Review Summary
Wrike is a deep, enterprise-style tool: five user types, real recurrence, dependencies, a Gantt chart and a fast importer for hundreds of tasks. But everyday work takes more effort than in the other apps we tested: no multi-line paste, weekend due dates moved to Monday by default, and an importer that only takes its own Excel template. Its AI got the task count wrong and could not create subtasks, and the free plan is limited to a board and a table.
+ What works
- Fast import: 200 rows in under a minute and 500 in under 20 seconds, with dates and descriptions
- Five user types, from Admin to view-only Viewer, plus custom roles
- Proper recurrence settings and a working status automation
- Instant, complete Excel export of every task, folder and field
- Valid code signature and an optional install without admin rights
− What falls short
- The importer only accepts Wrike's own Excel template: no CSV, and your status names must match
- Pasting a list creates one task, not one per line
- “Working Days Only” is on by default, so weekend due dates silently move to Monday
- Dependencies did not reschedule our tasks; the Gantt chart only showed a conflict
- Copilot miscounted completed tasks and cannot create subtasks
- Free plan: board and table only, no Gantt, no automation, no AI
Wrike Alternatives
Not sure Wrike is the right fit? These project management tools scored best on the same test script:
ClickUp Recommended Small teams that want lists, boards, Gantt charts, automations and AI in one free workspace and do not mind a busy, heavy app 7.4 Read reviewReview 
What is Wrike?
Wrike organizes work into spaces, projects, folders and tasks, shown as tables, boards, Gantt charts and calendars. Custom fields, workflows, request forms and automations let teams shape it around their processes.
Its higher plans add resource planning, budgeting, reporting and AI features, including Copilot and AI agents.
Why Wrike is different
Five built-in user types plus custom roles and per-item access levels.
Gantt planning, budgeting and resource tools aimed at larger organisations.
Who is Wrike for?
Larger teams that need strict roles, Gantt planning and reporting, and will pay for Business or above. Mid-size and large teams that need structured planning, strict permissions and reporting.
Skip it if
- You want to paste or import a spreadsheet without reformatting it
- You need more than a board and a table without paying
- You want an AI assistant that edits your project for you
Our Experience with Wrike
Test log
Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26300 in VMware Workstation 26H1 (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, no GPU passthrough), English UI, 1920×1080, clean snapshot; new Wrike account, which starts a 14-day Pinnacle trial
- 14:51
Installer downloaded
175 MB, signature valid
- 14:55
Account created
14-day Pinnacle trial
- 15:06
Default install asks for admin
- 15:12
Installed per user
403 MB
- 15:16
P1: multi-line paste makes one task
- 15:52
P1 done
40 tasks
- 15:53
P2: four views
- 16:00
P3: rule fired
2–3 s
- 16:02
P3: dependency did not reschedule
- 16:08
P4: CSV rejected
- 16:12
P4: 200 rows via Wrike template
- 16:15
P5: 500 rows
under 20 s
- 16:18
Cold start
usable in about 9 s
- 16:21
P6: invite and user types
- 16:24
P7: summary miscounted
- 16:29
P8: Excel export
about 8 s
- 16:31
Uninstalled
112 MB left
-
P1 · Build a project
Build a 40-task product launch project from a written brief: five phase lists of eight tasks, each with a due date and priority.
Partial ≈ 20 min
Pasting eight lines created one task with all of them in its name, so we typed one task per Enter. Importance (High, Normal, Low) matches the brief and a custom Phase field worked on the trial. “Working Days Only” is on by default, so our ten weekend due dates moved to Monday until we unticked it for each one.
-
P2 · Views
Show the project as a list, board, calendar and Gantt chart.
Partial ≈ 3 min
Table, board, Gantt chart and calendar all showed our tasks straight away on the Pinnacle trial. The free plan has only the table and board.
-
P3 · Rules
Set up a status automation, a dependency and a weekly recurring task.
Partial ≈ 10 min
Our rule set the phase within two or three seconds of completing a task. Weekly recurrence has a proper dialog. A dependency could be added, but moving the first task did not move the second; the Gantt chart drew the link in red instead.
