Project management is a crucial aspect of any business, small or large. ClickUp has emerged as a top choice for many teams looking for powerful tools that can keep up with their growing demands. However, if you feel ClickUp is not the best fit for you, there are a number of ClickUp alternative options available.
Key Takeaways: ClickUp Alternatives
- As a business owner, it is essential to find and use the right project management software to properly allocate resources, optimize time and increase productivity.
- The right software solution for project management depends on the needs and requirements of your company.
- monday.com, Asana and Trello are our top recommendations if you are looking for a ClickUp alternative.
Several other project management tools offer key features similar to ClickUp, and some may even have additional functionalities that cater to specific industries or project types. Factors to consider while exploring ClickUp alternatives include ease of use, pricing, team collaboration features, integrations and customization options.
In this post, we’ll help you explore some of the best ClickUp alternatives that can streamline your project management and improve your team’s productivity.
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The key difference between Asana and ClickUp is the accessibility to versatile features in the free plan.
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If you’re looking for a budget-friendly project management solution with access to a variety of features, Asana is the better option.
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The best free alternative to ClickUp is Asana.
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Top Alternatives for ClickUp
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Why You Might Need a ClickUp Alternative
ClickUp is one of the best creative project management software options, with dozens of features accessible in the free plan. However, if you’re looking to focus more on other features like communication, advanced time tracking or automated processes, you should consider finding a ClickUp alternative.
- monday.com — Best ClickUp alternative with a limited free version
- Asana — Generous free plan with up to 15 users
- Trello — Great Kanban board with unlimited users
- Notion — Excellent for lists and documentation
- Wrike — Powerful task management features
- ProofHub — Easy to use for large teams
- Basecamp — A communication-first project management tool
- Airtable — Various views and features on the free plan
- Smartsheet — Excel-based project solutions
- Hive — Compact project management with time tracking
The best project management software should meet your needs without causing you any inconvenience. ClickUp gives you access to unlimited tasks in its Free Forever plan, but if you want to access unlimited projects, you need to upgrade to a paid plan. Before upgrading, take a look at some ClickUp alternatives for your project planning needs.
We recommend you keep reading and check out our top 10 recommendations for an alternative to ClickUp. If you want more information on each of these software choices, feel free to check out our top project management software reviews.
10 Best ClickUp Alternatives
Every business and project is unique. As a project manager, it’s your job to find the right kind of project management solution to fulfill all your criteria. Here are 10 that come with specific advantages you can leverage within your teams.
1. monday.com
More details about monday.com:
- Pricing: Free, $8 per month (one-year plan) per person
- Provider website: monday.com
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Packed with features
- Versatile integrations
Cons:
- Weak security in lower plans
- Free plan restricted to 2 users
monday.com is one of the best project management software platforms for multiple projects. It has an easy-to-use UI that won’t overwhelm newcomers and a broad set of features applicable across industries. You can seamlessly move around and arrange your files with its drag-and-drop feature.
You can also create private boards to break complex projects down into individual tasks. monday.com allows you to create, edit and organize your tasks, and tasks can be assigned to specific team members. Plus, you can attach relevant files to each task.
Versatile Integrations
monday.com allows you to synchronize your data from other tools. You can integrate with over 200 applications, which helps further increase its functionality.
For example, you can schedule meetings on Google Calendar, track project progress with Asana, create to-do lists with Todoist and so on. However, keep in mind that integrations are only available in the paid plans.
If you’re only getting started with your business, you can opt for monday.com’s free plan. However, there is a cap of two users, 1,000 tasks and limited access to its features. You can make the most of monday.com’s integrations by trying their 14-day free trial and opting for a paid plan. Learn more by reading our monday.com review.
- Maximum users: 2, Kanban Board, & list
- Minimum users: 3, Price per user, Basic features
- Minimum users: 3, Price per user, Expanded features
- Minimum users: 3, Price per user, Advanced features
- Enterprise-level features.
2. Asana
More details about Asana:
- Pricing: Free, $10.99 per month (one-year plan) per user
- Provider website: asana.com
Pros:
- Process automation
- User-friendly
- Great reporting features
Cons:
- Expensive paid plans.
- Some views behind paywalls
- Deficient security
If you’re just getting started with a new business and are looking for the right project management solution, Asana is one of the best project management software options for startups. With Asana, you can manage projects in parallel and make sure everyone on the team sees your updates in real time, keeping everyone on the same page.
Asana has a chatbot instead of proper live customer support, but its friendly UI helps make that problem moot. You can create custom workflows to map out your regular processes, and the app automatically walks your team through each stage so users don’t have to remember how to do it on their own each time a workflow is used. It also offers detailed reports to help you adjust your long-term strategies.
