Zoho Projects vs Wrike (2023): Which tool should you use?

What are the pros and cons of using Zoho Projects or Wrike? Use our guide to compare tools and decide which tool your business should use.

Finding the right project management software is challenging, as there are numerous vendors to choose from. Each software has its advantages and disadvantages.

SEE: Use our project manager hiring kit to find the best person to lead your project teams.

If you have been searching for project management software, you might have come across Zoho Projects and Wrike, which are both capable solutions for businesses and individual users to manage projects. In this article, we compare Zoho Projects and Wrike to help you determine which software is best suited for your needs.

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Zoho Projects vs. Wrike: Comparison table

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is the project management software from the popular software company Zoho. This cloud-based project management solution is loaded with features, including automation, team collaboration tools, multiple project views, time tracking and more. Businesses of all sizes use Zoho Projects.

For more information, read our full Zoho Projects review.

Wrike

Wrike is a cloud-based project management software that is flexible enough for small or large business use cases. You can use Wrike as a web-based software-as-a-service tool, desktop app and mobile app. Some of the top features of Wrike include resource management, automated workflows, time tracking, reporting and analytics.

For more information, read our full Wrike review.

Zoho Projects pricing plans

Free

• Maximum of two projects.
• Limited storage space.

Premium

• $4 per user per month with annual billing or $5 per user per month with monthly billing.
• Unlimited projects.
• 20 project templates.
• 100GB of storage space.

Enterprise

• $10 per user per month with annual billing or $9 per user per month with monthly billing.
• Everything in the Premium plan.
• Additional 20GB of storage space.
• 10 read-only users.
• Other premium features.

SEE: Explore our list of the best software development project management tools.

Wrike pricing plans

Free

• Limit of five users.
• 2GB storage space (per account).

Team

• $9.80 per user per month.
• Maximum of 20 users.
• 20GB of storage.
• Gantt charts.
• Shareable dashboards.

Business

• $25.80 per user per month.
• Unlimited users.
• Upgraded security features.
• Additional customization options.

Enterprise

• Customized pricing.
• Features tailored to customer needs.
• Expanded administration options for large businesses.

Pinnacle

• Customized pricing.
• For organizations with complex needs and advanced reporting.

SEE: Is Wrike outside of your budget? Check out these Wrike alternatives to see if you can find a tool that better fits your budget and needs.

Feature comparison: Zoho Projects vs. Wrike

Time tracking

Both applications have time tracking features. Wrike allows users more freedom with the manual entry of the time log and task timer that can run in the background. Zoho Projects’ time tracking feature is based on timesheets, which can be turned into invoices. You also get manual input and automation calculation of time spent on tasks.

Messaging app

Unlike Wrike, Zoho Projects offers team messaging. Zoho’s messaging feature (Figure C) includes video chat, making it ideal for team collaboration. Users looking for messaging tools in Wrike can integrate with third-party applications.

SEE: Explore our list of the best online collaboration tools for any use case.

Figure C

Reporting and analytics

Wrike has a Report Builder that allows users to generate customized reports. The Report Builder is easy to use and has an organized layout. You can create reports for different categories, including time logs, task updates and project reports. You can then share the reports with other Wrike users and clients.

With Zoho Projects, you get customizable reports (Figure D) through a drag-and-drop interface. There are over 50 ready-to-use templates and charts for generating reports. Similar to Wrike, you can share reports with your team and clients.

Figure D

Integrations

Both Zoho Projects and Wrike offer extensive integrations, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Github and Slack. Further, both applications can integrate with Zapier to connect to over 500 apps. An advantage of Zoho Projects is its ability to have deep integration with other Zoho tools like Zoho Invoice and Zoho CRM.

Ease of Use

While Zoho Projects has a more user-friendly interface, Wrike offers more built-in learning content to help users learn the tools. Users already using other Zoho products would find it easy to navigate Zoho Projects. The folder-based interface of Wrike is organized but doesn’t flow as smoothly. Overall, both solutions are well-designed, and users should find them easy to use.

Zoho Projects pros and cons

Pros of Zoho Projects

• Clean and intuitive user interface.
• Deep integration with other Zoho products and services.
• Built-in issue tracking tools.

Cons of Zoho Projects

• Gantt charts can be difficult to use.
• Lack of prebuilt project templates.

Wrike pros and cons

Pros of Wrike

• In-app learning content.
• Five plans offer more flexibility.
• The Free plan is more generous than some competitors.
• Supports Agile and Scrum frameworks.

Cons of Wrike

• More expensive than some competitors.
• Advanced security features are only available in higher-priced plans.
• Folder-based user interface can be a bit confusing for new users.

Review methodology

We performed hands-on analyses of the core features, pricing, user interface, advanced features, integrations and a few other parameters for each tool. We also looked at customer ratings and testimonials to better understand the user experience for both software.

Should your organization use Zoho Projects or Wrike?

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from using either of these project management solutions. However, the choice for the right software for your organization will come down to your specific needs. Zoho Projects holds a slight edge over Wrike in team collaboration and usability. On the other hand, Wrike offers flexibility with five pricing plans and a more generous free plan.

If you’re still not satisfied with either Zoho Projects or Wrike, check out our list of the best Agile project management software.