16 Best Asana Alternatives of 2024 (Free + Paid)

Asana is a well-known project management software solution, but many project managers who try it find that it falls short of their needs. Thankfully, there are many Asana alternatives on the market, many of which are more powerful and offer a wide range of key features that are currently lacking in Asana’s portfolio.

Let’s first explore Asana’s project management tools and understand what it does and what it doesn’t do. After that, we’ll delve into 16 Asana alternatives that might better fit your needs. We gave each Asana alternative a thorough test drive and we’ve listed them in descending order of preference.

Why People Seek an Asana Alternative

Asana has positioned itself as a work management platform. It can be used by teams to help them stay on top of their assignments—whether those are project tasks or daily tasks for everyday business. However, Asana might not be the best choice for project managers.

If you’re an Asana user who’s hit the wall of what the software can do, or if you’re simply looking for project management software that fits your needs, we’ve tested a handful of the best Asana alternatives for you. There’s sure to be an Asana alternative with the right project management tools to suit your work.

What Features Make the Best Asana Alternatives?

Let’s review the project management features that you should look for when choosing an Asana alternative.

Gantt charts: Most project management software relies on Gantt charts as the main project planning tool. However, Asana’s timeline mimics a Gantt chart but lacks advanced project planning features, such as identifying the critical path or the work breakdown structure of your projects.
Kanban boards: Asana’s kanban boards are simple and user-friendly for teams to visually manage their work, resulting in increased productivity. However, many Asana alternatives offer more advanced kanban boards to help teams stay on track and control their work.
Resource management: Asana doesn’t have timesheets, workload charts or resource tracking reports, which are important resource management features for project managers.
Task management: Asana has multiple task management views that allow users to manage tasks, but fall short for project, program and portfolio management, unlike some Asana alternatives in this list.
Team collaboration: Like most project management software, Asana offers team collaboration tools such as file sharing and real-time team collaboration.
Work management: Asana lacks task automation features, which help streamline workflow, manage recurring tasks and reduce busy work.

2024 Best Asana Alternative Software Rankings

There are many Asana alternatives and each has key features and characteristics that make them unique. The following list includes free, freemium, cloud-based or open-source options. Look through them and decide which is the best Asana alternative for you.

1. ProjectManager

ProjectManager compiles your favorite project management tools in one easy-to-use platform. It’s award-winning work and project management software designed to help project managers plan, monitor and report on projects while providing teams the tools they need to collaborate and work more productively together. No matter if you have minimal project management experience or you’re a seasoned professional, you’ll be able to tap into the range of impressive benefits that ProjectManager has to offer. Plus, there’s a free 30-day trial you can take to try this software out for yourself.

Asana vs. ProjectManager

Like Asana, ProjectManager has kanban boards, task lists and reporting features. While Asana has timelines for scheduling tasks, you can’t filter for the critical path or set a baseline to track your planned effort against your actual effort in real-time. ProjectManager offers multiple project views; from Gantt charts and sheet views to task lists, calendars and kanban boards, so everyone can work how they please. All views share real-time data so there’s one source of truth and task approvals help maintain project quality. Users can comment at the task level, share files and more—all in real-time. Whether you’re in an office or working remotely, everyone can collaborate and work more productively together.

Track Progress and Performance in Real-Time

Track your team’s work as it happens with time tracking and task management features with live dashboards that automatically populate with data across the software. There’s no setup required as with other Asana alternatives. The real-time dashboard collects live data and displays digestible metrics on workload, budgets and costs. Use the dashboard to create instant reports to share with project stakeholders and quickly understand what projects are running smoothly and what projects require your attention.

