Wrike Project Management: Features, Pros, & Cons

Quick question: Which is worse: having too many choices or too few? 🤔

Since you are here, I am assuming you are suffering from the first one and wondering if Wrike is the right option for project management at your organization.

Well, your concerns are genuine. Picking the right project management software in today’s technological landscape is like standing in a massive supermarket filled with aisles upon aisles of various cereal brands, and choosing the healthiest option for your kids.

And you are not alone in this.

According to a recent Gartner study, 75% of software customers described their buying experience as complex and difficult.

Problem: Validation.

How to make sure the solution solves your problem?

The software might work great today, but what about tomorrow?

Also, how long will it take for your team to get used to the new tool?

Fear not! In this article, I have laid down the ins and outs of Wrike in a way that will provide you with a clear understanding if it is the right fit for your project management needs.

Let’s get back to basics and start with a definition.

What is Wrike project management software?

Wrike is a popular project management software that helps 20,000+ organizations around the globe, including Proctor and Gamble, Nickelodeon, and Snowflake, in streamlining their projects. It provides a centralized platform where teams can plan, manage, and track their work, enabling efficient productivity and collaboration among team members.

Wrike highlights itself as a collaborative work management platform that increases productivity by 50% and cut down on email by 90%. It does so by providing streamlined workflow processes that allow users to efficiently manage projects, deadlines, and schedules.

Also, with more than 400 integrations, Wrike has established itself as a reliable solution for teams seeking improved project management with the existing tools they prefer.

 In a recent announcement, Wrike mentioned an integration with Microsoft Power BI that will allow users to pull data from Wrike directly to Power BI.

Now all that information sounds great, but how do you decide if Wrike is the right fit for you or not?

Being a Marketing Manager at ProofHub for more than 13 years, it’s my understanding that project management and team collaboration are skills gained through experience, which can be enhanced using digital tools. It is, thus, necessary to understand how a tool like Wrike functions at its core.

Understanding Wrike project management

The core system design framework of Wrike stands on four pillars: spaces, folders, projects, and tasks. These four pillars form a hierarchical structure from left to right. For instance, a space will include all the folders, projects, and tasks, you have planned for the year. Further, a folder may include projects you have planned for a particular quarter, as subfolders, and tasks will include information regarding particular task details, like starting and end dates, etc.

Now let’s understand the basic project management architecture of Wrike by visualizing what it looks like in action.

How does Wrike work?

Picture this: You are a digital marketer whose primary target this year is to increase brand awareness.

Here’s how can you create a workflow in Wrike for your goal.

Step 1: Create a space in Wrike called “Marketing 2023” to house all your marketing initiatives for the year. This space acts as the top-level container for folders, projects, and tasks.

Step 2: Within the “Marketing 2023” space, you will set up folders to represent different quarters of the year. For example, you will create folders named Q1, Q2,  and so on. These folders will help you categorize projects and tasks based on quarterly milestones.

Step 3: Next, you will create projects as subfolders to represent specific marketing campaigns or initiatives. Each project subfolder would contain all the relevant details, documents, and communication particular to that project.

Step 4: Within each project subfolder, you will define and assign individual tasks that need to be accomplished for that particular campaign. This will include details such as start and end dates, assigned team members, and any necessary resources or dependencies.

Using Wrike, You can collaborate with your team by, sharing documents, files, and updates, and monitoring the progress of each task within the designated project subfolders. This enables you to work together efficiently and stay on top of our project initiatives.

💡Read More: Effective Content Workflow Management: A Guide for Busy Managers

Key features of Wrike

Here are my favorite standout features of Wrike; and yes, they are not at all limited to marketing. 😜

Customizable work scheduling: Wrike’s work schedule management feature takes customization to a whole new level. By allowing you to create different employee schedule groups, you can easily assign schedules to individual users. For example, you can design a work schedule group that includes weekends as working days for teams that require weekend coverage, while considering weekdays as non-working days.

This level of customization ensures that your task and project scheduling align perfectly with your team’s unique needs. It’s like having a tailor-made schedule for each team member, optimizing productivity, and ensuring smooth operations.

📉 Reporting: As a marketing manager, I understand the importance of data-driven decision-making. Wrike’s comprehensive reports and customizable dashboards provide users with full visibility into their workflows.

You can design reports and dashboards according to your preferences, displaying live data such as project progress and billable hours. This level of transparency allows you to evaluate your team’s performance and make informed strategic decisions. It’s like having a control center where you can monitor every aspect of your projects with ease.

