devBoard vs ClickUp

By Darko Bačić, founder of App Tube · 9 October 2026 · Facts checked 9 October 2026

Pick ClickUp if you want one tool for your whole company. Pick devBoard if you are a small dev team or a freelancer and want less tool. ClickUp has docs, chat and automations, and devBoard has none of these, on purpose. We make devBoard, so keep that in mind as you read. Where ClickUp is better, we say so.

The main difference: how much tool you get

ClickUp tries to hold all of a company's work: tasks, docs, chat, whiteboards, forms and automations. Work sits in Spaces, Folders and Lists. That is a lot to set up.

devBoard does one job: it tracks the work of a small software team. Work has three levels: epic, task and subtask. An epic is a big piece of work split into smaller tasks. A subtask is one small step inside a task.

An example: Ana

Ana is a freelancer with three clients: a bakery app, a hotel site and a clinic booking app. She bills each one for her hours.

In ClickUp, she would first plan her Spaces, Folders and Lists. Time tracking is built in, but on the Free plan it is only a trial.

In devBoard, she makes one workspace per client. She presses Start on the task she is doing and Stop when she is done. Each task shows its total next to its estimate. For a weekly table per client, she asks her AI assistant. More on time tracking in devBoard.

Side by side

MCP is the open standard that lets an AI assistant use other tools. A token is a secret key that lets such a tool act as you.

What ClickUp does better

Docs, chat and automations in one tool

ClickUp has docs, wikis, chat, video calls, whiteboards and forms. Automations run on every plan, even Free, with a monthly limit. An automation is a rule that does a step for you. devBoard has none of these.

Many more views

Gantt, Timeline, Workload, Calendar and Mind Map are all there, some on paid plans only. devBoard has a board and a list.

Time tracking built for billing

ClickUp has a billable flag, hourly rates, and reports by person and date. On higher plans, timesheets can be sent in and approved. devBoard has a timer and totals, and nothing for rates.

It runs in a browser and on Windows and Linux

ClickUp works in a browser and has desktop apps for Mac, Windows and Linux. devBoard has no web app, and its Windows and Linux apps are not out yet.

What devBoard does better

Less to set up

There are no Spaces, Folders or Lists to plan. A new project starts with three columns: To do, In progress and Done. Every task has the same fields, so there is nothing to design first.

The timer comes with the app

Every task and subtask has a timer, with no trial and no add-on. If you forget to start it, log the minutes for today. Your AI assistant can add notes and log past days.

Your AI assistant can start the work

Say "start APP-42" to Claude Code or Cursor. devBoard assigns you, moves the card to In progress, starts your timer and gives you a branch name. A branch is a separate line of code changes.

An app for each device

devBoard is an app built for each platform with Flutter, not a website in a window. The Mac app has a real menu bar and single-key shortcuts. ClickUp's desktop app uses Electron, which runs web code in a window. That comes from a third-party scan, not from ClickUp.

What devBoard does not have

• A web app.
• Windows and Linux apps, for now. They are coming.
• Docs, a wiki or chat.
• Automations or custom fields.
• Gantt, timeline, calendar or workload views.
• Portfolios or sprints.
• Dependencies, checklists or recurring tasks.
• An importer or an export.
• A timesheet screen. Your AI assistant makes the weekly table.
• Full-text search, email notifications, or links to tools besides GitHub.

Who should stay on ClickUp

• Teams that use docs, chat and tasks in one place.
• Teams that depend on automations, custom fields or Gantt charts.
• Freelancers who bill with hourly rates and approved timesheets.
• People who need a browser, Windows or Linux.

If ClickUp is too much and devBoard is too little, see our list of ClickUp alternatives.

Who should try devBoard

• Freelancers with a few clients who want a board and a timer for each.
• Small dev teams who use a small part of ClickUp.
• Teams who ask an AI assistant to pick up and finish tasks.

Also read devBoard vs Jira and devBoard vs Linear, or see all our comparisons.

What it costs

ClickUp shows two price lists. Here is the one its pricing page showed us. Prices are per user per month, as of October 2026.

The page's code also holds a second, newer list. It did not show for us, and we cannot tell which list a new visitor sees.

Source: the pricing page, read on 9 October 2026. AI add-ons cost extra.

For devBoard, the price is one line. Free while in early access; paid plans will be one plain number, posted here first.

Moving from ClickUp

devBoard has no importer, so you move open work by hand. Leave finished work in ClickUp. Your AI assistant can do most of the typing. Our guide to moving from ClickUp shows the steps.