BASIC vs Monday.com
A powerful project management tool — or a complete business platform at a fraction of the cost.
Monday.com has built an excellent reputation as a flexible work management platform. Their visual boards, automations, and customisable workflows make it a popular choice for project management, and they've been expanding into CRM and other business tools.
The challenge with Monday.com is that it started as a project management tool, and the CRM and other business features are add-on products with separate pricing. The base platform starts at $9/seat/month (Basic plan), but most teams need Standard ($12/seat) or Pro ($19/seat) for useful features. Monday CRM is a separate product starting at $12/seat/month, and seats are sold in packs of 3 minimum.
BASIC was designed from the ground up as an all-in-one business platform. CRM, project management, field service, and invoicing are all included in a single product at £3/user/month. No separate products, no minimum seats, no feature tiers.
Feature comparison
| Feature | BASIC | Monday.com |
|---|---|---|
| Project management | ||
| CRM | Built-in | Separate product (Monday CRM) |
| Field service | Built-in | |
| Invoicing | Built-in | |
| Kanban boards | ||
| Task management | ||
| Custom fields | ||
| Automations | Yes (limited by plan) | |
| Integrations marketplace | API access (MCP server) | Yes — 200+ integrations |
| API access | Included | Included (rate limits vary) |
| Pricing | £3/user/month — everything included | From $9/seat/month (3-seat minimum) |
| Minimum seats | No minimum | 3 seats minimum |
Pricing comparison
£3/user/month — all features included. No minimums, no tiers. A team of 5 costs £15/month.
Work Management: $9–$19/seat/month (3-seat minimum). Monday CRM: from $12/seat/month (separate product). Enterprise pricing on request. Annual billing saves 18%.
Cost at scale
BASIC is £3/user/month — always. Here's what that looks like as your team grows compared to Monday.com.
| Team size | BASIC / month | Monday.com / month | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 user | £3 | $36 (3-seat min) | £396/yr |
| 5 users | £15 | $60–$95 | £540–£960/yr |
| 10 users | £30 | $120–$190 | £1,080–£1,920/yr |
| 25 users | £75 | $300–$475 | £2,700–£4,800/yr |
| 50 users | £150 | $600–$950 | £5,400–£9,600/yr |
| 100 users | £300 | $1,200–$1,900 | £10,800–£19,200/yr |
A 10-person team on BASIC costs just £30/month.
That's £360/year for full CRM, project management, field service, and invoicing. No per-feature charges. No tier upgrades. No surprise invoices.
£3/user/month — forever.
£0
Setup fees
£0
Training costs
£0
Consultant fees
Enterprise software often costs 5–20x its sticker price once you factor in implementation consultants, training programmes, admin hires, and ongoing customisation. BASIC has none of that. Sign up and start working in minutes.
Pros & cons
BASIC
Strengths
- CRM, projects, field service, and invoicing in one product
- Flat £3/user/month with no minimums
- No need to buy separate products for CRM
- Field service tools included (Monday.com has none)
- Invoicing built in at no extra cost
- Simple and fast to set up
Limitations
- No built-in automations or workflow builder
- Smaller integration ecosystem
- Fewer project views (no Gantt chart)
- No time tracking features
Monday.com
Strengths
- Highly flexible and customisable boards
- Built-in automations and workflow builder
- Wide range of project views (Kanban, Gantt, timeline, calendar)
- Large integration marketplace
- Strong collaboration features (docs, whiteboards)
Limitations
- CRM is a separate product with separate pricing
- No field service management
- No invoicing features
- 3-seat minimum means solo users pay for 3
- Feature limits on lower-tier plans
- Can become expensive as team and product needs grow
The verdict
Monday.com is an excellent project management tool with impressive flexibility. If your primary need is managing complex projects with automations, Gantt charts, and deep customisation, it's a strong contender — especially if your team is already comfortable with it.
BASIC is the better choice if you need more than just project management. Having CRM, field service, invoicing, and project tools in a single platform means your team doesn't need to switch between products or pay for multiple subscriptions. And at £3/user/month with no minimums, it's considerably more affordable.
For teams that need a complete business platform rather than a standalone project management tool, BASIC provides more value at a lower price. For teams that need advanced project management features above all else, Monday.com has the edge.
Ready to try the simpler alternative to Monday.com?
Try BASIC free — no credit card required. £3/user/month when you're ready.