ProjectManager’s dashboard view, is one of the project management tools that make this software the best Asana alternative

These powerful reporting features alone put ProjectManager at the top of our list of Asana alternatives, but there’s so much more than the tool offers. Use it to balance your workload and take advantage of other resource management tools such as timesheets to help track progress. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Project Management

ProjectManager Pros & Key Features

Real-time cost and time tracking
Multiple project management tools and views
Mobile app available for Android and iOS
Free 30-day trial

ProjectManager Cons & Limitations

Limited customization
Few native integrations
No free plan

ProjectManager Pricing

Team: $13.00 user/month
Business: $24.00 user/month
Enterprise: Contact sales

ProjectManager Reviews

G2 review: 4.4/5
Capterra review: 4.1/5

2. ClickUp

ClickUp is cloud-based work management software that’s flexible enough for businesses and teams of all sizes. It’s a good collaborative tool for teams and clients to save documents. It also makes it easy to assign tasks to teams and manage projects. It has task management features that allow you to track changes, create schedules and create reports.

Clickup task list view, a good Asana alternative

In fact, there are so many features that it can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the software, which means a steep learning curve. It also has customization that offers too many choices and can leave a user paralyzed. On top of that, the UI isn’t great. It can be confusing and get in the way of what you want to do, which is your work. ClickUp provides variety when it comes to team collaboration, but lacks other benefits that other Asana alternatives offer.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Work Management Tools

ClickUp Pros & Key Features

Flexible for different types of businesses and teams
Task management features
Mobile project planning app available for Android and iOS

ClickUp Cons & Limitations

Cluttered user interface, the software customization process can be confusing for most users
Some of its features are not designed for project management, but rather for team collaboration such as docs, whiteboards and proofing tools
Files can be exported in PDF format only, which makes it hard to view, edit and share them outside of ClickUp
No free trial

ClickUp Pricing

Unlimited: $5 user/month
Business: $12 user/month
Business Pro: $19 user/month

ClickUp Reviews

G2 review: 4.7/5
Capterra review: 4.7/5

3. Trello

Trello is task management software that uses kanban boards to organize work, which is both its strength and weakness. While its kanban boards are fully customizable and help users manage work and workflow for in-house and remote teams, putting all its eggs in the kanban basket will frustrate many users.

Trello's kanban board, one good Asana alternative

It’s flexible enough for light agile work and has a user-friendly interface. Data syncs across devices when working which is also a plus. But if you’re looking to manage resources, then you’re out of luck. In fact, even though Trello focuses on kanban boards, the boards could be improved. For example, there are no swimlanes or work-in-progress (WIP) limits. While Trello is a user-friendly tool that’s pretty good for kanban beginners, there are other Asana alternatives that offer a wider feature set.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Kanban Boards

Trello Pros & Key Features

Customizable project management tool
Flexible for light agile work

Trello Cons & Limitations

Kanban boards and calendars are its only project management features
Requires users to purchase add-ons for additional features
Doesn’t have Gantt charts

Trello Pricing

Standard: $5 user/month
Premium: $10 user/month
Enterprise: $17.50 user/month

Trello Reviews

G2 review: 4.4/5
Capterra review: 4.5/5

4. Wrike

Wrike is project management software chock full of features that are configurable depending on how users want to work. While it’s not the best Asana alternative, Wrike offers task lists, kanban boards and Gantt charts in addition to reporting tools and integration with third-party apps such as Google Drive and Dropbox.

With all of those features, however, the software can be hard to learn and even more difficult to master. It can be a pain to onboard, especially for users with no project management experience. There’s a dashboard but it doesn’t have the ability to filter unwanted data. Wrike can also be slow to load and users have complained about its confusing UI. Before making a decision you’ll need to consider your team’s opinions and discuss whether Wrike is a good fit for the organization. If not, you should consider exploring other Asana alternatives.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Integrations

Wrike Pros & Key Features

Multiple project management tools
Reporting features
14-day free trial
Mobile app available for Android and iOS

Wrike Cons & Limitations

Gantt chart user interface is outdated compared to Asana and other Asana alternatives
Limited project reporting functionality
Non-friendly user interface can make it difficult to navigate the software

Wrike Pricing

Professional plan: $9.80 user/month
Business plan: $24.80 user/month

Wrike Reviews

G2 review: 4.2/5
Capterra review: 4.3/5

5. Paymo

Paymo is a work management software on par with Asana in terms of prioritizing and organizing daily work, whether personally or for your team. With the help of automatic updates, reminders, and Slack notifications, teams are in sync, whether working asynchronously or remotely. Paymo has multiple project views (list, table, kanban, calendar, Gantt, MetaKanban and portfolio) for swift task management, but without the glow-up and unicorn animation.

