Technology · head to head
GitHub vs Asana
The short version
- Each has a real cost: GitHub acquired by Microsoft in 2018, reducing pure independence despite operational autonomy; Asana the free Personal tier is capped at 2 users, so it does not cover a small team
- They diverge on capability: GitHub covers Git repositories, Asana covers Multiple project views.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which GitHub and Asana actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology), founded (2008).
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 GitHub
- Git repositories
- Pull requests
- Code review
- Issues & projects
- GitHub Actions CI/CD
- GitHub Pages
- Security scanning
- Dependency management
Only in Asana
- Multiple project views
- Task dependencies
- Milestones
- Portfolios
- Goals & OKRs
- Workflow automation
- Resource management
- Reporting dashboards
Both cover
- Slack
- SOC2
- ISO27001
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
GitHub
- Version controlnot Asana
- Code collaborationnot Asana
- CI/CD pipelinesnot Asana
- Project managementnot Asana
- Documentation hostingnot Asana
Asana
- Project planning & trackingnot GitHub
- Campaign managementnot GitHub
- Product launchesnot GitHub
- Event planningnot GitHub
- Agile & Scrum managementnot GitHub
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
GitHub
- Acquired by Microsoft in 2018, reducing pure independence despite operational autonomy
- Primary focus on source control differs from purpose-built project management tools like Jira
- Pricing for enterprise features and private repositories adds up compared to some self-hosted alternatives
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
Pricing, plan by plan
GitHub
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited public/private repos
- 2,000 CI/CD minutes/month
- 500MB package storage
- Team$4/month
- Everything in Free
- 3,000 CI/CD minutes/month
- 2GB package storage
- Enterprise$21/month
- Everything in Team
- 50,000 CI/CD minutes/month
- 50GB package storage
Asana
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Asana review.
Which should you pick?
Choose GitHub if
- You need git repositories.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
- You also want pull requests.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is GitHub or Asana better?
- Neither clearly leads. GitHub starts at Free and Asana at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, GitHub or Asana?
- GitHub starts at Free and Asana at Free.
- Does GitHub or Asana run on more platforms?
- GitHub runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Asana runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use GitHub for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is GitHub best used for?
- GitHub is most often used for version control, code collaboration, ci/cd pipelines, project management. Of those, version control and code collaboration are not what Asana is typically brought in for.
- What can GitHub do that Asana cannot?
- GitHub covers Git repositories, Pull requests, Code review, Issues & projects. Asana covers Multiple project views, Task dependencies, Milestones, Portfolios. Both handle Slack, SOC2, ISO27001.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
GitHub: What is a Git repository and how does GitHub use it?
A repository is the centralized database that stores the complete collection of files and folders for a codebase, along with the revision history. GitHub uses Git to provide distributed version control access to repositories with version tracking, branching, and collaboration features.
SourceAsana: 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.
SourceGitHub: How does GitHub authentication work?
When you connect to a GitHub repository from Git, you need to authenticate with GitHub using either HTTPS or SSH. GitHub supports multiple authentication methods including passwords, personal access tokens, SSH keys, and GitHub Apps.
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.
SourceGitHub: How long has GitHub been operating?
GitHub was founded in 2008 and launched publicly on April 10, 2008, making it the dominant git hosting platform for nearly two decades.
SourceAsana: Does Asana integrate with other work tools?
Yes. Asana offers 200+ integrations including Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Jira, and Zoom.
SourceGitHub: Who owns GitHub and when did the acquisition occur?
Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion USD, with the deal announced June 4, 2018 and completed October 26, 2018. GitHub operates as an independent subsidiary within Microsoft.
Source