For years, popular project management tools grew by offering “free forever” plans to hook users. Now, that era is ending and free project management software is being phased out.
Smartsheet officially eliminated its widely-available free tier at the start of 2025. The updated subscription model limits free access to viewing sheets shared with you; commenting or editing now requires a paid license.
ClickUp, which long touted a “Free Forever” plan, is also tightening its free offerings. While ClickUp still advertises a free plan for unlimited users and tasks, some users reported receiving notices that free workspaces over a certain size would be discontinued—hinting that the freemium ride may not last.
Why the shift? With new customer growth slowing in a crowded market, SaaS providers are looking to monetize their existing user base. Both Smartsheet and ClickUp are turning “free” users into paying customers to boost revenue. The risk, however, is alienating loyal users who stuck around despite feature gaps because the price (free!) was right.
As these platforms become added costs in their tech stacks, many teams are reexamining whether to pay or switch to more robust platforms.
Smartsheet and ClickUp—two leading work management platforms—are both dialing back on free access. At the same time, a broader shift is underway across SaaS: the rise of AI is accelerating a move away from flat seat-based licensing toward usage-based pricing models that reflect actual consumption and computational demand.
As of June 2024, Smartsheet retired its free editor tier. Under the new “user subscription model,” any user who edits or comments now requires a paid license. Only passive viewers or guest commenters remain free, and this change will apply to all existing customers at renewal in 2025.
Current pricing (billed annually):
Smartsheet justifies this shift by emphasizing expanded access to premium features—including its growing suite of AI tools for forecasting, automation, and resource management. However, this AI-powered future comes at a cost: even teams that once scaled via free collaborators must now license every active user.
This reflects a larger SaaS trend: as AI capabilities increase compute and data demands, platforms are reevaluating value delivery—and pricing models—to align with the operational costs of intelligent features.
ClickUp still promotes its “Free Forever” plan, but it’s increasingly limited in scope. While it allows unlimited users and tasks, key capabilities are capped—such as storage (100MB), custom fields (100 uses), guest permissions, dashboards, and whiteboards—making it viable mainly for personal projects or micro teams.
Pricing tiers (per user, annually):
ClickUp has also begun rolling out new AI features—including task summarization and predictive insights—which will likely drive further segmentation between free and paid plans. As with Smartsheet, the inclusion of AI adds value but also justifies a shift toward monetizing usage more directly.
AI is transforming the economics of SaaS. As platforms like Smartsheet and ClickUp shift away from free access and adopt pricing models based on usage, data processing, and AI consumption, teams will need to reassess their long-term technology strategy.
For organizations that relied on free or low-cost access, the reality of per-user licensing and feature-based pricing is becoming unavoidable. Meanwhile, teams that have held off on upgrading due to cost will need to evaluate whether these evolving platforms still deliver sufficient value—or if it’s time to invest in a more purpose-built project management solution that can scale with their business.
In this new landscape, the question isn’t just what’s affordable—it’s what will drive efficiency, alignment, and long-term success. The time to rethink your tooling is now.
With free plans being stripped of valuable features, frustrated users of Smartsheet and ClickUp now face a choice: pay up or find a new solution. Many stuck with these tools despite limitations because the $0 cost outweighed missing features. Now that you must allocate a budget, it’s the perfect time to re-evaluate whether these platforms truly meet your needs.
Here are the top 5 criteria to consider when deciding whether to stay or leave—and what to explore if you consider switching to an alternative like TaskRay (a popular customer onboarding and project management solution):
Evaluate the pricing impact on your organization. How much will it cost to continue using Smartsheet or ClickUp under the new models? Calculate the per-user cost and multiply by all team members who need access.
For example, a team of 15 on Smartsheet Business would be ~$285/month, whereas ClickUp’s Business (annual) would be ~$180/month for 15 users. Also factor in any add-on fees (Smartsheet, for instance, charges extra for certain premium support or integrations). Compare this with your budget and the cost of competitors.
