The Best ClickUp Alternatives: An Honest Product Round-Up

ClickUp is a popular collaboration and project management tool, but it’s not the best option for every team. If you’re looking for ClickUp alternatives that meet your organization’s unique needs, you’ve come to the right place. 

If you’re in the market for a ClickUp alternative, you’ve probably already discovered that there are an overwhelming number of options. With this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the top eight ClickUp alternatives. 

But first, let’s look at the features worth comparing.  

8 top alternatives to ClickUp

ClickUp markets itself as one app to replace them all. With to-do lists, time tracking, screenshots, and recording, it’s hard to argue with their logic. But can one app replace ClickUp? Let’s find out. 

To narrow down your list of ClickUp alternatives, you’ll need to establish the key features you need from a project management tool. You can use this criteria as a starting point:

• Comparison to ClickUp: How comparable is each tool to ClickUp? Could the tool replace ClickUp? Does the tool have features that ClickUp doesn’t?
• Main features: I made a short list of the significant features of each platform. If you don’t have time for an in-depth comparison, use these features to help you decide. 
• Support: Is customer service available if you need them? Does the platform offer free tutorials and support documents to help you with onboarding?
• User interface (UI) and usability: One complaint teams have about ClickUp is that it’s difficult to use. I considered functionality and usability heavily when selecting these alternative tools.
• Pricing: Another reason to seek alternatives is price. ClickUp is a powerful tool, but there are cheaper alternatives with similar features.
• Integrations: The ability to integrate with other tools can save you countless hours of administrative work. Check each platform’s integrations page to ensure your most used tools are on the list.

1. Hubstaff Tasks

Main features

• Agile workflows
• Automated Stand-ups 
• Epics
• Roadmaps
• Agile Sprints
• Project Timelines
• To-do lists
• Time tracking
• Detailed timesheets

Pricing

• Free plan: Free 
• Premium plan: $5 per user/month

Hubstaff Tasks is a powerful task management platform with many of the same features that ClickUp offers. The user-friendly, intuitive interface requires little to no training for employees.At Hubstaff, we use Tasks to handle project management and team collaboration for our entire organization. We use the Stand-up feature to handle projects and check in with team members without daily meetings or constant contact.

Hubstaff Tasks has the functionality to address a lot of the same needs that ClickUp does. It can handle customizable workflows, task and project time tracking, and to-do lists. Start by dragging and dropping tasks to different Sprints. You can toggle between Kanban-style boards and timeline views to set up task dependencies, relationships, and blockages. Or, check on the entire project cycle with the Roadmap tool.

Additional features and integrations

Like ClickUp, Hubstaff Tasks starts at $5 and is one of the most affordable options on this list for task management. 

Users can integrate Hubstaff Desk with Hubstaff Tasks for geofenced time tracking, productivity measurement, and more. They will need to upgrade to a paid version of Desk to do so, though. 

Hubstaff Desk comes with over 30 integrations with other tools. Check out the Hubstaff integration page for more information about integrations.

2. monday.com

Main features

• Dashboards
• Integrations
• Automations
• Gantt charts
• Kanban boards
• Docs
• Files

Pricing

• Individual plan: free
• Basic plan: $8 per seat/month (billed annually) 
• Standard plan: $10 per seat/month (billed annually) 
• Pro plan: $16 per seat/month (billed annually) 
• Enterprise plan: Contact the monday.com sales team

monday.com is a robust work management tool that is highly customizable. I used monday.com as a task management tool for about six months, so I have some first-hand thoughts to share with you.

First, monday.com is a perfect platform for tech-savvy teams. With an emphasis on technological prowess, this software has a steeper learning curve than most tools on this list.

If you have a developer on your team who can help you customize monday.com, this tool is invaluable. Otherwise, the time it takes to set these automations and integrations up can’t be overlooked. It’s a complicated process. 

“Somehow the simple UI is not very intuitive for me. The rows display of items seems a bit off as opposed to the boards display. That also makes the screen seem full of tasks that usually irrelevant for some users.”

– Harrel M
Leisure, Travel, and Tourism
(Via GetApp)

To their credit, monday.com does provide support for new users. I’ve tried their video tutorials, community forums, and help articles to learn how to use certain features. 

Users also acknowledge that monday.com’s UI is aesthetically pleasing and clean. Once you know to use it, it’s less overwhelming than ClickUp.

Additional features and integrations     

ClickUp is better than monday.com for individual users, but not for larger organizations. With project milestones, task dependencies, and checklists, monday.com can handle complex projects better than many of the more straightforward tools on this list (Airtable, I’m looking at you). 

You can also switch between Kanban and Gantt views, view real-time insights, and add time-saving automations. Monday also offers an impressive list of integrations with CRM, communication, and help desk tools. 

monday.com offers iOS and Android apps and a desktop version for Mac and Windows. 

