Which Is The Best for Client Deliverables? ClickUp vs Asana vs Trello.

Introduction

If you run a marketing agency, I'm sure you already know managing client deliverables is half the battle.

Design mockups, ad copy, SEO reports, campaign calendars. Everything needs to be drafted, reviewed, revised, and approved before they go live. And while your internal team might live comfortably inside ClickUp, Asana, or Trello… your clients don’t.

So, Which of these tools actually helps studios keep client deliverables moving without constant “just checking in” emails?

What other alternatives are there?

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Why Client Deliverables Are Different from Regular Tasks

Project management tools like ClickUp, Asana, Trello are built for internal tasks: assigning work, tracking dependencies, communication, logging time. But marketing agencies need a few extras:

• Feedback loops: Deliverables rarely get approved on the first pass.
• Version control: Creative assets go through multiple revisions.
• Deadlines with big stakes: Miss the campaign launch, and you’ve lost ROI.
• Client visibility: Clients want updates without learning a new system, creating accounts, managing permissions, etc.

Not every tool is built with this in mind.

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First up, ClickUp

The Ups (Strengths)

ClickUp is the like Swiss Army knife of project management. Providing a solid punch with great value.

• Customisation: Views for lists, boards, Gantt, timelines, calendars. Great for agencies juggling content calendars alongside design projects.
• Automations: Auto-move tasks when statuses change, assign reviewers, or trigger Slack updates.
• Docs + tasks in one place: Helpful if you want briefs, deliverables, and tasks in a single thread.

Downs (Weaknesses for Deliverables)

• Learning curve: For clients, ClickUp can feel overwhelming. Too many views, toggles, and fields.
• Setup overhead: To really shine, it needs thoughtful templates and automations. Out of the box, it’s clutter.
• Speed complaints: Larger workspaces sometimes lag, which isn’t fun when you’re on a client call.
• "Public boards" aren't really public: Sharing your work with your clients becomes a little tricky. You can make a view/board public and get a "public link", but your client will still be asked to make an account to view the information. Not the best acceptance rate.

Best Fit

Agencies with in-house teams that love customisation, and the patience to set it up right. Less ideal if you want clients kept in-the-loop.

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Second, Asana

Ups (Strengths)

Asana is polished and structured. That works well for marketing agencies.

• Timelines & dependencies: Great for campaign schedules where one missed task delays everything.
• Reporting dashboards: Show clients progress at a glance (when they do log in 🫣).
• Ease of onboarding: Cleaner UI than ClickUp. Most clients pick it up faster (But why are we having to teach them anything at all?).

Downs Weaknesses for Deliverables

• Paywalls: Advanced features (custom fields, reporting, dependencies) are locked in premium tiers. For agencies, those are often essential.
• Limited creative workflow support: File feedback and versioning feel clunky compared to specialised review tools.
• Client friction: Even with a friendly UI, clients still need a login. Ideally, they shouldn't be asked to log in at all.

Best Fit

Agencies that value structured campaign planning and reporting. Less flexible than ClickUp, but easier to keep tidy.

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Finally, Trello

Ups (Strengths)

Trello is the king of simplicity.

• Visual Kanban boards: Perfect for showing “To Do → Doing → Done” at a glance.
• Low barrier to entry: Clients instantly get it. Drag, drop, done.
• Power-ups: Add calendars, approvals, or integrations as you grow.

Downs (Weaknesses for Deliverables)

• Limited at scale: Complex campaign dependencies or multiple service lines get messy fast.
• Reporting gaps: Not strong at showing “big picture” across clients.
• Reliance on power-ups: The free tier feels thin. By the time you add everything, costs can rival Asana or ClickUp.

Best Fit

Agencies that need lightweight, client-friendly boards for simple deliverables. Great for freelancers or boutique teams, less so for scaling agencies.

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Here’s a quick reference table for studios:

Feature	ClickUp	Asana	Trello
Ease of Client Use	Low (overwhelming)	Medium (clean but still a login)	High (clients “get it” instantly)
Best For Campaign Planning	Medium	High	Low
Feedback & Approvals	Strong (custom workflows)	Decent (attachments + comments)	Basic (cards + comments only)
Reporting / Dashboards	Medium	High	Low
Setup Effort	High	Medium	Low
Scalability	High	High	Low–Medium
Cost Efficiency	Good free plan, pricier as you scale	Pricier tiers, but polished	Free is usable; add-ons cost

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Key Questions to Ask as a Studio

When deciding which tool to use, it helps to reframe the choice around deliverables, not features.

Ask yourself:

• Do my clients need to log in, or can I keep them updated another way?
• Do we prioritise speed of setup, or long-term scalability?
• Is reporting for clients more important than ease for my team?
• Are feedback loops the bottleneck in our workflow? Or scheduling?

The answers will guide which platform makes sense.

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Where Studios Usually Struggle

Most marketing studios we’ve spoken with say the biggest friction is client adoption. You can build the cleanest board in ClickUp, but if your client won’t log in, it doesn’t matter.

That’s why so many studios revert to:

• Email threads
• Shared Google Docs
• Spreadsheet trackers

The result? Missed comments, duplicate work, outdated versions.

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Our Take: Which Tool Works Best?

• If your studio is scaling fast: ClickUp gives you the flexibility, but be ready to invest in templates and training.
• If you want polished campaigns and reporting: Asana is strong, especially for studios juggling multiple ongoing retainer projects.
• If you want client-friendly simplicity: Trello wins, especially for studios that value ease of adoption over depth.

But here’s the truth: none of these tools were built purely for client deliverables. They’re project management platforms first. Deliverables and feedback are almost bolted on.

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Conclusion

ClickUp, Asana, and Trello each have their place in a marketing agency's toolkit. The right choice depends less on features and more on your client deliverables workflow:

• Do you need power and customisation? → ClickUp.
• Do you need polished timelines and reporting? → Asana.
• Do you need lightweight boards that clients will actually use? → Trello.

But if you’ve ever found yourself thinking “Why won’t clients just log in?” you’re not alone. Agencies across the world face the same struggle. That is exactly why we built Swooche.

Many are now looking beyond traditional PM tools for solutions that put client deliverables front and centre. Because at the end of the day, the best tool isn’t the one with the most features... it’s the one your clients actually get value out of and make your agency the brand of choice.