If you've been watching the AI space lately, you've probably noticed that "chat with your tools" is having a moment. The problem is that most of what's out there is too technical, too expensive, or doesn't actually connect to the tools you use every day.

This week, something changed for Trello users.

Michael Pryor (former CEO of Trello) released a Trello MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. In plain English: it's a connector that lets AI assistants actually talk to your Trello boards. Not just describe Trello. Not just give you generic productivity advice. Actually read your boards, find your cards, and take action.

The setup takes about two minutes.

What Is an MCP and why should you care?

You don't need to know what MCP stands for. Here's what it does.

Think of it as a bridge. On one side: your Trello boards, with all their lists, cards, due dates, and comments. On the other side: an AI assistant. The MCP connects them so the AI can see and interact with your actual data.

Until now, making this work required messing around in the terminal. With the connector Michael built, you do it directly inside the Claude desktop app by pasting a URL. No code. No API wrangling. Just clicking "allow," like adding a Power-Up.

How to set it up

1. Download the Claude desktop app (or open it if you already have it)
2. Go to Settings → Connectors
3. Scroll to the bottom and click Add Custom Connector
4. Give it a name (like "Trello") and paste in this URL: https://mcpfortrello.com/mcp
5. Save it. Done.

Once connected, open any chat and ask questions about your boards in plain English. The first time you ask something Trello-related, Claude will find the connector, ask you to confirm access (just like a Power-Up prompt), and get to work.

What can you actually do with it?

Here's what I've personally used it for:

"What cards do I have that are overdue?" Claude reads your boards and surfaces everything past due. No scrolling through seventeen lists. Just an answer.

"Where's that card about [thing I forgot]?" Describe it vaguely. Claude will search for similar terms and track it down.

"What should I be working on next?" It looks across your boards, weighs due dates and context, and gives you a prioritized answer. Not magic, but surprisingly useful.

Review or reflect without the blank-page panic. This is my favorite. Ask Claude to summarize a board you used to track a project or your year. Then ask it to help you spot patterns and figure out what to focus on next. Your Trello board already has all the data — you just need something to help you make sense of it.

Build a board from a conversation. Talk through your goals, then ask Claude to create a matching board. It'll set up lists, add cards, and have something ready. I've used this for trip planning and for organizing my Dungeons & Dragons campaign. It's a fast way to go from "thinking through what I want to do" to "actually having a place to put it."

You don't have to be technical

I want to be direct about this: you do not need to know what MCP stands for. You do not need to understand how the connector works under the hood.

You paste a URL into a settings screen, then have a conversation. If you can write a Slack message, you can do this.

About the author

I'm Britt, and I've been obsessed with Trello for over a decade. I help people build smarter workflows through my weekly newsletter, my YouTube channel, and my book on Trello. If you're trying to get more out of Trello (or just trying to feel less buried by it) let's keep in touch.

Running a SaaS business means managing a lot of moving parts: leads, partnerships, support tickets, onboarding emails. In our early days at ProBackup, we tried to stay on top of it all with spreadsheets and in-house built tools. It didn’t take long before things started slipping through the cracks.

We needed something simple and reliable to keep track of our customer relationships, without committing to a massive tool or long onboarding process. That’s when we found HubSpot’s Free CRM.

The Mess Before the CRM

If you’ve ever:

• Lost track of who followed up with which lead
• Had two team members contact the same prospect
• Missed a sales opportunity because someone forgot to reply

…you’re not alone. We’ve been there too.

The problem wasn’t our effort. It was our tools. Keeping everything in sync without a proper CRM was just not scalable.

Why We Chose HubSpot’s Free CRM

We didn’t want to spend weeks setting up a tool. HubSpot was quick to try, free to start, and did what we needed right out of the box. Here’s what stood out for us:

1. One Place for Everything

We imported our contacts, connected our inboxes, and instantly had a central view of who we were talking to, what we last discussed, and what needed to happen next.

2. Clear Visual Pipeline

The drag-and-drop board helped us finally see where our deals were. It was like Kanban for sales, which felt familiar and intuitive.

3. Built-In Productivity

We use the tasks, reminders, and email templates daily. It’s made it way easier to follow up without things falling through the cracks.

4. It Just Plays Nice

It connects with Gmail, Google Calendar, and the other tools we already use, so there’s no context switching or copy-pasting.

Getting Started Took Less Than 10 Minutes

• Created an account
• Imported a CSV of contacts
• Set up deal stages
• Added teammates
• Started logging emails and calls automatically

We’re still using the free plan, and it’s doing what we need.

Final Thought

CRMs can feel like overkill if you’re a small team, but trust us, waiting too long to get organized will cost you more. HubSpot’s Free CRM was the low-friction tool we needed to get our sales and support in order. If you’re juggling leads in your head or chasing conversations across inboxes, give it a try. No pressure, no pitch... just sharing what’s worked for us.

Click here to sign up for HubSpot’s Free CRM

‍

Why this guide matters for Asana users

Asana is mission-critical for teams managing project timelines, task ownership, client deliverables, approval chains, and cross-functional programmes. For many organisations, it quietly becomes the source of truth for how work actually gets done... which makes data loss less of a theoretical problem and more of a when, not if.

This comprehensive guide shows you:

✓ How to safely delete and restore data in Asana

✓ What Asana's native recovery can and cannot do

✓ How to prevent permanent data loss

✓ A complete backup strategy for business continuity

Who this guide is for:

• IT Administrators managing Asana for their company
• Project Managers responsible for team workflows
• Operations Managers protecting business-critical data
• Compliance Officers ensuring data retention requirements

‍👉 Start your 7-day free trial at ProBackup: https://app.probackup.io/onboarding

Understanding Asana's data structure

The hierarchy of Asana data

Asana is organised as a pyramid: Each level is the building block of the one above it. Deletion cascades downward: removing a container removes everything inside it.

Asana Data Hierarchy:

Organisation / Workspace
└── Team
   └── Project
       ├── Section
       │   ├── Task
       │   │   ├── Subtask
       │   │   ├── Comments
       │   │   ├── Attachments
       │   │   └── Custom field values
       │   └── Task (multi-homed: can belong to multiple projects)
       └── Custom fields (global or project-level)
   Portfolio
   Goals

Important: Deleting a Project removes:

❌ All Sections inside it

❌ All Tasks and Subtasks (unless they are multi-homed in another project)

❌ All comments and communication history on those tasks

❌ All file attachments

❌ All custom field values for tasks within that project

❌ All task dependencies and timeline data

⚠️ Multi-homing note: Asana allows a single task to live in multiple projects simultaneously. If a task is multi-homed, deleting one project removes the task from that project, but the task still exists in any other projects it belongs to. This can be a lifesaver, or a source of confusion, depending on how your workspace is structured.

⚠️ Before removing a team member: Reassign their tasks before deprovisioning their account. Tasks without an owner can fall out of filtered views and scheduled reports, creating silent gaps in your project data.

How to archive and delete data in Asana

Best practice: Archive vs. Delete

🟢 Archive: Recommended in almost all cases

• Removes the project from active views without deleting any data
• Preserves all tasks, comments, attachments, and history indefinitely
• Can be restored at any time
• No countdown clock, no risk of permanent loss

🔴 Delete: Use with extreme caution

• For tasks: moves to a recoverable deleted state for 30 days, then permanently erased
• For projects: triggers an immediate recovery email to the deleting user. If that email is missed, recovery becomes harder
• Comments, certain attachments, and custom field data have no native recovery path once permanently deleted

How to archive a project

1. Navigate to the project in your sidebar
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to the project name
3. Select Archive project
4. The project is removed from active views but fully preserved

To unarchive: use Advanced Search or browse your team's project list → find the archived project → click the dropdown arrow → Unarchive project

How to delete a task

1. Open the task pane
2. Click the three-dot menu (...) in the top-right corner
3. Select Delete task
4. Confirm the prompt
5. Task enters a deleted state =recoverable for 30 days via Advanced Search

How to delete a project

1. Navigate to the project
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to the project name
3. Select Delete project
4. Confirm the deletion
5. Asana sends an automated recovery email to the user who performed the deletion

⚠️ Critical: The project recovery email goes to the deleting user only. If that person is unavailable, has left the company, or misses the email, your next recovery option is Advanced Search. Make sure at least one admin knows to check for this email immediately whenever a project deletion occurs.

How to delete a section

1. Click the three-dot menu (...) next to the section name
2. Select Delete section
3. A prompt appears asking what to do with the tasks inside: delete them or move them to another section

⚠️ Warning: This is the most common source of accidental bulk task loss in Asana. The prompt is easy to dismiss without reading carefully. Selecting "delete tasks" removes every item in the section at once with no additional confirmation step. Always choose "move tasks" unless you have explicitly verified every task in that section is safe to delete.

How to delete a custom field from a project

1. Click the dropdown arrow next to the custom field name in the project header
2. Select Delete field from project
3. Confirm the action

⚠️ Warning: This removes the field and all its values from every task in the project. There is no selective undo within Asana. Export the project to CSV before deleting any custom field you are not completely certain about.

How to restore data in Asana

Immediate recovery (within seconds of deletion)

Toast notification: Immediately after any deletion, a notification appears at the bottom-left of the screen with an Undo option. This window lasts approximately 15 seconds.

Undelete button in task pane: If a task was deleted while its pane was still open, an Undelete button remains visible until you navigate away.

Both options disappear the moment you move to another view. They are useful only for mistakes caught in the same instant they happen.

Restoring deleted tasks (within 30 days)

1. Click the Search bar at the top of the workspace
2. Select Advanced Search
3. In the filters, find the Deleted status filter and set it to Deleted
4. Narrow results further by assignee, project, or modification date
5. Locate the task and click Restore in the task pane

Restoring deleted projects

Method 1: Recovery email (fastest):

1. Check the inbox of the person who deleted the project
2. Asana sends an automated email with a unique recovery link
3. Click the link to restore the project immediately

Method 2: Advanced Search:

1. Open Advanced Search
2. Filter by Projects with a Deleted status
3. Locate the project and restore it from the search results

⚠️ If the deleting user is unavailable: Ensure at least one workspace admin knows how to access Advanced Search for deleted projects before this situation arises.

Trash retention and restoration summary

What can't be restored natively in Asana

Asana's immediate undo options and 30-day recovery window are useful for catching recent, individual mistakes. They have critical gaps that cause permanent data loss in practice.

1. Comments are gone immediately

There is no recovery path for deleted task comments in Asana — no trash, no 30-day window. The moment a comment is deleted, it is permanently gone. For teams that use task comments to record decisions, client approvals, or project context, this is a significant exposure.

2. Custom field data is gone immediately when a field is deleted

Deleting a custom field removes its stored values from every task in the project simultaneously. This cannot be undone within Asana. If the field was tracking status, priority, categorisation, or any other structured data across hundreds of tasks, that information is gone.

3. No version history or rollback

Asana's activity log shows that a field value changed and who changed it. It does not let you roll back those changes at scale. If a third-party integration pushes incorrect data, an AI-driven workflow updates the wrong set of tasks, or a bulk import maps to the wrong fields, you can see what happened in the activity log — but reversing it manually across a large project is not practical.

Common causes of silent data corruption:

• A bulk CSV import maps columns incorrectly and overwrites due dates, assignees, or custom field values across hundreds of tasks
• An automation rule fires on a broader set of tasks than intended and changes status or field values
• Asana AI Studio builds and executes a workflow that updates tasks at scale based on an ambiguous instruction
• Asana AI Teammates (in beta) are assigned work and modify task fields or status without direct human review of each change
• A third-party integration syncs incorrectly and writes wrong values to task fields

None of these are deletions, so they do not appear in Asana's trash. The activity log records what changed, but reversing it in bulk is not a native capability.

