When it comes to project management software, monday.com is our top pick – but its offering isn't for everyone. If you're looking for a solid monday.com alternative, our research suggests that ClickUp is the next best solution, due to its excellent value for money, wealth of handy features, and generous free plan.
Dedicated spreadsheet users, however, may benefit more from Smartsheet. This is because the software allows you to share information seamlessly between platforms and arrange this data into unique visuals.
But no matter what you're looking for, choosing the right project management tool is never easy. So to make the process a little more straightforward, we've used our research to identify the top five alternatives to monday.com:
- ClickUp – Best value for money
- Smartsheet – Best overall for spreadsheet users
- Wrike – Best for marketing teams
- Asana – Best for viewing your workflow
- Trello – Best stripped-back alternative
If you're reading this, you're probably looking veer away from monday.com. But the provider does hold our top title for good reason. So by seeing how they size up to its colorful and streamlined offering, you can weigh up your options before deciding which software to move forwards with.
To help you find the best project management software for your business, this guide will also answer the following questions:
Best monday.com Alternatives
| Price All prices listed are per user, per month (billed annually) | Free Version | Pros | Cons | Verdict | ||
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| BEST VALUE  |  |  |  |  | ||
| ClickUp | Smartsheet | Wrike | Asana | Trello | ||
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| Slick, simple software with a powerful core, plus a genuinely usable free tier for individuals, and great value plans for teams. | A great tool for spreadsheet-natives, which can take your Excel-based task planning to the next level, and there's a free trial, too. | A feature-rich service with a plain interface that's easy to learn, and has a free tier option to try. | A simple task-list-based project management platform with an acceptable free tier. | A fairly-priced, stripped-down option best for small teams. |
1. ClickUp – Best value alternative
Created in 2016, ClickUp hasn't been around as long as its rival monday, but its impact on the business software market is big and growing. Similar to monday.com, however, ClickUp depicts itself as far more than a task management dashboard. In fact, its celebrated software platform ‘work operating system (OS)', which lets all employees organize their schedules around one central point, is one of the highest-rated remote tools in the business world.
One of ClickUp's most distinctive features is its multiple views function, which lets users view their projects in multiple different ways, including in list, board, and calendar formats. The software also offers a time tracking feature on their business plan, unlike monday.com which only features the tool in its premium package. This makes ClickUp a better solution for project managers looking to account for their time, as well as the time of their team.
Finally, if you're looking for flexible software that can adapt to the needs of your project, ClickUps's customization capabilities are slightly more robust than monday's.
ClickUp Pricing vs monday.com Pricing
In terms of pricing, both ClickUp and Monday's contributions are basically neck and neck. However, ClickUp's raft of features and generous free plan makes it a better deal than monday.com overall.
Both providers offer a free plan, but ClickUp's free plan is much more comprehensive. Not only does it have an unlimited user and integration limit, but it also welcomes salesforce CRM add-ons. That being said, if you're using the free plan to juggle multiple projects at once, you'd be better off using monday.
In terms of the paid plans, the price difference will depend on how you choose to pay. If you'd rather a less committal, monthly plan, monday will be slightly more cheaper – with its basic monthly plan clocking in at $12 per user, per month, its standard at $14.50 per user, per month, and its pro at $25 per user, per month.
Alternatively, if you sign up to the annual plan, ClickUp's offering will be better value – with its unlimited plan costing $5 per user, per month and its business plan retailing at $12 per user, per month. There's also a $19 per user, per month Business Plus plan too.
Read our ClickUp pricing review to learn more about the provider's paid models.
Is ClickUp Better Than monday.com?
monday.com and ClickUp are some of the biggest names in business software, so choosing between the two was never going to be easy.
While we still believe monday.com is one of the best solutions on the market, our research suggests ClickUp is slightly better value for money, overall. This makes ClickUp a better option for smaller businesses or those with tighter budgets.
In terms of general performance, the providers are essentially neck and neck. Where monday lacks in 24/7 hour support and live chat features, it makes up for generous user and storage limits. Moreover, while ClickUp's interface might not be as easy as monday's to use, its bountiful software integrations and useful tools firmly place it back in the running.
Pros
- Genuinely impressive free plan
- Competitive pricing options
- Very customizable
Cons
- Better for small teams, few enterprise-level features
- Customizability can be overwhelming to new users
2. SmartSheet – Best overall for spreadsheet users
Spreadsheet users, rejoice. SmartSheet is undoubtedly the best project management software for spreadsheet loyalists – Excel and Google-Sheet users alike.
Ultimately, SmartSheet is like an extremely advanced spreadsheet tool. It helps workers track and manage projects easily, and uses an interface that isn't too different from a spreadsheet itself. Its unique software also makes it super easy for project managers to automate processes and keep their data secure.