-
P4 · 200-row import
Import a 200-row CSV with statuses, assignees, dates, priorities, tags and special characters.
Partial ≈ 10 min
Wrike rejected our CSV file, then rejected the same data as Excel because “In progress” is not a Wrike status. After converting it to Wrike's own template, all 200 rows arrived with dates, importance and descriptions. Statuses collapsed to New or Completed, and tags have no column.
-
P5 · Scale
Import 500 rows, then open and scroll a 500-task board.
Pass ≈ 2 min
500 rows imported in under 20 seconds and the list opened instantly and scrolled smoothly. The app used 1.3 to 1.8 GB of memory.
-
P6 · Permissions
Invite a second user, check what they can see and change, then restrict them.
Partial ≈ 4 min
Wrike has five user types (Admin, Regular User, External User, Contributor, Viewer), per-item access levels and custom roles. The invite went out as Regular User and cancelling it took two clicks. We did not test the second user's view.
-
P7 · AI
Ask the built-in AI to summarise the project, write subtasks for one task and say what is overdue.
Partial ≈ 4 min
Copilot correctly said nothing was overdue, but its summary claimed 22 completed tasks when there were 185. It refused to create subtasks; “write with AI” drafted action items as description text, shown before inserting. AI needs a paid plan.
-
P8 · Leave
Export everything to CSV, delete the workspace and uninstall the app.
Partial ≈ 4 min
The Excel export was ready in about 8 seconds with every task, folder, dependency and custom field, but there is no CSV option. We left deleting the account to its owner. Uninstalling left a 112 MB profile folder and a protocol handler.
How we tested Wrike
Wrike is the seventh app in our project-management category and ran the same eight-step script as ClickUp, Asana, Notion, Linear, Trello and monday.com: build a 40-task project from a written brief, show it in four views, set up rules, import 200 and then 500 rows from a CSV file, invite a second user, use the built-in AI, export everything and leave.
We installed Wrike's Windows desktop app on a clean Windows 11 virtual machine. A new account starts a 14-day trial of Pinnacle, Wrike's top plan, so most features were available; we checked each one against Wrike's pricing page. Everything was done on October 30, 2026.
Installation and setup
The 175 MB MSI installer is signed by Wrike, Inc. Its default “Install” button installs for all users and asks for admin rights; under Advanced there is a per-user install that does not. The app added no startup entry, services or listening ports, and asks you to sign in again rather than using the browser session.
Sign-up in the browser runs an eight-step wizard: company size, team, role, a first project name and three first tasks. Wrike then filled those three tasks with sample data we had not entered, such as budgets, statuses and an image, which we deleted. Two reminder automations were already switched on in the new space.
Building the project
Pasting eight lines into the table created a single task with all eight lines in its name, so we typed one task per Enter. Wrike's Importance field (High, Normal, Low) matches our brief, and we added a custom Phase field for the five phases. Ten of our due dates fall on a weekend, and each one moved to Monday because the date picker's “Working Days Only” box is ticked by default; we unticked it task by task. Realistically the project takes about 20 minutes.
Views and rules
Table, board, Gantt chart and calendar all showed our tasks straight away on the trial. Tasks with only a due date appear as milestones. On the free plan only the table and board are included; the Gantt chart starts on Team.
Our custom rule, “when a task is completed, set Phase to Launch”, fired within two or three seconds. Recurrence has a proper dialog, and our weekly Thursday task was scheduled for its first date. We added a dependency, “Survey launch” after “Survey draft”, but moving the draft did not move the launch; the Gantt chart drew the link in red as a conflict instead.
Importing 200 and 500 rows
Wrike imports from Excel or MS Project. Our CSV file was rejected outright, and the same data saved as Excel was rejected because “In progress” is not one of Wrike's status names. Wrike's own template has Title, Status, Priority, Assigned To, Start Date, End Date and Description, with no place for tags.
