Just because ClickUp is a big player in project management doesn’t mean it’s the best.
It lacks important features that help projects flow effectively.
While you can automate repetitive tasks and schedule activities, you can’t easily collaborate. It’s tough to discuss them since you only have comments and mentions to work with.
Plus, it’s limited mostly to organizational management. It’s not straightforward to work on your tasks in the tool.
That’s why it’s smart to consider ClickUp alternatives.
Let’s dive into the top alternatives to ClickUp. We’ll explore its features, benefits, and drawbacks to find the perfect project management tool for you.
What’s ClickUp?
ClickUp is an organizational tool that helps individuals and teams complete work on time and in one place.
It's like a digital command center for projects and everyday tasks.
ClickUp lets you plan, track, and work together in one centralized hub.
Teams use it for:
Task management
Progress tracking
Team coordination
Ideation and planning
Many different people in a variety of roles use ClickUp, such as:
Project managers
Department leaders
Teams working from different places
Small shops and big companies
Anyone who wants everything work-related in one spot
For example, a marketing coordinator at a tech startup might use ClickUp to keep track of campaigns. ClickUp helps them see which tasks are complete and which are up next. This way, the team meets their deadlines, and everyone knows what they should do.
Remember, though, ClickUp isn’t the only tool of its kind. While popular, it has its drawbacks, and it doesn’t suit everyone.
For example, many global teams prefer Lark for its auto-translation capabilities — something ClickUp can’t do.
So, let’s look at what ClickUp does right and then explore some alternatives.
What ClickUp does right
ClickUp helps teams deliver timely tasks with its custom workflows and task management features.
It’s a popular option for project managers as it turns complex projects into manageable tasks.
Key features
Highly-customizable task management workflows
Workflow automation
Goal setting and tracking
Trials and pricing plans
ClickUp’s free plan makes it easy to get started. There are three paid options to grow and a 14-day full trial to experience paid plans.
Free Forever: Ideal for solopreneurs
100MB storage
Unlimited tasks
Real-time chat and more
Unlimited ($7/user per month): Best for small teams
Unlimited everything from storage to integrations
Advanced dashboards
Business ($12/user per month): Gives mid-sized teams more control
Advanced automations
Detailed time tracking
Enterprise: Custom solutions for large, complex teams
White labeling
Enhanced security options
Integrations and add-ons
ClickUp offers over 1,000 apps in its extensive integration library.
These include popular integrations like Slack, Dropbox, Zendesk, HubSpot, and Zoom.
You can also link to Zapier to connect more tools.
There are handy add-ons, such as a Chrome Extension, advanced automations, and email.
Security and data protection
ClickUp keeps work safe with auto-backups, two-factor authentication (2FA), and encryption.
It meets the highest GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 standards, so your data is secure, whether at rest or in transit.
Accessibility
ClickUp is a great pick for teams who need accessibility features, such as a hands-free mouse, voice commands, and text-to-speech.
What ClickUp can’t do
While ClickUp excels in essential task management, it's not without limitations.
Let’s explore how ClickUp struggles to handle some of the more comprehensive team needs.
User-friendliness
The new layout has stirred up some user complaints.
Lots of users find the interface less intuitive than expected.
This challenge makes team management difficult for users who previously enjoyed its intuitive interface.
Communication
ClickUp's communication features are geared up for task-related discussions.
While you can tag and comment on tasks, the platform lacks broader communication tools. There are no chat or meeting features.
Content creation
ClickUp works fine for scheduling tasks but can’t help you complete them.
There’s no functionality to help users generate content directly within the platform to support tasks or contribute to a knowledge base.
Business insights
ClickUp provides insights into project progress and time management. But there’s limited visibility into broader business processes.
Teams often need more detailed dashboards to guide strategic decisions and optimize operations.
Let’s explore how Lark and other alternatives address these challenges.
Top 10 ClickUp alternatives
In the vast world of project management tools, there are loads of ClickUp alternatives.
They cater to diverse needs, budgets, and team sizes.
Choosing the right one can significantly impact your team's efficiency and workflow.
Since there’s such an overwhelming range, knowing which tool fits your needs can be hard.
Here’s a breakdown of some popular tools that give ClickUp a run for its money.
1. Lark - Best overall alternative
Lark isn’t your run-of-the-mill task management tool.
It encompasses much more than ClickUp.
