If you are looking for Asana alternatives for your task management software, you know how important the right software is in a fast-paced business environment. They provide teams with the tools and resources to collaborate effectively and complete projects successfully and on time.
Asana has long been a popular choice, but in 2023 there are lots of alternatives that offer unique features and functionalities. This article will explore 20 of the best Asana alternatives that you can use to streamline your project management processes.
Why not to use Asana?
Asana is a popular project management tool used for task and project tracking. However, with the many variables and differences between teams, projects, and businesses, Asana is not always the right option for your project.
You might consider using Asana alternatives if you need additional features, a simpler interface, or a budget-friendly alternative for your project management tool.
Different features and functionality
- Whether it’s advanced automation, customizable workflows or specialized integrations, different workflow management tools can offer a better fit for your specific requirements. This guide will help you identify what is particular to each platform.
User Interface
- The user interface can have a significant role in how easily your team can adopt and utilise the software. A simpler, less complex interface may help adoption and use of the tool across multiple teams. Faster user adoption means that there is less risk of software implementation going wrong and a quicker return on investment.
Pricing
- Asana pricing can be a signficant investment for your team or business, especially as you increase the number of users. Other platforms such as beSlick may offer the features you need at a significantly lower budget.
Process management
- Task management goes hand in hand with the processes in your business. However, business process or workflows can sometimes be more complicated than Asana’s capabilities allow – meaning you’ll need separate systems which can create further issues.
Recurring schedules
- If your team runs tasks on a regular schedule, such as daily checks or monthly billing, Asana has limited configuration to support this. Looking at an Asana alternative that provides better task scheduling features could be exactly what you need.
20 Best Asana Alternatives 2023
Whatever the reason your business is considering using an alternative to Asana, there are plenty of options to choose from. To help you work out what the best tool for your needs is, here is a list of the top 20 alternatives and why they might offer a better solution.
1. Asana vs beSlick best for process & recurring schedules
While Asana provides Gantt charts, Kanban and other project management focused features, beSlick is all about tracking repeatable task activity in your business. This helps even the most reluctant employees embrace the tool and keep track of all aspects of a project.
Among other features, beSlick’s functionality allows you to create to-do lists, assign tasks, automate reminders, track progress, build digital oline forms and produce reports.
BeSlick offers a 14 day free trial. The paid version starts at US$70/month including five users, each additional user is then $7 per user/month.
Correct as of June 2023, current pricing here
Pros
- Easy to use with a simple interface. Extra features are easy to find and use too.
- Very functional workflow designer, supporting dependencies, decisions & loops.
- Integrated online forms & task automation.
Cons
- The mobile version needs a better interface, but this is something the BeSlick team is already working on so watch this space.
- No Gantt charts or Kanban views.
2. Asana vs Trello best for solo workers
If you’re looking for an even simpler Asana alternative, Trello is a Kanban style tool that helps to visualize individual tasks across a handful of tasks using lists.
With Trello you can create boards, lists, and cards to visualize and organize projects. For each card you can assign tasks, set due dates, and track progress in a visually appealing and user-friendly interface. If you need more head to our alternatives to Trello list.
Trello offers a free version of the tool in which users have access to the platform’s core features. The paid version of the tool starts at $5 per user per month up to $17.50 per user/month.
Pros
- The platform integrates with various applications and offers a wide range of power-ups to enhance its functionality.
- Very familiar to Kanban fans.
Cons
- Due to the nature of visually displaying itemized tasks, Trello is limited as to how many projects or teams can use it and how many features it offers.
- Trello doesn’t support dependent dates, repeatable activities, or forms.
- We recommend Trello only for small teams or freelancers.
3. Asana vs Wrike best for reporting
Wrike offers more extensive integrations with other tools than Asana, including custom integrations. This helps to create a centralized hub across multiple systems if you have the technical resources available to configure and implement these integrations.
Wrike has features such as Gantt charts, workload management, real-time collaboration, and custom reporting. It allows project managers to automate time-consuming admin with in-built templates and workflows. For a complete list of Wrike alternatives head here.
Wrike offers a free trial and a free version of the tool. The free version is limited to just one user, with a pricing structure that ranges from $9.80 to $24.80 per user per month.
Pros
- The custom reporting feature in Wrike is intuitive and provides easy access to project progress and team performance data.
- Visuals show where project blockers are and how to move the project along.
