Asana vs monday.com: Which is best for your team?

Asana and monday.com are well-known project management tools. If you go to their websites, you’ll see polished features with years of development behind them. And honestly, you may have a hard time identifying the difference. We’re here to help.

While project management tools like these naturally offer similar features, they have key distinctions that may work better for your team or workflow. For example, monday.com has a highly customizable interface described as a spreadsheet with superpowers. On the other hand, Asana focuses on a concept called My Tasks, emphasizing personal accountability while still offering several unique views.

In this article, we’ll examine each tool (plus a bonus), compare its strengths and weaknesses, and provide some helpful guidance for determining the best option for your team.

Quick snapshot of the tools

Asana vs monday.com: A head-to-head comparison

Asana and monday.com are both standout project management tools, but they approach work organization from different angles. monday.com is all about customization and visibility — it turns project planning into a spreadsheet superpower. Asana, in contrast, leans into structured clarity, focusing on individual accountability and seamless collaboration across projects.

Here’s how they compare across a few key aspects.

Interface and core concept

monday.com feels like Excel on performance enhancers. Its “Boards” are flexible, visual spreadsheets where rows are tasks and columns hold customizable data — from text and status to dates and formulas. This format works well for teams that manage diverse workflows or non-traditional project types. But that flexibility can also introduce complexity.

Asana, meanwhile, keeps things more structured. The central “My Tasks” view acts as a personal command center, pulling in all assigned tasks across projects. It’s ideal for keeping individual responsibilities front and center. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Asana fine-tunes it for clarity and accountability.

• Winner: monday.com
• Why: Its spreadsheet-like interface is a powerhouse for customization and visibility, and teams managing diverse workflows or data-heavy operations will appreciate the flexibility. While Asana’s structure is clean and user-focused, monday.com adapts to more complex or unconventional use cases without forcing users into a rigid system.

Task management and structure

monday.com supports subitems and grouped tasks, but users have noted inconsistencies in how parent-child relationships are handled. It’s more visual and adaptable but can feel disconnected when trying to establish clear task hierarchies.

Asana excels in structured task organization. Its “multihoming” feature lets one task live in multiple projects without duplication — a rare and powerful capability. Tasks can only be assigned to one person, which prevents ambiguity, while collaborators can chime in without diluting responsibility.

• Winner: Asana
• Why: Asana nails structured task management. Multihoming, single-assignment, and clear collaborator roles reduce confusion and boost accountability. monday.com’s use of groups and subitems is flexible but less consistent, especially for teams that need tightly organized task hierarchies. Learn how to use Asana here. 

Views and planning

monday.com wins on variety. Teams can toggle between Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, and even Word Cloud views — all auto-generated from the board’s data. That said, the free plan doesn’t include the Calendar view, which can be a drawback for solo users or small teams.

Asana offers fewer view types but more control. Users can save custom views without altering the team’s default setup, and even the free plan includes the essential List, Board, and Calendar views. Its Timeline view (available with paid plans) also supports task dependencies, which is key for more complex project plans.

• Winner: monday.com
• Why: With Gantt, Kanban, Calendar, and even quirky views like Word Cloud, monday.com offers a richer planning experience. Its views are auto-generated from board data, too, cutting down on setup time. Asana’s views are solid — especially Timeline — but monday.com wins on volume and visual planning tools (assuming you’re on a paid plan).

Collaboration and communication

monday.com keeps discussions focused by embedding comment threads directly within task cards — there are no general chat threads to clutter the workspace. Its document collaboration feature is a plus, though more basic than full-fledged document tools.

Asana allows threaded task comments but also includes a “Conversations” tab for team-wide discussions, making it better suited for high-context collaboration. It strikes a balance between focus and open communication.

• Winner: Asana
• Why: Asana balances focused communication (task comments) with broader project-level discussions (Conversations tab). monday.com’s focused-only approach works well for some but lacks a centralized spot for more strategic or high-level dialogue, which larger teams often need.

