Setting effective goals is what separates successful businesses from the wash-outs. Having properly aligned goals helps you coordinate and focus the resources and talent at your disposal, no matter how many people you employ. That said, you’ll need the best software for goal setting you can find if you want to pull this off!

A good goal is like a light at the end of the tunnel. It offers direction and the motivation to press on. Individual or team-level goals act as milestones for employees while connecting with larger company objectives to keep everything flowing in the right direction.

As such, goal setting tools for employees can significantly improve their performance over time. Like giving oil paints to a three-year-old, even the best tools won’t help if the planning behind them is a total mess. Of course, that’s assuming you’re using them effectively.

Around this time last year, McKinsey highlighted goal setting pitfalls every organization should try to avoid:

  • Obligatory goal setting disconnected from actual strategy.
  • Creating goals in isolation with no interdependencies.
  • Setting and forgetting goals at the start of the year.
  • Only focusing on short-term goals.

Too many businesses fall into these traps every year. To help HR and managers improve organizational goal-setting, let’s look at some key criteria followed by evaluations of some of the best employee performance goal software available today.

Key goal setting software features

There are plenty of viable ways to support workplace objective management, with various tools putting their own spin on things. These tools can be in the form of tailored performance management platforms, or project management platforms with goal setting features.

Even so, the best software for goal setting generally has a few things in common with its peers, such as:

  • SMART goal and OKR frameworks: SMART goals and OKRs are incredibly popular choices for countless businesses, with good reason. SMART goals turn massive projects into manageable chunks (i.e. sub-goals), while OKRs turn sets of individual projects into key results for top-level objectives.
  • Real-time progress tracking: Good goal setting software builds quick and timely progress updates into your workflow. This prevents managers having to chase them up, and lets HR observe real-time productivity fluctuations.
  • Collaboration tools: Features which help a team work together more effectively can really elevate otherwise basic goal setting software. Tools like comms channels, drag-and-drop note systems and shared virtual workspaces help to eliminate the barriers between planning and execution.
  • Automated reminders: A goal isn’t worth much if it’s easy to forget. Your chosen software should include auto-reminder functionality, with the ability to set deadlines and frequencies to suit your needs.
  • Integration with performance management: Besides enabling better timeline management, goal tracking doubles as one of the best performance metrics you could ask for. The best software for goal setting either integrates with your existing performance management tools, or offers an in-built solution.

These features are what we consider essential for OKR management tools and SMART goal software alike. With these in mind, let’s look at some of the best goal setting tools, starting with our own.

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1. Zensai’s Perform365

The Human Success Platform’s employee performance goal software is available through our Perform365 module. Perform365 is a full performance management software, with specific tools for goal setting tasks. We offer a customizable blend of SMART goals and OKRs, as well as various essential performance management features for a centralized approach.

Core features of this goal setting software

As its name suggests, Perform365’s core features focus on performance management and goal setting. These include:

  • Agile OKR management with real-time tracking.
  • SMART goal creation that works with Engage365’s employee check-in.
  • Tracking and reporting dashboard for real-time performance insights.
  • Mobile and desktop apps plus Microsoft Teams access.

Selling points of this goal setting software

As some of the best software for goal setting in 2025, Perform365 has plenty of strengths to its name:

  • Built into Microsoft 365: The entire Human Success Platform is heavily integrated with Microsoft 365 tools. Besides being completely accessible through Microsoft Teams, Perform365 integrates with various other tools like Viva Goals to unify your goal setting.
  • Hybrid goal setting: Letting you choose between OKRs and SMART goals is one thing. With hybrid goals, we go a step further by letting you mix and match. SMART goals can be used as key results like any other project objective.
  • Comprehensive performance management tools: Besides being some of the best software for goal setting, Perform365 is also armed with features like performance review prep automation, 1:1 management, 360 feedback, talent mapping and succession planning.

Best fit and pricing

We at Zensai offer agile solutions, both in terms of the tools themselves, and in affordability. That’s why we can proudly recommend the Human Success Platform to businesses of all sizes. Customers using Perform365 include Phoenix Software, PowerOn Platforms, and the travel and tourism company, Flight Centre.

If you’re on the fence about Perform365, we offer a combined free trial for it and our engagement module, Engage365. For those interested in our paid services, here’s our basic price structure:

  • Perform365 ($): If the full Human Success Platform doesn’t interest you, we can provide an individual quote for the Perform365 module.
  • Grow Basic ($$): Learn365, Engage365 and Perform365 all in one with Grow Basic for small start-ups and companies with minimal support needs.
  • Grow Plus ($$$): The full Human Success Platform complete with automation and analytics features.
  • Grow Premium ($$$$): Our premium price tier gives you access to our dedicated team of expert support specialists, who can assist with any query, even for highly customized setups.
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2. Asana

Asana is a popular project management platform, claiming to be used by 85% of Fortune 500 companies. As such, it gets plenty of mentions from goal setting experts. Let’s look at what it has to offer.

