ClickUp alternatives (2026): 8 tools compared for buyers
Looking for an alternative to ClickUp? These 8 tools do the same job with a different focus. Each one is compared on who it suits, its key features, pros and cons, and what each vendor publishes on security, admin and contract terms.
Why buyers look beyond ClickUp
- Steep learning curve for beginners.
- Some features restricted on lower plans.
- Slow loading and unintuitive interface for some.
- Companies needing SAML SSO or SCIM without an Enterprise contract.
- Teams wanting a simple tool with little setup (G2 complaints mention a steep learning curve)
From ClickUp's published plan limits and recurring themes in public reviews. See the ClickUp review for the full picture.
ClickUp alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|
 ClickUp Current | Small and mid-size teams that want one flexible tool replacing several apps. | $9 per user/month billed annually (Core; regular $12) | Free plan |
 Asana | Cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier. | $10.99 per user/month billed annually (Starter) | Free plan |
 monday.com | Small and mid-size teams that want customizable boards and many automations. | $9 per seat/month billed annually (Basic), min. 3 seats | Free plan, Free trial |
 Wrike | Mid-size teams running cross-functional projects with approvals. | $10 per user/month billed annually (Team) | Free plan, Free trial |
 Smartsheet | Teams used to spreadsheets who want structured project tracking. | About $9 per member/month billed yearly (Pro; estimate, the vendor does not clearly label monthly vs yearly prices) | Free trial |
 Trello | Small teams that want a visual Kanban board with minimal setup. | $5 per user per month billed annually (Standard) | Free plan |
 Notion | Startups and small teams combining wiki and project tracking. | Free; Plus $10 per member per month billed annually | Free plan |
 Jira | Software and IT teams running agile sprints and backlogs. | Free up to 10 users; Standard about $8.48 per user per month (monthly, list) | Free plan |
 Basecamp | Small teams or agencies that prefer flat pricing over per-seat. | Free (3 users, 1 project); Freelancer $29 per month | Free plan, Free trial |
The 8 best ClickUp alternatives
Asana
Work management platform with list, board, timeline and Gantt views, where resource management and portfolios start at the Advanced tier.
Cross-functional teams wanting timelines and unlimited automations early will find the Starter tier sufficient. Anything involving portfolios, goals or resource management means Advanced, and SAML SSO or audit logs mean Enterprise. EU, Australia or Japan hosting is an Enterprise add-on.
- Best for
- Cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier.
- Company size
- Small teams to enterprise.
Key features
- Task views and planning
- List, board, calendar on Personal; timeline and Gantt from Starter.
- Workflow automation
- Unlimited automations from Starter.
- Workload and resource management
- Resource management within portfolios on Advanced; organization-wide on Enterprise.
- Time tracking and budgets
- Timesheets and Budgets add-on on Starter; time tracking comparing estimated vs actual effort on Advanced.
Best for
- Cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier.
- Companies needing EU, Australia or Japan data hosting (Enterprise add-on)
Not ideal for
- Teams needing SAML SSO or audit logs below Enterprise.
- Very small groups that need more than 2 users free.
Pricing: $10.99 per user/month billed annually (Starter) · Free plan
monday.com
Board-based work management platform with a 3-seat minimum on paid plans and quote-based pricing above 40 users.
Customizable boards and generous automation quotas suit small and mid-size teams. Before signing, count seats: paid plans begin at three, and above 40 users you must request a quote. German, US or Australian hosting is selectable, and time tracking needs Pro.
- Best for
- Small and mid-size teams that want customizable boards and many automations.
- Company size
- G2 Learn article reports 63% small business, 29% mid-market, 8% enterprise users.
Key features
- Task views and planning
- Timeline/Gantt and calendar from Standard.
- Workflow automation
- 250 actions/month Standard, 25,000 Pro, 250,000 Enterprise.
- Workload and resource management
- Portfolio and resource management on Enterprise.
- Time tracking and budgets
- Time tracking on Pro.
Cons
- Reviewers often cite price as the main drawback.
Pricing: $9 per seat/month billed annually (Basic), min. 3 seats · Free plan, Free trial
Wrike
Work management platform for cross-team projects with tiered plans from a free tier up to custom enterprise packages.
A fit for mid-size teams pushing approvals through several departments, especially those that want EU hosting in Paris. Pilot it with real users first, since third-party reviews flag a steep learning curve, and note that Business caps at 200 seats.
- Best for
- Mid-size teams running cross-functional projects with approvals.
- Company size
- Team 2 to 15 users; Business 5 to 200; Pinnacle and Apex for larger orgs.
Key features
- Integrations
- Wrike Integrate and Two-Way Sync (22 systems) are add-ons, included in Apex.
