Project Management by Team · Researched comparison

Monday vs ClickUp: Which Tool Suits Your Team

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The short answer

ClickUp is the best pick for teams that want the most features per dollar, starting at $9 per user per month billed annually with a free plan that has no seat limit. Monday.com is the better choice for teams that want the fastest visual setup and polished boards, starting at $9 per seat per month billed annually.

On this page

Key takeaways

  • ClickUp Core at $9 per user per month billed annually covers docs, goals and dashboards, and its free plan has no seat limit.
  • Monday.com Basic at $9 per seat per month billed annually includes no automations or integrations, so most teams need Standard at $12.
  • ClickUp Brain AI costs $9 per user per month extra, while Monday.com bundles AI credits into every priced tier.
  • Monday.com sells priced plans in seat buckets starting at three seats, so a team of four buys five seats.
  • Trello Standard at $5 per user per month billed annually is the cheapest simple board option in this list.

Comparison

How these compare
ToolBest forPrice rangeFree plan
Monday.comVisual boards and fast team setup$9 per seat/month (billed annually)Yes
ClickUpTeams that want many features at a low price$9 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
AsanaStructured cross-team projects and portfolios$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
SmartsheetSpreadsheet-style planning at scale$9 per user/month (billed annually)Free trial (30 days)
WrikeWork intake and approval workflows$10 per user/month (billed annually)Yes
BasecampSmall teams that want one flat tool$15 per user/monthFree trial (30 days)
NotionDocs and tasks in one workspace$10 per member/month (billed annually)Yes
TrelloSimple kanban boards for small teams$5 per user/month (billed annually)Yes

How we choose

The TaskReports Editorial Team compared vendor pricing pages, plan documents and feature lists for each tool in this guide, and checked the figures again on the day of writing. We compared starting price, billing model, free plan or trial terms, board and timeline views, automation limits, reporting depth and guest rules. We did not claim hands-on testing, and we treated any price we could not verify on a vendor page as quote only.

Our full method

The shortlist

★ Best overall

Monday.com

Best for Visual boards and fast team setup

  • Boards are quick to build and easy to read
  • AI credits included in every priced tier
Price$9 per seat/month (billed annually)
See Monday.com pricing

Monday.com wins on speed of setup. A team can build a board, add columns, assign owners and set dates in an afternoon, and the template library covers marketing, sales, operations and HR workflows. Basic costs $9 per seat per month billed annually, Standard costs $12 and Pro costs $19. The free plan covers up to two seats, and priced plans start at three seats with seat buckets at 3, 5, 10 and more. AI credits are bundled into every priced tier, starting at 1,000 a month on Basic.

The Basic plan is the weak point in the ladder. It includes zero automations and zero integrations, so any team that wants status changes to trigger notifications or sync with another tool must move to Standard at $12 per seat per month. Standard caps automations and integrations at 250 actions a month each, and Pro raises each cap to 25,000. Monday.com also prices by billing country, so confirm the exact figure at checkout before you budget.

Price: $9 per seat/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: monday.com

Watch out for

  • Basic includes no automations or integrations at all
2

ClickUp

Best for Teams that want many features at a low price
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

ClickUp packs the most features into its entry price. Core costs $9 per user per month billed annually and covers unlimited tasks, docs, goals, dashboards and Gantt charts. Business costs $17 per user per month billed annually and adds advanced dashboards, timesheets, 10,000 automation actions a month and resource management. The free plan supports unlimited members with a 60 MB storage cap, which makes it the most generous free tier in this list.

The trade-off is complexity and add-on pricing. ClickUp Brain AI costs $9 per user per month on top of the plan price, and the full AI suite costs $28 per user per month, so a team that wants AI everywhere pays far more than the headline rate. Upgrading a workspace also upgrades every member, so there is no way to put only part of the team on Business. New users often need a few weeks to settle on a consistent setup, since ClickUp offers so many views and options.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: clickup.com

What we like

  • Free plan has no seat limit
  • Core covers docs, goals and dashboards

Watch out for

  • AI features cost extra as a separate add-on
3

Asana

Best for Structured cross-team projects and portfolios
$10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Asana is the steadier of the three tools. Starter costs $10.99 per user per month billed annually and includes timeline and Gantt views, dashboards, forms, custom fields and unlimited automations. Advanced costs $24.99 per user per month billed annually and adds goals, unlimited portfolios, workload, approvals and native time tracking. The free Personal plan covers two people. Asana bundles basic AI into Starter and Advanced, with 5 AI requests per user per month up to 50 per account.

