Can the Asana App Help Tame Your Project Management Chaos? Here’s Everything You Need to Know: Asana Features, Reviews, Pricing & More
Trying to manage your company鈥檚 projects and programs can be a daunting task. On any given day employees are juggling meetings, assignments, deadlines, project implementation, and more. It can be pure chaos unless you have something like the 听project management听tool听to help.听
Companies that听use project management applications reduce their chance of budget overruns,听manage projects听more efficiently, and have听higher-performing projects than those that don鈥檛. That鈥檚 why听programs like the Asana software have become so popular.听
The Asana desktop app and mobile app听are designed for ease of use and help听organizations听keep their teams connected and projects听moving forward smoothly. The Asana task manager听has some fairly well-known users, including听GE, Uber, Slack,听and Google, among others.听
Is the Asana tool right for your company?听Will听the Asana Kanban board be easy for your users to adopt and improve efficiency? What about Asana pricing听plans?听
In our ultimate Asana review, we鈥檒l tell you everything you need to know about the Asana app.听We鈥檒l compare the Asana free听version听vs the Asana听Premium听and other plans. We鈥檒l also go through听a full Asana overview of how the software works.听
If you鈥檝e been curious about integrations, we鈥檝e got the info! You鈥檒l learn about the Asana Google听Calendar integration and other helpful 3rd听party听tools you can connect to the Asana Windows app or Mac app.听听
Is the Asana cost worth the productivity听and efficiency? Find out all the Asana pros and cons now听in our Asana review.听
See Also:听Slack Review 鈥� What You Need to Know About the Slack App
Asana听搁别惫颈别飞蝉听| Asana Project Management Tool Overview听
The Asana task manager utilizes the Kanban听process management method, which visualizes听the steps in a process and听a task鈥檚 movement through each process. By use of听the Asana Kanban board for projects, it鈥檚 easier to see bottlenecks听when they occur and address them.听
There are听four听foundational components to the Asana software:听the projects, tasks, task details (assignee, due date, comments), and workflow columns.听
On the left-hand panel听is an Asana overview of your projects, which听you can set up from scratch or by using an Asana project template. You can choose to use the with your project if you want to show the different stages of progress (editing, proofing, completion), or use a list for the tasks instead.听
Through the Asana app, you can invite team members to the project to collaborate with you in real-time, comment, and complete assigned tasks.听
Once the Asana project is set up, then you create individual tasks. These will each have their own 鈥渃ard鈥� if you鈥檝e chosen the board layout or will show up more like a checklist if you鈥檝e selected the list.听
There are multiple Asana features you can use on the task card, such as setting the due date for the task,听attaching files,听communicating with others on the project, and setting alerts for task updates.听
Asana Project Management Tool Review听
When using Asana Kanban board, you create columns that the task cards travel through. For example, you听may set up columns such as:听
- Ready to do听
- In progress听
- Awaiting approval听
- In editing听
- Final approval听
- Completed听
This helps give you a quick snapshot within the Asana project management tool so you can see how a project is progressing, where a particular task is at any given time, and which tasks are on schedule or overdue.听
Basically, you gain valuable insights into听your organization鈥檚 entire project workflow from the Asana software.听
Let鈥檚 get into some of the more detailed Asana free features, Asana premium features, and productive integrations such as Asana Google calendar syncing.听
Don’t Miss:听Top Project Management Apps | All You Need to Know
Asana听Reviews |听Asana听Timeline听
The Asana app gives you a full overview of your entire project timeline so you can see how one deadline impacts another and ensures all moving parts are on task towards successful project completion.听
The听timeline听Asana tool听can be switched to easily from the top menu听and gives you an easy way to drag听and听adjust individual task deadlines according to how they fit in the overall timeline.听
The Asana free plan does not include a timeline, so that鈥檚 something to consider when comparing Asana free vs Premium. We鈥檒l get into a full comparison of options and Asana pricing later in this Asana review.听
The听timeline听Asana听tool offers the following benefits:听
- Modify tasks to accommodate deadline changes听
- Share timelines with others听
- Gain a full Asana overview of your entire project schedule in one screen
- Import a spreadsheet CSV file into Asana to create a timeline听
Asana听Reviews听|听Use Portfolios to See All Projects听
What if you want to pull out your view even wider听and see all your projects and their statuses听at once, rather than just a single project?听
