ClickUp is designed as an all-in-one work management platform, so replacing it is rarely about finding “the same thing.” It is usually about choosing a tool that matches your team’s dominant workflow: task-first execution, board-centric coordination, software delivery, structured portfolios, or database-driven operations. This guide compares widely used ClickUp alternatives using published plan details, limits, and pricing mechanics—so you can make a practical, low-risk shortlist.
Table of Contents
Alternatives Table
This table focuses on workflow shape (what the tool naturally encourages) and pricing unit (how seats are counted). Exact plan prices and limits are documented in each section below with vendor-published references.
| Tool | Primary Workflow Model | Best-Fit Scenario | Pricing Unit (Typical) | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asana | Task + project execution | Cross-functional projects with clear ownership | Per user/member | Asana product overview |
| monday.com | Boards + automation | Operations workflows that need repeatable templates | Per seat (often in bundles) | Explore monday.com platform |
| Jira | Issue tracking + agile delivery | Software teams running Scrum/Kanban at scale | Per user | Jira product page |
| Trello | Kanban boards | Lightweight planning and personal/team visibility | Per user (paid); collaborator limits on free | Visit Trello home |
| Notion | Docs + databases | Knowledge + project tracking in one workspace | Per member | Notion workspace overview |
| Wrike | Work management + proofing | Marketing, services, and multi-project delivery | Per user (billed annually in published examples) | Wrike overview |
| Smartsheet | Sheets + portfolio visibility | Program/portfolio tracking with structured grids | Per member (ranges by plan) | Smartsheet overview |
| Airtable | Database + app-building | Operational systems with custom data models | Per seat that can create/edit; read-only often free | Airtable platform overview |
ClickUp Baseline
What ClickUp’s Pricing Tiers Signal
ClickUp publishes a tiered model that combines feature depth with storage and file limits. For teams comparing alternatives, these limits are a useful baseline because most replacements shift costs into either seats, storage, automation volume, or admin controls.
- Free Forever: $0, positioned for personal use and trials.
- Unlimited: $7 per member/month (billed yearly) with a published 100GB storage figure.
- Business: $12 per member/month (billed yearly), including larger file limits (250MB) and more advanced controls.
- Enterprise: custom pricing with enterprise controls and contracting.
These published plan prices and limits come from ClickUp’s pricing page[Source-1✅].
- Practical takeaway
- If you value ClickUp because it merges tasks, docs, and collaboration, look for tools that keep that surface area without adding friction in permissions, reporting, or data modeling.
- What usually drives switching
- Teams typically switch when they want a clearer “default workflow” (software issues, boards, sheets, or databases), or when they prefer a different cost model for scaling users and visibility.
Comparison Criteria That Actually Changes Outcomes
When tools look similar in feature lists, the deciding factors are usually the data model and the cost of coordination. Use these criteria to compare ClickUp alternatives without over-indexing on surface UI differences.
Work Unit and Hierarchy
- Task-first: tasks roll up into projects and portfolios.
- Board-first: cards live on boards and power-ups extend structure.
- Issue-first: issues, epics, and backlogs drive delivery.
- Database-first: records, relations, and views define workflows.
Scaling Costs and Access
- Seat definition: who counts as billable (editor vs viewer vs guest).
- Minimums: some plans bundle seats or set minimum members.
- Automation volume: actions/month can become the real constraint.
- Admin controls: SSO, SCIM, audit logs, and security policies often appear in higher tiers.
Cost model questions that reduce surprises
- Who can create or edit objects, and who is view-only?
- Are guests unlimited, capped, or billed?
- Is pricing presented as monthly vs yearly with different rates?
- Do key controls (SSO, audit logs, advanced permissions) sit behind a higher tier?
- Is the tool optimized for projects, processes, or systems of record?
Asana
Asana tends to fit teams that want structured execution with clear ownership across projects. It is commonly used where work needs to roll up into projects, portfolios, and goals while staying understandable for non-technical stakeholders.
- Model: Task-first
- Strength: Cross-team coordination
- Best for: Marketing, product, operations
- Pricing: Per user
Published Plan Data (Examples)
- Personal plan is shown as $0 and described for teams up to 10 teammates.
- Starter is shown at $10.99 per user/month (billed yearly); Advanced at $24.99 per user/month (billed yearly).
- File constraints are listed as 100MB per attachment and 2GB file storage.
- Asana also lists 100+ free integrations on the same pricing page.
These figures and limits are published directly on Asana’s pricing page[Source-2✅].
