Thinking of using ClickUp? Check out these alternatives first
ClickUp is a great tool and it covers a lot of the requirements of what any team might require. But teams often find it too complex, having to spend not days but months learning it.
If you have felt like “THIS IS A LOT!!’ then don’t worry, you are not alone. Especially for non- tech teams, it can turn out to be a burden instead an asset. This is a solution for very heavy users who are willing to put a lot of time and effort behind it. Also, if you are on a bit of a budget, ClickUp can put a lot of pressure on it.
So, if you are thinking about or have already used ClickUp, there is a lot of merit in checking some of the ClickUp alternatives beforehand. We dive deep into 10 different types ClickUp alternatives. But before that, let us first talk about some of the shortcomings of ClickUp.
Drawbacks of ClickUp
For an amazing solution, ClickUp has some major drawbacks that can make you want to quit the solution for different kinds of teams.
Huge learning curve
The biggest hindrance to implementing any solution in the workspace having a long learning curve. As the success of a project management solution depends upon employees giving regular updates, trying to implement a solution with a huge learning curve can turn into a nightmare.
Users have said that ClickUp can take up to 3 months to implement throughout even in a small team of 15-20 people.
According to research conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group, users give up on a piece of software after three minutes if they are unable to accomplish their goal.
A poll by Capterra indicated that simplicity of use is the most essential factor for software users when assessing a new solution.
A longer learning curve means that users struggle to see the value of the solution as well. A project management solution requires a lot of data and streamlining before it starts adding value to the team.
Hefty Price Point
Starting at $9/user/month, ClickUp can be a pretty expensive solution if you are only managing a small team and rely on your cash flow to manage. Although they have a free plan the 100 MB storage limit means that it is not used for everyday teams
As a new agency or startup owner, when you are looking to save the last penny, spending north of $100 per month on a solution to be organized might not be on the top of your list. When you look for additional automation & plug-ins to make your life a bit simpler, you are then asked to pay even more. Making the whole deal unrealistic for teams on a budget.
For enterprises, that are looking for customization, the total can mount to thousands of dollars per month.
Unsuitable for enterprises
ClickUp as a solution is inherently designed for small agile teams to get things done fast. It churns out a lot of features regularly and has in-built templates but this isn’t a solution that will customize or even a white-label version of it for enterprises.
Large enterprises are different. They require hand-holding throughout the process along with customization to fit into their processes. Almost no enterprise will go through a solution and think how they can change to fit into this. So as a software, you have to be able to bend to fit into their ways.
So, now that we are on the same page regarding why ClickUp might not be the best fit for you,
let’s look at some of the alternatives that might be.
Clickup alternative
1. Notion
If price isn’t your concern and you want something that is even more customizable than ClickUp then Notion can be your best bet. Starting at $10/user/month, it is not a cheap solution. But Notion is one of the few products that has its marketplace for templates.
With Notion templates, it becomes a lot easier for any kind of team to get on board. As you can just buy a relevant template and bypass the long process of doing everything yourself.
Notion’s doc feature is arguably the best in the market. If you have a lot of work regarding documents, Notion will serve all your needs perfectly.
Notion works perfectly as a knowledge hub for the companies that are working on it. They recently launched their new AI version which will help you automate a lot of the documentation going forward.
2. Trello
Trello is one of the simplest solutions available in the market. At times it might indeed come off as something very simple, but it can get the job done. For companies who haven’t used any solution before, Trello’s board can be a good starting point to get started.
Trello’s focus is primarily on its Kanban board and ticketing system to manage tasks. This isn’t a great solution for heavy long-term projects but for minimal tasks, this is easy to get started.
Starting at $6/user/month will not be a huge strain on your budget as well. The free version is decent enough to manage a small team as well.
You can give access on different levels to different types of users. A good setup Trello board can help you organize all the different tasks that you might occur. For basic scheduling, meeting deadlines, and streamlining processes, this is a good starting point.
3. Onethread
If you are in the market for the most affordable and easy-to-use solution, then Onethread is the solution you should be after. Starting at only $3/user/month and a very easy onboarding process means that Onethread is the perfect solution for your smaller teams.
Although it doesn’t quite have the wide range of features of ClickUp it will easily cover all the requirements of your project management, vendor management, workflow setup, reporting, etc. everything.
This also means that it is incredibly easy to come on board as a user as well. You can get started
only in minutes and it won’t take more than 1 week to completely implement the solution.
The customer support for both small teams & enterprises is top-notch. Not only in chats but via email & calls as well. They handhold enterprises throughout the sales support and provide them with the customization they require as well. So that you can keep your process as is but still get the best out of the solution.
If you are working with external stakeholders like vendors, and suppliers then you will love Onethread. It allows you to add them to specific projects & collaborate simultaneously.