Paymo, an Asana alternative with time tracking features

Paymo offers features not available in Asana, such as profitability tracking, automatic time tracking and invoicing. Asana compensates with goal tracking, custom fields, and a workflow builder. It’s best to take Paymo for a test drive and see whether cons such as no goal tracking and limited third-party integrations detract you from using Paymo.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Payment and Invoicing

Paymo Pros & Key Features

Multiple task management tools such as Gantt charts, task lists and kanban boards
Modern, visually appealing user interface
Mobile app for Android and iOS
Free plan
Free 15-day trial
Mobile project management for Android and iOS

Paymo Cons & Limitations

Limited project management reporting features
Gantt chart files can only be exported as PDF or PNG
No workflow automation features

Paymo Pricing

Free plan: $0 user/month
Starter plan: $5.9/user/month paid annually
Small Office plan: $10.9/user/month paid annually
Business plan: $16.9/user/month paid annually

Paymo Reviews

G2 review: 4.6/5
Capterra review: 4.8/5

6. Monday.com

Monday.com is an Asana alternative that appeals to people that aren’t strictly into project management. It’s a colorful app that tries to appeal to a more general audience with project planning that provides the basics, such as setting deadlines and assigning tasks and resources. It’s not all bare bones, though, with progress tracking features that monitor budget, burn rate and project velocity among other metrics.

Monday.com task lists are a good Asana alternative

It’s clear that this Asana alternative isn’t for project managers who run more complex projects, but even for the layman, it can be confusing. The pricing plan is somewhat deceptive, with user pricing looking affordable until you sign up and realize the monthly minimum. There’s a minimum of three users for each plan, which adds up. The free trial is also half the time of most other Asana alternatives. Time tracking is only available for the most expensive plan. Also, a tool that prides itself on agile work, its sprints don’t work as smoothly as one might expect.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Ease of Use

Monday.com Pros & Key Features

Attractive design and user interface
Has agile project management functionality
Mobile app for Android and iOS
14-day free trial

Monday.com Cons & Limitations

Limited project budgeting and cost-tracking features
Project dashboards lack detail
Too many customization options that require manual setup can affect the experience of non-tech-savvy users

Monday.com Pricing

Basic: $24/month billed annually (minimum of 3 users)
Standard: $30/month billed annually (minimum of 3 users)
Pro: $48/month billed annually (minimum of 3 users)

Monday.com Reviews

G2 review: 4.7/5
Capterra review: 4.6/5

7. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is an Asana alternative that puts all its eggs in one basket, but it’s a familiar basket. The whole tool is based on spreadsheets, but super-sized to do more than what one is accustomed to having them do. For example, you can plan, track and even automate work. There are also reporting features. Every user has transparency into what everyone else is doing, which fosters better collaboration.

This Asana alternative’s strength is also its weakness, which is spreadsheets. Project management software was developed as a response to the limitations of spreadsheets. Smartsheet is maybe too smart in that it’s complicated and difficult to use. That steep learning curve can be overcome with much time and effort, but having to buy add-ons to do important tasks such as time tracking and resource management is going to hit users in the pocketbook.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Project Spreadsheets

Smartsheet Pros & Key Features

Strong collaborative features
Automation to streamline workflow
Mobile app for Android and iOS
30-day free trial

Smartsheet Cons & Limitations

Spreadsheet-like tools aren’t ideal for managing projects
Project dashboards have an outdated look and feel compared to other Asana alternatives
The software requires the use of formulas which is not ideal for most users

Smartsheet Pricing

Pro: $7 per user/month (maximum of 10 users)
Business: $25 per user/month (minimum of 3 users)

Smartsheet Reviews

G2 review: 4.4/5
Capterra review: 4.5/5

8. Jira

Jira is a software product of Atlassian and is often used for tracking issues in software development. But Jira has grown to be used outside of the IT segment for tracking a range of issues, tasks and work items. What it might lack in features is made up on the Atlassian Marketplace where many plugins can be purchased to extend the tool’s features.