Pros
- Easy to use for day-to-day task handling.
Cons
- Steep learning curve.
- Interface feels unintuitive.
- Notification issues and missing features reported by third-party reviews.
Pricing: $10 per user/month billed annually (Team) · Free plan, Free trial
Smartsheet
Spreadsheet-style work management platform with sheets, automation and enterprise governance, sold per member.
Spreadsheet-fluent teams get familiar grid tracking plus governance, SAML SSO and regional hosting for larger rollouts. Budget for per-member pricing and paid add-ons such as Resource Management, and during a trial test formulas, since reviewers call them the hard part.
- Best for
- Teams used to spreadsheets who want structured project tracking.
- Company size
- Pro 1 to 10 members; Business 3+; Enterprise 10+.
Key features
- Workload and resource management
- Resource Management is a paid add-on on Business and Enterprise.
- Integrations
- Directory integrations on Enterprise; Bridge is Enterprise add-on.
Pros
- Good team collaboration and tracking.
- Strong automation options.
- Versatile for many project types.
Cons
- Steep learning curve, especially formulas.
- Expensive.
- Slow performance and Excel-like limits.
Pricing: About $9 per member/month billed yearly (Pro; estimate, the vendor does not clearly label monthly vs yearly prices) · Free trial
Trello
Card-based Kanban board tool from Atlassian that stays simple for small teams and adds timeline, calendar and dashboard views on paid plans.
Pick it for small teams that need a drag-and-drop Kanban board running in an afternoon. Check what you need on paid tiers (calendar, timeline, dashboards), and plan Power-Ups for time tracking, since none is native. SSO means a separate Atlassian Guard subscription.
- Best for
- Small teams that want a visual Kanban board with minimal setup.
- Company size
- Small teams and departments; Enterprise tier for larger orgs.
Key features
- Task views and planning
- Board view on all plans; Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views on Premium and up.
- Workflow automation
- Built-in automation on every board; 250 command runs per month Free, 1,000 Standard, unlimited Premium and Enterprise.
- Time tracking and budgets
- No native time tracking listed on the pricing page; third-party Power-Ups needed (G2 reviewers also mention this)
- Reporting and dashboards
- Dashboard view on Premium and Enterprise.
Pros
- Very easy to set up and learn.
- Clean drag-and-drop boards suit simple workflows.
- Generous free tier.
Cons
- No native time tracking.
- Struggles with large volumes of tasks and many team members.
- Some Power-Ups are limited or cost extra.
Pricing: $5 per user per month billed annually (Standard) · Free plan
Notion
All-in-one workspace for wikis, docs and lightweight project databases, priced per member with SSO starting on Business.
Startups and small teams that want wiki pages, docs and light project databases in one place can start on the free plan. SAML SSO arrives on Business and SCIM only on Enterprise. There is no native help desk, so test how the block editor copes with wide, long documentation.
- Best for
- Startups and small teams combining wiki and project tracking.
- Company size
- Two-thirds of G2 reviews from small business; Enterprise tier for large orgs.
Key features
- Task views and planning
- Timeline, calendar and board views; dependencies.
- Workflow automation
- Automations for task flows and database entries.
- Reporting and dashboards
- Dashboards with charts from multiple sources.
- Integrations
- Slack, GitHub, Jira embeds.
Pros
- Flexibility to build docs, wikis and databases.
- Strong product direction (G2 sub-score 9.4)
Cons
- Learning curve (ease of use 8.3, lowest sub-score)
- Gaps for time tracking and resource planning.
Pricing: Free; Plus $10 per member per month billed annually · Free plan
Jira
Atlassian's issue and project tracker, built for software teams and configurable enough to run general work management at scale.
Software and IT teams running sprints and backlogs get the most from it, particularly if Confluence or Bitbucket are already in use. Expect real admin work: workflows are deeply customizable, ease of setup is rated modestly, and SSO needs Guard below Enterprise.
- Best for
- Software and IT teams running agile sprints and backlogs.
- Company size
- Free for up to 10 users; plans scale to 100,000 users.
Key features
- Task views and planning
- Boards, backlog, list, timeline and calendar views (not confirmed by the vendor)
- Workflow automation
- Automation steps per plan: 150 per subscription Free, 400 per user/month Standard, 750 Premium, 1,000 Enterprise.
Pros
- Highly customizable workflows.
- Strong integrations and ecosystem.
- Good for team collaboration on software work.
Cons
- Steep learning curve.
- Setup is harder than simpler tools (G2 ease of setup around 7.6)
Pricing: Free up to 10 users; Standard about $8.48 per user per month (monthly, list) · Free plan
Basecamp
Flat-price project tool from 37signals that bundles message boards, to-dos, chat, scheduling and file storage instead of charging per seat.
