One workspace for everything, without the AI bill surprise.
Both put your team’s work and AI in one place. TaskCrew includes AI credits in every plan and pauses at your limit instead of selling top-ups, asks before AI changes anything outside it, and can run on your own servers.
Four differences that matter.
ClickUp facts are from its public site and pricing page, checked 14 Oct 2026.
AI that pauses, not a bill that grows
Credits are included in every plan. At your limit AI pauses until the 1st. ClickUp sells extra credits as top-ups, $10 per 10,000.
It asks before it acts
Each action an AI teammate takes in another tool can wait for a person, who sees the exact arguments. Every run is sandboxed.
Your servers, if you want
Self-host with Docker: your database, files, email and AI key. ClickUp is cloud-only.
A vault and real tables, built in
Team passwords encrypted and hidden from AI, and Airtable-style tables with up to 50,000 rows.
TaskCrew and ClickUp, line by line.
Short answers, with TaskCrew’s side from the product and ClickUp’s from its public pages. Where we couldn’t check something, we say so.
Swipe the table sideways to see ClickUp’s column.
| What | TaskCrewfrom the product, today | ClickUpfrom its public site, 14 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Free plan | Up to 5 people, 3 projects, 500 AI credits a month, 2 AI teammates | Unlimited members |
| Lowest paid plan | Team: $8 billed yearly, $10 monthly | Core: $9 billed yearly |
| How AI is priced | Credits included in every plan. At your limit AI pauses: no overage, no top-ups | A monthly credit allowance per tier, with extra credits sold as top-ups ($10 per 10,000). Its terms mention “fair usage” |
| Where it runs | TaskCrew Cloud, or self-host with Docker | Cloud only |
| Password vault | Built in: AES-256-GCM, every reveal logged, hidden from AI | Not checked |
| Moving over | Imports ClickUp CSV exports, with a dry run and Undo import | Exports a list or space view to CSV |
| AI | ||
| AI built in | 37 AI teammate templates you assign like a colleague, on one model (DeepSeek V4 Flash) | Multi-model AI |
| Approval before acting | Per action in another tool, with the exact arguments. No answer in 30 minutes means no | Not checked |
| Sandboxed runs | Each run in its own container: no network, no secrets | Not checked |
| Monthly AI spend limit | Set in dollars. Owners and admins are told at 80% and 100% | Not checked |
| MCP server | Yes: 25 tools, including claim_next_task and complete_task | Yes, its own MCP server |
| Ecosystem and trust | ||
| Integrations | 29 built-in connectors, plus any remote MCP server and a REST API | 1,000+ advertised |
| Apps | An installable web app for phones and desktops, with push notifications and an offline copy | Native apps |
| Compliance certifications | None yet. SAML SSO, SCIM, an audit log and self-hosting instead | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR badges |
| Features in TaskCrew | ||
| Views | 7: board, list, table, calendar, timeline / Gantt, mind map, map | Not compared line by line. We only list what we could check on ClickUp’s public pages. For ClickUp’s own feature list, see clickup.com. |
| Docs & wikis | Live co-editing with cursors, pages inside pages, [[links]] to tasks | |
| Tables | Airtable-style: 14 column types, up to 50,000 rows | |
| Forms | Answers land in a table and can create a task | |
| Goals | Counters, money targets, linked work, key results | |
| Chat | Channels and direct messages next to the work | |
| Whiteboards | Sticky notes and shapes, with live tasks on the board | |
| Automations | Built from sentences or recipes: 5 rules on Free, 50 on Team, unlimited on Business | |
| Time tracking | Timers, timesheets and billable hours | |
| Pricing, per user per month | ||
| Free | $0, up to 5 people and 3 projects | Free, unlimited members |
| Entry | Team: $8 billed yearly, $10 monthly | Core: $9 billed yearly |
| Business | Business: $15 billed yearly, $19 monthly, 3-seat minimum, 14-day free trial | Business: $17 |
| Top tiers | Enterprise: annual, from 25 seats | Enterprise: contact sales. MAX: $100 |
| AI included | 500 credits a month on Free; 600 or 1,800 per person a month on Team or Business, pooled | An allowance per tier; top-ups at $10 per 10,000 credits |
Last checked 14 Oct 2026. Prices from ClickUp’s pricing page. Prices are per user per month.
“Not checked” means we couldn’t confirm it on ClickUp’s public pages that day. It doesn’t mean ClickUp lacks it. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
The four differences, up close.
What each one looks like in the product, so you can judge it yourself.
AI that stops at your limit.
Every plan includes AI credits: 500 a month on Free, 600 per person on Team and 1,800 per person on Business, pooled across the workspace. One credit is $0.01 of model spend. At the limit, AI pauses. There is nothing to top up and no overage.
- Owners and admins are told at 80% and at 100%
- At the limit, every way of starting AI pauses until the 1st, or until an admin raises the limit
- Spend by teammate, project, person and month in Settings → AI usage
- ClickUp (checked 14 Oct 2026): a credit allowance per tier, top-ups at $10 per 10,000 credits, and a MAX plan at $100 per user per month
AI that asks before it changes anything outside TaskCrew.
With “Ask before acting” on, which is the default for new teammates, every connector action that changes something waits for a person. Reading is never blocked. Try both buttons.
