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If your agency is in the market for reliable project management software, you've probably at least heard of Asana. Originally designed as a productivity tool for Facebook employees, Asana is now one of the most popular project management tools on the market.
While Asana does have a lot to offer, it's generally designed for simple task management. If you have more complex projects in the pipeline, then you may need a more robust management tool.
So, what are some of the best Asana alternatives to consider for your growing agency's needs? We've rounded up nine of the top alternatives below, along with key features and pricing information so you can make an informed decision.
1) Teamwork.com
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Founded in 2007, Teamwork.com is trusted by more than 20,000 companies (including over 6,000 agencies) to better track and manage projects from start to finish. As one of the only project management platforms designed specifically for agencies and client work, this intuitive software provides all of the features you’d expect, plus some bonus features like advanced time tracking, financial management, robust reporting, and free access for clients.
Plus, if you're already using Asana (or another project management platform), the Teamwork.com importer makes it quick and easy to migrate your existing information to Teamwork.com without starting from scratch!
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Built for complex project management
One of the things that really sets Teamwork.com apart from Asana is that it's built with complex projects in mind. While Asana may be fine for simple projects, it pales when it comes to more advanced features like budgeting, invoicing, and time tracking that will help you manage the entire lifecycle of a client.
With Teamwork.com, your agency gets everything it needs to stay organized, and be more productive and profitable — all under one roof. And unlike with Asana, you'll be able to assign more than one person per task, use project tags, and set a project time budget.
Financial budgeting and reporting
Teamwork.com has a full suite of financial and budget management tools that provide a real-time overview of project health and performance.
With Teamwork.com, you can easily track expenses and view budget breakdowns for any project or task. You can also customize and pull profitability reports on any project, at any time – providing full visibility so you always stay on track.
Scalable with your business
Whereas Asana's growth options are all external add-ons, Teamwork.com grows with your agency. Teamwork.com offers a wide range of standalone applications (including chat, CRM, and Spaces) that you can integrate as your agency scales. With Asana, you don't have much room for growth; even opting for the enterprise membership tier doesn't do much for a growing agency aside from offering additional security and custom goal-setting features.
Unlimited client access
Whether you're working with clients or freelancers (or both), Teamwork.com allows unlimited client access to the platform — so you can always stay on the same page. Plus, you'll be able to add your agency's own custom branding to improve your client experience and set unique user controls for each client you add. This way, you can make sure each client or freelancer has access to only the tools and information they need (and nothing they don't).
Additional features
Team collaboration and communication tools, including project-specific team chats and video chat options
Excellent phone, live chat, and email support when you need it
Choose from an extensive library of pre-existing templates, or create your own based on your most repeated work
Billing and invoicing, resource scheduling, and budgeting tools
Customizable dashboards with different view options to help users visualize project progress
Seamless integrations with a variety of other platforms and apps (including Slack, MS Teams, and Zapier)
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Pricing
Teamwork.com's plans include the Deliver plan priced at just $9.99 per user/month, and the Grow plan, which is $19.99 per user/month and includes all of the features we've covered here and more. You'd pay $24.99 per user/month for Asana's midrange plan — and you'd still be lacking budgeting tools, time tracking, and many other essential features.
With any Teamwork.com plan, you also have the option to try the platform free for 30 days with no commitment (or credit card) needed.
2) ClickUp
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Credit: ClickUp
Compared to Asana, ClickUp includes a wider spectrum of standard features without frustrating paywalls. This includes things like embedded email, custom task statuses, native time tracking, and task lists (all of which are paid features on Asana). Meanwhile, ClickUp offers more integrations and more customizable features (including customized list, Gantt, box, board, and table views) than Asana at more affordable pricing for agencies of all sizes.
Key features and capabilities
Round-the-clock email support and live chat (on select plans)
20+ different dashboard views available to help teams better visualize their tasks
Real-time chat and filing sharing with tagging to keep team members in the loop
Goal-setting features to help projects stay on track
Pricing
ClickUp has five different plan options, including a free version and a customizable Enterprise plan. Agencies with mid-sized teams will do fine on the Business plan, which is $12 per user/month and comes with unlimited storage, advanced time tracking, advanced automation, and more.
3) monday.com
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Credit: monday.com
monday.com is a well-known Asana competitor that offers more ways for team members to view, manage, and organize their work. For less money per month than Asana, monday.com users can enjoy in-platform email, collaborative document editing, and native Gantt charts with dependency views. Likewise, monday.com offers more than 200 different project templates, so teams of all scopes and sizes can save time and make the most of the platform.
Key features and capabilities
Plenty of task management tools, including progress tracking
Customizable dashboard views with visual boards that can easily toggle between Kanban board, chart, and table
Automation of recurring tasks to save teams valuable time and hassle
Pricing
monday.com offers five plans, including a Standard plan that's popular with agencies. This plan is $10 per user/month and comes with 250 automations per month and unlimited guest access. monday.com also offers free trials, so you can try the platform risk free and see how well it will work for your agency.
4) Trello
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Credit: Trello
If you're looking for a visual project management tool, Trello is another great Asana alternative to consider. This platform is designed with basic agency project management in mind, offering a simple interface and straightforward controls.
From a usability standpoint, Trello also offers excellent functionality and ease of use. This may make for a more seamless transition. There are also plenty of video tutorials and other customer support resources on Trello's website to help teams get the most out of this platform.
