ClickUp is a cloud-based, project management software that’s primarily used to manage workplace interactions and engagements. Its unique one-stop-shop design makes it stand out from the rest. ClickUp has all the tools you need to create meaningful projects in one easy-to use and accessible platform.
Yep, you heard it right! ClickUp is a workplace app that has specific uses and can be used to meet certain needs. ClickUp, however, aims to combine all these functions into one system with the primary goal to increase team productivity. How true is the claim? How well can it deliver when it comes to handling workflow? We’ll answer these and more in our full review right here.
Also, in this article, we’ll tackle other important factors you might want to consider before getting it, including the pricing levels, system support, and the pros and cons that could either make or break ClickUp. Let’s begin!
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from Kurt on his YouTube channel Kurt Knows. You can still read our article to get a complete overview of ClickUp.
What is ClickUp? A Handy Overview ClickUp vs Things 3
ClickUp was founded in 2017 as one the most promising tech startups of the moment. The team behind ClickUp understood their goal: to make ClickUp the best place for teams and businesses to work more productively. They understood that the current productivity system might often be all over the place.
There are many project management tools available that can be difficult to track. For instance, Monday.com and Asana may be a better place to manage project-related tasks. How do you track your time? Go for Hubstaff or ActiveCollab. Do you want to share documents and presentations with your team? Maybe MS Office or Google’s suite of tools could help you with that.
It’s not just the typical project management stuff that teams from all walks of life have to deal with. Communication also comes into play – while a select few platforms have a chat feature integrated within, most of them are downloaded separately. Think of Slack, MS Teams, and even Discord!
With that in mind, there are way too many productivity-based apps for teammates to keep up with, creating an oversupply of separate ecosystems. For some, the increasing number of those may require more work to complete certain projects and achieve certain goals efficiently. ClickUp recognizes the need to create a platform that provides all workplace solutions from one location. ClickUp also believes that it will help improve productivity by 20%.
Though founded around half a decade ago, ClickUp has since then amassed a following of over 200,000 small- and medium-scale businesses and companies. These teams use ClickUp because of its cost-saving features. This helps them save time and money. Some of ClickUp’s notable tools include real-time collabs with fellow team members, shared task-setting, convenient productivity reporting, ready-made templates, and other handy customization assets, all on top of the usual tools such as task management, communication, and time tracking.
ClickUp’s flexible pricing range makes it a great choice for workplace activities. ClickUp also offers a free forever plan which is one of the most affordable productivity platforms. ClickUp makes sure that every member of the team can access all of its most important features, unlike other apps which hide their best features behind paywalls. ClickUp is ideal for remote teams with limited budgets. ClickUp vs Things 3
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ClickUp: Who are the ideal teams?
ClickUp is a great tool for small and large teams. Its overall design makes it an ideal choice for anyone.
- Teams who work remotely or from home – Since ClickUp is cloud-based, it is a great option for businesses whose teams often work apart from each other.
- Human resources departments – ClickUp is equipped with excellent management, reporting, and storage tools, including a performance tracker, which any company’s HR department must have.
- ClickUp provides seamless collaboration and communication features such as chat and comment sharing for design and advertising teams.
- ClickUp is a great tool for marketing and finance-focused companies. ClickUp’s reporting and tracking features are great for teams that specialize in marketing or finance.
- Teams who work in healthcare – Healthcare companies, no matter if they work remotely or not, must abide by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). ClickUp, thankfully, offers this compliance; however, it’s only limited to the enterprise plan.
What’s Good and What’s Not with ClickUp
From simple and convenient offerings to jam-packed pricing plans, it’s no wonder why ClickUp has become one of the top choices for the best productivity software on the internet, and a fan favorite, too! This statement might seem too good to be true. Keep reading to see if ClickUp can still stand on its own.
The Pros
- ClickUp is among a select few platforms with a fully functioning free plan, which includes some vital workflow features that may require access beyond the paywall for other productivity systems.
- It comes equipped with a wide range of elite customization options, each suited for teams from various industries. You can customize dashboards to your personal preferences using the “Custom Fields” tool.
- ClickUp provides a wide range of tools for work management that can be used to improve communication and engagement in the workplace. You can find everything from great real-time reporting to seamless collaboration options.
- Its tools are easy to use, simple and convenient. This reduces the stress of trying to manage multiple productivity apps at once.
- ClickUp’s plans don’t have the same limitations as other platforms. If you want to integrate with third-party apps or services or accommodate more team members, ClickUp has you covered.
- ClickUp offers desktop access as well as a mobile app for iOS and Android that allows inter-team collaborations to take place while on the move.
The Cons
- ClickUp is full of easy-to use features but it can be difficult for new colleagues to learn how to use them.
