Pros & Cons of ClickUp: Analysis of a Leading Project Management Software

Today, the usefulness of project management solutions makes them very popular among companies and teams of every size across various industries. They provide businesses with a command center to coordinate business processes, ranging from simple tasks to long-term projects. They, more or less, provide the same features and level of customization. Hence, software shoppers tend to have a hard time choosing which one to adopt.

So, many times, shoppers end up choosing a platform, not because of its superior features or better price but because the product is just one of the first things they came across. This might not matter much as truth be told, for general project management purposes, any team can do well with any of the top cloud-based project management software solutions available. However, one solution that seems poised to make a big wave has a big promise—it can replace any of the top apps such as Asana, Jira, Wrike, and even monday.com.

That said, the app with the bold claim is ClickUp, a platform designed to rival the best of the best. In this article, we will look into its features, interface, and unique offerings. In this way, we can have a better idea of the pros and cons of ClickUp for general project management needs. And, of course, whether it can hold its own against other leading software.

There can be many benefits to adopting a cloud-based project management solution such as ClickUp. These benefits are not only limited to in-house improvements in productivity. Effective collaboration, enabled by digital technology, has been found to help improve KPIs such as customer satisfaction (41%), product quality (34%), and sales (27%). However, not all project managers use such tools yet.

In fact, according to our compilation of recent project management software statistics, 35.5% of project managers still used MS Excel for resource planning around the time COVID-19 hit. During the same period, only 17.47% use some kind of enterprise project management solution. Maybe what’s most shocking is that 17.5% of project managers do not use a software tool at all. While, arguably, project success can be achieved without software, optimal efficiency and project performance are a different story.

In fact, it was found that poor project performance can waste 11.4% of investments on average. Project management solutions can help streamline workflows, cut down silos, and improve collaboration. Fortunately, project management solutions are aplenty. Also, thanks to stiff competition in this software category, the prices are very competitive. Furthermore, the most recognizable products can stand toe-to-toe against each other in terms of quality and ease of use. While ClickUp is not yet up there with them when it comes to brand recognition, many are now considering it a true alternative. Let’s see how the pros and cons of ClickUp stack up.

Overview of ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one project management solution. Billed as the “one app to replace them all,” ClickUp is essentially a project management suite designed to be the improved all-encompassing version of other popular platforms such as Asana, Jira, and monday.com. For the most part, it rivals all of these by providing more or less the same features but with an arguably cleaner and more streamlined interface. Moreover, what looks to set it apart is a more intuitive real-time chat interface that gets lost in the clutter on other platforms. This is the main advantage that ClickUp has over its more popular counterparts. With this, users don’t have to use another tool (integrated or not) for real-time text communications. Everything work-related can be kept within ClickUp.

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Another unique thing about ClickUp is its Docs feature. Basically, this allows users to create and collaborate on documents. Sure, it only has basic features at the moment but it is fitted with useful collaboration tools such as comments, @mentions, permission-based sharing, and versioning. They are more for company manuals, wikis, and project bibles than final document products. Also, ClickUp Docs are exportable as PDF, HTML, or a Markdown file. Of course, the platform has all the essential project management features such as project views, workflow customization, automation, activity stream, and task management. In this regard, it matches up well with the top platforms around. At the most basic level, it simply does what they do. Is it better? One cannot really say outright. For basic project management, however, it can surely replace any of the top apps around.

Additionally, ClickUp has applications for both Android and iOS devices. Hence, you can access the platform on the go. Plus, like the top tools of today, it integrates seamlessly with other business solutions such as Tableau, Slack, and HubSpot, among many others. Paid plans start at an affordable $5 per user per month.

Pros and Cons of ClickUp

Elite Task and Project Management

As mentioned, ClickUp is designed specifically to rival the best project management platforms around. The software developer studied its target competitors to create a platform that pools their best functionalities together and folds them into an all-in-one suite. And this is evident in its task and project management toolset. The platform simply does what all the top tools do in this regard. The unique thing about it, however, is that it organizes processes in what is called the ClickUp Hierarchy.

ClickUp Hierarchy for Projects

Processes are organized from top to bottom, form Workspaces, Spaces, then Lists. A Workspace could be used to specify a company or a project. Spaces organized under it can signify teams, departments, or types of work. Moreover, at the Space level, users can turn specific features on or off. Hence, they can be customized according to evolving workflows and team dynamics. Within these Spaces, work can be organized into Lists where related tasks can be grouped. Lists can be grouped as well into Folders. Within Lists and Folders, users can add Docs that can serve as project bibles, wikis, or for brainstorming among many other uses. Other key features include nested subtasks, dependencies, and checklists.

Task Customization

Like other top tools, ClickUp allows users to customize tasks. It has tools to create custom items, fields, and lists. They are also functions for setting priorities, tagging, relationships, and time management. It also allows users to create task descriptions, complete with text formatting and highlights. Users can even add quotes or code blocks should they need to. With these, users can customize tasks to fit any use case.

ClickApps

Moreover, there is the ClickApps template library. Basically, ClickApps are built-in workflow applications or modules that have different functionalities that users can or remove from Workspaces and Spaces. There are 35+ ClickApps, including Threaded Replies, Sprints, Email, and Time Tracking.

ClickUp offers extensive task and project management templates based on use cases.

Clean Interface and High Out-of-the-Box Usability

ClickUp sports a clean intuitive design familiar to project management application users. It comes in normal and dark modes. Moreover, there are different interface customization options for individuals. They can choose from three different views and can adjust their sizes as well. Also, like the best software products out there, ClickUp has high out-of-the-box usability. So, it lends well to new project management software users. Plus, it has a neat self-service onboarding walkthrough for creating spaces and lists.

