ClickUp Problems & Issues
Real user-reported problems, complaints, and limitations for ClickUp. Based on analysis of 15 signals.
Overall score: 51/100
Issues by Category
Internal guests now billed as paid seats
ClickUp reclassified guests from inside your company as limited members billed as paid users (only external guests stay free). Reddit users report bills doubling, e.g. $400 to $800, and one found an annual bill jumping from $144 to $1,250, prompting several teams to look for alternatives.
Guest seats add 15-30% to contract value
Guest seats are a commonly overlooked cost driver. Unlimited includes 5 guest seats for the first paid user plus 2 per additional user; Business includes 10 plus 5 per additional user. Beyond that allocation guests cost extra, which enterprise buyers report can add 15-30% to total contract value.
Features locked without warning requiring tier upgrade
One user was 'locked out of the Notes feature without warning, requiring an upgrade from $10 to $19 per license.' Recent billing changes have left teams 'staring at bills that have jumped tenfold.' The Unlimited plan price increased from $5 to $7 per user.
ClickUp AI costs $9-28 extra per user per month
ClickUp Brain AI is sold as an add-on: about $9/user/month billed yearly (around $14 monthly) for Brain AI and $28/user/month yearly for Everything AI, stacked on top of the base plan. Heavier use also burns AI credits, with extra credits sold at $10 per 10,000. A Business seat at $12 can end up at $21-40 per user once AI is added.
Pricing page tests a more expensive Core/Business/Max lineup
In October 2026 ClickUp's pricing page shows some visitors a new lineup: Core at $9/user/month yearly ($12 regular), Business at $17 ($25 regular) and Max at $100 ($120 regular), with pooled AI credits included. The tested Core price itself rose from $8 to $9 in mid-October. Prices you see may depend on your test group, which makes budgeting harder.
Overwhelming interface with steep learning curve
ClickUp tries to 'cram in so many features simultaneously that it feels like a cluttered mess.' New users find it 'overwhelming' with too many 'features, settings and customization options.' The same flexibility that makes it powerful also makes it 'confusing when first starting out.' Teams report spending significant time just learning the system.
Sprint planning is painful with loading issues
Users report 'every sprint planning session is a pain' with issues across 'different browsers, OS, connection speed' where 'things load partially, they load and they are not updated.' Board constantly crashes or does not load. Sprint dates cannot be edited. This makes Agile workflows frustrating.
Gantt chart bugs and dependency inconsistencies
Users report 'the gantt chart bugs and dependency inconsistencies are costing us hours of time to manage.' Dependencies don't work reliably, making project scheduling unreliable. Teams needing proper project scheduling often find ClickUp inadequate.
Mobile app crashes often and is less intuitive
The mobile version 'needs quite a bit of work - it's less intuitive and crashes often.' Users report the mobile app has 'terrible' support and doesn't match the desktop experience. For teams needing on-the-go project management, this is a significant limitation.
Persistent bugs with slow fix times
Users report collecting '~50 ClickUp Bug IDs over a couple hundred emails with support' with 'an average turnaround time of ~8 months on bug fixes.' The platform has a public feature request titled 'Fix existing bugs rather than add new features' reflecting widespread frustration. Bugs range from minor loading issues to major data loss.
ClickUp notifications not working reliably
Users report missing assignment and comment notifications, desktop app notifications that never appear (ClickUp sometimes doesn't even show up in macOS/Windows notification settings), and browser-specific failures such as Brave. ClickUp has acknowledged a bug with non-@mention notifications on its feedback board. Missed alerts lead directly to missed work.
Platform is extremely slow and buggy
Users consistently report ClickUp being 'practically unusable — slow, extremely slow.' One user described it as 'the worst tool currently on the market' due to performance. On Safari it 'basically doesn't work at all.' Screen updates don't show for some users while others see them, causing sync issues.
Attachments and forms publicly accessible without authentication
Users discovered that 'attachments, clips, and forms are all completely publicly accessible' because 'they have a link that anyone can access, even without a ClickUp account with no authentication required.' This is a serious security concern for teams handling sensitive data.
Slow customer support with delayed responses
Users report 'it takes time for them to reply, or users are unable to speak to a real person.' When reporting bugs, ClickUp often says 'they cannot reproduce the issue' even when users have video evidence. Support described as having 'confusing policies, no communication, and a total lack of accountability.'
Google Calendar sync not working properly
Users on ClickUp's feedback board report tasks that never appear in Google Calendar, dates shifted by one day, edits made in Google reverting to ClickUp times after ~10 minutes, and changes taking over 24 hours to sync. ClickUp's calendar team acknowledged overdue bug fixes for Google and iCal sync.
Regret Patterns
Common reasons users regret choosing ClickUp.
Spent weeks learning only to hit performance walls
Teams invest significant time learning ClickUp's complex interface and building custom workflows, only to discover performance degrades as they add more data. What worked during setup becomes unusably slow in production.
Built workflows around buggy features
Teams build processes around features like Gantt dependencies or automations, then discover these features have persistent bugs. With 8-month average fix times, they're stuck with broken workflows or must rebuild elsewhere.
Realized 'all-in-one' meant 'master of none'
Teams attracted by the promise of replacing multiple tools discover that while ClickUp does many things, it doesn't do any of them as well as dedicated tools. Docs aren't as good as Notion, sprints aren't as good as Jira.
Hidden costs accumulated unexpectedly
Teams start with low per-user costs but find AI features, guest seats, and extra automations adding up. Some report bills jumping 'tenfold' due to pricing changes or add-on requirements they didn't anticipate.
Mobile team members couldn't work effectively
Teams discover the mobile app is too buggy and unintuitive for field workers or remote team members. The gap between desktop and mobile experience creates workflow problems.
Bill jumped after guest reclassification
Teams that relied on free internal guests discovered those users were reclassified as paid limited members. Reported bills doubled or more at renewal with little warning, turning a cheap tool into a costly one overnight.
When ClickUp Breaks Down
Specific scenarios where ClickUp fails or underperforms.
Safari/macOS becomes primary browser
ClickUp 'basically doesn't work at all' on Safari. Teams with Mac-primary users or those who can't use Chrome face severe performance issues making the platform unusable.
Sprint planning becomes critical workflow
Agile teams relying on ClickUp for sprint planning hit walls: boards crash, things load partially, sprint dates can't be edited. What should be a quick ceremony becomes a multi-hour ordeal.
Security audit discovers public file links
Organizations discover attachments and forms are publicly accessible without authentication. Sensitive data may have been exposed. Security-conscious industries (healthcare, finance) face compliance issues.
Team scales beyond power-user capacity
Small teams with a ClickUp champion can work around bugs. As team grows, not everyone has patience for workarounds. Frustration spreads, adoption fails, and the tool becomes a liability rather than asset.
Critical automation fails silently
Automations that work during testing fail intermittently in production. Tasks don't get assigned, notifications don't fire, deadlines are missed. The unreliability undermines trust in the system.
Team schedules work from Google Calendar
When tasks don't appear in Google Calendar, land on the wrong day, or edits revert after a few minutes, people miss deadlines and stop trusting the calendar view. Two-way sync is not truly two-way.