That鈥檚 what Asana Portfolios is for. This Asana听tool听allows you to monitor all your project initiatives in a single place听and in a glance will show you which are on track, which are off track, and which are at risk of failing.听
This is a very helpful听feature of the Asana desktop app, Asana online, or Asana Windows app or iOS app听because in听a glance,听you can see your company鈥檚 projects by priority, their date ranges, who is responsible听for the overall project, and how each is doing.听
Portfolios is not one of the Asana free features, and you won鈥檛听even听get听it with听an听Asana free trial听of the Premium plan. The Asana pricing plans that offer the portfolio feature are听the Business and Enterprise plans听only.听听
Related:听Best Team and Tasks Management Software
2019 Asana听Review |听Asana Google Calendar Integration听
If you use Google Calendar, then the ability to听integrate the Asana software is going to make your life easier.听听
You can sync Asana听and Google Calendar to view your tasks directly in the Google Calendar application.听Tasks that have due dates will show听up on your calendar as an 鈥渁ll-day鈥� event.听
The Asana Google Calendar screen allows you to click on the task in Google Calendar to open it in Asana.听With all your听Asana projects integrated into your calendar, you can see which deadlines are going to impact other things you may have going on throughout the week.听
Asana pros and cons when it comes to the Asana Google Calendar integration are:听听
- Pros:听Ability see tasks and deadlines in your calendar, can go directly to the Asana task from Google Calendar听
- Cons: It鈥檚 only 1-way sync听from Asana to Google Calendar and updates you make on your calendar won鈥檛 be reflected in Asana听
Asana Review – Asana Integrations
Other Asana Integrations听
Of course,听Google Calendar is just one of the听multiple integrations you听can do with the Asana听task manager, here鈥檚 a sample of some of the others and you can see a听.听
- Outlook听
- Adobe Creative Cloud听
- Salesforce听
- Microsoft Teams听
- Dropbox听
- Zapier听
- Google Sheets听
- Evernote听
Asana Reviews |听Other Asana Free Features听听
The听Asana desktop app or Asana online offer multiple other features to help you keep your team connected and moving forward productively on any number of听projects.听听
We鈥檒l look at the听Asana free version first and the features you get with that, as well as the other Asana pricing plans.听
Calendar View is Available in the Asana听Free Plan听& All Others听
Asana Calendar View听
The Asana app has its own calendar view inside the program that allows you to view a project鈥檚 timeline in a glance, so you can see how each task coincides with another. From the calendar view, you can mark tasks as complete, create new tasks, and even set colors for different tasks.听
Project Status Updates听
The Asana task manager is designed to save you time, money, and streamline your workflows and one way it does that is by听reducing the听need to schedule meetings to get updates on projects and tasks.
You can set your own project status updates, assign them a specific color (like green for 鈥渙n track鈥� or red for 鈥渘eeds attention鈥�) and then post them to the entire team听in the Asana Windows app or Mac app so everyone is informed in real-time, no long meetings required!听
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Asana Review |听Asana Premium听& Higher Features听听
While it鈥檚 great to have an Asana free plan that you can use, many of the cool Asana features come with one of the paid Asana pricing plans. We鈥檒l get into the Asana cost for each of their three paid plans shortly, but first, let鈥檚 take a look at Asana features when comparing Asana free vs Premium.听
Here are some of the features you get when you pay the Asana cost for a Premium plan that is not included with the Asana free version.听
Task Dependencies听
Often certain tasks depend upon another one to be completed. Such as听a new blog听that听can鈥檛 be posted until the graphics department has finished the cover image.听
The task dependencies Asana feature听allows听you to designate that one task is dependent upon another to be听accomplished听to give you more control and insight into your overall task management process.听
Project Milestones听
Most projects have听specific听milestones along the way that are crucial to their overall success. In Asana Premium and higher plans,听you can听set project milestones that show up on all your project views, including timeline, to help you keep track of the important achievements听vital to your project.听
Support Features听
Comparing Asana free vs Premium and higher, there is a big difference in the type of support听you get.听The Asana free version doesn鈥檛 really have much at all in the way of support, but you get quite a few more options听with the paid Asana pricing plans.听
Asana Premium听& Business听support features include:听听
- Priority support听
- Admin console听
- Premium Academy training听
- Google SSO (single sign-ons)听
