ClickUp vs Monday: Analysis of user reviews

This isn't just another boring feature comparison of two of the most popular project management tools. We're diving deep into what real users actually think about ClickUp and Monday. We’re going past the branding claims to see how people perceive these tools, how they use them, and what they say are their strengths and weaknesses.

The point of this article is not a final verdict on which tool is better. It’s to see and compare what users think about two of the most popular project management tools. If you’re a business you might find out which tool is a better fit for you and if you’re developing a similar tool you’ll certainly see what to strive for and what to avoid.

Methodology 

We used G2 as our chosen source of user opinions as it neatly separates the reviews into:

• What users like about the product
• What users dislike about the product
• What problems the product is solving and how it is benefiting the user

All reviews can be found either on ClickUp’s or Monday’s profile.

We gathered the most recent 100 English reviews on March 15th, 2023, checked how often certain things are mentioned, and broke down the results for you. Some categories partially overlap but were kept separate as the users didn’t specifically mention them. 

Reviewer profile

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Clickup

Monday

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What users like about ClickUp and Monday

ClickUp

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Important: The values in pie slices aren’t percentages but the number of mentions in our 100 analyzed reviews. Most reviews mention multiple things they like (or dislike).

Closer look

Flexibility & customizability

ClickUp seems like it’s living up to its promise of being “the all-in-one project management solution” as its flexibility is the thing that stands out in user reviews. Users say it’s versatile and customizable enough to replace multiple other tools, saving users time and money. Many users also mentioned they are using ClickUp to organize their private life as well their business life.

“We had teams using Jira, Basecamp, and Notion for project management. With the implementation of ClickUp, we're able to provide the functionality of each of those three software platforms while not only eliminating the cost of those three other software platforms but reducing software fatigue for our team members as well.”

Automations & integrations

Users like how they can connect ClickUp to other tools and automate various tasks and workflows. They say it saves them time as it reduces context switching and repetitive admin work.

“Managing not only our departments, but also our tasks has become a lot easier and efficient. With the various automations available, we are able to cut down on the time spent on timeous and repetitive tasks.”

Ease of use

Many users say ClickUp’s UI is intuitive, clear, and user-friendly. Shockingly, not all users agree as you’ll notice when we review what users don’t like.

“The platform is well-thought out in a way that makes it so a variety of users will find it helpful - it's the perfect amount of customizable but structured.”

Structure & hierarchy

Users like how ClickUp organizes tasks. A clear structure helps keep projects well-organized and makes it easier to follow all the key steps until project completion.

"I love having projects well-defined, easy to follow, easy to update, and easy for the Executive Team to see on the Dashboard. I love the consistency, visibility, and unity across departments."

Transparency & visibility

Quite some users specifically mention how ClickUp enables transparency and visibility. It makes it easy to follow projects and tasks across the organization. This helps with high-level transparency as well as accountability and visibility of who is responsible for individual tasks.

“The fact that it gives you transparency and so many ways to structure all the information teams need to operate helps convince people that this is a tool worth using daily.”

Dashboard personalization

Users like how they can personalize their dashboards in ClickUp and that they're not bound to one universal view set by their organization.

“It allows you to structure your projects and easily duplicate them whenever needed. The customizable fields by list are just fantastic, and the different views accommodate each user's preferences, we don´t have to use the same view.”

Templates

Users appreciate how easy it is to set up projects and dashboards with the help of ClickUp templates.

“I also truly appreciate the vast number of available templates to help me get started on a new ClickUp implementation quickly.”

Honorable mention: Customer Service

ClickUp's responsive customer service, knowledge base and willingness to listen to users didn’t make it on the chart (we had to make the cut somewhere), but are still worth noting.

“ClickUp also has great customer service and plenty of opportunities to learn how to use the platform.”

Monday

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Closer look

Ease of use

Many users like Monday’s clear and simple UI and find it easy to use. 

“I appreciate how easy it is to use. The user interface is beautiful, simple, and personalizable. Monday.com makes it easy to track work and coordinate with large groups - to keep everyone on the same page in a way that is easy for everyone.”