Key features and capabilities
Easy-to-use automation tools with no need for coding experience
Customizable backgrounds and colors for every user
@mentions for more effective team communication and collaboration
Ability to attach deadlines, due dates, key milestones, labels, and more to individual tasks
Pricing
Trello offers several plans, ranging from free to enterprise options. The free plan is generally best for smaller teams, so established agencies will probably want to start with the $10 per user/month Premium plan. This plan has features to track progress, visualize even the most complex projects, and prioritize user support when you have a question or concern.
Many of Trello's plans are available with a free trial period, so you can test drive this platform risk-free before you commit to anything.
5) Jira
Designed with the needs of software development teams in mind, Jira is a popular choice among agencies looking to make the most of their agile project management. Compared to Asana, Jira offers a number of extra features that include comprehensive agile reporting, smart filtering and search, and smart dev tool integrations to help teams plan and stay on track. Meanwhile, Jira's built-in roadmaps make it easier for teams to see the big picture while keeping both team members and clients in the loop.
Key features and capabilities
Built-in "Marketplace," with thousands of apps and integrations to get the most out of the platform
Comprehensive agile reporting with more than a dozen different report types included
Dedicated versions for software, business, and IT teams
Pricing
Jira offers a few different plans, including a free version for teams of up to 10 users. Many agencies, however, will want to explore the Standard plan. At an estimated $7.75 per user/month (for up to 35,000 users), this plan comes with built-in audit logs, 250 GB of storage, and business hour support.
A free seven-day trial is available on all Jira plans with no credit card required.
6) Basecamp
If you're looking for an intuitive project management tool with straightforward plans and pricing, Basecamp may be right for your agency. While this platform does have some useful project management tools like real-time communication and an integrated calendar, it’s missing other key features like task prioritization and limited project views. Compared to Asana, Basecamp stands out with a guaranteed 30-minute support response time and plenty of free onboarding content.
Key features and capabilities
Innovative "Hill Charts," which provide a unique visual of where projects stand
Insightful and easy-to-use reporting tools
Real-time Campfire chat tools, which eliminate annoying email chains
Polling features to keep project managers up-to-date on how projects are going for individual team members
Pricing
Basecamp offers two simple plans: a $15 per user/month plan for small businesses and a $299 per month Pro Unlimited plan, which includes unlimited users. The latter plan also comes with a whopping 5TB of storage and priority support, making it a great option for agencies.
Basecamp allows you to try either of its plans free of charge with a trial period.
7) Wrike
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Credit: Wrike
Launched back in 2006, Wrike has been trusted as a work management tool for a bit longer than Asana (which was founded in 2011). Compared to Asana, Wrike offers some advantages, including more consolidated project management features, enterprise-grade security for free and paid users, and highly customizable workspaces. This platform is ideal for agencies of all sizes due to its scalable nature — and its 24/7 support is a bonus that not all project management platforms offer.
Key features and capabilities
Advanced reporting features with analytics and insights to guide your projects
Cross-tagging tools to improve visibility across work streams
Resource management tools to keep projects on track and optimize and streamline assets
Mobile and desktop apps to fuel productivity from anywhere
Pricing
Wrike is free for small teams, though most agencies will want to explore the $24.80 per user/month Business plan. This option comes with a customized platform and 5 GB of storage per user, as well as features like cross-tagging and automations to save time on recurring tasks and subtasks. Many agencies will appreciate Wrike's à la carte add-ons, which save you from paying for more than you actually need.
8) Smartsheet
For agencies that handle large amounts of data regularly, Smartsheet is an online work execution platform with a familiar spreadsheet interface (think Google Sheets or Excel). Compared to Asana, it offers a number of compelling features that include task dependencies, multi-level sorting, and dynamic view request forms. And with a more robust trial period, Smartsheet allows test drivers to get a better feel for whether or not the platform is right for them.
Key features and capabilities
Basic workflow automation tools to save time on repetitive tasks
Plenty of flexible plans that can grow and scale with your agency
Robust collaboration tools for in-person and remote teams
Advanced reporting tools for no extra cost
Pricing
Three plans are available with Smartsheet, including a popular $25 per user/month Business plan that comes with 1 TB of attachment storage, unlimited automations, reporting features, dozens of pre-built integrations, and more.
9) ProofHub
As an all-in-one project management tool, ProofHub is designed to make collaboration, planning, and tracking easier for agencies of all sizes. With more (and better) integrations than Asana, easier onboarding, and simple pricing plans, there's a lot to love about the ProofHub platform.
Key features and capabilities
Advanced time tracking and reporting tools
Plenty of project templates to choose from, saving project managers valuable time
Customizable dashboard views for each user, which can toggle between Gantt chart, board, table, and calendar
Intuitive user interface makes it easy for team members to start using features right away
Pricing
There are two paid plans available for ProofHub. One is an Essential plan, which is $45 per month and comes with unlimited users and unlimited projects. But agencies needing more advanced features will want the $89 per month Ultimate Control plan — which offers more storage and tools agencies need to keep projects on track.
Manage your project workflows efficiently with Teamwork.com
While many teams rely on Asana to handle basic project management, the reality is that if you want more advanced features (like time tracking and budgeting), you'll want to explore these top Asana alternatives for yourself.
Teamwork.com offers all the features your agency needs to better track and manage your complex projects. And with easily scalable and customizable plans, you can feel confident that our platform will grow with your agency. Ready to give Teamwork.com a test drive? Start your free 30-day trial today, or contact our team to learn more.
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