4. The 30-day hard cutoff

Tasks and projects deleted more than 30 days ago are permanently gone. Asana does not offer an extended window, and there is no way to request recovery from their support team after the cutoff.

5. What Asana support can and cannot do

Common data loss scenarios & solutions

Scenario 1: "Someone deleted the wrong project with months of client work"

What happened: A project manager was cleaning up old projects and deleted an active client project instead of a test one. The deletion was noticed 2 weeks later.

Native solution:

‍✓ Check the inbox of the person who deleted the project for the automated Asana recovery email

✓ If the email is found: click the recovery link, the project and all its tasks are restored immediately

✓ If the email is not found: go to Advanced Search → filter by Projects → Deleted → restore

✓ Must be done within 30 days

If it happened 31+ days ago:

‍✗ The project is permanently gone

✗ Asana support cannot recover it

✗ Must reconstruct from exports, emails, or memory

Scenario 2: "A section was deleted and took 80 tasks with it"

What happened: A team member deleted a section during a project restructure. The prompt appeared and they selected "delete tasks" instead of "move tasks" without reading carefully. 80 tasks are gone.

Native solution:

‍✓ If caught immediately: Undo toast notification (within ~15 seconds)

✓ If caught within 30 days: Advanced Search → Deleted filter → restore individual tasks

✗ Restoring 80 individual tasks manually is time-consuming and error-prone

✗ Any comments on those tasks are permanently gone even if the tasks are restored

Scenario 3: "All comments on our tasks were deleted"

What happened: A team member deleted comment threads across 50 tasks in a project, removing all decision history, client approval records, and context notes.

Native solution:

‍✗ Deleted comments have no recovery path in Asana

✗ There is no trash for comments (deletion is immediate and permanent)

✗ Asana support cannot recover deleted comments

Impact:

• Lost proof of client approvals and decisions
• No context for why tasks were structured a certain way
• Team must reconstruct context from email or memory

Scenario 4: "An AI Studio workflow updated tasks incorrectly across a whole project"

What happened: An Asana AI Studio workflow was built to update task statuses and assignees based on a trigger condition. The instruction was ambiguous and the workflow updated 300 tasks with incorrect status values before anyone noticed.

Native solution:

‍✗ Tasks were modified, not deleted: Advanced Search and recovery emails don't help

✗ Activity log confirms the changes occurred but cannot revert them at scale

✗ No version rollback mechanism exists in Asana

✗ Manual correction of 300 tasks: hours of work

Scenario 5: "A custom field was deleted and took categorisation data with it"

What happened: An admin deleted a custom "Client Priority" field while restructuring a project template. The field had been used to categorise tasks across 4 projects, and the data is now gone from every task.

Native solution:

‍✗ Custom field deletion removes values from all tasks immediately and irreversibly in Asana

✗ There is no trash or recovery path for deleted custom field data

✗ Asana support cannot recover it

Scenario 6: "A departing employee deleted all their projects before leaving"

What happened: A team lead with admin-level access deleted 7 projects before their last day. The project recovery emails were sent to their now-deactivated inbox.

Native solution:

‍✗ Recovery emails went to the deleted user's inbox =inaccessible

✗ Advanced Search can locate the deleted projects within 30 days: Act immediately

✓ Another admin using Advanced Search may be able to restore within the 30-day window

✗ After 30 days: permanently gone

✗ No way to prevent the email going exclusively to the deleting user

Quick reference: "I lost important data in Asana... what should I do?"

Summary: Why native recovery isn't enough for professional teams

Asana's immediate undo options and 30-day trash are designed to catch recent, individual mistakes — not to serve as a disaster recovery plan for a business-critical work management system.

Compliance & data retention

Data retention requirements by industry

GDPR Compliance: the "Right to Be Forgotten"

When an EU citizen requests deletion of their personal data, you must delete it from production systems and backups, and document it within 30 days.

How this works with Asana + ProBackup:

Step 1: Delete user data from Asana: Remove the person from the workspace, delete or reassign tasks associated with them, and remove personal data from task descriptions and custom fields.

Step 2: Request deletion from ProBackup — open a support ticket specifying the user and date range. ProBackup purges that data from backup storage.

Step 3: Export a deletion certificate from ProBackup for your GDPR compliance documentation.

👉 Read our full GDPR guide: Handling GDPR Deletion Requests in Your Backup System

SOC 2 & ISO 27001: what auditors look for

Protect your Asana data today

Don't wait for a data loss disaster to implement backup. As Asana expands its AI capabilities — with AI Studio building and executing multi-step workflows, and AI Teammates taking action on tasks as genuine collaborators — the number of ways data can change at scale without a human reviewing each step keeps growing. A single misconfigured workflow can update hundreds of tasks before anyone notices. The activity log will show it happened. Getting back to where you were is a different problem entirely.

ProBackup gives you:

✓ Automated daily backups of all your Asana data

✓ Unlimited retention (no 30-day expiration)

✓ Point-in-time recovery (restore from any date)

✓ Granular restore (one task, one project, or everything)

✓ Google Drive sync (you own your data)

✓ SOC 2 Type II certified (enterprise-ready)

✓ 5-minute setup (no technical knowledge needed)

‍👉 Start your 7-day free trial at ProBackup: https://app.probackup.io/onboarding

Why this guide matters for HubSpot users

HubSpot is mission-critical for teams managing contact databases, sales pipelines, support tickets, and marketing automation. For many companies, it has become a full system of record, not just a CRM. Contact histories, deal pipelines, support tickets, and marketing sequences all accumulate there, and so does the risk that something important disappears without anyone noticing until it's too late.

This comprehensive guide shows you:

✓ How to safely delete and restore data in HubSpot

✓ What HubSpot's native recovery can and can't do

✓ How to prevent permanent data loss

✓ A complete backup strategy for business continuity

Who this guide is for:

• IT Administrators managing HubSpot for their company
• Sales and Revenue Operations Managers protecting pipeline data
• Marketing Operations teams responsible for contact databases
• Compliance Officers ensuring data retention requirements

‍👉 Start your 7-day free trial at ProBackup: https://app.probackup.io/onboarding

Understanding HubSpot's data structure

The building blocks of HubSpot data

HubSpot organises everything around objects, records, properties, and associations. Before deleting anything, it helps to understand how these connect — because deleting a record typically removes its associated activities and interactions along with it.

HubSpot Data Model:

Account (Portal)
├── CRM Objects
│   ├── Contacts
│   │   ├── Properties (email, name, lifecycle stage…)
│   │   ├── Associations (linked Companies, Deals, Tickets)
│   │   └── Activities (calls, emails, notes, meetings, tasks)
│   ├── Companies
│   ├── Deals
│   ├── Tickets
│   ├── Leads
│   └── Custom Objects
├── Sales Assets
│   ├── Products & Line Items
│   └── Quotes
├── Marketing Assets
│   ├── Email templates
│   ├── Forms
│   └── Campaigns
└── Automation
   ├── Workflows
   └── Sequences

Important: Deleting a CRM record removes:

❌ All property values stored on that record

❌ All associated activities (calls, notes, emails, meetings, tasks)

❌ All associations to other records (Company links, Deal links)

❌ The record's full interaction timeline

❌ Any enrollment history in sequences tied to that record

⚠️ Key difference from project tools: HubSpot is a relational system. Unlike monday.com or ClickUp where deletion cascades downward through a hierarchy, HubSpot deletions cascade outward through associations. Deleting a Contact doesn't delete the associated Company — but it does sever all the relationship data between them.

⚠️ Before removing a user: Always reassign their contact and deal ownership first. Records left without an owner can disappear from filtered views and lead rotation rules, causing silent data problems that are hard to diagnose later.

How to delete data in HubSpot

HubSpot offers two types of deletion, and choosing the wrong one has very different consequences.

🟢 Restorable delete: Recommended in almost all cases

• Moves the record to the Recycle Bin with a 90-day recovery window
• All property values and activity history are preserved during that window
• Can be reversed by any user with the right permissions
• The default behaviour when clicking Delete on a record

🔴 Permanent delete: Use only for GDPR compliance

• Immediately and irreversibly removes the record with no recovery window
• Intended specifically for data subject deletion requests
• Cannot be undone under any circumstances, not even by HubSpot support

How to delete an individual record

• Navigate to the relevant object index page (Contacts, Companies, Deals, Tickets, etc.)
• Open the specific record
• Click the Actions dropdown in the left panel
• Select Delete
• Choose between restorable or permanent deletion
• Confirm the action

How to delete multiple records (bulk delete)

• Go to the object index page (e.g., Contacts)
• Select the checkboxes next to the records you want to delete
• Click Delete in the top header row
• HubSpot will ask you to type the number of records to confirm

⚠️ Warning: Bulk deletion moves fast and provides no preview of what associated activities (calls, notes, logged emails) will be removed alongside each record. Before bulk deleting any segment of contacts with meaningful engagement history, open a sample of records manually to understand what will be lost.

How to set up automated deletion (Pro and Enterprise only)

• Go to Automations → Workflows
• Set your enrollment trigger (e.g., lifecycle stage, inactivity date, subscription status)
• Add the Delete Contact action
• Test on a small, manually verified segment before enabling for your full database

How to restore deleted data in HubSpot

HubSpot's Recycle Bin holds restorable-deleted records for 90 days. After that, the data is permanently gone with no recovery option.

How to restore CRM records from the Recycle Bin

1. Go to the index page of the relevant object (e.g., Contacts, Deals)
2. Click the Actions dropdown in the top-right corner of the index page
3. Select Restore records
4. Browse or search for the records you want to recover
5. Select them and confirm the restoration

How to restore deleted activities (calls, notes, tasks)

1. Navigate to the record where the activity existed
2. Open the activity timeline
3. Click the Actions menu within the timeline
4. Select Restore Activity
5. Use the date filter to locate the specific engagement

How to restore a deleted workflow

1. Go to Automations → Workflows
2. Click the Deleted tab
3. Find the workflow and select Clone to recover its logic

⚠️ Critical limitation: Cloning a deleted workflow restores the automation logic only. The enrollment history — which contacts went through it, what actions were taken, and what data was written — is permanently gone. If the workflow had been running for months, that historical context cannot be recovered by any means.

Restoration options and retention summary

What can't be restored natively in HubSpot

HubSpot's Recycle Bin is one of the more generous native recovery tools in SaaS — 90 days is longer than most platforms offer. But there are critical gaps that cause real data loss in practice.

1. No rollback for overwritten property values

HubSpot stores property history, so you can see that a deal stage changed on a specific date and what it changed from. What you cannot do is roll back those changes at scale.

If a bad import overwrites the Industry field on 4,000 contacts, or an automation updates deal values incorrectly across an entire pipeline, property history tells you it happened — but it does not give you a mechanism to reverse it. You would have to re-import from a pre-change export or manually correct every affected record.

Common causes:

• A bulk import maps to the wrong column and overwrites existing data across hundreds of records
• An automation workflow fires on unintended records and changes lifecycle stage, deal value, or custom properties
• HubSpot's Breeze AI agents update contact properties, resolve duplicates, or enrol records in sequences at scale — with a misworded prompt reaching thousands of records before anyone notices
• A third-party integration syncs incorrectly and pushes wrong values to critical fields
• A list-based bulk update is applied to a broader segment than intended

None of these are deletions, so they don't appear in the Recycle Bin. Property history shows the change occurred — but reversing it manually at any meaningful scale is not realistic.

