ClickUp vs SmartTask (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick ClickUp: it is first in our ranking of project management tools, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.6.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
ClickUp grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. SmartTask grades higher on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ClickUp
Work platform combining tasks, docs, chat and dashboards
SmartTask
Project management, time tracking and CRM for client work
Which one is for you
Pick ClickUp if
- Fits if your team pays for a task app, a docs app and a chat app and wants one bill
- Works for teams where one person wants a list, another a board and the boss a Gantt chart
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you just want a simple shared to-do list, as work sits in spaces, folders and lists
- Not for you if slow screens drive you mad, as speed is a common complaint and search can take 5 to 10 seconds
- Pricey if you lean on the AI, as each plan's monthly credits run out and extra ones are $10 per 10,000
- Tight if you attach files on the free plan, where storage stops at 60MB, with 5 spaces, 1 form and 3 whiteboards
- Watch out: the whole workspace upgrades together, timeline view needs Business at $17, and SSO is Enterprise or Max only
Pick SmartTask if
- Fits if you run client projects and want time tracking and a CRM in the same tool
- Works for small teams that want a free plan with no user cap
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $12 for Premium and $16 for Business against $6 and $11 yearly
- Tight if you want time tracking or budgeting, which need Business at $11
- Watch out: custom branding is a paid add-on on Business
- Skip it if you need single sign-on or enterprise API access, as they are Enterprise only with no published price
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAClickUpVery good | 2.6GPASmartTaskGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CCore is $9 a person a month on yearly billing, right on this category's $9 middle and well outside the $5.40 cheapest quarter, so it's ordinary money. For that you get unlimited storage, Gantt charts, time tracking and 1,000 AI credits a person. Timeline view and advanced dashboards need Business at $17. | BPremium is $6 per user a month billed yearly, which is the figure the cheaper quarter of the category starts at. Business is $11. |
| Free plan and trial | CUnlimited tasks and unlimited members for nothing. Then you meet the caps: 60MB of storage, which a few slide decks fill, 5 spaces, 1 form, 3 whiteboards, and AI only as a 500-credit trial. | BFree plan with unlimited tasks, users, projects, contacts and guests. Custom fields, reminders, forms and workflows are paid. |
| Features | ATasks in 15-plus views, list, board, Gantt, calendar, table, then docs and wikis, chat, whiteboards, dashboards, goals, time tracking, automations and AI credits in one workspace. No other tool here covers that much, though timeline view and advanced dashboards need Business at $17. | CViews, time tracking, budgeting, client portal and CRM. Timeline, dashboards, portfolios and time tracking need the Business plan. |
| Ease of use | B4.68 from nearly 10,000 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A needs, and the written reviews are why it goes no higher. Work lives in spaces, then folders, then lists, and one reviewer was still lost after a week of how-to videos. | CNo store rating on record. Many modules mean setup before a team is productive. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a Chrome extension, which is the longest list in this category. There's a public API, and it hooks into Slack, GitHub, GitLab, HubSpot, Google Drive, Figma, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. | BWeb, iOS and Android apps with Google Drive and Dropbox. No desktop app. |
| Best for | teams that want everything in one app | client work with tasks, time tracking and a CRM |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ClickUp and SmartTask. How we grade
Price against what you get
ClickUp starts at $9 a month for each person and scores 3.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. SmartTask starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
ClickUp scores higher, and starts $3 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other project management tools on the chart, none scores higher than ClickUp for less, and 16 score higher than SmartTask for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- SmartTask also covers sales pipeline and AI agents.
At a glance
| ClickUp | SmartTask | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per user / month, billed yearly (Core) | $6 per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Free Forever plan: unlimited tasks and free members, 60MB of storage, 5 spaces, 1 form and 3 whiteboards, with a 500-credit trial of ClickUp Brain² per workspace. | Unlimited tasks, users, projects, contacts and guests, with embed views and Karma points. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | ClickUp (Mango Technologies, Inc.) | Softronics Systems Pvt Ltd |
| Price read from | clickup.com | smarttask.io |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ClickUp
- The Free Forever plan is capped at 60MB of storage, 5 spaces, 1 form and 3 whiteboards.
- AI runs on pooled monthly credits that differ by plan; extra credits cost $10 per 10,000.
- Timeline view, mind maps and advanced dashboards start on the Business plan.
- SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning and audit logs are limited to Enterprise and Max.