ClickUp provides an easy walkthrough for creating and customizing your Spaces.

Integrated Collaboration Tools

ClickUp has one important promise. That is to provide a single place for all work-related communications. And it delivers. Just like its more popular competitors, the platform offers tools for commenting, @mentions, and file sharing. ClickUp goes beyond these though. The platform has two unique integrated collaboration tools that set it apart from the rest: Docs and Chat.

Docs

On ClickUp, users can create Docs and add them to Lists and Folders. However, as mentioned, Docs are quite basic. They are not really designed for creating traditional documents such as formal reports and contracts. Instead, ClickUp Docs are best for creating and maintaining collaborative content such as work/process manuals, design bibles, wikis, and for brainstorming. As they are built-in, users will be able to work on them together right from within their Spaces. No more attaching links or files. Also, this reduces the chance of confusion from having different versions of a document in one single thread. With ClickUp Docs, projects and teams will have a single source of truth right within their Spaces.

ClickUp Doc follows a modern design for writing and editing any text.

Chat

It seems that all the top project management applications have missed one crucial tool, and that is built-in real-time chat. Surely, this is understandable as digitally-enabled teams are already likely using tried and tested standalone communication software tools. Having another chat app could just add to the digital clutter and would seem redundant. So, they opt to have integrations instead. However, it would be nice to have that option from within a project management platform. ClickUp simply provides this. There are other project management software tools with real-time chat features. However, they can be cumbersome. In fact, the chat function is quite hard to find within the interface. Maybe, this is because it is a late addition to their platforms. With ClickUp, it is native right from the start.

ClickUp’s Chat interface is clean and straightforward.

Comprehensive Project Views

Project management features usually include different types of views useful for dashboarding, analytics, and reports. Top solutions typically possess a lot of them, which can range from simple charts and graphs to mind maps and geographical maps. ClickUp is no different. It has the aforementioned ones, including embedded, Gannt, and calendar views. These tools are very helpful in providing an intuitive look into project performance. Moreover, they also lend well to different project management styles and settings. Having a good collection of them is another reason why ClickUp is quickly gaining traction in the project management community. Also, this makes it a true alternative to other platforms out there.

The platform has more than 15 views available, including a map view pictured above.

Intuitive Automation Builder

Automations make a project manager’s life easy. However, these usually come at a premium. Most top software solutions have it but, they are typically included in paid editions. Moreover, they can be quite complex to set up, especially cross-application automation. What’s great about ClickUp is that it offers the full module for every tiered plan available, including its free plan with up to reasonable limits. For instance, Free plan subscribers get 100 automations a month only while Unlimited plan users get up to 1,000 automations per month. Higher-tiered plans get 10,000, 25,000, and 250,000 automations per month, respectively.

ClickUp offers a simple When-Then scheme for designing automation. You can also set cross-app triggers and conditions.

Additionally, the automation builder solution offers an easy when-then logic rules scheme. Everything can be set up in just a few clicks, and automation can be set up using all sorts of triggers. These include changes in statuses, assignees, dates, and priorities, among others. Also, comparable to monday.com features for automation, ClickUp allows users to create their own custom automation based on any trigger or condition. Furthermore, like monday.com, you can automate your favorite tools and set up cross-application workflows and automation as well. It might not be as robust as the former, but for basic day-to-day project management needs, it can stand as a good replacement.

You can use the Whiteboard feature to create a flowchart logic for automation.

Open Active Product Roadmapping

The best business apps around usually have an active community of users. These communities provide them with valuable feedback and insights regarding how they can improve their apps and services. Having such a community along with an open-minded culture for product development is a mark of good companies. They act as partners to their customers’ success. ClickUp looks to have this culture. It is no wonder why it receives huge support from a growing community of users. The software provider offers an open view of its product roadmap and keeps tabs on project management software trends. Additionally, it allows users to make and vote for feature requests. The dev team forms and maintains an active collaboration loop that can help ensure the success of both the platform and its user base. Current projects include the addition of requested features, optimizations, and other feature updates. The dev team also lets the community know what they plan to act on next.

The software provider actively engages its community regarding feature requests and bug reports.

Is ClickUp a good alternative to the best project management tools today?

With this look at the pros and cons of ClickUp, it’s clear it is not just an alternative to the best project management platforms out on the market. Considering its features, ease of use, and customizability, it is one of the best digital business solutions out there. It may not have the best name recognition for now, but it surely has one of the richest feature sets available. So, companies would not go wrong with going with ClickUp, especially those that are still in the early stages of digital transformation.

Also, for those that may find the most popular offerings expensive, then ClickUp could be the best option. It is competitively priced; plus, you can potentially cut costs on subscriptions to third-party collaboration software tools as it has built-in Chat and Docs features—allowing users to keep all work-related activities within the platform. As a result, users will have less digital clutter. In fact, having these two built-in functions is a big plus. They are a difference maker.

The platform, for now, may not be the best in all areas but it might just have the best mix of features available. In fact, one could argue that it has the most comprehensive feature set for any project management software tool around. Additionally, the platform keeps getting better. This is because ClickUp is tuned in to the latest project management trends and, more specifically, to the requests of its user community. If ClickUp continues on this path, it won’t be a surprise if it is going to be one of the most popularly used project management solutions in the near future.

By Louie Andre

B2B & SaaS market analyst and senior writer for FinancesOnline. He is most interested in project management solutions, believing all businesses are a work in progress. From pitch deck to exit strategy, he is no stranger to project business hiccups and essentials. He has been involved in a few internet startups including a digital route planner for a triple A affiliate. His advice to vendors and users alike? "Think of benefits, not features."