Information Density: Basecamp – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

Hey there—
There’s a good chance we know why you’re here.
You’re juggling people, projects, and expectations. There are tasks to do, discussions to have, decisions to make, files to share, deadlines to hit, relationships to manage, and work to deliver.
This all has to happen somewhere. But you’ve discovered that spreading everything across different apps, browser tabs, emails, and chats doesn’t work. It’s finally time to find a single system.
Unfortunately, most project management systems are bloated, complicated, and confusing. And software that’s hard to use doesn’t get used.
Over 20 years ago we were in the same boat. We needed something capable, but it had to be straightforward and easy. Nothing fit the bill. So we invented Basecamp, and we've been steadily improving it ever since. In software, longevity like this isn't luck — it's proof it works. And BC5 is all new for 2026.
Today, Basecamp is used across every industry, and nearly a million people, teams, companies, and non-profits worldwide rely on it daily.
Thanks for checking us out. We invite you to give Basecamp a try. And ultimately, we’d be honored to have you as a customer.

Jason Fried, jason@basecamp.com
Co-founder & CEO

Over 84 million people have Basecamp accounts.
Customers have managed more than 60 million projects.
Over 1.7 billion to-dos have been added.
Over 350 million message board posts have been published.
Over 2.7 billion comments have been posted.
More than 2.2 billion files have been shared.
More than 5 petabytes of data is stored by Basecamp.
And a 99.99% uptime record that spans decades.

When’s the last time you praised a tech company’s customer service? Our customers do it all the time. Service isn’t an afterthought, it’s one of Basecamp’s best features. And get this: On average, each member of our customer service team has been with us 9 years. That’s dedication.

[IMG: Meet: Chase]

Meet Chase, our Head of Support

We’ve been running a business focused on the fundamentals for nearly three decades. You can’t build reliable software unless you build a reliable company.
Founded in 1999, we’ve been profitable for 27 years in a row.
Zero debt, privately held, and built to stay, not exit.
99.99% historical uptime, with full transparency.
Cancel anytime, take your data with you, no lock in.
Direct access to our CEO via email.

Can I hide unfinished work from clients?
Can I link up Google Docs, Figma, Dropbox, etc?
Can I see all my tasks instantly anytime?
Can I see everything that’s overdue on one screen?
Can I use Basecamp if some teammates prefer email?
Can I see all the work that was completed in a day?
Can I set up projects that only some can see?
Can I see a full history of someone’s work?
Can I easily see someone else’s assignments?
Can I see every deadline on a single calendar?
Can I easily reference an entire conversation from last year?
Can I follow a project without receiving notifications?
Can I assign tasks to multiple people at once?
Can I see all our projects laid out on a visual timeline?
Can I follow-up with someone without anyone else knowing?
Can our clients respond to our questions via email?
Can our clients see a record of everything we’ve asked them?
Can client feeback be documented for the record?
Can I organize ideas and setup workflows on a Kanban board?
Can Basecamp tell me when someone finished something?
Can Basecamp help me get a client to approve a design?
Can Basecamp keep my team accountable?
Check out the full feature list for more.

Curious about Basecamp but want to see it live and ask some questions first? Join us for a free live class. We’ll show you how to set it up in minutes, how to roll it out to your team, and take Q&A covering anything else you’d like to ask. See all upcoming classes.

You can’t build reliable software unless you build a reliable company. We’ve been running a business focused on the fundamentals for nearly three decades. Reliability, stability, and durability is tied tight into everything we do.

[H2] A reliable company
When you do business with us, you’re buying from a long-standing, responsibly-run, independent business that’s focused on long-term stability. We’ve survived multiple macro-economic downturns, weathered changing trends, and outlasted dozens of competitors.
Founded in 1999, we’ve been profitable every year, 27 years in a row.
We have zero debt, we’re privately held, and built to stay, not exit.
We’ve written a number of best-selling books detailing how we work.
Customers can cancel anytime, we have no long-term lock-in contracts.
Every customer has direct access to our CEO via email.

[H2] Durable infrastructure
Rather than rent cloud hosting, we own and run our hardware across multiple data centers. We specified the hardware, configured (and sometimes invented) the software, and optimized every detail for speed and reliability. We’ve maintained an industry-leading 99.99% uptime record for years.