Detail-Oriented Kanban Boards
Asana is among the five best kanban apps we recommend and also excels with its Gantt chart and calendar view. Kanban boards include business workflows and every other feature, so if it’s your preferred view, Asana will serve you well.
With the kanban board, you can see the project status of all your tasks in a single visually pleasing page. It’s easy to set triggers that automatically move the cards on your kanban board, making your workflows more tangible.
If you’re running your business with a small team of under 15 members, you can go for Asana’s free plan. It comes with unlimited free storage with a cap of 100MB per file. However, to serve a bigger team or access more advanced features, consider choosing a paid plan to unlock unlimited users and a project timeline view. You can learn more by reading our full Asana review.
- Up to 15 users
- Price is per user. unlimited users, expanded features
- Price is per user. unlimited users, even more features
- Custom pricing, advanced security features
3. Trello
More details about Trello:
- Pricing: Free, $5 per month (one-year plan) per user
- Provider website: trello.com
Pros:
- Vast template collection
- Easy for newbies
- Great team collaboration
Cons:
- Basic features
- Highly reliant on integrations
- Poor privacy policies
Trello has an intuitive interface that makes it easy to get started. The heart of Trello is its kanban board, a simple yet powerful drag-and-drop board that shows you exactly where tasks sit in the greater scheme of your projects.
You can switch between different project views to access information on your projects from multiple sources. The paid plan lets you access extra storage, commands, field customization and multiple project views.
Extensive Template Library
With Trello’s templates, you won’t have to begin from square one. There are multiple prebuilt templates in the Trello community, each geared toward a different type of project or individual task. You can use a pre-existing template or customize and save your own.
For example, one set of templates is designed for marketing campaigns. One of our favorites, “marketing content catalog,” helps keep all your content fully visible — no more letting a great image or post go unused because you forgot you had it. The plug-and-play template is a lot faster than designing your own warehousing system.
Trello has a very generous free plan, offering limitless users and integrations. However, the file size for uploads is limited to 10MB and only 10 boards can be used per workspace. If you want to up the limit, give one of their paid plans a look. Read our Trello review to learn more.
- Unlimited users, 10 boards, Unlimited power-ups, Unlimited storage
- Price is per user, Unlimited boards, Custom fields, Invite guests
- Price is per user, Several new views
- Price is per user, Advanced admin & security settings
4. Notion
More details about Notion:
- Pricing: $8 per month (one-year plan)
- Provider website: notion.so
Pros:
- Easy to take notes
- User-friendly
- Pocket friendly prices
Cons:
- Lacks Gantt charts
- Difficult navigation
- High reliance on integrations
Notion is a text-focused project management app that lets you merge important notes with key tasks. This tool is especially great for fully remote teams looking to create a centralized hub for documentation or an internal wiki for all teammates to access.
This project management tool uses a block editor that’ll be familiar to any recent WordPress user, in which you can drag and drop blocks to organize your thoughts. You can change the nature of any block with a straightforward menu. It’s also easy to communicate with team members. Just type “@” and mention any person to draw their attention towards a certain block.
Integrated AI Assistant for Automations
Notion’s powerful AI assistant helps you automate workflows, create task dependencies and assign resources to every task. It even helps you improve your writing by suggesting different alternative outcomes.
Say you often receive long messages and emails from your clients or teams. You can type in a command to summarize the information and put it in a table. You can also use the AI’s editing tools to rephrase any information into a different tone or pick out significant numbers.
We recommend Notion as one of the best project management software platforms for freelancers. Solo workers can access almost all the features in the Notion free plan, including up to 10 guest invites. A paid plan extends the team size, removes the file upload limit and includes page history to track the actions taken by each user. The free plan provides a seven-day history view. Read our Notion review to learn more.
- 1 user only, Up to five guests, 5MB file upload limit
- 1 user only, Unlimited guests, Unlimited file uploads, Version history
- Unlimited users, Unlocks workspace, User permission settings
- Advanced security features
5. Wrike
More details about Wrike:
- Pricing: Free, $9.80 per month (one-year plan) per user
- Provider website: wrike.com
Pros:
- Robust task management
- Great reporting tools
- Generous free plan
Cons:
- Dicey privacy policy
- Steep rise in paid plans
- Design could be better
Wrike is a project management platform that plays well with the other apps in your stack. Integrations such as Slack and Intercom can help you establish strong communication channels with your team and clients. You can also use marketing integrations with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote your new products and services.
You can use Wrike as project management scheduling software. The features and functionality of Wrike are very similar to that of Asana. However, Asana is a better choice for newer project managers, thanks to its better-designed UI and Wrike’s slightly permissive privacy policy.
A Powerful Task Management Tool
Wrike helps break your workload into manageable chunks to avoid overburdening employees. You can set recurring tasks to automatically initiate the next course of action in your project agenda without having to spend time on permission and approval.
