Basecamp vs ClickUp: Which Tool is Better for Project Management?

In the market for a project management tool and looking to compare ClickUp vs Basecamp? Both of these software apps offer powerful features and capabilities, but they are designed with different users in mind. 

So, which should you choose? Before making any big decisions, let’s thoughtfully compare Basecamp vs ClickUp based on features, performance, collaboration capabilities, customization options, scalability, and cost. 

By evaluating each product through identified criteria it will be easier for you to make an informed decision about your next project management solution.

Let's dive in!

What is ClickUp

ClickUp is an all-in-one and popular project management software solution built to help small to large teams simplify their workflow, improve team collaboration, and manage simple to complex projects (such as construction) more effectively. It can be a simple tool to help users or small teams with individual tasks but can also be customized to help teams handling large and complex projects such as software development.

Best Features

• Various views including List view, Board view, Box view, Gantt Chart view, Calendar view, and more 
• Simplified task hierarchy to give you more flexibility and control 
• Integrate and connect more than 1,000 tools for free

Limitations

• Learning curve due to amount of available features 
• No Table view in the mobile app, yet

Pricing

• Free: Free forever
• Unlimited: $5 per user per month
• Business: $12 per user per month
• Business Plus: $19 per user per month
• Enterprise: Contact sales

User Ratings

G2: 4.7/5 (4800+ reviews)

Capterra: 4.7/5 (3100+ reviews)

“ClickUp is an incredibly flexible platform that truly revolutionized how I worked. The ability to customize the system to fit my workflows was a major selling point when I first looked into it and something that has been invaluable ever since. It offers me the unique opportunity to choose from a range of pre-made tasks, processes and boards or create my own - allowing me unlimited freedom in designing how I want to get things done.

The flexibility of Clickup also allows for collaboration between different members of the team without any hassle. Every user can have their own customized view and share what they’re working on with others so everyone is always on the same page. This makes communication much more efficient, as well as reduces errors through shared knowledge about which tasks are assigned where and by whom.” - Xavier W., Director

Sign up for ClickUp for free, no credit card required

What is Basecamp

If you’re looking for a great alternative that also offers both people and product management, Basecamp is another great option. This software solution offers tools that help reduce the complexities of a typical project management methodology. It provides teams with simpler yet complete project management software. The app focuses on improved communication to help teams and users stay on track of tasks and schedules.

Best Features

• Post team announcements and updates on message boards
• Track team progress with the hill charts feature
• View upcoming and pending tasks in your project plan

Limitations

• Has limited functionalities
• Users cannot prioritize tasks
• The lack of time tracking

Pricing

• Personal: Free
• Pro: $15/user/month
• Pro Unlimited: $299/month for unlimited users (billed annually)

Basecamp is an incredibly useful project management tool that makes it easy to keep track of tasks, deadlines, and progress on any project. With a user-friendly interface and plenty of features, it's a great choice for teams of any size. - Angelo D., Associate Product Manager

ClickUp vs Basecamp in the Community

When looking for reliable information about ClickUp and Basecamp, it is important to include resources from the community. This is because the community perspective offers a unique view on each of these tools, as members are unbiased and have likely used both options themselves. 

Check out this video from a popular influencer:

Using the G2 Grid for project management software comparison is also a great way to quickly evaluate the two tools and make an informed decision. G2Crowd sources from a diverse set of user reviews to create this measurement to help potential customers compare different solutions side-by-side. 

As you can see, ClickUp scores very well and is in the leader category. Basecamp can be seen near the top of the chart as well.

Depending on your use case, you may want to consider these scores and rankings as they are a very good reflection of current user satisfaction and an indication of future potential.

ClickUp vs Basecamp on Reddit

What better way to really get a feel for a tool than reading through what users on the internet are candidly sharing? Check out some Reddit posts on both tools. 

ClickUp Reddit Review

“What I like about ClickUp is its flexibility. Certainly it is not going to tick all the boxes. But it brings a solid suite of features. For me, it is fantastic that lists are flexible and support custom fields. There's various ways to display your tasks - Gantt chart, Kanban, tabular etc. You can reference ClickUp Docs as well - think of it like a simplified MS Word but being able to reference your tasks. I use it for my personal projects, for a list of books I want to read, for tracking gift ideas, for managing more complex personal side projects etc.” - via Reddit

Basecamp Reddit Review

“Using Basecamp 3 for client projects is great but I recently started managing my website todos using Basecamp 3 as well. It might seem weird since I'm the only user on that Basecamp project and I'm just commenting and talking with myself but I find it helpful to just unload my thoughts as they come to me and being able to quickly revisit those thoughts by just browsing latest activity in reverse chronological order or with the search bar.” - via Reddit

Now, onto our honest opinions on different categories of comparison between Basecamp and ClickUp.

