Choose Trello for the simplest board, Asana for structured projects with timelines, Notion if your work lives in documents, Linear if your team ships software, and Todoist if you mostly need a fast task list. Stay on ClickUp if unlimited members on a free plan matter more than simplicity.
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ClickUp puts tasks, docs and kanban boards in one workspace. Free Forever includes unlimited tasks and members; Core costs $12 a user a month on monthly billing, or $9 if you pay for a year.
Teams usually leave for the reason ClickUp's own record gives: the broad feature set creates more configuration choices than simpler tools. Each of the five alternatives below does less, on purpose, and all five have a free plan.
The picks that stand out
Trello
The board metaphor is easy to understand without training. Free covers up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace; Standard is $6 a user a month on monthly billing. Cross-project views and stronger admin controls require Premium.
Asana
Asana suits small teams managing several client projects, with list, board, calendar, timeline and Gantt views. Personal is free for up to two users; Starter is €13.49 a user a month on monthly billing and adds timeline, Gantt, forms and unlimited automations. The structure takes setup and upkeep.
Notion
Notion is an all-in-one workspace with relational databases and a generous free plan; Plus is €11.50 a member a month on monthly billing. It is not for teams needing highly structured project management with Gantt timelines, and the AI add-on costs extra.
Linear
Linear is noticeably faster to operate than general work-management tools, and its opinionated defaults need less configuration before it is useful. Basic is $12 a user a month on monthly billing. There is no native time tracking, and client-services work fits awkwardly.
Todoist
Natural-language entry makes capture genuinely fast, and Pro is €7 a user a month on monthly billing. There is no Gantt or workload view, so it stops short of project management, and the free plan caps active projects.
At a glance
| Criterion |  ClickUp | Trello | Asana | Notion | Linear | Todoist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used mainly for | Project and task management, team docs and goals | Kanban task management, content and client pipelines | Project and task management, client delivery tracking | Notes, wikis | Issue tracking, sprint planning | Task capture, client to-do lists |
| Entry price | $12.00/mo · Core | $6.00/mo · Standard | €13.49/mo · Starter | €11.50/mo · Plus | $12.00/mo · Basic | €7.00/mo · Pro |
| Free plan | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Free trial | ✕No | ✕No | ✕No | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Works on | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Browser extension | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, API |
| Documented integrations | Slack, HubSpot, Google Drive, GitHub, Zoom | Slack, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Miro, Confluence | Slack, Google Drive, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce | Slack, Google Drive, Zapier | GitHub, GitLab, Slack, Figma, Zapier | Google Calendar, Slack, Zapier, Make, API |
| Setup | Moderate: 1-2 hr | Easy: minutes | Moderate: 30-60 min | Moderate: 30 min | Easy: 30 min | Easy: minutes |
| Main limitation | The pricing page displays 60MB storage on Free Forever, while a separate official upgrade article references a 100MB threshold; verify the current enforced limit before relying on it | Free plan caps each Workspace at 10 boards | Personal is capped at two users | Learning curve for databases | Built around software delivery, so client-services work fits awkwardly | No Gantt or workload view, so it stops short of project management |
| Our evidence level | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented |
| Try it | Try ClickUp ↗Partner link | Try Trello ↗ | Try Asana ↗ | Try Notion ↗ | Try Linear ↗ | Try Todoist ↗Partner link |
Every cell comes from the tool's record, built from its official documentation and pricing page. The integrations listed are the ones the vendor documents, not tested by us.
Why small teams leave ClickUp
The record lists it plainly: the broad feature set creates more configuration choices than simpler tools, and advanced dashboards and higher automation limits sit above Core. If your team uses a fraction of ClickUp, a tool that does only that fraction needs less setup and less governance.
What you give up
No alternative here matches Free Forever's unlimited members: Trello Free stops at 10 collaborators per Workspace and Asana Personal at two users. ClickUp also has native time tracking on paid plans, which Linear lacks. Note the storage cap on ClickUp's side: the pricing page shows 60MB on Free Forever.