The limit to plan around is seat bands. Asana sells seats in blocks, so a team of 12 may pay for 15 seats, and that changes the real annual total. Asana also charges extra for add-ons such as Timesheets and Budgets at $5.99 per user per month billed annually. If your team runs mostly simple task lists, Asana can feel heavier than a board tool, and the learning curve for portfolios and workload views is real for new users.

Price: $10.99 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: asana.com

What we like

  • Portfolios, goals and workload views on Advanced
  • unlimited automations on Starter

Watch out for

  • Seats are sold in bands, so you may buy more seats than you need
4

Smartsheet

Best for Spreadsheet-style planning at scale
$9 per user/month (billed annually)

Smartsheet suits teams that live in spreadsheets and want project controls on top of a grid. Pro costs $9 per user per month billed annually and Business costs $19. The grid supports formulas, conditional formatting, card and Gantt views, and dashboards that roll up data from many sheets. Teams that track budgets, timelines and resource sheets in one place often find Smartsheet easier to adopt than a tool built around task cards.

The main drawback is the lack of a free plan. You get a 30-day trial, then you must subscribe to keep access, which makes it harder to test with a whole team over a long pilot. Smartsheet also feels less natural for creative or agile teams that prefer boards and sprints, and some collaboration features, such as proofing and advanced automation, sit on the higher Business tier or above.

Price: $9 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: smartsheet.com

What we like

  • Familiar grid layout
  • strong formulas and reports

Watch out for

  • No free plan, only a 30-day trial
5

Wrike

Best for Work intake and approval workflows
$10 per user/month (billed annually)

Wrike is built for teams that receive work through requests and need approvals before work starts. Team costs $10 per user per month billed annually and Business costs $24.80. Request forms, custom workflows, proofing and approvals are core strengths, and the reporting tools cover workload, budgets and project status in one place. Marketing and professional services teams use Wrike to route briefs, reviews and sign-offs without extra tools.

The price jump between Team and Business is steep, and many of the features that make Wrike stand out, such as advanced reporting and resource management, sit on Business or above. Small teams may also find the interface dense at first, with many panels and settings to learn. Wrike does offer a free plan for small teams, but it caps at a small number of users and lacks the workflow features that justify the switch.

Price: $10 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: wrike.com

What we like

  • Request forms and approvals built in
  • strong reporting

Watch out for

  • Higher tiers get expensive as the team grows
6

Basecamp

Best for Small teams that want one flat tool
$15 per user/month

Basecamp takes a different approach from the rest of this list. It charges $15 per user per month, or $299 per month for unlimited users, and every feature is included at that price. Message boards, to-do lists, schedules, docs, file storage and chat sit in one calm interface, and there are no feature tiers to compare. Teams that feel overwhelmed by settings and add-ons often settle on Basecamp and stay there.

The limit is depth. Basecamp has no Gantt chart, no native time tracking and no workload view, so teams that plan capacity or bill hours need another tool alongside it. Reporting is light compared with Asana or Wrike, and the 30-day trial is the only free option, with no free plan. For a small team that wants simple coordination, that trade is often worth it, but larger teams usually outgrow it.

Price: $15 per user/month

Free plan: Free trial (30 days)

Website: basecamp.com

What we like

  • One price covers all features
  • no per-feature tiers

Watch out for

  • No Gantt chart or native time tracking
7

Notion

Best for Docs and tasks in one workspace
$10 per member/month (billed annually)

Notion blends notes, docs, wikis and task databases in one workspace, which makes it a good fit for teams that plan in documents as much as in task lists. Plus costs $10 per member per month billed annually and Business costs $20. Plus adds unlimited blocks for a team, unlimited file uploads, 30-day page history and custom forms. Guests are not billed, so clients and contractors can view pages without taking a seat.

