The Blue Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Blue in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Blue
The Insider’s Guide
Process and project management sold as a one-time purchase
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among project management tools, read from Blue’s own pages.
Made by Blue · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Blue’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Blue’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 20 of the 79 other project management tools we grade
Blue is a process management platform that stores work as structured records and shows it as boards, tables, calendars and timelines, with automations, dashboards, forms and detailed permissions. It is sold as a one-time purchase in three tiers set by the number of users, with an optional yearly Pro add-on for advanced features. The vendor says the product is self-funded and has been running since 2018.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Blue, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The pricing at least takes no working out: three tiers by headcount, paid once.
- 1
Best for paying once instead of per seat
Blue is a project and process tool you buy once instead of renting by the seat: $99 covers up to 5 users, with boards, tables, calendars, timelines and automations.
- 2
What it costs
Paid plans start at $99 one-time for up to 5 users.
- 3
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
- 4
Structured records
Customers, orders, candidates, projects and other items are kept as records with custom fields, up to 100 per workspace on the base tiers.
- 5
Board, table, calendar and timeline
The same records can be viewed as a board, a table, a database, a calendar or a timeline, with real-time collaboration.
- 6
Automations
Trigger-based automations are included, with a monthly allowance set by tier. Scheduled, conditional and chained automations need the Pro add-on.
- 7
A 2.4 GPA, above 20 of 79
That is against the other project management tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Blue you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Blue at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from $99 one-time for up to 5 users
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Blue, since 2018
- Category
- Project Management
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for paying once instead of per seat
Blue is a project and process tool you buy once instead of renting by the seat: $99 covers up to 5 users, with boards, tables, calendars, timelines and automations. There's no free plan and no trial, only a 30-day money-back guarantee, every client and view-only user counts toward the cap, and saved views and audit logs need a $500-a-year add-on. You pay before you've seen it.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | $99 once for up to 5 users, and nothing monthly after it. That's a shade over a year of this category's $8-a-month middle and well under two years of it. Growth is $299 for 30 users and Scale $999 for 150. The optional Pro add-on does bring a yearly bill back, at $500. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing at all is free: no free plan, no trial, not even a limited one. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee on each purchase, and a refund you have to ask for is not the same as trying it first. |
| Features | B | Covers the job: records with custom fields seen as a board, table, calendar or timeline, automations, dashboards shareable by public link, forms, custom roles with field-level permissions, and a REST and GraphQL API with webhooks and an MCP server. Saved views, audit logs and scheduled automations need the Pro add-on. |
| Ease of use | C | No App Store rating on record, and you're shaping records, fields and roles before the thing tracks anything, as with any tool built this way. The pricing at least takes no working out: three tiers by headcount, paid once. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, the full set. It connects through Zapier, Make, n8n, Pabbly, Albato and GitHub, has webhooks and an API, and an MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT query and update records. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Blue is for
- Fits if you'd rather pay once than pay per seat every month
- Works for tracking a process like sales, orders or recruiting as records, not just tasks
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want to try before you buy, as there's no free plan or trial, only a money-back guarantee
- Tight if you bring in lots of clients, because every role counts toward the user cap, view-only included
- Pricey if you need record-level permissions, saved views or audit logs, which need the $500 a year Pro add-on
- Watch out: the vendor reserves the right to add a maintenance fee of up to $50 a year per organization
- Pricey if you grow past 5 users, as Growth is $299 for 30 and Scale $999 for 150
Good to know
Good for
- Teams that prefer a one-time payment to per-seat subscriptions
- Tracking processes such as sales, orders, recruiting or projects as records
- Giving clients and contractors a limited view of shared data
Worth knowing
- There is no free plan and no free trial; each purchase carries a 30-day money-back guarantee instead.
- Each tier caps users at 5, 30 or 150, and every role, including clients and view-only users, counts toward the cap.
- Record-level permissions, scheduled and conditional automations, saved views, audit logs and white label need the $500 a year Pro add-on.
- The vendor reserves the right to add a maintenance fee of up to $50 a year per organization, which it says is not part of current pricing.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$99 one-time
To start
Blue is a paid product, starting at $99 one-time for up to 5 users.
Nothing at all is free: no free plan, no trial, not even a limited one.
Starter
$99
one-time purchase
5 users, 5 workspaces, 50,000 records per workspace, 10GB storage, 1,000 automations a month and community support.
Growth
$299
one-time purchase
30 users, 25 workspaces, 100GB storage, 5,000 automations a month, 10 dashboards, 3 custom roles and email support.
Scale
$999
one-time purchase
150 users, 100 workspaces, 500GB storage, 50,000 automations a month, 25 dashboards and 5 custom roles.
Pro add-on
$500
per year, on top of any tier
Optional: 500,000 records per workspace, record-level permissions, scheduled and conditional automations, audit logs, white label and priority support.
