Among the many project management software options out there, Asana and ClickUp both make solid platforms for running your business. Each one has an intuitive platform with extensive features that promote productivity while coordinating your team. But how do they compare with each other? We’ll show you the strengths and weaknesses of both to help you decide if either is right for your business.
ClickUp has every project management feature you could possibly want. Its templates allow you to set up your workspace any way you want, and you can customize it more than most other platforms. Its collaborative tools make it easy for your team to stay on the same page and create a cohesive workflow. Start using ClickUp today for free.
Asana is one of the most well-known project management solutions you can find, and for good reason. It has almost no learning curve, so your team can jump into using it right away. It also cuts down on manual tasks with an excellent automation system while making communication convenient between team members. Get started with Asana for free today.
ClickUp and Asana Compared to the Best Project Management Software
Below, check out our Golden Eggs, the top project management software solutions out of the many we researched and tested.
Monday.com earns its place as the best software overall with its excellent functionality, flexible tools, and comprehensive features, including a built-in CRM. Try it free for 14 days.
Smartsheet is the most flexible option we found, and it works great for large teams that use a lot of spreadsheets. Try it free for 30 days.
Teamwork is our favorite platform for client-based work, as it has features that other project management software doesn’t, including built-in invoicing. Start your 30-day free trial.
ClickUp Compared to Asana
First, let’s look at the unique benefits that ClickUp and Asana can offer your team. Both have robust project management capabilities with intuitive layouts, customizable tools, and plenty of options to streamline your workflow and create better efficiency for your team.
ClickUp Highlights
ClickUp offers so many powerful features that work for a wide variety of team needs. It focuses largely on project management, but it has optimal solutions for remote work and its CRM helps you manage all areas of your business.
Tasks, whiteboards, and dashboards allow you to display everything your team needs to get things done efficiently. It lets you customize your tasks and organize them using spaces, folders, checklists, and subtasks, so everything you need is right where you want it. It also offers collaborative features with docs and chats so that your team can stay on the same page no matter the project.
ClickUp lets you select your platform based on your industry and business so that it functions as well as possible. Plus, with its CRM, you can build customer relationships more easily by consolidating your accounts and marketing operations in one place. The software works well for remote teams, too, so you can take advantage of its collaborative features no matter how far apart you are.
Asana Highlights
Asana focuses entirely on project management, which is why it’s become a household name in the industry. The software has honed its approach to teams and offers an incredible array of customizable tools that boost team productivity in no time.
Above all, Asana gives you all the tools you need at your fingertips with different workflow views. You can break down projects into tasks, subtasks, lists, groups, and more. On top of that, its custom fields, rules, and dependencies make it easier for your team to know who’s responsible for what tasks and when to start them.
With so many different capabilities, Asana works well for many workflow needs. It helps you run your marketing campaigns, improve leadership, and streamline operations for your business. It has tools to support creative teams, social media engagement, request tracking, and productivity to create one of the most robust project management platforms available.
ClickUp vs. Asana: Pros and Cons
Where ClickUp Shines
Streamlined Workflow: ClickUp’s “everything view” shows you all tasks upfront, so everyone on your team knows exactly where to start. It has a native time tracking tool that keeps all members on task, and you can filter what you want to see based on your current project. With ClickUp’s widgets, you can also add more tools to help you work, including chat, task lists, task status markers, and more. In other words, ClickUp makes everything easy to see, no matter how complex your project.
Dashboard and Task Management: ClickUp shows all the tools you’ll need on its intuitive dashboard, so all you need to do is click on them. It allows you to set your tasks and projects to several different views, and you can automate repetitive tasks to free up space for your team to work on more important things. With the ability to set up custom fields, apply rules, and designate who can see which tasks, ClickUp creates one of the most organized systems to support your business.
Collaboration Features: ClickUp’s Unlimited plan gives you as many viewers as you want, so no team member misses out on important information. Its built-in documents have a similar setup to Google Docs, which helps team members use its commenting and editing features effectively. ClickUp itself has its own messaging feature, too, so you can talk to your teammates in a private chat to ensure everyone stays on the same page.
Generous Free Plan: While many project management software solutions have free plans, ClickUp gives many businesses everything they need to increase team productivity. It offers unlimited tasks and members, along with most collaborative features, time tracking, and video recording. Plus, with security features, like two-factor authentication, and 24/7 support, you already have more advanced features than most free plans elsewhere.
User-Friendly Layout: ClickUp does take some time to figure out, but once you have it set up the way you like, you’ll have no problem jumping into your tasks every day. You can customize your dashboard to your department and team, and everything is accessible with just one click from the main view. The layout helps keep team members from feeling overwhelmed, and you can create Gantt charts, calendars, mind maps, and more to help them visualize their tasks.
Customization Capabilities: ClickUp allows you to customize more than any other project management software. Not only can you customize the look of your dashboard, but you can also create custom rules, roles, permissions, fields, and exports.