Core features of this goal setting software

Asana has plenty of features, to the point where you’re bound to find something useful, even if you don’t use everything. These include:

  • Task management cards with a drag-and-drop interface.
  • Projects hub to conduct planning, assign roles and share documents.
  • Project viewing in a number of formats, including calendars, timelines and Gantt Charts.
  • Automated status updates and custom fields.
  • Mobile and desktop apps.

Selling points of this goal setting software

If you’re wondering how Asana got so popular, consider these major selling points:

  • Highly user-friendly: Asana features a sleek UI that’s easy to navigate, with a simple layout and a drag-and-drop interface.
  • Strong collaboration features: Asana is perhaps best known for its task boards, where you can set columns based on topic, and create customizable cards for different tasks and projects.

Drawbacks

Asana is definitely a strong contender to be the best software for goal setting, though it is a project management tool first and a goal setting platform second. However, it definitely has its flaws:

  • Permissions limitations: Asana struggles with things like assigning the same task to multiple people, and setting up complex multi-level access.
  • No live demo options: Asana’s only product demo option is a video presentation, which removes a valuable opportunity to get hands-on experience and ask questions about the platform

Best fit and pricing

Asana’s reputation with Fortune 500 companies shows it’s a scalable enterprise solution. Their basic service is also a free personal plan for individuals and small teams.

Their paid price structure is as follows:

  • $: Starter
  • $$: Advanced
  • $$$: Enterprise
  • $$$$: Enterprise+
Goal-setting tools for employees

3. ClickUp

ClickUp characterizes itself as the “everything app.” In other words, it aims to be a one-stop shop for all your work management needs. Does it do all this and still manage to be the best software for goal setting? Let’s find out.

Core features of this goal setting software

As the so-called everything app, ClickUp obviously has a lot of features. The ones most relevant to goal setting and project management are:

  • Task management with Kanban-based board view.
  • Shareable goal tracking with customizable targets.
  • Customizable dashboards to track and visualize any project.
  • Collaboration features including document sharing, chat functionality and a virtual whiteboard.

Selling points of this goal setting software

As a highly centralized work management platform, ClickUp obviously has a variety of strengths on offer:

  • Over 1,000 integrations: ClickUp boasts a huge number of integrations with HR tools, comms platforms and performance management tools, such as Jira, Asana, and Slack. ClickUp’s API even allows you to build custom integrations.
  • Excellent tracking and reporting: Between its easily generated and customized project dashboards, and handy visualization tools like Gantt charts, ClickUp gives you the tools you need to understand and engage with goal and performance data.

Drawbacks

Although ClickUp certainly has a lot to offer, this is also its biggest weakness. Each of these drawbacks could be addressed by focusing on a narrow range of better-supported features:

  • May offer redundant features: Between all the tools ClickUp gives you, some stuff will inevitably serve the same functions as systems you already use. This means you’ll likely ignore whole sections of the platform unless you go all in on it.
  • Overwhelming for new users: Although we love ClickUp’s task management UI, everything else can seem quite complicated. Between things like customization, time-tracking and countless dashboards, it’s a lot of plates to keep spinning.

Best fit and pricing

ClickUp seems best-suited for teams and small-to-medium businesses with its strong array of centralized tools. That said, its functionality and support issues mean it may not be reliable enough to be scalable. However, like Asana, it is more of a project management tool than a goal setting software.

In addition to their Free Forever package aimed at personal use, ClickUp is available through paid pricing tiers:

  • Unlimited ($): For small teams.
  • Business ($$): For mid-sized teams, most popular option.
  • Enterprise ($$$): For many large teams.

ClickUp also offers its AI, ClickUp Brain, for an additional cost.

4. Monday.com

Aside from presumably being Garfield’s least favourite website, Monday.com is a strong competitor to be the best software with its strong visual design and support for automation. This accessible approach helps you use goals to improve engagement more effectively.

Core features of this goal setting software

Monday.com emphasizes its modern design with the following main features:

  • Monday work management with goals and OKRs.
  • Real-time dashboards with customizable widgets.
  • Ready-made and custom automations for notifications, reminders and tasks.
  • 200+ collaboration integrations like Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Slack and more.

Selling points of this goal setting software

Monday.com’s sleek, modern design means there’s a lot to love, like:

  • Highly visual goal tracking: Monday.com embeds simple, bold chart elements into customized goal and OKR dashboards, so you can tell how everything’s going at a glance.
  • Powerful streamlining via automation: Monday.com cuts through the busywork with out-of-the-box and custom-built automations. On top of that, Monday AI automates analytics and reporting.

Drawbacks

While Monday.com is a highly effective platform, there are a couple of caveats:

  • Complex setup process: Users report long implementation times due to the initial setup process. You’ll need to bear this in mind when choosing the best software for goal setting in your business.
  • The platform’s learning curve: Monday.com is another platform which throws quite a lot at its users. That, combined with a few design quirks here and there, mean it can take a while to get used to.

