Monday started off as a project management software, but in order to gain more market share, continued to build tools and expand their offering. They went from being a project management software, to an "all-in-one" tool. They now offer products such as Monday "Work Management" (aka project management), Monday sales CRM and Monday dev (for agile workflows).

Monday went from being a project management software to trying to be an "all-in-one" tool. They even coined the term "Work OS"

While Monday offers tiers for small teams, we'd think there are better tools for teams with under 300 employees (like Asana or Motion). That's not to say that smaller teams don't use Monday (they do), it's just going to take quite a bit of work to set it up for success.

The main difficulty with Monday is actually getting it setup for success. Many folks create an account, invite their team, pop in some projects and then it sits there as an abandoned tool, with no one on the team actually feeling like its reliable. This comes from not doing a proper Monday implementation (often means working with a consultant). Mapping your processes to Monday and creating team documentation will lead to higher chances of success.

If the above sounds overkill for your business, consider something like Motion as that's more so a project management tool that you can get set up out of the gate and have your team using it fairly quickly.

• Free Tier: While Monday has a free forever tier, it's extremely limited so we wouldn't consider it a "free project management tool". The free tier is made for individuals or hobbyists at best.
• [SKIP ❌] Basic Tier: $27/mo on annual tier (Monday's website says $9 per seat, but actually forces you to purchase a minimum of 3 seats). We recommend skipping this tier altogether as it's still very limited in features. For example, you don't get any automations or integrations.
• [GOOD ✅] Standard Tier: $36/mo on annual tier. (Monday's website says $12 per seat, but forces you to purchase a minimum of 3 seats). This is the first useful tier, but still has a limited number of automations/integrations. If you need to collaborate with guests outside of your organization, this is the first tier that would allow for it.
• [BEST 🥇] Pro Tier: $57/mo on annual tier (Monday's website says $19 per seat, but forces you to purchase a minimum of 3 seats). If you're a business, this is the tier you'd want to be on. You unlock all the key Monday features including private boards, time tracking, and ample automations and integrations.

The last time we checked out Routine, we went in thinking it was was a lightweight daily planner. Fifteen minutes later, we were scared we'd just deleted their entire task database...😂 Search Routine Review Gone Wrong on YouTube and you'll see what we mean.

Routine is a daily planner with lots of features like task scheduling, label creation, and, of course, a calendar, but with so much happening, a lot of the features don't work fully like you'd want them to. The glaring problem is that their execution makes it hard to understand what it actually wants to be 🫠

Routine is says its for busy professionals and modern teams, but we feel like a student or busy parent is a more appropriate audience based on the limited way many of the features work. Maybe someone who wants a free tool to drag tasks onto a calendar, loosely organize their day, or experiment with time blocking, but gosh, as a business, it will not do what it needs for you. It has a free tier (which is rare in this category), but we can definitely see why, so if you decide to try it, lower your expectations.

• Has a free tier (rare in this category)
• Drag-and-drop task scheduling onto calendar
• Tasks can contain detailed notes

• Not a ton of integrations
• Not intuitive (basic actions require trial and error)
• Labels system adds complexity without clear payoff
• Feels unstable (easy access to database-level settings)
• Too basic for a primary business calendar
• Identity crisis: calendar vs. daily planner vs. knowledge management tool

Routine allows you to create tasks and drag them directly onto your calendar. You can adjust time blocks and rearrange your day visually. The time-blocked task planning works, but it feels basic.

They even tried integrating natural language, but even that has its hang-ups. For example, when creating a task, typing "3 days" schedules it for December 3rd instead of three days from now. To get the result you're looking for, you have to type "in 3 days." A small detail that shows good intention, but poor execution.

Routine introduces a labels system that acts almost like a relational database. You can assign labels to tasks and events and view counts across categories.

In theory, this would allow for deeper organization, but in practice, it feels like an added mental load. You can see numbers, but you won't extract any valuable insight.

Again, we have some clarity issues. Routine has tasks that function as full notes, so you have the option to expand well beyond a simple checklist item. This leans into their "all-in-one" ambition, and looks like they were attempting to blend planning with knowledge management.

However, the separation between tasks and notes is confusing, and it's not always clear where things live or how they relate.

• Free: Best for individuals & students looking to become more productive.
• Professional: $10/mo. Best for professionals who want AI notes and time tracking capabilities.
• Business: $15/mo per user. Best for teams who want workspaces and access control.
• Enterprise: Contact for more details. Best for large teams in need of extra security.