Asana vs OpenProject
A source-aware comparison of pricing, documented capabilities and workflow fit.
Short answer
- Price: not directly comparable — Asana is from $10/user/mo, OpenProject is pricing not verified.
- How to start: Asana is from $10/user/mo, OpenProject is pricing not verified.
- Where they differ: only OpenProject has open source / self-hostable; both offer public api and sso (saml).
These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. How we score tools.
What Asana is
Asana is a leading work management platform designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. It goes beyond simple checklists, allowing you to manage projects through Timelines (Gantt), Kanban Boards, and Calendars. By centralizing collaboration, Asana reduces 'work about work' (unnecessary meetings and emails). It aligns strategic goals with daily tasks, ensuring every team member knows exactly what they should be focusing on at any given moment.
What OpenProject is
OpenProject is open-source project management with Gantt charts, agile boards and time tracking, self-hostable or cloud.
Side by side
| Asana | OpenProject | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Project Management | Project Management |
| How to start | $10/user/moverified | Not verifiednot a monthly price |
| Public API | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | not checked |
| Open source / self-hostable | No | Yes |
| SSO (SAML) | Yes | Yes |
| Visit | Asana ↗ | OpenProject ↗ |
What Asana is built to do
- Timeline View
- Plan your project schedule and task dependencies visually in a Gantt-style chart.
- Workload Management
- Monitor team capacity in real-time to prevent burnout and ensure efficiency.
- Automated Workflows
- Automate routine tasks like status changes or assignments based on triggers.
- Strategic Goals
- Connect high-level company objectives directly to daily projects and tasks.
Choose Asana if
- Project Managers, Agencies, and Large Corporate Teams.
Choose OpenProject if
- Organisations needing formal project planning without commercial licensing.
Evidence and freshness
Where a claim on this page comes from a vendor page, it is linked here.
Asana: pros & cons
- Intuitive Interface: Excellent UX makes for a rapid team adoption and onboarding.
- Powerful Reporting: Visualize team capacity and project progress through dashboards.
- Deep Integration: Works seamlessly with Slack, Google Drive, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
- Great Mobile App: Manage tasks and projects effectively while on the go.
- Can be Overwhelming: Too complex for simple personal to-do lists.
- Pricing: Cost per user can be high for small teams on a tight budget.
- System Rigidness: Does not offer the same free-form flexibility as tools like Notion.
OpenProject: pros & cons
- Classic project management and agile in one tool
- Self-hostable with no per-seat licence
- Gantt and baseline features included
- Enterprise features are behind the paid edition
- Self-hosting is real maintenance
- Interface is functional rather than fast
Our verdict on Asana
A balanced and disciplined tool for managing complex team projects with transparency.
Our verdict on OpenProject
The most complete open-source option for traditional project management.