teams, product managers can choose a tool that best supports their strategic objectives, enhances stakeholder engagement, and ensures that every step taken is in alignment with their vision and goals. 

Want to leverage AI and automation to drive roadmap success? Get a free demo of Zenhub.