3. Asana

Main features

• Workflow builder
• Gantt chart and Kanban boards
• App integrations
• Reporting

• Strategic goals
• Automation
• Workload management

Pricing

• Basic plan: Free forever
• Premium plan: $13.49 per user/month
• Business plan: $30.49 per user/month 
• Enterprise plan: Contact the Asana sales team

Asana is a work management platform for web and mobile that can help teams better organize and manage their work. 

I’ve used Asana extensively as a team project management tool. In my opinion, Asana was much easier to use and had many of the same features as ClickUp. For this reason, Asana is one of my favorite project planning options.

Asana is known for its ease of use and straightforward UI. This is one area where I think Asana far exceeds ClickUp. Others tend to agree.

“​​Overall, I love that Asana is super easy to use, but also has more advanced features when you need them.”

Rebecca B.
Marketing and Advertising
(Via GetApp)

Additional features and integrations

Asana is more expensive than ClickUp, but both tools come with a free forever plan. Asana’s free plan allows small businesses to thrive without upgrading to a paid plan. One stand-out feature is its file-sharing and communication capabilities. 

You can also use Gantt Timelines or Kanban boards to organize your tasks and track progress. Then, you can add your projects to a shared calendar view to ensure your team is on the same page and workloads are optimized.

Real-time insights help you ensure goals are met, and projects are completed on time. Like ClickUp, Asana has a robust suite of integrations that can sync your data across applications.  

Asana allows you to access your projects on any device with desktop and mobile apps. Unfortunately, Asana’s mobile app is pretty lackluster compared to the desktop.

New users can learn how to use Asana with free training, webinars, and courses taught by the Asana Customer Success team. 

4. Hive

Main features

• Project Management

• Integrations
• Time Tracking
• Collaboration & Messaging
• Automations 

Pricing

• Solo plan: Free
• Teams plan: $12 per user/month
• Enterprise plan: Contact the Hive sales team for help

Hive is a project management platform for hybrid work that users can customize to their liking. Like other tools on this list, it has timelines, Gantt charts, and Kanban views with drag and drop abilities.

I haven’t used Hive before, but I spent some time using their free trial to get to know the platform. Overall, I was impressed by my Hive free trial. 

Hive’s onboarding experience made me feel comfortable using the software immediately. I was satisfied with the UI’s clarity but disappointed by the reporting and accountability features.

What sets Hive apart from ClickUp is its communication-centric approach to project management. Hive offers email integrations, built-in messaging, and drag-and-drop abilities that transform DMs into tasks.

ClickUp only offers third-party messaging options and no native chat functionality. However, ClickUp has more advanced task management and permissions features than Hive. 

Additional features and integrations

Hive provides an impressive lineup of features for task management. With project and action templates, getting started with Hive is simple. 

Users can visualize their deadlines on a calendar and manage projects by deadlines. Or, consolidate tasks and add them to your Portfolio for a broad overview. Personal to-do lists help you organize your smaller day-to-day tasks.  

When compared to ClickUp, I’m not impressed by the Hive support options. While other tools on this list offer videos, tutorials, and live support, Hive just directs you towards their help articles. 

Hive offers desktop and mobile applications for iOS and Android devices. There’s over 1,000 integrations to choose from to help you optimize your efficiency. 

5. Jira

Main features

• Scrum boards
• Roadmaps
• Reports and insights
• Drag and drop automation
• Open DevOps
• Customizable workflows

Pricing

• Free plan: Free
• Standard plan: $7.50 per user/month (on average)
• Premium plan: $14.50 per user/month (on average)
• Enterprise plan: Enterprise pricing information is available when you have 801 or more users

Jira is a task tracking suite specifically designed for those following the Agile project management methodology. 

While I haven’t used Jira in my past work, I used a free trial to see how the platform compares to ClickUp. Overall, I found Jira was similarly difficult to use. Jira runs smoothly once you get it set up, but that can be a complicated process. 

“What I always disliked about Jira is the lack of UI customization such as applying themes or having certain sections stand out more than others. You will see much of the UI is plain and ambiguous.”

Prince K.
Telecommunications
(Via GetApp)

The first thing I noticed in comparing Jira to ClickUp is that it doesn’t have a native workload management solution. You can download plugins to fill this gap, but it will likely come at an additional cost. 

Like ClickUp, Jira users can begin their projects with a ready-made template. Then, they can break workloads into more manageable projects with users’ stories, tasks, and issues. 

Additional features and integrations

To offset Jira’s challenging setup process, at least their support features are impressive. They offer training, documentation, and a community where you can find answers and inspiration from other users. 

Jira offers integrations with 3000+ apps that you can easily download from the Atlassian Marketplace. 

