Notion vs. ClickUp: Which one is right for your team (2025)

A while back, when I was working at a growing company in Aruba, I found myself in a familiar mess—too many tools, too little clarity.

We had Asana for project management, Google Docs for notes, Slack and Whatsapp for discussions.

Sounds organized, right? It wasn’t.

Every day felt like a scavenger hunt:

"Where’s that doc from last week?"

"Did we update the client tracker?"

"Wait, wasn’t this in Asana?"

Instead of actually working, we were drowning in notifications, digging through files, and endlessly switching between apps.

I knew there had to be a better way.

So, I made it my mission to test other tools—looking for one where ideas, projects, and processes could actually live together.

That’s when I found Notion, and everything clicked.

I started advocating for Notion at work, trying to get the team on board. Later, when I quit and started my own business, Notion was there from day one. It became the backbone of how I ran operations, managed clients, and kept everything in one place.

Of course, I still like to test what’s out there—Monday, Trello, ClickUp. I stay curious. But Notion remains my go-to.

If you’re a founder, chief of staff, or team lead wondering,

"Should I use Notion or ClickUp?"

Let me break it down—without the fluff.

The big picture: What are these tools even for?

Both Notion and ClickUp claim to be “all-in-one” tools.

But saying they’re the same is like saying an iPad and a MacBook are the same because they both have screens.

Notion → A knowledge and workspace hub. Think of it as Lego for productivity—teams can build exactly what they need, whether that’s a company wiki, project tracker, or an entire operations hub.

ClickUp → A task and project management powerhouse. It feels like JIRA on steroids, but more user-friendly. If a team thrives on deadlines, dependencies, and sprint planning, ClickUp is built for that.

🚀 The key difference?

👉 If your team struggles with scattered knowledge, onboarding chaos, and a lack of a single source of truth, Notion wins.

👉 If your team lives and dies by deadlines, structured workflows, and dependencies, ClickUp is your best friend.

Getting started: setup & first impressions

The first hour inside a new tool sets the tone.

When a team first opens Notion, they’re met with a blank page. They can build from scratch or use a template, but there’s no pre-built structure. This is great for customization but can feel overwhelming for teams looking for an out-of-the-box system.

ClickUp takes a different approach. From the moment a team logs in, they see Inbox, Tasks, Docs, and Dashboards—all neatly organized. It provides pre-built templates and workflows, making it easy to start managing projects instantly.

👉 If a team wants structure from Day 1, ClickUp makes onboarding easier.

👉 If flexibility and customization are priorities, Notion is better.

Customization & flexibility

ClickUp feels structured right out of the gate.

✅ Dashboards? Pre-built.

✅ Task statuses? Already set.

✅ Automations? A few clicks away.

It’s great for getting started fast.

But trying to bend ClickUp into what your team actually needed—like for example a full-on knowledge hub + project tracker in one— and you start to see Clickup breaking apart.

ClickUp allows customization, but only within its predefined system.

The deeper teams go, the more it feels like they’re fighting against the tool instead of working with it.

With Notion, things are different:

✅ Teams can build custom workspaces that actually fit their workflows.

✅ Relational databases link projects, tasks, and documentation seamlessly.

✅ Embedded tools like Miro, Google Docs, and Figma keep everything in one place.

👉 Notion = The tool adapts to the team.

👉 ClickUp = The team has to adapt to the tool.

Managing tasks & projects: the ClickUp advantage

ClickUp is a task management powerhouse.

✅ Custom statuses.

✅ Gantt charts.

✅ Time tracking built-in.

It does everything a project manager dreams of.

Notion? It can handle task tracking, but it requires manual setup.

👉 If a team needs structured project planning out of the box, ClickUp wins.

👉 If flexibility is more important than structure, Notion works just fine.

Knowledge management: Notion wins. no contest.

One of the biggest challenges in any team is keeping knowledge accessible.

There needs to be a place for:

✅ SOPs and wikis (so processes aren’t buried in Slack).

✅ Client project hubs (so meeting notes and documents stay in one place).

✅ A central knowledge base (so new hires aren’t hunting for information).

ClickUp has a Docs feature, but it feels secondary—useful if tied to tasks but not as a standalone knowledge system.

Notion on the other hand:

✅ Knowledge became centralized and structured.

✅ Wikis, SOPs, and meeting notes were searchable and easy to update.

✅ The entire team could find information instantly.

👉 For knowledge management, Notion is the clear winner.

Collaboration & communication

Both Notion and ClickUp offer collaboration features, but they cater to different needs.

🔹 Notion is best for deep work. Teams can leave comments, make suggestions, and collaborate asynchronously. There are fewer notifications, meaning fewer distractions.

🔹 ClickUp is built for real-time collaboration. It has built-in chat, notifications, and task-based discussions, making it ideal for fast-moving teams who need constant updates.

👉 If a team works async and values deep focus, Notion wins.

👉 If a team needs real-time project collaboration, ClickUp is better.

Final verdict: which one should you choose?

Here a table of comparison:

🚀 Choose Notion if:

• Your team needs an all-in-one workspace for docs, wikis, and project tracking.
• Flexibility and customization matter more than rigid workflows.
• You want a single source of truth for knowledge and collaboration.

⚡ Choose ClickUp if:

• Your team manages complex projects with strict deadlines.
• You need automation, dependencies, and reporting built-in.
• Your team is task-focused and needs structured workflows.

I have tested ClickUp, but Notion remains my tool of choice for my company, because It eliminates tool overload and keeps everything centralized.

For most teams, Notion is the smarter pick—but if you’re running strict project sprints, ClickUp might be worth pairing with it.