Founded in 2016 by Alex Yurkowski and Zeb Evans, ClickUp is the new kid on the block in the world of project management tools.
The founders say they created the software so businesses could be more productive and get more done, claiming that existing software was “broken”. They believe that by bringing in every tool and app a company uses and putting it under one roof, ClickUp can make teams up to 20% more productive.
Here’s how it works.
ClickUp keeps everything related to your business in one centralized place. Instead of jumping from window to window, you work entirely from inside ClickUp because all of your apps like tasks, documents, chat, and project management are kept in the same place.
For companies of all sizes, ClickUp allows teams to plan projects in charts, collaborate in real-time with editable documents, and track productivity using analytics and reporting. The tool was also built with one other feature in mind: customization. Teams using ClickUp can customize everything from web page branding to project funnels within their workspaces to suit their needs.
ClickUp is growing in popularity, too. There are now 200,000 teams using the platform to plan their projects.
Freemium plan available
From $9/user/month
Pros and Cons
Pros
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Great for solopreneurs
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Has easy-to-use dashboards that users can customize
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Freemium model that includes most features
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The tool is simple and easy to navigate
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Affordable for all team sizes
Cons
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Lots of features and customization options add time to onboarding
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Onboarding is self-managed, which isn’t ideal for enterprise teams
I’ve wanted to review ClickUp ever since it landed in the project management software space.
The reality is that in the project management software field, it’s hard to stand out. The tools aim to do the same thing (make teams more productive and organized), so the differences between the tools are usually found in pricing or user interface.
ClickUp is different. The whole reason ClickUp’s founders built the tool was that they didn’t think the project management software on the market worked well enough for teams. They believed that the software available either did too much and was too complex or did too little and didn’t actually help businesses stay productive.
In my opinion, ClickUp has achieved what it set out to do: make a tool that does just enough to help businesses stay organized.
Let’s take ClickUp’s freemium plan as an example. Teams with a low budget (or no budget at all) can use the software to work remotely, track task progress, plan product launches, and share feedback. To get these features with the other tools in the project management market, companies would have to invest in a paid tier, which is definitely a big tick in ClickUp’s column.
That’s not to say there aren’t downsides to the tool—there are.
Considering ClickUp markets itself as a hybrid tool where you can manage projects and organize your entire workflow, it’s not surprising that it can get… complicated. Its modification options mean companies can change ClickUp to fit their unique needs, but this level of customization comes with a pretty steep learning curve. This is even mentioned in the tool’s onboarding guide!
Should that stop you from trying out ClickUp?
I don’t think so. The number of features packed into the tool, not to mention the (very) generous freemium tier, make ClickUp a pretty impressive addition to the project management software market. Even the paid tiers with more features are cheaper than some competitors, so if the tool is a good fit for your company, it’ll be good for your budget too.
Freemium plan available
From $9/user/month
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Agile Teams
ClickUp’s features are perfect for agile teams to create customized funnels and manage sprints, build Scrum charts, and track issues. -
Remote Work
ClickUp is cloud-based, so remote teams can use it to collaborate on documents and work on tasks no matter where they are. -
Human Resources
ClickUp’s document storage and management, as well as inbuilt performance tracking, make it ideal for HR teams. -
Design Teams
ClickUp has collaboration features like comment sharing and file proofing, which are essential for design teams—especially in a remote environment. -
Finance Departments
ClickUp allows teams to manage accounts, track project budgets, and tie financial goals into project progress. -
Product Development
ClickUp has sprint and backlog templates that development teams can use to manage product launches. -
Sales Teams
ClickUp allows sales teams to track leads and prospects and collaborate on deals. -
Marketing Agencies
ClickUp makes it easier for creative agencies to collaborate with clients and get approval for assets. -
Healthcare
Use ClickUp’s HIPAA compliant enterprise-grade plan for healthcare projects and team management.
ClickUp Video Review
Features: What I Like About ClickUp
Here are some of the best features ClickUp has to offer.
Multitask Toolbar
Let’s start with the multitask toolbar.
The problem with a lot of project management software is that dashboards can get overwhelming, and a lot of information is packed into a small space. The multitask toolbar minimizes this because it allows you to manage lots of tasks at once.
If you want to update the status of your tasks, all you have to do is group select them and then change their status, due date, or dependencies. This feature is super helpful for busy project managers who need to bulk update tasks on certain projects or reassign them if a team member gets sick.
Time Management
With more teams working remotely, time management tools are now a must-have feature for project management software tools.
ClickUp’s time management tools allow project managers to look at their team’s calendars to see how busy everyone is and as it also tracks capacity, it’s easier to spot when someone is overscheduled.
As the platform integrates with tools like Google Calendar, your tasks and due dates will automatically transfer across, so your team never misses important deadlines.
You can also build custom automations from scratch. The automation customization page walks you through the processes step-by-step using conversational language buttons, so truly anyone can use it. Automations needn’t stop at one function, either, as a simple “and” command can link subsequent or simultaneous actions.
Real-Time Collaboration
Like Google Docs, ClickUp has collaboration documents that allow your team to work together in real-time.
When the document is open, you can see who else is working on it and track changes. Because the documents are shareable, it’s easy to collaborate and ask for feedback and help from other team members.
Task Management Visuals
Writing task lists takes time, and then adding them to a calendar for your team takes even longer.
ClickUp’s task management features give project managers a way to create to-do lists quickly, and then it automatically populates data onto their team’s calendars. Thanks to a drag-and-drop function, project managers can reorganize deadlines and set task dependencies based on urgent tasks.
The feature also creates daily task lists, so when your team logs in on Monday morning, they’ll know exactly what’s on their agenda for the day.
Process Management
One of the goals of ClickUp’s process management tools is to reduce the amount of time project managers waste on repetitive tasks.
