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21 best Asana alternatives (free & paid) for 2023

23 min read
Katie Oberthaler

Businesses looking to improve their processes and get organized have many choices, with a proliferation of project management platforms available. It’s common to try a handful of platforms before you find one that truly works for your team and the type of work you do. If you’re currently using, or investigating, programs like Asana and are exploring alternatives, this blog post is for you!

We’ve put together a list of 21 Asana alternatives, along with their best uses, key features, pros, cons, and pricing. 

21 Best Asana Alternatives (Free & Paid) for 2021

Included in our list of 21 Asana alternatives are apps like Asana, full-featured software platforms, and entirely cloud-based systems. Let’s take a closer look at what differentiates these 21 Asana competitors:

  1. Ziflow
  2. Toggl Plan
  3. Trello
  4. monday.com
  5. Wrike
  6. ClickUp
  7. Sendtask
  8. Teamwork
  9. ActiveCollab
  10. Nifty
  11. Airtable
  12. Quire
  13. Process Street
  14. ProjectManager.com
  15. Jira
  16. Basecamp
  17. Any.do
  18. Scoro
  19. MeisterTask
  20. Notion
  21. Plutio

Ziflow

ziflow landing page homepage overview - deliver exceptional creative faster
Source: Ziflow

Best for: Managing creative content review and approval 

Ziflow is an online proofing software used by some of the world’s largest brands, including Toyota, Amazon AWS, and Weber. The platform helps creative teams collaborate, communicate with clients, get specific feedback, and streamline creative operations. With support for more than 1,200 media types, and the ability to add outside users to projects, creative teams can keep all client feedback within the platform and avoid lengthy email chains.

Teams and clients can see the status of every shared deliverable and get alerts when action is required. Creatives and project managers don’t have to waste time chasing down clients for approvals — Ziflow’s automation features let users set due dates that trigger notifications when a task or action is past-due. Ziflow also integrates directly with Asana for combined project management and online proofing in one place. 

Ziflow not only streamlines the entire creative review and approval process, but also supports marketing and brand compliance

Key features

  • Proofing for text, audio, video, and 1,200+ other media types
  • Robust markup tools including annotations and multilingual commenting
  • Version comparisons
  • Real-time in-app chat windows with file-sharing functionality
  • Adjustable user permissions
  • Video-proofing markup features
  • Creative workflow automation
  • Audit trails to ensure marketing compliance
  • Track review progress
  • Ziflow Insights analyzes productivity trends 
  • SOCII accreditation

Pros

Great for streamlining the entire review and approval process, and for reducing compliance risks. Reduces the number of revisions needed to complete creative assets.

Cons

Doesn't provide broader project management capabilities, but integrates with monday.com, Asana, Jira, and other popular project management platforms.

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $9 per user/month to $45 per user/month, with enterprise-level pricing available upon request.

Toggl Plan

Toggl project management team and task planning software dashboard with calendar

Source: Toggl Plan

Best for: Organizing marketing campaigns

Toggl Plan helps marketing teams track all of the pieces of their campaigns. Users can color-code tasks in a calendar view, which makes it easy to see the progress of more complex tasks that require copywriting, design, and development. And integration with Google Calendar lets Toggl Plan show when team members are unavailable.

Key features

  • Drag-and-drop task reassignment
  • In-task communication
  • Week, month, quarter, or annual calendar views
  • Project milestones
  • Kanban boards

Pros

Has a straightforward user interface, which means teams can start using it without the need for training. Works well for planning timelines.

Cons

Lacks the functionality creative teams need to gather specific and actionable feedback on deliverables. Limited range of file types. 

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $8 per user/month to $13.35 per user/month, with enterprise-level pricing available upon request. A free plan is available for individual users.

Trello

Trello dashboard overview with columns and tasks

Source: Trello

Best for: Simple task management

Trello is one of a handful of project management apps from Atlassian. Trello’s interface is based on task lists and project boards that can be color-coded, so it’s a platform that appeals to visual learners.  

Key features

  • Unlimited cards & members
  • Integrated map feature
  • User access controls
  • Kanban boards
  • Unlimited activity log

Pros

Free version for small teams offers a good amount of features. Mobile apps are included with all versions.

Cons

Some basic functions found in other Asana alternatives are available only with “Power-Ups” (apps in the Atlassian store).

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $8 per user/month to $13.35 per user/month, with enterprise-level pricing available upon request. A free plan is available for individual users.

monday.com

Monday.com project overview windows main page landing

Source: monday.com

Best for: General project management

monday.com is a feature-rich platform that large teams can use to simplify workflows. It’s specifically useful for dev teams and includes an easy bug-reporting feature that helps non-developers easily explain a newly discovered bug. 