Transparency & visibility

Users find it easy to track, locate and share projects in Monday. Some users specifically mention how easy it is to include external partners and clients in project planning and execution.

“Sharing Monday boards with clients is our greatest strength as an agency. The clients are fully aware of what we're working on, what's coming, and what's needed from them to make our plans successful.”

Automations & integrations

Users appreciate Monday’s automations and integrations as they help them save time and reduce context switching. They also mention it makes it easier to use Monday as their central platform.

“Automations have saved us so much time and with the integrations with other platforms, we can ensure that data is up-to-date and accurate at all times.”

Flexibility & customizability

Users like how versatile and customizable Monday is and some see it as their all-in-one platform.

“I like its versatility; each of our boards serves a different purpose. Monday.com has enough features, automations and integrations to manage your project or database however you please, but it's simple enough to not be overwhelming.”

Collaboration capabilities

Users find it easy to connect departments and people to the chosen task and drive cross-functional collaboration. Some say Monday’s way of collaboration helps them keep things organized.

“Monday has helped us improve the communication between the team members involved in one single project. One can easily tell which stage the project is at and who is responsible for the following task.”

Dashboard personalization

Users like the variety of different board and data views Monday offers. The ability to mirror an item from one board to another is mentioned a few times. 

“The platform is very intuitive and allows users to create customised dashboards for each project, adding columns to add details and shortcuts to identify specific tasks.”

Visual look

Some users like how Monday’s UI looks, while others specifically mention color coding as a feature that looks good and helps them stay on top of things.

“The color coordination for statuses was my favorite because I could give each workspace/board a palette, so I knew what project I was looking at just by the colors used.”

Honorable mention: Customer Service

Same story as with ClickUp - a few users mentioned they like Monday’s help guides, tutorials, and support, but not enough to make the cut and appear on the pie chart.

“The customer support is awesome. The representatives are patient and knowledgeable. They have helped us with a lot of problems.”

Observations

ClickUp claims to be the "one app to replace them all" and it seems like they're not just making empty promises. Two-thirds of users mention how customizable and flexible the platform is. With integrations, automations, and dashboard personalization also being ClickUp's strong points, it’s clear why it’s the central platform of so many companies.

On the other hand, Monday doesn't have a standout category, but being known for its ease of use is pretty great and alleviates at least some of the user adoption worries. Users like a variety of Monday’s capabilities across five different categories, which explains why it's such a popular choice - it has something for everyone.

What users dislike about ClickUp and Monday

ClickUp

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Closer look

Steep learning curve

Despite many users saying ClickUp is user-friendly, there are just as many users that found ClickUp daunting, overwhelming, and not intuitive when they started using it. However, many users agreed that this is normal and that learning how to use the tool was worth it in the end.

“It was a little bit of a learning curve and it's such a robust system that you don't even realize everything it's able to do until you research and learn it. In the end I love it and enjoy learning all the different features to optimize my productivity with ClickUp”

Slow & sluggish

Users report that ClickUp sometimes lags when they’re inputting information, that it takes a while to load things, and that it is sometimes out-of-sync and sluggish. However, many users are optimistic that the upcoming ClickUp 3.0 will fix these issues. Users also often add that this is a minor issue and not a big deal.

“While ClickUp is a fantastic project management tool, I've noticed that it can be sluggish at times, especially when dealing with larger projects and teams. But I'm thrilled to report that ClickUp 3.0 has been released and promises to solve these speed and performance issues.”

Too many features

Some users think that there are too many features and that ClickUp can get over-customized. Once again, a lot of the reviews add that this is not a big problem.

“The one piece of negative feedback I heard at implementation was that there were actually too many features. The interface seemed overwhelming to some on my team because we came from a competitor's platform (Asana), which is much more pared down.”

Lack of integrations

Even though ClickUp has strong integration capabilities, some users would like to see more or better integrations to make it even more customizable.

“I would love to see more integrations and make more datatypes available to zapier.”

Glitches

Some users have experienced glitches in the workflows and features, but they say that ClickUp support is generally responsive and quick to fix these issues. Plus, they are optimistic that ClickUp 3.0 will take care of these bugs.