Cons
- With its extensive integrations and automation capabilities, Wrike can be a difficult tool to navigate.
- This can mean that some employees don’t use it effectively (or at all) which jeopardizes project tracking.
4. Asana vs Basecamp best for communication
While Asana offers more features and more integrations, Basecamp offers a more intuitive interface and opportunity to collaborate across teams directly in the tool.
In Basecamp, each task and/or project offers features such as to-do lists, message boards, file sharing, and scheduling, meaning all information about projects are in one place.
You can check this list of Basecamp alternatives if you need more options.
Basecamp starts at $15 per user per month or a flat $99 per month business plan. If you are a solo worker there is a free Basecamp personal plan, but the features included are even more limited.
Pros
- Basecamp’s minimalist design and intuitive interface make it ideal for teams who prefer a straightforward approach to project management.
Cons
- A minimalist design may help adoption rate among employees, it also means that it lacks some of the more advanced features compared to other Asana alternatives like workflow design or forms, for example.
- Due to it’s streamlined approach, it can be difficult to assign multiple tasks to people within a single project, and track overall progress.
5. Asana vs Monday.com for visual customisation
Monday.com offers a more customizable option than Asana to empower teams to plan, track, and manage projects with ease.
It has an intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionality make it easy for team members to collaborate and stay organized. The platform also offers visual project timelines, Gantt charts, and robust reporting features, providing a comprehensive overview of project progress.
Monday.com has a free plan for up to two users. Plans for three users start at $29 per month but for more users businesses need to contact Monday.com for a quote.
Pros
- Monday.com is accessible via web browser or an app, which can be useful for users across different operating systems. However, users report that the app can be sluggish and difficult to navigate.
Cons
- Monday.com can be more complex to set up due to the level of customization available.
- Onboarding and getting employees to engage with the tool may be more challenging than other Asana alternatives.
- Setting up recurring schedules for tasks can also be difficult, if this is important then you should look at other options.
6. Asana vs Clickup best for integrations
Asana offers some functionality in terms of integrations, however if you are in need of a project management tool that integrates with numerous apps and tools, ClickUp may be a better choice. It offers the most integration options of any tool in this list, allowing for seamless workflow integration with existing systems.
It offers a rich set of features, including customizable workflows, time tracking, document management, and goal tracking.
If you want to try ClickUp, there is a free plan with limited features. Paid plans vary from $5 to $19 per user per month.
Pros
- ClickUp’s clean interface and customizable views enable teams to tailor their workspace according to their specific needs.
Cons
- The support for ClickUp is lacking especially for free users. Live chat is a bot and so users report some frustration with responses.
- If you’re looking to define and manage process, Clickup isn’t really the tool for that.
7. Asana vs Teamwork best for time tracking
Teamwork is a very different tool to Asana, but has useful features that Asana does now. As a calendar management platform, teamwork works brilliantly for managing schedules and tracking time across multiple teams and people. So if tracking and scheduling is what you need from a project management tool, Teamwork is perfect for you.
Teamwork offers a range of features including task tracking, time logging, and collaboration features, all within a unified workspace.
Teamwork has a free plan up to 5 users. For more features and capability, paid plans range from $5.99 per user per month to $19.99 per user/month.
Pros
- The tool makes scheduling easy to access and share, with simple color visualizations.
Cons
- Teamwork is more of a scheduling tool that lends itself to project management.
- Although it is good for scheduling tasks and subtasks during a project, it may need to be used in conjunction with another tool that allows file sharing and greater collaboration.
8. Asana vs Notion best for documentation
Notion has really embraced the age of AI and machine learning. Unlike Asana, Notion uses intuitive and fully configurable AI-powered tools to manage projects, which is useful for setting up projects quickly and efficiently.
Notion combines simplified project management with note-taking and collaboration, allowing teams to create custom workflows and centralize all project-related information.
While Asana does not offer a free version of the tool, Notion does. The free plan allows full tool access but is limited to 7 days of page history. However, the paid plans, starting at $8 per member per month, offer 30 days upwards. Notion AI is an additional $8/member/month.
Pros
- One of the biggest advantages of Notion is that there are a whole host of templates to use for quickly setting up projects and tasks.
Cons
- Compared to Asana, Notion does not offer many integrations. Currently it only integrates with a handful of tools, including Evernote and Github.