4. Airtable
Airtable is one of the pioneer solutions in the market. It is primarily focused on developing some of the most beautiful tables to manage all your projects. The interface is simple but to get the most out of the solution, you have to put in some time and effort.
The flexibility of Airtable especially for a tech team dealing with a lot of data can be hugely important. Coming at $12/user/month, this is not the cheapest solution but it can allow developers to build both in-house and marketable products as well.
Airtable has some of the most beautiful designs and templates available in the market. Its innovative approach to making tables useful in almost every instance is unique.
5. JIRA
Primarily developed for software engineers and agile teams, JIRA is another complex and heavy solution. Starting at $10/user/month, it isn’t a cheap option either.
But if you have a primary developer’s team and work in the agile method, JIRA has some of the most exclusive features and automation to make your life easier. Once your engineers are in JIRA, they will never really want to move. Its issue board, GitHub integration & interconnectivity between different tasks, projects, etc. are pretty unique. JIRA has a well- defined life cycle for developing a feature or enhancement that most engineers adore.
JIRA has an abundance when it comes to widgets and plug-ins. Everything that you can imagine is already within the solution. If you are a heavy user, you can almost get any kind of automation you’d want. This makes it customizable enough that even a large enterprise can use it.
6. Asana
Asana is a much heavier alternative to ClickUp more suited to enterprises who are looking to automate age-old processes. Starting at $16/user/month, this is a solution that will make a severe dent in your purse.
The solution is designed to cater to large enterprises with multiple layers of employees within their organization. With a lot of complex features and possibilities of integration, this can be a handy alternative for larger teams who are trying to move away from ClickUp
7. Monday.com
Similar to Asana, Monday is a solution primarily designed for large companies. Most of the designs are catering to companies with large user bases & complex structures.
Their project planning space is a handy solution for anyone working on long-term projects with external stakeholders as well.
Monday offers different packages from $8/user/month to Enterprise custom packages. The interesting thing about Monday is that the product has widened its offering and now has a suite of solutions like Sales, CRM, HR, etc. So, integration across a large enterprise is easy to do.
8. Microsoft Projects
Not the most comprehensive solution available in the market, Microsoft projects offer a simpler version of all these products. Especially relevant for large organizations that are already very used to Microsoft 365 products. They can pick this solution up very quickly.
Although the starting price point of $10/user/month makes the solution quite expensive. The UI and design still have a bit more conventional pattern than a modern one. But it is extremely compatible with all Microsoft products including Outlook and 365 products.
9. Wrike
Designed primarily for smaller agile teams, Wrike has some very easy-to-use features. Most teams can use it pretty easily. Their primary user bases are marketing and IT companies.
Although there is a free package that can help you get started if you really want to implement it throughout your organization, you need to upgrade to the most affordable $9.80/ user/ month package.
Wrike claims to have one of the easiest adaptation processes and there isn’t a feature overdose like in ClickUp so even first-time users won’t get overwhelmed.
10. Kissflow
Given that every other option is a project management solution only, Kissflow can be something that offers something slightly different to you. It is basically a no-code solution that helps you integrate all the different kinds of automation you require.
Kissflow gives users the opportunity to design a perfect workflow just as they would want. It has its own app store where you can pick and choose what you want to be integrated which way. It is not a cheap option with a price of $20/user/month. But if you are looking for complete flexibility across every aspect of your workflow, then Kissflow is exactly what you are looking for.
Why choose any particular solution?
The most important aspect of finding the right solution for your team is to understand a few things first.
Where you stand as a team
That means how technically adopted your team is, how much time will they be willing to put into it, and how well they respond to changes. Also, if you are a small team no point in going for Asana or Monday but if you require customization maybe something like Onethread can be better over a ClickUp.
Budget
There are solutions from $4-$20/user/month so for a 20 people team you might be paying $80 only for Onethread but $400 for Kissflow. You should be clear about how much money are you willing to spend.
Timeline
Different solutions require different types of adoption times depending upon their difficulties. Something like ClickUp and JIRA might require a few months of a learning curve but Onethread or Trello can be implemented almost instantly.
Usage
Not all solutions are designed for the same kinds of usage. If you have a team full of heavy users, you might want to get something that has a lot of features and automation to offer. Otherwise getting something simple might be the way to go.
Once you have carefully analyzed all these things, now you can make a concrete decision. If you are on a budget and want something easy go with Onethread. If you are focused more on the doc, Notion is your solution. If your team is more around heavy usage maybe then JIRA is the right fit. Monday and Asana incase you are operating a large enterprise and Kissflow & Airtable gives you the option of making your own workflow.
Choose the one that fits your team & their requirement and see how these solutions can help you automate your workflow.