ClickUp vs Teamwork (vs ProWorkflow)

Choosing between ClickUp and Teamwork for your project management needs often comes down to these five critical questions:

• Do you need an all-in-one platform that replaces multiple tools, or a solution specifically built for client services?
• Is your priority having unlimited customization options, or getting purpose-built features that work out of the box?
• Are you managing primarily internal projects, or do you need robust client collaboration and billing capabilities?
• Do you want cutting-edge AI features across the board, or focused automation for client work profitability?
• Is your team willing to invest significant time learning a complex system, or do you need something intuitive from day one?

In short, here’s what we recommend:

👉 ClickUp is the comprehensive workspace platform that aims to replace your entire productivity stack. With its extensive customization options, 15+ project views, and AI-powered features through ClickUp Brain, it’s ideal for teams wanting complete control over their workflows. While incredibly powerful, its vast feature set creates a steep learning curve, and teams focused on client work may find themselves configuring features that competitors offer natively.

👉 Teamwork specializes in managing client projects profitably, with built-in time tracking, budgeting, invoicing, and dedicated client portals. Designed by agency founders for agencies, it provides the tools professional services teams need without extensive configuration. However, teams seeking maximum flexibility or those not focused on client work might find its specialization limiting compared to more general-purpose platforms.

Both platforms are excellent choices for their intended audiences. But what if you need the client-focused capabilities of Teamwork with even more depth in financial management and reporting? That’s where a third option becomes compelling.

👉 ProWorkflow has been refining project and client management since 2002, offering a comprehensive suite that includes project planning, resource management, time and expense tracking, and integrated quoting and invoicing. With its recent product iteration featuring cutting-edge updates and exceptional 24/7 customer support, it’s particularly well-suited for Marketing, AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction), IT, and software development companies that need robust financial tools alongside project management.

If you’re looking for a platform that combines deep project management with powerful financial capabilities and industry-leading support, see what ProWorkflow can do for your team.

Table of Contents:

• ClickUp vs Teamwork vs ProWorkflow at a glance
• Understanding the fundamental differences
• ClickUp excels at customization and consolidation
• Teamwork delivers purpose-built client management
• ProWorkflow combines depth with exceptional support
• Time tracking capabilities reveal platform priorities
• Client collaboration reflects user experience philosophy
• Reporting and financial tools reveal strategic depth
• Pricing structures signal target audiences
• ClickUp vs Teamwork vs ProWorkflow: Which one should you choose?

ClickUp vs Teamwork vs ProWorkflow at a glance

Here’s how these three platforms compare across key capabilities for project management:

Understanding the fundamental differences

These three platforms approach project management from distinctly different philosophies, shaped by their origins and target markets.

ClickUp emerged in 2017 with an ambitious vision: create one app to replace them all. Founded by Zeb Evans and Alex Yurkowski after frustration with juggling multiple tools, ClickUp aims to be the ultimate productivity platform. This “everything app” philosophy means you’ll find features for tasks, docs, whiteboards, goals, chat, and more, all attempting to eliminate the need for separate tools.

Teamwork took a different path. Founded in 2007 by agency owners Peter Coppinger and Dan Mackey, it was built to solve the specific challenges of managing client projects. When Disney inquired about an enterprise version of their internal tool, they realized they’d created something special for service-based businesses. This DNA shows in every feature, from native time tracking to integrated invoicing.

ProWorkflow predates both, starting in 2002 when founder Julian Stone created a PalmPilot app for job tracking. This early start gave ProWorkflow time to deeply understand what professional services firms need. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, it focused on becoming the most comprehensive solution for companies that bill for their time and expertise.

These origins matter because they shape what each platform prioritizes. ClickUp optimizes for flexibility and feature breadth. Teamwork optimizes for client project profitability. ProWorkflow optimizes for depth in project financials and resource management.

ClickUp excels at customization and consolidation

ClickUp’s strength lies in its incredible flexibility and comprehensive feature set. The platform offers over 15 different views for visualizing work, from traditional lists and Kanban boards to Gantt charts, calendars, and even mind maps. This variety means teams can work in whatever format suits them best.

The customization capabilities run deep. Custom fields let you track any data point imaginable. Custom statuses can match your exact workflow stages. Automations can be configured to handle repetitive tasks, moving work through your process automatically. Even the hierarchy is flexible, with Spaces, Folders, Lists, Tasks, and Subtasks that can be arranged to match your organizational structure.

ClickUp Brain, their AI assistant, adds another layer of capability. It can generate task descriptions, summarize project updates, create subtasks, and even build automations using natural language. The AI Knowledge Manager can answer questions about your workspace data, while the AI Writer helps with content creation.

