Is Wrike the right tool for you?
This Wrike review will help you determine if Wrike is the best project management software for your team.
We’ll go over some key Wrike features as well as its drawbacks and pricing to help you decide if it suits your project management needs or not.
This Article Contains:
Let’s get started!
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Is Wrike?
Wrike is a project management software that helps you organize projects, collaborate with your team, and track work progress.
- Organize your project tasks
- Facilitate collaboration and file sharing with your team
- Keep a track of work progress and the project plan
It’s got everything you need for effective project management from a single, consolidated space.
Who can use it?
While most Wrike reviews mention Wrike as a project management tool that both a large or small team can use, this project management solution is mostly aimed at Enterprise-level users.
They can take advantage of some advanced Wrike features like:
- Gantt charts
- Detailed reporting
- Advanced security features
Bonus: Read our Wrike project management guide.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Are The Key Features Of Wrike?
Wrike’s features include a three-pane view of your work, forms and requests to fulfill tasks, and analytics to visualize data.
Here’s a closer look at Wrike’s main features:
1. Three-Pane View to keep everything at reach
The Wrike dashboard has a unique three-pane view for your task management activities:
- The left pane on the Wrike dashboard lets you access your projects, your teams, and your finances for easy resource management
- The middle pane is used to create a new Wrike task, set up due dates and assign tasks to team members quickly
- Finally, with the right pane, you can see all your tasks and subtasks at once
This way, the Wrike dashboard gives you a consolidated view of your workflow!
2. Forms and Requests to create and fulfill tasks
The Wrike project management software comes with a powerful form builder that lets admins create forms using conditional logic. This way, you get a submission form that’s responsive and built according to your needs.
However, that isn’t all.
When you submit a request, Wrike can automatically:
- Assign task or project from each submission
- Populate task items with the form’s information
- File forms and assign them to one or several users
3. Visualize your data with Analytics
Another great Wrike project management solution is its analytics.
With it, you get detailed insights through intuitive charts and infographics. These charts are automatically updated every 15 minutes in this online project management software.
Some of the insights you get are:
- Team performance statistics
- Project status and work progress and statistics
- Tasks that each user has completed
4. Tags and Folders to view and share project data
The Wrike project management software supports tags and folders to help you sort data by project, tasks, and other categorization metrics. This helps you quickly organize your activities to keep things moving smoothly.
It also allows you to share these folders to streamline team collaboration.
5. Task Tool to track individual and overall task progress
With Wrike’s task tool, small businesses can easily keep track of individual and overall task progress. Use it to easily break projects into smaller tasks and keep track of each activity’s task status.
This task management tool makes it easy to get a clear idea of how much work you have left, who’s working on it, and when it’ll be done.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Benefits Of Wrike
Here’s a closer look at the benefits of using Wrike:
1. Enterprise-level project management capabilities
Wrike gives you access to tons of enterprise work management features like:
- Gantt Charts: track your work progress and reschedule your activities on an interactive Gantt chart software
- Wrike Proof tool: streamline the proofing and feedback process over tasks and projects
- Workflow Statuses: create statuses for your workflow
- File Sharing tool: share, store and manage all project-related documents for quick team collaboration
2. Built-In time tracking software
Another great tool from Wrike is its built-in time tracking software to keep track of how your employees spend their work hours.
Use it to monitor your team’s productivity and identify issues that are slowing your team down. For example, you can track the time your marketing team takes to complete each marketing project.
Your leadership team or project manager can even use Wrike’s tracking reports to determine which Wrike task is taking too long to complete. They can then step in to help the team out and streamline things.
3. Detailed analytics and insights to calculate deliverables
Wrike analytics are a great way to gain in-depth insights on your projects and tasks.
You get several useful metrics, such as:
- Task Digest: condenses all your tasks and projects into a pie chart for better ease of use
- Milestones: highlights how far your next project milestone is
- Task Duration: displays the estimated time to complete tasks
- Tracked Time: shows you how long your team has spent on each task and project
- Top Performers: highlights your top three performers that have completed the most tasks
- Conflicts: gives you a warning if you have any conflict tasks, like if you have tasks accidentally scheduled after the project due date
These stats give you real-time updates each time you open or refresh them to ensure that the data is accurate.
4. Two-factor authentication support
Two-factor authentication is a very important tool to ensure online safety — especially when you’re dealing with sensitive client and company information.
This online project management software offers SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) single sign-on. It’s a secure, single sign-on security measure that verifies your credentials before you sign-in.
Wrike also uses the Google Authenticator app to give you an extra verification step. All you need to do is add an app passcode and you’re in!
