Whether you’re a project manager, business owner, or just Type-A, choosing the perfect platform of task and project management can feel like an endless game of research and indecisiveness. Today, we’ll go over two popular platforms, ClickUp vs Notion, so that you can get answers to FAQs like:
- What is Clickup?
- What is Notion?
- Clickup vs. Notion: User Interface
- Clickup vs. Notion: Features
- Clickup vs. Notion: AI Capabilities
- Clickup vs. Notion: Pricing
Why trust us with the major decision on what tool your team should use? It’s because we’ve been there. Here at Slam Media Lab, we’re a remote and fast-paced web design agency that depends heavily on operational tools, from team sprints to basic communication when we’re thousands of miles apart from each other.
We’ve tried out all the tools under the sun, spendings 100+ hours of research and application on what tool is best and why. Now, we create products & resources to help teams like yours not go through the iterative hassle and reach peak operational efficiency in minutes rather than months.
Looking through our resources, you’ll probably get a good idea of which tool we prefer. But let’s go over why in this article.
What is ClickUp?
ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform designed to help teams and individuals manage tasks, projects, and workflows in a centralized location. It combines elements of project management, task tracking, and collaboration tools, offering a flexible and customizable environment to suit a wide range of needs.
ClickUp was founded in 2017 by Zeb Evans and Alex Yurkowski, with the vision of creating a more efficient and unified workspace. The founders were frustrated with the fragmented nature of productivity tools and aimed to develop a single platform that could handle all aspects of work management. Since its inception, ClickUp has rapidly grown and gained popularity due to its comprehensive feature set and user-friendly interface.
One of the core philosophies behind ClickUp is the belief that productivity tools should not only be powerful but also adaptable to the unique workflows of different users and teams. This vision has driven the development of ClickUp's extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor their workspace with custom fields, statuses, and templates to match their specific needs. This flexibility enhances overall productivity by providing a setup that aligns perfectly with individual and team processes.
ClickUp is known for its robust task management capabilities, enabling users to create tasks, assign them to team members, set due dates, and track progress through various views such as list, board, calendar, and Gantt chart. This versatility makes ClickUp suitable for a wide range of projects, from simple to-do lists to complex project timelines. As of 2023, ClickUp boasts millions of users worldwide, including prominent companies like Google, Airbnb, and Nike.
What is Notion?
Notion is a versatile and powerful productivity tool that functions as an all-in-one workspace, allowing users to create, organize, and manage various types of content and information. It combines elements of note-taking, project management, knowledge base creation, task management, and collaboration within a single platform.
Notion was founded in 2013 by Ivan Zhao and Simon Last. The founders envisioned creating a tool that would integrate all the fragmented productivity and collaboration tools into one cohesive platform. Their goal was to provide users with a flexible and customizable workspace that could adapt to diverse workflows and organizational needs. This vision has guided Notion's development and has made it a popular choice among individuals, teams, and organizations.
Notion's interface is built around a modular system, where users create pages and populate them with different types of content blocks. These blocks can include text, images, videos, to-do lists, databases, and more. This modularity allows users to build their workspace in a way that suits their unique needs, from simple note-taking to complex project management. The platform also offers a wide range of templates, which provide pre-built structures that users can customize to fit specific purposes.
One of Notion's key strengths is its emphasis on collaboration. Multiple users can work on the same page simultaneously, with real-time updates and the ability to leave comments and feedback. This collaborative environment is supported by robust permission settings, allowing users to control who can view, edit, or comment on specific pages or databases. Notion also integrates seamlessly with other tools and platforms, allowing users to embed external content and streamline their workflows.
Due to Notion’s flexibility, it is used both for individual and commercial use, with students using Notion Assignment Trackers for homework to companies like Pixar, IBM, and McDonalds utilizing extensive Company Notion Wikis for their work cadences.
ClickUp vs Notion: User Interface
While both Clickup and Notion offer robust and flexible user interfaces, they cater to different needs. ClickUp focuses on providing various views and extensive customization options for task and project management, while Notion excels in creating a versatile and clean workspace suitable for note-taking, project management, and knowledge base creation.