⏰ Time Tracking: Time tracking is crucial for resource management, accountability, and billing purposes, and Wrike’s Time Tracker delivers precisely that. Employees can log their worked hours, breaks, and other relevant details, enabling employers to generate timesheets that display daily or weekly time spent.

This feature provides clear insights into time allocation and productivity levels, enabling better decision-making and efficient resource management. Additionally, Wrike’s built-in timer allows users to track time spent on each task in real time, enhancing accountability and facilitating collaboration within the team.

🦾Flexible access roles: Wrike’s business plan offers its users flexible Access Roles to easily manage and control user permission with four standard access roles – full, editor, limited, and read-only. Moreover, the Enterprise plan takes it a step further by offering up to 10 roles, providing even more flexibility.

The Read-Only access permission is particularly valuable, as it allows you to invite stakeholders who need to stay informed about project progress without granting them editing privileges. It’s like giving them a front-row seat to the project’s progress, ensuring transparency and collaboration.

📊 Gantt charts: Wrike’s dynamic interactive Gantt charts are a game-changer. With the ability to create milestones, manage dependencies, and reschedule tasks via a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, Gantt charts in Wrike make project management a breeze.

The seamless integration of communication within the Gantt chart view allows team members to collaborate effectively by sharing task links, attaching documents, and sending automated notifications for schedule changes. This ensures everyone stays on the same page and promotes seamless teamwork.

💡Read More: What is a Gantt chart? – Definition, Benefits, Features & Software

Wrike pros:

Based on personal experience and information gathered from review sites, here is the list of areas where Wrike lands right on the expectations: 

📊 Versatile Dashboards: When you handle multiple teams, you don’t always have time to go through a particular task’s nitty-gritty details. In my case, the primary concern is to keep track of the entire workload, and hence, I prefer the Gantt Chart view. On the other hand, a designer may choose to view the work in stages provided in the Kanaban board view. Wrike provides this flexibility, ensuring that the entire team can work seamlessly and efficiently, no matter what their preferred working style is.

JD K., a reviewer on G2, highlights this aspect by stating, “Wrike is an all-around multidiscipline project management system.”

🚀 Streamlined Project Management: A user-friendly interface combined with a robust set of features makes Wrike a powerful tool for managing projects and tracking progress. You can centralize task assignment and monitoring, gain valuable insights, and streamline asset production, all from one place. 

Travis Q., a verified reviewer on Captera expressed his satisfaction, saying “an efficient tool for project management”.” 

🤝Improved Collaboration: Wrike offers an intuitive message inbox and document commenting features, making it effortless to provide feedback, request revisions, and keep all stakeholders in the loop. This streamlined communication process saves the time and effort of going through long email threads. 

A Verified Reviewer from Capterra emphasizes the same, stating, “Help with teamwork principles and project management from afar.”

Wrike has proven to be a valuable asset for teams, empowering them to work collaboratively and deliver exceptional results. Its versatility, user-friendly interface, customizable workflows, and other powerful features make it a good project management software in the market. 

🌈 However, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns.🦄

Below are some reasons people have listed on review sites complaining about the inefficiencies of Wrike.

Wrike cons:

📈 Steep Learning Curve: While Wrike offers a range of powerful features, it may not be an ideal choice for beginners or those new to project management software. Users have expressed that the initial setup and onboarding process can be challenging, which might seem counterintuitive for software whose selling point is simplicity in adoption. Although training is available, busy professionals don’t usually have time to put their work aside for learning new software. 

The overwhelming nature of Wrike for beginners is echoed by Carol J., a Sr. Graphic Designer, by stating “Wrike is confusing”.

💰 Expensive Pricing: In terms of cost, Wrike falls on the higher end of the spectrum for project management tools. Although the software can be customized to suit diverse needs, many advanced features come as add-ons, which can significantly increase the overall price. Users have reported that by the time they include these add-on features, the final cost can be double or even triple what they initially expected. It’s essential to carefully consider the pricing structure and add-on options before committing to Wrike.

Paul R., a computer software consultant, has cautioned “Be sure you know who you are and what you need” on Capterra while writing about his experience with Wrike. 

🧩 Poor Usability: Several users have raised concerns about Wrike’s navigation and usability. With large projects and multiple tasks, navigating within the software can become confusing and challenging. John F., a creative director, on G2, mentions app crashes and poor customer support, while Kelly H., on G2, highlights the difficulty of viewing tasks in chronological order. The lack of customization options and the absence of task prioritization features make it challenging for teams to efficiently organize their work and guide team members on the task order. These limitations can hamper productivity and impede effective project management.