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat are the limitations Of Wrike?
A difficult interface, limited mobile app, and limited project tracking features are a few of Wrike’s limitations.
Let’s check out a few of Wrike’s drawbacks that hold the software back from being top-notch:
(click on the links to jump to a specific drawback)
- The interface is difficult to navigate
- Mobile apps have limited functionality
- Onboarding can be difficult
- Can’t assign comments or convert these to tasks
- Lacks built-in idea management features
- Limited features for project tracking
- The platform can be too expensive
Note: This Wrike review will also highlight how a powerful Wrike alternative like ClickUp can solve the challenges you face while using Wrike.
What’s ClickUp?
ClickUp is the world’s top-rated project management software.
Used by 200,000+ teams from startups to major companies like Google, Webflow, Airbnb, and Netflix, ClickUp is the only tool you need for efficient project planning and work management.
From creating your project plan to managing multiple projects — this management tool can handle everything you throw at it!
Here’s how ClickUp solves all of Wrike’s drawbacks:
Wrike Con #1: Interface is difficult to navigate — especially for beginners
One of the big cons with Wrike is that navigation isn’t always easy. Even though the shareable dashboards have a three-pane view, coming to grips with this user interface isn’t simple.
Why?
Task management can be incredibly difficult when you’re managing multiple projects. You first have to go to one project, go through its folders and then find the specific task.
You have to then go back to your projects to find another folder to find another task!
Talk about being super annoying!
While Wrike does have an Android app as well as an iPhone app, you’ll find it hard to create new projects and tasks since all three panes of the customizable dashboards may not fully fit your screen size.
ClickUp’s solutions:
A. Simple Task Hierarchy
ClickUp’s simplified Task Hierarchy offers you an intuitive interface to navigate and organize your team’s activities.
It follows this simple structure: Workspace > Space > Folders > Lists > Tasks > Subtasks > Checklists.
- Workspace: your top-level hierarchy where you can break your company up into individual teams
- Spaces: these are the major user groups, like “marketing team” or “operations”
- Folders: where you can store project-related lists
- Lists: this is where individual projects are listed
- Tasks: here is where you work. Each task has its subtasks, description, comments, and much more
- Subtasks: you can break down each task into several subtasks
- Checklists: checklists are kept within tasks or subtasks. For example, you could have checklists for quality checking during your Agile software development tasks
B. Multiple Views
ClickUp offers Multiple Views to suit your custom workflow needs.
The best part about these views?
ClickUp lets you switch between them in the same project!
This feature isn’t available even when comparing Wrike vs Asana or any other project management software like Trello or Basecamp! If you’re considering switching to ClickUp from Basecamp or Trello, you’re not alone!
Here’s a closer look at these views:
1. Required task views
ClickUp has two required task views:
A. Board view: the Board view is the perfect view for Kanban fans. With it, you can easily drag and drop multiple projects into different categories to move them along smoothly.
B. List view: the List view is perfect for fans of the GTD (getting things done) approach. In this intuitive interface, your tasks are listed down one after the other and you can check them off as you progress.
2. Box view
The Box view gives you a high-level workload view of what you and your team are up to. As tasks are sorted out by assignee, you can keep track of everyone’s assignments and monitor their progress.
3. Calendar view
ClickUp’s Calendar view offers an intuitive interface to manage your project schedule easily. This same feature can be used for planning events, scheduling volunteers, and so much more!
You can even toggle between views in your calendar, such as:
- Days: to view scheduled project tasks on a given date
- 4-Days: to view your project schedule over a rolling four day period
- Week: a workload view at your weekly project schedule
- Monthly: for a high-level view of your what’s coming up over the next month
4. Me Mode
The “Me” Mode gives you a workload view of your assigned tasks on your dashboard. You can now focus on trying to manage your own projects and overdue tasks only!
This way, ClickUp is a management tool that can adapt to your team’s preferred custom workflow — it doesn’t force you to adapt to it!
Wrike Con #2: Mobile apps lack functionality
If you want to remain productive 24×7, you’ll need a productive mobile app.
Think about it.
If you don’t have good mobile apps, you’ll only be able to work behind a computer.
Unfortunately, Wrike’s Android app or iPhone app isn’t as good as the desktop software it’s based on. For example, you can create a new folder but can’t alter its name to reflect the product or project you’re working on.
Additionally, its panels may not always be in sync.
For example, if you’re looking at a project in the left pane, the right pane may show associated tasks from a previous project you were looking at.
And worst of all, you may not be able to edit or move your Wrike task using the Android or iPhone app!
