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In this article, we dive into the top 10 disadvantages of Monday.com that you must consider before purchasing!
You’ve likely heard of Monday.com, a popular work management platform that packs a punch.
Monday.com is easy to use, visually appealing, and highly flexible. But does that necessarily mean it’s the right choice for you?
Despite Monday.com’s long list of advantages, it also comes with drawbacks that small businesses should be aware of.
So, what are the top 10 disadvantages of Monday.com?
Read more: Pros and Cons of Monday.com.
What Is Monday.com?
Monday.com is essentially an online no-code platform that allows you to organize all aspects of your work.
Known for its visually appealing color-coded interface, unparalleled flexibility, and interconnected board capabilities, it’s no wonder why over 225,000 customers use the tool.
The platform is often used as a project management tool. However, Monday.com can also be used for CRM (customer relationship management) or product development.
Basically, Monday.com can help you automate processes and tasks, track contacts and leads, collaborate in real-time with your team, plus so much more on one platform.
Read more: Top 10 Advantages of Monday.com.
Top 10 Disadvantages of Monday.com
I know what you’re thinking……Monday.com sounds awesome. And look…it is!
Monday.com helps many businesses organize and manage their work effectively. However, we’re here to talk about Monday.com’s disadvantages.
Let’s jump into the top 10 disadvantages of Monday.com now.
1. Free Plan User Limits
Don’t get me wrong, Monday.com’s free plan is perfect for small teams after an affordable online platform to help manage their work.
However, the free work management plan only supports two users, and there’s no option to add additional users for an extra cost.
This means you must upgrade to a paid plan once you exceed the two-user limit, even if you don’t require half the paid plan features!
If Monday.com introduced an additional user fee or similar, small teams with 3 or 4 employees could still utilize the free plan’s basic features (at an affordable price point).
Read more: How Much Does Monday.com Cost?
2. No Free Plan For CRM and Product Dev Plans
There is a free Monday.com work management plan, but no CRM or product dev plan exists!
The free Monday.com work management plan only includes basic CRM and product dev features.
So, teams solely looking for customer-relationship management or product development features must pay for a dedicated CRM or dev paid plan.
Monday.com floated the idea a year ago of bringing a free CRM plan into the mix to compete with other free CRMs like HubSpot, but there’s been no further development since.
In saying that, Monday.com offers a free 14-day trial, so you can try all paid plan features before committing.
3. Price-per-user Pricing Model
Another notable disadvantage of Monday.com is the price-per-user pricing model.
This pricing strategy is reflected across all plans and means the cost increases with every new team member added.
For example, the ‘Basic’ plan costs $9 per user per month, and the ‘Standard’ plan is $12 per user per month.
Depending on how many users you want to add to Monday.com, this could result in a steep overall price, especially as your business expands!
This may impact startups and small businesses as the investment in the tool scales with their growth (sometimes unpredictably).
Additionally, for larger teams, this cost can quickly become a massive item in their budget!
This is something to consider when starting Monday.com, especially if your focus is scalability and brand growth.
Read more: Is Monday.com Free? Free Forever?
4. Free Plan Feature Limitations
In addition to restricting the number of users to two, Monday.com’s free plan also comes with feature limitations, which may impact usability and productivity.
Primarily, the free plan makes it less feasible for growing teams.
There’s a cap on the number of projects (boards) you can have active at any one time, which may hinder those juggling multiple initiatives.
And integrations with other software and advanced automation (Monday.com’s most powerful tools) are also completely unavailable on the free plan.
Plus, 24/7 support is also only available on higher-paid plan tiers.
These constraints mean that teams looking to scale may need to consider paid options sooner rather than later–not ideal!
5. Limited Views
And we’re halfway through this list of top 10 disadvantages of Monday.com!
In addition to limited features, there are serious restrictions on Monday.com view types, especially for free and basic plan users.
For example, free and basic plan members can’t leverage any chart, map, calendar, or timeline views.
And even those subscribed to the Standard plan find themselves restricted, with still no access to the chart view!
These limitations can significantly affect how users manage and interact with their tasks, potentially making organizing and tracking project progress more challenging.
ClickUp (Monday.com’s direct competitor) offers many dynamic view types on the free plan, such as List, Calendar, Gantt Chart, Kanban, and Everything views.
Considering Monday.com was built for creatives, this is a major Monday.com disadvantage in my eyes.
Read more: Monday.com vs ClickUp.
6. Client Data Limitations
If you plan to share Monday.com data with your clients, you may be disappointed!
Firstly, only users with Standard plans or higher can use the ’Guest access’ and ‘Shareable boards’ feature.
And even then, the quantity of shareable boards and dashboards you can create is restricted!
Advanced client data-sharing features like custom conditional logic forms are also limited to higher-paid plan tiers.
Additionally, navigating through Monday.com’s boards can often feel cumbersome and daunting, which is a pain when you want to show information to clients quickly.
Luckily, there is a solution for this! You can use Softr, a no-code app builder, to create a Monday.com client portal template
7. High Learning Curve
Monday.com is generally pretty easy to use. However, the platform’s comprehensive feature set can make it initially challenging for teams to use.
Mastering Monday.com’s complex functionalities—from board setups to detailed project tracking can involve time-consuming training and support.
Plus, Monday.com’s is a multifaceted platform (designed to cater to a diverse range of management and workflow automation needs).
This means that it incorporates a wealth of tools and integrations that, while powerful, can be a disadvantage for teams who are not used to such a comprehensive tool.
This complexity can slow down immediate adoption, especially for complete beginners or teams where varied roles use different areas of the platform.
Read more: How To Use Monday.com?
8. Performance Issues With Large Boards
As the scope of a project expands, so does the complexity and volume of data stored within boards, right?
Well, many Monday.com users with large boards and a lot of data have reported performance issues such as slow load times and lagging.
This can become an issue when users try to access crucial information quickly or when navigating between different sections, impacting work efficiency and productivity.
Teams dealing with real-time data that require constant updates and immediate access to the latest information are especially vulnerable to productivity losses.
These issues involve a higher allocation of time and resources towards troubleshooting and technical support, which results in less time focusing on core project tasks.
9. No Internal Communication Tools
Monday.com has no built-in instant communication tools like other competitors like Basecamp or ClickUp.
This means you can’t easily communicate with your team or guests within Monday.com.
Luckily, Monday.com integrates with over 200 apps, including the popular communication platform Slack.
Basically, if you need to quickly send a message or an email to a team member, you’ll have to rely on integrating and using Slack.
Although the Monday.com Slack integration process is fairly simple, this reliance on additional software to handle simple communications can complicate workflows.
Read more: Slack vs Monday.com.
10. Mobile App Limitations
While Monday.com has a mobile app, it doesn’t quite match the comprehensive features available through the web version.
In fact, some users have reported that key functionalities are not as accessible (or entirely missing) in the app, which some may argue defeats the purpose of a mobile app!
This can impact users relying on mobile devices for day-to-day management, resulting in slower decision-making processes.
Stews Final Thoughts
And that is it for this honest article listing the top 10 disadvantages of Monday.com!
While Monday.com still stands tall as a versatile work management tool, this list of the top 10 disadvantages reveals the other side of the coin.
From communication hurdles to limited mobile functionality and view restrictions, weighing these considerations against your specific needs is crucial before committing.
And remember, as with any tool, what works for one may not suit another!
Consider these drawbacks, explore alternatives, and choose wisely to ensure your work management platform truly elevates your team’s efficiency and productivity.
Thanks for reading.
