As a CEO of a time tracking software company my team and I are constantly looking at the best B2B software to know what’s going on in the market. That means we’re often researching about and/or playing around with their products, you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings of that research, giving credit to those products where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful. I hope it helps you make the right decision…
Overview
ClickUp vs BambooHR – which one is better? You know, big picture, they are pretty similar. Both apps obviously track time and both work great for individuals and businesses of all sizes. However, there are some key differences that you have to be aware of before deciding which one to go for. In this article, I’m going to be honestly comparing the two apps to help you decide which time tracking software is the best fit for you or your business.
BTW, you may want to check out my review of ClickUp or review of BambooHR. Anyway, let’s get cracking…
This Review Covers:
- What’s the difference between ClickUp and BambooHR?
- What are ClickUp and BambooHR’s Time Tracking Features?
- How much do ClickUp and BambooHR Cost?
- Who are the Target Users of ClickUp and BambooHR?
- What Platforms do ClickUp and BambooHR support?
- How do ClickUp and BambooHR do Time Auditing and Reporting?
- How do ClickUp and BambooHR do Scheduling and Budgeting?
- Do ClickUp and BambooHR have Employee Monitoring?
- How do ClickUp and BambooHR do Payroll and Invoicing?
- Are ClickUp and BambooHR’s user interfaces easy?
- So, which one is better: ClickUp or BambooHR?
What’s the difference between ClickUp and BambooHR?
ClickUp is primarily a project management app, though it can also function as a time tracker. It’s designed to be a comprehensive solution with various productivity tools, including project trackers, document organizers, reporting dashboards, and more. It allows users to organize tasks, track progress, collaborate with team members, and other activities that improve collaboration and productivity.
There’s a good reason – or, rather, several good reasons – why ClickUp is consistently rated as one of the best project management apps out there. However, I do wonder how well its time tracking capabilities can stand up to top-of-the-line time tracking apps.
Like ClickUp, BambooHR is also a project management app with time tracking and HR management tools. It offers a range of features that include recruitment management, onboarding, time tracking, performance management, and reporting. The software is user-friendly and customizable, allowing businesses to tailor it to their specific needs.
BambooHR is also easy to set up and use, with intuitive navigation and an uncluttered design. It integrates well with other apps, such as payroll and benefits platforms, to streamline HR processes.
Standout ClickUp Features
- Integrates with other time tracking apps
- Streamlined team collaboration and communication features
- In-app video recording
- Agile Dashboards and other project management features
- Unlimited storage offered by paid plans
Standout BambooHR Features
- Onboarding and offboarding tools
- Efficient payroll processing
- Employee data and analytics
- Hiring and applicant tracking system
- Employee satisfaction and feedback program
What are ClickUp and BambooHR’s Time Tracking Features?
ClickUp
In addition to its project management features, ClickUp offers a pretty impressive time tracker. It’s a global timer, which means that users will be able to continue logging time even when they switch from one device to another. Users will also be able to retroactively add time and manually edit time entries.
One of the things I like best about ClickUp is that if you prefer another time tracking app, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to use ClickUp. It integrates with several other time trackers, including Toggl Track, Time Doctor, Clockify, Harvest, Hubstaff, and more.
BambooHR
BambooHR’s time tracking feature is simple and makes clocking in and out of work easy for employees. The app then keeps track of how much time employees spend on certain tasks and generates timesheets. Managers can also use this feature to monitor attendance and PTO.
How much do ClickUp and BambooHR Cost?
Is ClickUp free?
ClickUp has a free plan, but it doesn’t have a free trial. This means that if you want to check out the features included in the paid tiers, you’ll have no choice but to pay because there’s no free trial to give you a sneak peek. So, if you end up not liking the software and its premium features, that’s money down the drain.
If you sign up for the free plan, you’ll be able to add up to five users, but you won’t have access to the app’s team sharing features. You’ll also only have 100 MB of file space.
The paid tiers start at $5 per user per month, and large enterprises with several teams can get custom pricing with add-ons that the other tiers don’t have. All the paid tiers allow an unlimited number of users and unlimited file storage.
BambooHR does offer a free trial, but it’s not clear on the website how long this trial will last. The frustrating thing about BambooHR is that it’s not upfront about its pricing. It doesn’t have a free plan, but you also won’t know how much the premium plans are until you reach out to them for a quote. BambooHR says that companies with more than 20 employees will be charged per employee per month. Meanwhile, they’ll charge companies with 20 employees and fewer a flat monthly rate. There are two premium plans, each with a basic set of features. You can add more features to your preferred plan, which I presume will come at an additional cost. The website isn’t very clear on that. On the upside, BambooHR will give customers a discount when their companies grow. The more users, the higher the discount. However, I think that BambooHR should at the very least offer a base price to give potential customers an idea of how much they’ll likely spend if they choose to subscribe.
Is BambooHR free?