This makes the Wrike project management software a good product only if you’re behind the desktop, using the computer software — instead of being on the go.
ClickUp’s solution: Powerful Mobile Apps
ClickUp’s powerful Android app and iOS app are perfect for creating a project plan or managing your tasks on the move.
You get all the functionality of the desktop app from the comfort of your phone:
- You can view and edit tasks
- Comment on tasks
- Achieve a collaborative work environment
- Track project progress
- Edit your calendar
And everything else!
Wrike Con #3: Onboarding and setup can be difficult
Like MS Project, Wrike is a complex, enterprise-grade software that comes with a steep learning curve.
In fact, Wrike has a specialized deployment training called “Wrike Professional Services (Wrike PS),” to help you through the process.
But training for using a project management tool?
Do you seriously want to get into that?
This con makes it hard for your team to adapt to the Wrike workspace — slowing down your initial progress when working on tasks.
Wrike’s own customer support suggests that you pair new employees with experienced people and create a to-do list to walk them through the software.
However, that isn’t all.
When you work with a Wrike Professional Service Consultant, you get to customize a lot of your software. While this can help you create a software built for your small team, it makes additional changes harder in the long run.
For example, if your business changes its preferences or adds new users, you’ll need to purchase additional PS training sessions!
ClickUp’s solutions:
A. Easy onboarding
ClickUp is a user-friendly web-based project portfolio management software that requires no learning curve.
You don’t have to read huge manuals, watch onboarding webinars, or hunt down tasks hidden in folders!
ClickUp makes it super easy to search, find, and comment on the tasks you’re working on, making onboarding a piece of cake.
B. Slash Commands
ClickUp also comes with built-in Slash Commands to make onboarding easier.
If you need to perform a simple task activity, just use these commands:
- / me = assign tasks to yourself
- / a = assign task to someone else on your team
- / d = due date
- / s = change task status
- / – = create a subtask then unfurl it as you’re typing
Wrike Con #4: Cannot assign comments to team members
Although you can comment on tasks in your Wrike workspace, you can’t assign tasks in those comments.
Why is that a problem?
You have to tell someone that you left a comment on a task!
And if you have to manually inform them about a comment, what’s the point of leaving comments in the first place?
ClickUp’s solution: Assigned Comments
Do people forget to take action on your comments?
Don’t worry!
ClickUp’s Assigned Comments are what makes ClickUp the world’s best collaboration tool.
With Assigned Comments, you can instantly convert a comment into an assigned task and assign it to someone (or even yourself).
The tool will then send them notifications and it’ll even pop up in their task tray to ensure that it doesn’t go unnoticed.
Once they’re done with the task, they can resolve it quickly to avoid unnecessary follow-ups!
This is the perfect way to instantly achieve real-time collaboration and create assigned tasks for your team.
Wrike Con #5: No idea management
Another Wrike con is its lack of any built-in idea management features.
You won’t be able to use it to jot down ideas, thoughts or even a rough project workflow.
Instead, you’ll have to use a separate collaboration or project management app to keep track of it all!
And if there’s one thing everyone agrees on — using two apps is always more complicated than using a single project management app!
ClickUp’s solutions:
A. Notepad App
Need to take quick notes? The Notepad by ClickUp is a built-in notepad that you can open quickly, jot down notes, and then minimize!
The app stays in the bottom corner of your screen, making it simple for you to write down reminders or do research as you’re browsing.
And once you’re done, you can quickly transform those to-do lists into tasks and share them with your team.
No other project management tool gives you this kind of flexibility!
B. Docs
ClickUp’s Docs is a built-in wiki tool for your team. You can use it to create detailed project and company-related docs with real-time team collaboration.
As each Doc is stored alongside your project, you can easily access them whenever you want.
Additionally, ClickUp’s Docs come with features that allow you to:
- Nest pages within docs for added customization
- Save and load templates for quick Doc creation
- Edit the access rights of your Docs
- Let Google index your Docs to appear in search results
- Easily use rich text editing for better readability
- Create assigned comments and tasks within the Docs
C. Goals
ClickUp also gives you a comprehensive project management solution to track your goals and objectives.
ClickUp’s Goals are high-level containers that can be broken down into smaller, measurable Targets. For example, if your Goal is “Improve social media presence”, it could have a Target like “boost Facebook engagement by 20%”.
ClickUp gives you a lot of customization options over the kind of Targets you create.
