6 Best Asana Alternatives For Project Management in 2021

Asana is a fantastic project management tool engineered to guide complex projects, but there's several other tools in the market to explore

Based on your requirement and company size you might have different requirements or needs. These aren't going to be available in every tool in the market as project management tools are built with a certain persona in mind. Maybe you're looking for app integrations or more. You don't need to look any further, because we have researched for you.

Here's 6 project management tools we personally battle tested for you, along with their pros and cons

Here are the tools we checked out:

• Trello
• Jira
• Monday
• Notion
• Clickup
• Basecamp
  

Trello

‍

Trello is an online collaboration tool that is both project and task management base. This system is visual and highly adaptable, with a three-tier information system, this system contains boards, cards, and lists. Boards, in turn, contain lists. Lists have titles, and their cards are the basic unit of Trello.

‍

‍

Pros:

• Mobile-Friendly – One of the most essential things that everybody requires from software nowadays is mobile access. Trello's mobile version is easy to use, you can now access Trello via tablet, smartphone, and computer.
  ‍
• They're really keen to make our pricing structure as straightforward as possible. Trello charges $25 a month for an unlimited package, making it one of the cheapest options on this list. This package gives you an unlimited number of members, and a huge range of other features, such as desktop and mobile app compatibility and gifting.
  ‍
• Notifications – Trello doesn't disappoint when it comes to notifications. You will never miss a task. Whenever a task is removed, commented on or updated, you will receive an email notification. If you are a mobile user, you will, of course, get a push notification.
  ‍
• Get Rid of Annoying Notes – Don't spend too much time on your phone or laptop, reading around which notes you have to take for a particular activity. Trello will make sure that you don't have to worry about that ever again.
  ‍
• Real-Time- Our system is instant and offers minute by minute updates to all members making changes to projects at the same time.
  ‍
• We follow the Kanban System – The Kanban system was founded in the 1950s by Toyota and has played a significant role in identifying issues with the development process. The Kanban system can aid in the scheduling of tasks by using cards and boards

‍

Cons:

• Here's why Trello is useless without Internet access – If you're reading this article, you probably use Trello. And, you probably use it on a daily basis. And, you probably use it for work. Well, there's a pretty good chance that you'll never use Trello if it doesn't have internet access. The truth is, software like Trello requires Internet access to be truly useful.
  ‍
• Uploads are Limited – If you are basic or gold member, you are limited to 10MB per upload
  ‍
• Trello is an ever changing landscape, so is our software.
  ‍
• As a relatively small product, Trello is perfect for smaller projects. If you’re planning an enterprise project though, maybe Trello isn’t the best option.
  

‍

Quick Conclusion:

As you can see from our review, Trello has many advantages and can benefit pretty much everyone. For business, students, freelancers and pretty much anybody else, Trello is a winner. Weighing up the pros and cons shows that Trello is an excellent piece of software that can help you get those essential jobs done.

‍

Jira
‍

Jira is a project management software product by Atlassian, a public company based in Sydney. Jira was initially released in 2002 as pure software development tool. Over the years, it has been adopted by non-IT teams for tracking any type of issue, task, and work item, allowing it to become a popular project tracking application. Many project management applications now incorporate issue tracking as a module of the software

‍

Pros:

• Jira has tools to help you build a roadmap and then plan, communicate and execute your teams work around it.
  ‍
• Agile teams can take advantage of this. Reports can be generated to show the velocity of the team. A single view of all stories allows a team to get a clear picture of their progress. Workload and task assignment can be monitored in this system.
  ‍
• The Atlassian Marketplace offers additional functionality through the installation of over 3000 apps to extend the features of JIRA.
  ‍
• The Jira platform is highly configurable. With Jira you can create any type of issue you need. You can also customize workflows to fit any process you have. Users can create and customize various elements, such as tables, forms, timelines, reports, fields and more.
  ‍
• It's for different types of users. The software can be used by developers, project managers, engineers, managers, and other non-tech business professionals.

‍

Cons:

• There has been negative feedback regarding the Jira mobile app, as you must navigate more in order to do tasks than you do in the web app
  ‍
• By automating the migration of projects from other systems like Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS), much less time is required to get projects up and running.
  ‍
• The reports in Jira cannot be downloaded as an image. Using other methods on reports alters the resolution of the image, resulting in a poor image.
  ‍
• Small file size upload. Users are critical of our product as they say it has a small file size upload. Therefore, uploading a photo, video, or document that is more than 10MB in size is not allowed.
  ‍
• The interface can be unclear for people who are not familiar with testing software, and the filtering tools are not as easy to use as other more popular software.