2. Workflow enrollment history is permanently gone

When a workflow is deleted, the record of which contacts went through it, what actions were taken, and what data was written is gone with it. The workflow structure can be cloned, but the historical execution data cannot be recovered under any circumstances.

3. The 90-day hard cutoff

Records deleted more than 90 days ago are permanently gone. There is no extended window, no archive tier, and no escalation path through HubSpot support. Ninety days sounds like a comfortable buffer, until someone discovers a deletion from three months ago that nobody flagged at the time.

4. Permanent delete has no safety net

Records deleted using the permanent option bypass the Recycle Bin entirely. If permanent delete is applied to a broader segment than intended (or used by mistake) there is no recovery path, not even for HubSpot's own support team.

5. What HubSpot support can and cannot do

✅ Can do:

• Advise on using the Recycle Bin and property history
• Investigate if data loss was caused by a platform bug
• Sometimes restore data if a verified system error caused the deletion (rare)

❌ Cannot do:

• Recover records deleted more than 90 days ago
• Rrestore permanently deleted records
• Roll back bulk property changes made by workflows, imports, or AI agents
• Recover workflow enrollment history; undo changes to records that were modified but not deleted

Common data loss scenarios & solutions

Scenario 1: "A rep accidentally deleted 200 contacts from a campaign segment"

What happened: A sales rep was cleaning up a list and bulk-deleted 200 contacts, including several with active deal associations. Nobody noticed for 5 weeks.

Native solution:

‍✓ Go to the Contacts index page → Actions → Restore records

‍✓ Find and select the deleted contacts → Restore

✓ All property values and activity history return with them

✓ Must be done within 90 days

If it happened 91+ days ago:

‍✗ Records are permanently gone

✗ HubSpot support cannot recover them

✗ Must rebuild from exports, emails, or memory

Scenario 2: "A bad import overwrote the Industry field on thousands of contacts"

What happened: A marketing ops team imported a list with a mismatched column mapping. The Industry field on 3,800 contacts was overwritten with incorrect values. Nobody caught it for 10 days.

Native solution:

‍✗ Records weren't deleted: They exist in the Recycle Bin only for deleted records, not modified ones

✗ Property history confirms the change happened and shows the old values: one record at a time

✗ No bulk rollback mechanism in HubSpot

✗ Must manually re-import from a pre-change export (if one exists) or correct records one by one

Time to fix manually: Days

Scenario 3: "An automation workflow deleted contacts it wasn't supposed to"

What happened: A cleanup workflow intended to delete inactive contacts had a trigger condition that was too broad. It enrolled and deleted 900 contacts from active accounts before the error was spotted.

Native solution:⚠️ If within 90 days: contacts can be restored from the Recycle Bin

✓ Go to Contacts index → Actions → Restore records → restore the affected contacts

✗ But: the workflow enrollment history showing which contacts went through what is gone

✗ And: if the workflow had also triggered downstream actions (sequences, notifications), those cannot be reversed

Scenario 4: "HubSpot's Breeze AI agent updated the wrong contact properties"

What happened: A Breeze AI agent was configured to enrich contact records with firmographic data. An ambiguous prompt caused it to overwrite existing, verified values, including lifecycle stage and deal owner, on 1,200 records before the error was identified.

Native solution:

‍✗ These are property updates, not deletions — the Recycle Bin is irrelevant

✗ Property history shows each change, but reviewing and reverting 1,200 records manually is not realistic

✗ No bulk rollback mechanism exists in HubSpot

✗ No way to "undo" AI agent actions at scale

Scenario 5: "We need to prove what a deal looked like at the time of contract signing"

What happened: A client disputes the deal terms from 8 months ago. You need to show the deal record (i.e. stage, value, associated contacts, and timeline notes) exactly as it appeared on the date of signature.

Native solution:

‍✗ If the deal still exists: property history shows individual field changes but not the full record state at a given moment

✗ If the deal was deleted more than 90 days ago: it is permanently gone

✗ No way to produce a snapshot of "what this deal looked like on a specific date" from HubSpot natively

Scenario 6: "A departing employee permanently deleted their contact records"

What happened: A sales rep deleted all their contacts using permanent delete before their last day. The data is immediately and irreversibly gone from HubSpot.

Native solution:

‍✗ Permanent delete bypasses the Recycle Bin — there is no 90-day window

✗ HubSpot support cannot recover permanently deleted records

✗ No audit trail showing what data existed before deletion

Quick reference: "I lost data in HubSpot... what should I do?"

Summary: Why HubSpot's native tools aren't enough for professional teams

HubSpot's Recycle Bin is one of the better native recovery tools in SaaS — but it was built to catch individual, recent mistakes. It is not a backup strategy for a system of record.

Compliance & data retention

Data retention requirements by industry

GDPR Compliance: the "Right to Be Forgotten"

When an EU citizen requests deletion of their personal data, you must delete it from production systems and from backups, and document it within 30 days.

How this works with HubSpot + ProBackup:

Step 1: Delete the contact from HubSpot using permanent delete: This removes the record from production with no retention window, as required for a GDPR erasure request.

Step 2: Request deletion from ProBackup : Open a support ticket specifying the contact and date range. ProBackup purges that data from backup storage.

Step 3: Export a deletion certificate from ProBackup for your GDPR compliance documentation.

👉 Read our full GDPR guide: Handling GDPR Deletion Requests in Your Backup System

SOC 2 & ISO 27001: what auditors look for

How AI increases the need for external backups

The case for SaaS backups used to rest mostly on human error: a rep deletes the wrong contact, an admin runs an import without checking the field mapping, someone bulk-updates the wrong segment. That still happens. But with AI becoming a standard feature inside CRMs, the risk landscape has changed.

HubSpot's Breeze Agents can enrich records, update properties, and take action across your database without a human doing it manually. That is the point of them. It is also why a misconfiguration or an ambiguous instruction can now affect thousands of records before anyone sees it. These changes show up in property history, not the recycle bin. You can see that they happened, but rolling them back manually at any meaningful scale is not a realistic option.

The only reliable safeguard is a versioned, external backup that lets you compare what your CRM looks like today with what it looked like before the change happened. HubSpot is a well-built product, but it was designed for running customer operations, not for providing full version control over its data. The gap between those two things is where third-party backups matter.

Protect your HubSpot data today

Don't wait for a data loss disaster to implement backup. HubSpot has grown from a marketing tool into a full system of record for revenue operations — and as it adds more AI capabilities through Breeze Agents, the number of ways data can change at scale without direct human input keeps growing. A single misconfigured agent or automation can update thousands of records before anyone notices. Property history will confirm it happened. Getting back to where you were is a different problem.

ProBackup gives you:

✓ Automated daily backups of all your HubSpot data

✓ Unlimited retention (no 90-day expiration)

✓ Point-in-time recovery (restore any record to any past date)

✓ Granular restore (one contact, one deal, or your entire CRM)

✓ Google Drive sync (you own your data)

✓ SOC 2 Type II certified (enterprise-ready)

✓ 5-minute setup (no technical knowledge needed)

‍👉 Start your 7-day free trial at ProBackup: https://app.probackup.io/onboarding

ClickUp aims to be the "one app to replace them all". It offers a broad range of project management features such as task managent, time tracking, goals and since recently it has also launched ClickUp Chat. ClickUp Chat lets you send messages to your team members without leaving the app. In this article, we’ll explain what ClickUp Chat is, how to use it, and how it compares to Slack and other tools.

What is ClickUp Chat?

ClickUp Chat is a built-in chat feature in ClickUp. It lets you talk to your team without needing another app like Slack. You can send messages, share files, and even create tasks straight from your conversation. This makes it easier to keep track of discussions and get work done in one place.

How to Use ClickUp Chat

ClickUp Chat is super easy to use. You can:

• Open a chat view to talk with your team.
• Use @mentions to get someone’s attention.
• Share links and files.
• Turn messages into tasks with one click.
• React to messages with emojis.

Is ClickUp Chat Free?

Yes! ClickUp Chat is included in all paid plans and even in the Free Forever plan. Unlike Slack, which deletes old messages after 90 days on the free plan, ClickUp keeps all your messages.

ClickUp Chat vs. Slack: What’s the Difference?

Slack is a great chat tool with advanced features, but ClickUp Chat is better if you want to keep your messages connected to your tasks. A big plus of ClickUp chat is that it keeps all chat messages, even if you're using the free plan. Slack on the other hand deletes messages after 90 days on the free version. Here's a comparison of some of the key features:

Can share files?

• ClickUp: ✅ Yes
• Slack:  ✅ Yes

Has an advanced text editor (e.g. quotes, code blocks, etc)

• ClickUp: ✅ Yes
• Slack:  ✅ Yes

Allows to have threads within a channel?

• ClickUp: ✅ Yes
• Slack:  ✅ Yes

Works with task management?

• ClickUp: ✅ Yes
• Slack: ❌ No

Do old messages remain available?

• ClickUp: ✅ Yes, all messages are kept
• Slack: ❌ No, messages are deleted after 90 days

Doesn't require a separate app & license?

• ClickUp: ✅ Yes
• Slack: ❌ No

Can turn messages into tasks?

• ClickUp: ✅ Yes
• Slack: ❌ No

Do other productivity apps offer similar chat functionality?

Not all productivity apps have a built-in chat like ClickUp. Here’s how some popular tools approach team communication:

• Asana: Instead of live chat, Asana uses task comments to keep discussions tied to specific tasks (which is also possible in ClickUp).
• Trello: Trello doesn’t offer built-in chat, but you can add Slack as a Power-Up to have a closer integration between Trello and Slack. This Power Up allows you to create Trello cards from Slack Conversations.
• Monday.com: It has an Updates section, which works similar to the comments functionality from other apps.  
• Airtable: You can leave comments on records, which is great for context, but there’s no dedicated chat feature.

If chatting in the same place where you manage your work is important to you, ClickUp Chat is a solid option that eliminates the need for third-party messaging tools.

Conclusion

ClickUp Chat is a simple and helpful way to talk to your team without switching apps. You don’t have to worry about losing old messages, and you can even turn chats into tasks. If you want an easy way to chat while keeping work organized, ClickUp Chat is a great choice.

Want to see how it works? Watch this video:

Who this guide is for: Knowledge workers, content teams, project managers, startup operators, and anyone already using — or considering — Notion as their primary workspace. Whether you're new to Notion AI or want to get more out of it, this guide covers everything from the basics to the latest AI features shaping how teams work in 2026.

Notion started as a note-taking tool. Today, it's one of the most powerful AI-connected workspaces on the market — used by over 100 million people across teams at companies like OpenAI, Figma, Ramp, and Nvidia.

If you've been wondering whether Notion AI is worth it, or you're already using it but barely scratching the surface, this guide is for you. We'll cover what Notion AI actually does, where it fits in your workflow, how to get the most out of it, and what the latest AI features mean for how you work.

What Is Notion AI?

Notion AI is an intelligent assistant built directly into your Notion workspace. Unlike standalone AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude, Notion AI has full context of your workspace — your pages, databases, projects, and connected apps — making its output far more relevant to your actual work.

It's not a separate product you switch to. It lives inside the pages and databases you're already using, and you activate it in seconds with a keyboard shortcut or slash command.

What Can Notion AI Help You With?

Notion AI covers a wide range of tasks across writing, organization, analysis, and automation. Here's a breakdown of what's available today:

Writing and content creation: Generate first drafts of blog posts, emails, project briefs, meeting agendas, SOPs, and more. You can prompt it from a blank page or ask it to expand on your bullet points.