Shortlist this if your team wants one flat monthly fee instead of a per-seat bill. Setup and admin are light, but plan the user cap (3 to 15, or Pro Unlimited) and check whether you can live without Gantt charts and rule-based automation.
- Best for
- Small teams or agencies that prefer flat pricing over per-seat.
- Company size
- Small teams; 20+ users require Pro Unlimited.
Key features
- Task views and planning
- To-dos, Card Tables (Kanban style), scheduling; Gantt-style timeline not listed.
- Workflow automation
- Automatic check-ins only; no rule-based automation listed.
- Time tracking and budgets
- Listed in plan features; availability on Freelancer and Pro is unclear on the vendor's pricing page.
- Reporting and dashboards
- Reports and automatic check-ins on all plans.
Pros
- Calm, straightforward interface.
- Easy setup and admin (G2 sub-scores 8.6 to 8.7)
- Flat pricing is predictable.
Cons
- Lacks advanced features such as detailed Gantt charts.
- Support scores trail some competitors (8.4 on G2)
Pricing: Free (3 users, 1 project); Freelancer $29 per month · Free plan, Free trial
How to choose a ClickUp alternative
Start with what made you look: a missing feature, a team that outgrew the plan or a bill that grew faster than the team. Then compare the shortlist on the points that matter most for this kind of software.
- Task views and planning: Kanban, list, Gantt and calendar views decide whether different teams can plan work the way they already think.
- Workflow automation: Rules and templates cut repetitive status updates and handoffs.
- Workload and resource management: Shows who is overbooked, which matters once several projects compete for the same people.
- Time tracking and budgets: Needed by agencies and service teams to bill clients and control project cost.
- Reporting and dashboards: Gives managers status across projects without asking for updates.
- Integrations: Connections to Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, GitHub and CRM decide how well the tool fits existing tools.
Security, admin and contract terms compared
Switching tools means a new security review. This is what ClickUp and each alternative state publicly about single sign-on, provisioning, audit logs and the contract; a blank means the vendor does not say.
| Tool | SAML SSO | SCIM | Audit logs | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClickUp | Google SSO on Business; SAML, Okta, Microsoft SSO on Enterprise and Max. | Enterprise and Max. | Enterprise and Max. | Cancel anytime; 30-day satisfaction refund window; bank transfer for Enterprise orders above a minimum. |
| Asana | Enterprise (SAML); Microsoft SSO can be required on paid plans. | Enterprise. | Enterprise. | Monthly plan available; cancel anytime, keep access to period end; no refunds. |
| monday.com | Not published | Not published | Not published | Annual paid upfront; yearly plans cancelled within 30 days get partial refund; no refund for downgrades. |
| Wrike | Not published | Not published | Not published | Annual subscription on Business and above; Team purchasable self-serve for up to 15 users. |
| Smartsheet | Google/Microsoft/Apple on all plans; SAML 2.0 on Enterprise and Advanced Work Management. | Not named; directory integrations (provisioning) on Enterprise and up. | Activity log on Business and up; Event reporting add-on on Enterprise. | Cancel or change seats anytime per User Agreement; Enterprise has SLA. |
| Trello | Enterprise includes SSO via Atlassian Guard; Standard and Premium need a separate Atlassian Guard subscription. | Not published | Not published | Standard and Premium available monthly or annually; Enterprise annual only. |
| Notion | Business and Enterprise (SAML) | Enterprise. | Enterprise. | Monthly plan available. |
| Jira | Enterprise includes SSO; Free, Standard and Premium need Atlassian Guard Standard. | Enterprise includes; other plans need Guard Standard. | Standard and up (not available on Free); Premium and Enterprise not confirmed. | Monthly or annual subscriptions. |
| Basecamp | Not published | Not published | Not published | No long-term contract; cancel anytime; 30-day trial on paid plans. |
When to stay with ClickUp
- Small and mid-size teams that want one flexible tool replacing several apps.
- Teams that need a free plan with unlimited members.
- Teams comfortable configuring custom fields and automations.
ClickUp alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to ClickUp?
Asana is the closest alternative for most teams: cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier. monday.com suits teams that small and mid-size teams that want customizable boards and many automations.
Is there a free alternative to ClickUp?
Asana, monday.com, Wrike, Trello, Notion, Jira and Basecamp offer a free plan. Free plans usually cap users, features or history, so check the limits against your team size.
What is cheaper than ClickUp?
For 20 users on the cheapest plan that fits, Trello ($1,200 a year) and Jira ($2,035 a year) cost less than ClickUp ($2,160 a year), based on published list prices.