File management

monday.com allows you to upload directly to tasks and offers a “Files view” to centralize attachments, but navigating those files later can be clunky. Some teams work around this by setting up dedicated boards for file storage.

Asana organizes files under a dedicated tab within each project, streamlining access and reducing the need for workaround solutions. It’s not flashy, but it’s functional and efficient.

• Winner: Asana
• Why: Asana’s dedicated project file tab keeps things organized and easy to navigate. monday.com allows uploads and has a “Files view,” but its structure often leads to scattered file storage and workaround setups that feel like afterthoughts.

Automations and integrations

monday.com shines with powerful automation and deep integrations, especially in marketing and CRM workflows. Users can build custom logic to move work forward automatically, making it ideal for operations-heavy teams.

Asana keeps automation simpler but still effective, like sending reminders ahead of deadlines. It integrates with more than 300 tools, covering everything from Slack to Microsoft Teams. Its automation is less about complexity and more about convenience.

• Winner: monday.com
• Why: monday.com dominates in automation power. Users can build sophisticated workflows using condition-based logic tied to task status, due dates, and more. It also integrates well with specialized tools like HubSpot and Mailchimp, adding more versatility. While Asana’s automation is helpful, it’s better suited to lighter use cases.

Free plan

monday.com’s free tier includes up to three boards and several templates but is limited by the lack of a Calendar view and more restrictive integrations.

Asana offers more generous free functionality, including essential project views and full access to common integrations. It’s a better fit for individuals and small teams looking to get started without immediate upgrades.

• Winner: Asana
• Why: Asana’s free plan is more generous overall. It includes multiple project views (including Calendar), unlimited tasks, and solid integrations. monday.com’s free version is comparatively limited, especially for teams needing calendar views or robust integrations from the start.

Learning curve and ease of use

monday.com impresses with its visual appeal and flexibility, but some users hit snags due to the sheer number of features and configurations. It’s powerful, but expect a ramp-up period.

Asana is known for its intuitive layout and user-friendly design. New users can start organizing tasks quickly, making it a popular choice for teams that don’t want to spend weeks onboarding.

• Winner: Asana
• Why: Asana is easier to learn and use. Its interface is intuitive, and users don’t need much onboarding to start managing projects effectively. monday.com’s customization power comes at the cost of a steeper learning curve, which can initially slow teams down.

Pricing

monday.com uses a tiered pricing model that gets expensive as teams scale or require guest access. The difference between user roles and plan features can additionally be hard to fully grasp upfront.

Asana offers a more straightforward pricing structure. While paid tiers add advanced functionality, many users find the free plan meets most of their needs — especially for task and light project management.

• Winner: Asana
• Why: Asana’s pricing is simpler and more transparent. Its free tier delivers strong core functionality, and the upgrade path is clear. monday.com’s pricing can get murky fast, with complexity around user roles, plan levels, and feature availability.

Security

monday.com offers robust security features, such as SOC 2 Type II compliance, ISO/IEC 27001 and 27018 certifications, data encryption at rest and in transit, and MFA options. Enterprise customers can also enable SSO, audit logs, and advanced admin controls. However, some features are gated behind higher-tier plans.

Asana also holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications, provides data encryption, and supports SSO and MFA for paid users. Its privacy-focused design and detailed admin control features make it easy for teams to manage user access and data across multiple projects. Security documentation is transparent and easy to access, which smaller teams or admins will appreciate.

• Winner: Tie
• Why: Both platforms take enterprise-level security seriously but offer different strengths depending on your team’s size and regulatory needs.

TL;DR: Which tool wins overall?

• Best for flexibility and complex workflows: monday.com
  monday.com is ideal for mid-to-large teams that need customization, visual planning tools, and powerful automations. Just be ready for a learning curve and more nuanced pricing.
  
