ProjectManager vs ClickUp: Software Comparison (2026)

Last updated: November 6, 2026

ClickUp is the better choice for teams that want one customizable workspace for tasks, docs, whiteboards, chat and automations across many departments, with a free plan to start. ProjectManager is the better choice for teams whose main need is project scheduling, because it links tasks with all four dependency types and lag, and for teams that exchange schedules with Microsoft Project users, since it imports and exports MPP files.

The two tools are built around different ideas. ClickUp is a broad work hub used by marketing, product, operations and other teams, with many views, collaborative docs, whiteboards, chat, AI features and a free plan with unlimited members. ProjectManager is online project management software focused on planning, scheduling and tracking projects, with Gantt scheduling, workload across projects, timesheets and dashboards.

This comparison covers scheduling, resource management, time tracking and reporting, Microsoft Project compatibility, flexibility, collaboration and pricing, with an honest look at when each tool is the right fit.

Try ProjectManager on your own schedule: import an MPP or Excel file and turn on the critical path filter. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

ProjectManager vs. ClickUp at a Glance

Prices are list prices as of November 2026 and change often.

What Is ProjectManager?

ProjectManager is online project management software for planning, scheduling and tracking projects as a team. Schedules are built on Gantt charts with all four dependency types, lag, a critical path filter and baselines, and the same tasks can be viewed as a sheet, board, list or calendar. The workload page shows each person’s assigned hours across all projects, timesheets record actual hours, and dashboards and portfolio views roll up progress across projects. Integrations include Microsoft Teams, Power BI, QuickBooks Online, Acumatica and ChatGPT.

What Is ClickUp?

ClickUp is a work management platform that combines tasks, collaborative docs, whiteboards, chat, dashboards, automations and AI features in one workspace. Teams organize work into Spaces, Folders and Lists and choose from views such as list, table, board, calendar, Gantt and mind maps. The Free Forever plan includes unlimited members, and paid plans add unlimited Gantt charts, more automations, AI credits, workload and timeline views, timesheets and enterprise controls. ClickUp runs in the browser, has desktop apps for Mac and Windows, and has iOS and Android apps. For other options, see the best ClickUp alternatives.

ProjectManager vs. ClickUp: Feature Comparison

Scheduling and Gantt Charts

Both tools have Gantt charts with dependencies, the critical path and baselines, but they model dependencies differently. ClickUp links tasks as “waiting on” and “blocking,” and when the Reschedule dependencies option is on, moving a blocking task moves the tasks waiting on it by the same number of days. Its critical path and slack time tools show which tasks control the finish date, with unlimited use on Business and above and trial uses on Core, and baselines capture task dates for a List, Folder or Space so you can see what slipped. ClickUp’s help docs don’t describe start-to-start, finish-to-finish or start-to-finish links, or lag, and dependencies aren’t available in its mobile app.

ProjectManager links tasks with finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish or start-to-finish dependencies and adds lag for waiting periods such as approvals or vendor lead times. Linked tasks reschedule automatically, the critical path filter shows the tasks that drive the finish date, and baselines come with variance reports. Read more about critical path software.

Verdict: ProjectManager for schedules that need more than finish-to-start logic. ClickUp for straightforward task sequences inside a broader workspace.

Resource and Workload Management

Both tools show workload on their Business plans. ClickUp’s workload view visualizes team capacity, with custom capacity and additional groups on Enterprise and Max, and its team view shows what people are working on.

ProjectManager’s workload page shows each person’s assigned hours by day across all projects, with over-assigned days in red, and you can reassign work from the same page. Equipment and subcontractors can be added as resources with no license cost.

Verdict: Close. ProjectManager for reassigning hours across projects from one page; ClickUp if workload is one of many views your teams use.

Time Tracking and Reporting

Both track time. ClickUp includes time tracking on Core and above, timesheets on Business and above, and timesheet approvals on Enterprise and Max. Its dashboards are included from the Business plan, with AI dashboard cards on higher tiers.

ProjectManager includes timesheets for recording actual hours, along with dashboards and portfolio views that show health, progress, cost and time across projects.

Verdict: A tie at the Business level. ClickUp if you want time tracking on a lower tier; ProjectManager for timesheets and portfolio reporting built around project schedules.

Microsoft Project Compatibility

This is the clearest difference. ClickUp has no MPP import, so a Microsoft Project schedule has to be rebuilt or moved through a spreadsheet.

ProjectManager imports MPP, Microsoft Project XML, Excel and CSV files and exports to MPP, Microsoft Project XML, Excel and CSV. Its MPP import and export are lossless for schedule data: tasks, durations, dates, dependencies and WBS structure stay intact when you import with “all data” and export back to MPP. For more, see Microsoft Project vs. ProjectManager and the best Microsoft Project alternatives.

Verdict: ProjectManager.

Flexibility and Ease of Use

ClickUp is the more flexible tool. Teams build their own structure from Spaces, Folders and Lists, add custom fields and task types, and mix tasks with docs, whiteboards, chat, forms and automations, so one workspace can serve many departments. Feature availability and limits vary by plan, so check which plan includes the views and tools each team needs.

ProjectManager has fewer features outside project work. It has no docs, whiteboards or chat, and its views, workload, timesheets and dashboards are all built around projects and their schedules.

Verdict: ClickUp for one workspace across many kinds of work. ProjectManager if you want a tool focused on projects.

Collaboration

ClickUp covers more collaboration in one place, with collaborative docs and guest accounts on every plan, plus whiteboards and chat that are limited on the lower plans. ProjectManager supports real-time collaboration with comments, file attachments and notifications, and integrates with Microsoft Teams, Power BI, QuickBooks Online, Acumatica and ChatGPT.