Key features

  • iOS and Android apps
  • Multiple workflow templates
  • Gantt charts 
  • Kanban boards
  • 20+ column types

Pros

Fully extensible, with a wide range of apps and integrations.

Cons

Time-tracking, task dependencies, and timeline views are available only in higher-tier versions. Interface is not as intuitive as some platforms from other Asana competitors.

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $8 per user/month to $16 per user/month, with enterprise-level pricing available upon request. A free plan is available for teams of up to two people.

Wrike

wrike app dashboard overview - new discover a more intelligent way to work

Source: Wrike

Best for: Project revenue management

Wrike’s revenue management view lets users see actual, planned, and at-risk revenue in a single window. This platform also works well for ticket-tracking, setting up task dependencies, and customizing workflows.

Key features

  • Templates for incoming requests
  • Kanban boards & Gantt charts
  • Cloud-based storage
  • Team calendar-sync
  • Time-tracking

Pros

Versatile platform for multi-department teams. Several types of reports available.

Cons

Confusing pricing structure. Difficult to determine the differences between software versions. Use is not automatically standardized — admins must establish rules for how to work within the platform.

Pricing:

Pricing listed for two plans is $9.80 per user/month and $24.80 per user/month. Wrike appears to offer at least four other plans, plus an enterprise version and a la carte features, but pricing for these options is not included on its site.

ClickUp

clickup landing page overview - the remote work OS is here

Source: ClickUp

Best for: Remote team project management

ClickUp’s features work well for teams in which many or all members are working remotely. Users can see in real-time anyone who is working in, commenting on, or editing a document. Teams can also create internal and external knowledge bases that contain deliverables, supporting materials, video, and brand guidelines. The “Activity View” feature lets users see all activity that’s occurring within a specific project or task, or in the entire workspace.

Key features

  • Subtasks and task dependencies
  • Workload chart
  • Recurring tasks
  • Bulk rescheduling
  • Webhooks

Pros

Can be adapted for multiple types of teams and projects. Integrates well with other platforms.

Cons

Free version doesn’t allow custom permissions for guest users. Custom roles and permissions available only in the enterprise version.

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $5 per user/month to $8 per user/month, with enterprise-level pricing available upon request. A free plan is available for teams of up to five people.

Sendtask

Sendtask organize all your projects and to-dos app main dash

Source: Sendtask

Best for: Short-term projects

Sendtask is a simple app-based project management tool that allows users to invite outside guests without creating an account. Hashtags make it easy to find tasks and projects, and the Slack integration lets users create and assign tasks from Slack. 

Key features

  • Unlimited users
  • Contact import
  • Reminders
  • Activity log
  • Comment formatting
  • Filtered views

Pros

Simple platform for internal and client communication.

Cons

Few integrations. No Gantt chart view, and no Android app.

Pricing:

Sendtask is still in beta and is free to use.

Teamwork

Teamwork project management software as a service - maximize team resources with workload

Source: Teamwork

Best for: Companies anticipating rapid growth

Teamwork offers an intuitive UX and basic project management features, with add-ons that can help companies scale the platform into a full-fledged CRM system. All versions offer Gantt chart views and Zapier integration.

Key features

  • Multiple integrations
  • Unlimited free client users 
  • Invoicing
  • Time-tracking
  • Resource scheduling

Pros

Paid versions offer robust features for budget tracking and forecasting, as well as status monitors for projects and tasks.

Cons

Some features that are standard in other Asana alternatives are available only as paid add-ons for Teamwork (pricing unknown).

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $10 per user/month to $18 per user/month, with enterprise-level pricing available upon request. A free plan is available for small teams.

ActiveCollab

activecollab batch editing and rearranging application

Source: ActiveCollab

Best for: Agencies with multiple ongoing service agreements

ActiveCollab includes features that let users duplicate projects and tasks, set recurring tasks, and view each team member’s workload by client. Gmail integration enables clients and team members to respond to notifications and questions from their inbox without accessing ActiveCollab.

Key features

  • User tagging
  • Custom permissions
  • CSV task export
  • File-sharing
  • Custom task list names

Pros

Full-featured paid versions offer multiple ways to view tasks, projects, and timelines. 

Cons

Not as user-friendly as some other Asana competitors. Time-tracking available only as an add-on.

Pricing:

Pricing is $7.50 per user/month (for up to three members), and $6.25 per user/month for larger teams. Invoicing and budget tracking are available as paid add-ons.

Nifty

Nifty side-by-side comparison of nifty vs asana

Source: Nifty

Best for: Teams transferring from other platforms

Nifty boldly positions its platform as a direct Asana competitor, with a comparison of the two platform’s features. It’s worth noting that Nifty doesn’t offer a free version, while Asana does — that information isn’t included in the feature-to-feature comparison. One of Nifty’s primary value propositions is that it allows teams to easily move all of their projects, tasks, and users into its platform from other platforms.  