Jira is the best asana alternative for software development

Customers have complained that while this Asana alternative does have a mobile app, it pales in comparison to the web version of the software. If you’ve been using different software to manage your tasks and want to migrate that work into Jira, you’ll find it complex. There’s also a limit to file size uploads that can be frustrating if you want to upload an image.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Software Development

Jira Pros & Key Features

Good for tracking issues
Plugins available on marketplace
Mobile app available for Android and iOS
7-day free trial

Jira Cons & Limitations

Doesn’t have Gantt charts which is a big disadvantage compared to other Asana alternatives
User interface is hard to navigate, kanban boards are not easy to use
The feature set is designed for agile software development teams, so it’s not a great fit for teams in other industries

Jira Pricing

Free for up to 10 users
Standard: $7.75 per user
Premium: $15.25 per user
Enterprise: Custom pricing

Jira Reviews

G2 review: 4.3/5
Capterra review: 4.5/5

9. Basecamp

Basecamp is an Asana alternative that seeks to offer both project management and communications features. It has a basic plan that’s monthly per user, but its more popular option is a flat rate, which makes it unusual on this list. It’s a strong tool for teams that are distributed or work remotely as it has a lot of tools that facilitate collaboration, such as message boards, real-time group chat and automatic check-ins. It’s also a very intuitive tool and easy to use.

Basecamp project management tools are a simple Asana alternative

But there are gaps in this software that will likely have users searching for another Asana alternative. There are no tags or labels, for one, such as prioritizing or categorizing your tasks. This is a common feature in most other software products, but it’s missing here. Another absence is time tracking, which is a critical feature not appearing on Basecamp. There’s limited customization, but more damning is that the chat features, which are otherwise very good, are almost impossible to manage. You can’t even archive conversations. Maybe one day they’ll fix that to give users more personal control.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Small Projects

Basecamp Pros & Key Features

Features that facilitate collaboration
Intuitive and easy-to-use user interface
Mobile app for Android and iOS
30-day free trial

Basecamp Cons & Limitations

Limited project management feature set compared to other Asana alternatives
Basecamp doesn’t have Gantt charts
No project cost-tracking features

Basecamp Pricing

Basecamp: $15 user/month
Pro Unlimited: $299/month

Basecamp Reviews

G2 review: 4.1/5
Capterra review: 4.4/5

10. Hive

Hive is a relatively new Asana alternative that serves businesses of all sizes. It has features that help manage teams, foster collaboration and automate workflows. It’s one of the easier-to-use apps on this list, with accessible and responsible customer service. There’s a template library to help get you started, too. Advanced analytics help with budgeting and users can track time within a task. Plus, without having to pay for another user, you can give guests a view of the project.

Hive's kanban board makes this project management software a good Asana alternative

However, a lot of those advanced features, such as analytics, are only available for a price. And while it might be user-friendly, it’ll take a while before you get there. It can be a frustrating learning curve before you reach ease of use with the tool. There’s a mobile app, but its functionality is limited, which is going to dissuade teams that work in the field. Then there are integrations. If you want them, you have to use Zapier.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Team Visibility

Hive Pros & Key Features

Library of project templates
Advanced analytic tools
Mobile app for Android and iOS
14-day free trial

Hive Cons & Limitations

Gantt charts are good for task management but not robust enough for project planning and scheduling
The functionality of some project management tools can be improved, for example, Gantt chart task dependencies require users to enter formulas manually
Limited project management reporting features

Hive Pricing

Teams: $12 user/month

Hive Reviews

G2 review: 4.6/5
Capterra review: 4.5/5

11. Nifty

Nifty is a flexible project management solution whose roadmap experience contains milestones that display completion percentages as the tasks within them are completed. This simplified, impactful Gantt reporting is a running theme with Nifty, as its wide array of features are all based around award-winning ease of use.

