ClickUp Alternatives—Exploring Productivity Tools Beyond the Gates of Hades

Once upon a time, not so long ago, a writer (yours truly), all starry-eyed and stationery-slash-laptop-ready, was tasked with digging into productivity tools—specifically ClickUp alternatives. For days she toiled the murky waters of the online world, prayed to inspiration deities, cried at blank pages, and finally, finally was able to mold the raw clay of data and whittle it down to something she could show. 

Behold, all ye fellow productivity enthusiasts, this is the masterpiece in all its glory. Follow me, as we dive into the dark and gritty comparison of task management tools to help you fight (and win) the efficiency battle. 

But first…

Through the Gates of ClickUp

Just as one might need to know the correct entry point to Hades’ kingdom to navigate it right, it is equally important to understand the basics of ClickUp to discover the underworld of this productivity tool’s alternatives. 

ClickUp introduces itself as the “one app to replace them all” offering a plethora of features, including task management, team collaboration, and time tracking. However, the many bells and whistles may become overwhelming for users who may not need to use every item on the list or who want to onboard quickly. 

Psst, for a quick insight into basic features: What are the Essential Features in a Time Tracking Solution?

So, if you’re looking for something different, there are several ClickUp alternatives out there that may suit your needs better. Let's have a look at our options:

1. Charon—Trello

Trello is a Kanban-style project management and collaboration tool. It helps teams of all sizes improve their task workflow. 

Just like how Charon guides souls through the Styx, Trello is a great guide for users who want to sail waters to more efficiently and productively. 

Core features

This web-based tool uses a visual interface of boards, lists, and cards. Each board represents a project or workflow, and within each board, users can create lists to represent different stages of the project, such as To Do, In Progress, and Done. Furthermore, each list can house multiple cards assigned to relevant members. Cards can be assigned with due dates, color-coded, and labeled with tags or categories for better organization. The paid version of the tool offers integrations, plugins, and automation.

Why we picked Trello

Trello is one of our top picks for teams that prefer a super easy and simple project management tool with great visualization, compared to ClickUp’s overwhelmingly complex setup and implementation. If you are looking for basic project management with intuitive navigation, Trello can be one of the best alternatives to ClickUp. 

Pricing

Trello offers a free basic plan, and pricing starts at $5/user per month for the Standard and $10 /user per month for the Premium plan. 

Cons

• May not be a standalone enterprise project management tool
• The free version could have some limitations, such as custom backgrounds or attaching larger files
• Integration with other platforms requires development

2. Elysian Plains—Asana 

Asana is a web-based project management tool. It offers pre-built templates for various common business use cases. 

Like the Elysian Plains, Asana is a safe space. One of the first tools in the market, it offers a centralized platform for team members to work together and stay on the same page, minimizing the risk of miscommunication or duplication of effort.

Core features

Asana offers various project and task management capabilities and real-time collaboration features. It allows extensive customization, so you can not only use any of the templates but also personalize them to your specific workflows. The tool also offers integrations with other platforms, such as Google Drive, Slack, and Trello, bringing all your collaboration tools in one place. 

Why we picked Asana

Asana has a specialized “workload” feature that provides insight into your team’s progress. If you want to switch from Clickup due to its lack of visibility into work status, Asana can take care of that.

Pricing

The basic plan is free, and pricing starts at $13.49/user per month for the Premium plan and $30.49/user per month for the Business plan.

Cons

• Many users find its interface outdated
• Does not offer built-in time tracking
• Most of the features, like timelines and reporting, are paid, so the free plan is quite limited
• There can be a learning curve for new users

‍3. Tartarus—monday.com

monday.com is another web-based project management tool for teams to collaborate, manage tasks, and track progress. 

The third alternative to ClickUp on our list is monday.com, which is as deep as Tartarus when it comes to offering various levels of task organization. With calendar views, task dependencies, and customizable workflows, you can adapt it to any business situation and streamline your project management process.

Why we picked monday.com

While ClickUp offers unique collaboration features, its task management lacks the ease and efficiency offered by monday.com. If you are overwhelmed by Clickup’s overly customizable interface, monday.com can be a user-friendly and more affordable option for you. What's more, it also offers native social media management and free educational webinars for all users!

Core features

Noteworthy features include boards & columns, task automation, checklists, app integration, and various view options. You can quickly see the project progress and stay on track by adjusting your plans as needed. The centralized platform also offers integrations with other tools and systems to keep every work process in a single place. 

Pricing

monday.com has a free plan for up to 2 users with limited features. Pricing starts with Basic at $10/user per month, Standard at $12/user per month, and Pro at $20/user per month. 

Cons

• Pricing can be high, especially for teams and organizations.
• While its interface is less overwhelming than Clickup, there is a learning curve in the functionality of advanced features.
• The mobile app experience is not as robust or feature-rich as the desktop version.

‍4. Hecate—Notion 

Notion is a versatile all-in-one workspace that combines note-taking, task management, and collaboration tools and can be used for project management and as a knowledge base. 

Like Hecate, who was known for her ability to navigate between different worlds and domains, Notion allows users to create databases, tables, and boards to visualize and organize their information and easily switch between them as needed.

Core features

Notion offers a visually appealing interface and a wide range of possibilities for project organization and team collaboration. The extensive customization allows people to put everything in one place—which can be a double-edged sword (and must be wielded carefully—thou hast been warned). It provides multiple templates for creating documents and taking notes which helps you manage tasks and organize your work without much effort.