🐢 Performance and Loading Speed: Users have expressed concerns regarding the loading time and performance of Wrike. The platform may take a significant amount of time to load for larger projects, making it less efficient for tracking work progress or managing projects in real-time. Furthermore, the process of posting or downloading files can be considerably slower compared to other project management tools. This delay can hinder timely collaboration and impact project timelines.

Wrike pricing

When considering project management software options, it’s as crucial to understand pricing as it is to weigh the pros and cons of the platform. Wrike offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs. 

🆓 Free plan: Wrike’s Free plan serves as an entry point for small teams and individuals. While it provides a centralized space for basic task management, it lacks advanced features. The free plan restricts the number of active tasks and subtasks to 200. Additionally, project progress tracking through the Gantt chart view is unavailable. It’s a good starting point for exploring the platform, but its limitations become apparent as your team’s needs grow.

👥 Team plan: ($9.80/user/month) Designed for small teams of two to 25 members, the team plan allows project planning and collaboration via Gantt chart view, a popular tool for tracking projects. However, it still lacks certain work management features required for larger teams. This plan serves the purpose of basic project coordination but may not meet the needs of teams with multiple workflows.

🧑‍💼 Business plan: ($24.80 /user/ month) For organizations seeking comprehensive work management tools, the business plan offers several features. It caters to large teams and provides customization options and executive reporting. With access to custom fields, graphical analytics, and time tracking, this plan enhances project visibility and control. However, it comes at a higher price point, making it less affordable for teams on a tight budget.

🏦 Enterprise plan: The enterprise plan targets teams with advanced security requirements and expanded administration options. It includes features such as single sign-in with SAML, two-step verification, and active directory integration. Customization is taken a step further, allowing users to create new user types and export data to third-party analytics tools. While the enterprise plan offers comprehensive solutions, it may be excessive for organizations with more straightforward needs.

⛰️ Pinnacle plan: Wrike’s Pinnacle plan caters to teams that demand advanced reporting, business intelligence, and extensive work management capabilities. With features like locked spaces, budgeting, and advanced resource management, this plan is suited for complex projects. However, the Pinnacle plan comes at a higher cost, and organizations should carefully assess their requirements before opting for this top-tier plan.

➕ Add-ons: Wrike offers additional paid add-ons for certain plans, including custom integrations, two-way sync with GitHub and JIRA, and 50+ integrations with several marketing platforms. These upgrades provide flexibility and enhance functionality but come at an extra cost.

Wrike offers a range of pricing plans to cater to different organizational needs. Nonetheless, it’s essential to consider the limitations of each plan. By carefully evaluating all aspects, you can make an informed decision about investing in Wrike or exploring alternative project management solutions. Remember, selecting the right project management software is a crucial decision that can impact your team’s productivity and success.

Who is Wrike best for?

Wrike is a flexible project management software that works well for the following types of work processes:

For teams looking to streamline internal tasks and project requests, Wrike excels at building a library of consistent templates. These templates can be customized for various purposes, such as client request forms or high-level task blueprints. 

Wrike eliminates the clutter of excessive tagging and flagging, making it ideal for teams that prefer a clean and straightforward interface. However, new users may face a slight learning curve as they navigate the interface and discover features hiding in different menus. It’s worth investing extra time in team training to familiarize everyone with the platform’s quirks and hidden functionalities.

Once you grasp these complexities, they become second nature, ensuring a smoother workflow moving forward. One of Wrike’s standout features is its ability to facilitate communication among team members, coordinate task lists, and standardize request processes. It shines in supporting cross-functional collaboration and offering in-app time-tracking capabilities. However, some users have criticized its interface design for being less visually appealing. 

Moreover, Wrike offers specific solutions tailored to different industries. For agile project management teams, Wrike provides Kanban boards and customized workflows; whereas professional services agencies can benefit from Wrike’s client management features, including collaborative planning tools, project visibility, and automated approvals.

For remote work arrangements, Wrike offers in-browser and smartphone app access, creating a digital workspace accessible from anywhere. Teams can utilize Wrike to visualize checklists and synchronize calendars. Also, IT professionals can create custom request forms for ticket submissions and streamline task creation. 

While Wrike offers a range of capabilities and customization options, it’s crucial to evaluate whether its specific features align with your team’s needs.

My take on Wrike

Wrike offers a range of standout features that make it a valuable asset for teams seeking to streamline their internal tasks through a library of templates.

One of the key strengths of Wrike lies in its template design capabilities. This feature empowers teams to accelerate their workflows and maintain consistency across projects.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that navigating the Wrike interface can be a bit challenging for beginners. There are some quirks to be aware of, like the varying availability of in-app right-click options or the fact that certain useful features are hidden in the account management menu. However, investing additional time in team training can get you through the steep learning curve.