Pricing: For all it offers, ClickUp’s pricing is some of the most reasonable. It has a comprehensive free package, and its cheapest package starts at only $7 per member per month with unlimited storage, integrations, dashboards, Gantt charts, and custom fields. The Business package raises that cost to $12 while providing several more advanced features. If you need more than that, contact sales to discuss the Enterprise package and get custom pricing.
Where ClickUp Needs Improvement
Overwhelming Customization: We did put ClickUp’s customization among the platform’s benefits—and it generally is a positive aspect of the software. However, many users find that the amount of customization options they have with the software becomes too overwhelming very quickly. Some teams may find that they don’t need this many bells and whistles, so if you’re not sure, start with the free plan to see if it’s right for you.
Problems with Some Features: ClickUp generally functions well, but some users have had issues with importing and timelines not working correctly with the software. ClickUp’s many features may create a lag in the platform here and there, which may cause frustration for some users.
Extensive Onboarding Process: ClickUp has plenty of onboarding resources, but this is one area where many users get overwhelmed fast. The onboarding process gives you some demos to watch that help you get comfortable with the platform, but it’s hard for most users to remember it all. With such a steep learning curve, some users won’t find it worth the time to figure out, despite how many benefits ClickUp offers once you understand its tools.
Where Asana Shines
Easy to Use: With Asana, you can jump right into project management. Its platform is easy to learn, though it does come with onboarding resources and has an extremely quick setup. The search function helps you easily find any project or team member, and its many task templates let you set up your dashboard and pages in minutes to fit your specific workflow needs.
Project Templates: Asana’s extensive template library lets you choose from dozens of templates based on your industry and project. For example, when exploring the Marketing section, you’ll find templates to help you create your campaign, plan events, launch products, and more. If you don’t see a template that fits your needs, you can create your own and customize it to your project.
Customization Features: Asana doesn’t offer as much customization as ClickUp, but in some ways, this works to its advantage. It gives you custom fields, templates, and charts, so you can tailor your workflow views to your team. These features give most teams enough freedom to create the project management environment they need for maximum productivity without overwhelming them.
Automation Capabilities: Asana’s entry-level plan offers unlimited automations, which puts it ahead of other tools that limit you—or worse, don’t offer them with basic plans. Even Asana’s pre-built rules generally offer enough capabilities to make your life easier, but you can create custom ones, too. With automations, Asana reduces bottlenecks and allows your team to focus on strategic tasks over manual repetition.
Workflow and Organization: Asana shows you all your tasks in one place so that you have a full view of tasks at every stage. It lets you filter tasks and charts you don’t need while allowing you to see each team member’s workload to ensure no one gets overwhelmed. It lets you set goals and track overall team progress to prevent anyone from falling behind. With Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and other organization tools, you can set up your tasks and dashboard the way that makes the most sense for you and your team.
Team Communication: Asana lets you reach your team on several channels within the platform. Its messaging and project and team conversations features help you keep track of progress while checking in with your whole team or individual members. Team members can comment directly on tasks, mention teammates, and follow each other to stay updated throughout a project.
Onboarding Tools: Even with its short learning curve, Asana gives you plenty of support when you’re setting up. It asks you about your business, team, and goals before offering different setups for your dashboard. The software guides you through setting up your first tasks, selecting a view, inviting teammates, and other necessary steps to create the optimal workflow for your team.
Where Asana Needs Improvement
Pricing: Asana’s paid plan starts at $10.99 per user per month, so even for its Premium package, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars a year. The Business package makes a big jump to $24.99 per user per month, so even with just two team members, you’re already paying $600 each year. Still, Asana is easy to use, which keeps people coming back despite software like ClickUp being half the price.
Missing Document Collaboration: Asana has plenty of collaborative tools, but document collaboration is crucial for many teams. It doesn’t let multiple people work on the same document, which means that you still need to use another method to have multiple people edit or provide feedback.
No Time Tracking: While Asana does track project progress, it doesn’t track how long team members spend working. For some teams this isn’t a big deal, since the software still has features like goal setting, alerts, and check-in tools. If you need time tracking, you can get the TrackingTime integration, though it’s not the same as having a built-in tool.
The Last Word on ClickUp Compared to Asana
When it comes to project management software, ClickUp and Asana both offer strong solutions for your team. They both have extensive features to support team members, improve workflow, and help reach team goals.
In general, Asana offers a more user-friendly platform with excellent tools to help you get started. ClickUp has more customizability to tailor your dashboard and workflow, and its reasonable pricing means you get more features than most project management software for less. For most people, the drawback to ClickUp comes with its lengthy onboarding process. Meanwhile, Asana’s ease of use, communication, and organization capabilities overshadow its drawbacks, including its high prices.
Your options don’t end with ClickUp and Asana. To explore even more solutions for your team, check out our post on the best project management software. You might find an even better solution for your team there.