- You see the exact arguments, and they can’t be edited
- Decided once, by a person: never by an AI teammate or an API token
- No answer within 30 minutes means no
- Each run gets its own container: no network, no secrets, a read-only file system
- Lead Researcher started workingAssigned by Sara · Start now
- Checking connectors and preparing toolsExa Web Search · HubSpot
- Lead Researcher wants to create note in HubSpotWaiting for your approval
Run it on your own servers.
TaskCrew runs from one Docker Compose file. Your database, your files and your email stay with you, and AI runs on your own provider key. ClickUp is cloud-only (checked 14 Oct 2026).
- Files on local disk or any S3-compatible bucket
- Automatic HTTPS with Caddy
- Daily database backups
- Or use TaskCrew Cloud, and we run it for you
# deploy.env: your domain, email, storage and AI key
$ docker compose --profile https up -d --build
# web, API, runner, Postgres and Caddy for HTTPSTeam passwords and real tables, in the same workspace.
Keep shared logins in an encrypted vault instead of a spreadsheet, and run client lists, stock or vendors as tables with 14 column types and up to 50,000 rows.
- Vaults: AES-256-GCM, every reveal and copy logged, password re-confirmed before a reveal
- Never shown to AI teammates, MCP, search or exports
- Tables as a grid, kanban, calendar or gallery, with CSV import and export
When ClickUp may fit better.
ClickUp is a bigger, more established product. If one of these matters most to you today, it may be the better choice.
If a must-have of yours is on this list, ClickUp is probably the safer pick right now. If predictable AI spend, approvals or self-hosting matter more, try TaskCrew free with one team and one imported list.
You depend on lots of integrations
ClickUp advertises 1,000+ integrations (checked 14 Oct 2026).
TaskCrew today29 built-in connectors with one-click sign-in, plus any remote MCP server you add and a REST API.
You need SOC 2, ISO 27001 or HIPAA today
ClickUp shows SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR badges on its site.
TaskCrew todayNo certifications yet. Self-hosting keeps data on your servers, but it isn’t a certificate.
A large team on a free plan
ClickUp’s Free plan has unlimited members.
TaskCrew todayFree is for up to 5 people. Guests and AI teammates are free on every plan.
You want native apps
ClickUp has native apps.
TaskCrew todayA web app you install on phones and desktops, with push notifications and an offline copy.
You want to choose the AI model
ClickUp offers multi-model AI.
TaskCrew todayEvery AI teammate runs on one model, deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash, through OpenRouter.
Your workspace is already built, and it works
If your ClickUp lists, automations and dashboards do the job, moving has a real cost, and ClickUp has the longer track record.
TaskCrew todayThe importer brings tasks, subtasks, comments, checklists, labels and fields. Automations and dashboards you set up again. TaskCrew is new: the changelog shows what shipped, and when.
Bring your ClickUp work with you.
Try TaskCrew with one list first. The import goes into a new list, so nothing you have changes, and Undo import takes it all back.
Export from ClickUp
Open the list or space in List view, then ⋯ → Export view → CSV, with all columns and all tasks.
Match and check
Match each status, person and field. A dry run says what will be made and what is left out, before anything is created.
Import, or undo
The import runs in the background with live progress. Up to 20 MB, 5,000 tasks and 20,000 comments per file.
Questions, answered
Switching and your data
How do I move from ClickUp?
In ClickUp, open the list or space in List view and choose ⋯ → Export view → CSV, with all columns and all tasks. In TaskCrew, open a project, choose + Add → Import tasks → ClickUp and upload the file. Match statuses, people and fields, check the dry run, and import. How importing works.
What comes over, and what doesn’t?
Tasks, subtasks, comments with their original author and date, checklists, labels, fields and attachment links. Attachment files themselves stay in ClickUp, and so do automations and dashboards. Nobody is notified and no automations run while you import.
Can we try TaskCrew without moving everything?
Yes. Each import goes into a new list, so nothing you already have changes. Import one list, work in it for a week with your team, and Undo import archives it if you change your mind. Importing the same file again warns you first.
Pricing
What happens when we reach our AI limit?
AI pauses. New runs wait until the 1st of next month, or until an admin raises the limit. Owners and admins are told at 80% and 100%. Nothing is billed on top, and there are no top-ups to buy.
Is TaskCrew cheaper than ClickUp?
It depends on your team. Per person, TaskCrew Team is $8 and Business $15 billed yearly; ClickUp listed Core at $9 billed yearly and Business at $17 on 14 Oct 2026. But ClickUp’s Free plan has unlimited members, and TaskCrew Free stops at 5 people. Check both pricing pages with your own numbers.
Who counts as a paid seat?
Owners, admins and members. Guests, AI teammates, people opening a public link and form respondents are free. When you downgrade, nothing is deleted: anything over the new plan’s limits becomes read-only.
AI and security
Is TaskCrew SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified?
No, not today. ClickUp shows SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR badges, so if you need a certificate now, it may fit better. TaskCrew has SAML SSO and SCIM on Enterprise, an audit log, access review, and you can host it yourself. Read about security.
Which AI model does TaskCrew use?
One model for every AI teammate: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash, through OpenRouter. If you self-host, AI runs on your own provider key.
Can AI teammates see our passwords or API keys?
No. Password vaults are invisible to AI teammates, MCP, search and exports. Connector secrets are encrypted at rest and never given to agents, and each run’s sandbox has no network and no secrets.
Start free. Plan your ClickUp import.
Free for up to 5 people. Try Business free for 14 days, then import one list and see it with your own work.