If you didn’t budget for these tools assuming they would continue to be free, you may need to justify the new expense. In some cases, paying for a more capable platform might deliver better ROI than paying for a now-not-free basic tool.
TaskRay, for example, is a premium solution that is native to Salesforce, which eliminates a lot of operating costs and the IT or administration headcount associated with systems integration maintenance and supporting user management. Additionally, TaskRay is engineered for larger, more complex projects and will grow with teams as they mature.
Look at the total cost of ownership, including license fees, training, and any necessary third-party apps. If the incumbent tool’s new price doesn’t square with its benefits, it might be time to shop around.
One big reason you may have tolerated Smartsheet or ClickUp’s quirks was that they were free. Now that you’re considering paying, feature gaps become critical. Identify what functionality your team truly needs. For many project organizations, resource management (e.g., capacity planning, workload views) and time tracking (e.g., logging hours, timesheets) are essential.
Smartsheet’s basic plans lack built-in time tracking (it’s only available via a separate Resource Management add-on), and its free collaborators had very limited capabilities. ClickUp’s free version includes only basic time tracking and is missing advanced tracking and reporting that the Business plan provides. If tracking project hours, managing team bandwidth, or analyzing utilization is important to you, assess whether the paid tier of your current tool delivers that—or if another solution might do it better.
Consider also any other functional limitations you were living with. Did the free plan restrict the number of project boards, automations, or integrations you could use? Are there workflow pain points (like lack of Gantt charts, sub-task dependencies, or robust reporting)? Now that everything has a price tag, you shouldn’t compromise on features.
This is where alternatives like TaskRay shine. TaskRay is purpose-built for customer onboarding and project delivery, offering advanced capabilities out-of-the-box. It includes features such as project templates, milestone tracking, dependency management, and built-in time tracking and analytics to monitor project health.
When evaluating whether to stay, make a list of feature “must-haves” and see if your current platform’s paid version meets them. If not, a more advanced tool could fill those gaps. Don’t pay for “good enough” if you can invest in a solution that truly aligns with your needs.
Another key criterion is how well the platform integrates with your existing systems—and how much manual effort is spent due to those integrations (or lack thereof). Many teams using free versions of Smartsheet or ClickUp built workarounds to compensate for missing features, such as exporting data to Excel for reporting or using separate apps for time tracking, billing, or CRM updates.
This “app sprawl” introduces administrative overhead: you might be updating multiple systems or struggling with inconsistent data. Now is the time to ask: could a different solution streamline our workflow?
For example, Smartsheet and ClickUp both offer some integrations (Slack, Google Drive, etc.), but if you require deeper integration—say with your billing system, CRM, or support software—you may be doing double the work. If you’re onboarding customers, a native integration with CRM (like Salesforce) can save hours of data entry.
TaskRay, being Salesforce-native, is directly embedded in the CRM, so project information (onboarding statuses, milestones, etc.) links seamlessly with customer records. This eliminates the need to sync data between a separate project tool and Salesforce, reducing human error and admin time.
Similarly, consider integrations with accounting or billing: does your current tool update project hours or milestones into your invoicing system, or are you copying info over?
The more natively a project management solution fits into your tech stack, the less overhead and maintenance you’ll incur managing “duct-tape” integrations. When evaluating whether to stay, map out all the external systems your project tool touches (time tracking apps, spreadsheet exports, etc.) and how much effort goes into maintaining those links.
You might find that switching to a platform that consolidates those functions (or connects to them more directly) will save your team significant time in the long run.
Changes to free plans also impact how you collaborate with others. Previously, you might have invited hundreds of occasional collaborators (other departments, clients, contractors, etc.) into Smartsheet or ClickUp for free. Now, Smartsheet’s policy is that anyone editing needs a paid license. ClickUp’s rumored free limits similarly suggest large teams won’t be free forever.