Enterprise
Custom
For more than 150 users: unlimited users, workspaces and storage, dedicated infrastructure and an account manager. Priced through sales.
Read from blue.app on Oct 9, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Lifetime license
One-time payment for ongoing access
Each tier is bought once ($99, $299 or $999) with no per-seat or renewal charge, and a buyer can move up a tier later by paying the difference.
Stated on blue.app
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
Process and project management sold as a one-time purchase. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: one-time purchase, public API, AI features, databases, kanban boards, workflow automation, forms.
Saved views, audit logs and scheduled automations need the Pro add-on.
- Structured records
- Customers, orders, candidates, projects and other items are kept as records with custom fields, up to 100 per workspace on the base tiers.
- Board, table, calendar and timeline
- The same records can be viewed as a board, a table, a database, a calendar or a timeline, with real-time collaboration.
- Automations
- Trigger-based automations are included, with a monthly allowance set by tier. Scheduled, conditional and chained automations need the Pro add-on.
- Roles and permissions
- Custom roles and field-level permissions decide who can see and edit each column, so clients and contractors get a restricted view. Row-level permissions need Pro.
- Dashboards and forms
- Dashboards chart live data and can be shared through a public link without a login, and forms collect new records.
- API, webhooks and AI agents
- A REST and GraphQL API and webhooks cover custom integrations, and an MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT and other clients query and update records.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Zapier
- Make
- n8n
- Pabbly Connect
- Albato
- Boost.space
- GitHub
- Claude
Blue is made by Blue, and has been around since 2018.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
20/79
Other project management tools it is graded above
Blue's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 20 of the 79 other project management tools we grade, and level with 21.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 54 of 79) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 80 project management tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Blue’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 57 of 79
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 79
- BFeaturesAbove 27 of 79
- CEase of useAbove 2 of 79
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 54 of 79
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Blue you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 38 of the 79 other project management tools grade higher. It costs $99, paid once.
What you could make
- Kanban boards and forms: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Databases with views, filters and links between them.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Blue’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
monday.com, ClickUp, Airtable, Asana and Trello
The 5 tools Blue is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
monday.com
Free plan · from $9/mo
Board-based work management with automations and dashboards.
- monday.com has a free plan. Blue does not.
- Blue can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Blue also covers databases and forms.
- 3.0GPA
ClickUp
Free plan · from $7/mo
Work platform combining tasks, docs, chat and dashboards.
- ClickUp has a free plan. Blue does not.
- Only ClickUp lists a Linux app.
- Only ClickUp lists a browser extension.
- 3.0GPA
Airtable
Free plan · from $20/mo
Relational database platform for building team workflows and apps.
- Airtable has a free plan. Blue does not.
- Blue can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Blue also covers forms.
- 3.0GPA
Asana
Free plan · from $10.99/mo
Work management for projects, goals and cross-team workflows.
- Asana has a free plan. Blue does not.
- Blue can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Blue also covers databases and forms.
- 2.8GPA
Trello
Free plan · from $5/mo
Kanban boards with an inbox, planner and built-in automation.
- Trello has a free plan. Blue does not.
- Blue can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Blue also covers databases and forms.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Blue free?
No. Blue is a paid product, starting at $99 one-time for up to 5 users.
How much does Blue cost?
Blue lists 5 plans. Starter: $99 one-time purchase.
What platforms does Blue work on?
Blue is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does Blue offer any discounts?
Blue publicly lists the following: One-time payment for ongoing access.
Does Blue have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Blue is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Blue open source?
Blue is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.
Does Blue have an API?
Yes. Blue offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Blue integrate with?
Blue's listing names Zapier, Make, n8n, Pabbly Connect, Albato, Boost.space, GitHub and Claude.
Who makes Blue?
Blue is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2018.
What are the alternatives to Blue?
The closest alternatives to Blue in our directory are monday.com, ClickUp, Airtable, Asana and Trello.
How does Blue compare with other project management tools?
Blue's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 20 of the 79 other project management tools we grade, and level with 21.
Could I make my own version of Blue?
To replace Blue you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Blue’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Blue's own pages on 9 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-04-20.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Blue. Prices change, so check blue.app before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Blue, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/blue
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Blue: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/blue
Know someone choosing between project management tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/blue/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded project management tools after Blue, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Project Management Insider's GuideEvery one of the 80 project management tools we grade, compared
- GitHub Issues Insider's GuideIssue tracking and project planning built into GitHub3.4 GPA
- Freedcamp Insider's GuideProject management suite with a free plan for unlimited users3.2 GPA
- Huly Insider's GuideOpen-source project management with chat, docs and video calls3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Blue’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Blue is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Blue. Prices and plans change: check blue.app before you buy.