Technology · head to head
Asana vs Shortcut
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; Shortcut limited reporting compared to Jira
- They diverge on capability: Asana covers Multiple project views, Shortcut covers Stories & epics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Asana and Shortcut actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).
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 Shortcut
- Stories & epics
- Iterations (sprints)
- Kanban boards
- Roadmaps
- Reporting
- Docs
- API & webhooks
- Mobile apps
Both cover
- Slack
- SOC2
- GDPR
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Asana
- Project planning & trackingnot Shortcut
- Campaign managementnot Shortcut
- Product launchesnot Shortcut
- Event planningnot Shortcut
- Agile & Scrum managementnot Shortcut
Shortcut
- Sprint planningnot Asana
- Bug trackingnot Asana
- Feature developmentnot Asana
- Product roadmappingnot Asana
- Team collaborationnot 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
Shortcut
- Limited reporting compared to Jira
- Designed specifically for software teams, not general project management
- Can experience slow loading times with very large projects
Pricing, plan by plan
Asana
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Asana review.
Shortcut
Free- FreeFree
- Kanban boards
- Sprints
- Roadmaps
- Team$8.5/user/month
- Unlimited users
- Advanced reports
- WIP limits
- Business$12/user/month
- Unlimited workspaces
- OKRs
- Advanced custom fields
- Enterprise$null/custom
- Volume discounts
- SSO/SCIM
- Premier support
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.
Choose Shortcut if
- You need stories & epics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- You also want iterations (sprints).
Questions people ask
- Is Asana or Shortcut better?
- Neither clearly leads. Asana starts at Free and Shortcut at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Asana or Shortcut?
- Asana starts at Free and Shortcut at Free.
- Does Asana or Shortcut run on more platforms?
- Asana runs on Web, iOS, Android. Shortcut runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- 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 Shortcut is typically brought in for.
- What can Asana do that Shortcut cannot?
- Asana covers Multiple project views, Task dependencies, Milestones, Portfolios. Shortcut covers Stories & epics, Iterations (sprints), Kanban boards, Roadmaps. Both handle Slack, 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.
SourceShortcut: Does Shortcut have a free plan?
Yes, Shortcut offers a free plan for up to 10 users with core features like kanban boards, roadmaps, sprints, and reports. Paid plans start at $8.50 per user per month.
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.
SourceShortcut: Does Shortcut integrate with GitHub?
Yes, Shortcut has native GitHub integration that automatically syncs pull requests and commits to stories, and includes GitLab and Bitbucket support as well.
SourceAsana: Does Asana integrate with other work tools?
Yes. Asana offers 200+ integrations including Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Jira, and Zoom.
SourceShortcut: Can I use Shortcut for non-technical projects?
Shortcut is built for software teams, though you can customize workflows for other use cases. Linear and Asana may be better suited for non-technical project management.
SourceShortcut: Does Shortcut support SSO and SCIM?
Yes, SSO and SCIM support are available on the Enterprise plan, allowing centralized identity management for large organizations.
SourceShortcut: What's the difference between Shortcut and Jira?
Shortcut is lighter and faster with less setup required, while Jira offers deeper customization and enterprise features. Shortcut works better for modern software teams wanting simplicity; Jira suits enterprises needing extensive configuration.
Source