Editing and improving existing content: Highlight any text and hit "Ask AI" to fix grammar, improve clarity, change tone (more professional, more concise, more friendly), or rewrite a section entirely.

Summarization: Use the /summarize block to generate an executive overview of any document in seconds. Especially useful for long meeting notes, customer research docs, or lengthy reports.

Action item extraction: Use /action items to extract tasks and commitments from messy notes or call transcripts. Notion AI parses the full context of the page to find what actually needs to happen next.

Brainstorming and ideation: Stuck? Ask Notion AI to generate ideas, write a counter-argument, suggest approaches, or outline a project structure. Give it context about what you're trying to accomplish and it'll generate relevant options.

Translation: Translate content into 10+ languages without switching tools. Useful for global teams or anyone working across language barriers.

Research Mode: Ask Notion AI a research question and it will generate a detailed, structured report — drawing on workspace context plus web knowledge when configured to do so.

Database automation (Autofill): Use AI to auto-populate database properties. For example, automatically generate a summary of a meeting note, categorize a CRM entry, or write a description for a project card.

Where Can You Use Notion AI?

Notion AI is available throughout the platform:

Pages and Docs — Press Space on any new line to start generating, or highlight text and select "Ask AI" to edit. Use /AI to insert AI blocks that pull context from the whole page.

Databases — Use Autofill to have AI automatically populate properties like summaries, categories, statuses, or descriptions. Great for project trackers, CRM entries, and content calendars.

Meeting Notes — AI Meeting Notes can capture and transcribe meetings from Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams — automatically generating summaries, key decisions, and next steps without a bot joining the call.

Enterprise Search — Search across not just Notion, but connected tools like Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Jira, Linear, Microsoft Teams, and Gmail — all from one place. Find answers without jumping between apps.

Notion Mail — Notion's email client (launched April 2025) uses AI to auto-label messages, suggest replies, and link email context directly to workspace projects.

The Biggest AI Feature Update: Notion Agents

The most significant evolution in Notion AI is the introduction of Notion Agents — autonomous AI that doesn't just assist, but executes.

Your personal Notion Agent can work autonomously for up to 20 minutes, completing multi-step tasks across your entire workspace. Tell it what you need in plain language and it gets to work: building project plans, compiling research from multiple pages, drafting reports, updating database entries at scale, or creating interconnected page structures.

Custom Agents (available on Business and Enterprise plans) take this further — you can build agents that run on schedules or triggers without any human input. Examples include:

• An agent that automatically compiles daily user feedback from Slack and support tickets into a Notion database
• A weekly status update agent that pulls from project databases and posts a summary to a Notion page
• An IT triage agent that categorizes and routes helpdesk requests as they come in

Custom Agents are priced on a credit model (free to try through May 2026, then $10 per 1,000 credits on Business and Enterprise plans).

How to Access Notion AI: 3 Methods

1. Highlight and Ask AISelect any existing text, click "Ask AI," then choose from the dropdown or write a custom prompt. Best for editing, improving, or transforming content you've already written.

2. Use the /AI slash commandType /AI on any page to insert an AI block — summarize, action items, or custom content. These blocks use the full page context to generate relevant output and can be saved in templates.

3. Press Space on a new lineOpen a fresh canvas with the spacebar to start generating new content from a prompt. Best for drafting from scratch.

How to Write a Prompt That Gets Good Results

The quality of Notion AI's output depends heavily on how specific your prompt is. Here are the principles that consistently produce better results:

Start with a clear goal. What exactly do you want? Don't say "write about our Q2 campaign." Say "write a one-paragraph summary of our Q2 marketing campaign goals for the executive section of a board update. Tone: professional. Length: 100 words max."

Provide context. Include relevant background — who the audience is, what the document is for, what format you need.

Specify tone and length. AI will default to a neutral, fairly long response. If you need something concise, or something written in a casual voice, say so explicitly.

Iterate. Don't expect the first output to be final. Respond to Notion AI with refinements: "make this shorter," "make the tone warmer," "add a bullet list of action items at the end."

Notion AI vs. Other AI Writing Tools

Notion AI is purpose-built for workspace productivity, which makes it different from general-purpose AI assistants:

The key differentiator: Notion AI knows your workspace. When you ask it to summarize a project brief, it's reading your brief — not generating something generic. That context gap is why Notion AI often outperforms standalone tools for work that lives inside Notion.

Pricing: What Plan Do You Need for AI?

Notion AI availability changed significantly in May 2025. Here's how it breaks down today:

Free plan: Includes a limited trial of Notion AI (roughly 20 responses). You cannot purchase AI as a standalone add-on on this tier.

Plus plan ($10/user/month annually): Also includes a limited AI trial only. Full AI features not available.

Business plan ($20/user/month annually): Full Notion AI access included: Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes, Enterprise Search, multi-model AI, and Custom Agents (credit-based). This is the minimum plan for teams that want to use AI seriously.

Enterprise: Custom pricing with additional security controls (SCIM, audit logs, zero data retention with LLM providers, HIPAA compliance).

Is it worth it? If your team already uses Notion heavily for documentation and project management, the Business plan is a strong value. Notion AI at $20/user/month includes access to multiple leading AI models (currently including GPT-4o, Claude, and others), Notion Agent, AI Meeting Notes, and Enterprise Search. Compare that to managing separate ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, and search tools — each at $20/month — and Notion consolidates all of that with workspace context included.

Real-World Use Cases by Team Type

Content and marketing teams: Use Notion AI to draft blog outlines, write first passes of copy, repurpose existing content into social posts, or summarize customer research into key themes. AI Meeting Notes automatically captures post-mortems and campaign reviews.

Product and engineering teams: Auto-generate PRDs from bullet-point notes, extract requirements from stakeholder feedback threads, summarize sprint notes, and use Custom Agents to triage product feedback from connected tools automatically.

Operations and HR teams: Build and maintain SOPs with AI-assisted writing, auto-translate internal documents for global teams, use agents to route onboarding tasks, and generate weekly summaries of cross-functional project status.

Founders and solo operators: Use Notion as a "second brain" — capture meeting notes fast, let AI clean them up and extract actions, build and maintain a personal wiki that AI can query and update on your behalf.

The Data Protection Question: What Happens to Your Notion Data?

As AI features become more deeply embedded in tools like Notion, one question becomes increasingly important: what happens to your data?

Notion is clear that it does not use your content to train AI models. All AI queries are processed with contractual agreements in place with LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, and others) that prohibit training on customer data. Enterprise plans have zero data retention with LLM providers. Data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest.

That said, there's a broader risk that most teams don't think about: what happens to your Notion data if something goes wrong inside the app itself?

Notion's native version history helps with accidental edits (7 days on Free, 30 days on Plus, 90 days on Business). But it doesn't protect you from bulk data loss, accidental deletion of databases, corrupted integrations, or — increasingly relevant — AI agents making mass changes across your workspace that are hard to reverse.

As Notion Agents become more capable of executing changes across hundreds of pages and database entries autonomously, the surface area for unintended data modification grows. This is exactly the scenario where an independent backup matters.

ProBackup provides automated daily backups of your entire Notion workspace — pages, databases, and all their content — with granular item-level restore. If an agent misfires, a bulk delete goes wrong, or a faulty automation corrupts your data, you can roll back precisely without losing everything that happened before or after.

Notion AI Feature Summary

Final Thoughts

Notion AI has matured from a useful writing shortcut into a genuinely capable workspace automation layer. For teams already living in Notion — managing projects, knowledge, and documentation there — the AI features add real leverage at every stage of work.

The introduction of Notion Agents marks a step change in what's possible: moving from AI that helps you write faster to AI that completes multi-step workflows on your behalf. That's a meaningful shift in how productivity software works, and Notion is one of the first platforms to deliver it in a way that's actually integrated into day-to-day work rather than bolted on.

The tradeoffs are real too: the Business plan requirement for full AI access is a meaningful price jump for small teams, and large databases still have performance limitations. But for organizations that want a single platform for knowledge, projects, and AI-powered automation, Notion is a compelling choice.

And as you invest more in Notion as your system of record, don't overlook the importance of protecting what you build. The same AI capabilities that make Notion powerful also introduce new ways for data to change at scale — which makes a reliable backup strategy not just sensible, but essential.

What if you could turn your idea into a fully functional app in seconds? That’s exactly what Airtable’s Cobuilder offers. This exciting update allows users to create no-code apps instantly using AI-generated prompts and Airtable interfaces. In this blog post, we’ll explore how Airtable Cobuilder works, its advantages and limitations, and how it compares to other AI-powered no-code platforms.

What is Airtable Cobuilder?

Airtable is redefining low-code app development with Cobuilder. With just a simple prompt (e.g., "I want an app to manage my recipes"), Cobuilder generates a custom app tailored to your request. Each generated app consists of multiple interlinked tables, complete with views, workflows, and filters.

Built on Airtable’s Interface Designer, Cobuilder enables users to create intuitive dashboards and data-driven applications. Interface Designer already allows users to streamline collaboration by displaying only the most relevant information. With Cobuilder, Airtable has taken accessibility even further, allowing businesses to jumpstart the design process and customize applications without writing a single line of code.

Common Use Cases

Cobuilder streamlines operations for a variety of teams and industries. Whether managing projects, organizing inventory, planning events, or tracking sales, users can generate purpose-built apps with minimal effort—no manual setup or external integrations required.

Here are some example prompts:

• "I need an app to launch a women’s skateboarding shoe for the Olympics."
• "Help me track renovations for our boutique hotels in Marrakesh."
• "Create an app to track parts and production schedules for the Artemis SLS rocket."

How Does It Compare to Other No-Code Solutions?

Airtable Cobuilder stands out for its seamless AI-powered app generation, but how does it stack up against other platforms?

• Notion AI – Primarily designed for content generation and knowledge management, while Cobuilder focuses on structured, database-driven applications.
• Glide – Another AI-powered app builder, but geared more toward mobile applications, making it a strong competitor for mobile-first tools.
• Zapier – Specializes in automating workflows between apps, whereas Cobuilder generates complete applications from scratch.

How to Get Started?

Cobuilder is available to all Airtable users. To try it out, log into your Airtable account, click "Create," and select "Build an app with AI." For further inspiration, check out the following demo video showcasing Cobuilder’s capabilities in action.

Final Thoughts

Airtable Cobuilder is a game-changer in the no-code space, making app creation faster and more accessible than ever. While still evolving, it already offers immense value for businesses seeking efficiency without developer resources. If you use Airtable, experimenting with Cobuilder could unlock new opportunities for automation and streamlined workflows.

Work today moves at lightning speed, and teams need tools that can keep up. Enter ClickUp Whiteboards 3.0 - a huge update that makes brainstorming, planning, and executing easier than ever. In this blog post, we will explain how to use Whiteboards 3.0 and highlight the most important updates in this version.

What is ClickUp Whiteboards 3.0?

In 2022, ClickUp introduced their Whiteboard feature, a fresh approach to virtual whiteboards for hybrid work environments. It is similar to other tools like Miro, but it is fully integrated with ClickUp's task management system. This integration allows you to create a ClickUp whiteboard to start a brainstorming session, design a flowchart, or discuss the team's retrospectives, using the whiteboard as a foundation to kickstart a project.

How to get started with Whiteboards?