You can access the board and table views in Wrike’s free plan to get a complete overview of your projects. However, there is a limit on the total number of active tasks you can have. Paid plans give you access to key features like Gantt charts, but make sure you choose wisely — there’s a steep difference in price between plans. For more info, check out our Wrike review.
- Unlimited users. Basic features.
- Price is per user. Plans for 5, 10 and 15 users.
- Price is per user. No monthly option. Plans for 5 to 200 users.
- Plans for 5 to an unlimited number of users.
6. ProofHub
More details about ProofHub:
- Pricing: $45 per month (one-year plan) for unlimited users
- Provider website: proofhub.com
Pros:
- Affordable paid plans
- Great file sharing integrations
- User-friendly interface
Cons:
- Import & export limitations
- Lacks customization
- No free plan
ProofHub offers productive project planning and management features for you and your team members. You don’t need to export all your data to ProofHub to be able to work efficiently — much like monday.com and Wrike, its strength lies in integrations.
One integration lets you send and receive updates on your ProofHub projects without leaving Slack. You can schedule meetings, set reminders and manage deadlines for tasks directly from Google Calendar. All your data can automatically be synced to a cloud storage facility like Google Drive or Dropbox to keep it safe.
Other project management tools, like ClickUp, have a bit of a learning curve involved. However, ProofHub has a simple UI that any user can quickly understand and adapt to. It’s easy to learn and teams won’t have to undergo any special training to use it.
Solid Workflow Planning
You can create, organize and manage your tasks with the simple drag-and-drop feature in ProofHub. Its event planning workflow can grant permissions, delegate tasks, add subtasks and grant priority to each task from the moment it’s initiated. ProofHub’s visualized reports help you track and manage the time spent on every task.
ProofHub does not have a free plan, but it does offer a 14-day trial period. Moreover, ProofHub charges a flat price for an entire team instead of pricing by individual users, and there are only two plans to choose from. You can read more in our ProofHub review.
- 40 projects, Unlimited users, 15GB storage
- Unlimited projects, Unlimited Users, 100GB storage, Advanced features
7. Basecamp
More details about Basecamp:
- Pricing: $15 per month (one-month plan) per user
- Provider website: basecamp.com
Pros:
- All-in-one paid plans
- Refined communication tools
- Non-profit & student discounts
Cons:
- Pricey for small teams
- No free plan
- UI could be better
Basecamp recently added a kanban board view to its existing to-do list and calendar views. While not the most feature packed, it sets itself apart by being full of information: not only can you see who is assigned to a task, you can also tell who’s actively working on it, who is merely in the loop and what they’re all contributing.
One of the best parts of Basecamp is its constantly expanding notification system. It’s full of ways to communicate both with and without direct messaging — you can set important notifications to return later and use an availability status screen to let your team members know when and how you can talk on a given day.
While Basecamp has some great communication features, its actual use for project management is a bit more limited. It’s most useful for teams that rely heavily on regular communication flows. If you’re looking for advanced project management features with a focus on project and task management, try monday.com or Asana instead.
Project Management via Communication Channels
Basecamp is a great tool for close-knit teams. Its advanced communication features help you stay in touch with remote employees and clients, and collaboration is the road to getting things done with Basecamp.
Some of its best perks include replacing long email threads with a message board and “campfire,” two alternative channels that help you get straight to the point. You can share pending items and relevant documents with your team members and manage deadlines and meeting schedules directly from messaging platforms.
Basecamp does not have a free plan, but there is a free three-day trial. If you have a limited number of team members, you can make do with the Basecamp plan that allows up to 500GB of storage. With the Basecamp Pro plan, you get 5TB worth of storage and priority support. Guests can also be invited free of charge on the Pro plan. Learn more in our Basecamp review.
- Per user. Unlimited projects, Unlimited users, All features. 500GB storage.
- Unlimited users. 5TB storage. Priority support.
8. Airtable
More details about Airtable:
- Pricing: Free, $10 per month (one-year plan) per user
- Provider website: airtable.com
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Great template library
- Good time management tool
Cons:
- Strong database angle
- Paid only advanced features
- Expensive paid plans
Airtable is one of the best time management tools, mainly because it can be customized more closely to your team members’ requirements than any other app on this list. Its main function is to quickly import and synchronize large amounts of data from other tools, making it as much a database as a project manager.
You can prioritize tasks as low, medium or high to match your project needs. It’s also easy to create and automate task dependencies both within and outside of Airtable — so easy, in fact, that some consider the platform akin to a no-code app builder.
Custom Interface Designer
Airtable lets you customize the way you display data to your colleagues. Its interface then serves each user only the information necessary for their job, increasing both security and convenience. You can even create multiple interfaces within one base and personalize each one for a different team member.