Yes, it offers various project views with assignments, progress tracking, and calendar sync, such as Gantt charts, calendar views, and Kanban boards. But users also benefit from Lark’s AI-powered automations to streamline repetitive workflows to speed up productivity. It’s great for visual thinkers and teams who need flexible ways to track and manage their work.
And it goes beyond simply scheduling and tracking. It's a comprehensive platform where teams can plan, discuss, and execute projects across global teams.
AI content generation accelerates task completion to optimize time and resources.
Meanwhile, Lark's built-in chat, video, email, and docs collaboration tools offer AI-powered translations to break down language barriers in real time.
If you want your project management, team collaboration, and task execution all in one place, try Lark.
Let’s look closer at how Lark offers a 360 tool to manage your workflows.
Key Features:
Task management and workflow automation
Video and chat with auto-translation
Docs and collaboration features
Data tracking
AI-powered transcriptions and content generation
Pros of Lark:
Centralized hub to automate and manage tasks and collaborate on work
AI-powered generation and automation
In-depth reporting and insights into wider business processes
Cons of Lark:
Teams need a little time to learn its full range of features
The free package is limited in some features
Integrations: Lark features over 70 integrations in the Lark app library. You can also connect to thousands more through Zapier. Integrations include:
Meegle
DocuSign
Zoom
Dropbox
Mockplus
Pricing:
Free Starter plan for up to 50 users
Pro plan for $12 per user per month
Enterprise plan with custom pricing
Free trial: Lark offers a free trial for its Starter plan. This includes:
Unlimited chats & full context of message history
Custom and secured business email
Automatic language translation
100GB storage
Up to 60 minutes meeting duration
2. Trello - Best for traditional Kanban boards
Trello is a task management software best known for its simple-to-use Kanban boards.
It’s a favorite for teams who want a straightforward, intuitive approach to project planning.
It's an excellent choice if you value simplicity in organizing projects and team tasks.
Key features:
Visual Kanban boards
Custom workflow automation
Power-Ups to integrate with other tools
Pros of Trello:
Simple and easy to learn
Highly customizable boards, workflows, and Power-Ups
Free plan with good functionality
Cons of Trello:
Limited reporting and analytics in the free plan
Can become cluttered with complex workflows
Integrations:
Slack
Google Drive
Jira
Dropbox
Zapier
Pricing: Trello offers three plans:
Free plan for up to 10 boards with unlimited users
Standard plan for $12 per month per user (unlimited boards and Power-Ups)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (advanced features and security)
Free trial: Trello has a 30-day free trial of its Standard plan.
3. Hive - Best for flexible project viewing
Hive offers a dynamic project management experience with many flexible board views, including Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and calendars.
It's great for teams needing a versatile platform to adapt their unique processes into highly visual workflow templates and dashboards.
Key features:
Flexible views with Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendars, and more
Automated actions and workflows
Resource tracking and management
Pros of Hive:
Highly visual and customizable dashboard
Built-in chat, comments, and mentions
Powerful reporting and analytics
Cons of Hive:
Steep learning curve
Free plan is limited to one project and ten users
Integrations:
Google Drive
Dropbox
Slack
Outlook
Zapier
Pricing: Hive has four different packages:
Free plan for one project and ten users
Solo plan for $12 per month (unlimited projects and users)
Team plan for $14 per user per month (advanced features and integrations)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (additional security and support)
Free trial: Hive offers a 14-day free trial of the Team plan
4. Asana - Best for small teams with simple processes
Asana is a valuable project management tool that’s very easy to use. It’s clear, simple, and focused.
It's ideal for small teams or startups with simple processes.
If you need a user-friendly interface that’s easy to learn, Asana helps you manage project plans and tasks without the cost of a steep learning curve.
Key features:
Clear and focused task management
Powerful search and filtering
Team communication and collaboration tools
Pros of Asana:
Easy-to-learn user-friendly interface
Comprehensive mobile app
Good functionality in the free plan
Cons of Asana:
Limited customization
Too rigid for complex organizations
Integrations:
Google Drive
Zoom
Salesforce
Slack
Zapier
Pricing: Choose from four Asana plans:
Free plan for up to 15 users and limited features
Premium plan for $10.99 per user per month (unlimited tasks, projects, and collaborators)
Business plan for $24.99 per user per month (advanced features and reporting)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (additional security and support)
Free trial: Asana has a 30-day free trial of its Premium plan
5. Wrike - Best for complex projects
Wrike is a project management software that’s geared toward multi-faceted projects.
