project management tool · head to head
ClickUp vs Wrike
Comparison Summary
ClickUp scored 7.4 and Wrike scored 5.8 on our project management tool test script.
ClickUp and Wrike both cover views, dependencies, recurrence and automation, but ClickUp does it on its Free Forever plan while Wrike's free plan is a board and a table. Our Wrike results come from the 14-day Pinnacle trial a new account starts with.
Day to day, ClickUp was easier to fill: it imported our CSV with all fields, while Wrike only accepts its own Excel template, makes one task from a pasted list and moves weekend due dates to Monday by default. Wrike's strengths are its five user types and very fast large imports once the file is in its format.
Choose ClickUp for the most on a free plan and less friction. Choose Wrike if you need its strict roles and planning depth and will pay for Business or above.
Key differences
ClickUp
Wrike - Our 8 scripted tasks
- ClickUp:6 passed, 2 partial
- Wrike:1 passed, 7 partial
- Views on the free plan
- ClickUp:List, board, calendar and Gantt
- Wrike:Table and board
- Dependencies
- ClickUp:Free
- Wrike:Paid; did not reschedule in our test
- CSV import
- ClickUp:200 and 500 rows with all fields
- Wrike:No CSV; only Wrike's Excel template
- Automation
- ClickUp:Free, 100 actions a month
- Wrike:Paid; fired in 2–3 s
- AI
- ClickUp:Chat trial: summary, subtasks, overdue
- Wrike:Copilot: overdue right, count wrong, no subtasks
- Roles
- ClickUp:Member, limited member, guest and admin
- Wrike:Five user types plus custom roles
- Memory and cold start
- ClickUp:1.7–2.2 GB; about 14 s
- Wrike:1.3–1.8 GB; about 9 s
- Paid plans from
- ClickUp:$9 per user a month, billed yearly
- Wrike:$10 per user a month, billed yearly
- Left after uninstalling
- ClickUp:About 275 MB and a broken startup entry
- Wrike:About 112 MB and a protocol handler
Editor's Verdict
Choose ClickUp if…
Best for: Small teams that want lists, boards, Gantt charts, automations and AI in one free workspace and do not mind a busy, heavy app.
- Every view we needed is free: list, board, calendar and Gantt, with no upgrade prompt
- Automation, dependency and recurring task all worked on the free plan
- Pasting a multi-line list creates one task per line
Choose Wrike if…
Best for: Larger teams that need strict roles, Gantt planning and reporting, and will pay for Business or above.
- 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
Head to Head
Task by task
The same prompts, pasted word for word into each app on a clean Windows 11 PC. On the 8 tasks both apps were graded on, ClickUp completed 6 and Wrike completed 1.
| Task | ClickUp | Wrike |
|---|---|---|
| P1 · Build a project | Pass≈ 200 actions | Partial≈ 20 min |
| P2 · Views | Pass≈ 2 min | Partial≈ 3 min |
| P3 · Rules | Pass≈ 7 min | Partial≈ 10 min |
| P4 · 200-row import | Partial≈ 12 min | Partial≈ 10 min |
| P5 · Scale | Pass< 2 min import | Pass≈ 2 min |
| P6 · Permissions | Pass≈ 5 min | Partial≈ 4 min |
| P7 · AI | Pass≈ 1–1.5 min each | Partial≈ 4 min |
| P8 · Leave | Partial≈ 7 min | Partial≈ 4 min |
ClickUp ran on its Free Forever plan; a new Wrike account starts on a 14-day Pinnacle trial, and we noted where Wrike's results depend on it.