Who are the Target Users of ClickUp and BambooHR?
Who Uses ClickUp?
At first glance, it may seem like ClickUp isn’t a good fit for freelancers. Its features will likely benefit organizations with several employees or different teams that need to collaborate on projects. However, freelancers can actually also get a lot of use out of ClickUp, especially if they’re juggling a lot of clients and projects.
Aside from freelancers, different kinds of businesses will also get a lot of use out of ClickUp’s features.
Who Uses BambooHR?
Given BambooHR’s features, it’s a great choice for businesses of different sizes. I don’t think it’s very viable as a choice for freelancers or small businesses that are just starting out because they won’t be able to take full advantage of all the app’s features. Of course, it’s still up to you if you think it’s worth the expense.
It’s also designed to make filing taxes and accessing pay stubs easier for US employees. However, these same features might not be available for workers outside of the US.
What Platforms do ClickUp and Hubstaff support?
| Platforms | ClickUp | BambooHR |
| Windows desktop app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac desktop app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux desktop app | ✓ | ✖ |
| Android app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser extension | ✓ | ✖ |
How do ClickUp and BambooHR do Time Auditing and Reporting?
ClickUp
In addition to time tracking, ClickUp offers advanced reporting features that allow you to generate time tracking reports. You can also filter these reports so they’ll show the data that are most relevant to your business.
Good thing that ClickUp’s templates are included in all plans, including the free and premium tiers, because the Audit Project Plan Template can make audits a lot more doable. This template can help maintain accountability and track progress effectively.
BambooHR
BambooHR’s reporting capabilities are comprehensive and flexible, allowing businesses to track and analyze important metrics such as employee turnover and performance.
How do ClickUp and BambooHR do Scheduling and Budgeting?
ClickUp
If you’re the type that color-coded all your notes at school, you’ll love ClickUp’s scheduling feature. You can drag and drop unscheduled tasks to your calendar and assign different colors to different tasks. This way, you’ll be able to get an idea of how your day, week, or month will go with just a glance.
ClickUp also offers project budget management templates that help you with pre-budget planning, resource management, requests and approvals, and more.
BambooHR
BambooHR’s time tracking software allows employees to easily view their schedules and time off requests. Managers can also check out employee schedules before approving timesheets and requests for PTO.
You can also use the project tracking feature to forego all those spreadsheets and time cards when figuring out how to allocate your company’s resources.
Do ClickUp and BambooHR have Employee Monitoring?
ClickUp
As a project management app, ClickUp certainly isn’t the first app I would think of if I need an employee monitoring app. However, it integrates smoothly with other time tracking apps that do have these features, including Time Doctor and Hubstaff.
BambooHR
BambooHR isn’t designed for employee monitoring and thus doesn’t have the tools for it. It won’t take screenshots of employees’ screens, and it also won’t track any websites and apps that employees visit while the timer is running. However, it does have a geolocation feature that’s suitable for mobile teams.
How do ClickUp and BambooHR do Payroll and Invoicing?
ClickUp
ClickUp’s templates strike again with the Project Plan Template for Payroll Implementation. This template will help you organize all the things you need for a hassle-free pay period. It includes the project management plan, payroll system, payroll processing, and more.
Invoicing is also pretty easy and falls under the Billing section of the software, so it’s a lot less complicated than the payroll template.
BambooHR
If you have a BambooHR account, you’ll also have access to BambooHR Payroll. It has a clean UI like the main BambooHR app, allowing you to easily enter employee information, hours worked, and benefits processing.
One caveat: BambooHR Payroll is only available for employees in the US. However, you can integrate the main BambooHR app with third-party payroll apps. Sending invoices is also as simple as clicking a single button.
Are ClickUp and BambooHR’s user interfaces easy?
ClickUp
I’m impressed by how comprehensive ClickUp is as a time tracking and project management app. However, the sheer number of features it has can be overwhelming. Thus, one of the biggest drawbacks of ClickUp is that there’s a substantial learning curve. You can spend months using the app and still have features left to learn.
That can be both a good thing and a bad thing. While ClickUp aims to improve efficiency and reduce the time organizations spend on projects, users might end up needing more time just to learn how to use the app’s features.
BambooHR
In contrast to ClickUp, BambooHR’s interface is very clean and easy to understand. Navigation is simple, so users will be able to easily find the features and tools that they need. These features are also generally intuitive, unlike many of ClickUp’s features.
So, which one is better: ClickUp or BambooHR?
This one was difficult, partly because the two apps have a lot of similarities and partly because both are truly terrific, with some downsides. The two were neck-and-neck for a while, but I’ll have to crown ClickUp as the winner.
ClickUp offers a much wider range of features and functionalities than BambooHR, and it’s also more accessible. BambooHR is easier to learn to use, but if you have the time, learning to use the plethora of tools ClickUp offers is well worth it.