It’s got advanced features, intricate workflows, and deep visibility and control. This makes it a great pick for larger teams.
Key Features:
Highly customizable workflows
Real-time collaborative editing
Workload management features
Pros of Wrike:
Handles intricate projects well
Flexible and scalable
In-depth reporting and insights
Cons of Wrike:
Learning curve steeper than simpler tools
Its feature-richness feels overpowering for small teams
Integrations:
Google Drive
Dropbox
Slack
Adobe Creative Suite
Zapier
Pricing: Pick from four different price plans:
Free plan for up to 5 users and limited features
Professional plan for $9.99 per user per month (unlimited projects and tasks)
Business plan for $24.99 per user per month (advanced features and reporting)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (additional security and support)
Free trial: There’s a 14-day free trial of Wrike’s Professional plan.
6. Infinity - Best for customizable project viewing
Infinity is a flexible project management and work organization tool. It’s known for its unique, customizable views and flexible layouts.
With different project views like Kanban boards, lists, calendars, and mind maps, Infinity makes it easy for teams to collaborate in an easy-to-use and comprehensive interface.
Key Features:
Lots of dashboard view options, including mind maps, Kanban boards, calendars, tables, etc.
Drag-and-drop customization
Advanced filtering and search
Pros of Infinity:
Highly visual and adaptable
Intuitive and engaging
Centralized hub for tasks and projects
Cons of Infinity:
Intricate customization can feel overwhelming
Limited in-app collaboration features
Integrations:
Google Drive
Clockify
Trello
Pabbly
Zapier
Pricing: Infinity offers four pricing options:
Free plan for personal use with limited features
Hobby plan for $4.99 per month (unlimited personal projects and basic collaboration)
Pro plan for $9.99 per month (unlimited projects, team features, and advanced customization)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (additional security and support)
Free trial: Infinity offers a 14-day free trial of its Pro plan.
7. Basecamp - Best for non-linear communication
Basecamp has straightforward communication and intricate features.
It is like a digital campfire where your team gathers, discusses projects, and keeps each other informed. It's ideal for teams who value transparency, focused conversations, and simplicity.
Key Features:
Campfire central message board for discussions, file sharing, and project updates
To-do features
Automatic check-ins
Pros of Basecamp:
Helpful with team alignment
Simple and intuitive
Reduces information overload
Cons of Basecamp:
Limited functionality for complex projects
May feel restrictive and minimalist to some teams
Integrations:
CozyCal
Clarity
Toggl
Zoho Flow
Zapier (connects to thousands of tools)
Pricing: Basecamp has a free plan and a paid plan:
Basecamp Personal: Free plan with limited features for individuals or small teams (up to 3 users)
Basecamp Business: $99 per month (billed annually) for unlimited users, projects, and storage
Free trial: There's no free trial for Basecamp Business, but you can try the Basecamp Personal plan to understand how the tool works.
8. Airtable - Best for spreadsheet-style management
Airtable combines the familiarity of spreadsheets with the flexibility of a database.
If you’re a team that likes to organize data in rows and columns, Airtable is a good choice.
It’s good for managing complex workflows, tracking information, and generating reports.
Key features:
Customizable views
Powerful automations
Built-in formulas and functions
Pros of Airtable:
Easy for spreadsheet users to learn
Very customizable
Detailed reporting and insights
Cons of Airtable:
It feels a little structured for non-spreadsheet users
Limited collaboration features
Integrations:
Google Drive
Salesforce
Zendesk
Eventbrite
Zapier
Pricing: Choose from four different pricing plans:
Free plan for personal use with limited features and collaborators.
Plus plan for $10 per month (unlimited bases, collaborators, and blocks)
Pro plan for $20 per month (advanced features, automations, and views)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (additional security and support)
Free trial: Airtable offers a 14-day free trial of its Pro plan
9. monday.com - Best for visual project management
monday.com makes project management feel vibrant and visual.
It works well for teams who thrive on clear overviews and intuitive interfaces.
The boards are colorful and highly customizable dashboards with an easy automation builder to accelerate workflows.
Key features:
Highly visual, customizable dashboards
Automated workflows
Collaborative features
Pros of monday.com:
Highly visual and engaging
Easy to learn and use
Flexible and customizable
Cons of monday.com:
Unique way of working takes time to learn
Extensive customization can lead to cluttered dashboards
Integrations:
Google Workplace
Canva
Miro
Salesforce
Zapier
Pricing: Pick between monday.com’s four pricing options:
Free plan for individual use with limited features.