You can set:
- Number: for tracking increases or decreases between number ranges
- True/False: these are done or not done options
- Currency: this target helps you track your resource management costs
- Tasks: here you can keep track of your tasks and/or lists of tasks inside ClickUp
You can create folders for your Goals to effectively categorize them and store them. To make client involvement easier, you can also customize who can access your Goal folder without compromising your privacy.
Wrike Con #6: Limited project tracking features
Wrike only has one type of visual tracking software: an interactive Gantt chart.
A Gantt chart is great when handling projects. It gives you a dynamic project timeline that can help you track your progress.
However, a Gantt chart can’t manage everything, right?
It can’t show you how you’re performing against a target line or quickly measure completed work against your total scope.
The problem with Wrike is that Gantt charts are all you really get!
ClickUp’s solutions:
A. Automated Gantt Charts
ClickUp’s built-in Gantt Charts give you powerful visual overviews of your project timeline and progress. All you need is to take a glance at your Gantt chart to determine how your project is doing.
However, ClickUp’s Gantt chart also gives you real-time updates automatically!
Here’s what this interactive Gantt chart can automatically handle:
- Readjust task dependencies whenever scheduling changes are made
- Calculate your project progress percentage based on completed tasks vs. total project tasks
- Compare your current project progress vs.expected progress to determine how things are progressing
- Calculate your critical path to identify the most vital project tasks you need to complete to avoid overdue tasks and meet your deadlines
B. Customizable Dashboards
ClickUp also comes with custom shareable Dashboards to visualize your project and Agile sprint data. You can customize your Dashboard with Widgets like:
- Custom widgets: visualize custom charts and data (pie charts, calculation, text block, etc)
- Status widgets: see how statuses are used in your Workplace to divide tasks
- Priority widgets: focus on task priorities like Urgent, High Normal and Low
- Embed widgets: integrate third-party apps into your Dashboard easily
But that’s not all!
You also get various graphs with your customizable Dashboards, such as:
- Velocity charts: to determine the completion rate of your tasks
- Burndown charts: to see how well your team is progressing against a target line and visualize remaining work
- Burnup charts: to see how much you’ve already completed against your scope
- Cumulative flow charts: to track your project progress over time
Wrike Con #7: Wrike pricing is expensive
No Wrike reviews are complete without a breakdown of its pricing plans.
Spoiler alert: it’s expensive!
Although Wrike does have a free version, it’s quite limited.
You’ll only be able to add 5 people and mainly use it for file sharing with them. Your storage space is also limited and may be too small, depending on your company size.
If you want the actual useful features, like full project planning and time tracking software, you’ll need to go for their paid plans — which start at $10/user per month.
Here’s a breakdown of the Wrike pricing model:
Wrike pricing plans
Wrike has five pricing plans. Wrike also offers a free trial.
A. Free plan
A simple, shared task list for a small team of up to 5 people.
B. Professional plan ($9.80/user per month):
In the professional plan, you get real-time collaboration tool features with subtask options. You also get 15 GB of video uploads and advanced integrations with Wrike Integrate (integrations include Asana, Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc.). This is especially useful for creative teams.
However, you don’t get the custom task status and request form features with this plan.
C. Business plans ($24.80/user per month)
Wrike’s Business plan includes time tracking, a branded workspace, and a custom field feature. There’s also a Google Calendar integration but it’s only a one-way sync. This plan also comes with a Salesforce integration (setup may come at an additional cost based on your scope).
D. Enterprise plan (price based on needs)
Finally, if the Business or Professional plan doesn’t offer the functionality you need for your company size, you can reach out to Wrike to get a custom-built Wrike workspace for your business.
ClickUp’s solution:
In comparison, ClickUp offers you unlimited users and unlimited tasks in its free version.
Upgrading gives you unlimited storage space and is also much cheaper since ClickUp charges you less than half per user at every tier.
ClickUp’s pricing plans are:
- Free Plan: Unlimited tasks and unlimited users
- Unlimited ($5/user per month): Time reports, Unlimited storage space, Views, Integrations and add-ons (including Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack, LinkedIn via Zapier, etc.) and shareable Dashboards
- Business ($9/user per month): Goal folders, Extra guests, Private views, and more
Summarize this article for me pleaseConclusion
While Wrike is a great management tool, it has a few drawbacks as shown in this Wrike review.
Luckily, you can use a project management software like ClickUp to solve all those issues!
Not only does it have all the Wrike features covered in Wrike reviews, but it also offers you far more at a much more affordable rate.
And don’t forget — you get tons of these features for free too!
Why spend money on an average tool when you get the world’s best task and project management app for free?
Sign up for ClickUp today and experience it yourself.
Questions? Comments? Visit our Help Center for support.