ClickUp Review 2023 - How Good Is It? [+ Alternatives]

What Is ClickUp?

The ClickUp project management software is a highly customizable cloud app. It enhances team collaboration and efficient workflows. You can: 

• set and monitor tasks
• create and share documents
• and put the day-to-day grind on autopilot

ClickUp launched in 2017 and has quickly grown to over 800,000 customers. It stands out with more than 50 different dashboard views and an excellent data-driven reporting system. You can tweak everything to your specific project, boosting productivity and making remote work easier than ever. 

This flexibility means that once one project is finished, you can recalibrate all the features to meet the needs of the next project.

Its tagline of ‘one app to replace them all’ might seem like a stretch at first. But it has an impressive selection of features, and you can access the platform via browser, desktop, and mobile. Moreover, you can integrate it with your existing work apps before putting all your eggs in one basket.

Users can test the platform out with the Free Forever plan, before progressing to one of the three premium plans. You can also negotiate an enterprise solution to meet your specific business needs. 

Features

Below are ClickUp reviews for all the core features, so you can get a good overview of what this software can accomplish. Some of them are reserved or limited by the plan you choose.

Hierarchy

There’s no doubt that ClickUp is a complex platform brimming with features. To make this manageable it uses an intuitive hierarchy that lets you overview and manage everything before digging into the details. 

The components are mainly Workspaces, Spaces, and Lists.

The Workspace is the top level for the boss or managers. It represents your entire business or organization. 

Meanwhile, Spaces form high-level categorizations like: 

• your separate teams
• departments
• or types of work

At this level, you manage the features available to that space. Within Spaces, work is broken down further into lists. This is where you group together related tasks.

For example, your company might have separate spaces for the sales team and the marketing team. Within the marketing space, your ‘lists’ might include: 

• social media
• blog posting
• SEO

Within the social media list, is where you’ll create day-to-day tasks and assign them to the appropriate social media staff.

How you use this structure depends entirely on how you wish to organize your business. It’s flexible enough to meet virtually any need.

Tasks

All projects, big or small, start with the ClickUp task management features. These let you break down the workload into smaller, manageable tasks. You can assign them to individuals and groups and tag them with levels of priority — urgent, high, low, etc.

Tasks fall under the parent category of ‘Item Types’, which include: 

• basic tasks and their descriptions
• milestones to reach
• features to incorporate
• and issues to solve

Moreover, the custom fields option means you can tweak an item in any way that suits your project. 

Comment threads and shareable screen recordings also give opportunities for hassle-free collaboration. Beyond items, you can:

• create status updates and checklists to work through
• assign time estimates, so the team can work to deadlines
• monitor productivity

Reminders

Main tasks further include ClickUp reminders. These can be set by a manager or by other users to plan their own time. You attach it to a task and give it a name and date. Reminders can be set up for the due date or any time beforehand. You can also create recurring reminders.

Every user has a ‘My Work’ area where they can view reminders they have created or been assigned. They can also mark a reminder as done or snooze it until a later date.

iOS users can quickly create reminders by voice command using Siri. 

Docs

ClickUp Docs can replace traditional Microsoft Office software and the likes of Google.

These ClickUp documents are created from a single editor and can be attached to tasks or shared among team members directly. This comes with permissions settings, including guest and public access.

The editor is very versatile. Create a simple three-paragraph text document or a large company wiki with nested pages and styling. Options include: 

• banners
• tables
• buttons
• widgets
• dividers
• custom code

Some obvious document types like the ClickUp spreadsheet are available, though this is found in the Templates section rather than under Documents.

Mind Map

The ClickUp Mind Map feature is a great way to visualize projects and ideas. Maps are interactive with the option to create and manage tasks right there. Drag branches into logical paths and map out your entire workflow. Alternatively, maps can be free-form — separate from any particular task structure. 

As with all features, you can easily share these with your team for collaboration. 

Notepad

As good as the platform is for teams, you can also utilize ClickUp for personal use. For example, freelancers can use the notepad feature to quickly get down ideas and then convert these into tasks right from the notepad screen.

This is great when you’re on the go or talking to a client but don’t want to waste time transferring notes over from a separate app.

Goals

A project can stagnate without ClickUp goals. These can take the form of:

• completed/pending 
• numbers
• or financials

For instance, weekly sales targets. Moreover, you can generate sprints by turning tasks into goals with a deadline. Weekly scorecards help you track employee success.

