Wrike vs. monday.com (2025 Comparison) – Forbes Advisor

Wrike and monday.com have plenty in common, making it difficult for SMBs to choose between them. Below, I have chosen the features that will have the biggest impact on how SMBs will use each platform.

Task Management

Wrike is a do-it-all project management platform that will appeal to teams using traditional project management methodologies and Agile frameworks. It offers well-designed Gantt charts, calendars, lists, tables and resource management views that are easy to learn and use. You’ll find that adding tasks, assignees, due dates and time spent on each task is straightforward.

I also found it easy to leave comments, tag users, share files, set custom fields, as well as add descriptions, subtasks, dependencies and milestones. Wrike’s task management tools are not complicated, thanks to the drag-and-drop mechanic used throughout the platform. So, teams old and new should not have any issues using Wrike to plan and manage projects and tasks.

There’s a high level of polish throughout monday.com, but it shines most in the tools you’ll use most, namely, Kanban boards, calendars, Gantt charts, maps, timelines, a workload view and tables. During my time with monday.com, I found creating tasks, adding details, sharing files, making comments, moving tasks and adding dependencies and milestones effortless.

Moving tasks between status columns on a Kanban board, moving tasks to a new date on a calendar and extending dates on the Gantt chart are as easy as dragging and dropping. It’s a similar story for the tables. I have always recommended monday.com to startups, new project teams and experienced SMBs looking for a new platform, and I’ll continue to do so because the platform and its tools have a flat learning curve.

Verdict: It’s a draw: No matter what type of project you’re working on, Wrike and monday.com can handle it. Each platform’s task management tools are ideal for software developers, marketing teams, construction managers, human resources professionals, educators, manufacturers and even those looking for a CRM. Additionally, both platforms offer myriad project templates to get you started.

Collaboration Tools

Wrike isn’t the best platform for teams needing real-time collaboration tools; however, there’s just enough to get by. Wrike offers an image proofing tool that can integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud, file sharing and a commenting system. These tools work well, and I have no complaints. Unfortunately, there’s no instant messaging tool or whiteboards. Wrike does offer a document editor, but it is incredibly outdated.

Instead of creating documents in Wrike, you must create a document using software such as Word and then upload it to Wrike. Team members and guests can then leave comments on the document. If changes are required, Wrike, through additional software, launches your word processor so you can make changes. Once saved, Wrike automatically uploads it so more comments can be made or so the document can be approved. It’s a clunky system.

I found monday.com more in tune with the times. However, for whatever reason, it doesn’t offer an instant messenger. However, you can share files, comment on tasks and documents, and collaborate on whiteboards and documents in real time with your teammates, key stakeholders and clients. Additionally, monday.com also offers an image-proofing tool. Along with the task management tools, these features are easy to use.

Verdict: monday.com wins the collaboration tools section. While remote teams can get by with the collaboration tools in Wrike, distributed teams using monday.com will be more productive, thanks to the live nature of the tools.

Reporting and Analytics

Project managers who like to monitor project progress from multiple angles will appreciate the reporting tools Wrike offers. In the reports section, seven pre-made report templates can help you track key performance indicators quickly. You can also create custom reports and filter project data as you need. Additionally, customizable dashboards can help you visualize how your team is doing. I found it easy to configure reports and dashboards in Wrike.

In my honest opinion, monday.com offers some of the nicest customizable dashboards in the industry. The dashboards are intuitive, easy on the eye and can display a wide range of project data. However, monday.com’s reports aren’t as in-depth as those in Wrike. Sure, you can quickly see how your team is performing and how a project is progressing, but Wrike’s reports allow you to filter more data, which leads to a better understanding of your project.

Verdict: Wrike wins the reporting and analytics section. While the customizable dashboards on monday.com are well-designed and visualize plenty of project data, Wrike takes the win. Wrike’s reports allow for more data to be analyzed, which could help pinpoint issues faster and help you better avoid scope creep.

Integrations and Automation

Wrike offers plenty of integrations with third-party platforms, including Slack, Google Sheets, Miro, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive and Dropbox, to name a few. You’ll also find an automation builder that enables the creation of simple cross-platform workflows and recurring tasks. However, to create complex automations and enable bidirectional data sharing, you’ll need to spend money on the Wrike Integrate add-on.

I found creating integrations and automations in Wrike straightforward. There are plenty of pre-made automation templates and an intuitive custom automation builder. Still, it’s a shame that complex workflows and a few integrations (Tableau, Power BI, Salesforce, Adobe Creative Cloud, NetSuite and QuickBooks) are locked behind paywalls and high-tier plans.

While monday.com does not force you to pay for complex automations, it does limit the number of automation and integration actions you can perform monthly by plan. Even so, no third-party application integrations are locked behind high-tier plans. There are plenty of integrations for platforms that SMBs commonly use, and configuring automations is a piece of cake, thanks to automation templates and a graphical automation builder.

Verdict: monday.com wins the integrations and automation section. Both platforms offer no-code automation builders and plenty of integrations for third-party platforms. Still, monday.com takes the win due to its easier-to-use tools and inclusion of complex automations without needing to pay extra for an add-on.

Administration and Security

The sheer number of administration options makes Wrike ideal for teams handling sensitive data. I should also mention here that Wrike is HIPAA compliant. You can set team member roles, create custom roles and work schedules and quickly limit what team members can access. Wrike also allows administrators to create IP addresses, single sign-on (SSO), two-factor authentication (2FA) and password policies. If you pay for Wrike Lock, you can also control encryption keys.

However, there is a caveat. Most of Wrike’s administration and security controls (including Wrike Lock) are only for Enterprise and Pinnacle members, meaning many SMBs will be priced out of these features.

Similarly, monday.com offers myriad administration tools. I had no problems setting user roles and custom permissions, work schedules, board ownership or inviting team members to workspaces. You can use System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) to manage users, enable SSO and domain access, and use secure or strict password policies. Additionally, you can restrict IP addresses and enable two-factor authentication.

Frustratingly, monday.com also requires users to be on its top-tier plans to access its powerful administration features, meaning SMBs lacking the required finances will miss out on many security and privacy tools and HIPAA compliance.

Verdict: It’s a draw. Wrike and monday.com offer powerful administration and security tools. However, to have a highly secure workspace customized to your liking, you’ll have to pay for top-tier plans, which isn’t always an option for SMBs. However, if your business can afford the upper-tier plans, you’ll be happy with either platform’s options.