In short
Asana scores 8.0 out of 10 in our editorial assessment. Its strengths are the feature set, portfolios and integrations, plus certifications such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2. Points are deducted for the free plan with only two users and for the Frankfurt data centre, which is only available on the Enterprise tiers.
8/10
Verdict
Asana is a strong choice for teams that manage several projects across departments and need portfolios, goals and many views. Its security attestations are extensive, and the DPA relies on the DPF and standard contractual clauses. If you must keep data in the EU, however, you need an Enterprise contract.
Pros
- Many views: list, board, calendar, timeline, Gantt
- Portfolios, goals and workload across projects
- Extensive certifications including ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2
- DPA with DPF and standard contractual clauses
- Hundreds of integrations
Cons
- Free plan limited to two users
- Portfolios and goals only from Advanced
- EU data centre only on Enterprise tiers
Asana is one of the best-known platforms for task and project management. We assessed Asana against our criteria catalogue, based on its publicly documented features, pricing model, security and data protection documents and integrations as of November 2026. There was no hands-on long-term test.
How we rate
The overall score is calculated from four weighted sub-scores on a scale of 0 to 10. Our methodology explains how we define criteria and check sources.
Criterion | Weight | Sub-score |
|---|---|---|
Feature set | 35 % | 9.0 |
Data protection and security | 25 % | 7.5 |
Pricing model | 20 % | 6.5 |
Integrations | 20 % | 8.5 |
Overall score | 100 % | 8.0 |
Calculation: 9.0 × 0.35 + 7.5 × 0.25 + 6.5 × 0.20 + 8.5 × 0.20 = 8.03, rounded to 8.0.
What is Asana?
Asana is a cloud-based work management platform. Teams use it to plan tasks, projects and higher-level goals. The vendor is a US company. Asana targets teams of all sizes, while its higher plans focus on managing many projects across departments.
Typical use cases are marketing campaigns, product launches, client projects in agencies and internal processes such as onboarding new employees. Asana is a toolkit for different ways of working rather than a tool built for one method. That makes it flexible to start with, but it requires clear rules within the team.
What features does Asana offer?
According to its feature overview, Asana displays projects as a list, calendar, timeline, Gantt chart or Kanban board. This makes Asana suitable for Kanban as well as classic project planning. The following building blocks come on top:
Tasks and projects with custom fields, status updates and time tracking,
Portfolios and goals for an overview of multiple projects,
Workload and capacity planning to see how busy the team is,
Forms, rules and templates for recurring workflows,
AI features such as AI Studio for automated workflows.
The sub-score of 9.0 reflects this breadth. We deduct points because key management features such as portfolios and goals only come with the Advanced plan. If you are torn between Kanban and Scrum, our guide Kanban vs Scrum helps you decide.
Data protection and server location
In its Trust Center, Asana lists the following attestations among others: ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701 as well as SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3. That is an extensive package for a tool in this class.
According to Asana, its Data Processing Addendum is incorporated into the subscription agreement. The current version took effect on 1 September 2026. For transfers to the US, Asana primarily relies on its self-certification under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, with the EU standard contractual clauses as a fallback. Our article on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework explains what this means for you.
An EU data centre in Frankfurt is only available on the Enterprise tiers. Asana introduced it for Enterprise customers in December 2019. The current pricing page lists data residency as part of Enterprise+. Teams on Starter and Advanced therefore cannot choose the EU as their data location. This results in a sub-score of 7.5.
Pricing model and plans
Asana charges a subscription per user and month, billed monthly or annually at a discount. The pricing page lists five tiers:
Plan | Billing | Key contents |
|---|---|---|
Personal | free | up to 2 users, no timeline |
Starter | per user and month | timeline and Gantt |
Advanced | per user and month | adds portfolios and goals |
Enterprise | on request | advanced administration and security |
Enterprise+ | on request | includes data residency and audit logs |
With two users, the free plan is very small. Teams of more than two people therefore need a paid plan right away. Portfolios and goals, which set Asana apart from simple board tools, come at the higher Advanced price. This results in the lowest sub-score of 6.5.
Integrations
According to the vendor, Asana connects with hundreds of tools, including Google Workspace, Microsoft applications, Slack, Zoom, Salesforce, Jira, Tableau and Power BI. For teams already working with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, connectivity is no bottleneck. We award 8.5 points.
Who is Asana for?
Well suited to teams of around five people or more that run several projects in parallel and want portfolios or goals.
Well suited to companies that need certified security and can work with the DPF and standard contractual clauses.
Less suited to two-person teams on a small budget that need more than the free plan.
Less suited to teams that require EU hosting but do not want an Enterprise contract.
Alternatives to Asana
If you want hosting in Germany without an Enterprise contract, take a look at MeisterTask. ClickUp offers more features on its free plan, monday.com very flexible boards from three seats. Our project management software comparison assesses all four tools. For the selection itself, see our guide to choosing SaaS tools.
Frequently asked questions
Can Asana be used in line with the GDPR?
Asana provides a Data Processing Addendum and bases transfers to the US on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses. Whether its use is permissible in your organisation depends on your data and your documentation. This is not legal advice.
Where does Asana store data?
An EU data centre in Frankfurt is only available on the Enterprise tiers. On the smaller plans you cannot choose the data location. The current pricing page lists data residency as part of Enterprise+.
Is there a free version of Asana?
Yes. The Personal plan is free and allows up to two users. Timeline and Gantt start with Starter, portfolios and goals with Advanced.
How was the score of 8.0 calculated?
The score is an editorial assessment against four weighted criteria based on public vendor information, without a long-term test. The weighting is shown in the section "How we rate", with details in our methodology.
Sources
- Asana pricing , Asana , 2026-11
- Asana features , Asana , 2026-11
- Trust at Asana , Asana , 2026-11
- Asana Data Processing Addendum , Asana , 2026-09-01
- Your data, your way: Announcing Asana's EU data center , Asana , 2019-12-15