Verdict: ClickUp for built-in docs and chat. ProjectManager if your team already collaborates in tools like Microsoft Teams.

Pricing

ClickUp costs less and has a free plan. The Free Forever plan includes unlimited members. Billed yearly, Core costs $9 per user per month, Business $17 and Max $100, or $12, $25 and $120 billed monthly, and Enterprise is by quote. ClickUp offers a 100% money-back guarantee.

ProjectManager costs $15 per user per month on the Team plan and $28 per user per month on the Business plan, billed annually, with Enterprise by quote and a 30-day free trial. The Team plan allows up to 10 users and 20 projects, and the Business plan up to 100 projects. For workload across projects, compare the Business plans: five users cost $1,020 a year on ClickUp and $1,680 a year on ProjectManager.

Verdict: ClickUp on price. ProjectManager if scheduling depth and MPP compatibility are worth the difference.

Pros and Cons

ProjectManager

Pros

• All four dependency types with lag, a critical path filter, and baselines with variance reports
• Imports and exports MPP files, lossless for schedule data
• Workload page with hours across all projects, plus timesheets and portfolio views
• Focused on projects, with sheet, Gantt, board, list and calendar views of the same tasks

Cons

• Costs more per user than ClickUp, with no free plan
• No docs, whiteboards or chat
• No desktop app and no offline mode
• The workload page needs the Business plan, and the Team plan is limited to 10 users and 20 projects

ClickUp

Pros

• Free Forever plan with unlimited members
• One workspace for tasks, docs, whiteboards, chat, automations and AI
• Many views and custom fields, so different departments can work their own way
• Mac and Windows desktop apps alongside iOS and Android apps

Cons

• Dependencies are “waiting on” and “blocking” relationships, with no other types or lag described in its help docs
• No MPP import
• Unlimited critical path use, workload, timeline view, timesheets and dashboards need the Business plan
• Dependencies aren’t available in the mobile app

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose ClickUp if you want one flexible workspace for many kinds of work, and choose ProjectManager if project scheduling is the main job.

• Companies standardizing several departments on one tool: ClickUp, for docs, chat, whiteboards and automations alongside tasks.
• Small teams on a tight budget: ClickUp, with a free plan and lower paid prices.
• Project teams with complex schedules: ProjectManager, for all four dependency types with lag and a critical path filter.
• Teams that exchange files with Microsoft Project users: ProjectManager, because it imports and exports MPP files.
• Teams sharing people across many projects: ProjectManager, for workload and timesheets across all projects.

For more comparisons, see Asana vs. ClickUp and ClickUp vs. monday.com.

How to Move a ClickUp Project Into ProjectManager

To move a ClickUp project into ProjectManager, export the tasks from a ClickUp List or Table view to a spreadsheet, set up a project in ProjectManager with matching working days, then import the file, map the columns and re-link dependencies. ClickUp includes List and Table view exports on the Business plan and above.

1. Export from ClickUp. Open the List or Table view for the project and export it to a spreadsheet file. Include task names, assignees, start dates, due dates and time estimates.
2. Set working days first. In ProjectManager, click the + button, choose Project and set working days to match your team’s schedule. Working days are hard to change after the project is created, and global holidays can’t be added to existing projects.
3. Import the file. Choose Import File when creating the project, or click the import icon on the Gantt ribbon of an existing project. Click select file and upload the Excel or CSV file. For an existing project, choose Keep and append with the imported data or Replace with the imported data. Replace removes everything already in the project.
4. Map the columns. Map each column, such as task name, assignee, start, finish and duration, to the matching Gantt column, then click import.
5. Re-link dependencies. Recreate ClickUp’s “waiting on” and “blocking” links as finish-to-start dependencies, then add start-to-start, finish-to-finish or lag where the work calls for it.
6. Filter for the critical path and set a baseline. Turn on the critical path filter to check the tasks that drive the finish date, then set a baseline in Gantt settings.

File attachments and tags don’t come over in an Excel or CSV import, so download any files you need from ClickUp separately.

Want to see your schedule in ProjectManager? Start a free 30-day trial and import your exported ClickUp tasks. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

ProjectManager vs. ClickUp FAQ

Does ClickUp have critical path?

Yes. ClickUp’s Gantt view has critical path and slack time tools. Unlimited use is included on the Business plan and above, and the Core plan includes trial uses. ProjectManager has a critical path filter on its Gantt chart.

Can ClickUp import Microsoft Project files?

No. ClickUp doesn’t import MPP files, so Microsoft Project schedules need to be rebuilt or moved through a spreadsheet. ProjectManager imports and exports MPP and Microsoft Project XML files.

Is ClickUp good for project scheduling?

For straightforward schedules, yes. ClickUp’s Gantt view has dependencies that reschedule automatically, the critical path, slack time and baselines. Its dependencies are “waiting on” and “blocking” relationships, and its help docs don’t describe start-to-start, finish-to-finish or start-to-finish links or lag, which ProjectManager supports.

Which is cheaper, ClickUp or ProjectManager?

ClickUp. It has a Free Forever plan, and paid plans start at $9 per user per month billed yearly. ProjectManager starts at $15 per user per month billed annually, with a 30-day free trial.

Does ClickUp have baselines?

Yes. ClickUp’s Gantt view can capture baselines of task dates for a List, Folder or Space and show which tasks have moved. ProjectManager has baselines with variance reports.

Does ClickUp have a desktop app?

Yes. ClickUp has desktop apps for Mac and Windows, plus iOS and Android apps. ProjectManager runs in any modern browser and has iOS and Android apps, but no desktop app.

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