monday.com vs Asana (2026): Which Project Management Tool Is Better?
Shortlist Software is reader-supported. If you sign up through links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we make money.
Updated October 27, 2026. Prices below were checked against each company’s own pricing page on this date.
monday.com and Asana are two of the most popular project management tools for small teams. monday.com is a flexible, visual work board you can shape around almost any process. Asana is built for structured projects with clear owners, deadlines and dependencies.
Here’s how they compare, based on each company’s own pricing pages.
The short answer
- Choose monday.com if you want colorful, flexible boards that non-technical teammates pick up quickly, and you have at least 3 people.
- Choose Asana if you run repeatable projects with deadlines and want timelines, unlimited automations and free guests on the first paid plan.
monday.com vs Asana at a glance
| monday.com | Asana | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Visual, flexible workflows | Structured projects |
| Free plan | Up to 2 seats, 3 boards | Up to 2 users, unlimited projects |
| Paid plans from | $9/seat/mo billed annually | $10.99/user/mo billed annually |
| Seat minimum | 3 seats | None listed |
| Timeline and Gantt views | From Standard ($12) | From Starter ($10.99) |
| Automations | 250 actions/mo on Standard | Unlimited on Starter |
Prices checked against each company’s pricing page. Monthly billing costs more.
Pricing compared
monday.com
The free plan covers up to 2 seats. Paid plans have a 3-seat minimum. Billed annually, Basic is $9 per seat per month, Standard is $12 (a limited-time offer when we checked; normally $14) and Pro is $19 (normally $22). Standard adds timeline, Gantt and calendar views, guest access and 250 automation actions a month. There’s a 14-day free trial of Pro.
Asana
The Personal plan is free for 1 or 2 people. Starter is $10.99 per user per month billed annually and adds Timeline and Gantt views, dashboards, unlimited automations, forms and unlimited free guests. Advanced is $24.99 per user billed annually and adds portfolios, goals, approvals and workload management.
Where monday.com wins
- Visual boards that new teammates understand quickly
- Very flexible for non-project work like content calendars or client pipelines
- Lower entry price on Basic
Where Asana wins
- Unlimited automations and free guests on Starter
- Clear timelines with task dependencies
- No seat minimum on paid plans
Our verdict
monday.com is our top project management pick for most small teams because it’s easy to adopt and flexible. Asana is the better value if you need timelines and automations right away, and it’s the clear choice for teams of 1 or 2 who would otherwise pay for 3 monday.com seats. For a 3-person team, monday.com Standard costs about $36 a month billed annually, while Asana Starter costs about $33.
Frequently asked questions
Is monday.com cheaper than Asana?
monday.com Basic ($9 per seat) is cheaper than Asana Starter ($10.99 per user), but monday.com requires 3 seats and holds timelines and automations for Standard ($12). Feature for feature, the prices are close.
Which is easier to learn?
Both are approachable. monday.com’s boards feel like a friendly spreadsheet, while Asana’s lists and timelines suit teams used to project plans.
See all five tools in our guide to the best project management software for small business.
Get the Small Business Software Pricing Cheat Sheet
Real prices, renewal costs and catches for 25 popular tools on one page, plus an email when prices change or we publish a new comparison.