Best fit and pricing

Overall, many of Monday.com’s customers seem to be SMBs. Monday.com’s platforms include work management, CRM, Dev (developers), and Service. Each is priced separately, although they generally include Standard, Pro and Enterprise levels. Below are the prices for Monday Work Management (which also has a limited free version):

  • $: Basic
  • $$: Standard
  • $$$: Pro
  • $$$$: Enterprise
goal setting software

5. Betterworks

Betterworks pitches itself as a performance management platform with an emphasis on its AI support features. Let’s see if it has what it takes to be the best software for goal setting in 2025.

Core features of this goal setting software

While not as feature-heavy as platforms like ClickUp, Betterworks still has plenty to offer, including HR and engagement tools. That said, its most relevant features as employee performance goal software include:

  • Goal and OKR software for enterprise goal setting.
  • AI-powered Goal Assist for data-driven goal setting.
  • Holistic performance analytics with dashboards.
  • Conversations for performance management and employee check-ins.

Selling points of this goal setting software

Betterworks earns its distinction as an intelligent performance management solution with these strengths:

  • AI support features: Betterworks AI supports managers in creating data-backed goals for teams and individuals based on review data, goal tracking history and other information. Users can also get AI assistance in giving feedback, and conducting performance conversations.
  • Strong implementation of OKR methodology: The platform’s goal and OKR management tools allow for effective, scalable goal setting for both individuals and collaborative groups.

Drawbacks

While certainly a contender for the title of best software for goal setting, Betterworks still has a couple of areas for improvement:

  • Lacks in-built collaboration features: Despite a well fleshed-out goal and OKR system, Betterworks lacks collaboration features like comms channels or virtual workspaces, although it does have some relevant integrations.
  • Has a bit of a learning curve: Betterworks doesn’t have the most intuitive reporting, as it requires users to draw information from different sources. This takes some getting used to unless you have a workaround.

Best fit and pricing

Betterworks targets medium-sized and enterprise businesses as its customers. The platform is only available under two price tiers:

  • Mid-market ($): Available for businesses with at least 500 employees, including most of the features provided by Betterworks for a scaled enterprise-style experience.
  • Enterprise ($$): Available for businesses with at least 2,500 employees, and adds features such as engagement, calibration and change management services.
Gartner Cool Vendor

6. Viva Goals (retiring)

At one point, Microsoft Viva Goals was set up to be a powerful contender in the goal setting software race. However with the announcement of its retirement in December 2025, many users are now looking for a new option.

Core features of this goal setting software

One of the best parts of Microsoft Viva Goals was that it provided strong goal setting capabilities within the Microsoft 365 workspace.

For users looking for a stable replacement for their Microsoft Viva Goals tool will find Zensai’s Perform365 to be a great option. This is mainly because the platform offers AI-powered performance and goal management directly from Microsoft Teams.

Just to highlight again, with Perform365, companies can:

  • Align your team with clear goals, connecting individual efforts to the broader company vision.
  • Automate tedious admin tasks, make performance an everyday activity, and prep for those performance conversations 90% faster.
  • Get the full picture: With 360° feedback from all angles—peers, leaders, even external stakeholders — you can gain a bird’s eye view of performance and make more informed decisions.
  • Use performance conversations and AI-powered talent mapping tools to identify superstars and future leaders while creating clear plans to support the future needs of your workforce.Goal and OKR software for enterprise goal setting.

If you’re interested, you can read more about the seamless move from Microsoft Viva Goals to Zensai’s Perform365.

How to choose the right tool

Now that we’ve talked you through some of the best software for goal setting in 2025, here’s some practical advice for what to bear in mind when choosing a provider.

  • Framework compatibility: Your chosen provider should support your preferred methodologies, whether they’re SMART Goals, OKRs, or anything else. This means you want to make sure all the goal setting and performance tools are included, not just capabilities for project management.
  • User experience: For a goal setting platform to succeed, you need strong employee uptake. That means your chosen solution needs an accessible UI for employees regardless of tech skill.
  • Scalability: Whether your system uses OKRs or not, goals need to be shareable across your whole business. On top of that, HR needs automated workflows in order to manage goal tracking and analytics for increasing numbers of employees.
  • Progress visualization: Rather than manually turning goal tracking stats into charts and graphs, choose goal setting software that does it for you. This makes it easy to share and highlight relevant stats to promote actionable insights.
  • Mobile accessibility: A good mobile app makes goal setting and other performance management tools truly accessible to all employees, whether they work from home, in a factory, or on the road.
  • Vendor reputation: Sadly, not all software vendors are created equal. When choosing a provider, don’t just research the platform. Learn about their customer support reputation, as well as their standards of security and compliance.

Don’t rush choosing a provider

While it’s easy to be dazzled by a fancy landing page and a clean UI, take your time finding the best software for goal setting. Even if the option tempting you is the most popular one, you’ve got to make sure it’s right for the unique needs of your business.

That’s why most SaaS providers offer live, scheduled demos. These let you get hands-on experience and talk to an informed professional. If that sounds like something you’d benefit from, reach out and schedule a Perform365 demo today!

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