6. Wrike 

Main features

• Gantt charts and Kanban boards
• Templates
• Time tracking
• Analytics
• Project portfolio management
• To-do lists
• Invoicing
• Automated workflows

Pricing

• Free plan
• Professional plan: $9.80 per user/month
• Business plan: $24.80 per user/month
• Enterprise plan: Contact the Wrike sales team

Wrike is a customizable project management application that can streamline project completions and communication. 

I tried a free trial of Wrike and was impressed by how easily the software enabled me to set up workflows. I had several tasks and subtasks with due dates, start times, and progress in just a few steps.

However, Wrike was among the more complex platforms on this list after the initial setup. Wrike takes time to learn, like ClickUp. The workload view is complicated, but the UI is straightforward overall. 

I was impressed with their task dependency management and collaboration features. Wrike also offers a solid and flexible Gantt Chart. However, Wrike does not provide the same task management features as ClickUp. 

With project templates, you can jump right into creating projects. You can customize dashboards, workflows, and forms to optimize Wrike for your team. 

Wrike works best for large or enterprise-level corporations, while ClickUp works for freelancers, small teams, and enterprise-level businesses.

Wrike has integrations with 400+ app integrations. They also offer a mobile application that enables your team to connect on the go. Wrike offers tutorials, videos, and a Wrike Community to ask questions and share tips and tricks.

7. Nifty 

Main features

• Discussions
• Milestones

• Tasks
• Docs and files

• Time tracking
• Reporting

• Project home
• Project portfolios

Pricing

• Free plan: Free
• Starter plan: $5 per user/month
• Pro plan: $10 per user/month
• Business plan: $16 per user/month
• Enterprise plan: Contact the Nifty sales team for enterprise pricing

Nifty is a collaboration tool that helps teams manage projects, tasks, and communication in one central location. 

Nifty is similar in price to ClickUp, offering a free version for teams on a budget. I tried their free forever plan and built a content calendar using their free template. 

I thought Nifty’s UI was straightforward, and I liked their simple video guides that help determine the best way to use the platform for your business type.

Like ClickUp, Nifty markets itself as “one app to unite teams, goals, and actions.” Both platforms aim to combine all the features you need in a project management tool. 

Nifty might not be the best pick for users looking for a tool that works with Agile methodology. Nifty can reduce your team’s ability to catch critical Agile reports like velocity charts and burndowns. ClickUp provides these essential tools. 

However, Nifty has some impressive features. The built-in time tracking feature in Nifty impressed me more than the time tracking options that ClickUp offers without adding another integration. 

Plus, Nifty has built-in wiki capabilities to help you create a knowledge base of documents for your team. Users can store important project information and documentation in Nifty for reference. 

Nifty users can visualize their work with Kanban boards, Timeline views, Swimlane views, and more. Plus, automate processes to erase manual labor and human error. 

Nifty provides communication tools like file sharing, chat, and even one-click video calls. Nifty also has robust support features with a Help Desk, FAQs, and 24/7 chat support if you run into issues using their platform.  

You can connect with Nifty using your web browser, Android, iPhone, or iPad. Then, you can choose from over 2,000 integrations to connect with Nifty. 

8. Airtable

Main features

• Interface Designer
• Views
• Automations
• Sync data
• Reporting

Pricing

• Free plan: Free
• Plus plan: $10 per user/month
• Pro plan: $20 per user/month
• Enterprise plan: Contact the Airtable sales team for an enterprise quote

Airtable is a cloud-based spreadsheet-based project management platform we use internally at Hubstaff to organize our workflows and documents.

Airtable is the king of spreadsheets (sorry, not sorry, Excel). With Airtable’s spreadsheets, you can log and organize your project data. ClickUp does not have a built-in spreadsheet view. 

Realistically, spreadsheets alone are not the best way to manage complex projects for a large team. But it is still a valuable way to store information and track progress. 

For that reason, Airtable isn’t our top pick to replace ClickUp for large teams, but freelancers or small businesses could use this affordable tool to manage their documents and projects. 

Airtable has a simple UI that requires little onboarding and a free plan that is pretty impressive. Their paid plans are affordable, especially for small businesses, and you can integrate Airtable with hundredss of commonly used applications. 

One prominent feature missing from Airtable is that you cannot create tasks or subtasks. This makes splitting up projects and managing your complex tasks difficult in Airtable. 

Like ClickUp, Airtable has multiple views, including Gallery View and Kanban View, to visualize your workload with personalization options. You also can leave comments for other users. 

Airtable also enables you to set up automations for seamless processes. Users can trigger notifications, streamline their workflows, and run custom code. 

You can download Airtable on your iOS, Android, Mac, or Windows device. Airtable has documentation for getting started with a new Airtable account and troubleshooting if you run into issues. 

Final words 

Introducing new project management software into your workspace can improve your teamwork, organize your task list, and maximize resource management. 

ClickUp’s paid plan can get expensive, and its interface can be difficult for users. If ClickUp isn’t working for you, try one of these tools to boost your team’s project management.

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