Project managers can create task templates and lists and then save them for next time. When a similar project lands in their pipeline, project managers don’t have to start their planning from scratch—they can just pull one of the templates and get to work.
The apps marketplace includes third-party integrations with tools like MailChimp, Facebook, and Hubspot, but it also has original, built-for-Monday expansions that are unique to the system. Monday also offers API documentation for software developers looking to build their own integrative tools.
ClickUp Screenshots
ClickUp Pricing
As I’ve already shouted from the rooftops, ClickUp has a freemium plan that is perfect for smaller businesses. But it also offers three other pricing tiers for those of you looking for more features or with larger teams.
Let’s take a look at all of ClickUp’s pricing tiers ?
Free Plan
ClickUp’s free tier is (in my opinion) amazing because it not only gives users unlimited tasks and 100MB of storage but also unlimited members.
Yes, there are some limitations (100 automation/month, limits on how many times you can use sprint points), but it should be enough to get you started if you have a small team (or work alone).
Unlimited Plan
At $5/user/month, the unlimited plan has everything on the free plan, plus unlimited storage, integrations, dashboards, and you’ll also get access to advanced reporting. Unlike the free plan, the unlimited plan allows you to set permissions on documents and data, so this plan may be a better fit if you are working with external clients.
Business Plan
Costing $9/user/month, the business plan includes everything from the unlimited plan, but it bulks up the security features.
This tier offers users two-factor authentication as well as one-click sign-on using external platforms like Google. And if you wanted to build out advanced dashboards for reporting, this is the plan for you. It includes unlimited dashboard widgets, advanced time tracking, and goal alignment, making it easy to tie in project goals with real-time data.
Enterprise Plan
The final plan ClickUp offers is its enterprise plan—although prices aren’t listed publicly.
If you choose this plan, you’ll get everything from the business plan, plus multiple sign-in options, increased API limits, and HIPAA compliance. But the big difference between the enterprise plan and the other tiers is the amount of support it includes. You will get a dedicated account manager as well as custom onboarding and support, so if you run into any issues—you’ll be taken care of.
Support & Deployment
Support
In comparison with its competitors, ClickUp offers above-average customer support. Every account (even those signed up for the Freemium plan) has access to 24/7 support, and you can choose what department you want to speak to before you are connected with a support agent.
There are also tons of resources customers can use to self-diagnose a problem. The support centre has a huge library of explainer videos, tutorials, demos, and documents to help if you run into any problems.
Training
ClickUp has built a training portal new customers can use to navigate the tool when they first onboard.
Through the dedicated “learn” portal, customers can access webinars, videos, on-demand demos, and even (free!) 1-on-1 coaching.
Deployment
ClickUp’s onboarding has a DIY approach.
There is a quick walkthrough video on the onboarding page, and then an extensive knowledge base users can use to teach themselves how to use the product.
What I liked about this was the separate section dedicated to “wow factors.” This article, broken down into quick how-to’s with video, shows new users some of the features that set ClickUp apart from competitors, like slash commands, wikis, multitask toolbar, and tool embeds.
It’s a nice way to hammer home to new customers that ClickUp has a bunch of cool features that they won’t find on other platforms.
ClickUp Best Reviews
Iris G. on G2
“This project management tool gives you maximum flexibility without losing the overview. Even when you change the way of working, there’s always a way to setup Clickup. The integrations with other tools are also great, so it really makes your life easier. In the past, we’ve tried many project management tools, and they all took more time than they would save time. Now we finally managed to find one that’s super easy to use, that keeps track of what we’re doing and makes it able to connect different specialities within our marketing team together.”
Sarah McKinney on TrustRadius
“Remote work is simplified with ClickUp helping us manage all our projects anywhere at any time. We can easily assign tasks, set priorities, track projects, and collaborate all under one single platform. Speed is important to us but also accuracy is everything. ClickUp helps us complete and deliver projects on time with a high level of accuracy. We are now more organized and ready to add more projects to our timeline as management of projects is now a smooth process.”
Mike on Software Advice
“ClickUp allows for any workflow that fits your team and makes it easy to rinse and repeat that workflow over and over. On the upper plans, your individual team members can also save personal views that work for them. This level of personalization allows people of different personalities to work their own way to accomplish the same project. The new email system has been a game-changer for our team. Now everyone can see the communication with our clients within the project.”
Stephanie G. on G2 Review
“The most helpful thing that ClickUp has done for me is it has given me the ability to view and organize all my tasks in one place easily. With the click of a button, I can see all tasks, projects, and upcoming items on one calendar. This has changed my efficiency so much that my managers have told me, “You are killing it!” I owe a lot of this to ClickUp. The other item that has absolutely changed the way I work is the time tracking. I can click the button and track my time to the second on each task and project, since my day is full of switching between tasks on a minutes notice, then seeing the total amount I worked on that task at the end of the day is SO HELPFUL.”
Brittany B. on TrustRadius
“We use ClickUp across the entire organization. I am a project manager and I use it to assign and track tasks for our design, development and marketing teams. It also allows us to easily track the time of our team members by task, which is helpful for internal resource planning as well as managing time for our retainer-based clients.”
ClickUp Customers
Final Verdict
ClickUp is trying to solve a difficult problem in the project management software space: having the right number of features without making the tool too difficult or expensive to use.
I think it has succeeded.
Smaller teams can take advantage of the freemium tier, and enterprise companies can pay to access advanced features like HIPAA compliance and their API. Yes, the customization and features can be overwhelming, but the platform also has 24/7 support (enterprise consumers get their own account manager), so help is always there if you get stuck.
My advice is to give ClickUp a try—what do you have to lose?
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Related Read: Project Manager’s Guide To Implementing A Compliance Program