[IMG: Meet: Eron]

Meet Eron, our Head of Technical Ops

Our sites run from two redundant datacenters in separate regions.
Automatic failover keeps sites running through hardware failures.
World-class monitoring alerts us to issues before they hit customers.
Strong protections guard against denial of service attacks and abuse.
Three regional 24/7 Ops teams stand ready to respond worldwide.
Top-tier security practices keep your data safe and secure.

[H2] Time-tested software
Basecamp has been tested. A lot. Hundreds of thousands of companies, groups, and individuals have been hammering on it daily for years. Decades of serving demanding customers have trained us to build reliable, durable, rock-solid software — and we have the unique track record to prove it.
At peak, around 1 million people use Basecamp daily.
Customers have managed more than 60 million projects.
Over 1.7 billion to-dos have been added.
Over 350 million message board posts have been published.
Over 2.7 billion comments have been posted.
More than 2.2 billion files have been shared.
More than 5 petabytes of data is stored on Basecamp.

[H2] Dependable customer service
At most companies, customer service is treated as an afterthought, something to outsource, a place to cut costs. At Basecamp it’s one of our best features. Our customers consistently rave about our kind, patient, and deeply knowledgeable staff. Everyone on the team can answer any question.

[IMG: Meet: Chase]

Meet Chase, our Head of Support

9 year average tenure for our support staff.
A fully in-house team, we don’t outsource support.
We don’t force you to talk to an AI or bot before a human.
24/7 human support in every time zone worldwide.
We offer free, live training classes weekly.

[H2] We’re always here for you
Reliability, durability, dependability, and high-performance — that’s our bar. If you have any questions you can reach me directly at jason@basecamp.com. I don’t have an assistant, and I don't use AI to read or respond to emails. If you email me, you get me. I’d love to hear from you.

Jason Fried, jason@basecamp.com
Co-founder & CEO

With well over 100 significant improvements, Basecamp 5 is faster, simpler, and more capable than ever before. We’ve packed 22 years of experience into the best version of Basecamp we’ve ever made. Here are some highlights.

[H2] A new action-oriented home screen
Rather than just being a launchpad to get you into a project, the new home screen shows you recent activity on the right, shows you projects you’ve recently visited right down the center, and gives you instant access to create new projects, invite new people, and handle all administrative tasks. Reorganized, reprioritized, and miles better than what came before.

[H2] Notifications and pings that live alongside your work
The all-new New For You sidebar contains all your notifications and pings. Keep it open, hide it away, you’re in control. Now you can check a notification or direct message a colleague without leaving where you were. And you can take a quick peek without moving your mouse, too. SHIFT+S opens it, keyboard arrow keys navigate it. A massive experience upgrade.

[H2] Vastly improved search plus live filtering
We’ve revamped the tech behind search so it’s faster and significantly more accurate. Plus, we’ve added a live filter field to nearly every major screen so you can type a few characters and see the screen you’re looking at narrow down in real-time to exactly what you’re looking for. So much better.

[H2] Global and project-based calendars
A top customer request, Basecamp 5 now features a full-blown full-screen calendar at the global level and one for each individual project. View all projects on a single calendar, just a few, just your starred projects, or just into one. Subscribe to your Basecamp calendar in whatever other calendar app you use as well. Spanned events, repeating events, even to-dos and task assignments show up on the calendar. Quickly just view stuff you’re involved with, or see all events for everyone.

[H2] Updated API, a new CLI, Skills, and AI agent ready
We’ve refreshed and extended the API, added a CLI, built out Skills, and fundamentally upgraded Basecamp so it’s ready for the next wave of AI agents. Get full access to Basecamp through the command line, or with your favorite AI agent. ChatGPT, Claude, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor — all are welcome. Fully at your discretion, and even turn it off for your account if you don’t want your employees using AI in Basecamp. You’re in control, but we’re ready if you’re ready.

[H2] All new text editor with tables and Markdown
Another top request: Now you can create basic tables wherever you can post messages, documents, or comments. Plus, we offer Markdown support so you can type in Markdown format or paste in Markdown-formatted text and have it be converted to fully stylized text inside Basecamp. This is especially useful when pasting in Markdown-formatted text from LLMs. Code blocks are auto-formatted and color coded as well.

[H2] Voicenote support everywhere you can type
Yet another top customer request. Now you can record and leave voicenotes in posts, documents, comments, chats, and pings. Hit record, say your bit, listen back, redo it if you want, post when you’re ready. So nice.

