Best Wrike Alternatives 2023 (Top 10 Similar Competitors)
Wrike is a comprehensive project management solution. It’s designed to create full visibility and transparency on projects and tasks. To improve team collaboration, speed up approvals, and handle incoming work requests.
It’s an excellent project management app. And it’s great for co-located teams.
Then again, it might not be the right fit for your organization. Wrike competitors might have something more appropriate.
So what are the best Wrike alternatives?
Top 10 Wrike competitors with similar products
Here are the apps like Wrike that we think are the best options. Although many appear similar, some will be better suited to your circumstances than others.
Asana
ClickUp
Jira
Trello
Podio
monday.com
SmartSheet
ActiveCollab
Clarizen
ProofHub
Read more about each option in the sections below. Or, if you’re unsure what Wrike offers, make sure to read our Wrike review first.
Here’s our full list of the best Wrike alternatives 2023
Project planning, resource management, real-time collaboration. The ability to track progress with Gantt charts. These are some of the key features you’ll want if you’re seeking software like Wrike.
Some apps are more similar to Wrike than others. They may differ in user interface, work management tools, and other ways. The best alternative project management app is in the eye of the beholder, as all the following apps bring excellent value.
Here are 10 good alternatives to Wrike.
1. Asana
Benefits:
Asana helps teams collaborate on projects. To track tasks and communicate through the platform’s many dashboards.
One can view all their tasks as a list form, or see them plotted onto a calendar. There’s a board view, which follows the Kanban logic of moving tasks through stages.
Asana includes tools for conversation and file sharing, which means team members don’t need to rely on emails, other chat apps or cloud platforms to share comments and media.
The timeline feature is sort of a mix between a calendar and a vision board. Projects get mapped out according to an ideal plan. That keeps everyone involved and motivated to meet deadlines.
It’s great for big projects like total website overhauls and new product launches, Marketing campaigns and even event planning.
There’s a free version of the app. It’s targeted at personal work and small team project management. And it’s pretty effective.
Drawbacks:
There’s a lot of features, and it can be confusing to set up your workflow. The task layout view is not super intuitive. You have to click around quite a bit to get to sub-tasks.
Also, sometimes Asana sends you many email notifications. This can make it tricky to sort out what’s an important update and what’s not.
Pricing:
Basic plan for individuals and teams is free.
Premium plan is $10.99 per user/per month billed annually, and $13.49 per user/per month billed monthly.
Business plan is $24.99 per user/per month billed annually, and $30.49 per user/per month billed monthly.
Enterprise plan requires contact with Asana.
A free trial is available for the Premium and Business plans.
Read more details in our Wrike vs Asana review.
Website: asana.com
2. ClickUp
Benefits:
Cloud-based project management platform. Handles process, task, and time management. With team collaboration tools aplenty.
ClickUp has an intuitive UI that lets you switch between features smoothly. It’s aided by the QuickSwitch navigator feature. This lets you move between inbox and dashboards with a single hotkey.
Set up reminders for yourself and others. They can be linked to tasks and set up as recurring, and even include attachments.
There are scrum and Kanban backlog management tools too. This lets you do agile project management. For staying on point on-the-go, there are well-designed mobile apps for Android and iOS.
And there’s a lot of data migration options. There’s easy data import from competitor PM platforms like Wrike and monday.com. Zapier lets you connect ClickUp to data from 1,000+ apps.
We've got a detailed Wrike vs ClickUp comparison article, so make sure to give it a look!
Drawbacks:
At first, the number of features and different dashboards can be overwhelming. You may need about a week or so to learn the app.
Also, ClickUp’s browser extension doesn’t work very well if you’re blocking third-party cookies.
Pricing:
Free plan with a 100MB storage limit is available.
Unlimited plan is $5 per user/per month billed annually, and $9 per user/per month billed monthly.
A free trial is available for the Unlimited plan.
Website: clickup.com
3. Jira
Benefits:
Targeted at Agile and Lean software development teams. Features knowledge management, development workflow, and continuous integration and deployment tools.
The platform is based around drag-and-drop, visual dashboards. Scrum boards, Kanban boards, and big picture roadmaps.
Like a matryoshka doll, you can keep adding depth and complexity to projects. Assign tasks and make one task reliant upon another. Create mini projects within bigger ones.
Jira is very customizable, and there’s many ways to extend its features further.
There’s a GitHub for Jira app. So you can connect your coding work with work in Jira.
And the app integrates readily with Jira Service Desk. This adds help desk functionality.