This raises questions of scalability and access. Can you afford to license every user who needs to interact with your projects? And does the tool offer a way to include external stakeholders without breaking the bank?
As you evaluate, consider your user count and growth. If your projects involve cross-functional teams or customers, paying for each user might be prohibitively expensive (or simply not feasible if those users won’t all need licenses). Some platforms have more flexible models. For instance, ClickUp still allows unlimited guest users on certain plans, and Smartsheet will continue to allow free Viewers and external Guests (with very limited privileges). If you need clients to review or contribute to projects, ensure your solution can handle that gracefully.
Also think about scalability in terms of data and projects. Will the tool support an expanding number of projects without performance issues or additional fees? (Freemium tools sometimes have caps on the number of projects or file storage, which you might hit as you grow.) Now that you are potentially paying, you should expect your project management system to scale with your business. This criterion might sway you toward a solution designed for enterprise scale from the start.
TaskRay, for example, is designed for scalable, high-volume onboarding with templating and automation for consistent project delivery. It leverages Salesforce for scalability and security, which can be an advantage if you are already an enterprise Salesforce customer.
When your tool was free, you might have accepted minimal support or DIY learning. Now that you’ll be a paying customer (either with your current vendor or a new one), service and support matter. Look at what each option provides in terms of customer support, onboarding assistance, and training resources.
Smartsheet, for instance, charges extra for phone support on certain plans, and ClickUp offers priority support on higher tiers only. If you decide to stick with those, be aware of what help you’ll get when issues arise.
In contrast, a solution like TaskRay, which focuses on customer onboarding, may offer more personalized support for successful implementation and long-term optimization (especially since it’s often used in critical customer-facing projects).
Beyond formal support, consider the learning curve and ongoing administration. How easy will it be to train your team on a new system versus the “devil you know?” Modern tools like ClickUp are powerful but can be complex (“…an almost overwhelming amount of features,” as Tech.co noted). Alternatively, Salesforce-native tools like TaskRay feel more approachable for avid users since they don’t require learning a new interface. Evaluate the vendor’s training materials, community, and any transition services to ensure you’ll have the support you’ll need.
Lastly, assess the vendor’s reliability and roadmap. Part of the frustration today is that vendors have changed their pricing on you. It’s worth asking, do I trust this company not to introduce more disruptive changes down the line? Some ClickUp users felt betrayed that “Free Forever” didn’t last forever. If you’ve lost confidence in a vendor, that could tip the scales toward leaving.
Conversely, if you switch to a smaller or more specialized provider, check their track record for stability and innovation. Ideally, you want a true partner in your project management software—one that will expand and innovate features without suddenly charging extra, or one that understands your specific use case deeply.
The end of free project management software marks a turning point for many companies that have put off evaluating more robust solutions. Smartsheet and ClickUp’s pricing shifts are likely just the beginning. We may see more vendors follow suit in charging for what used to be free. This trend forces businesses to decide is their current tool is worth paying for, or is there a better alternative now that we’re opening our wallet?
By examining the five criteria above—cost, features, integration, scalability, and support—you can make a well-informed choice.
TaskRay, in particular, deserves a look if you are managing customer onboarding or project delivery in a Salesforce environment. It subtly addresses many of the evaluation points we discussed. It has:
While not free, its value may far exceed the cost if smooth onboarding and customer success are critical to your business.
In the end, the loss of a free tier can be frustrating, but it’s also an opportunity. It forces you to reassess the status quo and potentially upgrade to a solution that truly meets your needs. Whether you stay with Smartsheet, migrate from ClickUp, or transition to a new tool entirely, make sure the choice aligns with your team’s goals and growth.
The project management software you use should empower your workflows, not hinder them with new costs or old limitations. Use the criteria above as your guide, do the research (and yes, take advantage of free trials while you can), and you’ll emerge with a toolset—free or not—that drives your business forward.