Basic plan for $8 per user per month (unlimited projects and collaborators)
Standard plan for $12 per user per month (advanced features and automations)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (additional security and support)
Free trial: There’s a 14-day free trial of its Standard Plan.
10. Jira - Best for agile software development
Jira is a powerhouse agile project management tool for development teams.
It caters to agile teams that manage iterative cycles, backlogs, and issue tracking.
It’s a powerful tool to help your software development team streamline agile workflows and boost project efficiency.
Key features:
Designed for agile development teams
Excellent issue tracking
Insightful dashboards and reports
Pros of Jira:
Agile-fluent built-in features
Very flexible and customizable
Detailed data-driven insights
Cons of Jira:
Very steep learning curve
The complexity of the customization options can be overwhelming
Integrations:
Google Workspace
Microsoft Team
Slack
Confluence (Atlassian's content collaboration platform)
Zapier (connects to 1000s of tools)
Pricing: Jira offers four pricing plans:
Free plan for up to 10 users with limited features.
Standard plan for $10 per user per month (unlimited projects and users)
Premium plan for $17 per user per month (advanced features and reporting)
Enterprise plan with custom pricing (additional security and support)
Free trial: Jira has a 7-day free trial of the Standard plan.
Lark has what ClickUp lacks
Lark offers a cohesive environment where in-house, hybrid, and remote teams can plan, schedule, and work together without hassle.
It combines a full suite of communication and collaboration features, sophisticated automations, and task management features.
ClickUp is limited to traditional project management and scheduling.
Lark fosters teamwork between teams on one centralized platform. Here’s how.
Diverse communication and collaboration features
Smooth communication and collaboration power teamwork, so everyone’s onboard and accountable.
ClickUp is primarily a task management tool.
Because of this, it lacks integrated, flexible communication features. This makes complex team conversations a bit challenging.
Lark steps in to fill this gap, offering an all-in-one platform.
Lark not only supports project management, but it also facilitates team interactions and collaboration.
Lark's suite includes:
Messenger: Chat functionality for direct and group chats, file sharing, and real-time collaboration
Interactive Meetings: Video conferencing with advanced features like screen sharing, live captions, and real-time translation
Docs: A collaborative space to create and manage documents with features like version control and real-time editing
Email: A built-in email client allows users to manage communications and project tasks in one central location
Lark’s features offer a superior choice for teams looking for comprehensive communication tools integrated into their project management platform.
This streamlines workflows and reduces the need to waste time switching between applications.
Customizable project management workflows
Fast-paced businesses need customizable workflows built into their project management tools.
This helps you tailor your processes to the specific needs of a project or team.
ClickUp offers some customization, but users often complain that it sometimes feels too rigid or overly complex.
Lark, on the other hand, offers an intuitive solution.
Combining Lark Base and Meegle, you'll enjoy a streamlined approach to creating and automating project workflows:
Lark Base: Lark Base enables you to build flexible data-driven automated workflows and custom databases to organize any information, from customer data to marketing campaigns. Its powerful visualization tools transform data into actionable insights with customizable charts, graphs, and dashboards. Its advanced reporting gives you a clear picture of project progress, team performance, and key metrics.
Meegle: Lark's Meegle allows teams to easily create customizable project fields, reports, and views, making project management more adaptable. This level of customization means teams can set up workflows that match project requirements with precision.
Resource management
To optimize project outcomes and resources, you must properly manage your time, team, and budget.
ClickUp's approach to resource management feels limited.
For example, it lacks dedicated tools for booking and managing physical resources.
Lark handles this challenge with its Rooms feature, providing a straightforward solution to resource scheduling:
Rooms: Lark's Rooms makes it easy for teams to manage room and equipment bookings directly within the platform. This integrated approach makes it easy to access and track resources. Teams can plan and execute projects without the hassle of separate booking systems.
AI auto-translation for multilingual collaboration
In today's global work environment, the ability to collaborate across languages is a must.
ClickUp lacks built-in features for real-time multilingual collaboration. This slows down communication between international teams.
Lark offers AI-powered auto-translation in real time.
Whether you’re chatting on Messenger or meeting via video, Lark will automatically translate conversations in the moment.
This breaks down language barriers and powers cross-cultural collaboration at speed and scale.
AI content generation
AI content generation is a revolutionary tool for scaling content creation. This helps you get through your task list quicker.