Jira offers very strong data encryption and security. It has broad security compliance with ISO/IEC 27001 and the US/EU Privacy Shield. As well as many other programs.
Drawbacks:
The UI is unconventional. Finding workflows and making sense of them can be challenging. This gives the platform a moderate learning curve.
Pricing:
Free plan for up to 10 users is available.
Standard plan for up to 5,000 users is $7 per user/per month, billed annually.
Premium plan for up to 5,000 users is $14 per user/per month, billed annually.
A 7-day free trial is available for the Standard and Premium plans.
Read more details in our Wrike vs Jira article.
Website: atlassian.com/software/jira
4. Trello
Benefits:
Trello is simple, visual web-based project organizing software. It’s a flexible and easy-to-use task management tool. Built around Kanban boards for managing productivity workflows.
Information is visible on cards at a glance. You can add comments, attach files, and set due dates on each card. Create useful lists too.
There’s also workflow automation provided by the “Butler” tool. Set rules, trigger events, and schedule commands.
Trello integrates with Slack, Evernote, Dropbox, and Google Drive. And plenty more. This allows you to sync it with all the apps you already use.
The app’s long been a favorite of freelancers, startups, and small teams. It’s even touted as a way to organize your upcoming family vacation. That’s the level of simplicity we’re talking about.
Drawbacks:
Trello isn’t a heavyweight project management tool. If your project is truly complex (like say software development), it might not have the tools you need. Particularly if you’re looking for detailed analytics and metrics.
Pricing:
Free plan is available, with unlimited cards and 10MB limit per attachment.
Business Class plan is $9.99 per user/per month billed annually, and $12.50 per user/per month billed monthly.
Enterprise Class plan for 20+ users is $17.50 per user/per month, billed annually. Price per user drops as the number of users increases.
A 14-day free trial is available for the Business Class plan.
Read more details in our Wrike vs Trello comparison article.
Website: trello.com
5. Podio
Benefits:
Podio’s goal is to get everything you need to see on one page. To speed collaboration and ensure everyone is aligned.
It offers comprehensive project communication and work tools. File sharing, task management, workflow, and reporting tools.
Create personal, shared, and recurring tasks. Organize daily operations into open, private, and employee workspaces.
Social activity streams reduce email and increase knowledge sharing. There’s chat and group chat with media and file sharing. And audio/video calling in-app.
Podio API allows developers to build new integrations. Or new apps.
There’s a time tracker too. This can be used for employee timesheets. Or for tracking time spent on projects.
Drawbacks:
It’s very customizable, so initial setup can be time-consuming. And a bit confusing.
It must also be said Podio has quite a flat visual identity. This may pose some issues for full team adoption.
Pricing:
Free plan for up to 5 users is available.
Basic plan is $9 per user/per month, billed annually.
Plus plan is $14 per user/per month, billed annually.
Premium plan is $24 per user/per month, billed annually.
No free trial is available for paid plans. However, a free version is available.
Website: podio.com
6. monday.com
Benefits:
monday.com is a project management app that’s fêted for having a neat, user-friendly interface. One that puts collaboration tools front and center.
It lets you collate workflows and streamline tasks. And sync information across work applications.
monday.com incentivizes productivity and gives everyone a heads up on what they need to do.
The platform lets team members click around and see all the pieces of the bigger picture. That's great for project alignment, not to mention morale.
It’s suitable for startups and small business owners. As well as individual/personal use (i.e. freelancers).
Drawbacks:
The mobile version has been described by some users as “clunky.” It lacks some of the desktop app’s features. Lacks a call recording feature.
Pricing:
Basic plan is $25 per user/per month, billed annually.
Standard plan is $39 per user/per month, billed annually.
Pro plan is $59 per user/per month, billed annually.
Enterprise plan requires contact with monday.com.
A 14-day free trial is available without a credit card. It includes unlimited users and boards.
Read more details in our Wrike vs Monday CRM comparison article.
Website: monday.com
7. Smartsheet
Benefits:
The idea behind Smartsheet is to align people and tech. About a third of the work day is lost looking for information or dealing with meetings. So the basic principle of the tool is to eliminate this lost time and make your business more agile.
Smartsheet is project and task management software, with easy work sharing through Gantt charts and other views. It also has automation, time tracking, and reporting tools aplenty.
There are tools set up specifically for scaling your business, while mitigating risk. The Control Center dashboard lets you build complex workflows with custom automation rules.
Smartsheet data can be connected to Microsoft Excel with the Live Data Connector tool. This lets you consolidate multiple data sheets into one in Excel file. To format and rearrange data and get real-time insights.