“ClickUp occasionally has glitches where certain pieces won't work. I've seen this continue to improve and if I reach out to support they typically can provide me a temporary work around while they fix the issue.”

Honorable mentions: Lackluster mobile app, chat, and search

A few users say that the mobile app, direct chat, and ClickUp’s search engine leave something to be desired.

Monday

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Closer look

Lack of features or integrations

Users mention that some features are missing, aren’t powerful enough, or that they need integrations to do some basic tasks. Some also say that the integrations they need are missing. Users' needs vary, so there’s no one prevalent feature or integration they desire. Some users expect their desired feature or integration will get added as they say that Monday is constantly improving.

“Workdocs (their word editor) is super slow. Our company tried to use them, but they would always freeze up, and it would take a while to enter even a few sentences. We moved back to google docs.”

Steep learning curve

Despite many users finding Monday easy to use, some users find it overwhelming or confusing when learning how to use it.

“Some of the most helpful parts of Monday aren't completely intuitive. Sometimes I spend a lot of time figuring out how a feature works. Once I do, I generally love the feature!”

Limited automations

Users mention they’d like more automations. Some users think automation options will expand with time.

“At this point in time, the only downside my organization has experienced is the lack of some automations and functions that would greatly benefit our group.”

Complicated features

Users say some of Monday’s features remain complicated and hard to use even after learning how to use the platform.

“I believe there's a way to customize actions and triggers, but if you are not a developer, it's hard to understand how to do it.”

Pricing structure

Some small business users are not happy with having to purchase licensing for blocks of five users instead of individual subscriptions. Other users say some tools shouldn’t be locked behind higher-tier plans.

“Not keen on having to purchase blocks of 5 users at a time given we are quite a small company.”

Honorable mentions: Lackluster mobile app, not enough templates, and sluggishness 

A few users mentioned the above issues, but not enough to make it onto the pie chart.

Observations

ClickUp’s main issues boil down to its perceived complexity and its performance. While users point this out, many end their dislikes on an optimistic note - either saying that they overcame the issue, that it’s not a big deal, or that the upcoming ClickUp v3.0 will fix the problem.

Monday’s main issues are that it’s not as versatile as some users would like and they want to see a few more features. On the other hand, this relative lack of features (there’s still plenty!) makes Monday easier to use and there are fewer complaints about its complexity. Similarly to ClickUp, plenty of “complaints” end on a positive note.

Looking at the 100 reviews there are many more things users like about both platforms compared to what they dislike. That makes sense as both platforms are well-liked and highly rated.

What problems are ClickUp and Monday solving

ClickUp

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Closer look

Tool & system fragmentation

Users are that ClickUp has solved their tool fragmentation issues as their go-to platform. Before ClickUp, they didn’t have all the key information in one place, didn’t have a good overview of their projects, and had to switch tools a lot.

“My team gets distracted if we're constantly having to bounce from one platform to another to get all the information we need to complete a task or a series of tasks.”

Bad organization & tracking

Another issue that some users were facing before adopting ClickUp is the lack of organization when it comes to project progress, timelines, and tracking. Other solutions just didn't cut it and didn't help them keep their work organized.

“I've used Asana, Trello, Notion, Airtable, Milanote, Zenkit, Quire.io, and researched Monday, Wrike, Basecamp, and more. I found that all of those seemed to struggle at being able to show BOTH the project you want to focus on at any given time, AND the whole account overview or large portions of the whole account. Everything else felt so segmented.”

Monday

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Closer look

Process fragmentation & tracking

Users say that their business and work processes were spread out across multiple tools, which made tracking progress difficult before they started using Monday.

“Before, project management and collaboration were segmented across different platforms and mediums and were largely user dependent for access and monitoring.”

Priority & process struggles

Some users had a tough time prioritizing tasks and creating efficient work processes before they discovered Monday.

“My biggest headache was constantly sending reminders or emails to check how a project or a specific task was going and when it was going to be done. Gotta say that Monday saved me from wasting a lot of time and stress, as well as my relationship with my team in a certain way.”

