Software · head to head
Plane vs Asana
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Plane self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install; Asana the free Personal tier is capped at 2 users, so it does not cover a small team
- They diverge on capability: Plane covers Issue tracking, Asana covers Multiple project views.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Plane and Asana actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Unknown), free tier (Yes), 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 Plane
- Issue tracking
- Cycles (Sprints)
- Modules
- Views & layouts
- Pages (Docs)
- Analytics
- API access
- Webhooks
Only in Asana
- Multiple project views
- Task dependencies
- Milestones
- Portfolios
- Goals & OKRs
- Workflow automation
- Resource management
- Reporting dashboards
Both cover
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Plane
- Project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiativesnot Asana
- Documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project worknot Asana
- Sprint planning and issue triagenot Asana
- Cross-functional collaboration with analytics and dashboardsnot Asana
- Migration target from Jira, Linear, Monday, ClickUp, or Asananot Asana
Asana
- Project planning & trackingnot Plane
- Campaign managementnot Plane
- Product launchesnot Plane
- Event planningnot Plane
- Agile & Scrum managementnot Plane
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Plane
- Self-hosted Community edition requires managing your own Docker/Kubernetes infra plus your own PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3-compatible/GCS/MinIO storage; no single-binary install
- Cloud Free tier caps at 12 users and 500 AI credits per seat per month
- Substantial feature gating by tier: custom work item types, workspace wiki, time tracking, dashboards, initiatives, teamspaces, and integrations require Pro or above; LDAP, granular access control, and multi-workflow approvals require Enterprise Grid
- Guest-to-paid-member ratio capped at 1:5 on the Pro plan
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
Plane
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 12 users
- 500 AI credits/seat
- Cycles, modules
- Pro$6/month
- 1,000 AI credits/seat
- Custom work item types
- Wiki
- Business$13/month
- 2,000 AI credits/seat
- Project templates
- Recurring items
- Enterprise Grid$undefined/month
- Flexible AI credits
- Private/managed deployment
- Granular access control
Asana
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Asana review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Plane if
- You need issue tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows.
- You also want cycles (sprints).
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 Plane or Asana better?
- Neither clearly leads. Plane 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, Plane or Asana?
- Plane starts at Free and Asana at Free.
- Does Plane or Asana run on more platforms?
- Plane runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows. Asana runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- Can I use Plane for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Plane best used for?
- Plane is most often used for project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiatives, documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project work, sprint planning and issue triage, cross-functional collaboration with analytics and dashboards. Of those, project and task management with cycles, modules, epics, and initiatives and documentation and knowledge management via workspace wiki tied to project work are not what Asana is typically brought in for.
- What can Plane do that Asana cannot?
- Plane covers Issue tracking, Cycles (Sprints), Modules, Views & layouts. Asana covers Multiple project views, Task dependencies, Milestones, Portfolios. Both handle Slack.
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.
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.
SourceAsana: Does Asana integrate with other work tools?
Yes. Asana offers 200+ integrations including Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Jira, and Zoom.
Source