When combined with Airtable’s ability to store huge amounts of data without lag, you’ve got an intriguing spreadsheet alternative: easy to navigate, simple to search and communicable to every user. Airtable may have a steeper learning curve than most of its competitors, but it could be the solution you’re looking for if you’ve found every other choice too limiting.
The Airtable free plan comes in handy for a startup with a handful of employees. You can have unlimited bases with 1,200 records per base and design your own interface. However, if you want to use the automatic table syncing feature and increase total users, try upgrading to a paid plan. You can read more in our Airtable review.
- All views (except Gantt), 1,200 record, 2GB file storage
- 5,000 records, 5GB storage
- Gantt view, 50,000 records, 20GB storage
9. Smartsheet
More details about Smartsheet:
- Pricing: $7 per month (one-year plan) per user
- Provider website: smartsheet.com
Pros:
- Sturdy knowledgebase
- Great security
- Excel user friendly
Cons:
- A bit pricey
- Needs spreadsheet skills
- Lacks flexibility
Smartsheet is an Excel-inspired cloud-based project management software program that will be a balm for anyone used to running all their projects through spreadsheets. If your business processes revolve around spreadsheets, but Airtable is more powerful than you need, Smartsheet makes a good alternative.
One thing it has over Excel: automations are far easier to understand and implement. Triggers and conditions make sense and deftly eliminate bottlenecks. As your business scales, you can take advantage of more advanced features, like unlimited storage, instant data analysis with work insights, encryption keys for your customers and much more.
Secure Sharing Permissions
Smartsheet’s advanced security settings let you tie access permissions to the stages of the workflow process. Instead of any permission unlocking all information, you can limit access to only the data the team member or customer needs at the time. It’s nice to see an affordable app that doesn’t compromise on tight control.
The Smartsheet free plan is very basic, with various limitations on total users, sheets, attachment storage and automations. You can increase the user limit, attachment storage and unlock unlimited sheets with one of the paid plans. Read our Smartsheet review to find out more.
- Prices per user, Max 10 users Basic features, 20GB file storage
- Prices per user, Three user minimum, Unlimited free users, Expanded features, 300GB file storage
- Advanced features
10. Hive
More details about Hive:
- Pricing: Free, $12 per month (one-year plan) per user
- Provider website: hive.com
Pros:
- User-friendly tools
- New feature requests option
- Variety of learning materials
Cons:
- Limited storage in free plan
- Extra add-ons are expensive
- Desktop application is slow
Hive is one of the best creative project management software options, and comes with a great set of ready-made templates. You can create, share and customize your own templates and align them to meet client requirements. You can also create and customize different templates according to the needs of various teams.
While Hive’s templates help your team understand requirements, its sub-project features help you execute. You can create sub-projects within your main projects and organize them with the help of the template to establish a rigid workflow plan and outline of work.
Accurate Time Tracking
Hive lets you create comprehensive estimates for project timelines. With the help of the kanban boards, Gantt charts and time tracker, you can get regular updates on whether the time spent is matching your projections and adjust the project timeline accordingly. Keep in mind that the time tracker is available only in Hive’s paid plan.
Hive’s free plan gives you access to a variety of features, including visual reporting like Gantt charts, kanban boards, and calendar and table views. However, you’ll be restricted to only 10 users and 500MB of storage. You can unlock unlimited storage, the time tracker and cloud integrations with the paid plan. Learn more about it by reading our Hive review.
- Max 2 users; 500MB storage; Up to 10 users; Unlimited tasks; Unlimited collaborative notes; Gantt, Kanban, calendar & table views?; Email in Hive?; Desktop, iOS and Android apps?; Native chat messaging?; Custom emojis?
- Price per user; Everything in “Free”; Unlimited files & storage; Unlimited workspace members; Workspace add-ons; External guest access; Shareable forms; Time tracking; In-app calendar; Cloud storage integrations; Zoom and Slack from Hive
- Everything in Teams; Flexible add-ons included; Enhanced security and permission controls; Custom analytics and reporting; Unlimited onboarding; Dedicated Customer Success Manager; Enterprise API; Access to Professional Services
Final Thoughts: Top ClickUp Alternatives
Every business requires different things from a project management tool. It’s not about finding the best task management tool, but the right one. While ClickUp is among the easy-to-use project management software we recommend, it might not necessarily be the right project management tool for your business.
Among the above listed software, you’ll see a variety of unique features ranging from pre-set templates, time tracking features, workflow planning, communication tools and visual reporting features. While Basecamp and Wrike offer powerful task management tools, other tools like monday.com and Asana are great choices for multi-project and task management.
Tell us what tool you liked the most and which among the listed features was your favorite one. What factor influences your decision most in choosing task management software? Is it the communication features? Affordable pricing? Let us know in the comments, and as always, thank you for reading.
The post Best ClickUp Alternative: Explore Your Project Management Options in 2023 appeared first on Cloudwards.