9. Asana vs Airtable best for spreadsheet lovers
Airtable combines the power of spreadsheets with project management, enabling teams to organize, track, and collaborate on tasks and projects effectively.
Users can build dynamic reports with charts, graphs and metrics either using templates or custom reports. Each of the reporting dashboards you build is interactive, which gives you complete control over what you see.
For smaller teams and solo workers, Airtable offers a free plan. For $10 a month, the paid plans offer additional features, like custom branded reports, integrations, and more.
Pros
- Like Notion, Airtable has a wide variety of templates for users, from personal to business projects. These include workflows, reports, time tracking, and much more.
Cons
- Although the tool lends itself to project management of all types, Airtable was not developed to be a project management tool.
- For large or more complex projects, the tool isn’t likely to be useful or have enough features.
10. Asana vs Smartsheet best for reporting
With a spreadsheet-like interface, Smartsheet is a versatile platform to help manage, track, and collaborate on projects. It is cloud-based, like Asana, which means you can access it anytime, anywhere.
One of the key benefits of Smartsheet is that it has lots of features to help you visualize and report on data. The GridView looks like a familiar spreadsheet, so it is easy to use and understand.
Smartsheet does not offer a free plan, but does provide a 30 day free trial. After that, plans start at $7 per user, per month.
Pros
- You can also include cross-sheet reports and external web content in your Smartsheet dashboards, which isn’t a feature in Asana. This helps you to streamline your processes and see what works and what doesn’t.
Cons
- Although Smartsheet offers some integrations, it is still limited in what other tools or apps it will integrate with.
- At this time, there is also no functionality for custom integration either, but watch this space.
11. Asana vs JIRA for Agile teams
JIRA, most commonly used for its software development capabilities, provides advanced project management that allows you to track tasks, manage workflows, and collaborate.
With more features than Asana, like customizable boards, issue tracking, and extensive integration options, JIRA gives you a flexible and scalable way to plan, track, and deliver projects.
Jira offers a range of pricing plans starting with 10 users for free then $7.75 per additional user per month. This makes it scalable and affordable for growing companies.
Pros
- As well as extensive integration capabilities, JIRA is focused on agile project management, providing tools for backlog management, sprint planning, and tracking progress.
Cons
- The main issue with JIRA that users report is that the interface and initial setup can be quite complex, which puts some employees and businesses off. However, JIRA has a large and active user community, which provides lots of resources, support, and knowledge sharing.
12. Asana vs ProofHub for document proofing
Like Asana, ProofHub offers an all-in-one project management solution, including task management, collaboration, time tracking, and resource management, in a user-friendly interface.
Features for task management, time tracking, Gantt charts, and customizable workflows make ProofHub a very useful project management tool. But the standout feature is the built-in proofing tool. Users can upload files and collaborate with team members to provide feedback, suggest changes, and make annotations directly on the files within ProofHub. This eliminates the need for separate tools or email chains for feedback and simplifies the review process, ultimately saving time.
After a free trial, ProofHub plans start at $45. This is for an unlimited number of users, so may not be cost effective for smaller teams.
Pros
- Collaborating with external stakeholders is important for many businesses, and is something that Proofhub makes simple. It offers client and guest access to specific projects or tasks to improve communication and collaboration with external parties without compromising the security of the entire workspace.
Cons
- While ProofHub offers a range of features, it is priced relatively high for small teams compared to other Asana alternatives. So it may not be the best solution for smaller businesses.
13. Asana vs Hive for employee engagement
Hive combines project management and collaboration features with advanced analytics and reporting, offering teams a comprehensive platform for efficient project execution.
Hive shares some features with Asana, including automated workflows, task tracking, and progress reporting. But it also has unique features like a built-in chat to allow real-time communication and collaboration.
Hive is free for up to 10 users. Additional users are then charged at $12 per user per month, which also unlocks extra features like time tracking and shareable forms.
Pros
- If you struggle getting employees to use and engage with a project management tool, Hive has a solution. It integrates with your company emails, allowing users to create tasks, reply to comments, and make updates directly from their inbox.
Cons
- Some users may find the interface complex at first, but the email integration certainly helps with employee engagement.
14. Asana vs Zenkit for integrated file management
Zenkit offers a little more flexibility than Asana by allowing teams to customize their workflows, collaborate, and visualize project progress using different views and perspectives.
