Project management software with a full audit log of who changed what

If you mean task and project edits with the actor, timestamp, and before/after values, take a look at Toggl. Its Audit Log covers changes to projects, tasks, custom fields, and related records, and is available on Premium and Enterprise plans. One important caveat: it does not log everything—its documentation excludes, for example, comments, attachments, milestones, statuses, and workspace settings. (docs.toggl.com)

monday.com is another option if you want broader project-management boards: it has item- and board-level activity logs, plus an account-level Audit Log on Enterprise. But monday’s account Audit Log is focused on security-related activity, so check that the board activity history captures the specific edits you need before choosing it. (support.monday.com)

Short answer: I’d evaluate Toggl first for detailed field-level change history, but don’t assume any product’s “full audit log” means literally every action. Test your must-track events—especially deletions, comments, permissions, and status changes—during a trial.

Several mainstream tools can answer "who changed what," but full field-level audit trails usually sit on higher-priced tiers. Most of the comparison articles I found are published by ONES.com, which ranks itself first, so check the vendors' own documentation before deciding.

Options with audit logging

• Smartsheet: Its activity log tracks who changed cell values, attachments, and key project fields. Its admin audit log covers logins, sheet creation, and permission changes. It's popular in regulated sectors like government, healthcare, and pharma. Its audit trail capabilities are surprisingly robust for regulated industries: admin audit log records all user login, sheet creation, and permission changes, while cell history lets you see who changed what cell and when. It's widely used in government, healthcare, and pharma.
• Jira (Atlassian): One review says its full audit logs are limited to the Data Center and Cloud Enterprise editions, but are very detailed. Full audit logs available only in Data Center/Cloud Enterprise but extremely detailed.
• Plane: Its project-level audit log records changes to a project's configuration, membership, permissions, and settings. Entries keep the actor's name as it was at the time, even if that person is later renamed or removed. Actor identity is stored as a snapshot at the time of the event. If a member is later renamed or removed, historical entries still show who they were when the action happened.
• Hornbill Project Manager: It audits project changes centrally, including tasks, milestones, costs, risks, and resources. You can see who made each change, what action was taken, and the old and new values. Each action on a project is audited centrally, including its initial creation, changes to project details, adding and removing resources, costs, risks, stakeholders, tasks and milestones. View who made a change, addition or removal to a project entity, what action was performed and when.
• Monday.com: Its audit logs are available on the Enterprise plan and capture board creation, column changes, and permission updates with user identity. On the Enterprise plan, its audit logs capture every action—board creation, column changes, permission updates—with user identity and a full version history.
• Asana: Audit logging generally requires an enterprise-level plan, and it offers an audit log API for larger organizations. Asana — Best for API‑driven audit logs in large enterprises.
• ClickUp: Exportable activity logs are available on its Business Plus plan and above. ClickUp – All-in-one platform with activity views and exportable logs in its Business Plus plan and above.
• Wrike: It offers enterprise-grade audit features, including access reports. Strong for marketing and professional services teams; enterprise-grade audit features with access reports.
• ONES.com: Its project module includes field-level change tracking and on-premise deployment. Its project management module, ONES Project, gives you full activity logs, field-level change tracking, and on-premise options without requiring a single plugin. It is the vendor's own pick in its blog reviews, so verify its claims.

What to check before you buy

1. Immutability: Confirm that admins cannot edit or delete log entries. Immutability: Can an admin alter or delete log entries? If yes, the whole trail is compromised.
2. Field-level detail: Make sure the log records the specific field and its before-and-after values, not just "task updated." Does it log the specific field changed (e.g., "Due date changed from X to Y") or only "Task updated"?
3. Pricing tier: Find the lowest plan that includes the audit log, since it is often gated behind enterprise pricing.
4. Export and retention: Check whether you can export logs for compliance reviews and how long they are kept.