After converting our file to that template, all 200 rows arrived in under a minute, with due dates, importance and descriptions including commas, quotes and an emoji intact. Our four statuses collapsed to New or Completed. The 500-row file imported in under 20 seconds into its own folder.
Speed and memory
The 500-task list opened instantly and scrolled smoothly. Wrike is heavy, though: 1.3 to 1.8 GB of memory with the big list open, and from a cold start the window appeared in a second but the table was drawn only after about 9 seconds.
Sharing and permissions
Wrike has the most detailed permissions we have seen in this category: five user types (Admin, Regular User, External User, Contributor and Viewer), access levels per project and custom roles. Our invite went out as a Regular User with full access to the project, and cancelling it took two clicks. In this run we did not test what a second user sees.
Wrike's AI
Copilot answered “Is anything overdue?” correctly. Its project summary, however, said 22 tasks were completed when the project held 185. Asked to add five subtasks to “Billing integration”, it replied that it cannot create subtasks. The task-level “write with AI” drafted a list of action items as description text and waited for us to insert it.
The three Copilot questions used 3 of the trial's 500 monthly AI actions, an allowance of 10 per user a month. AI is not part of the free plan.
Leaving Wrike
Exporting the project to Excel took about 8 seconds and included every task, folder, dependency and custom field in 29 columns. There is no CSV export. We did not delete the account. Uninstalling took four seconds but left a 112 MB profile folder and a protocol handler behind.
What we have not tested yet
We did not test the second user's view, Wrike's auto-scheduling for tasks with durations, the weekly task's later runs, AI agents, integrations, the mobile apps or the paid plans after the trial. We did not test Wrike offline, and we ran each step once.
Wrike Screenshots
Taken during our own test run on a clean Windows 11 machine.
What we checked
Every item in our project management tool test plan and how Wrike did. Scan for the ones you can't live without.
Installation
- Pass Download size175 MB
- Pass Signed installerWrike, Inc., valid
- Partial Admin rightsneeded by default; per-user option under Advanced
- Pass Asks before running at startupdoes not add itself to startup
First use
- Pass Sign-up without a card
- Fail Starts on the free plan14-day Pinnacle trial
Core tasks
- Partial Build a 40-task projectno multi-line paste; weekend dates shifted
- Fail List, board, calendar and Gantt on the free plantable and board only
- Partial Status automationworks; paid plans
- Partial Task dependencyno automatic rescheduling in our test
- Pass Recurring taskweekly recurrence dialog
- Partial CSV import keeps the dataonly via Wrike's Excel template
- Fail CSV import maps columns itselffixed template
- Partial Permissions and rolesfive user types; member view not tested
- Partial AI summary and answersoverdue right, task count wrong
- Pass AI asks before changing datadrafts shown before inserting
Performance
- Pass Large board (500 tasks)instant
- Partial Cold startabout 9 s
- Partial Memory use1.3–1.8 GB
Privacy and security
- Pass No pressure to share contactsinvite step can be skipped
- N/A Access removed immediatelymember view not tested
Integrations
- Partial Import from other toolsExcel and MS Project
- N/A Connected appsintegrations not tested
Offline and sync
- N/A Behaviour without internet
Pricing traps
- Fail Free plan limitsboard and table only, no automation or AI
Cancel and uninstall
- Partial Complete exportExcel, complete; no CSV
- N/A Delete the workspaceleft to the account owner
- Partial Clean uninstall112 MB and a protocol handler left
Test Results
- Ease of use6.0
Powerful but fiddly: no multi-line paste, weekend dates shifted by default, and an import template to follow.
- Views & flexibility6.0
Table, board, Gantt and calendar all work, but only table and board on the free plan.
- Speed6.0
Fast imports and big lists, but a 9-second cold start and up to 1.8 GB of memory.
- Automation & AI6.5
Rules and recurrence work; dependencies did not reschedule and Copilot made a counting mistake.
- Integrations6.0
Imports Excel and MS Project, exports Excel; no CSV either way.
- Value for money4.5
The free plan is a board and a table; Team costs $10 per user a month and Pinnacle, which we tested, has no public price.
