Your team is growing. Projects are piling up. And somewhere between the fifth Slack thread and yet another Excel spreadsheet, you lose track. Sound familiar? I’ve been using Asana intensively for several months on various projects – from content calendars to product development. Time to tell you exactly what works and where you’ll run into issues.
Asana: the company
Asana was founded in 2008 by Dustin Moskovitz (yes, the Facebook guy) and Justin Rosenstein. Both were frustrated with how teams collaborated at Facebook. Too many meetings. Too much confusion about who was doing what. They wanted a place where everyone could see exactly what was going on.
That frustration led to Asana – a tool built around transparency and clarity. No more endless email threads trying to figure out who’s responsible for that one task. Everything in one place, visible to everyone.
Today, more than 150,000 organizations use Asana. From small startups to companies like Spotify and NASA. It has grown into one of the biggest players in project management, with offices around the world and a valuation in the billions of dollars.
Who is Asana actually for?
Asana targets teams that need structure without drowning in complexity. Think marketing teams planning campaigns, product developers managing sprints, or HR departments tracking onboarding processes.
It works well for teams ranging from 5 to 500 people. Smaller than that? Then Asana is probably overkill – Trello works just fine. Larger than 500? Then you might want more enterprise features found in tools like Jira.
Not ideal for freelancers working alone. The strength lies in collaboration and oversight across multiple people. Also not perfect for teams that want to work very visually – Monday.com wins on color and flair. And if you’re looking for an all-in-one tool with CRM, documents, and chat in one package, check out ClickUp.
Asana features
Let’s be honest: Asana is packed with features. But which ones do you actually use?
- Workflow Builder – Build your own processes without having to code. New blog post scheduled? Then it automatically goes to the editor, then to design, and finally to publication. You set it up once and it runs by itself. Saves endless fussing with manual updates.
- Timeline (Gantt charts) – See at a glance which tasks are dependent on each other. Move a deadline? Then all linked tasks move along with it. Ideal for complex projects where everything needs to align. Does take some getting used to if you’ve never worked with Gantt charts before.
- Task automation – Someone marks a task as “Done”? It automatically moves to the next phase. Deadline approaching? Send a reminder. You can set all this up without technical knowledge. It really saves hours per week of manual hassle.
- Portfolios for project overview – Running five projects simultaneously? With portfolios you see the status of everything in one screen. Red means delay, green is on schedule. Perfect for managers who want to see the big picture without drowning in details.
- Workload management – See exactly how many hours everyone has this week. One team member is overloaded while another has nothing to do? Then you can shift tasks before it escalates. This prevents burn-out and frustration.
- Goals and milestone tracking – Link your daily tasks to larger business goals. This way you see whether that work on those social media posts actually contributes to your Q4 target. Gives context to everything you do.
The different views deserve some extra attention. You can view the same project as a list (simple and clear), as a board (Kanban-style for visual workers), as a timeline (those Gantt charts), or as a calendar. Everyone on your team can choose their own preference. One person loves lists, another wants to drag those cards around.
And then the integrations. Asana connects with virtually everything: Slack for notifications, Google Drive for documents, Zoom for meetings, Harvest for time tracking. You don’t have to constantly switch between apps. Everything comes together in Asana.
Asana pricing
Let’s start with the good news: there’s a free version. The Personal plan costs nothing and works for up to 10 team members. You get unlimited tasks and projects, plus the basic views (list, board, calendar). For a small team just starting out, this is actually quite generous.
But. That free version is missing the powerful features. No timelines, no automation, no advanced reporting. For many teams, it quickly feels too limited.
Then the paid plans. The Starter plan costs € 10,99 per month per user with annual payment (€ 131,88 per year total). Paying monthly? Then you’ll pay € 13,49 per month. This includes timelines, automation and workflow builder. For most growing teams, this is the starting point.
The Advanced plan goes up significantly: € 24,99 per month per user with annual payment (€ 299,88 per year). Monthly that becomes € 30,49. Here you get portfolios, workload management and advanced reporting. Especially interesting for larger teams or if you need to oversee multiple projects at once.
Enterprise and Enterprise+ don’t have a fixed price – you need to contact them for a quote. That usually means: expensive. These plans are really for large organizations with specific security requirements and support needs.
Honestly? For small teams, € 10,99 per person per month is quite steep. Especially if your team consists of 15 people, you’re quickly paying € 165 per month. Monday.com and ClickUp are often cheaper for comparable functionality. On the other hand: Asana’s free version is more generous than Monday’s.
You can try it free for 30 days. No credit card needed for the trial. Use that time well – especially test those automations and timelines, because that’s what you’re ultimately paying for.
What should you watch out for?
Let’s talk about the frustrations. Because they’re there.
First annoyance: you can only assign one person to a task. Might sound logical – one person responsible prevents confusion. But in practice, people often work together on the same task. You can add “followers,” but they don’t get notifications like the main person responsible. Cumbersome.
