Ark vs. ClickUp
The ClickUp alternative for marketing agencies
ClickUp is a good tool, and for some teams it is the right one. Here is what an agency still has to set up around it, what Ark ships with, and how to tell which fits.
The everything app
What ClickUp does well
Tasks, docs, whiteboards and forms in one place, and nearly everything can be configured.
For an agency
Where it gets heavy
- Nearly everything configurable means someone has to configure it: statuses, fields, views and permissions.
- The client workflow is yours to design, and to keep tidy as the team grows.
- The client experience depends on how carefully you set up sharing.
Stay with ClickUp if
you enjoy shaping your own system and have someone to own it.
Choose Ark if
you want a process that already exists, from a team that runs it every week.
Out of the box
Ark and ClickUp, on the work an agency does every week.
| What an agency needs | Ark | ClickUp |
|---|---|---|
| A board with a stage and an owner for every taskThe thing every project tool does well. | Built in | Built in |
| Written procedures for each step of client workOnboarding, approvals, publishing, the monthly report. | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Clients comment on and approve copy line by lineSuggest, accept, decline, in the script itself. | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Comments pinned to a moment in the video“0:42, cut this earlier.” | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Post dates, shoots and meetings, synced with Google CalendarEveryone invited, nothing double-booked. | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Client logins that only see their own workNo seat to buy for every client. | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Contracts signed inside the same placeE-signature, kept next to the client. | Built in | Not what it is for |
- Built in
- Needs setup or an add-on
- Not what it is for
Scored on each product as it comes, with no add-ons or custom building, as of October 2026. Where we were unsure we gave ClickUp the benefit. If we got something wrong, tell us at support@ark-agency.app.
Ark next to every tool at once: the full comparison. Or see Ark vs. Notion, Frame.io, Trello and Asana.
Skip the setup. Start with the process.
Free for up to 2 people. Clients never pay. No card needed.