The Whiteboard feature is available in every plan, even the free one! You can create a whiteboard in several ways:

• Via the Sidebar: Whiteboards are listed as an option in the sidebar below the home page and inbox. This page shows all whiteboards created in your workspace and lets you create a new one.
• Via a space: Click on the plus next to a space and click on Whiteboard.
• Via a Task: When you open a task, you can add a whiteboard directly to it. Click "/" to open the commands and search for "Create whiteboard." You can embed a whiteboard into the description, making it easy to quickly draw and add flowcharts.
• Via the Menu Bar: Click "New" in the menu bar, and you'll see whiteboards as an option. You can assign each whiteboard to a specific space, folder, or task.

What is new in ClickUp 3.0?

The 3rd iteration of ClickUp Whiteboards introduces some strong new features and impressive quality of life improvements.

Seamless Sharing and Integration

One of the strongest points of Whiteboards 3.0 is its seamless integration with the rest of ClickUp.

• Tasks: You can easily embed whiteboards into task descriptions, mention your team in comments, and create tasks directly on the whiteboard. The connection between Whiteboards and Tasks ensures every great idea is executed. '
• Docs: Embed Docs in Whiteboards and vice versa for real-time collaboration and updates.
• Chat: Whiteboards and chat live together for real-time brainstorming and sharing without switching apps.
  

This integration make it incredibly useful for turning brainstorm session action items into tasks with due dates, priorities, and assignees.

Improved speed

Nobody likes waiting for things to load. That's why Whiteboards 3.0 is now 10 times faster than the previous version. Whether you're mapping out a project or collaborating live with your team, it's smooth, responsive, and reliable.

A Design That Inspires

Your workspace should be as inspiring as your ideas. Whiteboards 3.0 offers a clean, intuitive interface that's a joy to use. Love working at night? The new dark mode is not only easy on the eyes—it helps you stay focused and creative, no matter the hour.

Turn Text Into Stunning Visuals Using AI

Bring your ideas to life with the power of AI-driven image generation. Simply type out your concept, and the AI will work its magic to create a stunning graphic right on your whiteboard. There's no need to switch between different apps or waste precious time—experience a seamless flow of creativity without any interruptions.

Touch-Friendly Controls

Sometimes, it's just easier to draw things out rather than trying to explain them verbally or through text. The touch interface is designed to let you sketch, draw, and move items naturally on any device you choose to use. Whether you're working on a tablet or a touchscreen laptop, Whiteboards 3.0 feels incredibly intuitive and effortless to use.

Ready-to-Use Templates

Looking for a starting point? Check out the new template library. It's filled with professionally designed options for brainstorming, project planning, and more. These templates let you dive in and get productive right away. Some of our favourites include the 2x2 priority matrix and the 5 whys.

Closing thoughts

We think the that whiteboards functionality is really well executed and covers most of the use cases. It takes a bit of time to get used to the UI but once you're used to adding new shapes and text, it is a very fast and useful tool to visualise your thoughts.

If you're interested to learn more about white, then we strongly recommend watching the tutorial below:

2024 marked a pivotal year for productivity apps, with AI becoming an integral part of their offering. Major platforms like monday.com and ClickUp introduced powerful AI-driven features, such as enabling users to summarize Zoom calls, enhance writing, and get instant answers. AI assistants are steadily taking on more routine tasks, making work simpler and more efficient.

At Asana’s Work Innovation Summit in New York, the company unveiled AI Studio—a new tool designed to automate repetitive tasks. Whether it’s assigning work, organizing updates, or summarizing progress, AI Studio helps you focus on high-impact tasks by eliminating busywork.

What is AI Studio?

Asana AI Studio is an extension of the app's existing rules engine. It enables teams to design  workflows, embed AI agents into that workflow, and deploy it directly within Asana—without needing to write a single line of code. AI Studio can be used by every kind of team, from marketing and operations to IT and HR. It is designed to approach varied tasks in the same four stages -- intake, planning, execution, and reporting -- regardless of the nature of the project.

Use Cases

Unlike traditional AI tools that focus on synthesizing information, AI Studio integrates directly with teams, acting as a virtual teammate. Here are some practical ways teams are using it:

• AI Teammate for Quick Answers: Tag the AI in task comments to get instant suggestions or answers, simulating a knowledgeable team member.
• Lead Evaluation for Sales: Use Smart Workflows to assess leads based on predefined criteria, helping sales teams prioritize opportunities efficiently.
• Meeting Preparation: Summarize key updates before meetings, ensuring teams are informed and ready to contribute.
• Content Creation Assistance: Enable marketing teams to generate keyword suggestions or automatically tag and organize content drafts, reducing manual effort.

How to get started with AI Studio?

AI Studio is available to Enterprise and Enterprise+ customers. Follow these steps to enable and use it:

1. Enable Asana AI Features: Ensure your organization has activated Asana AI features.
   • Admins, super admins, and billing owners can enable AI Studio via the admin console.
   • Grant access to individual users as needed.
2. Access AI Studio:
   • In any project or My Tasks, click the Customize button in the top-right.
   • Under the Add section, select AI Studio.
3. Build Smart Workflows:
   • Open AI Studio to create custom workflows tailored to your team’s needs.

Responsible Usage

To maximize the benefits of AI Studio, ensure your workflows are designed responsibly. Familiarize yourself with industry-standard policies from Asana’s AI partners, including  OpenAI and Anthropic. These guidelines can help you create ethical and effective AI-driven processes.

AI Studio represents a significant leap forward in workflow automation, making Asana an even more indispensable tool for teams striving to work smarter, not harder. Ready to revolutionize your workflows? Explore AI Studio today.

At ProBackup, we are deeply committed to ensuring that you are always up-to-date with the tools that power your daily workflows. In this blog post, we take a closer look at the most impactful updates introduced to Monday.com in 2024. It’s been another significant year for Monday.com, packed with exciting improvements.

Tailored product suites

One of the standout developments this year is Monday.com’s introduction of four tailored product bundles. These curated suites are designed to cater to specific use cases, making it easier for teams to get started and maximize the platform’s potential:

• Work Management: This bundle offers the classic Monday.com experience, which focuses on helping teams effectively manage projects and tasks. It’s a reliable foundation for streamlining workflows and ensuring productivity.
• Monday CRM: This specialized package provides tools to oversee your entire sales funnel, from managing leads to closing deals and maintaining client relationships. It’s tailored for sales teams looking for greater control and efficiency.
• Monday Dev: Aimed at fostering collaboration between developers, product designers, and business teams, this suite is designed to accelerate the product development lifecycle, helping teams bring ideas to life more efficiently.
• Monday Service: Currently in its beta phase, this suite focuses on streamlining support and IT ticket management, ensuring smoother communication between customer-facing and development teams.

We believe this strategic move by Monday.com is a step in the right direction. While the platform’s flexibility has always been a strong suit, the sheer number of options can sometimes feel overwhelming. By offering these focused bundles, teams can start with a well-defined package tailored to their needs and gradually customize their setup as they grow.

Monday Sales CRM

For those new to Monday Sales CRM, it is a powerful customer relationship management tool seamlessly built into Monday.com. Its primary goal is to streamline sales processes, track deals, and enhance client interactions. What sets it apart from other CRM solutions is its unparalleled customization options and robust integrations with other tools.

Here are some of the most noteworthy updates to Monday Sales CRM:

• Sequences allows you to automate repetitive tasks such as email outreach and task reminders, creating a smooth and efficient workflow for activities like client onboarding and lead nurturing.
  • With five available steps—automatic emails, manual email reminders, general tasks, call tasks, and delay steps—you can create sophisticated, multi-step sequences.
  • Advanced rules let you define when a sequence should start or stop, such as automatically removing a contact from a sequence once they respond to an email.
  • The Sequence Manager provides an overview of all sequences, showing how many contacts are enrolled, active, or completed. This feature, though relatively new, already rivals established tools like Drip and ActiveCampaign.
• Zoom AI integration: Another time-saving innovation is the integration with  Zoom AI, which automatically summarizes video calls by capturing key takeaways, action items, and highlights. These summaries are added directly to your activity timeline, allowing you to focus on the conversation without worrying about taking notes.
• Enhanced import tool: Importing data into Monday.com has never been easier. The new and improved import tool provides a step-by-step guide to map columns to the board structure and merge duplicate entries. This ensures that your data is accurate, organized, and ready for use right from the start.

WorkCanvas Updates

This year, Monday.com introduced WorkCanvas, a versatile digital whiteboard tool integrated within the platform. Similar to tools like Miro, WorkCanvas allows teams to brainstorm, visualize workflows, and collaborate in real time. Despite being a relatively new feature, it has already received some impressive updates:

• Synced Templates: This update enables users to create project templates in WorkCanvas that are automatically linked to specific boards. This synchronization ensures that updates, tasks, and progress are always aligned across platforms, saving time and eliminating redundant setup steps.
• Project Timelines: With this feature, you can transform your WorkCanvas into dynamic Gantt charts, providing a clear visualization of tasks, dependencies, and deadlines. This makes managing complex workflows more intuitive.
• Table Element: The new table element allows you to create, edit, and format tables directly within WorkCanvas. You can add or remove rows and columns, apply formatting, and drag-and-drop data to keep everything structured and easily accessible.

Dynamic Values in WorkDocs

WorkDocs, introduced in 2023, has become an indispensable tool for many teams, functioning like Google Docs but fully integrated with Monday.com. In 2024, Monday.com enhanced this feature by adding dynamic values, which allow live data from boards to be embedded directly into documents.

For example, by linking a Doc to a board column, you can automatically pull in data such as dates, statuses, or text updates. This feature is perfect for generating up-to-date reports, summaries, or templates without needing to manually refresh information. It’s a game-changer for teams seeking accuracy and efficiency in documentation.

Work Management Updates

In addition to the major feature rollouts, Monday.com has introduced several updates that enhance its core work management capabilities:

• Advanced Dependencies: This update makes project planning more precise by allowing users to add lead times (tasks starting earlier) and lag times (tasks starting later). It’s an essential tool for teams handling complex projects with interdependent tasks.
• Filter Subitems on Dashboards: Subitem filtering adds a new layer of granularity to dashboards, enabling users to analyze data at a deeper level. For instance, you can now filter tasks by priority, assignee, or status, making it easier to generate detailed reports and actionable insights.
• Reply Directly from Inbox: This seemingly simple but impactful update allows users to reply to comments or updates directly via email, eliminating the need to log into Monday.com or switch between tabs. It’s a small change that significantly improves communication efficiency.

Closing Thoughts

These updates reflect Monday.com’s ongoing commitment to innovation and user satisfaction. From enhanced collaboration tools to improved automation and data management capabilities, the platform continues to evolve to meet the needs of modern teams.

At ProBackup, we’re thrilled to see these advancements and are here to help you make the most of them. As always, we ensure your data stays secure while you explore and implement these exciting new features.

Which of these updates are you most excited about? We’d love to hear how they’re transforming your workflows and boosting your productivity!

Who this guide is for: Airtable power users, operations managers, consultants, and anyone who needs to share Airtable data with clients, vendors, or partners without giving them full platform access. Whether you're evaluating Portals for the first time or trying to decide if they're worth the cost, this guide covers everything.

Airtable has long been one of the most powerful no-code database platforms available. But for years, one question kept coming up from teams using it: ‍

"How do we share data with external users without paying for a full Airtable seat?"

The answer (for a long time) was awkward workarounds: shared read-only links, inviting clients as collaborators with minimal permissions, or building third-party portals on top of Airtable. None of these were ideal.

That changed with the launch of Airtable Portals. Here's a full look at what Portals are, how they work, where they genuinely shine, what their real limitations are — and how to decide if they're right for your team.

What Are Airtable Portals?

Portals are a dedicated feature that lets you give external users (e.g. clients, vendors, partners, contractors) access to your Airtable Interfaces through a custom, branded sign-in experience. Crucially, these users don't need a full Airtable account or license.