If ClickUp is mostly serving as a task execution hub for multiple departments, Asana’s structure can feel naturally “project-native” while keeping the interface approachable.
monday.com
monday.com is often selected when teams want repeatable operational workflows built on boards, templates, and automation. It typically works well for teams standardizing intake, approvals, and routine delivery across multiple stakeholders.
- Model: Board-first
- Strength: Templates + automation
- Best for: Ops, PMO-lite, creative ops
- Pricing: Per seat
Published Plan Data (Currency Selector Applies)
- Basic is shown at €9 per seat/month (billed annually); Standard at €12; Pro at €19; Enterprise is listed as Contact Us.
- Automation and integration quotas appear as numeric allowances (for example, Basic shows 250 automation actions and 250 integration actions; Standard shows 500 and 500; Pro shows 25,000 and 25,000).
Plan prices and the displayed action quotas are shown on monday.com’s pricing page[Source-3✅].
Teams that value ClickUp for “one place to run processes” often compare monday.com when they want a more board-and-template centered workflow.
Jira
Jira is a strong fit when work is naturally an issue lifecycle: backlogs, sprints, releases, and service flows. For teams delivering software, it can reduce friction because the core objects (issues, epics, workflows) match how delivery is already managed.
- Model: Issue-first
- Strength: Agile delivery controls
- Best for: Engineering + product delivery
- Pricing: Per user
Published Pricing (Cloud)
- Free plan is listed for teams up to 10 users.
- Standard is shown at $8.15 per user/month; Premium at $16 per user/month.
- Enterprise is listed as Let’s talk for pricing.
These tiers and prices are published on Atlassian’s Jira pricing page[Source-4✅].
If ClickUp is being used mainly to manage sprints and backlog work, Jira is often compared because its workflows, permissions, and delivery language align naturally with software teams.
Trello
Trello is board-centric and is frequently chosen when teams want a lightweight visual system that stays simple while still supporting expansion through features and add-ons. It can be a sensible alternative when ClickUp feels broader than needed for a given team.
- Model: Kanban boards
- Strength: Fast adoption
- Best for: Small teams, personal planning
- Pricing: Per user
Published Plan Data
- Free plan is shown at $0 and includes a published limit of 10 collaborators per Workspace.
- Standard is shown at $5 per user/month (billed annually); Premium at $10 per user/month (billed annually).
- Enterprise is shown at $17.50 per user/month when billed annually, and also displayed as $210 billed annually.
These plan prices and the collaborator limit are published on Trello’s pricing page[Source-5✅].
Trello is a practical option when the goal is visibility and flow over deep hierarchy. For many teams, that simplicity is the feature.
Notion
Notion is often compared with ClickUp when a team wants a knowledge base and project tracking in one environment. It combines pages with database-style structures, which can be attractive for teams building internal documentation that directly links to tasks and projects.
- Model: Docs + databases
- Strength: Knowledge + projects together
- Best for: Product, research, internal ops
- Pricing: Per member
Published Plan Prices (As Displayed With Currency Selector)
- Free is shown at €0 per member/month.
- Plus is shown at €9.50 per member/month; Business at €19.50 per member/month.
- Enterprise is listed as Custom pricing, and Business lists controls like SAML SSO and more granular permissions.
These plan prices and the listed enterprise controls appear on Notion’s pricing page[Source-6✅].
If your ClickUp usage leans heavily toward Docs, wikis, and structured knowledge, Notion is commonly evaluated because pages and databases remain first-class, not an add-on.
Wrike
Wrike is frequently shortlisted for teams managing many concurrent deliverables with review cycles, dependencies, and portfolio visibility. It is often used in environments where multi-project coordination needs consistent structure.
- Model: Work management
- Strength: Multi-project control
- Best for: Services, agencies, marketing
- Pricing: Per user
Published Pricing Examples
- Free is shown at $0 per user/month.
- Team is shown at $10 per user/month; Business at $25 per user/month.
- Wrike states that the displayed amount is “priced per month” and billed annually, and it includes a validity note dated January 21, 2026.
These prices and the billing note appear on Wrike’s pricing page[Source-7✅].
Wrike is commonly compared when teams want a balance of structure and operational repeatability for delivery across many workstreams.
Smartsheet
Smartsheet is often evaluated when a team’s natural planning surface is a grid and the organization needs portfolio-level visibility. It can feel familiar to spreadsheet-oriented teams while adding structured collaboration and governance.
