× FreshBooks App Logo
FreshBooks
Official App
Free - Google Play
Get it
You're currently on our US site. Select your regional site here:
9 Min. Read

Trello vs Asana: Which Project Management Software Is Better?

Trello vs Asana: Which Project Management Software is Better?

There are lots of popular project management tools out there. But when it comes to Trello vs Asana, which is best?

Trello and Asana are two of the best project management tools that are available to you. They both offer similar benefits in terms of an easy-to-use interface and overall efficiency. But how do you know which project management solution will work best?

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for team collaboration or managing larger projects on the fly. Depending on what you are looking for, both of these project management software platforms provide a ton of flexibility. Plus, they both have the benefit of offering extensive features with their free plans.

Let’s take a look into both Trello and Asana and figure out which one would work best for you.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

Trello

Asana

Takeaways

Trello

One of the first project management apps to use a different approach to how you work, Trello focuses on tasks from a user experience perspective. The platform’s designed based on the Kanban project management methodology. Which is more of a visual way to manage the tasks of a project.

Tasks get outlined and pinned to a board. The idea is to mimic a bulletin board, post-it notes or a pinning board where tasks are then easily seen and organized. From here, team members can collaborate on tasks and share notes on things that are working and things that are not.

The entire visual approach gives you a quick overview of the state of the project and its tasks. It’s a great way to monitor progress and determine any areas that need more focus or attention. By organizing the stages of a project vertically, you can move a card or note as the project progresses.

Then, team members can continue to collaborate together on different cards on the board. Trello provides flexibility to comment on different stages of the project, add images or define due dates. Since everything is out in the open it makes it very easy to use.

Key Features and Strengths of Trello

The use of the Kanban methodology is one of the best features of Trello. Since team members can visually see the progression of a project, the efficiency of a project increases. And if you have a large team, you can invite as many people as you need to take part in the project process. 

You’re able to use the built-in calendar to easily view checklists and due dates to manage tasks. And as mentioned above, team members can leave comments on a task, which makes it simple to discuss details with other members of the team. 

Trello also uses a notification system that keeps team members updated. You can send updates from within the app, email, your browser extension or the mobile app. This means everyone will stay up-to-date on the evolution of the project. You can sync these notifications across all of your devices so you never miss a thing.

There is also a range of Power-Ups, which are additional features you can use with your personal boards. This allows you to integrate the platform with any other apps that you use for increased efficiency. Some of the more popular Power-Ups include the Calendar Power-Up, Google Docs and Slack.

How Much Does It Cost?

There are three different levels of plans for Trello. Each one offers unlimited boards, lists and cards, however, there are more advanced features that aren’t included in the free version.

  • Free: The basic features of Trello provide almost everything you would need to manage a project. The only downfall is that the free plan doesn’t include a ton of security features.
  • Business Class: Starts $10.00 per month when billed annually, or $12.50 when billed monthly. Good for teams that want to track different projects and visualize work in more than one way, and can be used for teams up to 100.
  • Enterprise: The price depends on how many team members you want to include. And it works in the way where the more team members you do have, the less the Enterprise plan will cost per user. Contact their sales team for more info.

The Business Class and Enterprise plans also offer over 100 extra integrations to add to your team’s productivity. Extra security features like domain-restricted invites require the Business or Enterprise plan.

Who Benefits Most From Using Trello?

If you have a clearly defined process and want a simple, intuitive platform with a small learning curve, then Trello is a great option. That said, it all depends on the needs of your project and business as a whole. Can you manage your project from within your office using the Kanban approach?

If so, a lot of small business owners would benefit from Trello as a task management app. Now, if you have a large team or your project has a high level of complexity, then it might not offer everything you need to stay as productive as possible.

Asana

Entirely project-based, Asana organizes teams around the projects they are doing. You can organize projects by the list of tasks that are set. Each task can also include sub-tasks depending on the scope of your project. 

Basically, you create or select a project you’re working on and add a task to a specific section. Once you create tasks, you can then add comments, tag team members, attach files or add sub-tasks. You can add anything you want that will contribute to the performance of the specific task and overall project.

Asana implements a simple concept when it comes to project management software. Everything is accessible and viewable which helps team members monitor progress and productivity. You can use the My Inbox or My Tasks view to see files, due dates, conversations or calendars for outlined tasks.

The concept is simple, yet the software is sophisticated. This allows you to take on more complex projects if needed.

Key Features and Strengths of Asana

Similar to Trello, Asana uses Boards based on the Kanban project management methodology. This setup allows team members to see the visual progression of a project. But they take it a step further with a task dependency management system.

When a team member completes a task, the next team member who is waiting for it will receive a notification and can move on with their own task. It depends on the requirements of your project, but single tasks can be dependent on multiple other tasks. And it works in the opposite way, too. Multiple tasks can be dependent on just one task.

Another main feature of Asana is its timeline. It’s an extra way to visualize the progress of a project, but it shows every element of the project and how they fit together. This can help team members stay focused and meet deadlines.

Using the Portfolios feature is a simple way to monitor every initiative in one place. This can come in handy if you’re working on a bunch of projects at the same time. You can even check on key performance indicators and other important information in real-time. 

This will let you see any issues coming before it’s too late and stay within your project timeline.

The Workload feature is valuable if you have more than one team to manage or if you have a lot of team members. With this feature, you can easily manage the workload of every team member on your project. There’s nothing worse than having someone be underworked or overworked. 

Finding that balance will contribute to productivity and efficiency. 

How Much Does It Cost?

There are four plans you can choose from if you go with Asana as your project management software.

  • Free: The basic plan is a good option for individuals or if you’re team is just getting up and running
  • Premium: Takes the project management basics a step further and starts at $10.99 per month billed annually. Or $123.49 billed monthly.
  • Business: Probably the best option for teams or organizations that have a requirement to manage more than one project. It starts at $24.99 per month when billed annually. Or $30.49 when billed monthly.
  • Enterprise: Takes everything that the Free, Premium and Business plans offer. Plus more support, security and control. Pricing depends on your team and project needs.

Who Benefits Most from Using Asana?

Anyone that uses Asana will benefit from the features it provides for project management. But it would be best for bigger companies or larger teams that have multiple projects on the go at once. The extra features that it offers will help with managing complex projects at the same time.

Project managers who oversee more than one project at a time would find the most benefit and value from Asana. With so many moving parts, many team members, and different deadlines to hit, the Workload and Portfolio features could come in handy.

Key Takeaways

So you now have a better sense of the differences between Trello and Asana as project management software. But you’re still asking yourself the question, “which one is best?” 

Simply put, it all depends on the scope and demands of your project. As well as daily tasks and individual tasks. 

If you have a smaller team and are focused on an individual project, Trello would provide everything you need to manage your project.

If you have a larger team or are managing multiple complex projects at once, Asana might be the best option. 

Looking at it from a financial perspective, Asana offers more features that help to streamline the project process. But you also need to take into account the time it would take for team members to learn the software. And it’s not always as simple as thinking that the more features you get, the better the product.

You should determine the needs of your project and weigh the pros and cons of what both Trello and Asana can offer you. You can even take some time to test out the free plans on both platforms to see which you would prefer. 


Find more guides on small business topics on our resource guide.


RELATED ARTICLES