Instead of logging into airtable.com, external users log into your portal. From there, they see only the Interfaces (and data within them) that you've explicitly shared — nothing more. You control exactly what they can view, and optionally, what they can edit.

This is a meaningful step forward from the previous options available, which required either paying for full user seats or relying on imperfect read-only sharing workarounds.

How Portals Differ From Airtable Interfaces

A common source of confusion: Portals are not a replacement for Interfaces. They work on top of them.

Airtable Interfaces let you present curated views of your base data to any Airtable user — internal team members with accounts. You control which tables and fields are visible, how they're laid out, and whether users can edit records.

Portals add an external login layer. They let people who are not Airtable users access those same Interfaces through a separate sign-in page tied to your organization, not to Airtable itself. The underlying Interface design stays the same — Portals just change who can access it and how they log in.

Think of it this way: Interfaces are the rooms in your house. Portals are a separate door for guests who don't have a key to the main entrance.

Key Features of Airtable Portals

Custom sign-in page: External users log into your portal URL rather than airtable.com. This creates a more professional, branded experience and avoids confusing clients with the full Airtable UI.

Granular permissions: You control exactly what each guest can see and edit. A client can be given read-only access to their project status, while a vendor can have limited edit access to update their own delivery data — all within the same portal.

White-label branding (available): Portals support custom branding: your company logo, colors, and visual identity. The experience looks and feels like your product, not Airtable's.

No full Airtable license required for guests: Guests access your Interface without you needing to pay for an Airtable user seat on their behalf. This is the core cost efficiency of Portals.

Separate guest identity: A "guest" in Airtable's definition is someone who doesn't share your organization's email domain. This distinction matters: team members cannot be reclassified as guests to reduce licensing costs.

Portals Pricing: What Does It Actually Cost?

Portals are available as a paid add-on for Teams, Business, and Enterprise Scale customers.

The pricing structure is:

• $8 per guest per month (billed annually)
• Or $120/month for 15 guests and one portal (annual billing)

For context: a full Airtable Team seat costs $20/user/month (annual). So for external users who only need limited, curated access, Portals represent a meaningful saving — roughly 60% less per external user.

That said, the $120/month entry point for 15 external users means Portals are primarily cost-effective for teams with multiple external collaborators. For organizations needing to give just one or two external users occasional read-only access, the cost math may not be favorable compared to alternatives.

The Main Use Cases for Airtable Portals

Client portal: Share project status, deliverables, timelines, and milestone tracking with clients — all filtered to show only their data. Clients see what's relevant to them without navigating your full base structure.

Vendor management: Give suppliers view or edit access to procurement data, delivery schedules, or compliance documents. Vendors can update their own records without accessing anything unrelated to their scope.

Partner collaboration: Enable external business partners to access shared data — co-marketing assets, joint project trackers, pipeline data — in a controlled, secure environment.

Customer support and self-service: Create a portal where customers can submit and track support tickets, access FAQs, or view the status of their requests — all pulling live from your Airtable data.

Agency-client reporting: Agencies managing multiple clients can give each client a tailored view of their campaign performance, content calendar, or project progress. Clients see only their own data, not other clients'.

Portals vs. Other Ways to Share Airtable Data

Understanding Portals requires understanding the full landscape of how you can share Airtable access externally. Here's a practical breakdown:

Real Limitations: What Portals Don't Do Well

Portals are a solid feature, but they aren't a complete client portal solution. It's worth being clear-eyed about what they lack — particularly if you're considering them as a replacement for a dedicated client management platform.

No built-in client communication tools: Portals don't include native messaging, threaded conversations, or notification systems designed for client interaction. Clients can view and edit data, but you'll need external tools for async communication.

No client-specific onboarding flows: There's no built-in way to guide a new external user through a structured onboarding experience within a Portal. Purpose-built client portal tools typically offer this.

Limited deep customizationWhile branding is supported, the underlying layout and navigation is constrained by what Airtable Interfaces allow. Teams that need highly custom, workflow-specific client experiences may find third-party tools like Noloco, Softr, or Pory offer more flexibility — often at a lower per-user cost.

Cost can escalate with scale: At $8/guest/month, the pricing is reasonable for teams with 5–15 external users. But for agencies or consultancies managing dozens of clients, costs add up quickly compared to third-party portal solutions with flat-rate pricing.

The guest definition is strict: Only users external to your organization — with a different email domain — qualify as guests. This is intentional, but it means teams can't use Portals as a workaround for reducing internal seat costs.

How to Get Started with Airtable Portals

Portals are available to Teams, Business, and Enterprise Scale customers as a paid add-on. Here's the general setup flow:

1. Design your Interface first. Build the Interface pages your external users will see. Keep them clean and intuitive — external users won't have the context your team does.
2. Add the Portals add-on from your Airtable account billing settings.
3. Create a new Portal and configure the sign-in page with your branding (logo, colors, background).
4. Connect your Interface to the Portal and select which pages are accessible.
5. Invite guests by email. They'll receive a login invitation for your portal — not for Airtable itself.
6. Set permissions for each guest or group: what they can view, what they can edit, and what's hidden.
7. Test the experience as a guest before going live. The guest view is often quite different from what you see as a base admin.

Portals and Your Airtable Data: A Note on Risk

The more external access you open up to your Airtable base — through Portals, shared links, or full collaborator invites — the more important it becomes to have a solid data protection strategy in place.

Airtable Portals allow guests to edit records if you grant them that permission. This is useful, but it introduces risk: a guest could accidentally overwrite data, submit incorrect entries, or trigger automations with unintended consequences. Airtable's native 30-day trash for deleted records offers some protection, but it doesn't cover bulk overwrites or corrupted field values — and it has no version history for record-level changes.

This is where ProBackup fills a critical gap. ProBackup creates daily automated snapshots of your entire Airtable workspace — tables, fields, records, attachments, and all — with granular item-level restore. If a guest accidentally overwrites a set of records, or a misconfigured portal permission leads to unintended edits, you can restore exactly what was changed without rolling back your entire base.

As your use of Airtable deepens — more bases, more automations, more external users — the cost of data loss or corruption compounds. A backup strategy that's independent of Airtable's own recovery tools is the safety net that makes confident external collaboration possible.

Summary: Is Airtable Portals Worth It?

Airtable Portals are a well-designed, practical addition to the platform — particularly for teams already investing heavily in Airtable Interfaces and who need a professional, low-friction way to share curated data with external stakeholders. They don't replace a dedicated client portal tool for complex client management scenarios, but for many teams, they're exactly the right fit.

If you're building on top of Airtable and want to protect the data that powers your workflows, ProBackup keeps your workspace backed up daily — so your team and your clients can work with confidence.

See Portals in action‍

Here are a few tutorial videos to help you explore Airtable Portals:

ProBackup Picks ClickUp's Highlights of 2024

ClickUp ended 2023 strong with the launch of ClickUp 3.0. As 2024 wraps up, we're eager to see if they kept their momentum (spoiler alert: they did!).

Here are some of the biggest updates ClickUp added or improved in 2024.

ClickUp Chat

ClickUp is fulfilling its promise to become the "one app to replace them all" with ClickUp Chat. Previously, you could communicate by commenting on tasks and docs, but now ClickUp Chat has its own spot on the sidebar (here's how to activate it).

The feature set is familiar: post announcements, message colleagues directly, and create channels for each department. The biggest advantage is its deep integration with other parts of the app. Here are two examples:

• Create a chat view for a specific list to ask for general updates related to that list or team.
• Turn conversations into tasks with one click and link chats to related work items.

Additionally, you can use the AI option to suggest replies and summarize threads. This leads us to another significant improvement...

ClickUp Brain

The rise of AI was initially met with skepticism, but 2024 proved it's here to stay. Many big SaaS players are integrating AI into their apps, and ClickUp is leading the way with impressive AI features for productivity.

When you log in, the new AI features are easy to find. The pink widget in the bottom right corner gives quick access to summarize, write, or ask a question. It's a clever way to highlight the three main AI use cases within ClickUp.

Summarize: Select text in ClickUp and "ask AI" to summarize, improve, lengthen, or shorten it. You can also check spelling and grammar or translate it. It's super handy and quick!

Writer: This feature helps you draft new text. Use it for anything: generate a meeting minutes template, draft a brainstorming agenda, or write an email with feedback. While the output is often impressive, a human review is recommended.

Ask AI: This option lets you ask questions to the ClickUp Brain. It's the most exotic option, and we haven't explored it much. In theory, you can ask AI to summarize project updates or explain a team process.

Whiteboards 3.0

In December, ClickUp launched the third version of ClickUp Whiteboards. This version is a complete rebuild, featuring a sleek design and powerful capabilities. With improved features and impressive speed, it's easier than ever to work and chat with your team in real-time on the same board.

ClickUp added hundreds of new, professionally designed templates for brainstorming, project planning, and more. They also introduced AI-powered image generation to transform text into stunning visuals in seconds. These updates make it easy to jumpstart sessions and get ideas flowing quickly.

Once you're done, convert whiteboard ideas into tasks, making it simple to turn brainstorming sessions into assigned tasks. You can also export the whiteboard as a PDF, PNG, or JPEG.

Clips 3.0

With Clips, you can instantly create and share videos, making it easy to convey your message clearly and effectively. The process is as simple as hitting record, sharing your screen, and sending your ideas to your team faster than typing a response.

Clips stand out because they integrate seamlessly into the platforms where you already work. There's no need to switch to Loom or upload files.

The flexibility in sharing Clips is remarkable: embed a Clip directly within ClickUp, send a public link to anyone outside your Workspace, or download the video file. Every Clip you record, whether in a comment, task, or Doc, is automatically stored in the Clips Hub (accessible via the navigation bar).

Conclusion

It's clear that ClickUp has had another banging year with new and improved features. This exciting development makes us even more eager to see what innovative features they'll bring in 2025!

Who this guide is for: Operations managers, team leads, founders, and anyone responsible for choosing or evaluating a project management tool for their team. Whether you're setting up your first workflow or switching from a tool that no longer fits, this guide will help you cut through the noise and make a confident decision.

When it comes to project management, there are a lot of tools on the market. While having options is great, the truth is that all these competing platforms can make choosing the right one feel like searching for a needle in a never-ending haystack.

Today, we're taking a deep dive into three of the most widely used project management platforms: Asana, Trello, and Monday.com. We'll look at what each does best, who they're built for, how their AI features compare in 2025, and give you clear scenarios to help you decide.

Asana

As a legacy platform with more than 15 years in the market, Asana offers teams comprehensive tools for collaboration, automation, and building fully integrated workflows. With both free and paid plans, it's a strong choice for organizations looking to scale.

Pros

100+ Software Integrations

‍Asana eliminates bottlenecks with integrations across tools like Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, and Salesforce — keeping your workflow in one place.

Customized Automation

‍Asana lets you build automations based on your own criteria, taking the stress out of routine tasks so your team can focus on higher-value work.

Multiple Views

‍From lists and timelines to calendars and Kanban boards, Asana gives every team member a view that suits how they work best — reducing errors and improving prioritization.

AI: Asana AI Studio

Asana's biggest recent development is AI Studio, a no-code workflow builder that lets teams embed AI agents directly into their processes. Rather than using AI as a separate chat tool, Asana positions it inside your existing workflows.

With AI Studio, you can:

• Automatically capture, sort, and triage incoming requests
• Have AI draft project briefs and suggest task owners based on capacity
• Route approvals, summarize stakeholder feedback, and generate reports
• Build workflows by describing them in plain language, with AI generating the steps

AI Studio is available on Starter, Advanced, Enterprise, and Enterprise+ plans, with tiered access (Basic, Plus, and Pro).