Notion is not a dedicated project tool, and that shows in its limits. There is no native Gantt chart on Plus, no workload view, and no built-in time tracking, so teams that run sprints or bill hours need integrations or another tool. Full Notion AI, including agents and meeting notes, sits on Business at $20 per member per month, which doubles the cost for teams that want AI. The free plan is generous for one person but caps at 1,000 blocks once a second member joins.

Price: $10 per member/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: notion.com

What we like

  • Flexible databases link docs, tasks and wikis
  • guests are not billed

Watch out for

  • Full AI features require the Business plan at $20
8

Trello

Best for Simple kanban boards for small teams
$5 per user/month (billed annually)

Trello is the simplest tool in this list and the cheapest to start. Standard costs $5 per user per month billed annually and removes the free plan caps of 10 boards and 10 collaborators per workspace, while adding custom fields, advanced checklists and 1,000 automation runs a month. Premium costs $10 per user per month billed annually and adds calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map views, plus unlimited automation runs.

The trade-off is scope. Trello has no native workload view, no goals and no portfolio reporting, so it suits single-team task tracking rather than cross-team programmes. Enterprise costs $17.50 per user per month billed annually with a 50-seat minimum, which puts it out of reach for small teams. For a team that wants a shared board and nothing more, Trello at $5 is hard to beat on price and ease of use.

Price: $5 per user/month (billed annually)

Free plan: Yes

Website: trello.com

What we like

  • Cheapest entry price in this list
  • boards take minutes to learn

Watch out for

  • Timeline, calendar and dashboard views need Premium at $10

What to check before you buy

Check the seat rules before you commit, since Monday.com uses seat buckets with a three-seat minimum and Asana sells seats in bands. Confirm the automation cap on the tier you plan to buy, because Monday.com Basic includes none and Standard caps actions at 250 a month. Ask whether AI costs extra, since ClickUp charges $9 per user per month for Brain AI while Monday.com bundles AI credits into every priced tier. Test the free plan or trial with the people who will use the tool daily, and confirm that guest access, file limits and support hours match what your team needs.

FAQ

Is Monday.com or ClickUp cheaper?

At the entry tier they tie at $9 per user per month billed annually, but the real cost differs. Monday.com Basic includes no automations, so most teams need Standard at $12, while ClickUp Core at $9 already covers docs, goals and dashboards. ClickUp is cheaper for a team that wants automation without moving up a tier.

Which tool has the better free plan?

ClickUp has the better free plan by a wide margin. ClickUp Free Forever supports unlimited members and unlimited tasks, with a 60 MB storage cap. Monday.com free covers up to two seats only, so it works for a pair trying the tool but not for a team that wants to run real work for free.

Does Monday.com include AI in the price?

Yes. Monday.com bundles AI credits into every priced tier, starting at 1,000 credits a month on Basic, 2,000 on Standard and 3,000 on Pro. ClickUp takes the opposite route and sells Brain AI as a $9 per user per month add-on, so a team that wants AI on ClickUp pays more than the headline plan price.

Can ClickUp replace Monday.com for a marketing team?

Yes, in most cases. ClickUp covers boards, docs, goals and dashboards at a lower entry price, and its free plan has no seat limit. Monday.com is still the faster setup for teams that want polished boards and templates on day one, so the choice comes down to budget against speed of adoption.

How do seat minimums change the bill?

Monday.com priced plans start at three seats and sell in buckets, so a team of four buys five seats and pays $60 a month on Standard billed annually. ClickUp charges per user with no minimum, so a team of four pays $36 a month on Core. Always multiply the per-seat price by the seats you must buy, not the people on your team.

Sources we checked

How we score

Need the method behind these picks?

We publish the criteria and the weights, so you can disagree with them.

Monday.com#1 PICK
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