Wrike stands out for its remarkable ability to seamlessly facilitate collaboration with project management. This tool not only enables cross-functional 

collaboration but also provides accurate time-tracking capabilities. Although the interface design has received criticism for its initial confusion and steep learning curve, its undeniable benefits to teams in terms of project outlines, request forms, and task structures make it a good asset. 

To find the right balance, I recommend trying out their free version to ensure you find the perfect fit for your specific needs. If you feel that the price they are asking for is justified for promised features, you have found what you are looking for. 

⇒ If not, check out this extensive list of 54 project management and team collaboration tools, each with its features, pros, cons, and pricing, to save yourself the hassle of tedious research.

Not satisfied with Wrike? – Best alternative (ProofHub)

ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration solution that takes simplicity and efficiency to new heights. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, ProofHub offers a seamless experience for managing projects of all sizes and complexities.

But don’t take my word for it. With a diverse client portfolio of happy customers, including enterprises like Google, NASA, Nike, Boeing, and small freelance businesses like Delia By Design, ProofHub’s reputation as a reliable project management and team collaboration tool speaks volumes.

Key features that make ProofHub one of a kind choice for project management

ProofHub sets itself apart with its user-friendly interface and extensive features, allowing you to effortlessly plan and delegate numerous tasks to multiple team members while easily monitoring the progress. You can collaborate seamlessly and make real-time adjustments without the hassle of switching between different apps.

ProofHub offers customizable views and workflows, including tables, boards, Gantt Charts, and calendars. These options allow you to visualize your workflow, track tasks at various stages, and maintain a clear overview of progress, the way you see fit. Additionally, with the time tracking feature, you can track the productivity of your team members and help them improve time management.

With ProofHub’s centralized platform, you’ll find all the necessary features conveniently available in one place to manage tasks and ensure projects stay on track. Whether you’re a project manager, team lead, or team member, ProofHub’s intuitive and customizable interface permits you to set the stage for your projects, align team capacities, and eliminate bottlenecks effortlessly. Also, custom roles allow you to set accessibility permission for defined roles.

Collaboration lies at the heart of successful project management, and ProofHub excels in this area. Its built-in chat and discussion features enable smooth and effective real-time communication, file sharing, and document proofing. With custom reporting, you can easily communicate the progress of the project with the stakeholders.

With ProofHub, you can bid farewell to the hassle of switching between multiple apps and disjointed communication channels. By providing all the core collaboration features under one roof, ProofHub streamlines teamwork and ensures everyone is on the same page.

Features that make ProofHub a better option than Wrike for project management:

✔️All-in-One Solution: One of the standout features of ProofHub is its all-in-one nature. Unlike Wrike, which may require integration with multiple tools for different project management functions, ProofHub provides a centralized platform that eliminates the need for switching between various applications. With ProofHub, you can plan, execute, and manage projects from one convenient location, streamlining your workflow and saving valuable time and effort.

✔️User-Friendly Interface: ProofHub provides an intuitive and customizable user interface that assists users from day one. Unlike Wrike, which may have a steeper learning curve, ProofHub offers a platform that makes users feel like a pro at project management. Its clean and simple layout ensures a seamless user experience, allowing users to navigate the platform effortlessly and focus on their projects’ success.

✔️Seamless Task Management: ProofHub’s task management capabilities are second to none. The platform offers customizable views and workflows. These options enable users to visualize their workflow, track tasks at various stages, and maintain a clear overview of progress.

✔️Ultimate Control and Customization: ProofHub stands out by offering users ultimate control over their teams, projects, and tasks. The platform’s extensive customization options provide users with the ability to tailor the tool to fit their exact needs, without paying extra money.

✔️Suitable Pricing and Scalability: ProofHub offers a flat pricing structure with a no-per-user fee, which makes it straightforward and cost-effective. ProofHub offers a 14-day free trial with access to all features, allowing you to experience its capabilities firsthand. The Essential plan is priced at $45 per month (billed annually), providing access to all the necessary project management and team collaboration features. For those seeking advanced customization and control, the Ultimate Control plan is available at $89 per month (billed annually), making ProofHub a desired choice for project management and team collaboration. In contrast, Wrike offers complex pricing tiers that can become costly as your team expands.

ProofHub surpasses Wrike as a better project management tool in several aspects. By choosing ProofHub, you empower your team with a comprehensive project management solution that simplifies workflows, enhances collaboration, and drives project success.

Experience an intuitive and powerful all-in-one solution that makes managing projects a breeze. Say goodbye to the complexity and long learning curves. Try ProofHub for Free!

FAQs about Wrike project management software