Who It's For

Asana works best for mid-sized to larger teams with structured, cross-functional workflows that benefit from goal tracking and reporting. It's also a strong choice for operations and marketing teams who want to automate intake processes using AI Studio.

Cons

Asana's per-user pricing can add up quickly for larger teams. Advanced AI features (AI Studio Plus/Pro) come at an additional cost on top of the base subscription.

Trello

Launched in 2011 and acquired by Atlassian, Trello offers a visual, Kanban-inspired approach to project management that's fast to adopt and intuitive for almost anyone.

Pros

Visual Kanban Boards

‍Trello's core strength is its visual simplicity. Cards move across columns as work progresses, giving your team an instant snapshot of project status without needing a training session.

User-Friendly Interface

‍In just a few clicks, team members can assign tasks, add checklists, attach files, and move work through the pipeline — no onboarding required.

Mobile-First Design

‍Trello is particularly well-optimized for mobile, making it a strong choice for teams who need to manage work on the go.

AI: Atlassian Intelligence

Trello has introduced Atlassian Intelligence (AI), available on Premium and Enterprise plans. It's integrated directly into card editing and covers practical day-to-day tasks:

• Generate, summarize, and improve card descriptions and comments
• Brainstorm new content or ideas based on a prompt
• Extract and organize action items from messy notes into clean checklists
• Improve spelling, grammar, and tone of team communications

AI is activated by clicking the Atlassian Intelligence button or typing /ai in any card.

Who It's For

Trello is ideal for small teams, freelancers, and departments that manage straightforward, linear projects. It's especially well-suited for teams that frequently onboard new members and need a tool anyone can pick up in minutes.

Cons

Trello's Kanban-only structure can become limiting as projects grow in complexity. Managing dependencies, tracking goals, or running multi-team reporting requires paid Power-Ups or additional integrations. AI features are only available on Premium and Enterprise plans, which adds cost.

Monday.com

Despite being a younger platform, Monday.com has grown rapidly since its launch and now supports teams across project management, CRM, product development, and service management — all under one roof.

Pros

Visual Dashboards

‍Monday.com's dashboards give you an instant, customizable overview of all active projects, workloads, and progress — with Kanban, Gantt, calendar, and list views all available.

Real-Time Collaboration

‍Multiple team members can work simultaneously, with custom permission levels, comment threads, and live updates built in.

Deep Customization

‍With 200+ templates and highly configurable boards, Monday.com adapts to almost any team's workflow — from marketing campaigns to IT service desks.

AI: monday vibe & monday sidekick

Monday.com has made the biggest recent AI push of the three platforms, with two distinct AI products:

monday vibe (currently in beta) is a no-code AI app builder. Describe what you need in plain language — a time tracker, a recruiting portal, a campaign health dashboard — and monday vibe generates a fully functional custom app that runs securely on the monday.com platform. Apps are private by default, mobile-responsive, and built on enterprise-grade infrastructure. Available to all monday.com users with AI activated.

monday sidekick is an AI-powered Digital Worker built for marketing teams. Feed it a campaign brief once, and it can spin up a full campaign workspace: auto-generate briefs, assign task owners based on capacity, draft content, localize for multiple markets, route approvals, flag bottlenecks, and summarize KPIs — all within monday.com. Currently in early access.

Who It's For

Monday.com is best for teams that want an all-in-one platform that can grow with them across departments. Its product suite (Work Management, CRM, Dev, Service, Campaigns) makes it especially attractive for companies that want to consolidate multiple tools. Particularly strong for marketing, operations, and cross-functional teams.

Cons

Monday.com's breadth of features can feel overwhelming for small teams with simple needs. Some advanced AI features (like sidekick) are still in early access, meaning adoption requires some tolerance for a product that's actively evolving.

When to Choose Which Platform: Real Scenarios

Choose Asana if:

• You're a marketing or operations team running structured, repeatable workflows (campaign intake, project briefs, approvals) that would benefit from AI-powered automation
• You need robust goal tracking and portfolio-level reporting across multiple teams
• Your organization is scaling and needs clear ownership, dependency mapping, and milestone tracking
• You want mature, well-documented AI workflow tooling (AI Studio) that's been rolled out across enterprise customers

Choose Trello if:

• You're a small team, startup, or individual managing projects that don't require complex dependencies
• You're frequently onboarding new collaborators and need them productive within minutes
• Your team works mostly in a single pipeline and Kanban is the right mental model for your work
• You want a lightweight, affordable tool where the AI helps polish communication rather than orchestrate processes

Choose Monday.com if:

• You want a single platform that can replace multiple tools across project management, CRM, and marketing
• You're a marketing team that would benefit from AI-powered campaign execution (monday sidekick)
• You want to build custom internal apps without writing code (monday vibe)
• Your team is diverse in how they work, and you need a tool that offers many views and deep customization

Summary Comparison Table

No matter the size and scope of your team, all three platforms are capable, well-supported, and actively investing in AI. The right choice comes down to how complex your workflows are, how much customization you need, and whether AI will be used to orchestrate work or simply assist with it.

Whichever tool you choose, don't overlook data protection. Your project management tool holds critical business information (e.g. tasks, timelines, decisions, and client data) and most SaaS providers don't protect you from accidental deletion, bulk errors, or unwanted changes. ProBackup provides automated daily backups for Asana, Trello, and Monday.com so your data is always recoverable, no matter what.

When you have five tasks due by the end of the day, three meetings to attend, and four follow-up calls to make, it's easy for your thoughts to get jumbled. Staying on top of your tasks and duties without a way to keep organized, the quality of your work can start to decline. One of the best ways to add order to your to-do list is with a work management app like Monday.com. 

Below, we'll highlight some of the best features of Monday.com and help you see how to use it to ease your daily schedule. By optimizing your tasks, you'll find yourself accomplishing more in less time, thus freeing up valuable moments for the things that truly matter. 

What is Monday.com?

Monday.com is a cloud-based work management tool that virtually connects team members and provides a flexible platform for all types of work. Designed to boost productivity and foster collaboration, it offers ways to delegate and track responsibilities for teams and businesses of all sizes. 

Its user-friendly interface and customizable templates, like Kanban boards and Gantt charts, make it a popular choice for streamlined project management. This platform is best for groups looking to organize their work, track progress, and collaborate more efficiently in a centralized space.

1. Streamlining Workflow with Automation

Automation in platforms like Monday.com allows for the replacement of manual, repetitive tasks with automated processes. This shift saves time and minimizes the chance of human error. For example, when a task's status is updated, a notification can be sent to the relevant team members. With this, everyone is instantly advised about project updates, decreasing the frequency of manual follow-ups. 

Automation allows for the uniform execution of routine tasks. This consistency helps maintain a smooth flow of operations and keeps team members focused on their core responsibilities. Monday.com facilitates better resource management. It promotes the allocation of tasks based on team members' availability or expertise, leading to a more balanced workload distribution and a more streamlined, error-free work function.

2. Enhancing Collaboration with Team Management Features

Monday.com's team management features are designed to foster a collaborative environment, making it easier for teams to work together efficiently, regardless of their location. One significant feature is the real-time communication capability. This allows team members to discuss projects, share updates, and solve issues directly within the platform. Doing so eliminates the need for lengthy email threads or external messaging apps, keeping all communication centralized and accessible.

Having a shared workspace where team members can view, edit, and manage tasks collectively maintains transparency. This keeps everyone on the same page and helps managers or task leaders monitor the status of each project. Similarly, team leaders can assign tasks to specific members and track progress to ensure accountability and evenly distribute the workload.

These collaborative features enhance teamwork and contribute to a more organized and productive work environment. By providing tools that facilitate easy communication and resource sharing, Monday.com can improve the overall efficiency of teams.

3. Customizable Workspaces for Tailored Efficiency

Customizable workspaces allow businesses to suit their online boards to their specific needs. This individualization extends across the whole platform, including project boards, workflows, and dashboards.

For instance, a marketing team might customize their board to track campaign progress with columns for campaign stages, budgets, and deadlines. However, a software development team can set up a board that follows their sprint cycles with columns for sprint planning, development, testing, and deployment.

Because customization takes time that companies often don't have, Monday.com offers a wide variety of templates, like a content planning template for editorial teams or a project roadmap template for project managers. These can be further tailored to meet specific project requirements. The ability to adjust these elements means that every team, regardless of its size or the complexity of its projects, can set up a workspace that aligns perfectly with its operational requirements. 

4. Integration with Other Tools

Integrating management apps with other popular tools and services allows for seamless synchronization and data sharing across different platforms, ensuring that users can maintain a cohesive workflow without constantly switching between applications. Monday.com integrates with common communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, making group collaboration more streamlined. It also connects with cloud storage services such as Google Drive and Dropbox, simplifying file sharing and access. 

These integrations save time and reduce the potential for errors from transferring data manually between systems. They enable a more efficient workflow, where information updates in one platform are automatically reflected in others.

5. Tracking and Reporting Data

While many business management apps offer data analytics features, they don’t all add up to what insights Monday.com can provide. Some of the specific analytics tools used in Monday.com include:

• Overview Widget: Follow the status of all projects based on the number of remaining assignments. The widget visually depicts whether projects are on track, completed, or at risk by displaying an easy-to-understand progress bar next to each assignment. 
• Performance Insights View: This feature tracks how long items have been spent in specific statuses or phases, offering valuable data on team tasks and project progression. It's similar to the Overview, but more specific to timeframes. 
• Search Everything: Like the “Find” function on documents, the Search Everything tool allows you to find any keyword in your Monday.com board. Say you need to find your assigned projects - simply search your name. Alternatively, try the word "Stuck" to locate the tasks that take longer than expected to complete. 
• Word Cloud: This visualization tool turns textual data into more meaningful insights, highlighting key terms in a visually impactful way. It tells you which key terms are mentioned the most across your board.

There are dozens of additional tools on Monday.com to analyze business performance. Each one leads to more informed decisions and streamlined processes by enhancing workflow management and productivity.

Unlocking Productivity and Collaboration with Monday.com

When you want to add a little - or a lot - more order to your company’s workflow, Monday.com may be your tool. Its host of features can help enhance team collaboration and boost overall productivity. 

As you use Monday.com, though it's cloud-based, don't let unexpected data loss hinder your team's progress. To safeguard your work, consider the added security and peace of mind with Pro Backup. This way, all your content and sensitive information is safe and retrievable, no matter what happens. 

In my role as product manager for ProBackup, I work closely with the project management apps we integrate with. We explore their core features to build a deeply-integrated backup solution, and we track every major update and release. We speak with implementation partners about their needs and requests, which gives us a solid grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the most popular project management apps.

2026 is a pivotal year for this space. Every major platform is betting heavily on AI agents and agentic workflows, turning project management tools from passive organizers into active collaborators. With an array of options available, choosing the right tool can significantly enhance productivity and streamline workflows. In this article, we give an overview of the six tools currently leading the market, each excelling in unique ways.

Why use a project management app

The use of a project management app has become more of a necessity than a luxury. These platforms offer benefits that streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and foster collaboration, regardless of your team's size or industry.

Organisation and structure
These apps provide a structured platform to manage tasks, projects, and deadlines. They allow you to organise work into manageable segments, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

Communication and collaboration
Most apps include tools that facilitate better team collaboration. Whether assigning tasks, sharing updates, or giving feedback, everything happens in one place, reducing the need for lengthy email threads and meetings.