[H2] All new “My Bar” with instant access to tasks, upcoming events, and bookmarks
The old “My Stuff” menu required you to leave where you were to see your assignments, upcoming events, bookmarks. The new “My Bar” gives you instant access to all that stuff no matter where you are, and you never have to leave what you’re looking at. It’s a game changer.

[H2] Upcoming event reminder highlights
Got a meeting or event coming up in the next 15 minutes? Basecamp will now show you a little reminder at the bottom of the screen. A little peripheral vision nudge so you don’t miss anything. And if there’s a Zoom or Teams (or whatever) video link to join, it’ll give you a instant-join button as well. Finally, the closer the event gets, the greener the color shifts. We’ve thought of everything so you don’t miss anything!

[H2] Bubble Up notifications, pages, and comments later
Get a notification you want to respond to, but you don’t have time now? Just mark it to Bubble Up later. Could be later today, tomorrow morning, later this week, next week, whatever. When the time comes, it’ll show back up in your New For You sidebar. You can also bubble up comments, posts, or most other things in Basecamp. One of HEY’s most popular features comes to Basecamp!

[H2] Loose to-dos and subtasks on to-dos
Want to just add some to-dos but don’t want to have to categorize them on a list? Find that overhead unnecessary? No problem! Now you can just add “loose to-dos” that appear at the the top of the to-do list page, but are unattached to any list. Drag them into a list later if you want. Or drag any to-do on a list out into the loose area if you aren’t sure where it belongs yet. Further, now you can add subtasks to to-dos. This was a big customer request, and we’re proud to to deliver.

[H2] All new Everything pages for account-wide aggregation
Know someone posted a message but not sure where? A file? Maybe a document? A comment somewhere? Now you can just to to the Everything page, pick “All Messages” and see a list of all messages posted to any project on a single page. Same for documents, comments, and more. Huge.

[H2] One universal menu to get anywhere from anywhere — fast!
The all-new unified Basecamp menu at the top of the screen replaces a bunch of separate navigation links. Now you can get to anything — any project, any person, activity, the calendar, you name it — from anywhere. SHIFT+J on the keyboard pulls it up, and focuses the quick jump field, so you don’t even need to move the mouse to get around. A totally new way to get around — and it’s oh so fast! You’ll feel like you’re flying around Basecamp.

[H2] Keyboard shortcuts everywhere
Hit SHIFT on your keyboard and you’ll see a bunch of little keys show up next to navigation elements. SHIFT+that-letter takes you right there, no mousing or clicking required. A huge level up those who are keyboard proficient and love moving around software without the mouse. Open the sidebar with the keyboard. See your tasks with a keyboard command. Ping someone, pop the calendar, pull up latest activity, even see what someone else has been up to all without ever touching the mouse.

[H2] Sticky Edit & Save flow
This seems like a small one, but it’s a huge experience improvement. Now the Edit and Save buttons stick around to the top right corner of a page when you’re editing a document. You no longer have to go looking for that Save button at the bottom of a long document when you just needed to fix a typo at the top.

[H2] Personal notes just for you
A new “My Notes” option in the new “My Bar” gives you instant access to your own personal scratchpad. Jot stuff down, take live notes, make a few to-dos for this afternoon, drop in a file you might need later, even record a voice note for yourself. While Basecamp is a collaborative tool, this is your own little place in Basecamp.

[H2] Completely revamped activity view
This is a massive upgrade. We totally revamped the activity view make it much easier to follow all activity across your account, just for a single project (or group of projects), or even a single person (or a group of people). Now everything is nearly organized around topics, each action clearly attributed, the latest stuff time-stamped, and all presented in a new easily-digestible format.

[H2] Modernized project page design
Basecamp’s famous toolbox-based layout remains the same, we just updated the design. It’s fresh, but familiar. Better use of space, tighter layout, more information density, lots of subtle tweaks add up to a significantly better, more modern display of information. A new latest block activity at the top gives you a quick answer to “What’s been happening here lately?” the moment you hit the project. We also grouped external links in their own section at the bottom for a more organized presentation. The new + button lets you add new tools right from the project page so it’s easier to customize each project with whatever it needs.

[H2] Radically simplified new project customization flow
What used to be a multi-step process with a bunch of fiddly little links and too many choices has been totally redesigned from the ground up. Way simpler, considerably faster, and more focused on helping you make quick progress. No more having to figure it all out ahead of time, just add tools later as you need them. A significant an improvement to a fundamental flow.

