ClickUp Chat is the messaging built into ClickUp: Channels for team or topic conversations, direct messages for private ones, and the option to turn any message into a task. It works on every plan, but as of October 2026 the Free Forever plan caps the whole Workspace at 1,000 messages, and that cap never resets.
Here's what catches people out. The 1,000-message limit isn't per person. It's shared across the Workspace and doesn't reset, and Free Forever also keeps only 90 days of message history and can't schedule messages. So a small team trialling Chat on the free plan can burn through the allowance quickly and find it stops right when they've got used to it. Posts, the format ClickUp uses for announcements, have their own cap of 30 on Free Forever, and that one doesn't reset either.
What ClickUp Chat does
ClickUp's pitch is that you'll stop switching to other tools to talk about the work. Channels are where most team conversation happens, and ClickUp suggests making them topic or team specific. Direct messages are private, with one person or a group. Channels and DMs live in your Home Sidebar and in the Chat Sidebar, which also lists Super Agent conversations and chats with ClickUp Brain.
Inside a conversation you can save a message for later, forward it to a Channel, DM, group DM or task, create Posts to draw attention to something important, start a SyncUp to talk face to face, and use AI to summarise threads. There's an import from Slack if you're moving across. If you're weighing it against standalone tools, here's my roundup of the best team chat apps for business.
Chat limits on Free Forever and paid plans
| Plan | Sending messages | Message history | Schedule messages | Chat data retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Forever | Yes, up to 1,000 across the Workspace, never resets | 90 days | No | No |
| Unlimited and Core | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No |
| Business | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No |
| Business Plus | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | No |
| Enterprise and Max | Yes | Unlimited | Yes | Yes |
ClickUp is careful to separate two things here. The 90-day history limit on Free Forever is about what you can see. Chat data retention is a deletion setting, and only Enterprise Workspaces get it.
Who can do what in Chat
All user roles can use Chat, but guests are boxed in. Every type of guest only sees the Channels they've been invited to and can't create Channels. View-only guests can't send messages in Channels at all. Guests can start DMs, but only with people who have access to the same Channels they do. Limited members can create Channels only if they have permission to create views, while members and admins see all public Channels by default. If you need someone with view-only permissions to join in, ClickUp lets you invite free Chat collaborators, who can post in the Channels they're invited to.
Turning a message into a task
This is the part I like most. Hover over a message in any Channel or DM, click Create Task, then pick a List or click Automatic to let AI choose one. The task appears above the message and is posted in the thread, so the conversation and the work stay connected. You can't create tasks from threaded replies, though, only from the message that started the thread.
If the task already exists, hover over the message, click the ellipsis and choose Add relationship to link it instead. A number above the message shows how many tasks are related. Disconnecting a task doesn't delete it; it just stops being linked to the message.
How to start a Channel and send your first message
- In your Global Navigation, click Chat to open the Chat Sidebar. If it isn't there, click More, select it and pin it.
- Click the create icon in the upper-right corner of the Chat Sidebar and select Channel.
- Name the Channel. Optionally use the Add a List toggle to create a List tied to it, or the Make Private toggle to keep it private.
- Click Create. You'll follow the new Channel automatically.
- To message a person instead, click the create icon, select Message, type their name and click the chat to open it. Separate names with commas for a group DM.
- Type your message, or turn it into a Post from the Message dropdown under your draft, and click the send icon.
Scheduling, search and Chat activity
On paid plans you can schedule any message or threaded reply. Type it, click the dropdown to the right of the send icon, and pick a time by typing it in plain language, choosing a preset or using the calendar. Scheduled messages sit on the Drafts & Sent page, where you can edit, reschedule or delete them.
To find an old discussion, search all Chat messages from the AI Command Bar with the Channels or Messages filter, or search inside one Channel or DM from its floating sidebar. The Chat Activity page in your Home Sidebar collects messages where you've been @mentioned, reactions to your messages and messages assigned to you, with a tab for each.
Channels can also carry cards along the top: Battery Chart, Bookmarks, Calculation, Notes and Task List. Cards work in Channels but not in direct messages.
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Chat data retention can't be undone
On Enterprise and Max, admins and owners can set Chat messages to delete after 30, 90, 180 or 360 days, from Settings and then Security & Permissions. The default is Never expires. The moment you pick a period, messages older than it are deleted straight away, attachments included, and ClickUp says that data can't be recovered. After that, deletions run once a day, and deleting a parent message deletes its replies. Every change is recorded in the audit log, and deleted messages can take up to an additional 30 days to leave ClickUp's backups.
My verdict on ClickUp Chat
I'd use ClickUp Chat if your team already lives in ClickUp and you're on a paid plan, because creating tasks straight from a message is what stops decisions getting lost in scrollback. I'd skip it on Free Forever for anything beyond a trial, since a shared 1,000-message cap that never resets won't last a busy team long. If you're still getting set up, start with my guide on how to use ClickUp without getting lost.
Chat is where a lot of small-team busywork starts: someone asks, someone forgets, and the task never gets made. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
Is ClickUp Chat free?
Yes, Chat is on every plan, but as of October 2026 Free Forever Workspaces get 1,000 messages in total, shared across the Workspace, and that limit doesn't reset. Paid plans have no message limit.
How long does ClickUp keep Chat messages?
Free Forever shows 90 days of message history and paid plans keep unlimited history. On Enterprise and Max, admins can choose to delete messages after 30, 90, 180 or 360 days.
Can guests use ClickUp Chat?
Yes, but only in Channels they've been invited to. Guests can't create Channels, and view-only guests can't send messages in Channels.
Can I schedule messages in ClickUp Chat?
Yes on Unlimited, Core, Business, Business Plus, Enterprise and Max. Free Forever can't schedule messages.
Can I create a task from a threaded reply?
No. ClickUp only lets you create tasks from messages, not from replies inside a thread.