ClickUp’s user interface is highly customizable and modular, built to cater to various needs and preferences. The platform offers multiple views, including list, board, calendar, and Gantt chart, allowing users to choose the most suitable view for their workflow. The left-hand sidebar in ClickUp provides quick access to different workspaces, folders, lists, and tasks, enabling users to switch between views and manage multiple projects simultaneously. ClickUp’s main workspace supports various content types like tasks, subtasks, checklists, and custom fields, all of which can be rearranged through drag-and-drop functionality.
Customization is a core aspect of ClickUp’s interface. Users can personalize their workspace with custom fields, statuses, and templates, and build custom dashboards using a variety of widgets. This level of customization helps users create a workspace that aligns with their specific needs and enhances productivity. ClickUp also excels in collaboration, offering real-time updates, comments, file attachments, and integrations with numerous third-party applications.
On the other hand, Notion’s user interface is also built around flexibility and customization but focuses more on a clean and minimalist design. The core of Notion’s interface is its modular system, where users create pages and populate them with various content blocks like text, images, videos, to-do lists, and databases. The left-hand sidebar in Notion allows users to navigate through different pages, databases, and workspaces, creating a hierarchical organization of information. This structure is particularly useful for managing large volumes of related content.
Notion’s main workspace is interactive and supports drag-and-drop functionality for rearranging content blocks. Users can customize their pages extensively, making Notion highly adaptable to diverse workflows. Notion’s extensive library of templates allows users to quickly set up pages for different purposes, which can be further customized to fit specific needs. You can easily find templates like a Notion Content Creation template and Notion Documentation template on our products page.
Collaboration in Notion is seamless, with multiple users able to work on the same page simultaneously, real-time updates, and robust permission settings. Additionally, Notion integrates well with other tools, enabling users to embed external content like Google Docs and YouTube videos directly into their pages.
ClickUp vs Notion: Features
ClickUp and Notion offer an extensive array of tools tailored to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. ClickUp is great for large scale task and project management capabilities, providing companies with a variety of views and advanced automation options. Notion, on the other hand, excels in its modular approach to content creation and organization, offering a flexible workspace that can be customized with rich text formatting and integrated databases. Both platforms cater to distinct needs and preferences, making them suitable for various use cases, from detailed project tracking to versatile knowledge management.
ClickUp’s Features
ClickUp is known for its extensive feature set, designed to support a wide range of tasks and project management needs. Here are some of the key features that make ClickUp a robust productivity tool:
- Multiple View Options: ClickUp offers various views to visualize tasks and projects, including list, board, calendar, and Gantt chart views. This flexibility allows users to choose the most suitable view for their workflow, enhancing productivity and organization.
- Task Management: Users can create tasks, subtasks, and checklists, assign them to team members, set priorities, and track progress. The ability to break down tasks into smaller components helps manage complex projects more effectively.
- Custom Fields and Templates: ClickUp supports custom fields, enabling users to add specific data points to their tasks and projects. Additionally, users can create and save templates for recurring workflows, saving time and ensuring consistency.
- Time Tracking and Goals: Built-in time tracking allows users to monitor how long tasks take to complete, which is useful for improving efficiency and managing workloads. ClickUp also features goal tracking, enabling teams to set, track, and achieve their objectives.
- Automations: ClickUp offers automation capabilities to streamline repetitive tasks. Users can set up triggers and actions to automate workflows, such as moving tasks between lists or sending notifications based on specific conditions.
- Integrations: ClickUp integrates with numerous third-party applications, including Slack, Google Drive, and Trello. These integrations facilitate seamless data sharing and enhance workflow efficiency by connecting different tools.
- Collaboration Tools: Real-time collaboration features include commenting, file attachments, and document sharing. ClickUp also provides @mentions to tag team members and draw their attention to specific tasks or discussions.
- Reporting and Dashboards: ClickUp’s reporting tools offer insights into team performance and project progress. Customizable dashboards allow users to create visual representations of key metrics, helping teams stay on track and make data-driven decisions.
Overall, ClickUp’s features are great for large companies and enterprises that are looking for a project management tool that can handle multiple teams and work cadences. If you are looking for a tool that is primarily focused on project management, and don’t want additional features for more creative and operational work, ClickUp can be a solution for your specific use case.