Accessibility and flexibility
Cloud-based functionality means you can access your work anywhere, anytime. This accessibility is essential for remote teams or individuals who travel frequently.

Time management and efficiency
By providing an overview of tasks and deadlines, these apps help prioritise work. Many also include time-tracking features, offering insights into how time is spent on each task.

Data-driven decisions
Most platforms have reporting tools that provide data and insights on project progress, team performance, and resource allocation. This information is vital for making informed decisions and planning future projects.

Project management apps are the backbone of modern, efficient work methods. They simplify task management and contribute to a more organised, collaborative, and data-driven work culture.

ClickUp: The all‑in‑One AI powerhouse

ClickUp stands as a multifaceted project management tool, offering a suite of features to cover diverse work needs. It is highly customisable, with over 35 ClickApps to tailor task management. Key features include nested subtasks, checklists, time tracking, voice and video recording, and a variety of views like list, board, and calendar.

ClickUp enhances team collaboration with real-time chat, document sharing, and proofing tools. It also excels in automation, offering over 50 actions to streamline workflows. The platform even includes features like video recording, whiteboards, and an integrated document editor. ClickUp integrates with more than 1,000 tools, making it a top choice for adaptable project management. With all of these features, ClickUp is making good on its promise to build "one app to replace them all". If you want to avoid switching apps too often, ClickUp might be the ideal solution.

What changed in 2025/2026
‍ClickUp launched version 4.0 and introduced Super Agents, which represent a major step toward autonomous AI teammates. Following the acquisition of Codegen in late 2025, ClickUp's Super Agents can now autonomously complete projects, generate software, and take action with over 500 work skills. These agents feature what ClickUp calls "human-level memory", meaning they learn from every interaction and operate natively within the workspace. This positions ClickUp as one of the first platforms to let any user create and deploy AI teammates without writing a single line of code.

ProBackup expert notes

ClickUp's ambition to be the all-in-one workspace is paying off. No other tool on this list packs as many features into a single platform. That said, the breadth can be overwhelming for smaller teams. The Super Agents launch is bold, though teams should evaluate carefully how much autonomy they want to give AI in their workflows.

Good for: Multi‑functional teams needing a single unified workspace powered by automation and AI.

Not recommended for: Very small teams or individuals who need something simple and quick to set up. The sheer volume of features can be a distraction if your needs are straightforward.

👉 Read how teams protect their ClickUp data with ProBackup

monday.com: Automation meets agentic workflows

Monday.com is a dynamic project management platform that uniquely combines automation with advanced features. It offers customisable automation for streamlining workflows and reducing manual tasks by automating task assignments, status updates, and notifications. Most project management apps offer some form of automation, but monday.com excels in this domain. The process of creating new automations is both intuitive and detailed, allowing you to build advanced workflows in no time.

Alongside this, monday.com provides customisable templates, diverse views like timelines and Kanban, and seamless integrations with other tools. This blend of automation and versatility enhances team collaboration and productivity, making monday.com a comprehensive solution for various business needs.

What changed in 2025/2026
‍Monday.com launched three major AI capabilities: monday magic, monday vibe, and monday sidekick. Monday vibe is especially notable as it brings vibe coding to the platform, allowing users to build custom applications using plain English without writing code. The company also introduced monday agents, a no-code agent builder that lets organisations create AI-powered specialists tailored to their specific needs. These agents can execute tasks end-to-end, from scheduling meetings to conducting research and creating strategies. Monday.com also expanded into new product areas, including monday service for enterprise service management and monday campaigns for AI-powered marketing within the CRM suite.

ProBackup expert notes

Monday.com's strength has always been its approachable automation engine, and the new AI capabilities amplify that advantage. The introduction of vibe coding through monday vibe is a game-changer for teams who want to build custom apps without involving developers. However, the AI credits pricing model means teams should monitor their usage carefully.

Good for: Fast-moving startups and marketing teams managing multiple workflows that want to embrace agentic AI.

Not recommended for: Teams that prioritize simple list-based project tracking.

Asana: The strategic project leader

Asana is an established project management tool that excels in organising work into manageable tasks and projects. It offers various views, including lists, calendars, timelines, Gantt charts, and Kanban boards, making it versatile for different team needs. Asana enables effective top-down task delegation, starting by defining goals and milestones, then structuring your projects with clear due dates and responsibilities.

Its custom fields feature allows for personalised task organisation, facilitating easier sorting and filtering. Asana also provides real-time status updates, time tracking, and reporting dashboards, offering insights into team progress. It supports automated workflows, resource management, and integrates with various popular tools, enhancing overall team coordination.

What changed in 2025/2026
‍Asana has made a significant push into AI with the launch of AI Teammates. These are collaborative, context-aware agents that you can assign work to just like any other team member. They understand the context of all work across your organisation and deliver updates where your team already collaborates. Asana also introduced AI Studio, which lets teams build custom AI-powered automation rules, and AI risk reports that proactively flag potential project risks before they become blockers. Multilingual semantic search now helps users find relevant items across languages.

ProBackup expert notes

Asana remains one of the most mature platforms for structured task delegation and goal tracking. Its new AI Teammates are promising, though still in beta. We see Asana work best for teams that value clear hierarchies of goals, milestones, and tasks, with strong top-down planning.

Good for: Enterprises or teams focused on OKR frameworks and strategic visibility

Not recommended for: Teams that primarily manage large data sets or need spreadsheet-style views. If your work is more data-heavy than task-heavy, consider Airtable instead.

Airtable: The developer’s playground

Airtable excels in managing complex data sets and creating linked tables, making it a powerful tool for data organisation and analysis. It offers the flexibility of a database with the ease of a spreadsheet. Users can customise fields to store various types of data, link records between tables to show how data is related, and create views that display this information in meaningful ways such as table, kanban, and calendar.

Airtable's rich field types, like checkboxes, dropdowns, and file attachments, enhance its capability to handle diverse data needs. Its focus on the table view makes Airtable the ideal candidate when you have to deal with a higher volume of records, let's say more than 100, in a project or base.

What changed in 2025/2026
‍Airtable relaunched itself as "the AI-native app platform" with the introduction of Omni, an agentic AI app-building assistant. Airtable CEO Howie Liu described Omni as combining the magic of vibe coding with enterprise reliability. Unlike standalone vibe coding tools that produce throw-away prototypes, Omni creates production-ready apps with data, automations, and interfaces, all from natural language prompts. Airtable also introduced intelligent agents that can work across thousands of records, driving decisions and orchestrating actions across entire operations. The platform now supports AI models from multiple providers including OpenAI, Gemini, Llama, and Anthropic.

ProBackup expert notes

Airtable's pivot to AI-native app building is the most dramatic transformation on this list. If your team needs to build custom internal tools on top of structured data, Airtable with Omni is now a compelling alternative to dedicated no-code platforms. That said, it remains a data-first tool, and teams looking purely for task management may find simpler options elsewhere.

Good for: Teams managing large, structured data sets such as inventories, content calendars, CRM workflows, or product catalogues. Ideal for operations, marketing ops, and data-driven teams.

Not recommended for: Teams that need traditional task management features like Gantt charts, resource allocation, or time tracking. Airtable is a database that can manage projects, not a project management tool that stores data.

Miro: Visual collaboration at scale

Miro is a robust platform known for its extensive whiteboarding capabilities, ideal for creative brainstorming and collaborative planning. It features an infinite canvas that allows teams to map out ideas freely, with tools like sticky notes and smart drawing.

Miro also supports various workstyles with customisable templates and seamless integrations with other cloud apps. This makes it perfect for diverse teams to collaborate visually, regardless of location. Miro's emphasis on whiteboards and visual tools fosters a dynamic and engaging way to manage projects and ideas. If you want to focus on ideation and brainstorming rather than following up on tasks and projects, Miro is the ideal tool.

What changed in 2025/2026
‍Miro has continued refining its core visual collaboration experience, with deeper integrations into platforms like Asana, Jira, and monday.com. The platform has added more structured planning tools to bridge the gap between brainstorming and execution, including improved diagramming capabilities and enhanced template libraries for agile workflows.

ProBackup expert notes

Miro is the clear leader for visual collaboration and ideation. However, it is not a standalone project management tool. We see it used most effectively alongside a dedicated task management platform. Teams typically brainstorm and plan in Miro, then move execution into ClickUp, Asana, or monday.com.

Good for: Teams that need a visual space for brainstorming, design sprints, workshops, and strategic planning. Popular with design, product, and consulting teams.

Not recommended for: Day-to-day task management or tracking project deliverables. Miro lacks the structured task, deadline, and reporting features that purpose-built project management tools offer.

Notion: The customizable WorkOS

Notion is renowned for its exceptional visual dashboards, which allow for a highly personalised and flexible project management experience. Its interface supports intricate project planning and tracking with customisable tables and timeline views. Notion's strength lies in its ability to represent complex information visually, making project oversight more intuitive and accessible.

The platform's versatility extends to managing tasks with calendar views, embedding diverse content types, and offering a cohesive workspace that can adapt to various project requirements. Notion doubles as a knowledge base and documentation platform, making it the go-to tool for teams that want to combine project management with internal wikis and company documentation.

What changed in 2025/2026
‍Notion continues to expand its AI capabilities, with Notion AI now deeply embedded across the platform. Users can generate summaries, extract action items, translate content, and answer questions about their workspace using natural language. Notion has also improved its database capabilities and introduced more advanced automation features, narrowing the gap with dedicated project management tools. The platform's API has been expanded, allowing for more sophisticated third-party integrations.

ProBackup expert notes

Notion is the strongest option when you need a combined workspace for both documentation and project management. Its flexibility is unmatched, but that same flexibility means it requires more upfront setup compared to dedicated project management tools. We often see Notion used alongside another tool, for example Notion for documentation and ClickUp or Asana for task management.

Good for: Teams that need a unified workspace for documentation, knowledge management, and lightweight project management. Popular with startups, content teams, and product teams.

Not recommended for: Enterprises needing strict process control or permission hierarchies. Notion can become unwieldy at scale without careful structuring.

The AI shift in project management

In 2024, these six apps each approached project management from a different angle: Asana focused on task delegation, Airtable on spreadsheets, Miro on whiteboards, and so on. While the core strengths remain, the landscape in 2026 has shifted dramatically with the arrival of AI agents and agentic workflows.

ClickUp's Super Agents and monday.com's monday agents are leading the charge, offering autonomous AI teammates that can execute entire workflows without manual intervention. Airtable's Omni and monday.com's monday vibe bring vibe coding into the enterprise, allowing anyone to build custom apps through natural language. Asana's AI Teammates take a more measured approach, acting as collaborative assistants that work within existing team structures. HubSpot, while primarily a CRM, has introduced Breeze Agents across sales, marketing, and service, including a Prospecting Agent that researches target accounts using both CRM data and external sources like company websites and news publications.

This convergence around AI means the selection process is no longer just about features. It is about how much intelligence and autonomy you want embedded in your workflows, and how much control you want to maintain.

Why backing up your project management data matters

As these platforms become more powerful and more autonomous, the data stored within them becomes increasingly valuable. AI agents making changes across hundreds of records, automated workflows triggering bulk updates, and vibe-coded apps processing data at scale all introduce new risk vectors alongside the traditional threats of human error and accidental deletions.

ProBackup provides daily, automated backups for all six platforms covered in this article. With granular one-click restore, version history, and optional Google Drive sync, you can recover from any data loss scenario, whether caused by a team member, a faulty integration, or an overzealous AI agent.

Start your free trial of ProBackup today to secure your SaaS data: https://app.probackup.io/onboarding