Nifty project management software showing project tasks

Nifty covers a lot of ground with its offerings, such as built-in docs and chat, meaning teams of all types can benefit from Nifty. That said, if you’re looking for a wide array of integrations or robust resource management, you might find Nifty a little thin in these areas.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Roadmapping

Nifty Pros & Key Features

Has a lot of built-in team collaboration tools
Easy to use regardless of background
Mobile app available for Android and iOS
14-day free trial

Nifty Cons & Limitations

No kanban boards
Limited featured set compared to Asana and other Asana alternatives
Project dashboards and reporting are not sufficient for project managers

Nifty Pricing

Starter: $5/user/month
Pro: $10/user/month
Business: $16/user/month

Nifty Reviews

G2 review: 4.7/5
Capterra review: 4.6/5

12. Todoist

Another Asana alternative is Todoist. As the name suggests, this is a great app for tackling your to-do task lists. Todoist is focused solely on task management, which makes it an ideal tool for people looking to prioritize tasks and get productive without learning to use more complex project planning software. It’s easy to add tasks and recurring due dates. Plus you can view all your tasks at once to get a bird’s eye view. Todoist’s “favorites” function helps users focus on key projects, labels or filters so essential details don’t fall through the cracks. Tasks can also be shared which makes this more than a grocery list app.

However, since you can only view tasks as a list, Todoist lacks the basic functionality to be an effective project management app. There are no Gantt charts, calendar views or kanban boards to facilitate workflows. In addition, only individual tasks, not projects can have due dates. Plus, you can’t mark a project as complete. There’s a free version but its offerings are limited. While the paid version gives you more bells and whistles and is a great free Asana alternative, if you’re going to pony up the cash, you’d be better off with other Asana alternatives.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for To-do Lists

Todoist Pros & Key Features

Focuses on task management
Good productivity tool
Mobile app available for Android and iOS
Free plan
Free 30-day trial

Todoist Cons & Limitations

No Gantt charts
Kanban boards’ functionality is limited compared to Asana and other Asana alternatives
There are no project management reports

Todoist Pricing

Pro: $4 user/month
Business: $6 user/month

Todoist Reviews

G2 review: 4.7/5
Capterra review: 4.6/5

13. Podio

Another work management alternative to Asana is Podio. It’s a great productivity tool that can keep track of client contacts and other key information such as notes from meetings. There are customizable templates that help users get started that much faster. Podio helps facilitate team collaboration and helps with project organization, especially when a project deals with external teams. It also acts as a collaborative bridge between team members from different departments in an organization.

Podio is a simple task management tool that can be used as an Asana alternative

Podio can track tasks and multiple projects while organizing them by group and colleagues. But because it’s a very specific project and task management software, it’s not the best project management software for project implementation.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Productivity Tracking

Podio Pros & Key Features

Tracks client contacts
Has customizable templates
Mobile app available for Android and iOS
Free plan
Free 30-day trial

Podio Cons & Limitations

No Gantt charts
Wasn’t designed specifically for project management like Asana or other Asana alternatives
Lacks key project management features such as project dashboards and reports
No free trial

Podio Pricing

Plus: $11.20 user/month
Premium: $19.20 user/month

Podio Reviews

G2 review: 4.2/5
Capterra review: 4.2/5

14. Workzone

Workzone is an Asana alternative for marketing teams, ad agencies and other organizations that manage many projects. The software has been around for a couple of decades which shows that Workzone has built a loyal following. Workzone has more features than some entry-level project management software solutions and is easier to use than Asana. It offers budget management, collaborative tools, Gantt charts, and portfolio management and works best with traditional project management methodologies.

