ClickUp vs Asana: An Asana Pro Tries ClickUp Again (Honest First Impression)

People keep asking me about ClickUp, and to be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve tried it… and it was quite new when I did.

So I figured instead of pretending I have a polished opinion now, I would just hit record and let you look over my shoulder while I try this in real time.

Because I use Asana every single day. I help clients simplify their businesses with it. And a lot of them come to me after trying ClickUp… or they’re curious about ClickUp and how it compares to Asana.

And there’s a lot of buzz in the online space about ClickUp.

So today, I want to see for myself what’s actually going on right now with ClickUp.

Either keep reading or watch the video below:

Quick context: why I’m revisiting ClickUp

The truth is, I did try ClickUp a couple years ago, and I even almost switched at one point.

But it actually lost some of my data, and I knew I couldn’t trust it to run my business.

That said… it’s been a couple years now. So I want to see what it has to offer now.

And just so you know: this is not the most curated review.

This wasn’t intended to be.

This is very much a messy “you’re right here with me” kind of video/blog post — figuring it out as I go, comparing things to Asana, and sharing my real honest thoughts.

So if you’re looking for something super polished and step-by-step… that’s not this.

This is a real-time ClickUp vs Asana first impression.

ClickUp hierarchy

Okay, so I’m literally just going to type in ClickUp and log into my old account.

Right off the bat… I’m seeing “Create new space.”

So I’m thinking: spaces are like teams, right?

I actually looked up “ClickUp hierarchy” because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t mixing things up.

Here’s what I found:

• Workspace

• Spaces

• Folders

• Lists

• Tasks

• Subtasks

So the workspace is like the Asana workspace or organization (especially if you’re managing a business with multiple teams).

Spaces feel like Asana teams.

But then ClickUp has this extra layer: Folders.

At first I was confused, but then I realized: folders hold lists.

So folders are just kind of like another level of organization that Asana doesn’t really have.

Asana does have Portfolios on higher paid plans (I’m on Asana’s Starter plan, so I don’t even have access to portfolios), so that part was interesting to compare.

First impression: ClickUp feels… overwhelming

Off the bat, I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed and anxious (especially with you watching me explore it).

And honestly, I knew this was going to be a nervous video/post for me to do because normally I go in and quietly explore tools with no one watching me.

But I thought it would be fun to take you with me on the journey.

And here’s something I’ve heard from clients a lot:

ClickUp can feel really overwhelming.

This is why Asana feels like the nice middle ground for small teams, solopreneurs, and especially people with ADHD who don’t need all of these options.

Because it becomes overwhelming really fast.

And that’s why I created my course Asana Made Simple.

Not because Asana is “better” than ClickUp — but because a lot of people don’t need more features…

They need fewer decisions.

Most of my clients who feel overwhelmed by ClickUp aren’t doing anything wrong.

They just want a calmer, simpler place to manage their work.

Creating a space in ClickUp (and what’s included on the free plan)

So I tried creating a new space — just as an example, something like “Client Management.”

I immediately noticed things like:

• default permissions

• making it private

• workflow options

• default views

• task statuses

• ClickApps (which I did not understand at first)

And I found myself asking: Are all of these available on the free plan?

Answer: no.

Which is what I expected, because it’s similar in Asana — you need at least the Starter plan for certain permission settings and features.

But also… there were so many options.

Calendar, table, activity, team… so many views.

And I’m sitting here like:

“My gosh, there’s so many options.”

Lists in ClickUp vs projects in Asana

This is where the Asana brain starts to glitch.

In Asana, I think in projects.

In ClickUp, it’s lists.

So it took a second for my brain to adjust.

I noticed ClickUp automatically created a list under the space without asking me to name it, which was confusing at first.

But then I realized:

• Space = like an Asana team

• List = like an Asana project

So I set up a simple example:

• Client A (list)

• Client B (list)

Okay, cool. I think I got it.

Statuses vs sections (this part confused me)

In Asana, inside a project, I usually have sections.

Like:

• onboarding

• ongoing work

• offboarding

In ClickUp, it seemed like they were using statuses instead.

At first I thought statuses were “sections.”

But then I realized statuses are more like:

• incomplete

• in progress

• complete

And you can customize them.

So then I was like:

“Okay… I’m confused.”

Because the status is not a section. It’s more like the workflow stage.

So if you’re coming from Asana and you rely on sections to visually group tasks, that’s something to pay attention to.

Some features I really liked in ClickUp

Even though ClickUp felt like “a lot,” there were a few things where I was like…

Okay. That’s actually really cool.