Whether writing a blog post, crafting training documents, or communicating with a client, generative AI can improve your writing and speed up the process.
The problem is that most task management tools, like ClickUp, only provide the features to track and manage tasks.
This means you have to switch to other tools to execute projects, speed up completion, and scale work.
But what if you could do all this in one place?
Lark bridges this gap with its OpenAI integration. Users can access a powerful generative AI to create diverse text formats:
Lark’s OpenAI Integration: Lark's AI assistant taps into the capabilities of OpenAI to produce all manner of creative outputs. This feature enhances content creation at scale, from poems to code snippets, from social media posts to sales pitches.
Multi-dimensional business insights
To make informed decisions across your whole organization, you need deeply comprehensive insights into all your processes and workflows.
ClickUp does provide some analytics. However, these reports don’t offer the depth needed for detailed business analysis.
They’re limited to insights into project progress and time management. Reports don’t delve into other aspects of your business operations.
Lark’s analytics do.
Lark’s analytics and reporting features offer multi-dimensional insights across your business:
Seamless data integration: It’s easy to import and analyze Excel data about any internal process. This way, teams can create insightful reports without the hassle of manual data entry.
Defect tracking: Identify, track, and report bugs and issues efficiently. This boosts the quality control process across projects.
Comprehensive analytics: Lark's advanced dashboards provide a holistic view of business performance. It’s not just about project progress and team productivity. You could look at expense tracking, inventory management, client satisfaction, and much more.
Built-in productivity tools
When productivity tools are built into your task management platform, you’ll find a better focus on efficiency and streamlined workflows.
While ClickUp’s core functionality helps improve productivity, it’s missing key tools that help you optimize your time.
Here are a few of Lark’s built-in productivity tools that support daily operations and team coordination:
Minutes: Automatically turn meeting recordings into searchable transcripts. Not only does this help teams focus on key points, but it also makes it far easier to create follow-up action items.
Approval: Rather than your team waiting around for approvals, Lark simplifies and automates approval processes for documents and various workflows. This reduces turnaround times and accelerates workflows.
Calendars: Align individual and team schedules with Lark's synchronized calendars feature. This way, everyone’s on the same page, with fewer scheduling conflicts.
Centralize knowledge hub
Teams need training documentation to keep up with in-house operations.
A knowledge hub is a great way to inform teams and create a cohesive brand voice across all actions and processes.
While a standalone knowledge hub is great, teams have to flick across tools to access materials while trying to focus on the task at hand.
Lark offers what ClickUp doesn’t — a centralized knowledge hub within your task management tool:
Wiki: Lark's Wiki allows teams to create, share, and manage a centralized repository for all organizational knowledge within your project management tool. Offering controlled access, Wiki ensures that sensitive information remains secure while being available to those needing it.
This feature supports organizational culture and information-sharing. Teams head to one place to view their to-do lists and access all the necessary information to complete their tasks efficiently.
Highly-accessible support
Without the right support, your team might struggle to overcome any issues with your task management software.
While ClickUp provides support, lots of users complain that it’s hard to get hold of the support team quickly.
Plus, ClickUp support pales in comparison to the accessibility and breadth of Lark’s support.
Lark stands out thanks to its multilingual and multi-platform support.
Users can access assistance no matter where they are or what language they speak:
Multilingual support: Lark's auto-translation features mean the support team can offer assistance in multiple languages. By breaking down language barriers, users enjoy inclusive support whenever they access it — no more waiting for a native speaker located in your time zone.
Multi-platform support: Whether you're using a mobile device, tablet, or desktop, Lark’s support is accessible across various devices and operating systems.
24/7 Customer Support and 21/5 Technical Support: Lark offers round-the-clock customer support for general inquiries. If you have a technical inquiry, dedicated technical support is available during business hours. This means users have access to expert assistance whenever they run into challenges.
Why Lark trumps ClickUp
ClickUp might be popular, but it’s got a few important downfalls.
While it’s great for assigning tasks and basic automation, it’s not as dynamic as alternatives like Lark.
Where ClickUp helps you organize projects, Lark helps you get them done.
For example, ClickUp lacks any real communication and collaboration features. Lark makes it easy to organize projects and work together in one place with various multilingual communication tools.
ClickUp only helps you schedule, whereas Lark gives you tools to create.
For a closer look at how Lark stacks up against the project management tools above, check out these articles:
Pick a versatile, all-in-one project management solution that facilitates busy teams.