Why we picked Notion

What might appeal to you (and what you won't find in Clickup) is the powerful coordination within the platform. You can link tasks and connect cards on the project boards without having to copy and paste the data info, which is systematically preserved and readily available as needed.

Pricing

Notion offers a free plan, and pricing starts at $10/user per month for Plus and $18/user per month for the Business plan.

Cons

• Not easy to navigate
• Mobile app can be clunky
• Customizatization flexibility creates issues with the AI
• Comes with a large learning curve

Recommended reading if you prefer staying away from swords—double-edged or not: Top Productivity Tips To Help Remote Employees Deliver Quality Results

5. Cerebrus—Wrike

Wrike is a task management tool with a wide range of features to organize and track tasks, collaborate with team members, and manage projects of various sizes. 

Like Cerebrus, Wrike acts like a vigilant guardian of business processes. It also provides security and access control features so that only authorized users can access important information and that sensitive data is kept secure.

Core Features

Wrike includes customizable project dashboards, Gantt charts, and real-time collaboration tools, allowing teams to stay on top of their tasks and keep projects on track. These features help ensure that the projects are completed on time while providing transparency and accountability for all team members. 

Why we picked Wrike

If you are looking for a Clickup alternative with advanced project management capabilities, Wrike can be a great option. What’s unique to Wrike is that it provides you with shared team calendars that help you keep priorities aligned across teams according to project deadlines.

Pricing

Wrike offers a free, unlimited-user plan, and the Team plan pricing starts at $9.80 per user/month. The Business plan starts at $24.80 per user/month, while the enterprise licenses are around $50 per user per month.

Cons

• Team and Business plans do not offer work estimates
• It lacks report customization options
• Some users report issues in the loading process

6. Nemesis—Basecamp

Basecamp is a simple project management tool designed to help teams collaborate and stay organized. 

Like Greek mythology’s very own crime avenger—Nemesis—Basecamp is great for keeping an eye on those who do a disservice to the productivity gods. With Basecamp, teams can create and assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress in real-time. 

Core features

The cloud-based tool offers a centralized hub for team communication and collaboration, with message boards, chats, and automatic check-ins. Great features for remote teams —ensuring everyone stays on the same page throughout the project and any issues are addressed before they become major problems.

Why we picked Basecamp

Basecamp beats ClickUp with its real-time group chat, allowing instant communication and keeping clients in the loop on project progress. Plus, it allows you to assign to-do lists to individuals and wields the power to summon task follow-ups when due dates pass!

Pricing

Basecamp offers a 30-day free trial, and the paid plan is charged at $99/month for unlimited users.

Cons

• While the flat rate might be great for large businesses, it could be highly expensive for small teams
• It does not offer essential features, like time tracking, across all versions
• Limited customization could be a drawback for teams that prefer highly tailored project management solutions 

7. Hades—timegram

timegram is a non-invasive employee performance monitoring tool that provides insights into individual, team, and project performances.

Now to the final ClickUp alternative. What’s common between timegram and Hades? They’re both gods of their dominion. timegram is not just a project management platform but an excellent time-tracking tool that makes sure employees don’t feel scrutinized at every step. This makes it perfect for managing the productivity of remote teams without upsetting their morale.

Core features

In terms of collaboration, the tool offers several features to manage projects of varying sizes and complexities. Managers can plan projects in a clean, visual timeline so they have a bird’s eye view of the progress and can balance workloads for everyone. 

The insights and reports (which you can view daily, weekly, and/or monthly) help managers decide when to tweak soft deadlines or jump in to offer support if someone is overwhelmed with the tasks. And unlike ClickUp, the learning curve isn’t steep, so you can set it up and have it running in a jiffy. Pretty cool, right?

What makes timegram the best ClickUp alternative?

Now, while all these offerings are helpful for any company, the most unique feature of timegram that certainly makes it stand out from the rest is the non-invasive time-tracking.

Employees can search, select, and log the productive activities that are relevant to the work-related tasks while leaving out all the irrelevant data, which allows them to present their best with full autonomy and privacy through the Highlights (automatic time tracker) app. You don’t have to sort out the irrelevant activities while creating the performance reports.

I mean, come on, which option do you think is better as an employee? Having Zeus loom over your head as you try to work, or having Hades give you the space to work without any micromanaging? As for us, we’ll always choose the latter. 

What about you?

Here’s what more you can achieve with timegram (but that’s not all!):

• Equate time spent on tasks by employees to projects for a clear view of progress and performance
• Track billable and non-billable hours
• Automatically create invoices with time tracking data within seconds 
• Track performance at the individual, team, task, and project levels
• Identify peak productivity hours through workforce analytics

Intrigued? Sign up today for free with all the features!

FAQs

How do you get a job in the Greek underworld?

As far as we know, there was no formal application process or job listings for working in the Greek underworld. It seems that being born into the right family or impressing Hades with your skills or loyalty could potentially lead to a role in his realm.

Were the Greek gods good at measuring employee engagement?

Apparently not. Read our blow-by-blow account here: Why the Greek Gods Sucked at Measuring Employee Engagement Metrics—And How Not to Be a Greek Deity!

Why do companies choose invasive time-tracking and productivity tools?

When implementing time-tracking and productivity systems, companies sometimes tend to be myopic, i.e., they pick tools with features that they feel would help them best instead of focusing on what would be efficient. With this mindset, they end up choosing platforms that surveil in the guise of monitoring (*ahem* screenshot and keystroke tools *ahem*).