People leave ClickUp when the all-in-one work app is more than a solo business needs to set up and maintain. Orbit is a simpler all-in-one, but for selling: a free GTD task system, contacts free to 250, one pipeline, email, and invoices in one place. Here is what you gain, what you give up, and how to switch.
ClickUp is powerful and very configurable. Spaces, folders, lists, custom statuses, docs, dashboards, automations. That power is the draw for teams that want one work app for everything. The same power is why solo users bounce off it: there is a lot to set up, and most of it is aimed at coordinating a team, not running a book of clients.
Orbit keeps the all-in-one idea but points it at selling. The task system is free with no limit, every task can link to a contact or deal, and the same workspace holds your pipeline, notes, email, and invoices. If your work is really client relationships, a free CRM with tasks built in is a lighter fit than a full work platform.
Where each tool fits. For current ClickUp pricing and feature tiers, check their site.
| Orbit | ClickUp | |
|---|---|---|
| Tasks and GTD lists | Free, unlimited | Strong, configurable |
| Tasks linked to contacts and deals | Via custom setup | |
| Built-in CRM (contacts, pipeline) | Free to 250 contacts | Build it yourself |
| Built-in email inbox | 100/mo free | Add-ons vary |
| Invoices and proposals | 10 free each | |
| Simple to set up | Heavier setup | |
| Team work platform (docs, dashboards, automations) | Lighter | Strong |
| Two-way Google Calendar sync | Any paid plan | Check their site |
| One AI assistant | Hiro, free credits | Check their site |
| Price to start | $0 forever, no card | Check their site |
The task and CRM core cost nothing, with far less to configure.
A paid plan (Lite $8/mo, Pro $14/mo) is optional. The task system and CRM core work on the free plan.
You will rebuild less than you expect.
ClickUp does more than Orbit on purpose. If you want one deeply configurable app for team docs, dashboards, sprints, and automations across projects, ClickUp has that breadth and Orbit does not. Orbit deliberately trades that breadth for a CRM that is simple to run alone.
If you run team project management and want everything in one heavily customized workspace, stay on ClickUp. Orbit is the better move when the setup has become a chore and your real work is client relationships. For the detail, read Orbit vs ClickUp.
ClickUp can be configured to do anything. Orbit is already set up to run a business of one.
Yes for your people. Export from ClickUp, put contacts and client details into a CSV, and import it into Orbit. Then rebuild task lists as GTD lists and turn any client-shaped list into a deal with its tasks attached. Most people finish the move in an afternoon.
The free plan is genuinely free with no credit card. It includes up to 250 contacts, one pipeline, unlimited tasks and GTD lists, notes and docs, a calendar, and a built-in email inbox with 100 messages a month. Pro is $14 a month with an optional 30-day free trial that requires a card.
ClickUp's breadth: deeply configurable docs, dashboards, sprints, and automations across team projects. Orbit trades that for simplicity and a CRM built for one person. If you want one heavily customized workspace for a whole team, ClickUp fits that better.
That is the point of switching. Orbit comes set up as a CRM with tasks, a pipeline, notes, and email, so there is little to configure. ClickUp is more powerful but expects you to build your structure. Solo users often move to Orbit to stop maintaining the tool.
One. Orbit has a single assistant named Hiro, opened with Cmd or Ctrl J. Hiro can manage tasks, update contacts and deals, and draft follow-ups. AI is included with free monthly credits and no API key to paste, and nothing sends until you approve it.
People running a business mostly alone: founders, consultants, freelancers, agency owners, and small teams whose real work is client relationships. It is not a full team work platform like ClickUp, and it is not a sales-team CRM like Salesforce.
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