Even if you don't rely on spreadsheets to carry out business activities, SmartSheet is very simple to set up and use. However, despite its numerous perks, SmartSheet definitely won't work for all teams. If you're not a seasoned spreadsheet user, the software might seem a little unfamiliar. Moreover, unlike monday, which uses the Kanban board to display and visualize tasks, SmartSheet's layout makes it quite hard for workers to analyze their workload at a glance.
SmartSheet Pricing vs monday.com Pricing
In terms of cost, monday.com will be your best bet.
Not only does SmartSheet not offer a free plan, but at $25 per user, per month, its business plan also costs considerably more than monday's. If you're after a basic package, the provider does offer a reasonable plan. But in terms of overall affordability, monday.com definitely takes the crown.
Is SmartSheet Better Than monday.com?
If it's spreadsheet compatibility you're after, StartSheet might be a stronger option for you. However, due to its lack of a free plan, complicated interface, and lack of useful features, we think monday's software is better for businesses overall.
If you're looking for an even more comprehensive comparison, check out our guide to the two options, Smartsheet vs. monday.com.
Pros
- Free Trial available
- Easy to use, even for beginners
- Familiar, spreadsheet-like interface
- Great for any sized company
Cons
- Some features have limited functionality
- Competitors have better collaboration features
3. Wrike – Best for marketing teams
Wrike is a solid project management solution that's been designed with marketing teams and professional service firms in mind. Aside from being useful to these demographics, its suite of specialized features also makes it particularly an effective tool for users handling large or complex projects.
Despite Wrike's advanced capabilities, the project management software is also surprisingly easy to use. From its three-pane layout – which allows you to view all your important data from the convenience of one screen – to its intuitive interface, Wrike tops monday's software in terms of usability.
However, monday.com is our top pick for good reason. So let's see how Wrike's pricing compares to our frontrunner.
Wrike Pricing vs monday.com Pricing
Unfortunately, Wrike's feature-rich software comes at a slightly heavier price tag than monday's.
Its cheapest plan is available at $9.80, per user, per month – almost a third more than monday's annual model, and if you're looking to unlock its full range of marketing and professional service features, you'd have to contact them for a quote.
For users with more limited management needs, however, Wrike does offer a free plan. And with an unlimited project limit and generous storage capacities, this complementary plan might just take the edge over monday's.
Learn more about Wrike's pricing plans here.
Is Wrike Better Than monday.com?
There's no denying it, Wrike is a really promising project management solution. But in terms of how it stacks up to monday – it really depends on your business's unique needs.
If your business specializes in marketing or professional services, it's likely Wrike will be the best option for your team. However, since these bespoke features are reserved for users paying for premium plans, this might make them out of reach to businesses with more limited budgets.
If you're serious about finding a free solution, Wrike's complementary plan might also come up on top of mondays. With no user limits, effective data visualization tools, and limitless integrations, it does definitely rank competitively against our frontrunner.
Overall though, monday's paid plans are easier to use and generally provide more bang for your buck. Therefore, for small-to-medium-sized businesses with standard project management needs, we still think Monday's software comes out on top.
Pros
- No-nonsense, robust feature catalog
- Lots of customizability
- Best task management features
Cons
- Not entirely easy to use
- Difficult to use automation builder
- Not the best for collaboration
4. Asana – Best for viewing your workflow
Another worthy rival to monday.com, is Asana. Out of all of monday's competitors, Asana is one of the easiest to use. It offers users a simple interface and intuitive form builder, making the solution perfect for those just starting out with project management software.
Katie is an SEO Campaign Executive who'd never used Asana until her current manager installed it for their team and she really enjoyed how easy the custom fields option was to use.
“You can add custom fields on tasks, so for our commercial link tasks I added fields for the brief, the article, the live link, the brand, and the date live,” she said. “I also added a custom priority field as the standard one didn’t have urgent, and colors for each for the selection fields.”
“You can add custom fields on tasks, so for our commercial link tasks I added fields for the brief, the article, the live link, the brand and the date live. I also added a custom priority field as the standard one didn’t have urgent. I could also add colours for each for the selection fields.
It also lets users track their workflow clearly with its Gantt-chart-like project schedule. While monday.com also prides itself on workflow visualizations, Asana's lucid displays do arguably give the project management giant a run for its money.
Asana also excels when it comes to third-party integrations. Whether you're looking to add CRM or communication tools into your core plan, the software's integration limit is uncapped, even with its free plan.
Unfortunately though, Asana's slick and user-friendly software doesn't come for cheap. So let's see how its price measures up to monday.com's next.
Asana Pricing vs monday.com Pricing
If you're looking to pay for Asana's toolkit monthly, the cheapest plan will cost you $13.49, with its business costing slightly more at $30.49. Compared to monday.com's monthly prices, this is a little steep.
If you're not looking to pay a premium, Asana does offer a free plan too. But with no data visualization tools and substandard customer support – it definitely falls short of monday.com's free version.
