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Software · head to head

Asana vs PlanetScale

Asana logo

Asana

Software

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PlanetScale logo

PlanetScale

Software

The MySQL-compatible serverless database

From
$15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; PlanetScale eBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Asana covers Multiple project views, PlanetScale covers Database Branching.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Asana and PlanetScale actually diverge.

Attributes where Asana and PlanetScale differ
AttributeAsanaPlanetScale
Starting priceFree$15/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidCloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Founded20082018

Identical on both: 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
  • Task dependencies
  • Milestones
  • Portfolios
  • Goals & OKRs
  • Workflow automation
  • Resource management
  • Reporting dashboards

Only in PlanetScale

  • Database Branching
  • Non-blocking Schema Changes
  • Insights
  • Horizontal Scaling
  • Connection Pooling
  • Query Caching
  • Automatic Backups
  • Global Replication

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • GDPR

What people use each for

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

Asana

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

PlanetScale

  • MySQL database hosting with automatic failover and replicationnot Asana
  • Vitess-based sharding for horizontal scaling across large datasetsnot Asana
  • Cloud provider flexibility across AWS, GCP, Azure with 60+ regionsnot Asana
  • Cost-effective database clusters using ARM64 architecture optionsnot 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

PlanetScale

  • EBS High Availability requires 3-node configuration with replication overhead
  • EBS Non-HA single-node option lacks redundancy and automatic failover
  • Pricing varies by cloud provider and region, requiring queries for specific rates
  • ARM64 architecture only available on EBS tier, not Metal deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

Asana

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Asana review.

PlanetScale

$15/month

No published plan breakdown. See the PlanetScale 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 PlanetScale if

  • You need database branching.
  • You work on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want non-blocking schema changes.
PlanetScale review

Questions people ask

Is Asana or PlanetScale better?
Neither clearly leads. Asana starts at Free and PlanetScale at $15/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Asana or PlanetScale?
Asana has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Asana and $15/month for PlanetScale.
Does Asana or PlanetScale run on more platforms?
Asana runs on Web, iOS, Android. PlanetScale runs on Cloud-hosted (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Can I use Asana for free?
Yes. Asana has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PlanetScale starts at $15/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 PlanetScale is typically brought in for.
What can Asana do that PlanetScale cannot?
Asana covers Multiple project views, Task dependencies, Milestones, Portfolios. PlanetScale covers Database Branching, Non-blocking Schema Changes, Insights, Horizontal Scaling. Both handle SOC2, GDPR.

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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