Short answer
The best Asana alternative for most teams is ClickUp (86/100). Docs, whiteboards and time tracking in one tool; Free Forever plan with unlimited tasks.
- ClickUp (86/100): best all-in-one alternative.
- monday.com (85/100): best for company-wide adoption.
- Smartsheet (81/100): best for spreadsheet-minded teams.
- Wrike (79/100): best for complex projects.
- Trello (77/100): best for simple, cheap boards.
Asana is our top-ranked project management tool, but it isn't the right fit for every team. People look elsewhere when the 2-user free plan is too small, when they need portfolios without paying for Advanced, or when they want docs and whiteboards in the same place.
Why teams look for Asana alternatives
- Free plan is tiny. Asana's free Personal plan covers only 2 users.
- Key features are on Advanced. Portfolios, goals, resource management and time tracking need the $24.99 plan.
- Separate tools for docs. Teams that want docs, wikis and whiteboards alongside tasks often look for an all-in-one.
- Spreadsheet habits. Teams that plan in Excel may prefer a grid-based tool.
Asana alternatives compared
| Tool | Why pick it | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Vettlo score |
|---|
| Asana (for reference) | Cross-functional teams that need structure | $10.99/user/mo | Free plan | 87/100 |
| ClickUp | Best all-in-one alternative | $9/user/mo | Free plan | 86/100 |
| monday.com | Best for company-wide adoption | $9/seat/mo | Free plan + 14-day trial | 85/100 |
| Smartsheet | Best for spreadsheet-minded teams | $9/member/mo | Free trial | 81/100 |
| Wrike | Best for complex projects | $10/user/mo | Free plan + 14-day trial | 79/100 |
| Trello | Best for simple, cheap boards | $5/user/mo | Free plan | 77/100 |
Starting prices are the cheapest paid plan on each vendor's pricing page on Oct 30, 2026, billed annually where shown. Basecamp charges a flat monthly fee rather than per user. Scores use the same weighted criteria as our project management software ranking.
The alternatives
Starting price$9/user/moCore, billed yearly (shown against a $12 regular price)
Free trial / planFree Forever plan
Vettlo score86/100
ClickUp combines tasks, docs, whiteboards, goals and time tracking in one workspace. Its paid plans are Core ($9) and Business ($17) per user billed yearly, plus Enterprise by quote. Gantt charts and native time tracking start on Core, and every plan includes a monthly allowance of ClickUp Brain AI credits.
What you gain over Asana
- Docs, whiteboards and time tracking in one tool
- Free Forever plan with unlimited tasks
What you give up
- More setup effort than Asana
- Extra AI credits are a paid add-on
Skip it if: Your team wants something simple that works on day one; try Trello or Asana.
Starting price$9/seat/moBasic, billed annually; paid plans start from 3 seats
Free trial / planFree plan (2 seats); 14-day Pro trial
Vettlo score85/100
monday work management runs projects on colorful, customizable boards. Timeline and Gantt views and 250 automation actions a month start on Standard ($12); Pro ($19) raises that to 25,000 and adds time tracking and private boards.
What you gain over Asana
- Very easy for non-technical teams
- Unlimited free viewers on paid plans
What you give up
- Gantt and automations start on Standard
- Paid plans start from 3 seats
Skip it if: You're a team of one or two who only needs a simple task board.
Starting price$9/member/moPro, billed yearly ($12 monthly), up to 10 members
Free trial / planFree trial
Vettlo score81/100
Smartsheet runs projects in a spreadsheet-style grid with Gantt, board and calendar views. Business ($19 yearly) adds timeline view, workload tracking, unlimited automations and Power BI and Tableau integrations; portfolios and scenario planning are on Enterprise.
What you gain over Asana
- Familiar grid with Gantt built in
- Unlimited free Contributors
What you give up
- Pro is capped at 10 members
- Less approachable for non-spreadsheet users
Skip it if: Your team prefers visual boards over grids.
Starting price$10/user/moTeam, billed annually, 2 to 15 users
Free trial / planFree plan; 14-day trial
Vettlo score79/100
Wrike is a work management platform for larger and more complex projects. Team ($10) includes interactive Gantt charts and dashboards; Business ($25, 5 to 200 users) adds workspace templates and standard integrations; resource and capacity planning and budgeting are on Pinnacle.
What you gain over Asana
- Interactive Gantt on the Team plan
- Deep resource planning on higher tiers
What you give up
- Business and up are annual-only
- Seats sold in groups
Skip it if: You're a small team that wants a light, quick tool.
Starting price$5/user/moStandard, billed annually ($6 monthly)
Free trial / planFree plan (10 collaborators per Workspace)
Vettlo score77/100
Trello is a kanban board tool from Atlassian. The free plan covers 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace; Premium ($10) adds calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map views.
What you gain over Asana
- From $5 per user billed annually
- Learn it in minutes
What you give up
- Timeline view needs Premium
- Light on reporting
Skip it if: You manage dependencies, budgets or many projects at once.
Asana alternatives FAQ
What is the best alternative to Asana?
ClickUp if you want docs and whiteboards in the same tool, and monday.com if ease of adoption matters most.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Asana?
Trello starts at $5 and ClickUp at $9 per user billed yearly, compared with $10.99 for Asana Starter.
Which Asana alternative has the best free plan?
ClickUp's Free Forever plan has unlimited tasks, and Trello's free plan covers 10 collaborators per Workspace, versus 2 users on Asana's free plan.
Vettlo Editorial TeamResearched and written by the Vettlo editorial team using our methodology. Prices and plan details come from each vendor's public pricing page.