Then the price. I mentioned it already, but it’s really a pain point. For Dutch startups and scale-ups, € 25 per person per month for the Advanced plan is just a lot of money. Especially if you have 20+ people. Then you’re talking about € 500 per month. That’s € 6000 per year on project management software.
The notifications are set way too aggressively by default. You get bombarded with emails about every little update. Someone adds a comment? Email. Task shifts by a day? Email. Your inbox fills up. Yes, you can adjust this in the settings, but why is the default so excessive?
Time tracking is a half-baked story. Asana has recently added a native time tracking feature, but it’s only in the paid plans and is pretty basic. Many teams still need to integrate with Harvest or Toggl. Why not just a decent built-in timer?
And then the learning curve. Asana looks simple, but as soon as you dive deeper into custom fields, templates and automations it gets complex. New team members really need a few weeks to get the hang of everything. Not as bad as ClickUp, but also not as intuitive as Trello.
Last point: the mobile app is okay, but not great. Viewing and creating tasks works fine. But editing complex workflows or viewing reports? Do that on your laptop. The app feels more like an emergency solution than a full-fledged workplace.
What do others think?
The general sentiment about Asana is positive, but with clear reservations. People especially appreciate the clean, clear interface. No unnecessary bells and whistles – just a tool that does what it’s supposed to do.
The free version gets a lot of praise. Compared to Monday.com, Asana offers more value without paying. Unlimited tasks and projects for 10 people is pretty generous. Many small teams stay on it for years.
The timelines and calendar views are often mentioned as major advantages. Teams coming from Excel spreadsheets or whiteboards find it a relief to have everything digital and organized. And the integrations with Slack and Google Drive really work seamlessly – that’s not marketing talk.
But then the complaints. That one-person-per-task rule keeps coming back in reviews. “Why can’t I just assign two people?” is a frequently heard frustration. It feels like an artificial limitation.
The price is the other big talking point. Especially small teams find the jump from free to € 10,99 per person quite steep. And then they discover they actually need the Advanced plan for portfolios and workload management. Suddenly you’re talking about € 25 per person. That’s just too much for many Dutch companies.
The email notifications are a recurring annoyance. People switch to Asana to get fewer emails, and then they still get flooded. Yes, it can be adjusted, but why is the default so annoying?
Notable: many people call Asana “boring” compared to Monday.com. No colors, no animations, no visual flair. For some, that’s actually pleasant – no distraction. For others, it feels outdated.
Asana alternatives
Doesn’t Asana quite fit your team? Then check out these options:
- Monday.com – More visual and colorful, often easier for non-technical teams. Choose this if you want a very visual interface and need CRM-like features. Monday feels more modern and is often more intuitive for people who don’t work with project management tools daily.
- Trello – Simpler and more limited, focuses purely on Kanban. Choose this if you only need simple task boards without complex project structures. Perfect for small teams or personal use. Much cheaper too – the free version is enough for most people.
- ClickUp – More features (all-in-one) and cheaper, but steeper learning curve. Choose this if you want maximum functionality for a lower price and are willing to invest time in the setup. ClickUp has documents, chat, goals, time tracking – everything built in. But it’s also overwhelming for new users.
Frequently asked questions
Is Asana free to use?
Yes, the Personal plan is free for teams up to 10 people. You get unlimited tasks and projects, but you do miss the powerful features like timelines, automation, and advanced reporting. For a small team just starting out it’s a fine starting point, but you’ll quickly run into limitations.
Does Asana have built-in time tracking?
Yes, Asana recently added a native time tracking feature. It’s only in the paid plans and is pretty basic. Many teams still choose to integrate with specialized tools like Harvest or Toggl. Those offer more reporting options and billing features.
Can I use Asana offline?
The mobile apps for iOS and Android have limited offline functionality. You can view tasks and create new ones, which sync once you’re back online. But the web version requires an internet connection. For teams that are frequently on the go or at locations without wifi, this is a disadvantage.
Conclusion
Asana is a solid project management tool that works especially well for teams looking for structure without drowning in complexity. The interface is clean, the basic features work well, and the free version is surprisingly generous.
But it’s not perfect. The price is on the high side for Dutch teams, especially if you need the Advanced plan. The one-person-per-task rule remains frustrating. And the time tracking could have been better.
Choose Asana if you want a reliable, professional tool without too many bells and whistles. If your team consists of 10-50 people, you regularly have complex projects with dependencies, and you have the budget for a paid plan. The automations and timelines are truly valuable if you use them well.
Choose something else if your budget is tight (try ClickUp), if you want a very visual interface (go for Monday.com), or if you just need simple task boards (Trello is enough). And if you’re a freelancer working alone? Then Asana is overkill – use Notion or Todoist.
Personally? I still use Asana for client projects. Not because it’s perfect, but because it’s reliable and my clients understand it. That’s ultimately what counts: a tool that your team actually uses, instead of that one fancy app that disappears into oblivion after two weeks.