Usability and Feature Comparison

ClickUp's Usability and Features

ClickUp is known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface. Its drag-and-drop functionality allows users to easily use the tool and the Home feature displays all your tasks in one place. There are over 15+ custom views available for anyone, from individual contributors to executives, to see work from their point of view. 

Besides the standard project management features such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and Sprints, ClickUp also offers a variety of unique key features such as the screen recording Clip feature. Record your screen and attach it directly to ClickUp tasks, saving you from having to use other screen recording apps such as Loom. 

Its whiteboards are an incredibly useful and versatile tool that allows users to visualize concepts, brainstorm ideas, and plan out entire projects. You can create an unlimited number of boards that can be viewed by anyone with access. The boards are also customizable, allowing users and guests to add text, images, notes, and more.

The sheer multitude of ClickUp features does make it a bit difficult and overwhelming for beginners. This can be compensated by being able to turn on and off different ClickApps so you can choose which features you want enabled for your team to create the perfect collaboration tool according to your needs.

Sandra D., a digital marketing specialist says: “As a Scrum Master, I feel that ClickUp is a marvelous tool for any Agile marketing teams out there. We have biweekly sprint planning sessions, and using ClickUp makes getting through them a breeze. Custom views can be created at all levels -- for an individual list (we use these to separate business lines within our team), for an entire folder (which we use for a view of all the areas of our team). At the folder level, during grooming, I filter by all items due in the coming two weeks and then we can go through them and groom them. ClickUp allows for custom fields so that any details that are relevant across the board on a task can be filled in. This allows us to keep tasks organized by their values in the custom fields.”

Basecamp's Usability and Features

Basecamp is an online application for managing projects and tasks. It has a user-friendly UI that is great for non-tech-savvy users. While it is an easy-to-use tool, it offers a variety of features to address basic task management and organization issues. Basecamp has a simple search function and document management system that may not be enough functionality for some users.

Overall, Basecamp is a great tool for both personal and professional use with an option to use API to extend the application’s functionality. Project and task hours can be tracked and recorded for reporting purposes. Basecamp also has a great support team that provides educational assistance on how the app works.

Syed T. says the following: “I like the simplicity of Basecamp. I have used many project management tools but after a certain time, it becomes complex to manage a project management tool. It eats up a lot of time of my working hours just to maintain a project management tool. In this particular case, Basecamp kept everything straight forward. It's easy to use and easy to manage. Love it.”

Collaborative Capabilities Comparison

ClickUp's Collaborative Capabilities

ClickUp's collaboration features make it an ideal choice for distributed teams and remote work. Its wide range of features allows users to communicate quickly and effectively, no matter where they are located. For example, you can assign tasks to team members, comment on tasks and projects, @mention teammates and assign comments to them, and create task lists that can be shared with contractors and clients outside of your team. 

ClickUp's Chat View is also an incredibly useful feature that allows users to communicate and brainstorm easily in a specific List or Folder without having to switch between different applications. There's also an in-built Calendar feature that syncs with Google and Outlook calendars to help team members decide on important dates and team meetings. 

Its broad range of features makes it a great choice for any team looking to get organized and collaborate more effectively.

Reema D., an associate director says: “The best parts about ClickUp are the potential for collaboration and the visual ability to watch tasks go through stages of completion. My team uses ClickUp primarily for candidate tracking and hiring. Through ClickUp, my team can share candidates, track contact logs, view resumes through their attachment upload feature, make notes, and move the candidate through the hiring process.”

Basecamp's Collaborative Capabilities

Basecamp supports collaboration by allowing team leaders or managers to assign and allocate project tasks for tracking and management. While the app does not come with a video conferencing feature which is important for remote teams, Basecamp allows team members to stay aligned with tasks through messages, a one-page dashboard, to-dos, and a schedule display. 

Messages provide users with a centralized place for bigger discussions and a space to create, share, and discuss documents and files. Basecamp also has a real-time group chat as an additional communication channel without the need to use another application. With these built-in tools along with integrations, you are able to provide all the functions that your team needs.

