Our verdict
Choose Jira when software delivery is the core of the work and you need sprints, releases and strict workflows. Choose Asana when the people doing the work are mostly outside engineering and adoption matters more than configurability. For companies with both kinds of teams, running Jira for engineering and Asana for the business — connected with the native integration — is a common and sensible setup.
Jira and Asana are both work-management tools, but they start from different places. Jira grew up tracking software issues and sprints, so it is built around tickets, workflows and releases. Asana grew up coordinating cross-functional work, so it is built around projects, tasks, timelines and goals that anyone in a company can follow. Many companies end up running both: Jira for engineering, Asana for everyone else.
Choose Jira if…
- Your team ships software and works in sprints
- You need custom issue types, statuses and approval workflows
- You already use Confluence, Bitbucket or GitHub heavily
- You want a capable free plan for a small technical team
Choose Asana if…
- Marketing, operations or client teams are the main users
- You want people productive on day one with little training
- Timelines, portfolios and goals matter more than sprints
- Work spans many departments, not just engineering
Side by side
| Criterion | Jira | Asana |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.5 / 10 | 8.5 / 10 |
| Features & fit | 9.3 | 8.8 |
| Ease of use | 7.0 | 8.8 |
| Value for money | 8.4 | 7.9 |
| Support & reliability | 7.9 | 8.0 |
| Security & privacy | 8.9 | 8.4 |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 9.5 | 9.0 |
| Starting price (indicative) | Free for small teams; paid per user / month | Free for small teams; paid from around $11–14 / user / month |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Software and product teams | Cross-functional teams |
Feature by feature
| Feature | Jira | Asana |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Software, IT and technical teams | Cross-functional business teams |
| Free plan | Up to 10 users | Individuals and small teams |
| Paid entry price (indicative) | Per user; varies with team size | ~$11–14 / user / month |
| Scrum & sprints | Native, deep | Basic via templates |
| Custom workflows | Highly configurable | Rules and custom fields |
| Portfolios & goals | Via plans on higher tiers | Advanced tier |
| Learning curve | Steeper | Gentle |
| Marketplace | Very large | Good, business-focused |
Pricing compared
Jira
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Up to 10 users |
| Standard | Custom quote | — |
| Premium | Custom quote | — |
Asana
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | Free | Up to 10 users |
| Starter | ≈ $11 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Advanced | ≈ $25 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | — |
| Team size | Jira | Asana |
|---|---|---|
| 5 seats | Quote | $55 (Starter) |
| 10 seats | Quote | $110 (Starter) |
| 25 seats | Quote | $275 (Starter) |
Indicative USD list prices; excludes tax, add-ons and promotions. Confirm on each vendor’s site.
Who it is built for
Jira's vocabulary — issues, epics, sprints, story points, releases — fits software and IT teams. Asana's vocabulary — tasks, projects, portfolios, goals — fits everyone. Non-technical staff usually adopt Asana faster, while engineers often find Asana too light for backlog management.
Workflows and customisation
Jira lets admins model detailed workflows with transition rules, validators and required fields, which suits regulated or complex processes. Asana offers rules, custom fields and forms that cover most business processes without an admin, but it is less granular than Jira.
Planning views
Both offer boards, lists and timelines. Jira's strength is sprint planning, backlog grooming and release tracking. Asana's strength is project timelines, workload views and portfolios that roll many projects into one status view.
Pricing
Jira's Free plan covers up to 10 users; Standard and Premium are billed per user and change with team size, so check Atlassian's calculator. Asana is free for individuals and very small teams, with Starter from around $11–14 per user per month and Advanced around $25.
Ecosystem
Jira has one of the largest app marketplaces in software, with deep developer-tool integrations. Asana integrates well with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Salesforce, and is easier to connect for business teams.
Pros & cons
Jira
- Powerful Scrum and Kanban workflows
- Huge integration marketplace
- Free plan for small teams
- Steeper learning curve
- Can become cluttered without an admin
Asana
- Clean, intuitive interface
- Multiple project views
- Goals and portfolios
- Key features on higher tiers
- Can get expensive at scale
Key features of each
Jira
- Scrum & Kanban boards. Plan sprints, track backlog and visualise work in progress.
- Timelines. Roadmaps that link epics to delivery.
- Custom workflows. Model statuses, transitions and approvals.
- Automation. No-code rules for routine updates.
Integrates with: Confluence, Bitbucket, GitHub, Slack, Microsoft Teams.
Asana
- Timeline. Gantt-style planning with dependencies.
- Rules. Automations for routine actions.
- Portfolios. Track many projects at once.
- Forms. Capture requests directly into projects.
Integrates with: Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Salesforce.
Who should avoid each
Skip Jira if…
- Marketing or client-services teams wanting simplicity
- Very small non-technical teams
Best for: Software and product teams; IT and technical operations; Teams already on Confluence or Bitbucket.
Skip Asana if…
- Software teams needing deep dev tooling
- Very price-sensitive teams
Best for: Cross-functional teams; Marketing and operations; Managers needing portfolio views.
Switching between Jira and Asana
Migration difficulty: Moderate
Both tools import CSV files and there are native and third-party importers, but workflows, automations and integrations must be rebuilt by hand.
- Decide which teams move — often engineering stays in Jira while others move to Asana, or the reverse.
- Export projects to CSV and map statuses, issue types and custom fields to the new tool.
- Import one pilot project and check assignees, dates and attachments.
- Rebuild automations, forms and integrations such as Slack and GitHub.
- Run both tools in parallel for one sprint or project cycle, then archive the old projects.
Weigh it your way
Adjust the weights to your priorities to see which tool comes out ahead for you. Print or export the result for your team.
| Tool | Features | Ease | Value | Support | Security | Integrations | Your score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Asana | 8.8 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 9.0 | 8.53 |
| 2. Jira | 9.3 | 7.0 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 9.5 | 8.51 |
Drag the sliders to match your priorities. Scores are our editorial sub-scores; weights start at the values we publish on the methodology page. Nothing you change is stored or sent anywhere.
How our scores and weights work · Add a third tool side by side
Frequently asked questions
Is Jira or Asana better for small businesses?
For most non-technical small businesses Asana is easier. If the business is a software company, Jira's free plan is a strong starting point for the engineering team.
Can Jira and Asana work together?
Yes. Integrations can sync tasks and status between the two so engineering and business teams each keep their preferred tool.
Which is cheaper?
Both have free plans for small teams. Paid pricing depends on seats; compare quotes at your actual team size because Atlassian's per-user rate changes with headcount.
Is Jira only for developers?
No — Jira also has templates for business and service teams — but its strengths are clearest for technical work.
Does Jira or Asana have a free plan?
Jira has a free plan; Asana has a free plan. Indicative starting prices: Jira — Free for small teams; paid per user / month; Asana — Free for small teams; paid from around $11–14 / user / month.
Which scores higher in our review, Jira or Asana?
Jira scores 8.5/10 and Asana 8.5/10 on our weighted rubric. Jira leads on 4 of six criteria. A higher score does not make it right for every buyer — see the “choose if” lists above.
