Monday.com vs Asana: An Honest Comparison
You're comparing Monday.com and Asana because you need a project management tool and can't decide which one to pick. Both are solid options, but they're built differently and suit different teams. Let me break down exactly where each shines and where each falls short.
Quick Answer: Which Should You Pick?
Choose Monday.com if: You want visual, customizable workflows, need CRM or marketing features beyond basic project management, or prefer a more colorful and intuitive interface. It's better for teams that want flexibility without learning a complex system.
Choose Asana if: You're task-focused, need robust goal tracking across departments, or want a cleaner interface for managing recurring work. It's better for teams running standardized processes and tracking deliverables.
Both tools are good. Neither is perfect. Let's get into the specifics.
Pricing Comparison
This is where it gets interesting. Both tools have free tiers, but the limitations differ significantly.
Monday.com Pricing
- Free: Up to 2 users, limited to 3 boards
- Basic: $9/seat/month (billed annually) - unlimited boards, 5GB storage
- Standard: $12/seat/month - timeline views, automations (250/month), integrations (250/month)
- Pro: $19/seat/month - time tracking, formula columns, private boards, chart views
- Enterprise: Custom pricing - advanced security, audit logs, tailored onboarding
Monday.com requires a minimum of 3 seats on paid plans, which bumps the real starting cost to $27/month for Basic.
For a deeper dive into Monday's pricing structure, check out our Monday.com pricing breakdown.
Asana Pricing
- Personal (Free): Up to 10 collaborators, basic project views
- Starter: $10.99/user/month (billed annually) - timeline view, workflow builder, custom templates
- Advanced: $24.99/user/month - portfolios, goals, workload management, advanced reporting
- Enterprise: Custom pricing - SAML SSO, advanced admin controls, data export APIs
- Enterprise+: Custom pricing - data residency, enhanced compliance
Asana requires minimum seat purchases on paid plans: 2 seats for Starter, with higher minimums for upper tiers. Asana also bills in seat bundles for teams up to 30 users, which can create unexpected cost jumps when you add team members.
Pricing Verdict
Monday.com is slightly cheaper at the entry level ($9 vs $10.99 per user). However, once you need advanced features like goals, portfolios, or workload management, Asana's Advanced plan at $24.99 competes directly with Monday's Pro at $19. The difference: Asana includes goal-tracking and portfolio views that Monday doesn't offer at any standard tier.
For most small teams (5-15 people), expect to pay $50-150/month with either tool. Enterprise pricing requires a sales call for both.
Feature Comparison: What Actually Matters
Interface & Ease of Use
Monday.com is colorful and visual. Everything is built around "boards" with customizable columns. You can track projects as Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendars, or tables. The drag-and-drop interface is intuitive, and most people can start using it within minutes.
Asana is cleaner and more task-focused. Projects can display as lists, boards, timelines, or calendars. The interface feels more professional but slightly more rigid. There's a learning curve to understand how projects, tasks, and subtasks relate to each other.
Winner: Monday.com for visual learners and teams wanting quick setup. Asana for teams who prefer a cleaner, less cluttered workspace.
Project Views
Both offer similar views:
- List/Table view
- Kanban boards
- Timeline/Gantt charts
- Calendar view
Monday.com adds workload views and chart views at higher tiers. Asana includes portfolio views and goal tracking that Monday lacks in standard plans.
Winner: Tie - depends on what views matter to your workflow.
Automations
Monday.com has a generous automation builder. Standard plan gets 250 automations per month, Pro gets 25,000. You can automate notifications, status changes, dependencies, and more. The automation recipes are easy to set up without technical knowledge.
Asana includes workflow automation on Starter and above, with custom rules for triggering actions. Asana's automations feel more basic compared to Monday's, though they cover most common use cases.
Winner: Monday.com - more automation options and easier to configure complex workflows.
Integrations
Both integrate with the usual suspects: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Zoom, Salesforce, etc.
Monday.com has 200+ integrations plus a robust API. Asana connects with 200+ apps including Slack, Gmail, Microsoft Teams, and offers deeper integrations with Salesforce, Tableau, and Power BI on Enterprise plans.
Winner: Tie - both have excellent integration ecosystems.
Goal Tracking & OKRs
Monday.com doesn't have native goal tracking. You'd need to build custom boards or use workarounds to track OKRs.
Asana has built-in Goals that connect tasks to company-wide objectives. You can set goals at team, department, and company levels, then link projects and tasks directly to those goals. This is a major differentiator for organizations running on OKRs.
Winner: Asana - clearly built for goal-driven organizations.
Portfolio & Resource Management
Monday.com offers workload views at Pro level to see team capacity.
Asana includes Portfolios (to monitor multiple projects) and Workload views (to see team capacity across projects) on the Advanced plan. This is better for PMOs and managers overseeing multiple teams.
Winner: Asana - more robust for multi-project oversight.
CRM & Sales Features
Monday.com offers Monday CRM as a separate product, which integrates tightly with Monday Work Management. If you need project management AND lightweight CRM in one ecosystem, Monday has an edge.
Asana is purely project/work management. You'd need to integrate with a separate CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot.
Winner: Monday.com - if you want project management and CRM under one roof.
What Each Tool Does Better
Monday.com Excels At:
- Visual workflow management with colorful, customizable boards
- Quick onboarding - teams can start immediately
- Automation recipes - powerful without being complicated
- Flexibility - you can build almost anything with custom columns
- All-in-one platform with CRM, dev tools, and work management products
Asana Excels At:
- Goal tracking and connecting daily work to company objectives
- Portfolio management for PMOs and project managers
- Clean, distraction-free interface
- Workload management across teams and projects
- Enterprise-grade security and compliance features
What Each Tool Struggles With
Monday.com Weaknesses:
- No native goal/OKR tracking
- Gets expensive fast with larger teams on Pro plans
- Can feel overwhelming with too many columns and automations
- Minimum 3-seat requirement on paid plans
Asana Weaknesses:
- Steeper learning curve than Monday
- Interface feels rigid compared to Monday's flexibility
- Seat bundling creates unexpected cost jumps when teams grow
- Some complain about hidden costs and pricing transparency
- No native CRM functionality
Who Should Use What?
Use Monday.com If You:
- Want a visual, intuitive interface
- Need powerful automations without complexity
- Want CRM and project management in one platform
- Have teams that resist learning new software
- Need flexibility to customize everything
Use Asana If You:
- Run on OKRs and need goal tracking
- Manage multiple projects and need portfolio views
- Want a cleaner, less cluttered interface
- Need workload management across teams
- Have enterprise security/compliance requirements
Alternatives to Consider
If neither Monday.com nor Asana feels right, check out our guide to the best project management software or free project management tools for more options.
Other alternatives worth considering:
- ClickUp: More features at lower price points, but steeper learning curve
- Notion: Better for documentation-heavy teams
- Trello: Simpler and cheaper for basic Kanban needs
- Basecamp: Flat pricing regardless of team size
The Bottom Line
Monday.com and Asana are both capable project management tools. Your choice should come down to two questions:
- Do you need goal tracking? If yes, Asana wins.
- Do you prioritize visual flexibility and ease of use? If yes, Monday wins.
For most small-to-medium teams doing straightforward project work, Monday.com's lower barrier to entry and visual interface make it easier to adopt. For organizations with multiple teams, OKR frameworks, or portfolio management needs, Asana's structured approach delivers more value.
Both offer free trials - try both for a week with your actual team before committing. That's the only way to know which interface and workflow fits how your team actually operates.