Is Asana Better Than monday.com?
In short, we don't think Asana's project management software tops monday.com's. But that isn't to say it's without its strengths. Asana's software is extremely easy to use and visually compelling, so will definitely be an asset to many businesses.
Pros
- Free trial available
- Plenty of third party integrations
- Incredible clean and intuitive interface
- Free options available
Cons
- Most key features require Premium plan
- High prices for larger teams
- Customer support options could be better
5. Trello – Best stripped-back software
With an intuitive automation builder and a simple, uncrowded interface, Trello is another great option for small to medium-sized teams. Much like monday.com's offering, the software is clean and visually appealing, making creating and managing tasks a breeze – even for beginners.
Trello works by letting you organize your projects into boards. These boards are completely customizable and help teams keep track of what work is being done. While this layout caterers well to smaller-scale projects, if you're managing multiple teams and are looking to scale, this software won't be for you.
Trello Pricing vs monday.com Pricing
While it might not work for every team, Trello's prices can't be beaten.
Its standard plan costs $5 per user per month, its premium costs $10 per user per month, and its enterprise stands at a fixed price of $17.50 per user per month. It even offers a free tier with no limit on users, storage, or integrations.
Trello runs circles around monday.com in terms of affordability. But with a cheaper price tag, comes a more stripped-back product.
Is Trello Better Than monday.com?
For smaller teams looking for a no-frills, cost-effective project management software, Trello could serve you well. The software's limited storage options and lack of collaboration features and data visualization tools do, however, make it inadequate for users managing larger, more complex projects.
Because Trello isn't a great fit for all businesses, we can't position the tool above monday.com's all-rounded offering.
Pros
- Intuitive, drag-and-drop interface
- Lots of add-ons available
- Free option available
Cons
- Free option is limited
- Too basic for larger teams
- Sparse collaboration tools
Should You Choose monday.com Anyway?
As you can see, the market isn't short of great project management tools. But while monday.com's competitors all bring something unique to the table, the provider is one of the leading names in the industry for good reason.
Unlike lots of other project management solutions, monday can be used by just about any business. This is because the offering is well-rounded and operates on a flexible pricing structure. What's more, its feature-rich software and slick, easy-to-use interface make monday suitable for experienced project managers and beginners alike.
Aside from its impressive versatility, monay's raft of useful tools is another thing that separates it from its competition. For instance, while many project management solutions lack basic communication tools, monday's Collaborative Whiteboard feature really goes above and beyond. It gives teams a place to sketch and type ideas for each other in real-time, making remote collaboration easier than ever.
Despite monday's wealth of offerings, if you find yourself in hot water, the provider isn't easy to reach. With no live chat option, customer service helpline, or 24/7 support, monday doesn't cater to customers looking for on-demand help and feedback. If this is a dealbreaker for you, it's probably better to opt for a solution with better support options, like ClickUp.
All things considered, we still think monday's affordable pricing tiers make it a solid option for most teams. You can learn more about monday.com's pricing structure in the table below.
| Price (annually) The amount you'll pay per month, when billed annually | Support | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | | | | |
| Individual | Basic | Standard | Pro | Enterprise |
| Basic |
| 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
Free Alternatives to monday.com
Paid tools will always edge out free versions, but monthly fees aren't conducive to every business's budget. Fortunately, if you're looking to use technology to manage projects effectively without being tied down to a paid model, monday's free plan isn't the only option out there.
Truth be told, Jira's free service actually blows monday's out of the water. Unlike monday.com, businesses using Jira's free plan aren't restricted by project or user limits. This gives you unlimited scope to use the software across your business. Jira Software also boasts a storage limit of 2GB per user – four times that of monday's – and uncapped software integrations.
Wrike's free plan is also a serious contender. Also offering an unlimited user and project limit and seamless integrations with Slack and Teams, businesses on the hunt for effective free software shouldn't look past this offering. Unfortunately though, with Wrike Free lacking data visualization tools and basic customer support functions, it isn't going to work for everyone.
Executing a project from start to finish doesn't come cheap. By using free project management tools you're able to funnel these savings into other areas of your business. However, while free and ‘freemium' tools can help businesses to save money initially, they can often end up costing you more in the long run. This is because they usually lack the features your business will need to make bigger, longer-term savings.
Verdict: monday.com Is Still the Best All-Round Solution
If you're looking for a project management tool that can do it all – monday still has our vote. If you haven't tried it out yet, we recommend giving their free plan a try to see if it can work for you, and then upgrading once you're happy.
This being said, the software isn't perfect, and ClickUp offers a stronger free plan and better support features, if you're not planning to pay in the long run. Plus, Wrike's specialized tools make it better for marketing and professional service teams.
If you're still on the fence about which tool to choose, our project management deals chart might help. You'll be able to see all the special offers that are available right now.
Frequently Asked Questions