SmartTask
- Timeline view, dashboards, portfolios, time tracking and budgeting need the Business plan.
- Custom branding is a paid add-on on Business; white-labeling is an Enterprise feature.
- Single sign-on and enterprise API access are limited to Enterprise, which has no published price.
- Monthly billing costs $12 (Premium) and $16 (Business) per user, twice or more the yearly rates.
Key features
ClickUp
- Tasks in 15+ views
- Show the same tasks as a list, board, Gantt chart, calendar, table and more. Gantt charts are unlimited from the Core plan; timeline view needs Business.
- Docs and wikis
- Collaborative documents that link to tasks and can serve as wikis or standard operating procedures inside the same workspace.
- Chat
- Real-time team messaging that sits inside the workspace, next to tasks and docs.
- Automations
- Rules that update tasks when conditions are met. Core includes 1,000 automations a month and Business 10,000.
- Dashboards, goals and time tracking
- Dashboards chart project progress, goals roll up from linked tasks, and a built-in timer records time against tasks. Native time tracking starts on Core.
- ClickUp Brain
- An AI assistant that works across tasks, docs and chat. Each plan includes a pooled monthly allowance of AI credits, from a 500-credit trial on Free to 10,000 per user on Max.
SmartTask
- Multiple work views
- Tasks can be viewed as a list, a drag-and-drop board, a calendar or a timeline, with subtasks, dependencies and recurring tasks.
- Time tracking and budgeting
- Hours are logged against tasks, timesheets can be locked once approved, and project budgets sit alongside them. Both need the Business plan.
- Resource management
- Leave tracking and workload planning show who has capacity, and a Resource AI feature suggests allocations based on balanced workloads.
- Client portal and guests
- Guests can be invited to see chosen projects, tasks and comments while internal items stay private. Custom branding is a paid add-on.
- Sales CRM
- A CRM module tracks contacts and sales processes next to project work, with contacts that can be attached to tasks.
- Workflows and AI agents
- Multi-step workflow automations and AI agents are included from the Premium plan upward.
Plans
ClickUp
Free Forever$0
Unlimited tasks and free members with 60MB of storage, 5 spaces, 1 form, 3 whiteboards and a 500-credit AI trial.
Core$9
per user / month, billed yearly
Shown against a struck-through regular price of $12. Unlimited storage, spaces, forms and Gantt charts, time tracking, 1,000 automations and 1,000 AI credits per user a month.
Business$17
per user / month, billed yearly
Shown against a struck-through regular price of $25. Adds advanced dashboards, timeline view, mind maps, timesheets, 10,000 automations and 1,500 AI credits per user a month.
EnterpriseCustom
SAML SSO and SCIM, audit logs, custom roles, white labeling, data residency, HIPAA with a BAA and 3,000 AI credits per user a month.
Max$100
per user / month, billed yearly
Shown against a struck-through regular price of $120. Everything in Enterprise plus the top AI tier with 10,000 credits per user a month.
SmartTask
Free Forever$0
Unlimited tasks, users, projects, contacts and guests for teams exploring the core features.
Premium$6
per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly)
Adds custom fields, milestones, reminders, forms, private groups, workflows, AI agents and attendance.
Business$11
per user / month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly)
Adds timeline view, dashboards, portfolios, time tracking, budgeting and call recording integration. Custom branding is an add-on.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds single sign-on, white-labeling, enterprise API access, a customer success manager and managed services. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
ClickUp
- Annual discount
Save up to 33% with yearly billing
The pricing page advertises savings of up to 33% on yearly billing and shows Core at $9, Business at $17 and Max at $100 per user a month against regular prices of $12, $25 and $120.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discount on request
ClickUp's pricing FAQ says nonprofits can claim a discount through its nonprofit page. The size of the discount is not published.
- Education
Academic discount for students and educators
The pricing FAQ says students, educators and administrators can claim an academic discount. The amount is not published.
- Startups
Startup credit by application
The pricing FAQ says startups can apply for a startup credit through a form. The amount and eligibility rules are not published.
SmartTask
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ClickUp or SmartTask?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SmartTask is cheaper to start with: $6 a month for each person, against $9 a month for each person for ClickUp. ClickUp starts at $9 per user / month, billed yearly (Core), and SmartTask starts at $6 per user / month, billed yearly ($12 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, ClickUp or SmartTask?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both ClickUp and SmartTask have a free plan.
Which platforms do ClickUp and SmartTask run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only ClickUp lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.