Source: ClickUp

The platform includes native features that many competitors require integrations for: time tracking, docs, whiteboards, goals, and even chat. This consolidation can significantly reduce software costs and complexity for teams tired of managing multiple subscriptions.

However, this power comes with complexity. New users often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. The interface can feel cluttered when many features are enabled. Performance can lag with very large projects. And while ClickUp can handle client work, features like invoicing and client portals feel basic compared to specialized platforms.

Teamwork delivers purpose-built client management

Teamwork distinguishes itself by focusing relentlessly on the needs of client services businesses. Every feature is designed with agencies, consultancies, and professional services firms in mind.

The platform’s approach to time tracking exemplifies this focus. It’s not just about recording hours; it’s about maximizing billable time and profitability. Time can be tracked via timers, manual entry, or timesheets, with clear distinction between billable and non-billable work. This data flows seamlessly into project budgets and invoices.

Project financials get first-class treatment in Teamwork. You can set budgets at the project level, track burn rates in real-time, and see profitability at a glance. The platform handles different billing models including fixed fee, time and materials, and retainers. When it’s time to invoice, you can generate them directly from tracked time and expenses.

Source: Teamwork

Client collaboration is another standout area. Teamwork offers unlimited free client users, allowing you to bring clients directly into projects without additional cost. Clients can view progress, provide feedback, and approve deliverables through a controlled portal. The proofing feature streamlines creative approvals with visual markup tools.

TeamworkAI brings intelligence to client work. It can generate task lists from project descriptions, create task summaries highlighting blockers and next steps, and even extract expense data from uploaded receipts. These features are specifically tuned for service delivery rather than general productivity.

The main limitation is that Teamwork’s specialization can feel constraining for teams not focused on client work. The customization options, while good, don’t match ClickUp’s flexibility. And teams wanting features beyond client services might need additional tools.

ProWorkflow combines depth with exceptional support

ProWorkflow brings over two decades of refinement to the project management space. The platform’s recent iteration introduces cutting-edge features while maintaining the reliability that long-time users depend on.

Where ProWorkflow truly shines is in its comprehensive approach to financial features, which include materials & expenses management, invoicing, quoting & estimating, and profit & cost tracking. The quoting and estimating features let you create detailed proposals with customizable templates. These quotes can be converted directly into projects upon approval, carrying over all details automatically. The invoicing system is equally robust, supporting multiple billing methods and integrating with major accounting platforms like QuickBooks and Xero.

Time tracking in ProWorkflow goes beyond simple hour logging. The platform tracks time, materials, and expenses in an integrated manner. Users can log time through multiple methods including stopwatch, manual entry, drag-and-drop timesheets, and direct entry. The system includes time rounding for billing and powerful reporting on utilization.

Resource planning capabilities help managers allocate team members effectively. The Availability Tracker shows who has capacity for new work, while the Weekly Workload view visualizes upcoming assignments. Gantt charts provide timeline views with dependency management, and workload reports ensure balanced distribution.

What truly sets ProWorkflow apart is its customer support. Available 24 hours a day except Sundays, the support team consists of real humans who help with implementation, onboarding, and ongoing issues. They don’t discriminate between user tiers, providing the same excellent service whether you’re on the Professional or Enterprise plan.

The platform serves Marketing, AEC, IT, and software development companies particularly well, with features tailored to these industries’ needs. While it may not have ClickUp’s extreme flexibility or Teamwork’s modern AI features, it delivers where it counts: comprehensive functionality with exceptional support.

Time tracking capabilities reveal platform priorities

How each platform handles time tracking reveals much about their target users and priorities.

ClickUp includes time tracking as one of many features. You can track time through various methods including a global timer, manual entry, and even via their Chrome extension. The time tracking integrates with tasks and can be used for basic reporting. However, it lacks the depth needed for serious client billing. Features like billable rates, time rounding, and invoice integration require workarounds or third-party tools.

Teamwork treats time tracking as a core feature essential to profitability. The platform offers multiple tracking methods, clear billable/non-billable designation, and automatic calculation of costs versus revenue. Time entries flow directly into project budgets and can be easily converted to invoices. The reporting provides insights into utilization rates and profitability by project, client, or team member.

ProWorkflow takes the most comprehensive approach. Beyond standard time tracking, it includes materials and expense tracking in an integrated system. The platform offers four different methods for entering time, accommodating different work styles. Time rounding ensures consistent billing practices.  Most importantly, all this data feeds into powerful, customizable reports that help optimize operations.

