Streamlining tasks, assignments and communication is essential for workplace productivity. Gone are the days of sticky notes on a large whiteboard. As teams grow bigger and projects grow more complicated, technology is stepping up to play a major role in project management. Project management software now allows for the tracking and managing of an entire project from one location.
Asana and ClickUp are two of the most popular project management solutions available today. Read our comprehensive Asana vs. ClickUp comparison to help you decide which is best for your business.
ClickUp vs. Asana: At a Glance
ClickUp and Asana both help teams organize projects, concentrate on key objectives and facilitate tasks such as document sharing, task assignment and progress monitoring. Both cloud-based platforms offer free versions suitable for individuals and small teams.
ClickUp | Asana | |
---|---|---|
Main Features | Task organization, progress tracking and workload management | Task organization, progress tracking and workload management |
Task Display Views | List, board, timeline, calendar, box, Gantt, activity, mind maps, workloads, tables and map | List, board, timeline, calendar, milestones, progress and forms |
Free Plan | Unlimited tasks and users and 24/7 support | Unlimited tasks and 15 users |
Customer Support | Support team available 24/7, including holidays | 24/7 support only available on most expensive plan |
Pricing | Starting at $7 per user per month | Starting at $10.99 per user per month |
Automations | Free plan includes 100 automations per month; each paid plan increases number of automation per month | Premium plan includes rules to automate routine tasks while Business plan includes custom Rules builder |
Refund Policy | Issues full refunds within 30 days | Does not offer refunds, but has a 30-day free trial period |
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Feature Comparison
ClickUp aspires to be the ultimate work management system with its motto “one app to replace them all.” It offers a plethora of customizable workflow templates and tools, but all the customization requires a steep learning curve. In contrast, Asana focuses on an intuitive design with features, such as the “Portfolios” that clearly map out a project’s goals and automation triggers to optimize workflows, making it the more user-friendly option. Let’s take a closer look at some of the core features of both platforms.
Forever-Free Plan
ClickUp’s free plan is incredibly generous with unlimited tasks, unlimited users, access to 24/7 support and an in-app video recording making it a great choice for individuals and small teams who do not want to break the bank with a project management platform. Users also have access to a range of features, including time tracking, Kanban boards, sprint management and calendar views, which are premium features in other software plans. One notable constraint of ClickUp’s free tier is the storage limit, capped at 100MB, which can become restrictive quickly for teams with a significant amount of file sharing or large documents.
Asana also offers its free version. Dubbed the “Basic” plan, this plan is suitable for fledgling teams of up to 15 members. While it doesn’t place any restrictions on the number of tasks users can create, it does not allow some advanced features such as timeline views, custom fields and advanced search. One of Asana’s strengths in its free plan is the intuitive design and ease of use that makes it especially favorable for teams new to project management software.
Asana’s free plan does offer time tracking with integrations but it does not offer 24/7 customer support or video recording features. The limitation on team size and the absence of certain advanced features in the free plan may push growing teams toward considering a paid subscription sooner than ClickUp’s free plan. Both platforms provide robust free plans, however, ClickUp leans into feature generosity, whereas Asana focuses on user-friendliness.
Winner: Tie. Both companies offer strong free plans, but some teams may place more value on ease of use rather than a wide array of features, and vice versa.
Automations
When comparing Asana vs. ClickUp, automations that allow users to save time and increase productivity are a key comparison point. ClickUp users can set up automated actions based on specific triggers, such as status changes, date changes or even custom field changes. This enables teams to minimize manual work, especially for recurring tasks or standard processes. Users can create custom actions or triggers or use one of the more than 50 premade automation templates. ClickUp limits users to a certain number of automations per month depending on the plan they are on. The free plan includes 100 automatons a month while the Unlimited plan includes 1,000 automations per month. The Business and Enterprise plans include 10,000 and 250,000 automations per month, respectively, but also allow for multiple conditions that help users further customize their automations.
Asana’s automation feature is called Rules. By setting up rules, users can automatically assign tasks, set due dates, update custom fields, move tasks between sections and more to reduce manual work and ensure that the team follows consistent processes. All Premium and Business plan users have the ability to create an unlimited number of rules. One of the feature’s notable strengths is its simplicity. Users can easily understand and set up automated processes without requiring advanced technical knowledge. In terms of sophistication, while Asana provides a comprehensive set of predefined triggers and actions, it may not always offer the depth of customization that ClickUp users have access to.
Winner: ClickUp
Customization
Both ClickUp and Asana include customization features to cater to varied team needs. However, ClickUp is the more extensive customization option. The platform offers customizable views including list, board, calendar, box and Gantt that give users the freedom to visualize their tasks and projects in multiple ways. ClickUp’s custom fields feature is a major strength that enables users to add unique data points to tasks that are relevant to their workflow, be it text, numbers, drop-down menus or checklists. All ClickUp plans (including the free plan) come with unlimited custom views. Furthermore, the platform provides custom statuses that allow teams to define their own task lifecycle rather than conforming to generic task statuses.
Asana might not have the same depth of customization as ClickUp, but its customization features are robust enough for a wide range of use cases. Asana also offers several project views such as list, board, calendar and timeline that give teams flexibility in how they manage and visualize tasks. The platform’s custom fields feature lets users add specific data types to tasks. The custom fields feature is not available on the free plan, while the custom rules builder is only available on the Business plan.
Pricing & Plans
Both Asana and ClickUp offer generous free plans that are suitable for solopreneurs, freelancers or small teams. Asana’s free plan, however, limits advanced features such as timeline views and custom fields. In contrast, ClickUp’s free plan offers a more generous feature set but caps the amount of integrations available to users. Here is a breakdown of how Asana’s vs. ClickUp’s free plans compare.