Workzone's Gantt chart is simple but still can be a good Asana alternative

However, Workzone isn’t designed to work within an agile framework, something that many teams prefer. There’s also no kanban board for visualizing workflows. Moreover, its workload and time-tracking offerings are less than ideal as it doesn’t display cumulative hours for team members. There have also been complaints about its user interface needing improvement. Workzone doesn’t offer anything like Asana’s templates to help set up the software, meaning manual setup is required. There are other Asana alternatives that can cover these gaps, but Workzone might still be useful to your team.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Marketing Teams

Workzone Pros & Key Features

Easy-to-use project management tools
Has budget management features
Mobile app available for Android and iOS
30-day free trial

Workzone Cons & Limitations

Limited Gantt chart functionality compared to Asana and other Asana alternatives
Project dashboards don’t track costs
Workload reports are not detailed enough for project managers

Workzone Pricing

Team: $24 user/month
Professional: $34 user/month
Enterprise: $43 user/month

Workzone Reviews

G2 review: 4.2/5
Capterra review: 4.8/5

15. ProofHub

ProofHub is another cloud-based project management software made to help plan, collaborate and organize work. Project managers are able to communicate with teams and clients, share information and all in an easy-to-use tool that is intuitive and quick for most to pick up and use.

This Asana alternative has kanban boards, Gantt charts and a chat feature for collaborating, but there’s limited interaction with other software platforms, a problem for most users who need more than one tool to complete their work. There are also issues with tracking and many features can be a bit buggy. This on top of minimal budgeting tools is a problem.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Large Teams

ProofHub Pros & Key Features

Collaborative project management tool
Intuitive and quick to pick up
Mobile app available for Android and iOS
14-day free trial

ProofHub Cons & Limitations

Gantt charts don’t have cost tracking and project budgeting features
Workflow management features are limited
It doesn’t have project dashboards

ProofHub Pricing

Essential: $45 per month, flat pricing
Ultimate Control: $89 per month, flat pricing

ProofHub Reviews

G2 review: 4.5/5
Capterra review: 4.5/5

16. Teamwork

Teamwork is a simpler alternative to Asana which focuses on team collaboration. It’s meant for teams focused on a simple user interface and clean design versus those seeking complex project management software. Because of this, Teamwork appeals to those who work in an agile framework with tools like kanban boards and work management features. Teamwork isn’t one software, but a suite of different ones, including Teamwork Projects, Teamwork Desk (for the help desk) and Teamwork Chat. This creates both flexibility and confusion.

Teamwork is a project management software that can be used as an Asana alternative

The software often crosses the line from simple to generic. It’s a one-size-fits-all solution that lacks advanced Gantt charts or other time-tracking, task management and project-planning features. Teamwork Projects can also make it difficult to set up projects, add tasks, set start and end dates and assign tasks to team members. Teamwork is a collaborative tool that can help with work management, but if you need advanced project management features, you might need to look for more Asana alternatives.

Verdict: Best Asana Alternative for Team Management

Teamwork Pros & Key Features

Simple user interface and clear design
Good fit for agile project management

Teamwork Cons & Limitations

Gantt charts lack task management details
Project reporting features are limited
It doesn’t have project calendars
Complicated pricing structure and all paid versions have a 3-user minimum

Teamwork Pricing

Deliver plan: $9.99 user/month
Grow plan: $19.99 user/month

Teamwork Reviews

G2 review: 4.4/5
Capterra review: 4.4/5

Which Asana Alternative Is Right for You?

You’ve seen our list of Asana alternatives and there are many contenders, but the top choice is ProjectManager. This award-winning project management software empowers teams to plan, manage and track their projects in real time. It has all the collaboration features you need to share files and comment on tasks, plus there are task management, risk management and resource management features to help you stay on schedule and budget.