[H2] Project icons, avatars, and logos
A small one, but a neat one to help you differentiate projects at a glance. Now you can give each project an avatar, icon, or logo. Great for client projects where you want to add the client’s logo to the top of the page. Very flexible.

[H2] Simplified invitation process
It used to be that if you wanted to add someone to a project, and they were new to your account, you first had to add them at the account level. That meant leaving the project, going to the global level, inviting them, then giving them access to the project somewhere else. It worked, but it was quite clunky. Now you can just enter their email address from within the project. They’ll be emailed an invite and added to the project instantly without you ever having to leave the project. This is one of those little improvements that feels like a major level up. What was a hassle is now a pleasure.

[H2] Simplified Docs & Files layout and structure
Docs & Files, the place to put files, documents, link out to cloud files (Figma, Google Docs, Dropbox, etc), got a major simplification. We’ve morphed two different views into a single view with better previews, the ability to peek into folders without having to fully open them, made multi-selection much easier, improved filtering and sorting by type, and a number of other enhancements.

[H2] Much improved to-do list layout
We’ve majorly cleaned up to-dos. In addition to adding a new loose to-dos block to the top, and adding subtasks to individual to-dos, we’ve revamped the metadata displayed after each to-do, improved data density, made it easier to edit existing to-dos, dialed back some elements while enhanced others, tweaked the design so it’s more focused on what’s left to do rather than what’s been done, added the ability to hide completed lists so they’re out of the way, added live instant filtering, cleaned up Hill Charts, and a number of other spacing and layout improvements.

[H2] Revamped colors
Basecamp 3 and 4 piled up a bunch of different colors in different places. Some worked together, some didn’t, but ultimately there were too many and they didn’t feel cohesive. Basecamp 5 revamps the colors on offer, redefines the general pallete, and brings a harmonious consistency across calendars, folders, Card Table columns, and backgrounds.

[H2] Preview images before uploading in chat and pings
Now when you add images to a chat or ping, you’ll be able to submit both the images and text together as a single package. Images (and videos) will be previewed as thumbnails above before submitting. This way you can share an image and describe it in the same entry in a chat or ping rather than have to do one before the other.

[H2] And a whole lot more…
Nearly every screen has been revisited, optimized, cleaned up, simplified, and sped up. Things that took two clicks may now just take one. Stuff that required a deeper dive is now right on the surface. You’ll see fresh takes everywhere while still keeping things familiar for those who’ve used Basecamp for years. On top of everything visual, there are deep infrastructure upgrades, performance improvements, and structural changes which will make further improvement and enhancements easier and faster. Basecamp 5 is a comprehensive overhaul that sets Basecamp up for the next dynamic decade ahead.

Basecamp continues to get better without getting complicated. For decades we’ve focused on building straightforward project management software that’s exceptionally capable, fast, flexible, reliable, and easy-to-use. This page details some of the key features (and benefits) at the heart of Basecamp.

[H2] The Project page keeps it all together
In Basecamp, every project you create gets a dedicated page. From there you can customize the page with built-in tools (to-dos, message boards, chat rooms, a calendar, kanban card tables, etc). Add whatever you need to make progress on work together. Invite co-workers, colleagues, clients, volunteers, even AI Agents. Everything stays organized, automatically.

[H2] Message Boards for announcements and discussions
Message Boards essentially replace email. All project announcements, discussions, presentations, etc, live on the message board as individual posts and threads. Any comments and replies are attached to the bottom of that message. Super simple, like a shared inbox for the project. And since all the conversations are centralized and stored in Basecamp, even people you bring into the project later can get up to speed quickly. No more forwarding dozens of lengthy email threads to someone. It’s all neatly organized in Basecamp.

[H2] To-do Lists for tracking all the little things
Make a list, or ten lists, however many you need. Assign items, set due dates, have discussions, attach files, even create subtasks. Drag items between lists. Set up who gets notified when a to-do is completed. It’s all so simple when it’s in Basecamp for your entire team to see. One central source of truth.

[H2] Hill Charts show you where things really stand
Is the project going to be done on time? Are people stuck? Basecamp’s Hill Charts let you know exactly where things really stand.

[H2] Card Tables for tracking work through stages
Card Tables are our take on kanban boards. It’s a wonderfully visual way to track work through a process. Add cards, set up columns, move work through phases. Specify who should be notified when a new card is added to the table, or to a specific column. It’s perfect for bug and issue tracking, software development, production work, or anything that goes through distinct phases.

