Software · head to head
Asana vs Microsoft Project
The short version
- Only Asana has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Asana the free Personal tier is capped at 2 users, so it does not cover a small team; Microsoft Project performance degrades with large projects over 400 tasks, becoming slow and unstable
- They diverge on capability: Asana covers Multiple project views, Microsoft Project covers Gantt charts.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Asana and Microsoft Project actually diverge.
| Attribute | Asana | Microsoft Project |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $10/month |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Windows, macOS |
| Founded | 2008 | 1975 |
Identical on both: pricing model (Unknown), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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
- Milestones
- Portfolios
- Goals & OKRs
- Workflow automation
- Reporting dashboards
- Slack
- Gmail
Only in Microsoft Project
- Gantt charts
- Budget tracking
- Timeline views
- Critical path
- Earned value analysis
- Portfolio management
- SharePoint
- Power BI
Both cover
- Task dependencies
- Resource management
- Microsoft Teams
- Outlook
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- GDPR
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Asana
- Project planning & trackingnot Microsoft Project
- Campaign managementnot Microsoft Project
- Product launchesnot Microsoft Project
- Event planningnot Microsoft Project
- Agile & Scrum managementnot Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project
- Project schedulingnot Asana
- Resource allocationnot Asana
- Portfolio managementnot Asana
- Budget trackingnot Asana
- Enterprise project managementnot 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
Microsoft Project
- Performance degrades with large projects over 400 tasks, becoming slow and unstable
- Limited Agile methodology support, primarily designed for waterfall project management
- Proprietary .mpp file format creates compatibility issues on non-Windows systems
- No offline mode, limiting users without reliable internet connectivity
Pricing, plan by plan
Asana
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Asana review.
Microsoft Project
$10/month- Plan 1$10/month
- Task and project management
- Grid views
- Timeline features
- Plan 3$30/month
- Desktop client
- Resource management
- Advanced scheduling
- Plan 5$55/month
- Portfolio management
- Demand management
- Enterprise capabilities
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 milestones.
Choose Microsoft Project if
- You need gantt charts.
- You work on Web, Windows, macOS.
- You also want budget tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Asana or Microsoft Project better?
- Neither clearly leads. Asana starts at Free and Microsoft Project at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Asana or Microsoft Project?
- Asana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Asana and $10/month for Microsoft Project.
- Does Asana or Microsoft Project run on more platforms?
- Asana runs on Web, iOS, Android. Microsoft Project runs on Web, Windows, macOS.
- Can I use Asana for free?
- Yes. Asana has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Microsoft Project starts at $10/month.
- 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 Microsoft Project is typically brought in for.
- What can Asana do that Microsoft Project cannot?
- Asana covers Multiple project views, Milestones, Portfolios, Goals & OKRs. Microsoft Project covers Gantt charts, Budget tracking, Timeline views, Critical path. Both handle Task dependencies, Resource management, Microsoft Teams, Outlook.
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.
SourceMicrosoft Project: What are the different Microsoft Project plans and pricing?
Microsoft Project offers Plan 1 at $10/user/month for basic project management, Plan 3 at $30/user/month with desktop client and resource management, and Plan 5 at $55/user/month for enterprise portfolio management. Desktop licenses (2024) start at $679.99 for Standard and $1,129.99 for Professional.
SourceAsana: 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.
SourceMicrosoft Project: Does Microsoft Project support Agile methodology?
Microsoft Project was primarily designed for traditional waterfall project management. While it has some Agile features, it is not optimized for Agile workflows compared to dedicated Agile tools like Jira or Monday.com.
SourceAsana: Does Asana integrate with other work tools?
Yes. Asana offers 200+ integrations including Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Jira, and Zoom.
SourceMicrosoft Project: Can multiple teams collaborate in real-time on Microsoft Project?
Yes, Microsoft Project for the Web provides real-time collaboration through cloud-based access. However, collaboration is noted as harder compared to modern cloud-native tools due to its file-based architecture.
Source