Map the creative workflow before choosing the tool. Intake forms, briefs, production stages, proofing, approvals and client feedback should each have a clear place, or the team will rebuild the process in chat.
Use monday.com if visual boards, timelines and dashboards matter more than deep agency finance. Its paid plans start from $9, but the free plan is tight: 2 seats, 3 boards, 200 starting items, no guests, no automations and no integrations.
Use ClickUp if you want a flexible creative workspace at a low entry price. It starts free, then $7, and can cover tasks, docs, forms, dashboards, time tracking and proofing; the catch is setup can become fiddly without a clear owner.
Use Asana if adoption and structure are the main risks. It is cleaner than ClickUp for dependencies, cross-team planning and approvals, but the Personal plan is capped at 2 users and creative teams often need Advanced for approvals, proofing, workload and native time tracking.
Use Teamwork if projects need to connect to billable time, retainers, capacity, invoices and profitability. It starts free, then $10.99, but the value is strongest once the agency is ready to run client delivery and commercial reporting in the same system.
Watch the costs that creep in after launch. Seat buckets, automation limits, AI credits, storage caps, guest access and proofing features can matter more than the headline monthly price.