Every project management tool runs the same script. How we test →
Key Features
ViewsTested by us
Table, board, Gantt chart and calendar for the same project.
Table and board on the free plan.
Automation and recurrenceTested by us
Custom rules and recurring tasks.
Our rule fired in 2–3 s on the trial.
DependenciesTested by us
Predecessors and successors between tasks.
Did not reschedule our one-day tasks.
ImportTested by us
Import from Excel or MS Project.
Only Wrike's own Excel template; no CSV.
CopilotTested by us
AI answers about a project and drafts text.
Overdue answer right, task count wrong, no subtasks.
Additional Features
Resource and budget planningVendor-stated
Workload, time tracking and budgets on Pinnacle and Apex.
Wrike at a glance
- Version tested
- Windows app 4.6.2 (October 30, 2026)
- Platforms
- Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
- Installer
- 175 MB MSI; per-user or all users
- Account
- Business email or Google; starts a 14-day Pinnacle trial
- Free plan
- Board and table views
- Import
- Excel template or MS Project; no CSV
Is Wrike secure?
We did not review Wrike's privacy policy or security certifications for this test. Below are only the things we saw on our test PC and in the app.
-
Signed installerTested by us
The MSI is signed by Wrike, Inc. with a valid certificate.
-
No background servicesTested by us
The app added no startup entry, services or listening ports.
-
Detailed rolesTested by us
Five user types, from Admin to view-only Viewer, plus custom roles and per-item access levels.
-
EU data centreTested by us
Our account ran on Wrike's EU servers (app-eu.wrike.com).
Pricing
Free plan
Yes
Paid plans from
$10 / user / month, billed yearly
-
Free
$0
Task management with board and table views and the desktop and mobile apps.
-
Team
$10/user/mo
Billed yearly, 2 to 15 users. AI Essentials, dashboards, Gantt charts.
-
Business
$25/user/mo
Billed yearly, 5 to 200 users. Templates, integrations, AI Elite starter pack.
-
Pinnacle
Contact sales
Advanced resource planning, budgeting, reporting and more AI actions. New accounts get a 14-day trial.
-
Apex
Contact sales
Everything in Pinnacle plus Whiteboards, integrations and the most AI actions.
From Wrike's pricing page, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Who makes Wrike?
- Company
- Wrike, Inc.
- Headquarters
- San Diego, California, USA
- Founded
- 2006
- Founders
- Andrew Filev
- Funding
- Acquired by Citrix in 2021; part of Cloud Software Group since 2022.
Wrike timeline
- 2006Founded by Andrew Filev.
- 2021Acquired by Citrix.
- 2022Became part of Cloud Software Group.
- Oct 30, 2026We tested the Windows app 4.6.2.
Sources
FAQ
Is Wrike free?
There is a free plan with the board and table views. Gantt charts, automation and AI need a paid plan; Team costs $10 per user a month billed yearly. New accounts start a 14-day Pinnacle trial.
Can Wrike import a CSV file?
No. It imports Excel files in its own template, or MS Project files. Our CSV was rejected; after converting it to the template, 200 and 500 rows imported quickly.
Does Wrike have Gantt charts and dependencies?
Yes, on paid plans. In our test a dependency did not move the second task when the first moved; the Gantt chart showed a conflict instead.
How good is Wrike's AI?
Copilot answered what was overdue correctly but miscounted completed tasks and cannot create subtasks. It is not on the free plan.
Does the Windows app need admin rights?
The default install does. Choosing Advanced and “Install just for you” installs without them.
Can I export my data?
Yes, to Excel in seconds, with every task, folder, dependency and custom field. There is no CSV export.
Final Verdict
Wrike is built for structured, larger teams: strict roles, Gantt planning and a fast importer for hundreds of tasks.
For a small team it asks a lot: tasks one at a time, a fixed import template, weekend dates shifted by default, and a free plan limited to a board and a table. Its AI was the least reliable we have tested in this category.
Our advice: consider Wrike if you need its permissions and planning depth and will pay for Business or above. Otherwise ClickUp or monday.com did the same jobs with less friction.