Boosting productivity and collaborating effectively is essential for professionals in today’s world of agile project management. Notion and Asana are two popular tools that help them achieve these goals.
This article compares both software management tools to help users make informed decisions.
Notion Overview
Notion is a note-taking and task-management software that helps users organize their workspaces, collaborate with teams, manage project milestones, and more. The virtual workspace allows users to write and build action plans and tasks, break down tasks into achievable bits, and execute without hassles.
The project management software was founded in 2016 by Ivan Zhao and Simon Last. The founders had the goal of helping people key into the future of work by adopting better and simpler ways to work.
Notion has over 20 million users who choose the app to handle daily activities and company projects.
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Asana Overview
Asana is one of the earliest and most popular project management tools. The cloud-based application supports project managers and other professionals to work more efficiently and achieve results. With Asana, team members worldwide can collaborate, set targets, and accomplish more with less time.
Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein founded Asana in 2008 to make collaboration effortless. With over a decade of experience, Asana has built a name for itself in project management. This is why millions of users trust the solution today.
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Notion vs Asana: Top Features
Asana and Notion are popular among project managers and businesses for their numerous features, including file storage, project management, and integration with other work tools. Let’s see how both platforms stack up below:
| Feature | Notion | Asana |
| Gantt Charts | Yes | Yes |
| API Support | Yes | Yes |
| Timelines | Yes | Yes |
| Budgeting | Yes | Yes |
| Live Document Collaboration | Yes | No |
| Views | Table, List, Calendar, Kanban, Gallery and Timeline | Table, List, Calendar, Kanban, Gallery and Timeline |
| Data Management | Yes (with unlimited properties) | Yes (with unlimited properties) |
| Free Plan | Yes (5MB File Upload) | Yes (100MB File Upload) |
| Time Tracking and Estimates | Yes | Yes |
Project Management
The most notable feature of both Notion and Asana is their project management capabilities. Both tools are perfect for the modern-day agile project management methodology that breaks tasks into achievable bits. They set up projects in a database for users to easily define and identify key stakeholders and other properties like reviewers, assignees, dates, etc.
With the project management feature, users can easily collaborate, communicate, assign and deliver tasks on both platforms.
Automation
The Asana and Notion project management apps share another key feature: automation. By automating tasks, managers and other users can plan tasks better and spend less time managing projects.
Notion’s automation hub integrates with Zapier and other apps to streamline workflow. Users can set up projects automatically and share information with all stakeholders simultaneously.
Asana, on the other hand, allows users to set custom automation and rules for ongoing project processes. The management software connects every team member’s task to the general project and adds or tags them when there’s a new action or process. Similarly, all team members get notified when their input is required.
File Storage
Both Notion and Asana offer unlimited file uploads to their users. They also help users organize their files using artificial intelligence.
All Notion accounts come with unlimited file uploads, but free accounts are limited to a single file size of 5MB. However, while paid accounts get unlimited uploads, a common pain point for customers is the failed uploads they get when sending large files.
Similarly, free and paid Asana accounts to come with unlimited file uploads, with an individual file size limit of 100MB across the board. But neither Notion nor Asana offers its users large file storage space like Google Drive or Dropbox.
User Experience
Notion offers a variety of features and use cases, such as note-taking and image galleries/databases, which can be difficult for first-time users to find their way around. Because of this, getting used to the Notion interface may take some time, but it gets easier over time.
Users are also provided learning resources to help them understand the software and its features. Its applications are available on desktop and mobile devices.
In contrast, Asana is a productivity tool that focuses on project management. The platform provides its applications on desktop, Android, and iOS. The intuitive applications come with user-friendly interfaces that make navigating, personalizing, and collaborating hassle-free.
Notion vs Asana: Pricing
For Notion and Asana, there are multiple tiered pricing plans to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes and budgets.
Notion offers four pricing tiers:
- Personal
- Personal Pro
- Team
- Enterprise
The Personal plan is perfect for single users on a limited budget who want to manage a few tasks and is free for all users.
The Personal Pro plan is for those who want an account that’s a little more sophisticated than the Personal. It’s perfect for a small team looking to collaborate on a small task. The Personal Pro plan allows unlimited file uploads and guests and is priced at $4 per month for annual payments or $5 billed monthly.