Notion’s Features
Notion offers a diverse range of features that cater to various productivity and organizational needs. Here are some of the standout features that make Notion a powerful tool:
- Modular Pages and Blocks: Notion’s core feature is its modular system, where users create pages and populate them with different types of content blocks, such as text, images, videos, to-do lists, databases, and more. This flexibility allows users to build their workspace in a way that suits their specific needs.
- Rich Text Formatting and Embeds: Users can format text with headings, bullet points, numbered lists, and inline styles (bold, italic, underline). Notion also supports embedding external content like Google Docs, YouTube videos, and even other databases, reducing the need to switch between applications.
- Templates: Notion offers an extensive library of templates for various purposes, including project management, team collaboration, and personal productivity. These templates can be customized to fit specific needs, saving time and effort in setting up new workflows.
- Databases and Inline Databases: Notion allows users to create powerful databases that can be customized with different properties, such as text, number, date, and select options. Databases can be displayed in various views, including table, board, calendar, and gallery. Inline databases enable users to embed databases within pages, creating a more integrated workspace.
- Task Management: Users can create Notion Task List Templates, set due dates, and assign tasks to team members. Notion’s task management features are complemented by its database capabilities, allowing for more advanced project tracking and organization.
- Collaboration and Comments: Multiple users can collaborate on Notion pages simultaneously, with real-time updates and the ability to leave comments and feedback. Permission settings allow users to control who can view, edit, or comment on specific pages or databases. Our Notion Sprint Template is an example of how Notion’s collaboration features can be used.
- Integrations: Notion integrates with various third-party applications, including Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub. These integrations help streamline workflows and enhance productivity by connecting Notion with other tools used by the team.
- Web Clipper and Mobile App: Notion’s web clipper allows users to save web content directly to their Notion workspace. The mobile app ensures users can access and update their data on the go, maintaining productivity across different devices.
Notion is more versatile with its use cases than ClickUp, as people can use it as a personal journal, a vision board, meeting notes tracker, and even as a public website. Moreover, there tend to be more templates available for Notion than there are for ClickUp. If you are looking for a flexible and easy-to-implement platform for you and your team, Notion is your best choice.
ClickUp vs Notion: AI Capabilities
AI capabilities are becoming increasingly important for productivity tools, helping users automate tasks, gain insights, and enhance their workflows. Both ClickUp and Notion have integrated AI features into their platforms.
ClickUp AI Capabilities
Some of the key AI features in ClickUp include:
- Task Automation: ClickUp uses AI to automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows. Users can set up custom automations based on specific triggers and actions, such as moving tasks between lists, changing task statuses, or sending notifications when certain conditions are met. These automations help reduce manual effort and ensure tasks are completed efficiently.
- Smart Recommendations: ClickUp’s AI provides smart recommendations for task prioritization and assignment. By analyzing historical data and current workloads, the platform can suggest which tasks should be tackled next and who should be assigned to them, optimizing team productivity.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): ClickUp leverages NLP to improve task creation and management. Users can input tasks in natural language, and the AI will parse the information to create detailed tasks with due dates, priorities, and assignees. This feature simplifies task entry and reduces the time spent on manual data entry.
- AI-Powered Reporting: ClickUp’s AI capabilities extend to its reporting tools, where it can generate insights and analytics based on project data. Users can create custom reports that highlight key metrics, trends, and areas for improvement. AI-driven analytics help teams make data-informed decisions and optimize their workflows.
- Predictive Scheduling: ClickUp's AI can predict the time required for tasks and projects based on historical data. This feature helps teams create more accurate schedules and timelines, improving project planning and execution.
Notion AI Capabilities
Notion has also incorporated AI features, focusing on enhancing content creation, organization, and knowledge management. Some of the key AI features in Notion include:
- Content Generation: Notion’s AI assists users in generating content quickly and efficiently. Users can input prompts or keywords, and the AI will suggest content, ideas, or even draft text. This feature is particularly useful for writing, brainstorming, and creating documentation.
- Smart Search and Suggestions: Notion’s AI improves the search functionality by providing smart suggestions and auto-completion. As users type in the search bar, the AI predicts the most relevant results, helping users find information quickly. The AI also suggests related content and links, enhancing knowledge discovery and connectivity within the workspace.
