How to Cancel ClickUp in 2026 (Export Data + Simpler Alternatives)
Updated 2026-02-21 · 6 min read
⚠️ The "everything app" problem: ClickUp tries to replace your project manager, docs, whiteboard, chat, time tracker, and CRM — all in one app. The result? A bloated, slow interface where teams spend more time configuring ClickUp than doing actual work. If your team uses 10% of ClickUp's features, you're paying for 90% you don't need.
What ClickUp Costs
Free Forever: 100MB storage, limited features — essentially a demo
Business: $12/user/month ($144/user/year) — timelines, mind maps, workload management
Enterprise: $19/user/month ($228/user/year) — SSO, advanced permissions, API
For a 10-person team on Business: $1,440/year. That's significant, especially when Linear (free for small teams), Notion (free for personal), and Trello (free tier) handle most use cases.
Step 1: Export Your Data
Tasks: Space Settings → Export → CSV. Exports tasks, assignees, due dates, and custom fields
Docs: Open each doc → Export as Markdown or PDF
Time tracking: Reports → Time Tracking → Export to CSV
Dashboards/views: These don't export — screenshot important configurations
Integrations: Note which tools you've connected (Slack, GitHub, etc.) — you'll reconnect them in your new tool
Step 2: Cancel ClickUp
Go to your Workspace settings (click workspace name → Settings)
Navigate to Billing
Click Downgrade or Cancel subscription
ClickUp will show a retention offer (usually 20-50% discount) — decline if committed
Confirm cancellation — you'll be downgraded to Free at end of billing cycle
Why People Leave ClickUp
Performance issues: ClickUp is notoriously slow with large workspaces. Page loads of 3-5+ seconds are common complaints
Feature overload: The learning curve is steep. New team members take weeks to get comfortable. Most teams use <20% of available features
Reliability concerns: Multiple notable outages in 2024-2025. Status page shows frequent incidents
Mobile app quality: Consistently lower-rated than competitors on iOS and Android
Customization paralysis: 15+ view types, hundreds of settings per space. Teams spend more time configuring ClickUp than managing projects
Support response times: Paid plans still report slow support, especially on Unlimited tier
Best ClickUp Alternatives
Linear (free for small teams): Fast, opinionated, built for software teams. The anti-ClickUp — does fewer things but does them incredibly well. Sub-second load times
Notion (free for personal): Flexible workspace for docs + lightweight project management. Not as feature-rich for PM but covers 80% of needs at 0% of the cost
Trello (free tier): Simple kanban boards. If your team just needs a visual task board, Trello is free and intuitive
Asana ($10.99/user/mo): More structured than Notion, more focused than ClickUp. Good middle ground for marketing and ops teams
GitHub Projects (free): If you're a dev team, GitHub's built-in project boards have improved dramatically. No extra tool needed
Basecamp ($299/mo flat): Flat pricing regardless of team size. Simple, opinionated, no feature bloat
💰 Team savings: 10-person team on ClickUp Business ($1,440/year) → Linear free + Notion free ($0/year) or Trello free ($0/year). Even switching to Asana saves $300+/year. The best project management tool is the one your team actually uses — and simpler tools get used more consistently.
How many SaaS tools are you paying for?
Upload your bank statement — we'll find ClickUp, Notion, Asana, and every other subscription on autopilot.