• Best for structure, ease of use, and value: Asana
  Asana is great for individuals and teams that prioritize clarity, accountability, and fast adoption. Its free plan is generous, and its clean interface makes it easy to stay on top of tasks without the overhead.

If your team needs to customize the tool to fit a unique process, go with monday.com. If you want something that “just works” with minimal setup and strong collaboration, Asana is the smarter pick.

An overview of each tool — and a bonus

Asana

• Best for: Teams that need a clear, structured way to manage responsibilities and deadlines
• Pros: Easy to adopt and scale across teams, multihoming and Timeline view enhance task visibility, 300-plus integrations with popular business tools
• Cons: Task assignment is limited to one person, more suited for task execution than high-level planning, no built-in budgeting or workload forecasting
• Plans/pricing:
  • Free: Unlimited tasks, projects, and messages for up to 15 users
  • Starter ($10.99 per user per month): Timeline, unlimited dashboards, task dependencies
  • Advanced ($24.99 per user per month): Workload, goals tracking, custom rules
• G2 rating: 4.4/5

monday.com

• Best for: Teams managing complex, fast-moving operations that need visual clarity and automation
• Pros: Highly customizable columns and workflows; robust automation and conditional logic; multiple visualizations, including Gantt and kanban
• Cons: Steeper learning curve due to broad feature set, pricing can get complicated as teams grow, subitems and hierarchy features can feel disconnected
• Plans/pricing:
  • Free: Up to two users, three boards, limited features
  • Basic ($9 per user per month): Unlimited boards, 5 GB storage
  • Standard ($12 per user per month): Timeline, calendar view, guest access
  • Pro ($19 per user per month): Time tracking, dependency columns, advanced automations
• G2 rating: 4.7/5

Bonus: Jotform Boards

• Best for: Teams that begin projects with forms, such as client requests, human resources submissions, or service tickets
• Pros: Seamlessly integrates with Jotform’s form builder, auto-generates tasks from form submissions, easy-to-use kanban layout with real-time collaboration
• Cons: Limited third-party integrations beyond the Jotform ecosystem, fewer project-planning tools compared to dedicated project management platforms, no built-in timeline or calendar views
• Plans/pricing:
  • Starter (free): AI agents, five forms, 100 monthly submissions, one user 
  • Bronze ($34 per month): Up to 25 agents, 1,000 submissions, 10,000 form views
  • Silver ($39 per month): 50 agents, 100,000 conversations, 2,500 submissions, 100,000 form views
  • Gold ($99 per month): Highest limits outside of Enterprise, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-friendly features
• G2 rating: 4.7/5

Comparing the features of Jotform Boards

Jotform Boards delivers an intuitive and visually driven approach to task management, positioning itself as both a viable alternative and a practical companion to platforms like Asana and monday.com. Its standout feature is the native integration with Jotform’s powerful form builder, enabling you to convert form submissions into actionable tasks automatically. This seamless connection removes the need for manual input or third-party automation, making it uniquely efficient for form-centric workflows.

Key features and how they compare

• Task management: Jotform Boards uses a kanban-style interface with drag-and-drop functionality, offering a familiar layout to users of Asana or monday.com. Tasks can include descriptions, tags, due dates, assignees, and priorities, mirroring the flexibility found in monday.com’s customizable columns and Asana’s detailed task fields.
• Views: The primary view is a kanban board segmented by customizable groups. While Asana and monday.com provide a wider variety of views (like list, calendar, and Gantt), Jotform Boards focuses on visual workflow management — especially effective when tracking form-driven processes.
• Collaboration: Boards can be shared with teammates, tasks can be assigned and commented on, and users can see real-time activity — offering a collaboration experience on par with Asana and monday.com.
• Customization: Users can tailor board layouts, adjust task fields, and personalize the appearance. This flexibility is comparable to monday.com’s column customizations and Asana’s project-specific configurations, making it easy to adapt Jotform Boards to specific business processes.
• Integration: While Jotform Boards doesn’t yet rival the third-party integration ecosystems of Asana or monday.com, its deep and native connection with Jotform is a major strength. Tasks can be auto-generated from form submissions — something that would require additional automation setup on other platforms.
• Mobile-friendly: Jotform Boards is fully mobile responsive, enabling users to manage a project on the go, just like Asana and monday.com.