Key features

  • Unlimited guests and clients
  • Budget-tracking
  • Time-tracking
  • Team chats
  • Task dependencies

Pros

Most features available in all versions.

Cons

No free version. Limited storage space for bottom two tiers.

Pricing:

Pricing is a flat rate monthly, from $39 for the basic version to $399 for the enterprise version. The bottom two tiers can add workload views for an additional $20 monthly.

Airtable

Airtable make data-driven decisions - audit vendors, programs, and processes based on performance data to senure you make the right decisions for your business

Source: Airtable

Best for: Operations

Airtable is a hybrid database/spreadsheet platform loaded with features that can help operations managers, bookkeepers, and HR professionals manage tasks and projects. With templates for inventory management, vendor management, contract management, and goal-tracking, Airtable is a plug-and-play platform for people who oversee those functions. 

Key features

  • Kanban boards
  • Native apps for web, desktop, iOS and Android
  • Real-time commenting
  • Custom workflows
  • Multiple view types

Pros

Can eliminate the need for Excel and Google Sheets. Offers SAML-based single sign-on for enterprise customers.

Cons

Complex platform with steep learning curve. 

Pricing:

Pricing is $10 per user/month to $20 per user/month, with enterprise pricing available upon request. A free version with limited functions is available for small teams. 

Quire

Quire streamline workflow visually - arrange, prioritize and visualize the project with Kanban board

Source: Quire

Best for: Teams with fewer than 30 members

Like Nifty, Quire is one of the Asana alternatives that promotes its ability to migrate entire workflows from other platforms. Busy teams juggling hundreds of tasks will appreciate Quire’s “Peekaboo” feature that tucks away non-actionable tasks and reduces visual clutter in task management views. 

Key features

  • Custom roles and permissions
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Batch operations
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Siri and Google Assistant integration
  • Zapier integration

Pros

SSL/TLS protocol for secure communication, and AWS data storage.

Cons

No enterprise version or dedicated CSMs.

Pricing:

Quire has not released a pricing plan but assures current users (with up to 35 organizations, 80 projects, and 30 members) that whatever plan they’re using will always be free. 

Process Street

Process street - create procedure documents in seconds, run processes as collaborative workflows

Source: Process Street

Best for: Creating processes

Process Street is ideal for companies that have grown faster than their own processes. With the tools in this platform, users can create workflows, guidelines, checklists, and processes to help teams get organized and increase efficiency. The template library reduces the work involved in setting up processes, with templates and checklists for website launches, podcast publishing, and more. 

Key features

  • Unlimited workflows
  • 1,000+ integrations
  • Conditional logic 
  • Custom permissions
  • Approval workflows

Pros

Rich media integration for files, including video and audio.

Cons

Permissions/sharing options are not intuitive. Steep learning curve for clients that are not tech-savvy.

Pricing:

Pricing is $12.50 per user/month to $25 per user/month, with enterprise pricing available upon request. 

ProjectManager.com

Project manager.com create project and portfolio plans overview

Source: ProjectManager.com

Best for: IT service companies

Established in 2008 and launched in 2010, ProjectManager.com has had years to refine its product. Compared to many Asana alternatives, it has an impressive number of integrations, as well as an API site developers can use to build custom integrations. It also has heightened security protocols, which makes it a good platform for IT companies that are managing client websites.

Key features

  • Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) charts
  • Gantt charts
  • 256bit SSL data encryption
  • HIPAA capable
  • Timesheets
  • Kanban boards

Pros

Good interface for developers, IT professionals, and technical product managers.

Cons

Not ideal for creative assets. No approval functionality or workflow.

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $15 per user/month to $25 per user/month, with enterprise pricing available upon request.

Jira

Jira scrum boards agile teams can stay focused on delivering iterative and incremental value as fast as possible with customizable scrum boards

Source: Jira

Best for: Software development teams

Jira, from Atlassian, can work for small teams, but its best application is for large firms. Its enterprise version allows an unlimited number of instances, 24/7 support, unlimited storage, and global automation. 

Key features:

  • Kanban & scrum boards
  • Customizable workflows
  • Session duration management
  • Burnup charts
  • Custom automation rules

Pros

Feature-rich platform for collaboration across multiple teams.

Cons

No Gantt chart view. Requires training/time to learn. No plans available for mid-size companies.

Pricing:

Annual pricing for teams of 801-1,000 ranges from $53,500 to $122,250. The free version is for 10 users or fewer.

Basecamp

Basecamp let clients grab the files they need without having to ask project management app

Source: Basecamp

Best for: Entirely remote teams and clients

Basecamp’s team has been fully remote for 20 years, and their platform is designed for teams just like theirs. With helpful features like self-serve document access for clients, and automatic notifications for task due dates and approvals, Basecamp is effectively working for companies at any hour of the day. 