- Customer success options听
Asana听Enterprise听support features include听the above听Asana features, plus:听
- SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language)听
- User provisioning & de-provisioning听
- Data deletion听
- Custom branding听
- Cross-regional backups听
- Service accounts听
Additional听Asana Desktop App Features with听Business or Enterprise Plans听
It makes sense that the more听the听Asana cost for the Asana task manager, the more features you鈥檙e going to get.听We looked at Asana free vs Premium above, but what do you get with the more expensive Asana pricing plans?听
Business and/or Enterprise include the following Asana features:听
- Advanced workflow rules (coming soon)听
- Forms听
- Proofing听
- Portfolios听
- Lock custom fields听
- Workload听view听
Next, we鈥檒l take a look at听Asana app pricing and whether there is an Asana free trial with more features than the Asana free plan.听
Asana听Reviews听|听Asana听Pricing Plans听
You鈥檝e seen the Asana pros and cons as far as the听what you get or don鈥檛 get听with听Asana free features听and听features for each of the three paid options.听听
Now, we鈥檒l see how much you have to pay in Asana cost for the different versions as well as how many users you get with the free Asana app plan. Note, when you see a price range for a plan, the lower price is if it is billed annually and the higher-price is billed monthly.听
- Asana Basic (Free), up to 15 users听
- Asana Premium ($10.99 – $13.49/user/month),听minimum of 5 users听
- Asana Business ($24.99 – $30.49/user/month), minimum of 5 users听
- Asana Enterprise (contact company for pricing), minimum of 5 users听
Is there an Asana听free trial?听
If听you aren鈥檛 sure whether the free version of the Asana听Windows app will give you the tools you need, there is an Asana free trial for both the听Asana Premium and Business plans.听
You get 30-days for your Asana free trial to听try out听all the features of the higher-priced plans to see if they鈥檙e worth the additional cost.
Read More:听Top Program Management Software Tools 鈥� Free & Paid
Asana Project Management听Review听| User听Ratings听
As with any cloud-based office platform, how well the mobile apps function makes a big impact on overall user experience. For example, if the Asana desktop app is great, but the mobile app lacks some of the features, users are going to be disappointed.听
We took a听look at Asana reviews on听Apple鈥檚 App Store听and Google Play to听see how users rate the Asana app for mobile devices and what their Asana pros and cons are.听
Asana听Review on听Apple App Store听
The Asana software for the iPhone and iPad get a high overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from 6,100 Asana reviews.听
One reviewer said that the Asana app for iOS was great overall, but had a few shortcomings, including听it being difficult to access the conversation area听and that finding files and folders听wasn鈥檛 as easy as in the Asana desktop app.听
Another Asana review echoed the same sentiment that the mobile app for Asana did not work as well as the desktop application.听
Asana Review on Google Play Store听
The Asana task manager app for听Android devices also got a high score from reviewers, with a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 from听25,663 reviews of Asana.听
One reviewer of the Asana tool said the app was great for keeping听tasks organized and they liked the personal account view.听
Another reviewer said that the Asana online interface was much听easier to use than the Asana app for Android听and they couldn鈥檛 find a way to view all tasks rather than just their own听in the mobile app.听
Conclusion 鈥撎�Asana Review 2019听鈥�听Working with听Asana Software听for Project Management听
One of the highlights of the Asana project management听tool is that it鈥檚 very intuitive and easy for users to pick up right away. This is an important feature in any type of software because if users听have trouble learning a tool, it鈥檚 going to negate听the听efficiency benefits.听
The variety of features from all projects overview to workload view, so managers can see if an employee is over or under tasked, to the Asana Google Calendar integration help keep tasks on time and projects organized and moving forward fluidly.听
When looking at听Asana free vs Premium and higher plans, the Asana free features are fairly basic and you don鈥檛 get nearly as many 鈥渂ells & whistles,鈥澨齢owever for teams of 15 or fewer听users, this offers then a great way to start with online project management.听听
When comparing Asana pros and cons to other project management apps, the weak spot we see is in Asana鈥檚 mobile app. While it does get high ratings, users consistently mention it鈥檚 not听quite as听good as the Asana desktop app.听听
Overall, if you鈥檙e looking for a robust and听easily adaptable听project management tool that also has multiple integrations with other programs you use,听the Asana app is one of the best ones out there for managing and monitoring all your company鈥檚 projects.听
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