The Team plan is suitable for small businesses looking to create projects and collaborate with their teams. It has advanced features like unlimited team members, a collaborative workspace, sharing permissions, and admin tools. The Team plan is priced at $8 a month (billed annually) or $10 per month (for monthly billing). This plan is also available for a free trial with no time limit. The free version, however, limits guests to five.
The Enterprise plan is built for medium to large-scale corporations looking to connect and collaborate with all their staff across different locations. It has a dedicated success manager feature with up to 100+ seats and offers advanced team control and support.
The information on Notion’s Enterprise plan is not available on the website. Users are encouraged to contact the company’s sales team to find out more.
Asana also has four plans for all users;
- Basic
- Premium
- Business
- Enterprise
The Basic plan is for beginners and small teams just getting started with project management. It offers unlimited tasks and projects and allows up to 15 people to collaborate, all free.
The Premium plan is perfect for companies looking to create project plans and manage timelines. Its features include unlimited dashboards, unlimited free guests, advanced search, etc. The plan is priced at $10.99 per month (annually) or $13.49 per month.
The Business plan is suitable for teams and businesses that want to manage projects across multiple stakeholders and initiatives. It is priced at $30.49 per month and $24.99 per month (billed annually).
The Enterprise plan is for enterprise-level corporations that want to centralize projects with more control, security, and advanced admin features. There are features like data export and deletion, attachment controls, etc. But the pricing is unavailable on the Asana website. Interested users need to contact the sales team for more information.
Which is Better, Notion or Asana?
Deciding which is better between Notion and Asana depends on who’s asking and their needs. Notion and Asana can handle project management for individuals and businesses. However, Notion offers additional tools and features to put users’ and teams’ work in one place.
Students, entrepreneurs, and businesses can use Notion to centralize projects, collaborate, collect data and information, streamline processes, and save time. But a major drawback is that the tool can be complicated at first.
On the other hand, Asana is a more straightforward and traditional project and data management tool that integrates with other business tools to streamline workflow. Its platform is simpler and limited in features, making navigation easy for newbies and experts. Its free version offers more features, making it perfect for students and starters. It’s also cheaper for teams of 15 people or less, who can access some of the app’s features for free. However, paid Asana plans for advanced project management cost more than Notion.
However, Notion has a better rating from online user reviews on Trustpilot. The app has a 4.2-star rating from a possible 5, while Asana has a 2.8-star rating.
Alternatives
While Asana and Notion are popular project management options, users who prefer products from other brands may consider the below options.
ProofHub
ProofHub is a project planning and collaboration software with tools to help users manage tasks efficiently. Its offerings include making project plans, managing tasks and files, and collaborating or communicating with team members to deliver projects. It is also more affordable than Notion and Asana.
Fusioo
Fusioo is another cloud-based project management tool that allows users to collaborate with team members and improve company-wide organization. On Fusioo, users can create a custom online database to manage projects, brainstorm, collaborate with clients, organize events, etc.
Procore
Unlike the software mentioned above, Procore is ideal for contractors looking for construction management software to manage building projects. With Procure, users can manage their projects, resources, and financials from initiation to completion.
Hansoft
Hansoft is an enterprise agile project management tool for businesses looking to organize and make decisions on a project across different levels. Hansoft is known for its ability to manage a project throughout its entire life cycle.
The Verdict
Notion and Asana are modern agile project management software with similar features and offerings. They are both suitable for small teams looking to build and scale.
In addition to its popularity in the tech industry, Notion is also popular among small business owners. However, it comes with numerous features and can be complicated at first.
Asana has been around longer than Notion and offers a more traditional project and task management approach. Unlike other software, Asana has fewer and simpler features.
FAQs
Is Notion good for project management?
Notion is a good project management software that helps solopreneurs and businesses manage tasks and projects effectively. The software also has a note-taking feature to keep things organized.
Is Asana free after 30 days?
Asana has a 30-day free trial period for new users. However, all paid features will be unavailable after the free trial ends.
Can Notion do a Gantt chart?
Notion allows users to customize tasks on their timelines in a Gantt chart view. This feature is available under its timeline view and can be personalized by each user.
Does Google have an Asana equivalent?
Google Workspace is a product similar to Asana. However, Asana manages teams and projects, while Google Workspace organizes emails, files, chats, meetings, and work applications in one place.