Everything is easily organized into folders with each task displaying a completion percentage to give a useful overview. 

Whiteboards

ClickUp Whiteboards allow for visual collaboration in real time wherever team members are located. Map out ideas, create notes, and morph these into tasks directly from the Whiteboard view.

It uses an intuitive drag-and-drop editor for linking different elements. You can make simple connections, larger roadmaps, or even full project workflows. Elements include: 

• images
• web links
• sticky style notes
• and freehand drawing like on a real whiteboard

The obvious benefit is — everything is saved on the platform, rather than everyone having to take their own notes in a meeting. 

Reporting

ClickUp reports are found within the broader ‘Dashboards’ feature. This is your entire control center and it can be arranged exactly to your liking. You get over 50 widgets for displaying the data you want to see, including: 

• tables and charts
• progress tracking
• time tracking
• calculations
• and more

You could use this to develop sprints for resource management or business management. 

ClickUp dashboards can also be shared with other users and the full-screen mode is useful for displaying on a large monitor in the office.

Email

In ClickUp, email can be sent and received directly from the task view. The thread can then be seen right there. You have the option to send emails internally or to external addresses. Moreover, you can switch between multiple email accounts.

ClickUp supports Outlook and IMAP, as well as Gmail and Office 365 via OAuth. 

You can also run automated emails based on task events, submission forms, or custom fields. This means you no longer have to worry about common responses linked to customer emails, ticketing, or bugs.

Views

The platform’s customization cannot be understated. The various ClickUp views let you see your work in the way that suits you. It has 15 preset views that can be further modified. Depending on your tier, this includes: 

• Gantt charts
• tables
• and timelines

The ClickUp Calendar view lets you track projects at a high level by day, week, or month. Meanwhile, you can click down into individual tasks and filter them to find what you’re looking for. 

The ClickUp Kanban lets you view workflow processes with simple statuses like ‘To-Do,’ ‘In Progress,’ and ‘Done’.

Chat

The ClickUp chat feature is ideal for posting team updates, linking to internal and external resources, and streamlining all team correspondence.

You can run multiple real-time chat rooms for different groups and permissions. Moreover, anyone can be quickly added or @mentioned to keep moving things forward.

Attachment capabilities let you embed videos, documents, spreadsheets, and entire web pages. Moreover, you can format messages with: 

• lists
• banners
• block code
• /Slash command shortcuts
• and more

A particularly useful feature is the ability to attach a chat view to any other work within ClickUp. 

Integrations

ClickUp software has countless native apps and features. However, you can integrate your favorite third-party tools too. A lot of these work out of the box, such as GitHub, Google Drive, Zoom, Twilio, and Giphy, to name but a few.

You can then connect your Zapier account, which will unlock over 1,000 other integrations.

You can also import everything from other common project management tools for a smooth transition. This includes Asana, Trello, Todoist, Jira, Monday.com, Basecamp, and Wrike. 

Automations

ClickUp automation puts monotonous tasks on autopilot so you can spend time on more important work. Its preset automations are called ‘recipes’ and you can customize these to your needs with ‘when’ and ‘then’ conditions. 

In total there are over 100 different ways to automate ‘busywork’, including assigning tasks, posting comments, sending emails, and more. 

Automations span its native apps and features, as well as the tools you have integrated.

Resource Management

ClickUp resource management is available on the first premium plan, taking the platform’s core functionality and applying it to resource-based businesses. It handles asset tracking and data entry, with useful templates for inventory and facility management.

This is where custom forms really come into their own. Design them for your vendors, whether you’re requesting costs, inventories, or calculations. Then, store the data, assign related tasks, and use dashboards for cost insights. 

Templates

ClickUp templates are premade project skeletons created with certain industries in mind. This saves you the hassle of starting from scratch.

It organizes templates by beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels and then by case.

For instance, beginner finance templates include a Grant Proposal and a Non-Profit Annual Report. Whereas you’ll find ‘Risk Register’ and ‘Bug and Issue Tracking’ in the advanced engineering category. 

Of course, these aren’t set in stone and some overlap between industries. You can also customize them.

There is even a ClickUp onboarding template to help you train team members, clients, and vendors to use the platform.