[H2] Campfire chats for quick, casual conversations
When you have Basecamp you don’t need Slack, WhatsApp, or another dedicated chat app. Just chat in Basecamp instead. Perfect for real-time conversations, quick file sharing, random question asking, stuff like that. Even add multiple chat rooms to a specific project if you’d like.

[H2] The Basecamp Calendar for big dates
Add a built-in calendar to your project. Track deadlines, milestones, events, meetings, anything with a time and date. And there’s even a global calendar that aggregates everything from individual project calendars. You can even subscribe to your Basecamp calendar in Outlook, Google Calendar, HEY Calendar, or any other calendar system you might use.

[H2] Automatic Check-ins for recurring questions
Cut back on meetings and stand ups by setting up Automatic Check-ins instead. Set up questions that are asked on a regular schedule. Everyone’s answers are saved back to a single log for easy review whenever. For example, maybe you’ll have Basecamp automatically ask your team “What are you working on this week?” every Monday morning at 9am. You can look at everyone’s answers, or even hone in one just one person’s answers over time.

[H2] Docs & Files for reference materials, assets, and links
Docs & Files keeps images, documents, PDFs, even cloudfiles (from other services like Figma, Google Docs, iCloud, Dropbox, and others) in neatly organized lists and folders inside your projects. Keep brand assets in one place where everyone can find them. Keep the client’s approved designs in one official spot. Instantly filter by person, file type, or keyword. Everything’s organized in Basecamp.

[H2] My Tasks, Events, Today, Bookmarks, and Notes
Have instant access to your own personal tasks, events you’re part of, bookmarks you’ve saved, and personal notes you’ve taken, all right from the "My Bar" at the bottom of the screen. Keyboard accessible too, so you can hit a key and pop your assignments right up, all without leaving where you are and all without even moving your mouse.

[H2] Reports for high-level overviews
Get an instant read on where things stand with Basecamp’s Reports.
The Lineup shows you projects plotted on a timeline.
Someone’s activity shows you what any particular person has been up to.
Someone’s assignments shows you everything assigned to someone.
Mission Control shows you every project’s status in one view.
The Hilltop shows you every project’s Hill Chart on a single screen.
Added/Completed shows you all the tasks added/completed on a given day.
Overdue shows you everything that’s late.
Unsassigned shows you all the work that remains unassigned.
Timesheets shows you how much time has been spent on each project.

[H2] Everything Views are like having x-ray vision
A real game changer, Everything Views aggregate everything of a specific type no matter which project it’s in. Know someone uploaded a file this morning but don’t remember where? Check "All Files" and it’ll be right there. Know someone posted a comment but you can’t remember in which project? Check "All Comments" and it’ll be right there. Everything Views pull it all together onto a single page no matter where it lives in Basecamp.
All Messages
All Documents
All Files
All Comments
All Check-In Answers
All Forwarded Emails

[H2] The Lineup is your bird’s eye view
Want to see every project plotted on a timeline based on start and end dates? Then you want The Lineup. See overlaps, see beginnings and ends, see who’s on what, even see key dates superimposed over everything. You’ll love it.

[H2] API, CLI, SDK, Skills, and Integrations
Connect with other services using the Basecamp API, extend Basecamp in new ways with 3rd party integrations, get full access to Basecamp through the command line (CLI), or invite your favorite AI agent. Claude, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor — all are welcome.

[H2] Keyboard shortcuts speed everything up
Hit SHIFT on your keyboard and you’ll see a bunch of little keys show up next to navigation elements. SHIFT+that-letter takes you right there, no mousing or clicking required. A huge level up those who are keyboard proficient and love moving around software without the mouse. Open the sidebar with the keyboard. See your tasks with a keyboard command. Ping someone, pop the calendar, pull up latest activity, even see what someone else has been up to all without ever touching the mouse.

[H2] Decide what clients get to see
Working with a client? Only want them to see certain bits of your project? Need to hide unfinished work, but want to still keep conversations in the project and on the record? Basecamp’s Client mode lets you decide what your clients should — and shouldn’t — see on a project-by-project basis. Invite them in, collaborate together, control their experience. It’s a win-win.

[H2] Activity that’s easy to absorb
In Basecamp, all activity is neatly organized around topics, each action clearly attributed, the latest stuff time-stamped, and presented in an easily-digestible format. Scroll back in time and see what happened yesterday, last week, or since the beginning of time. Empty time is shown too, so you can see periods of inactivity.