Asana | ClickUp | |
---|---|---|
Tasks | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Projects | Unlimited | Unlimited |
File Storage | 100MB file storage | 100MB file storage |
Users | 15 | Unlimited |
Views | List, board and calendar | Custom, list, board, calendar, table, map and mind map |
Integrations | 100+ | 50+ |
Automations | None | 100 per month |
In-app Video Recording | No | Yes |
24/7 Support | No | Yes |
Asana and ClickUp’s first tier of paid plans unlocks advanced features, such as more view options and unlimited storage. Asana users have access to unlimited automations known as Rules while ClickUp Users are limited to 10,000 automations a month. Asana users also have more security layers in this plan, but ClickUp users have access to 24/7 support. Here is a breakdown of how Asana’s and ClickUp’s first paid plans compare.
Asana | ClickUp | |
---|---|---|
Pricing | $10.99 per user, per month billed annually | $7 per user, per month billed annually |
Projects | Unlimited | Unlimited |
File Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Users | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Views | List, board, calendar and timeline | Custom, list, board, calendar, table, map, mind map Gantt and form |
Automations | Unlimited | 1,000 per month |
Free Guest Users | Unlimited | Unlimited |
In-app Video Recording | No | Yes |
Security | SOC 2 Type II, multifactor authentication (MFA), data deletion and Google single sign-on (SSO) | Two-factor authentication (2FA) |
24/7 Support | No | Yes |
Asana and ClickUp’s second level of paid plans targets businesses and larger teams by unlocking advanced features that enhance collaboration and workflows. While ClickUp users have access to a wider variety of view options to organize projects, they are still limited to 10,000 automations per month while Asana users have an unlimited number of automations. Here is a breakdown of how ClickUp versus Asana’s second-tier paid plans compare.
Asana | ClickUp | |
---|---|---|
Pricing | $24.99 per user, per month billed annually | $12 per user, per month billed annually |
Projects | Unlimited | Unlimited |
File Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Users | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Views | List, board, calendar and timeline | Custom, list, board, calendar, table, map, mind map Gantt and form |
Automations | Unlimited | 10,000 per month |
Free Guest Users | Unlimited | Unlimited |
In-app Video Recording | No | Yes |
Security | SOC 2 Type II, multifactor authentication (MFA), data deletion and Google single sign-on (SSO) | Two-factor authentication (2FA) |
24/7 Support | No | Yes |
Customer Service & Support
All ClickUp plans including the free plan includes 24/7 support. The Unlimited and Business plans include 24/7 live chat support. The platform also includes ClickUp University for all users to learn the fundamentals of the software in a self-paced manner.
Asana’s free plan does not include customer service, but its Premium and Business plans include premium support as well as Asana Academy made up of trainings, webinars and interactive courses hosted by Asana’s Customer Success team. All users have access to Asana Help, step-by-step instructions for specific features as well as a forum to ask questions from other users.
Alternatives to Asana and ClickUp
Asana and ClickUp are powerful project management platforms for organizations of all sizes. While they both made our list of the best project management software, they are not the only options on the market. Trello, Pipedrive and Notion are all great alternatives to Asana and ClickUp.
Trello is a popular project management system known for its easy drag-and-drop interface and visually stunning Kanban board layout. While Trello can be used for team collaboration, it’s an excellent tool for solopreneurs, freelancers and microbusinesses looking to organize their workflow.
Pipedrive on the other hand is a robust CRM and project management platform designated specifically for sales teams that want to grow their business. The platform is by far the most expensive of the group with plans starting at $14 per user, per month, and ending at $99 per user, per month. Features, such as streamlining lead routine, document and contract management and unlimited customizations, make the extra price worth it for some users.
Notion is a project management software that uniquely combines document creation with project management. Users can create content, store documents and share content all from one platform making it an ideal tool for content creators. Unlike Asana and ClickUp users, Notion users can create documentation within databases without resorting to third-party applications.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, both Asana and ClickUp are great project management tools. They offer great features to help organize and manage all aspects of work projects from one location. Asana might be a better choice for those who value easy-to-use software while ClickUp might be better for those who want to customize their projects on a granular level.
Who is Asana Best For?
- Small teams that value a user-friendly project management platform
- Companies that are interested in a project management platform that has several plans to choose from as the company scales
- Teams that use a lot of automations
Who is ClickUp Best For?
- Individuals or small companies looking for a robust free plan
- Companies looking for a highly customizable project management software
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is ClickUp or Asana better?
Both ClickUp and Asana offer robust project management features making the choice between them largely dependent on individual or team needs. ClickUp tends to offer more advanced customization and features, even in its free version. However, Asana’s intuitive design might be more suitable for those prioritizing ease of use and simplicity.
What is the difference between Asana free plan and ClickUp free plan?
ClickUp’s free plan offers unlimited tasks and users with a storage limit of 100MB, along with some advanced features, including native time tracking and Kanban boards. Asana’s “Basic” free plan supports teams of up to 15 members and provides unlimited tasks but withholds certain advanced features, such as timeline views and custom fields. The choice between the two depends on team size, storage needs and desired feature sets.
Why do you need project management software?
Project management software helps you to plan, organize, budget and track the progress of a company project. It also unites a team around shared goals so all are working toward successful project completion. In dispersed teams, growing businesses or across multiple departments, this can be difficult to do without software people can join and access from their own devices wherever and whenever they work.
Are there free project management solutions?
Both ClickUp and Asana have free versions of their software. However, the features are limited compared to their higher-tiered plans. By upgrading to a paid plan, you can increase storage and users, along with more advanced features.