Reviewed by the NexaToolkit team · Last reviewed June 2026. This focuses on project tracking — status visibility and progress — specifically, which is where Monday frustrates some teams. NexaToolkit may earn a commission from links on this page — it never changes what we recommend.
Monday.com is a flexible work platform, but for the specific job of tracking — knowing what’s done, what’s blocked, and what’s at risk at a glance — some teams find it fiddly. Here are seven tools that do project tracking better for their use case in 2026, with real pricing.
Best for engineering tracking: Linear
Linear ($8–$14/user) gives fast, clean cycle and progress views built for dev teams — tracking velocity and blockers with minimal setup.
Best dashboards: ClickUp
ClickUp ($12/user + Brain) has powerful, customizable dashboards that roll up status across projects — strong if visibility across many workstreams is the goal.
Best timeline tracking: Asana
Asana (Starter $10.99, Advanced $24.99) leads on clean timeline and portfolio views for tracking progress across teams — clearer than Monday for many.
Best lightweight tracking: Height & Shortcut
Height (AI-native) and Shortcut (dev-focused) offer focused, low-friction tracking without Monday’s configuration overhead.
Best free tracking: Notion & Trello
Notion (free) builds a custom tracking board plus docs; Trello (free / ~$5) is the simplest visual status board. Free starting points if tracking is all you need.
Project-tracking tools compared
| Tool | Price | Tracking strength |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | $8–$14/user | Dev velocity + blockers |
| ClickUp | $12 + Brain | Cross-project dashboards |
| Asana | $10.99–$24.99 | Timeline + portfolio |
| Height / Shortcut | Per-seat | Lightweight, focused |
| Notion / Trello | Free / ~$5 | Simple custom boards |
A real scenario
A team that found Monday’s flexibility got in the way of simple status-tracking: a dev team moves to Linear ($8) for fast velocity and blocker visibility; an ops team that needs to roll up status across ten workstreams picks ClickUp ($12) for its dashboards; a team that just wants a clear board uses free Notion or Trello. The lens that distinguishes this from a general “Monday alternative” question is tracking specifically — status visibility, progress, and risk at a glance. Monday can do it, but its configurability often adds friction where a focused tracker is clearer. Pick the one whose tracking view matches how your team needs to see progress, and you’ll spend less time maintaining the board.
Frequently asked questions
What tracks projects better than Monday.com?
For tracking specifically: Linear ($8–$14) for dev velocity, ClickUp ($12) for cross-project dashboards, Asana ($10.99–$24.99) for timelines, Height/Shortcut for lightweight tracking, and Notion/Trello (free) for simple boards. Pick by the tracking view you need.
Why do teams find Monday hard for tracking?
Its flexibility can add configuration friction where a focused tracker is clearer. For pure status visibility — what’s done, blocked, or at risk — a purpose-built view (Linear’s cycles, ClickUp’s dashboards) is often simpler to maintain.
What’s the best free project tracker?
Notion (free) for a custom board plus docs, or Trello (free / ~$5) for the simplest visual status board. Both handle basic tracking well; step up to Linear or ClickUp when you need velocity metrics or cross-project dashboards.
More: see our AI productivity tools and AI workflow automation tools.