- ClickUp is not the best in UI design. Some parts of ClickUp’s font and text sizes might be difficult to read for some users. Color layouts can also be a concern.
- ClickUp has many productivity features. However, it does not have the ability to provide post-project feedback. Some of its integrated tools are also not as intuitive as the platform’s counterparts. ClickUp vs Things 3
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ClickUp’s pricing plans broken down
ClickUp offers four pricing plans to its users, with a sub-plan and upgrade tier for each. Each of these plans is suited for a diverse range of teams varied by size, manpower, and availability of resources. Without further ado, let’s take an in-depth look at ClickUp’s plans!
Free Forever
ClickUp’s Free Forever Plan is one of the most outstanding features on the platform. Even though it’s an entry-level plan, you have unlimited access to tasks and can add unlimited team members to your workspace. You’ll also explore ClickUp’s jam-packed core features, such as real-time chat, whiteboards, time-tracking, and native video recording.
Although the offerings seem appealing, there are limitations. For example, the monthly allowance of 100 automations and 100MB storage. The Free Forever plan is a good choice for solopreneurs and project managers who are just starting out.
Unlimited Plan
Like the free tier but don’t like the set guidelines that may impede your workflow? ClickUp’s Unlimited plan offers many welcome upgrades and additional features at very affordable prices. At the same time, other productivity platforms have plans similar to this but at higher price ranges. ClickUp vs Things 3
For $5 per user per year (if you pay annually), you get all the core features of the Free Forever plan plus unlimited storage and app integrations. Unlimited dashboard creations are also possible. Advanced reporting tools and Goals & Portfolio are also available for a low price. This plan is ideal for small teams with a larger client base and more resources. However, upgrading from Free Forever will cost you a little extra, making it very valuable.
Business Plan
ClickUp’s Business Plan is for teams that have grown beyond their small spaces and are prepared to tackle new challenges. ClickUp’s Business Plan includes a host of features to meet the increasing demands of effective workplace resources. It includes extra security features such as double-factor authentication and single sign on integrations with Google for team members, in addition to the other features of the two previous tiers.
The Business Plan also received upgrades that have been worth it, such as advanced dashboard customizations, next level automation, and improved public sharing. The Goal Folders feature allows you to compile and organize your project goals into separate folders, making it easy for safekeeping. If you pay yearly, the Business plan is only $12 per user per month.
Business Plus Upgrade
Explore more with the Business Plan The Business Plus upgrade, priced at the starting point of $19 per member per month (annually), unlocks the rest of the tier’s features for a maximized productivity experience within the team. Not only will you get an additional allowance for automations.
ClickUp’s team-sharing and KPI tracking features, as well as custom role creation, will be explored. As a bonus, you’re given priority support, so whenever you have inquiries and requests, ClickUp’s customer helpline will step in as quickly as possible.
Enterprise Plan
The Enterprise Plan is ClickUp’s most complete tier yet, packed with additional enterprise-grade features apart from all the combined tools covered by all the previous plans. It is targeted at large-scale businesses and corporations as well as established businesses. There is no fixed price, so you’ll need to connect with ClickUp’s sales team to discuss the amount you might need.
The Enterprise tier includes advanced solutions such as white labeling, unlimited custom roles, advanced permissions, customized contract agreements complete with legal support, and HIPAA compliance for healthcare teams. Other noteworthy deals include the ability to do single sign-on using multiple apps aside from Google, custom onboarding training for new teammates, and a dedicated success manager to ensure a highly productive and positive workplace. ClickUp vs Things 3
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ClickUp’s Features: A Closer Look
Before we can explore the rest of ClickUp, let’s first examine its hierarchical structure. A typical productivity system is composed of two things: a company or its projects. ClickUp elevates it with some structural changes. ClickUp creates its own hierarchy consisting of Teams, Workspaces and Spaces (Projects), Folders Lists, Tasks, and Folders.
ClickUp defines a team as a company or organization that manages all tasks and assigns them the employees or their teammates. Teams are usually created by companies from different fields. However, there are rare instances when large groups manage multiple teams simultaneously. From the Teams come the Workspaces, referred to as departments within the company.
After the Workspaces come next, a varying number of Spaces or work projects are assigned by the departments within the Team. Each Space branches out to the Folders, which then branch out to the Lists. All these, under the Spaces essentially, consist of subprojects that make up the grand scheme of the full plan. The much-anticipated Tasks from the Lists section are finally here, each one assigned to a different member of the team.
Let’s now get to the point.
Multitask Toolbar
The multitask toolbar appears when you click on one of the tasks in the ClickUp user interface. You will find the same functions you would expect from an e-mail platform such as Yahoo Mail or Gmail: the ability to mark and select as read, delete, and the ability to delete. Needless to say, it makes for a great feature for solo power users and managers who often handle a hefty load of tasks.