Drawbacks:
Lacks a chat or a ticketing system. The interface is functional, but it’s a bit cold and un-engaging.
Pricing:
Individual plan is $14 per user/per month billed annually.
Business plan is $25 per user/per month billed annually.
Enterprise plan requires contact with Smartsheet.
Premier plan (Enterprise features with premium options) requires contact with Smartsheet.
A 30-day free trial is available. No credit card required.
Website: smartsheet.com
8. ActiveCollab
Benefits:
Collaboration software that puts all your work in one space. Allows you to plan and organize all your work processes. Collaborate internally and communicate with clients and other stakeholders.
Has time management and progress reporting tools. As well as budget and invoice tracking to make sure you’re not spending too much and you’re getting paid.
Overall, the platform’s ease of use is one of its greatest assets. A clean, minimal interface lets you move between lists, tasks, and other features easily.
Calendar view is integrated with all other platform features. You can view project asks, and edit tasks from within your calendar.
Reporting tools let you filter and view tasks. And track workload between team members. You can export report data in .CSV form for use with more advanced, dedicated reporting software.
Drawbacks:
The Android app lacks a lot of the desktop app’s functionality. Invoicing tools are fairly elementary.
Pricing:
ActiveCollab Project Management is $6.25 per user/per month billed annually, and $7 per user/per month billed monthly.
A 90-day free trial is available.
Website: activecollab.com
9. Clarizen
Benefits:
Clarizen is an integrated PM tool for aligning teams, staying agile, and getting work done. A centralized view lets you see who’s doing what, and adjust tasks, priorities, and project timelines.
Project management features include Gantt chart, task reporting, and milestones. Do project-based invoicing too.
You can create and customize project templates quickly. Personalize workflows with multiple boards for different projects, teams, and/or clients. Add comments, team members, and external stakeholders to tasks with ease.
The app has direct integration with Zoom and Teams for Microsoft projects. Zapier can be used to connect it to thousands of others.
Drawbacks:
It’s quite expensive compared to competitors. The user interface feels dated, and might be a real obstacle to full-team adoption.
Pricing:
Clarizen Go for Agile Teams is $29.95 per user/per month billed annually.
Enterprise Edition requires contact with Clarizen.
Unlimited Edition requires contact with Clarizen.
A 30-day free trial is available for Clarizen Go.
Website: clarizen.com
10. ProofHub
Benefits:
Comprehensive work management system with a very low learning curve. Useful for project managers, team members, and clients alike.
A daily agenda view shows you tasks, schedule, and work for the day. Use Kanban boards to build custom workflows with defined stages. Communicate via chat and discussion boards in-app.
Automatic reminders are sent out daily. So team members know which tasks and meetings they need to be on top of.
Can be deployed for a wide range of project types. From bug tracking and issue tracking to product design.
A mobile app gives it further mileage on the road.
Drawbacks:
Limited integrations with other platforms. Lacks advanced automation features and requires a lot of manual project upkeep.
Pricing:
Essential plan with unlimited users is $45 per month billed annually, and $50 per month billed monthly.
Ultimate Control plan is $89 per month billed annually, and $99 per month billed monthly.
A 14-day free trial is available.
Website: proofhub.com
What are the best Wrike free alternatives?
Maybe it’s not the right time to commit to a paid project management app. Or you simply might want to shop around (for free) before putting down your hard-earned money. In that case, a free app might be best.
The 10 best free Wrike alternatives are:
Asana
Basecamp
Jira
nTask
Podio
Project.co
Teamwork
Toggl Plan
Trello
Zoho Projects
Which of the alternatives to Wrike is a good choice for you?
As we can see, there are quite a few apps like Wrike. If you’re looking for a comprehensive project management tool, you can do a lot of window shopping.
So what is the best project management software compared to Wrike?
It all depends on where you place your business priorities. Do you have time to have your whole team learn a new tool over days and weeks? Or do you want something simple; a tool everyone on your team can start using right away?
If you’re looking for a tool that’s simpler than Wrike, a stripped-down tool like ProofHub or Trello will likely suit your needs. If you’re looking for more complex functionality, you might want to look at Smartsheet or Clarizen.
Then there’s individual preference. Maybe you just want a tool you feel is more pleasant to use and intuitive than Wrike. If that’s your main criteria then, Asana, Basecamp, or monday.com might be more your speed.
The best way to know which tool is best for you? Check out the free trials of these top 10 Wrike alternatives. Or get going on one of the free tools listed above.