Jose P., a Business Change Manager says this about Basecamp’s collaboration features: “Basecamp is an excellent collaborative tool to keep the tasks of a project according to plan, it allows us to simplify management and maintain fluid communication between registered users. We can create multiple projects within this application and manage messages from its dashboard, the task list, the calendar, the delivery dates, the interaction of all the members, and even the information arranged for our clients.”

Customization and Scalability Comparison

ClickUp's Customization and Scalability

ClickUp is highly customizable and can be tailored to fit the specific needs of any organization or individual. It is designed to accommodate a diverse range of users, including neurodiverse users. For example, users can customize their view with different filters and sorting options, such as due date, assignee, priority, and tags. 

Its scalability is enabled by the multi-dimensional structure - for instance, ClickUp’s organizational hierarchy allows users to structure their workspace in whatever way works best for them. ClickUp also offers extensive reporting capabilities which can be adjusted depending on the size of an organization. For example, businesses can customize reports to track specific metrics, such as project progress, total time tracked, or employee workload. 

This makes it a great solution for organizations of all different sizes and types that are looking for an intuitive yet powerful project management application. 

Dimitrije C., Head of Audio agrees: “I think ClickUp is very good at making large-scale processes visible to a large number of teams and people, and for me, it's been a massive improvement compared to a few project management solutions we've used previously in that aspect, especially since we started remote work. I don't know how I'd be able to keep up with the work of other departments in my company if I didn't have the flexible options of ClickUp, for following only the tasks which are relevant for my team and me.”

Basecamp's Customization and Scalability

While Basecamp provides mostly basic essential features that other project management applications may have, this particular app is easy to customize. Organize your dashboards and schedule to include specific elements such as deadlines, milestones, and other relevant events. Basecamp’s Card Table provides a unique Kanban board that can be arranged to what works best for you or your team. 

Bigger organizations and businesses can use customize Basecamp according to each department’s workflow and process. There’s also an API for developers to build custom integrations with their own solutions or even client applications which is a great way to reduce the need for the use of applications when working with third-party organizations.

Gavin M. raves: “Basecamp does almost everything we need to do, with the ability to use the APIs we've managed to extend Basecamp to work with our internal and some external systems. Every single project is tracked and managed via the app, our project hours are recorded against each project using the API and we can report on these for costings at any point. There are more competent project management software packages out there, but all of these charge per user and would be a lot more expensive.”

Cost Comparison

ClickUp's Pricing

By offering several plans, ranging from the free Forever Free plan to the Enterprise Plan, ClickUp has something for everyone. The Forever Free plan is perfect for small teams who need basic project management capabilities and don’t require the comprehensive feature set of a premium plan. For those looking for an even more advanced project management solution, the Unlimited Plan and Business Plan provide access to powerful features such as Gantt charts, timelines and workload management.

ClickUp's Enterprise Plan is the ideal choice for more complex organizations. It is designed to meet even the most demanding needs, from HIPAA compliance and whitelabeling to custom integrations and dedicated support.

Here's what Allan G., a project manager says about the cost: “[ClickUp] allows me to treat my business like software. I can adapt procedures so that orders flow through our company naturally. It can work like a manual ERP if you set it up correctly. I love that you can really do whatever you want, all for a very low price.”

Basecamp's Pricing

Basecamp offers a plan for individual users, small businesses, larger groups, enterprises, and big organizations. The tool can be accessed by freelancers or small teams for $15 per user/month. The Pro Unlimited plan with advanced features made for businesses can be accessed for $299/month with no user limit which is a great option for larger organizations with growing teams and members. 

Daniel T., a Software Developer talks about pricing: “There is no plan between Free and Business (99USD/month). Grouping and following longer discussions is not that easy. I would like to have the possibility to delete files in bulk. The calendar is just basic, it lacks many features like exporting or syncing with external apps/tools. I think there are too many email notifications. I would like to correct or edit online an already uploaded document. If you want to change the design after your company branding, don't expect that from Basecamp. I miss a standard feature to prioritize the tasks so we can drop out our custom conventions.”

Basecamp vs ClickUp: Bottom Line

Choose ClickUp if:

• You’re looking for customizable task management tools
• You need one place to plan, organize, and collaborate on all your work
• You need efficient goal-tracking and reporting

Choose Basecamp if:

• You’re looking for simple and easy-to-use software
• You’re working on multiple client-specific projects
• You need to integrate with third-party applications