Observations

ClickUp and Monday solve similar problems and they all fall under two general categories of “fragmentation” and “organization”. 

Reviewers didn’t really focus on the problems when answering the question “What problems is [the product] solving and how is that benefiting you?” but rather emphasized the benefits of both platforms.

How are ClickUp and Monday benefiting users

ClickUp

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Closer look

Transparent source of truth

More than half of the users are using ClickUp as their main platform, and they appreciate how it helps them keep all the important information in one place. That improves transparency and clarity of what’s everyone’s responsibility.

“Better clarity on my tasks, being able to manage so much more in one place. It enables my team to see what they need to do by when, and saves me the time to have to hand tasks over, or meet. It keeps the 'how-to' alongside the 'what to do' so that the completion of tasks is more effective.”

Better project management

Users say that ClickUp improves their prioritizing, workload management, and management of timelines. Some users also mention that since they started using ClickUp nothing slips through the cracks.

“ClickUp helps to track tasks and projects better and quickly identify possible blockers. The team works more productively and in a more organized way. Which leads to successfully implemented projects and happy customers.”

Understanding of processes

ClickUp helps users improve process documentation and makes it easy to connect tasks to goals and objectives. Users say that helps them better understand how things work in the company.

“ClickUp makes OKRs better. Being able to connect specific tasks to goals as well as measurable results allows everyone to see and understand how the things they are working on supports the Objectives and Key Results.”

Saves time

Users say ClickUp saves them time in two ways - it automates repetitive tasks and it improves transparency which helps them avoid duplication of work.

“It's like having a Swiss Army knife for your business. So if you want to save time, money, and your sanity, then ClickUp is your superhero sidekick”

Honorable mentions: Saves money

A few users say (or imply) that they’re using fewer tools because of ClickUp which helps them lower costs.

“It's an all in one platform that allows me to save time, stay on track, and save money on 10+ other systems I now don't need.”

Monday

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Closer look

Optimizes processes & work

Over half the users say Monday helps them simplify and streamline their organizational processes and optimize their work due to its tracking capabilities. Users also say Monday boosts team performance, makes them more productive, and helps them avoid missing deadlines.

“Monday.com allowed us to have repeatable, successful projects, without the need for as many email or in-person updates. It made our meetings more impactful and less talk about details that can be immediately shared in monday.com”

Transparency & visual clarity

Monday enables users to have a general overview of projects, making it easy to track progress and workloads, and plan ahead.

“It makes me more productive as it allows me to have a holistic view on whole projects and their long term planning.”

One central location 

Users appreciate having one platform to track tasks and projects, instead of using multiple tools that can lead to confusion and inefficiency.

“Keeping decentralized teams connected. It gives a central point of contact and connection over the tasks we share and contribute. It functions like our home base and allows us to confidently know where to start with work if we are uncertain.”

Simple reporting

Some users mention that exporting data and creating reports is easy with Monday, which helps them when presenting reports to executives.

“We solve data integrity issues almost weekly by keeping up with tasks in this tool, which provides more accurate reporting for our end users who utilize this data.”

Honorable mentions: Saves time

A few users mentioned that Monday’s automations and project management optimization help them save time.

“Monday.com saves our teams valuable time by increasing productivity using automation and integrations that work with our other systems like Google and Jira.”

Observations

While the main benefits of ClickUp and Monday are similar, it’s interesting to see which ones came out on top. 

With ClickUp it’s all about having a central platform that improves organization and simplifies management of all kinds of projects.

With Monday, the main focus is on streamlined processes that boost team performance while ensuring projects and progress are visible and transparent.

Summary

According to the 100 analyzed user reviews here’s what the users feel:

ClickUp seems like the solution with the higher ceiling. It can manage all kinds of tasks in place and is extremely customizable. However, some users might find it overwhelming at first, but will come to appreciate it as they learn the ropes.

Monday seems like the solution that’s easier to use straight out of the gates for project management purposes. Some users might wish for a few additional features or integrations, while others will find it more than capable of handling everything they throw at it.