Monthly prices side by side
On monthly billing, per user or member. In dollars: Trello Standard $6, ClickUp Core $12, Linear Basic $12. In euros: Todoist Business €10 plus local taxes (Pro, at €7, is for one person), Notion Plus €11.50, Asana Starter €13.49. We do not convert one currency into the other. Every one is billed per seat, so the gap grows with the team. Prices were read with the monthly toggle on each official pricing page.
Leaving ClickUp for something simpler
A year on yearly billing, each tool in its own currency.
- On your own: Todoist Pro, 60 € a year.
- A team of four on boards: Trello's free plan, or Standard at $240 a year for four.
- A team of four that mostly writes: Notion Plus, 456 € a year for four.
- A team of four shipping software: Linear Basic, $480 a year for four.
When to stay on ClickUp
If you want tasks, docs, boards and time tracking in one workspace, and someone on the team will own its configuration, ClickUp's Core plan combines storage, integrations and time tracking at the paid entry tier. Replacing all of that usually takes two of the tools above.
Pricing side by side
ClickUp Core · in dollars
Trello Standard · in dollars
Asana Starter · in euros
Notion Plus · in euros
Linear Basic · in dollars
Each tool's paid entry plan multiplied by the number of seats, free plan and tax excluded. Each tool stays in its own currency and on its own scale: we do not convert dollars into euros, so bar lengths do not compare from one tool to the other. Prices read on the official pages (25.10.2026 to 03.11.2026).
| Tool | Verified price | Billing condition | Free | Checked | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClickUp | $12.00/mo · Core | $9 per user/month billed yearly; $12 per user/month billed monthly | Yes | 03.11.2026 | Visit ↗Partner link |
| Trello | $6.00/mo · Standard | $5 per user/month billed annually; $6 per user/month billed monthly | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| Asana | €13.49/mo · Starter | €13.49 per user/month billed monthly; €10.99 per user/month billed annually; VAT added at checkout | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| Notion | €11.50/mo · Plus | €11.50 per member/month billed monthly; €9.50 per member/month billed annually | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| Linear | $12.00/mo · Basic | $12 per user/month billed monthly; $10 per user/month billed annually | Yes | 26.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| Todoist | €7.00/mo · Pro | 7 € a month for one person, billed monthly; 5 € a month billed annually (60 € a year); teams use Business at 10 € per user a month plus local taxes | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗Partner link |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to ClickUp?
Yes. Trello, Asana, Notion, Linear and Todoist all have permanent free plans. None matches ClickUp Free Forever's unlimited members: Trello Free covers up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, and Asana Personal two users.
What is simpler than ClickUp?
Trello, for a team board anyone understands without training, and Todoist, for a task list with natural-language entry.
How much does ClickUp cost?
Core is $12 a user a month on monthly billing, or $9 a month billed annually. Business is $25 monthly or $17 annually. Free Forever costs nothing and includes unlimited tasks and members.
Is Notion or Asana the better ClickUp alternative?
Notion if your work lives in documents and databases. Asana if you run structured projects with timelines, Gantt views and forms.
Recently at these tools
ClickUp: Release 4.09: automations can create lists from templates, personal time off now feeds planning and workload, and parent task dates sync from their subtasks. Source ↗
Notion: Notion Agents are rebuilt with their own computer and browser and can run tasks for up to 24 hours; an "Auto" model router, bring-your-own-key AI, and a new credit system for all Notion AI usage arrive. Check how the credits apply to your plan before relying on AI features. Source ↗
Notion: Notion 3.8 focuses on context for agents: connected data, tools and skills kept in Notion whichever agent or model you use. Source ↗
Linear: Loops (Linear's automated agents) can be triggered from Slack and GitHub, saved as templates for the workspace, and set to different reasoning levels. Source ↗
Linear: Linear Diffs shows stacked pull requests, groups related ones in Reviews and previews the affected pull requests before a GitHub stack is merged. Source ↗
Todoist: Task Capture Assist leaves beta, and tasks can be reordered in Today while a filter is on. Source ↗
Read on each vendor's official changelog, not tested by us.