‍

Quick Conclusion:

Jira is one of the most popular tools for project and bug tracking, with customers rating it highly for its support for agile project management. However there are also many other great project management tools which provide similar features.

‍

Monday
‍

Monday was created in 2015 by Robin Slawinski, a Brazilian entrepreneur and developer. The philosophy of Monday is to “help teams plan, manage, and track work” from a centralised view. Monday is a visual project management tool, great for small and large teams with simple needs. Monday is an online tool that allows users to “add team members… track progress” and it helps teams to quickly “stay on top of all their work”. The software is used by a number of companies, including: Procter & Gamble, MTV, Johnson & Johnson and AIG.

‍

Pros:

• Each trial has 3x the user capacity of the previous, giving you space for more trial users at each stage.
  ‍
• Monday presents a visual and intuitive user interface that allows you to display and organize your progress. With colour coding, you'll know what to do next for your tasks or issues.
  ‍
• Alternative views. Although the software doesn't have a Gantt chart, it does provide a timeline view that many users find more appropriate. It still provides the information to track progress and be aware of upcoming deadlines. Other views include a kanban board and a calendar view.
  ‍
• Your team can set up a channel for guests to view upcoming projects and tasks.
  ‍
• We manage your project and communication. The platform helps you plan and track your content into a highly accessible workspace. You can automate your communications and notifications, so you can confidently focus on work that matters.

‍

Cons:

• Since there is a limit on the number of users, it can be difficult to grow the customer base. The Basic plan may be sufficient for a team of three but larger or more active teams may need to upgrade.
  ‍
• It's hard to track time against each task and the cost of all related tasks.
  ‍
• Few people find the UI a bit cluttered, disorganized or confusing but some visualizations of the kanban board could be improved. Users need to spend more time to get more familiar with the terms and functions, so they can use the platform better.
  ‍
• Some customers have complained that the native mobile app doesn't work smoothly. For example, it doesn't have an equivalent dashboard view and doesn't receive updates from the cloud in real time.
  ‍
• Monday integrates with Dropbox, Excel, Google Drive, Slack, Trello, and Zapier. Some users would like integration with Salesforce and Sharepoint. They would also like a more robust API.

‍

Quick Conclusion:

If your business is constantly changing, you should be well equipped to meet these challenges. Monday is a top contender for project management. It offers tools that promote collaboration and visibility. However, no single PM product can solve every possible problem. If your current product is failing, then the further assessment is needed if your needs have changed, or if your tool has reached its limit.

‍

‍

Notion
‍

Notion is a tool for collaboration and a workspace for everyone. Users describe it as a tool that's comparable to Lego where each component has a clear place, but users can arrange them however they want. It's a place where they can jot down their ideas and start building. Checklists, a calendar, and Kanban boards will help users manage their projects when it comes to project management. Like other task management software, Notion's got all the features you'd expect from PM software, including task assignment, comments, and collaboration.

‍

Pros:

• Notion offers superb technical support. There are easy to understand instructions and users report that it can take a bit of time to set themselves up on the platform.
  ‍
• Notion is all-in-one. It's not just a workspace, it's a one-stop solution. Users don't have to jump between tabs to access different features. Everything is contained under one roof which saves a lot of time.
  ‍
• Notion is available on different devices. We have a desktop app, web app, and native apps for iOS and Android. This means you can access your work from anywhere, on any device.
  ‍
• Notion has a free trial. Notion offers a free trial so that users have a chance to decide if it's the right tool for them. This allows them to spend less on something that they won't end up using long term. However, it isn't a good idea to use the free version for a long period of time, because it's limited.
  ‍
• A great way to get organised is to use Notion. Notion has a clean and uncluttered User Interface. Additionally, its Spreadsheets and Databases are hard to navigate which make organizing files seamless. This is owed to the fact that Notion believes that organisation is the key to productivity.
  ‍
• Notion has a variety of features. Use Notion to track your finances, and you'll enjoy visibility into your data in a variety of formats.

‍

Cons:

• It's difficult to set up initially and the mobile app isn't as nice as the desktop version.
  ‍
• Our tool is easy to use but needs to integrate with other tools and apps to achieve full functionality. Notion has zero file attachment capability, which a lot of users would like to be able to do. We could also include a feature that locks pages to avoid accidental change of content.
  ‍
• Notion is the only free online tool that has both free and paid versions. The free version is limited to 1000 blocks.
  ‍
• We're working on improving our notifications. Notion users can tag their teammates in tasks and due dates in multiple ways. Unfortunately, If their Notion isn't up, notifications don't go through. There is also an option to turn off email notifications.

