Basecamp is a web-based project-management tool. Basecamp offers features standard to project management platforms, as well as mobile accessibility, unlimited users, and 3rd party integrations. Basecamp is priced by space requirements and concurrent projects.
$15
per month per user
WinZip
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
WinZip is a utility for file management, compression, encryption, and backup. With banking-level security, it keeps files safe while optimizing storage space both locally and in the cloud. It also offers robust sharing options, automated backups, and PDF and image management capabilities to fuel workflows beyond compression.
Basecamp is a wonderful tool for teams of varying degrees of technical knowledge, teams managing lots of different types of "agifall" and waterfall projects, and teams that are remotely distributed. It's probably less useful for more strictly agile-focused development teams, compared to other more flexible software applications like Jira and Asana.
The standard suite will work for most users, but you have to upgrade to the pro suite or the unlimited suite in order to get the cloud sharing for multiple accounts. So, if you are looking at just sending documents from one user to another user, the standard version will work, but if you are trying to use it as a calibration software, you will need to upgrade all users to the more expensive version to unlock those features.
Task management - It is very easy to add, organize and discuss tasks within Basecamp's interface.
The "Campfire" function is great for communicating when you just have a quick question for someone on the team.
Notifications - Basecamp lets you decide how often and about what you'd like to be notified. The ability to respond to messages in Basecamp directly via email saves a lot of time.
As was previously mentioned one of the greatest strengths of the program is the versatility of using across multiple platforms or being able to open the corresponding zip files on multiple platforms without having to install additional software.
Another strength it has in the the graphical user interface (GUI). It is, and always has been, one of the better ones in the industry, as compared to other compression software.
High Learning Curve. It's true that it can be easy to use, but to use well and effectively takes some time to learn. It's recommended to have an agreed-upon system in your team of what tools to use and when.
Notification Overload. If people aren't careful they could send a notification to everyone when only a couple people were meant to be prompted. And since emails are sent by default, you could have your mailbox overloaded with unnecessary updates. This is where it takes a bit of training in your team to have an agreed-upon system.
Lack of organization with Archived Projects. I will often need to reference an archived project to make a new one, but there is only a list of archived projects in alphabetical order, with no way to organize by archive date, or even search.
When the dashboard comes up, it is not always intuitive as to the location of where files are going when unzipping; you have to click on the file to have the dialog come up.
Password-protection usage is complex.
Fewer icons as the number of them can be confusing.
When I bring new people onto a project, it's immediately obvious how to use Basecamp. I don't have to worry about teaching them the features or walking them through it, it's just incredibly user-friendly. For this reason, I'll continue to renew my subscription even as new people are brought onto production jobs or the client changes.
Because it is very easy to use, also have been using the product for ages not only within the company but personally, it's just very convenient to have in any system, it does not slow down my computer, it only takes a few minutes to set up and it's just compatible with almost any system
It is easy to use, even for clients who have no experience with the platform. It can only get a little cumbersome to ensure that a client can't see certain documents you might want to keep in the Docs & Files folders. And sometimes, getting a client to actually use an unfamiliar platform can be a challenge.
Its very easy to use! Not a lot of complicated mumbo jumbo, you can easily teach anyone how to use it. It's overall usability is high because nowadays, beside using the cloud, having a backup locally stored is also good and when backing up really large files, this can help save up space by being able to compress the files
I've never experienced downtime while using Basecamp, or been unable to access it when I needed it. That's not to say they've never had downtime, but I've been lucky enough not to encounter any, and I work odd hours, including late nights when maintenance is often undertaken.
For the many reasons I've given, Basecamp is a very strong program. There are a few features I can imagine that might make it even better, but I don't have a basis for comparison to be able to say that there is definitely a better one out there. I've noticed that Basecamp has evolved a bit from the time I started using it until now, so that makes me think that the producer of this program values it and believes in continuous improvement. If you could use the features offered by Basecamp, I would think you could use it with confidence.
Listen, nobody can get a perfect 10 (just ask your boss at review time, you can't say you are a 10 because then you'd have nothing to strive for!). WinZip's Support team knows their product, which is a fantastic thing to hear, unlike when you call giant companies (Microsoft, Vipre, and Norton) and their turnaround in their support center is so disgusting that their Support team only knows how to read off of a script
Decide the process before implementation - i.e. when it's due 8/9 does that mean 8am, noon, 5pm, 11:59pm? Check your to-do list frequently Set-up templates - just not with the dates (they can be funky)
Pretty good, but [Basecamp] has its drawbacks. Honestly I find the interface non-intuitive and sometimes have trouble figuring out how to change the status of a task. Perhaps it has something to do with the way it was originally set up by the admin, but I'm not sure. I liked Jira's drag and drop obvious functionality, but the project management side of the software was lacking. Smartsheet has excellent project management functionality, but the task management isn't as good.
7Zip is a freeware file compression software that does a lot of the same core functions as WinZip but lacks the cloud functions of WinZip. If you need to share extremely large encrypted zip files and don't mind paying, WinZip is a very powerful software and will get the job done.
It has saved me time when having to get the same message out to multiple restaurants
It has helped us make smarter operational decisions because we can all collaborate on an answer in a shorter amount of time (instead of calling a meeting!!!)
The calendar function allows us to plot out our marketing agenda for the month and add/change it together as needed. The chef will post his recipe, the managers will cost it out, the social media manager will post pictures on it, and ultimately we will get that information out on an info sheet to the staff by printing the page.