- Data Organization: Notion uses AI to help organize and structure information. The AI can recommend database templates, page structures, and categorization methods based on the content and usage patterns. This feature aids in maintaining a well-organized and efficient workspace.
- Task and Project Templates: Notion’s AI analyzes user behavior and frequently used templates to suggest relevant task and project templates. This feature saves time and ensures that users have access to the most effective templates for their specific needs.
- AI-Powered Collaboration: Notion’s AI enhances collaboration by identifying and suggesting key contributors and stakeholders for projects based on their involvement and expertise. This helps teams to involve the right people and fosters more effective collaboration.
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): Similar to ClickUp, Notion leverages NLP to facilitate content creation and management. Users can write in natural language, and the AI will help format, organize, and create structured documents. This feature streamlines the process of capturing and organizing information.
ClickUp vs Notion: Pricing
ClickUp and Notion both offer four highly competitive pricing packages, but their specific offerings vary greatly from each other.
How Much Does ClickUp Cost?
ClickUp is one of the few project management tools that are cheaper than Notions. However, low cost doesn’t always mean cost efficiency, so let’s explore what each plan has to offer.
- Free: Unlimited tasks, unlimited members, 100MB storage, 5 spaces, 100 folders per space, 5 exports, 1-day activity history, 100 API calls per minute.
- Unlimited ($7/user/month): Unlimited spaces, 200 folders per space, unlimited file storage, 7-day activity history.
- Business ($12/user/month): 400 folders per space, unlimited views, unlimited exports, unlimited activity history.
- Enterprise (Custom): Unlimited folders per space, universal search, whitelabeling, 10,000 API calls per minute.
With these pricing packages, you’ll face heavy limitations in the free and “unlimited” plans, but as you move onto the more advanced plans, you’ll gain unrestricted access to a range of features.
How Much Does Notion Cost?
Notion’s pricing packages provide less restriction, offering a broader suite of tools for a few extra dollars per month:
- Free ($0): Collaborative workspaces, integrations, basic analytics, 7-day page history, 10 guests limit.
- Plus ($8/user/month): Unlimited blocks, unlimited uploads, 30-day page history, 100 guest limit.
- Business ($15/user/month): Private teamspaces, bulk exports, advanced analytics, 90-day page history, 250 guest limit.
- Enterprise (Custom): Advanced security, audit log, customer success manager, workspace analytics, unlimited page history, compliance integrations.
These pricing plans allow you to scale your workspace capabilities alongside your team, making it an intuitive and cost-effective solution for scalable project management.
Our Choice? It’s Gotta Be Notion
At Slam, we are a fast-paced and remote agency that needs a comprehensive, collaborative, and customizable hub for our projects. Notion empowers us to streamline work processes, enhance productivity, and manage information effectively across personal, professional, and team environments. Notion productivity and Notion organization (in our opinion) are unbeatable.
We’ve developed templates for our team that we now share as resources for folks like you, who may want to integrate new tools into their work cadence but don’t know where to start.
We always come out with new templates, but here is the running list so far:
- Notion Vision Board Template
- Go-to-Market Strategy Template
- Notion Agency Meeting Template
- Notion Assignment Tracker Template
- Notion Company Wiki Template
- Notion Content Creation Template
- Notion Documentation Template
- Notion Feedback Template
- Notion Meeting Notes Template
- Notion Social Media Planner Template
- Notion Sprint Template
- Notion Task List Template
- Notion Website Template
- Startup Roles & Responsibilities Template
- Technical SEO Audit Template
- Tiktok Content Planner Template
- TikTok Script Template
- Webflow Launch Checklist Template
- How to use Notion as a Planner
See what we mean? We’re kinda obsessed. Though you don’t have to follow our lead, we’re here to help you with your operational woes, so you can always contact us if you want to get a glimpse of how we roll. Still not sure which tool is best for your team? Check out our other comparisons below:
- Notion vs Todoist
- Notion vs Monday
- Notion vs Confluence
- Notion vs Asana
- Notion vs Goodnotes
- Airtable vs Notion