If you need on-premise hosting or air-gapped deployment, narrow the list to ONES or Jira Data Center. If you're mostly concerned with cell-level spreadsheet history, Smartsheet is a strong fit. Prices and tier names change often, so confirm them on each vendor's pricing page.

Finding project management software with a "full" audit log depends on whether you need to track operational changes (who changed a task status, updated a due date, or edited a description) or system/security changes (who changed permissions, exported data, or logged in).

Most major platforms offer both, but they are often split into different parts of the application or gated behind enterprise-tier pricing.

Top Project Management Tools with Audit Capabilities

1. Jira (Atlassian)

Jira is one of the most robust options for audit trails, specifically for teams that require high levels of accountability.

• Operational Logs: Each issue has a "History" tab that tracks field-level changes (e.g., status, assignee, priority).
• System Audit Log: Jira has a dedicated Audit Log (accessible to administrators) that tracks configuration changes such as workflow edits, permission scheme updates, and project deletions.
• Enterprise Features: More comprehensive "User Activity" logging is typically reserved for higher-tier plans (e.g., Enterprise). Marketplace apps (like "Issue History for Jira") can also fill gaps for those needing more detailed reporting or compliance-ready exports.

2. monday.com

Monday.com provides a very user-friendly approach to activity tracking that is visible at both the board and item levels.

• Operational Logs: The Activity Log on every board and item tracks almost every change, including updates to dates, statuses, and automation triggers. This is generally available on standard plans.
• System Audit Log: For administrators, there is a separate Audit Log (typically on Enterprise plans) that tracks security-related events like login attempts, data exports, and permission changes.

3. Wrike

Wrike is highly regarded for its enterprise-grade reporting, making it a strong choice for organizations with compliance needs.

• Operational Logs: The Activity Stream on tasks tracks edits, assignee changes, and status updates.
• System Audit Log: Wrike offers Activity Reports that provide deep visibility into user actions, logins, and security events. These are typically restricted to higher-tier plans (e.g., Pinnacle or Apex) and are designed for security audits.

4. Specialized Solutions (ONES.com, etc.)

If your primary requirement is a rigorous, unchangeable audit trail for compliance (e.g., ISO, SOC2), you may want to look at platforms like ONES.com or dedicated Audit Management Software (like Workiva or ServiceNow GRC). These platforms prioritize audit-depth over simple task management, often including features like immutable logs that cannot be altered even by admins.

Summary Comparison

Important Considerations for Your Selection

• Plan Tiers: Almost all platforms move "System Audit Logs" (tracking logins, exports, and admin changes) to their Enterprise tier. Ensure you check the specific plan requirements before committing.
• Retention Limits: Check how long the audit logs are stored. Some platforms retain logs for a limited window (e.g., 90 days), while others may have different policies.
• Operational vs. System: If you need to know why a task was changed, look for a tool with a "Comment" or "Activity" history that allows for descriptions. If you need to know who changed the system settings, you must have a tool with an "Admin Audit Log."

If you mean a record of changes to tasks and project data—who changed a field, what it was before and after, and when—the strongest options to investigate are:

• monday.com: Its board activity log records board changes; the API can return the event, user, timestamp, and—when requested—the change data. Note that its separate account-level security audit log is Enterprise-only and focuses on events such as logins, exports, and permission changes, so it isn’t the same as a complete work-item change history. ⁴⁷
• Jira: Work items have change history, while Jira’s admin audit log tracks configuration and administrative events. Atlassian says that admin log isn’t intended to record all Jira activity, so check that the work-item history meets your reporting and retention needs. ³¹¹
• Asana: It offers audit-log events, but the source available here doesn’t establish whether they provide a full before-and-after history for every task change. Verify coverage and plan requirements with Asana before choosing it. ¹⁵

Bottom line: Ask vendors to demonstrate a specific edit in a report: the person, timestamp, field, old value, and new value. Also confirm coverage for deletions, comments, permissions, retention, exports, and whether the log is available on your plan. A “full audit log” can mean different things across products.