Ease of Use and Interface

Once up and running, ClickUp provides easy access from anywhere via the cloud. You can opt for dedicated ClickUp desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux, or simply log in with a browser. The only real usability issues are the small font size on desktop and the odd slowdown reported by some app users.

The mobile app for Android and iOS is a cut above the competition, allowing for effortless tasks assignment, checking of updates, and interaction with colleagues. Rather than being a supporting app with a few key features, it packs everything in with extras on top. For example, in-app video recording is tailor-made for mobile.

You can also use a Chrome extension that allows you to take notes, save websites as tasks while browsing, and markup screenshots.

Overall, ClickUp is intuitive and logically designed. Its range of apps makes it excellent for diverse remote teams. However, its sheer number of features and customizations can be overwhelming in the beginning. 

Training and Documentation

To help you get started, ClickUp offers tons of guides and documentation. These span categories like features, integrations, billing, and mobile. Moreover, the ClickUp University offers a collection of online courses to get you and your team up to speed. 

If you can’t find what you want by browsing these extensive archives, there’s a search function.

The webinars are particularly useful. You can watch these on demand, while new content is added on a weekly basis, which you can tune into live. 

Hands-on ClickUp training is available at a premium by contacting sales. Meanwhile, Business Plus customers get priority support and an admin training webinar.

Support

Direct support can be accessed 24/7 via a ticketing system. There is also a live chat, though you will have to go through some automated steps before reaching a member of staff. 

Those on the higher tier plans do get priority support, which is expected for such a complex platform. However, you are far from walled off. Communication is so open that you can even make ClickUp feature requests.

ClickUp Pricing

ClickUp provides a scaled-back free plan and three tiers of premium plans. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the software. 

Alternatives

There are several ClickUp competitors that offer comprehensive project management solutions. It is worth considering the pros and cons of each before deciding whether ClickUp is for you.

ClickUp vs Asana 

When it comes to basic project management, both Asana and ClickUp fit the bill. They provide an easy-to-follow hierarchy, task creation, collaboration, and tracking. On the surface, their interfaces are also quite similar.

However, ClickUp has by far the most customization options and features. Stand-out areas include docs, mind maps, and digital whiteboards, to name but a few.

It is all the extras that make ClickUp the better overall solution, but also the more difficult to learn. Asana can be grasped in an afternoon, while ClickUp requires an extensive onboarding process.

Ultimately, Asana is the better option if you are looking for a project management tool as part of a broader stack. ClickUp is the better option if you are willing to embrace the ‘one app to replace them all’ philosophy. 

ClickUp vs Monday

If you want to easily oversee all your projects in one place, Monday.com and ClickUp are both great choices. Planning, collaborating, and monitoring are all here. 

Monday’s main selling point is its ease of use. Everything is fast, clean, and simple to follow. Whereas ClickUp can be quite intimidating and isn’t as easy on the eye. However, if you take the time to learn, it certainly has more in-depth features. It also provides a free plan for teams, while Monday requires a subscription if you want more than one user.

ClickUp reviews show that it also stands out with its accessibility. It’s rare to find a dedicated app for Linux, for instance, and ClickUp offers it. 

In the end, Monday is better for smaller teams and those looking for a beginner-friendly solution. ClickUp is better for larger organizations looking for adaptability and advanced features. 

ClickUp vs Notion

Notion is closer to a direct competitor to ClickUp. It positions itself as an all-in-one solution and is highly customizable like ClickUp. They both provide productivity tools, time tracking, documents, seamless collaboration, and task management.

Notion has the edge when it comes to table, gallery, and timeline views. However, ClickUp is still the better all-around option.

It boasts over 90 native features, compared to Notion’s 30 or so. It also has more integrations. ClickUp’s free plan supports 100MB of storage, while Notion’s limit is just 5MB. 

That said, Notion’s starting plan does work out $1 cheaper, at $4/mo billed annually. This might give it the edge if you’re on a very tight budget.

ClickUp Review – Verdict

To conclude this ClickUp review, the platform deserves praise for its flexibility and customizations. It certainly has the capacity to become your all-in-one project management system. For large organizations, the natural drawback to this is that it has a steep learning curve and will take training and time to implement at every level. 

Fortunately, the onboarding support is there and it’s possible to migrate from and integrate with your existing cloud stack.

Even when it’s not immediately apparent which plan and features are essential to your projects, support is on hand to explain the details. It’s also easy to upgrade when you’ve outgrown a lower tier.