Measured on the same PC
| Measurement | ClickUp | Wrike |
|---|---|---|
| On disk | 643 MB | 403 MB |
| Admin rights | Not needed | Optional |
| Starts with Windows | Yes, by default | No |
| 40-task project | ≈ 200 actions | ≈ 20 min |
| Views on the free plan | 4 / 4 | 2 / 4 |
| Cold start | ≈ 14 s | ≈ 9 s |
| Memory | 1.7 – 2.2 GB | 1.3 – 1.8 GB |
| Left after uninstall | ≈ 275 MB | ≈ 112 MB |
Pros and cons
ClickUp
+ What works
- Every view we needed is free: list, board, calendar and Gantt, with no upgrade prompt
- Automation, dependency and recurring task all worked on the free plan
- Pasting a multi-line list creates one task per line
- 500-row CSV import in under two minutes, and the 500-task board opened in under a second
- Brain² summarised our project accurately, answered “what is overdue?” correctly and asked before adding subtasks
- Full CSV export in under a minute: all 771 tasks, with comments and subtasks
- Removing someone's access took effect immediately
− What falls short
- Heavy: about 14 seconds from launch to a usable list and 1.7–2.2 GB of memory
- The CSV import matched none of our seven columns automatically and needed status values mapped by hand
- The import offers to invite everyone whose email is in the file
- Starts with Windows by default and leaves about 275 MB and a broken startup entry after uninstalling
- Free AI chat is a one-off trial that does not reset
- The export drops dependencies and recurrence settings
- Busy setup: nine onboarding screens, a phone-number request, an invite nudge and an AI pop-up for every new list
Wrike
+ 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
Privacy and security
What we saw on our own test PC. Each review also lists what the vendor states about data handling, training and certifications.
ClickUp
Starts with Windows
The installer adds ClickUp to Windows startup without asking. It adds no services or scheduled tasks and only listens on the PC itself.
Contacts are pushed, not required
Setup asks for a phone number for promotional calls and messages, and the CSV import pre-fills the file's email addresses as invitations. Both can be skipped.
Full deletion is opt-in
Deleting a workspace keeps it recoverable unless you tick a separate box to delete it and its third-party data permanently.
Left after uninstalling
A 133 MB profile folder, a 143 MB updater cache, the clickup:// link handler and a startup entry pointing at the removed program.
Wrike
Signed installer
The MSI is signed by Wrike, Inc. with a valid certificate.
No background services
The app added no startup entry, services or listening ports.
Detailed roles
Five user types, from Admin to view-only Viewer, plus custom roles and per-item access levels.
EU data centre
Our account ran on Wrike's EU servers (app-eu.wrike.com).
Features & Pricing
| ClickUp | Wrike | |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| macOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | ✓ | — |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paid from | $9/mo | $10/mo |
ClickUp plans
- Free Forever$0
- Core$9/user/mo
- Business$17/user/mo
- EnterpriseCustom
From ClickUp's pricing page, checked Oct 29, 2026.
Wrike plans
- Free$0
- Team$10/user/mo
- Business$25/user/mo
- PinnacleContact sales
- ApexContact sales
From Wrike's pricing page, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Who makes them
- Company
- ClickUp:ClickUp (Mango Technologies, Inc.)
- Wrike:Wrike, Inc.
- Headquarters
- ClickUp:San Diego, California, USA
- Wrike:San Diego, California, USA
- Founded
- ClickUp:2017
- Wrike:2006
- Funding
- ClickUp:$400 million Series C in October 2021 at a reported $4 billion valuation.
- Wrike:Acquired by Citrix in 2021; part of Cloud Software Group since 2022.
Timelines, official links and sources are in each review: ClickUp · Wrike.
FAQ
Which is better, ClickUp or Wrike?
ClickUp scored higher in our tests: its free plan covers views, dependencies, automation and CSV import. Wrike is deeper on roles and planning but needs a paid plan and more setup.
Which has the better free plan?
ClickUp. Wrike's free plan has the board and table views only, with no Gantt chart, automation or AI.
Can I import a spreadsheet into Wrike like ClickUp?
Only in Wrike's own Excel template. ClickUp imported our CSV directly; Wrike rejected it until we converted it.
Read the full reviews
This page compares the two side by side. Each full review has the complete test log, every screenshot, the scoring notes, pricing, security and company details.
ClickUp reviewRecommended 7.4 ClickUp passed every step of our project-management test on the free plan: all the views, a working automation, dependencies, recurring tasks, a 500-row import and an AI that got the facts right and asked before changing anything. It is heavy, though: the Windows app needs about 14 seconds and up to 2 GB of memory, and the import and setup make you do more by hand than they should. Read the full review → Wrike reviewSituational 5.8 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. Read the full review → Project Management Alternatives
Notion Situational Individuals and small teams who want tasks living next to their docs and wiki, and who are happy to build their own setup 6.9 Read reviewReview 
Airtable Situational Teams who want a flexible database behind their projects, with automations and reliable CSV in and out 6.8 Read reviewReview 
Asana Situational Teams ready to pay for Starter or Advanced who want a polished, fast-to-learn project tool with strong import and export 6.7 Read reviewReview 