There are multiple views in Zenkit, including Kanban boards, tables, and mind maps, allowing teams to visualize and organize their work. It also enables users to collaborate and communicate effectively through comments, mentions, and file attachments.
Zenkit Personal is a free plan for one user, however additional users start at $9 per user per month.
Pros
- Zenkit also integrates Google Drive and Dropbox, to support seamless file sharing. This helps make file management easier.
Cons
- A key feature that Zenkit lacks is more advanced workflow requirements, such as dependent dates or forms.
- To enable the forms feature you need to add-on Zenforms, which is an additional cost to factor in.
15. Asana vs MeisterTask for agendas
MeisterTask simplifies task management with its intuitive interface, customizable project boards, and automation features. As an alternative to Asana, MeisterTask can help some teams streamline their workflow.
There are three pricing options for MeisterTask. The ‘Basic’ plan is free and allows you to create up to 3 projects, while the paid plans start around $12-$25 per user per month
Pros
- MeisterTask offers automation capabilities with its “Section Actions” feature, allowing users to automate recurring tasks and workflows.
Cons
- Some users may find the customization options in MeisterTask to be limited compared to other task management tools.
16. Asana vs Freedcamp for on a budget
Freedcamp is a feature-rich project management platform, which shares some functionalities with Asana like task tracking, time logging, discussion boards, and file sharing. However, unlike Asana, Freedcamp offers all of these features in a free plan.
Freedcamp includes features such as discussion boards, file sharing, and document collaboration to facilitate seamless team communication. The tool integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack, to support file sharing and collaboration.
Despite the learning curve needed to understand how to use all of its features, Freedcamp is the cheapest Asana alternative on the market. The basic plan starts at just $1.49 per user per month, making it a great alternative for businesses on a budget.
Pros
- While Asana has some project templates to choose from, Freedcamp offers more in the way of customizable Gantt charts and time tracking capabilities. This is particularly helpful when it comes to making sure tasks are completed on time.
Cons
- Some users may find the user interface of Freedcamp to be slightly complex, which might reduce employee engagement.
17. Asana vs ProWorkflow for Xero integration
ProWorkflow provides a very scalable Asana alternative, with resource allocation, team collaboration, and a strong focus on time tracking and reporting.
ProWorkflow offers customizable workflows, which allow teams to define their own processes and stages. Workflow features include tools for time tracking, resource allocation, and budget management.
Prices start from $18 per month per user.
Pros
- With time tracking and integration with QuickBooks and Xero, ProWorkflow is perfect for agencies and businesses who bill clients for time. You can log time and sync it straight with your accounting software simply and efficiently.
Cons
- While Asana is known for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, ProWorkflow may have a steeper learning curve for new users.
- The interface of ProWorkflow can be perceived as less visually appealing and may require more time for users to navigate and understand all the features.
18. Asana vs Kanbanize for Kanban boards
Kanbanize is a more visual project management tool that utilizes Kanban boards and advanced analytics to help teams manage tasks, monitor progress, and identify bottlenecks.
The main feature of Kanbanize is that it allows teams to visualize and manage their tasks and workflows using Kanban cards. This provides a clear overview of work progress and helps teams to identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency.
The pricing tiers for Kanbanize starts with 15 users for $149 a month. Pricing then increases in increments of 5 additional users. ‘Business Rules’ for automation are additional cost.
Pros
- Kanbanize integrates with other project management tools such as Jira and Slack. This helps external teams to work with their preferred tools while maintaining seamless collaboration.
Cons
- Kanbanize is a relatively higher priced alternative to Asana compared to other tools.
- This pricing structure may not be feasible for smaller teams or organizations with limited budgets, especially if they don’t require all the advanced features offered by Kanbanize.
19. Asana vs Bitrix24 for managing communications
Bitrix24 combines project management with communication and collaboration features, offering teams a unified platform for task management and team collaboration.
Unlike Asana, Bitrix24 is centred around communication. The tool acts as a social intranet with activity streams, news feeds, and employee profiles.
Bitrix24 pricing structure is based on the number of users and corresponding features. The free plan has limited storage and limited collaboration features, for example users can join video calls but are not able to share screens. Paid plans start at around $45 per month for 5 users.
Pros
- Bitrix24 offers reliable and easy-to-use mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, which allows employees to access and manage their tasks on the go.
- Bitrix24 does offer an on-premise solution.
Cons
- For businesses who need more specialised workflows, Bitrix24 is less useful than Asana.
