ClickUp vs Motion
ClickUp and Motion target high-efficiency teams but use opposite approaches. ClickUp offers maximum flexibility as an all-in-one hub for project management views. Motion focuses narrowly on automated scheduling and deep AI-driven task execution. This comparison helps decide between feature breadth and deep, AI-powered autonomy.
Feature-rich, but expect complex setup.
We recognize ClickUp’s ambitious goal to be an all-in-one workspace, offering impressive versatility and an extensive feature set that streamlines project management. While this comprehensive nature is powerful, we found numerous external reports regarding recurring system bugs, slow performance, and extremely poor customer service experiences. Overall, we see that ClickUp is highly flexible for complex business workflows, but teams must be ready for a steep learning curve and potential challenges with reliability and support responsiveness.
Pros
- Extremely flexible platform offering over 15 customizable views (Gantt, List, Board).
- Consolidates over 50 applications into a single, centralized workspace.
- Effective replacement for specialized tools like Jira and Notion.
- Strong Free Forever plan is generous for individual users and small projects.
Cons
- Frequent reports of bugs, unreliable performance, and a slow user interface.
- Customer support is widely criticized for being inaccessible and ineffective.
- The massive feature set makes the learning curve surprisingly steep.
- Billing practices lack clarity regarding user seats and unexpected automatic charges.
AI scheduling that manages your work.
We observed that Motion delivers on its promise of powerful, AI-driven task management and scheduling. Users consistently report massive time savings and reduced cognitive load, but the complex credit and seat pricing structure requires careful study. Overall, Motion is a transformative tool for dedicated users who commit to mastering its full capabilities.
Pros
- Reduces mental load using intelligent auto-scheduling and task prioritization.
- Integrates tasks, projects, and calendar into a single, cohesive productivity suite.
- Helps teams break down major goals into manageable, achievable steps for progress.
- High-quality AI note-taker joins meetings and summarizes them effectively.
Cons
- High price point ($50/month cited as excessive by some single users).
- Steep learning curve requires significant upfront time to fully master the system.
- Reported UX/UI glitches, such as obstructive task preview pop-ups.
- Users note that the mobile app and notification features need improvement.
AboutClickUp
ClickUp is reliably described as the essential all-in-one workspace for modern teams. It’s designed to align, collaborate, and boost productivity across your entire organization. This platform helps eliminate app sprawl by converging over 50+ different applications into one centralized hub. Teams managing operations, campaigns, or product development use ClickUp to get more done faster, together. ✅
AboutMotion
Motion transforms how teams work by offering the world's first AI workforce at your fingertips. ✨ This platform goes far beyond simple automation; it lets you create and deploy enterprise-grade AI Employees specifically built for your business needs. It merges an entire productivity suite—including AI Projects, AI Calendar, and AI Tasks—where all your work is managed and recorded. Motion is trusted by over a million top performers and teams who want a single, powerful platform for managing work efficiently.
Highlights
Feature Comparison
Features Overview
We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.
Core Philosophy & Scope
ClickUp is the maximalist toolbox; Motion is the focused, deep AI brain.
ClickUp acts as an essential all-in-one hub, designed to replace over 50 different apps. It offers immense flexibility customizable for massive portfolios. ClickUp requires high effort to set up workflows but offers unmatched feature breadth. Motion centers around providing a personalized AI Workforce at your disposal. It merges project management with powerful intelligent auto-scheduling. Motion aims to deeply automate tasks, reducing human coordination time. ClickUp grants you the tools for complex PMO setup and tracking. Motion provides autonomy by managing logistics in real-time. Choosing is a trade-off between ClickUp's flexible breadth and Motion's deep, expensive automation focus.
AI Capabilities
Motion's AI executes workflows; ClickUp's AI is focused on search and utility.
ClickUp utilizes ClickUp Brain for utility features like note-taking and writing assistance. Connected Brain provides critical enterprise search across apps like Salesforce and GitHub. It enhances existing features. Motion’s core value is its AI, letting users create custom AI Employees instantly. These agents execute complex, end-to-end workflows based on full business context. Motion's AI is deeply integrated and transformative. Motion delivers a custom AI workforce capable of managing projects autonomously and efficiently. ClickUp's AI is a helpful feature layer, not the foundation of the platform. Companies using Motion report project efficiency tripling due to this deep, automated capability.
Pricing and Value
ClickUp is highly affordable; Motion is significantly more expensive with usage metering.
ClickUp is accessible, offering a generous permanent Free Forever plan for individuals. Paid tiers start low at just $7 per user per month when billed annually. Pricing is straightforward, based only on seats. Motion has a steep entry price, starting at $29/month per seat, billed annually. It utilizes a complex usage-based model with metered AI Credits. The price scales dramatically based on API usage. ClickUp offers far better value for money, especially for growing teams needing predictable costs. Motion’s value lies solely in the time saved by high-end automation. If budget is a concern or you have a large team, ClickUp prevents the unexpected scaling costs associated with Motion's credit system.