Just like you would any e-mail service, ClickUp’s multitask toolbar allows you to do a variety of things with your chosen tasks. To make it easier, you can modify their status, add or remove assignees, change due dates and convert some tasks into subtasks.
Simplified Methodology for Managing and Viewing Tasks
On nearly most productivity apps, you would be expected to bear the weight of manually writing in your tasks and inputting them into your team calendar and goals everywhere you go. ClickUp has made this process much easier. Instead of spending nearly an hour writing down your tasks and inputting them into your team calendar and goals, you can simply type the task you are interested in and wait for ClickUp to incorporate the data into your workspace.
ClickUp offers many options for how you see your tasks laid out. ClickUp currently offers more than 15 views. These include the calendar, boards, mindmap, map view and workload. This will give you a full overview of the team’s performance and help you to set realistic goals.
Customization Range
ClickUp is a great tool for task management. The useful drag-and drop feature makes organizing tasks a breeze. For instance, if you wish to change the deadline to a later period and day, you may simply drag one of your existing tasks further right or left in the Calendar section.
However, customization goes beyond the simple drag-and-drop and multitask toolbar tools with ClickUp. ClickApps is a section that gives the Workspace a more personal feel. It provides time-saving tools like automations, dependencies and sprints. These can all be integrated into your space. You can also create templates for your documents, checklists, folders and other tasks that you might use in the future. Zapier allows you to integrate with more than 1,000 apps and services, making it easy for you to have a productive work environment. ClickUp vs Things 3
Collaboration and Communication Tools
ClickUp makes it easy to communicate with your team and provides them with in-house tools that make it simple. Its e-mail service and chat feature allow you to interact with your fellow teammates without having to leave elsewhere, as you can do several things, such as catch up on your tasks and ask for special requests whenever necessary. These features are great, but they should not be relied upon. There are issues with the interface, and it is better to have backup comms in case of an emergency.
That aside, apart from the integrated communications tools, ClickUp’s also packed with smooth collaboration features up its sleeves. You can see what your colleagues are doing in real time from the Whiteboard to Documents, just like Google’s work space. Do you have any feedback? You can proof your files or your teammates’ tasks, assign comments for suggestions, and even share them with others so they can see what’s going on.
Documents
It is a great idea to have a place where you can share your ideas and goals. However, you will need to access them on different applications. ClickUp solves this by incorporating its version of Documents into the platform, enabling you and your team to hash out your plans together in one place without going elsewhere.
ClickUp Docs allows you to create and edit files using a few fonts, sizes and photos. You can also link your files with Workspace tasks through widgets. You don’t need to update your workflow in different tabs. Instead, you can do it all within the editor. This feature not only saves you time, but also helps you to be more productive.
When your docs are ready, you have the option to share them either privately between your teammates or publicly with an automatically generated copy-paste link. ClickUp Docs also offers other useful features such as Focus Mode, which allows you to focus on the part you are working on without distractions and allowing you to look at page details including word count, approximate reading time, and estimated reading time.
Real-time reporting and goal tracking
It is crucial to track the progress of projects and determine if any steps have been taken to achieve their goals. ClickUp’s customizable dashboard allows you to view all types of project indicators from one place. From the current status of project goals and sprints to a real-time graph indicating how many tasks have been completed within the team, rest assured that you have the right tools to determine if any of your projects are geared towards success or otherwise.
ClickUp’s reporting section makes it easy to report on how your workspace is doing. Aside from easily digestible visual graphs, the platform houses automatic reporting tools such as the Pulse section, where you get to view how many of your teammates are online at a specific time, Time Estimates, Team Points, and reports on how many tasks a teammate was able to complete in the day, month, or year.
Time Management
Remote work is becoming more popular. This has led to a growing demand for time management apps that help team members track how much time they work each day, week, and month, even though they may be in different places. While there have been dedicated platforms for that, time management features are already part of ClickUp’s loaded package of offerings. Its time tracking and reporting functions are just like the rest of ClickUp’s tools.
The software’s global timer enables teammates to input their work hours, link their tasks, and add notes regardless of the type of device being used – you may record your time from your laptop, mobile phone, or from ClickUp’s free Chrome browser extension. You may opt to either start the timer as you get to your tasks or manually type in how many hours you’ll work in a day – no matter which way you prefer, ClickUp provides you with them. You’ll also explore the core tools that come with general time-tracking management, like time billing, editing, timesheets, and reporting. Have you used a separate time-tracking app before, and do you want to transfer data from there to ClickUp? You may do so by simply syncing info between both platforms. ClickUp vs Things 3
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The ClickUp Support System Bonus
In need of assistance? ClickUp has nearly everything you may need to help you with them! Apart from being packed with many handy work management tools, ClickUp equally shines in providing its users with excellent customer support and learning resources.
