monday.com vs. Asana: Which is Better?

Updated April 16, 2024

Our Small Business Expert

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Building software that is simultaneously easy to use and extremely functional is a delicate balancing act. Many simple software options leave lots of features behind, while other, more complex tools require endless hours of training and support to understand.

After reviewing monday.com and Asana, it's clear that these tools are heavy hitters in their markets, and if you're looking for a new project management software, you might be wondering which one is right for you.

Both project management tools are simple, convenient, and full of useful functionality, but after comparing the two, it look like one might have more to offer.

Product	monday.com	Asana
Description	Monday.com is an intuitive project management software with a user-friendly interface, customizable features, and collaborative tools. It's not the cheapest solution, but it's feature-packed.	Asana is a unique project management software that prioritizes both team and project manager. The platform is easy-to-use and motivates all team members to manage their projects to their own benefit.
Best For	Best Features	Best for SMBs
Rating	Rating image, 4.20 out of 5 stars. 4.20/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.	Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars. 4.00/5 Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor.
Pricing	Pricing plans: Basic: $9 per user per month with annual billing Standard: $12 per user per month with annual billing Pro: $19 per user per month with annual billing Enterprise: Contact for pricing	Basic: Free Premium: $10.99/user/month with annual contract Business: $24.99/user per month with annual contract Enterprise: Negotiated with client
What We Like	User-friendly, customizable interface Integrates with third-party tools Automation capabilities	Workload monitoring features Multiple task management options Simple user interface
Could Be Better	Not the most affordable solution Pricing is based on groups of seats Lower-tiered plans have fewer features and limits	Lack of budgeting features Lack of invoicing features No desktop application
Key Features	Task scheduling and prioritization Shared calendars and time tracking Document storage and collaboration Team and budgeting dashboards Mobile app and SSO	Multiple security features Project documentation and storage Extensive management and planning features
Support	FAQs, webinars, community forums Phone support Concierge support for enterprise customers	Free plan offers only online forum support Paid plans provide phone and concierge support
Ease of Use	Easy, visual and intuitive Many UI options	One of the easiest PM tools for beginners
Next Steps	Learn More for monday.com	Read Review

Top Alternatives to Consider

Consider these additional project management software options that offer a lot of value and sought-after features for many small businesses.

An overview: monday.com vs. Asana

Who is monday.com for?

monday.com is a rare animal since it does such a great job balancing functionality and ease of use, making it a nearly perfect project management tool for businesses and organizations of all sizes. It is visually appealing, has a simple learning curve, and covers most project needs (task tracking, team collaboration, budgeting, etc.).

However, convenience usually comes at a price. monday.com has a lot to offer, and if you can afford it, it'll do almost anything you need it to. That's why I recommend this tool for any team or business as long as they have the budget for it.

Who is Asana for?

Asana is more of a collaboration tool than a comprehensive project management software. It doesn't offer financial management features such as invoicing, budget forecasts, or reporting. That said, it's incredibly easy to learn and use, making it perfect for teams of all skill levels.

On the flip side, Asana isn't priced for just any team or project. Asana's per-user, per-month pricing structure adds up very fast, making it cost-prohibitive for some software buyers. Still, if you're looking for a collaboration-focused tool that's easy to learn, and you can afford it, Asana might be just what you're looking for.

monday.com vs. Asana: Features

This is one area where these tools differ the most. One option is more collaboration focused, while the other gives users a more complete project management experience.

What monday.com offers

At first glance, it seems like monday.com is just reskinning a standard task list system and calling it unique, but upon further evaluation, it's much more than that.

Monday uses what it calls a "board system." Each board functions as a macro task or project, with individual tasks listed within these boards. These tasks are known as "pulses." Each pulse has its own horizontally listed status column with a set of customizable progress indicators so you can track each project action as it happens.

Think of it as a task manager on steroids.

monday.com has a unique take on the task list formula most project management software is known for. Image source: Author

If I want to see these tasks in a different visual format, it's as easy as selecting a different view from the drop-down menu underneath the board name.

Outside of these task management features, monday.com also offers reporting and financial management capabilities in the same easy-to-understand format as the rest of the software. The formula columns give you the ability to create different types of tables, just like you would in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (great news for you Microsoft wizards).

This way, you can create your own financial tracking boards appropriate for your business.

What Asana offers

Since Asana is more of a project collaboration tool rather than an end-to-end project management platform, its features list is limited compared to monday.com's. Asana focuses on task management, team communication, team management, workload management, task resource sharing, and task tracking.

It's all about streamlining your projects in the simplest way possible.

Asana's task list is pretty basic but still simple to understand and user-friendly. Image source: Author

Asana's task lists and calendar views are quite standard but offer you all of the features you'd want in a task management system. You can create and schedule tasks, add team members to those tasks, comment on task progress, add relevant materials to those tasks in the upload field, and view each of those tasks in a shared team calendar.

Asana calendar view showing tasks by date

Asana's shared team calendar doesn't get much easier to use. Image source: Author

Where Asana really sets itself apart from other collaboration tools is by providing worker-focused features, such as its workload function, which tracks and measures the bandwidth of each team member. With this tool, you can make sure no one on your team has more on their plate than they can handle -- or so little to do they become bored.

Asana showing workload of each member using a line graph

Asana's workload feature gives you the opportunity to see who's being over- and underutilized. Image source: Author

Everything about Asana is focused on making your projects easier to complete and empowering your team to collaborate with you, the project manager, as well as the rest of their team.

Results

monday.com offers more functionality at the same level of simplicity, and that alone is enough to award it this point. Everything Asana does, it does very well, but until it can match monday.com in its number of features, it'll lag behind as "just" a collaboration tool rather than a comprehensive project management software.

monday.com vs. Asana: Support

Support availability is sometimes overlooked by software buyers. Not to worry, though: I've compared the customer support options offered by both platforms so you can factor this element into your decision.