Innovating Work Management
Wrike broke through the market in 2006 when it was originally released as Wrike Enterprises. Being so early in the game, Wrike established itself as one of the first and leading project management software, aiming to innovate at every turn.
By 2015, they had expanded to multiple locations, and by 2017, the platform had expanded into marketing and other sectors.
If you look at Wrike in 2023, you will find a platform loaded with functionality and features, but does the testing I did agree? In today’s review, I will break down Wrike’s feature-packed platform and explain why I think it has a strong case for the best in class.
Functionality
24/25
Performance
19/20
user interface
14/15
Innovation
14/15
versus the field
14/15
ease of use
9/10
Wrike
Wrike is the one platform you need to streamline all of your team’s workflows. Driven by innovation and speed, Wrike is showing the world what it means to manage your workflow.
The Better Rating: 94 / 100
Product Pros
Product Cons
Functionality
As a work management platform, Wrike breaks down into folders and projects, tasks and subitems, and spaces and requests. Folders have no attributes that you can track but exist to organize and categorize your work. Projects are tasks that must be completed as part of the larger goal.
Tasks are what actually needs to be done. For example, if the project is building a house, a task would be buying the supplies to build the house. The materials list would act as the subitems in this scenario.
When creating my first project, I used a sample from my own profession. I labeled it “SQL Server.” Upon going through the setup wizard and then promptly the initial board run-through, I noticed the columns “budget” and “impact.” I found this particularly interesting because these turn out to be custom fields. These custom fields were generated (with AI) based on the information I gave Wrike. I don’t necessarily need the budget field for my specific application, but creating the impact field with options is a step in the right direction to get the wheels turning.
The automation throughout the app is evident and I don’t think you’ll find too many shortcomings. The app can track effort and when creating a new task, it can simplify choosing the teammate. There is budget tracking where you can set your currency and hourly rates.
Cross-tagging in the application allows you to add unlimited spaces and projects and tag without duplicating work in multiple places.
Wrike had request forms, but new to the app are external request forms. This means you can get feedback from anyone on the planet and then have the results sent directly to a dashboard, putting forward the agenda of data-driven workflow management.
The dashboards are great because they spawn a sample based on the project you created. From there, you can add more or delete unnecessary ones, but I love it when a platform can inspire you if your role requires creativity.
Much like all great work management companies, the resources available are plentiful. They have webinars, blogs, guides, and more, all available to its customers.
Performance
Wrike loads a tremendous amount of data with every click, and you can tell that as soon as you use it. That said, I don’t find the performance to be a limiting factor.
It’s worth noting that some platforms present the server’s status, which I appreciate. Wrike points you to X (formerly Twitter), which is currently problematic because X requires you to have an X account, and furthermore, you must be logged into X on that browser. That’s a lot of steps just for an update. However, you can test your network from their website.
User Interface
The user interface is top tier in my opinion. There isn’t an overwhelming amount of color but there also isn’t a lack either.
There are a few selections you can make regarding the theme, which I’m okay with. There isn’t a light or dark mode, which normally goes against my all-dark vibes, but they have struck a proper balance in the theme, so I cannot be mad.
With every click, there is a small load time and I have no problem with that because it loads so much useful information. The one thing I love is that they did not shy away from descriptions. This means there is a learning curve, but they always ease it with details right there for you. You might not even need the help documentation.
Customizations are everywhere. As stated earlier, they are definitely using some backend AI techniques to accomplish more than just generative content for you. And I appreciate that, it’s not lazy.
Innovation
AI is all the rage this year and that doesn’t stop at Wrike. In fact, I would argue Wrike is doing it in the least lazy way possible. Most platforms are releasing AI to help with writing and if you do not know much about the topic, coming from someone specialized in AI, it is lazy. Wrike’s attention to detail didn’t need to be extravagant but it has made the experience using the app pleasant.
For more advanced organizations, Wrike now offers customizable types, meaning if you deal with licensing for your role, this brings that to one place. I work in the engineering space, and when you have multiple disciplines all using different software, having a collection of all of the software in one space and not just an Excel file on a server is great.
Furthermore, one can go on Wrike’s feature page and see “NEW!” everywhere, which lets me know work management isn’t a forgotten art for them.
Versus The Field
Though plenty of work management software is available to the public, see two I like the most. Wrike and ClickUp.
Just from the free versions against each other, Wrike blows everyone out of the water, particularly with AI. While most platforms save AI for a higher subscription, Wrike has taken the road less traveled and offered it for free.
From a storage perspective, Wrike gives you 2GB just for joining, while ClickUp gives you 100MB.
ClickUp does allow custom fields at the base level, which Wrike does not. However, I believe Wrike’s custom fields are more intuitive.
Otherwise, I believe both platforms do everything extremely well.
Ease Of Use
The app can seem a tad bit much initially, but the learning curve is short and it’s almost like they display everything you would want. And with all the descriptions, you will have no trouble grasping the platform.
Likes And Dislikes
If I had to choose a specific feature I liked, I’d have to say the interactive Gantt chart. It’s detailed but not cluttered and I can even update the timeline without any clicks, just sliding.
If I absolutely had to choose a dislike, I think the loading time is a fraction slower than some of the competition.
At The End Of The Day…
I believe Wrike has knocked workflow automation and management out of the park. Throughout the app, you can sense attention to detail and despite years of service and massive growth, it feels like work management still has their full, undivided attention. I believe this app would integrate flawlessly with students looking to manage their time better, all the way up to large corporations, especially if you have a hard emphasis on workflow management.