- Bitrix24 is more limited in terms of being able to customise workflows or tailoring certain features.
20. Asana vs Redbooth for video conferencing
Redbooth is similar to Asana in its aim to streamline project management using features like task management, file sharing. But Redbooth emphasises collaboration using video conferencing to enable teams to work together seamlessly.
Redbooth plans start from $9 per month and increase with the number of features available.
Pros
- To help teams collaborate more effectively, Redbooth has features like real-time chat, discussions, and file sharing. This helps keep communication and feedback all in one place.
Cons
- Unlike Asana and other alternatives in this list, Redbooth does not offer time tracking or budget tracking. You can integrate time tracking tools, however, but extra time and cost should be factored into this.
Is Asana good or bad?
Asana is a great piece of software, but hopefully this article has helped to show the many Asana competitors that are out there and give you a comparison. The advantages and disadvantages of Asana are often specific to your specific scenario. Other questions you may need to answer as you narrow your selection:
Why is Asana so popular?
- Asana entered a crowded market, but (at the time) presented a strong feature set at a competitive price. By executing confidently on its sales strategy, it has gained signficant brand awareness that means it is usually in the top five when considering task management software plans. However, time has moved on and even more competitors have entered the market with fresh ideas, unique capabilities and often offering better value. There is no platform that is right for everyone, however this article will help you make a shortlist of Asana alternatives.
What is the competitive advantage of Asana?
- The brand awareness of Asana, together with its well known customer list, mean that it will feature on the shortlist of many when reviewing different options. It’s feature list and interface is no longer unique, but as a competitive advantage the brand is a strong one.
Why do people like Asana?
- Some people like the flying unicorn, some people don’t. Many people like the colours and customization, many do not. Everyone is different, so it is important that you actually try the different options you might consider, and include the team that will be using it.
What is a free alternative to Asana?
- Asana itself offers a free plan, Asana Basic. Many of the platforms on this list provide a free version, and we have highlighted that on the pricing of each listing.
Is Asana basic free forever?
- Currently, yes. We can’t comment on if that will change in the future.
What are the limitations of Asana free version?
- The free version of Asana supports up to 15 users, and includes basic task management functionality. But the interface is well designed in convincing you to upgrade and you might find it frustrating being constantly reminded how much you are missing.
With Asana Basic you have limited Views, no forms, no workflow builder, no approvals and reporting is very limited… all the things that actually bring productivity benefits to your business.
As with many free task management software options usually it is best to actually open your wallet and invest in your team. If you look at the numbers, saving just one hour a month per user will cover the cost of almost all the software on this list of Asana alternatives.
Is there a Google equivalent to Asana?
- Well, not really. Google Tasks helps you manage your to-do list, and becomes more collaborative in Google Workspace, but it isn’t really a close contender to any of the options on this list – which is why it hasn’t been included.
Is there a Microsoft equivalent to Asana?
- With Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Teams working together, you could meet your basic requirements. Through deeper integration with the rest of the Microsoft ecosystem (Microsoft Power Apps will need technical development resource to effectively use) you could reach a similar level of capability. Indeed, you will have designed a system that will probably be even closer to your dream solution. However, this will take a signficant amount of time and effort (and cost) to achieve…. by which time your requirements may well have changed. While the solutions in this list have varying degrees of complexity, all of them are built explicitly for task and project management and you will likely achieve success more quickly.
Is Asana good for personal use?
- Ironically, many Asana users find themselves in this position. When Asana is deployed to a team, but the team fail to successfully adopt the platform, it can become the job of the administrator to tick off each task as it is completed. Which reduces the benefit of Asana back to the level of a spreadsheet. For this reason, it is critical you involve your team in the evaluation of any of the software on this list, to ensure that adoption will be a success and that productivity will flourish.
Which tool is the right Asana alternative for me?
Whether Asana or an Asana alternative is right for your project depends on your team’s preferences and business needs. Looking at the alternative project management tools available can help you reach a decision by understanding what features will help to improve collaboration and help your team achieve its goals more effectively.
Alister Esam, Author of The Dirty Word and CEO at beSlick
Alister Esam is a successful entrepreneur and investor, having bootstrapped his fintech software business eShare to international status operating in over 40 countries and servicing 20,000 board directors, before successfully exiting to a multibillion-dollar organisation in 2018. He now invests in a variety of startups and on a global mission to make work, work.