Task Auto-Scheduling
Motion automatically prioritizes tasks; ClickUp requires structure and manual effort.
ClickUp provides all the structure—Dependencies, Milestones, and Priorities—for manual scheduling. PMOs manage staff load using Workload and Resource Management tools. It provides precise control. Motion is unique because its AI automatically manages the daily schedule for you. It re-prioritizes tasks and manages meetings instantly when unexpected shifts occur. This reduces severe mental coordination load. Motion actively works to balance over a thousand parameters every day. ClickUp provides the container for you to perform the balancing act yourself. Users who constantly face rescheduling due to changing priorities find Motion's feature a true lifesaver.
Flexibility and Customization
ClickUp offers 15+ visual layouts; Motion customizes through AI logic.
ClickUp is famous for its unrivaled flexibility, supported by 15 distinct views (Gantt, Board, List, etc.). You can configure ClickUp expertly for nearly any work type or department. It is structurally adaptable. Motion's flexibility comes from building custom AI Employees using natural language instructions. The integrated platform provides AI Projects, Calendar, Docs, and Sheets. The visual structures are less varied. ClickUp allows teams to view data their way, adapting to team preferences. Motion forces adoption of its specific, integrated suite managed by the AI. For teams managing different project methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall), ClickUp’s core visual versatility is key.
Customer Support Quality
Motion's support is generally responsive; ClickUp's support is widely criticized.
ClickUp advertises 24/7 support across all plans, but user reviews are strongly negative. Reports include slow responses, inaccessible agents, and unhelpful interactions. This negatively impacts highly complex users. Motion support is generally responsive, especially for billing and subscription concerns. The Plus plan offers dedicated Priority Business Support for enterprise teams. High volume of user complaints indicates ClickUp fails to support its massive feature set reliably. Motion delivers better reliability and user satisfaction in the support channel. Dedicated users of Motion find subscription and support issues resolved quickly, fostering trust in the platform.
Our Verdict
ClickUp and Motion are fighting for your productivity, but the winner depends entirely on your specific workflow. ClickUp is the clear choice for feature breadth, flexibility, and affordability. Motion is the better option if you need robust, dedicated AI to manage your daily existence. ClickUp’s superpower is its all-in-one consolidation and customizable views. It replaces 50+ applications, acting as a single hub for Docs, Tasks, and Spreadsheets. You get 15 different views, like Gantt and Kanban, starting at a very affordable $7/user/month. If cost is critical and your team needs customizable structure, choose ClickUp. Motion’s superpower is its unparalleled AI workforce and intelligent scheduling. It eliminates decision fatigue by automatically prioritizing and scheduling tasks across your calendar. Motion lets you create custom AI Employees that execute end-to-end workflows. This capability saves managers hours weekly, justifying the higher $29/month starting price. The deciding factor is whether you seek breadth or depth of automation. If you require deep, automated daily workflow management and responsive customer support, choose Motion. If you need a flexible, affordable system for complex portfolios without relying on deep AI, ClickUp is the better fit. Final verdict: ClickUp is perfect for large, budget-conscious organizations needing maximum custom views. Motion is revolutionary for individuals who prioritize automated time management and are willing to pay for advanced AI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for small teams: ClickUp or Motion?
ClickUp offers a superior Free Forever plan and starts paid tiers at $7 per user per month. Motion starts at $29 per seat and uses usage-based credits, making ClickUp the more budget-friendly option. Choose ClickUp if affordability and flexibility are paramount for your small team.
Can Motion replace ClickUp for complex project management?
Motion excels at daily task prioritization and AI execution within its integrated suite. ClickUp offers much broader Project Management Office (PMO) features, like 15 visual views and dedicated workload management. Motion lacks the sheer structural flexibility of ClickUp.
Is Motion's AI capabilities significantly better than ClickUp's?
Yes, Motion’s AI is the core product, enabling the creation of custom AI Employees that perform complex work. ClickUp's AI focuses on utility tasks like writing assistance or enterprise search across integrated platforms. Motion performs deeper automation.
Why do ClickUp's user reviews seem lower than Motion's?
ClickUp receives highly polarized reviews; users praise its features but widely criticize poor performance and instability. Users consistently report Motion saves massive time through scheduling, leading to better overall satisfaction and a higher 4.1 rating.
Which tool offers better data security and compliance features?
Motion is explicitly SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, providing enterprise-grade security across its platform. ClickUp limits advanced compliance features, like HIPAA, MSA, and regional data residency, only to its top-tier Enterprise plan.
Does ClickUp have auto-scheduling features similar to Motion?
ClickUp does not have the intelligent, automated task prioritization and scheduling that Motion offers. ClickUp provides the necessary framework (priorities, timelines) for manual project management, but it doesn't manage your calendar automatically.
Ready to Choose?
Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.