Client collaboration reflects user experience philosophy

Modern project management requires seamless client involvement, but each platform approaches this differently.

ClickUp allows client access through guest permissions. You can invite clients to specific projects or tasks, controlling what they can view and edit. However, this feels like an afterthought rather than a core feature. Guest users count against your plan limits on some tiers, and the experience isn’t optimized for external users who may find the interface overwhelming.

Teamwork makes client collaboration a centerpiece. Unlimited free client users can access projects through a simplified portal. They can view progress, participate in discussions, and provide feedback without the full complexity of the internal interface. The proofing system lets clients annotate creative work directly. Project messages keep communication centralized and searchable.

ProWorkflow has offered unlimited client access since its early days. Clients receive controlled access to view project progress, submit requests, and communicate with the team. The platform allows granular permission settings, ensuring clients see only what they need. While ProWorkflow previously promoted contractor access as well, they now focus primarily on client collaboration features.

Reporting and financial tools reveal strategic depth

The depth and focus of reporting capabilities vary significantly across the three platforms.

ClickUp provides customizable dashboards and reporting focused on productivity metrics. You can track task completion, time logged, and team performance. The custom fields enable tracking of additional data points, and the dashboard widgets visualize this information. However, financial reporting is basic, and generating client-ready reports often requires exporting data.

Teamwork offers robust reporting specifically designed for service businesses. Reports cover project health, profitability, utilization, and planned versus actual performance. The financial insights dashboard consolidates key metrics for business decision-making. Custom report builders let you create specific views, and reports can be scheduled for automatic delivery. The platform excels at turning project data into actionable business intelligence.

ProWorkflow delivers the most powerful reporting capabilities of the three. With a library of report bases and templates, users can generate detailed insights into every aspect of their operations. The custom report builder offers extensive filtering and layout options. Reports can be grouped, sorted, and customized down to column naming. Financial reports seamlessly incorporate time, materials, and expenses. The platform’s reporting is highly rated by users who need deep operational insights.

Pricing structures signal target audiences

Each platform’s pricing structure reflects its target market and value proposition.

ClickUp offers a generous free plan for unlimited users with basic features. Paid plans start at $7/user/month for Unlimited, $12 for Business, with Enterprise pricing available on request. The value proposition is consolidation: replacing multiple tools with one platform. However, costs can escalate as you add users, and some essential features require higher tiers.

Teamwork’s pricing also starts with a free plan for up to 5 users, then it charges $10.99/user/month for Deliver, $19.99 for Grow, with Scale and Enterprise tiers custom priced. The pricing includes powerful features like time tracking and budgeting even on lower tiers. For agencies and service firms, the ROI comes from improved profitability and efficiency.

ProWorkflow’s pricing starts at $18/user/month for Professional, $27 for Advanced, with Enterprise custom priced. While higher than competitors’ entry points, the value includes comprehensive functionality and exceptional support. There are no hidden costs for client access or core features. For professional services firms, the investment pays off through better project financials and resource utilization.

ClickUp vs Teamwork vs ProWorkflow: Which one should you choose?

The best platform depends on your specific needs, industry, and priorities.

Choose ClickUp if:

• You want to consolidate multiple tools into one platform
• Customization and flexibility are top priorities
• Your team handles diverse work types beyond client projects
• You’re willing to invest time in learning and configuration
• You need advanced features like whiteboards, docs, and AI assistance

Start with ClickUp.

Choose Teamwork if:

• You run an agency or client services business
• Profitability tracking and client billing are critical
• You want purpose-built features that work out of the box
• Client collaboration and project transparency are priorities
• You need strong mobile apps for on-the-go management

Start with Teamwork.

Choose ProWorkflow if:

• You’re in Marketing, AEC, IT, or software development
• Comprehensive financial management is essential
• You need powerful, customizable reporting capabilities
• Exceptional customer support is a priority
• You want deep functionality for time, materials, and expense tracking

Discover a project management solution built for professional services. Get robust financial tools, powerful reporting, and real human support. Start your free 14-day trial today.

The reality is that all three platforms can effectively manage projects. The difference lies in how they approach the challenge. ClickUp gives you infinite flexibility to build your perfect system. Teamwork provides a refined solution for client project profitability. ProWorkflow delivers comprehensive functionality with unmatched support.

For teams seeking the broadest feature set and maximum customization, ClickUp is the clear choice. For agencies and consultancies focused on client work profitability, Teamwork offers the most targeted solution. And for professional services firms needing depth in project financials with exceptional support, ProWorkflow provides the best combination of features and service.