Auctores Helm vs ClickUp
Built for agencies. ClickUp is built for everyone.
ClickUp is a powerful generalist, it can be a CRM, a help desk, a sprint board, an OKR tracker, and a wiki. Auctores Helm only does one thing: run a small agency. One workspace for tasks, time, credentials, invoicing, and a branded client portal. No 14 view types, no permission matrix, no setup project.
From $39 / month, priced by team size · No card required for the trial · ClickUp: free / $7-19 per user / month
Side-by-side
| Feature | Auctores Helm | ClickUp |
|---|---|---|
Pricing You are never billed per person: pick the band your team fits and every feature is included. A 5-person team on ClickUp Business is ~$95/mo for project management alone, before AI add-ons, a time tracker, a password manager, or a client portal. | From $39 / mo | $7-19 / user / mo |
Built-in time tracking | ||
Client portal ClickUp has guest seats but no first-class portal. Auctores Helm gives every client a branded URL with tasks, invoices, and a calendar, no second tool needed. | ||
Encrypted credential vault Auctores Helm bundles AES-256 credential storage so logins live with the client they belong to. With ClickUp you bolt on 1Password / Bitwarden. | ||
Invoicing + PayPal billing Invoices, line items, and payment links are first-class in Auctores Helm. ClickUp routes you to a separate tool. | ||
AI features Auctores Helm has an admin kill switch + per-org daily spend cap. ClickUp Brain bills separately per user. | ||
Gmail inbox → tasks Auctores Helm parses incoming Gmail into draft tasks with AI. ClickUp has email-to-task via the Outlook/Gmail Chrome extension. | ||
Sprints / agile boards | ||
Custom views (Gantt, Mind Map, etc) | ||
Setup time to first useful state | Under 10 minutes | Days / a setup project |
Pick Auctores Helm if
- You're a 1-6 person delivery shop on retainers.
- You'd rather buy a band than maintain a per-seat spreadsheet.
- Your clients want a portal, invoices, status, files, without you building one.
- You want time tracking + credentials + invoicing already in the box.
Pick ClickUp if
- You're 15+ people running multiple methodologies (agile, kanban, OKRs) at once.
- You need a fully customisable doc + database hybrid for ops.
- You manage non-agency work (product, support, HR) in the same tool.
- You're willing to invest a few weeks tuning views, automations, and roles.
Common questions
Can Auctores Helm import from ClickUp?⌃
Not directly today. The CSV export from ClickUp Tasks can be re-mapped into Auctores Helm's CSV import, but expect to redo board/list structures since Auctores Helm is opinionated about how an agency organises work (one client = one folder, not one project = many spaces). Email connect@theauctores.in for the import worksheet.
What about ClickUp's free plan?⌃
If you're a solo founder and "tasks" is your only need, ClickUp Free is hard to beat on price. The moment you need a client portal, invoicing, or credential storage, you're stacking tools, and Auctores Helm is built to be the one tool.
Does Auctores Helm have a Gantt view?⌃
Not yet. Auctores Helm is delivery-tracking-first, not project-planning-first. The /calendar view shows what's due when; the /workload view shows capacity. If you need traditional Gantt timelines for waterfall-style projects, ClickUp's view library wins there.
Can my team use both?⌃
Yes, many agencies use a generalist tool for internal ops and Auctores Helm for client-facing delivery. Auctores Helm bills by band rather than per head, so adding it doesn't change your per-seat math.
Try Auctores Helm for 7 days
No card required. Connect Gmail, import a client, log time on a task , see whether it replaces ClickUp for your team.
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