‍

Quick Conclusion:

There are plenty of satisfied Notion users who see a clear benefit in using it. Productivity has increased for them, and the software is constantly improving. Notion may not be perfect yet, but its developers are working hard to provide seamless user experience.

‍

ClickUp

‍

Clickup, a cloud-based collaboration tool for businesses. Clickup is suitable for businesses across all industries. Whether big or small, Clickup’s team collaboration and communication features can take advantage of.

‍

Pros:

• Suitable for both team users and solo users. Most project management software only caters to team users. Clickup has an edge over them because it is also easy to use for solo users. It has a suite of features that are perfect for managing daily activities. The 2.0 version is especially impressive because of its improved user interface. Also, the integrations help save a lot of time.
  ‍
• Clickup has an impressive software user interface. Its dashboard gives you an easy overview of your tasks, projects and calendar items.
  ‍
• Powerful even the free version. Free versions are expected to be less powerful and sometimes even lack features. Fortunately, this is not true with Clickup because it still supports many features that are otherwise only found in paid versions of other software. For example, it has email notifications, Android/OS app, task dependencies, file attachments for tasks, and more.
  ‍
• We have embarked on a customer-first strategy. We listen to your feedback and we are constantly developing new features and products based on what you tell us you need.
  ‍
• We aim to be approachable and helpful with our customers, working hard to offer quick answers and assistance in the event of an issue.
  ‍
• Comfortable layout. One user specifically mentioned their friendly layout which is accessible even for dyslexic users. Clickup makes everything simple to see and easy to understand and this makes significant contributions to organising numerous projects.

‍

Cons:

• Some users are concerned that they are not using all the features of this product.
  ‍
• All these customisation options can be overwhelming to new users, which means it takes them longer to work out how everything works. Some people think of this as a benefit, they think offering so many options means they're providing something for everybody.
  ‍
• Calendar is less intuitive than users would expect. Users have to click buttons to enter date, and if they forget to click ‘done’ they have to do it again.
  ‍
• The UI should be improved. As a software whose tagline is 'one app to replace them all', it is often difficult for users to understand what empty panes and spaces are for. Additionally, the text size is also very small and the colors are too faint that they are hard to distinguish.
  ‍
• Users of Gmail have been complaining about an inability to send tasks directly to Clickup from a filter. Right now, users have to use a third-party service to send tasks from a filter to Clickup.

‍

Quick Conclusion:

Clickup may not be as widely used as Asana, Trello, Basecamp, and other software but it is definitely impressing users. It has some disadvantages but the developers are constantly working to address them and are always improving the platform. It is worth a try for both team users and solo users.

‍

Basecamp

‍

Basecamp keeps teams organized by reducing the amount of time spent organizing and discussing projects. It's free, easy to use, and easy on the eyes. Users can work together without having to send emails and messages on different platforms. The software is animated and has icons on the main page. Users can comment on files and upload attachments and files. They can assign tasks and receive notifications when other users make changes.

Pros:

• Having access to all your files and documents in one place. Particularly useful for remote teams. It makes it easier to find past files because every project has a docs and files section.
  ‍
• Basic pricing structure. Basecamp pricing is simple because it only has two options: the free plan and the paid plan. The free plan has limitations on the number of users and projects, while the paid plan has an unlimited number of users and projects. In addition, Basecamp also offers a 30-day free trial for customers who want to evaluate the software.
  ‍
• Basecamp allows you to choose your notifications. It's flexible whether you want to receive all updates or only some.
  ‍
• Great communication system. Basecamp provides its users with various ways to communicate, including through the informal ‘Campfires’ or by ‘pings’ which are private messages sent to only one person.
  ‍
• With our app, you can access your work from both computers and smartphones. Plus, you can control how you get notified about tasks.
  ‍
• The ability to attach documents, files, and images to messages in Basecamp makes moving data between teams easier.

‍

Cons:

• There is no time tracking for projects or tasks at the moment. Being able to track time for individual projects is one feature that Basecamp is lacking.
  ‍
• The ability to archive topics that have become obsolete is a distinctive feature of this product. Doing this clears the way to the most relevant information.
  ‍
• No stand-out features. Everyone who has used Google knows how useful the starring feature is. It would be nice to have it on Basecamp so that more important topics stand out."
  ‍
• It is not as comprehensive as some project management tools out there, but it does have its own set of unique features.
  ‍

‍

Quick Conclusion:

Basecamp is a popular project management tool because it's been proven by thousands of users to be efficient and effective for organizing projects. Projects have never been this easy to manage, thanks to Basecamp. Even with its few disadvantages, the advantages still reign and that is more than enough reason to use the software.