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Technology · head to head

Asana vs Metabase

Asana logo

Asana

Technology

Manage your team's work, projects, & tasks online

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Metabase logo

Metabase

Spreadsheet & Data

Fast analytics with the friendly UX

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Asana the free Personal tier is capped at 2 users, so it does not cover a small team; Metabase row and column level permissions and SSO available only in Pro tier and above
  • They diverge on capability: Asana covers Multiple project views, Metabase covers No-code Query Builder.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Asana and Metabase actually diverge.

Attributes where Asana and Metabase differ
AttributeAsanaMetabase
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Self-hosted cloud
CategoryTechnologySpreadsheet & Data
Founded20082014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Asana

  • Multiple project views
  • Task dependencies
  • Milestones
  • Portfolios
  • Goals & OKRs
  • Workflow automation
  • Resource management
  • Reporting dashboards

Only in Metabase

  • No-code Query Builder
  • SQL Editor
  • Interactive Dashboards
  • Alerts
  • Embedding
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • MongoDB

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Asana

  • Project planning & trackingnot Metabase
  • Campaign managementnot Metabase
  • Product launchesnot Metabase
  • Event planningnot Metabase
  • Agile & Scrum managementnot Metabase

Metabase

  • Business intelligence and data exploration for non-technical usersnot Asana
  • Embedded analytics for SaaS applicationsnot Asana
  • Self-service reporting and dashboard creationnot Asana
  • Integration with 40+ data sources including cloud warehousesnot Asana

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Asana

  • The free Personal tier is capped at 2 users, so it does not cover a small team
  • Timeline and Gantt views, reporting dashboards and time tracking all require Starter at $10.99 per user per month
  • Portfolios, goals, workload management and approvals need Advanced at $24.99 per user per month
  • Salesforce, Tableau and Power BI integrations are Advanced or above
  • Monthly billing costs more, at $13.49 and $30.49 against the annual rates

Metabase

  • Row and column level permissions and SSO available only in Pro tier and above
  • Advanced analytics features like multi-tenant embedded analytics require Pro tier or higher
  • AI-powered features incur additional usage-based costs: $3.75 per 1M tokens
  • Self-hosted deployment on Free/Open Source tier requires infrastructure management

Pricing, plan by plan

Asana

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Asana review.

Metabase

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Metabase review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Asana if

  • You need multiple project views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want task dependencies.
Asana review

Choose Metabase if

  • You need no-code query builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted cloud.
  • You also want sql editor.
Metabase review

Questions people ask

Is Asana or Metabase better?
Neither clearly leads. Asana starts at Free and Metabase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Asana or Metabase?
Asana starts at Free and Metabase at Free.
Does Asana or Metabase run on more platforms?
Asana runs on Web, iOS, Android. Metabase runs on Web, Self-hosted cloud.
Can I use Asana for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Asana best used for?
Asana is most often used for project planning & tracking, campaign management, product launches, event planning. Of those, project planning & tracking and campaign management are not what Metabase is typically brought in for.
What can Asana do that Metabase cannot?
Asana covers Multiple project views, Task dependencies, Milestones, Portfolios. Metabase covers No-code Query Builder, SQL Editor, Interactive Dashboards, Alerts.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Asana: Does Asana have a free tier?

Yes. Asana offers a free Personal plan for up to 2 users, plus free trial access to paid plans.

Source
Asana: What is the starting price for Asana paid plans?

Asana Starter plan begins at $10.99 per user per month when billed annually, or $13.49 per user when billed monthly.

Source
Asana: Does Asana integrate with other work tools?

Yes. Asana offers 200+ integrations including Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Jira, and Zoom.

Source
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Related pages

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