- Model: Sheets + dashboards
- Strength: Portfolio reporting
- Best for: PMO, operations, delivery tracking
- Pricing: Per member
Published Plan Display (Monthly and Yearly Shown)
- Smartsheet displays both Monthly pricing and Yearly pricing in the plan selector.
- Pro shows per-member pricing with two numeric values displayed (12 and 9) and a stated range of 1–10 Members.
- Business shows two numeric values displayed (24 and 19) and a stated range of 3+ Members.
- Enterprise is listed as Contact sales.
The plan display, member ranges, and the monthly/yearly selector are on Smartsheet’s pricing page[Source-8✅].
If your ClickUp setup is heavily oriented around tables and rollups—and stakeholders expect spreadsheet-like clarity—Smartsheet is a common comparison point.
Airtable
Airtable is typically considered when a team needs a system of record that behaves like a database but is easier to configure than bespoke software. It can work well for operational workflows where data relationships and structured fields are the foundation.
- Model: Database-first
- Strength: Custom data models
- Best for: Ops systems, intake pipelines, catalogs
- Pricing: Per seat that can create/edit
How Airtable Describes Seat Billing
- Airtable notes you are billed based on the number of seats that can create or edit.
- It also states that read-only users and commenters are free, which matters when many stakeholders only need visibility.
- Billing changes (upgrades and downgrades) are described as time-based and prorated, which is relevant for scaling teams through project cycles.
These billing mechanics are described on Airtable’s pricing page[Source-9✅].
If your ClickUp workspaces contain many custom fields and you treat them like a database, Airtable can be appealing because the underlying model is built for structured data from the start.
Fit Signals by Team Profile
This section groups the alternatives by the kind of work they naturally optimize. It is not a scorecard; it is a way to match work pattern to tool shape.
Cross-Functional Projects
Pick a tool when you need clear ownership, timelines, and stakeholder reporting across departments.
- Asana for structured project execution.
- Wrike for many parallel deliverables and standardized delivery patterns.
Operational Workflows
Pick a tool when you need templates, repeatable processes, and automation as the main lever.
- monday.com for board-driven standardization and automation quotas.
- Airtable when workflows are fundamentally data-driven.
Software Delivery
Pick a tool when backlog, sprint cadence, releases, and issue workflows are the core structure.
- Jira for issue-centric delivery and agile tracking.
- Trello for lightweight boards where delivery structure is intentionally simple.
Practical shortcut: If your organization has many viewers who do not edit work, prioritize tools where visibility is inexpensive (viewer/commenter models can be financially meaningful). Airtable explicitly describes this distinction in its seat model, and several tools segment admin controls into higher tiers in predictable ways.
To close the loop naturally: ClickUp remains a strong fit for teams that genuinely want one surface for tasks, collaboration, and multiple work styles. When the primary goal is a tighter fit to one dominant workflow—boards, issues, sheets, or databases—the alternatives above can reduce friction by aligning tool structure with how work already happens.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which alternative is closest to ClickUp’s “one workspace for many teams” idea?
Teams often shortlist Asana, monday.com, and Wrike when they want broad work management across departments. The best match depends on whether your primary structure is project execution (Asana), operational boards and automations (monday.com), or multi-project delivery patterns (Wrike).
Do these tools have free plans suitable for real work?
Several do. Asana shows a $0 Personal plan for teams up to 10 teammates, Trello shows a $0 plan with a collaborator limit per Workspace, Jira shows a Free tier for up to 10 users, and Wrike shows a Free tier. Free plans vary most in collaboration limits, storage, and admin controls.
How should I compare pricing without getting misled by “starting at” numbers?
Compare three things: (1) the billable role definition (editor vs viewer vs guest), (2) whether annual billing is presented as a different rate, and (3) whether automation volume or admin controls are the real constraints. Airtable’s pricing page is explicit about seat types, which is helpful when many people only need visibility.
Which option is the strongest fit for software teams?
Jira is commonly chosen when the organization already thinks in backlogs, issues, sprints, and releases. Trello can still work well when the team wants a simpler board-based flow and intentionally avoids heavy workflow structure.
Which option works best for spreadsheet-oriented planning and portfolios?
Smartsheet is frequently evaluated when grid-based planning and portfolio visibility are core requirements. It tends to suit teams that want spreadsheet familiarity plus structured collaboration and reporting.
Can I keep ClickUp and add one of these tools instead of replacing it?
Yes. Some teams keep ClickUp as the cross-team layer and adopt a specialized tool for a specific domain—for example, Jira for software delivery or Airtable for a data-heavy operational system—while keeping the rest of the organization on one shared surface.