Key features

  • Unlimited projects and users
  • Project templates
  • Team project spaces
  • Real-time chat
  • Automatic check-ins

Pros

Multiple automated features. Work-life balance options for muting notifications during certain times of day or days of the week. 

Cons

No ability to bulk-assign multiple tasks within a template to the same user. Can be time-consuming to manage user permissions as more people join projects.

Pricing:

Basecamp has just two versions: a free one, and a business version that’s a flat $99 per month.

Any.do

Any.do list and task management saas

Source: Any.do

Best for: Sole proprietors/contractors

Any.do is a basic, free task management platform that integrates with mobile and wearable tech, as well as virtual assistants. Its blend of work-related features, its “Grocery List” function, and an everyday planner and calendar makes it a good platform for one-person operations. With Any.do, it’s easy to pivot between personal and professional tasks. The “Teams” version is more robust and includes the features listed below.

Key features

  • Kanban boards
  • 2,000+ integrations
  • Real-time sync across all platforms
  • Activity stream
  • Recurring tasks

Pros

Simple user interface. Seamless operation across multiple devices.

Cons

Not currently compatible with Firefox. No approval workflow.

Pricing:

$2.99 per month to $5.99 per month, based on monthly, bi-yearly, or annual billing. 

Scoro

Scoro get a 360 degree view of each customer - including contact details, communication history, project, files, quotes and invoices

Source: Scoro

Best for: Combining project management and CRM tasks

Scoro is a scalable project management tool with an available work hub and sales hub. Most versions allow for users to select multiple assignees for tasks, and with the timesheet view, changes to tasks can automatically populate timesheets. Scoro also includes finance and budget management features.

Key features

  • Google, Outlook, and Apple calendar integration
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Time-tracking & timesheets
  • Contact lists and demographics
  • Timeline views

Pros

Users can keep all client work in a single platform — proposals, agreements, billing, content, workflows, etc.

Cons

Costly onboarding — from $899 for the standard version. Free self-service onboarding available only for teams of nine or fewer.

Pricing:
Pricing ranges from $26 to $49 per month, with enterprise pricing available upon request. Some features are available for a la carte pricing of $5.50 per user.

MeisterTask

MeisterTask features for analysis task management platform - progress reports, time reports, safety reports

Source: MeisterTask

Best for: Compliance reporting

MeisterTask is available in four versions, and the top two tiers have an array of features for security, compliance, and reporting. 

Key features

  • Time-tracking
  • Export to CSV
  • Mobile and desktop apps
  • Unlimited projects (paid versions)
  • Tasks from emails
  • REST API

Pros

Multiple integrations and simple user interface. 

Cons

Free version may not be not robust enough for small companies.

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $8.25 per month to $20.75 per month, with enterprise pricing available upon request. A free version is available for managing up to three projects.

Notion

Notion notes, task management and organisation platform

Source: Notion

Best for: Formatting task content

This is one of the more affordable Asana alternatives (with a free version for students). Notion offers 40 content block types with formatting options, and tasks support the attachment of video, audio, code, and other file types.

Key features

  • Mobile and desktop apps
  • Kanban boards
  • Bulk export
  • Team Wikis
  • Calendar and list views

Pros

Simple interface lets users quickly start planning projects.

Cons

No creative approval process.

Pricing:

The student and personal versions are free. Personal plus is $4 per month, and the team version is $8 per user/per month. Enterprise pricing is available upon request.

Plutio

Plution professional invoicing - send invoices in minutes, track when they are opened

Source: Plutio

Best for: Freelancers

Plutio is ideal for freelancers who need a platform for managing proposals and invoices, collecting and storing client materials, and separating projects by client. Creatives can expedite client sign-offs by sharing proposals and collecting electronic signatures in Plutio.

Key features

  • Time-tracking
  • Invoices from timesheets
  • Legally binding contracts
  • Direct messaging
  • Forms & surveys

Pros

Eliminates the need for manual invoice creation in a separate document or platform.

Cons

No integration with Quickbooks or other accounting software.

Pricing:

Pricing ranges from $15 to $30 per month. A whitelisted/non-branded upgrade is available for $9 per month.

Which Asana Alternative Are You Going to Try?

Now that you’ve reviewed these 21 Asana competitors, do you know which one you’re going to try? We suggest test-driving a platform before you commit to paying for it. 

Ziflow offers a free trial, so creative teams can explore its features, experiment with annotation tools, and see how easy it is to keep feedback attached to tasks and deliverables. 


Experience a better way to get actionable client feedback — in one place with real-time comments. Eliminate bottlenecks in your workflows with Ziflow’s online proofing software. Try it today for free!

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