On the one hand, its 24/7 customer service section can be accessed at any time regardless if you’re signed to a paid or free plan. What’s nice about it is that you get plenty of support teams to choose from. The Sales section, for example, is the best place to go if you have questions about the Enterprise plan. Likewise, if you want help setting up your Workspace, there’s a dedicated team for that.
ClickUp allows you to explore a wide range of learning content that will help you use the platform. This includes the Demo package’s on-demand video tutorials and the Help Center’s rich documentation. ClickUp University offers courses and webinars that can help you and your team improve your work skills. ClickUp vs Things 3
What Customers Have to Say About ClickUp
ClickUp’s impressive list of project management tools has given it a cutting edge over the rest, although the number of those may be too overwhelming for some users who may just want to keep their fellow team members on track. It has a large following in the general public.
Most team leaders who have used ClickUp for work have been generally positive about their experiences navigating through it so far. The platform’s endless customization options and time-saving features have been praised by many team leaders. They’ve also appreciated how fully functional its free entry-level plan is compared to other productivity software and how worth the upgrades to higher tiers can get considering the valuable price range.
ClickUp has many features. It’s no surprise that learning can be difficult, especially for people not familiar with remote project management. ClickUp users may need to take more time to become familiar with its internal workings. The service has a lot of onboarding and learning material. ClickUp is also subject to criticism for its mobile app and web interfaces that can sometimes be glitchy, but most users don’t see any problems with the service as a whole. ClickUp vs Things 3
Alternatives to ClickUp
ClickUp has made its mark as one of the best productivity software out there, and its level of recognition today has now equaled the following alternative work platforms below. Each one has its own unique features and competitive aspects, but some aren’t as good as ClickUp.
- Monday.com – It’s obvious Monday.com is a close competitor to ClickUp. Monday.com offers many of the same features as ClickUp, including customization options, workflow capabilities, integrations and the ability to provide learning and onboarding resources to its teammates. It makes up for what it lacks with its free plan and large range of tools.
- Smartsheet – Smartsheet offers teams the same caliber of project management tools as ClickUp, such as a reliable mobile app, multiple task-viewing options, and the ability to collaborate with teammates in real time. Smartsheet shines best when it comes to creating spreadsheet-adjacent project plans, making it a much better choice for detail-oriented teams that deal with a huge load of data and only sometimes for small-scale groups and freelancers.
- Teamwork – ClickUp and other software are great for group projects. Teamwork however has many tools that can be used to support client- and service-based interactions. Apart from the usual features you may expect from any PM software, and some great solutions can be used individually. Although it doesn’t have all the features ClickUp offers, Teamwork has a complete suite of products that can be used to enhance productivity. ClickUp vs Things 3
- Asana – Some PM platforms like ClickUp may have too many features. Others may need to be simpler. They may be considered pointless. Asana perfectly strikes the balance of power and simplicity, making it a strong option for teams of various sizes. With a cohesive mix of tools from task management to communication, Asana, on a base level, is great for beginners. However, some aspects require access beyond the paywall, like full-range customization.
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ClickUp for the Final Verdict
Let’s wrap up our ClickUp review and ask these questions: 1) Is it accurate in claiming that ClickUp will increase productivity? How does it handle workflow?
ClickUp is a platform that provides a single-stop solution for project management. This makes ClickUp a great tool to help improve collaboration among colleagues, even if they are far away. However, having too many tools can lead to information overload. Second, depending on how you see it, the software does its best to tackle multiple tasks, even though a few of its aspects require improvement.
ClickUp is ClickUp worth the effort based on what we have learned so far. The final answer may be up to you, but it’s a yes for us in this case! If you’re especially a small start-up team or simply ready to transition to remote work, you may be glad to know that ClickUp has nearly all the tools you need to help achieve your future goals.
FAQ ClickUp vs Things 3
How many devices is ClickUp currently available to download on?
ClickUp offers a desktop version, as well as an app for Android and iOS that we have already developed. It can be downloaded on Windows, Mac and Linux. You can also download the Chrome browser extension from Google Chrome.
Is ClickUp ideal for personal or solo use?
Although ClickUp is not the best platform for freelancers working with clients on their own, it has enough tools to be useful even for personal use. Those who work solo for a living may enjoy ClickUp’s range of excellent project management tools the same way as small- or medium-sized companies do.
Does ClickUp offer offline access?
Yes! Yes! ClickUp offers an offline mode for coworkers who don’t have an internet connection. With it, you can create and view tasks, craft reminders, and take a look at notes; however, you may not be able to access some of its other tools unless you’re connected online.
ClickUp’s Offline Mode feature is available on the platform’s web version, desktop program, and mobile app (Legacy 2.0).