1) Multiple assignees

ClickUp lets you assign more than one person to a task.

Asana doesn’t.

And there’s a reason Asana doesn’t, because accountability can get messy…

But still — it’s interesting.

2) Start dates on the free plan

In Asana, start dates are not available until at least Starter.

ClickUp seemed to offer more of that functionality earlier.

3) Priority and time estimates

I loved seeing priority built in.

And time estimates are right there too.

4) Time tracking inside tasks + Timesheets

This one was big.

I was like: wait, I’ve heard about this.

You can hit play inside the task, track time, and then stop it.

And then I found Timesheets, which is exactly what I wanted:

A rolling view of time tracked across work, which is super useful for:

• virtual assistants

• OBMs

• freelancers

• contractors

• anyone charging hourly

Because you need to know how much time you worked — not just per task, but overall (like for the month).

This is something I currently use Toggl for, so seeing it built into ClickUp was impressive.

The feature that shocked me: voice notes inside tasks

Okay, listen.

Something I have been dying for Asana to do is give us voice notes inside tasks.

ClickUp has it.

Inside the comments.

You can literally record a voice clip and send it.

And I said out loud:

“That is too good.”

I don’t like how much I like that.

Because me and my VA (full transparency) use WhatsApp a lot for voice memos when it’s faster than typing.

So having that inside the tool is… very, very interesting.

ClickUp chat (Slack-style) vs Asana messaging

ClickUp also has chat features that feel very Slack-like, with channels.

This is cool, but also:

It can become extra.

Because I really like how in Asana you can message directly inside a specific project — so everyone in that project gets notified and it stays tied to that context.

With ClickUp chat, it felt more like general conversation channels, which could be useful, but I’d want to explore it more.

Docs, dashboards, whiteboards, forms, goals… ClickUp is trying to be all the things

ClickUp has:

• Docs (that you can attach to a list)

• Dashboards

• Whiteboards

• Forms (paid)

• Goals (seemed included earlier than Asana)

• Clips (video + voice clips)

• Tons of integrations and apps

There’s no denying: it’s feature-rich.

But also…

This is why it can feel overwhelming.

It’s trying to be everything.

ClickUp pricing vs Asana pricing (and the 2-seat thing)

Okay, now let’s talk money.

ClickUp’s paid pricing (at least what I saw) looked cheaper than Asana’s Starter plan.

And here’s what I don’t love about Asana:

Asana has a minimum 2-seat requirement.

So even if you’re a solopreneur and you only need one seat… you’re paying for two.

I only need one seat, but I’m paying for two.

That can make Asana feel triple the cost compared to ClickUp, depending on the plan and currency.

However…

I still stand by this:

Asana’s free plan goes so much farther than most people realize.

Unlimited projects, tasks, teams… it stretches the furthest for solopreneurs and small teams.

You don’t need to upgrade for a long time unless you specifically want:

• forms

• advanced custom fields

• automations

• rules

• dashboards

• start dates

• dependencies

Those things absolutely save time and mental energy…

But the free plan gives you a lot.

A lot.

Who ClickUp is for (and who it’s NOT for)

Here’s my honest take based on this first impression:

If you struggle with overwhelm in your day-to-day work…

If you open a project management tool and you’re like:

“What the hell do I do with this thing?”

ClickUp is not for you.

You need something calmer.

And I truly think Asana is the right fit for people who are ADHD-leaning or mentally overloaded.

Because the important thing is:

It helps you get work done.

It doesn’t add more work to your plate trying to figure it out.

Now — if you love features, settings, customization, and you’re comfortable in tools like this?

ClickUp might be really exciting.

Even I was like:

“I don’t like how impressed I am right now.”

But I would still need to test it for real — because of the past data loss issue.

My biggest sticking point: “My Tasks” calendar view

This is where I got stuck.

In Asana, I live in:

• Inbox

• My Tasks

Like, 97% of the time.

And I love how my tasks shows up in a beautiful color-coded calendar layout.

ClickUp has “My Tasks,” but it didn’t feel the same.

And I said:

“Let me know in the comments if you know there’s a way to set up ClickUp My Tasks like this…”

Because that would be my sticking point.

Final thoughts (for now)

This was a real-time, messy, first impression.

And honestly?

There are things I really liked about ClickUp.

But I also still think it’s not for everyone.

If your brain works differently — if you’re easily overwhelmed — you want fewer decisions, not more features.

That’s why I help people simplify in Asana.

And if you want a calmer, simpler system without overbuilding everything, that’s exactly what Asana Made Simple is for.