Why Jotform Boards works as an alternative or companion

Jotform Boards excels for teams that rely on forms to initiate work, like customer service, lead management, event planning, or internal requests. By turning form data into tasks automatically, it removes friction and simplifies workflows at the source.

As a companion to Asana or monday.com, Jotform Boards can act as a front-end intake hub. Teams can manage initial submissions in a Jotform Board, and route prioritized tasks into a larger project system. This hybrid setup gives you the best of both worlds: streamlined data collection from Jotform and broader planning tools from Asana or monday.com — without depending on third-party connectors that can break.

The bottom line? Jotform Boards is a focused, efficient solution for teams that live and breathe forms. Whether used alone or alongside more complex project management software, it reduces overhead and boosts visibility from the moment data enters your workflow.

Seamless integrations with Asana and monday.com

If your team already uses Asana or monday.com, Jotform makes it easy to connect your form data directly to those platforms — no workaround required.

• Jotform and Asana integration: Automatically turn form submissions into Asana tasks, assign them to team members, and route them to specific projects. Perfect for teams collecting client requests, support tickets, or content submissions.
• Jotform and monday.com integration: Instantly send submission data into monday.com boards, populating rows and triggering workflows without manual input. This is ideal for sales, human resources, or any team using monday.com to manage incoming leads or internal requests.

These integrations make Jotform not just a standalone tool but a highly effective bridge between data collection and project execution.

Choosing the best tool for your team

Deciding between Asana, monday.com, and Jotform Boards isn’t just about picking the “best” platform — it’s about matching the tool to how your team actually works.

Choose monday.com if:

Your team thrives on customization and enjoys building systems from the ground up. monday.com’s powerful automations, broad range of views, and spreadsheet-style boards make it ideal for operations-heavy teams or those managing complex workflows across multiple departments. Expect a steeper learning curve but also the flexibility to shape the tool around your processes.

monday.com is best for

• Mid-to-large teams
• Operations, marketing, and cross-functional projects
• Power users who want to heavily automate and customize 

Choose Asana if:

You want something straightforward that helps your team stay accountable without overcomplicating the process. Asana’s clean interface, strong task structure, and fast onboarding make it a favorite for teams that just want to get things done. It also integrates well with other apps, making it easy to slot into an existing tool stack.

Asana is best for

• Small to mid-sized teams
• Agencies, product teams, and startups
• Teams focused on clarity, ownership, and speed

Choose Jotform Boards if:

Your workflows start with forms — whether it’s client requests, internal tickets, or data collection. Jotform Boards is tailor-made for teams that rely on form submissions to kick off work. It automatically turns responses into trackable tasks, saving time and eliminating manual entry. You can use it independently or as a front-end intake layer for Asana or monday.com.

Jotform Boards is best for

• Teams that rely on forms to initiate work
• Customer service, sales, human resources, or education teams
• Anyone looking to reduce handoff friction between intake and execution

Sometimes, the best solution is a hybrid

If your team already uses Jotform for forms, consider pairing it with either Asana or monday.com. Let Jotform Boards handle the intake and early triage, then push high-priority tasks into your primary project management tool. This layered approach allows you to specialize each tool for what it does best: Jotform for data collection, and Asana or monday.com for planning and execution.

Start managing your projects with ease

Ultimately, the best project management tool is the one that fits your team’s workflow — not just the one with the flashiest feature set. Whether you choose the structure and simplicity of Asana, the power and flexibility of monday.com, or the form-first approach of Jotform Boards, each tool brings something valuable to the table.

Take stock of how your team starts, manages, and completes work, and choose the platform that best supports that flow.