Asana alternative
The Asana alternative with time and billing built in.
Track time on every task and bill from approved hours, without paying for the top plan.
Quick answer
56 wordsIf your team needs task management with time tracking on every task and billing built in, switch to Airtask. Asana runs tasks, projects and workflows well, but native time tracking only arrives on its Advanced plan and there are no billing models. Airtask logs hours on each task, approves timesheets and calculates cost from them, in the base plan. Airtask puts time, billing and cost in the base plan, at one flat price Asana can't match.
The short version
Four reasons teams go looking for an Asana alternative.
Cost climbs with every hire.
Asana Starter runs about $10.99 per user per month, and native time tracking only unlocks on Advanced at about $24.99 per user.
Time tracking is a top-plan feature.
Native time tracking sits on Asana Advanced. Teams that only need hours on tasks end up paying for the most expensive plan to get them.
No billing or cost from hours.
Asana has no billable rates or billing models on any plan. Project cost and what to invoice still live in a spreadsheet or a separate tool.
Per seat, every month.
The bill scales with headcount. Bring in contractors or a second team and the per-seat cost climbs with them.
Head to head
Where each platform is stronger.
Four places teams feel the difference, every day.
01Time tracking on tasks
Airtask wins02Billing and cost from hours
Airtask wins03Flat pricing, not per seat
Airtask wins04Time, billing and timesheets in one
Airtask winsComparison
Asana vs Airtask.
What changes when your tasks are backed by logged hours.
Task structure
- Asana
- Portfolios, projects, tasks, subtasks
- Airtask
- Projects, tasks, child tasks
Time tracking
- Asana
- Native on the Advanced plan only
- Airtask
- On every task with a timer, in the base plan, reconciled with timesheets
Timesheets with approval
- Asana
- Not native
- Airtask
- Weekly view, submit, approve or reject
Billing models
- Asana
- Not built in on any plan
- Airtask
- Non-billable, time-based, fixed, mixed, inherited
Cost tracking
- Asana
- Not built in
- Airtask
- Calculated from approved timesheet time
Sprints
- Asana
- No native sprints or backlog
- Airtask
- Scrum and Kanban, sprints, backlog
Workflow and goals
- Asana
- Workflow Builder, Goals, portfolios on paid plans
- Airtask
- Simpler automations; no Goals product
Docs / notebook
- Asana
- No separate docs product
- Airtask
- Project Notebook, linked to tasks
Pricing
- Asana
- Per user; time tracking on Advanced
- Airtask
- Flat per workspace, the whole team in
Pricing
Flat per workspace. Not per head.
Asana charges for every seat, and puts time tracking on its top plan. Airtask charges for the workspace.
200 people on Asana Advanced, the plan with native time tracking, is about $4,998 a month. On Airtask Plus it's $49.
* Asana list prices checked October 2026 (annual billing); native time tracking requires the Advanced plan.
Same projects and tasks. Real hours underneath.
Keep the projects, tasks and subtasks your team already runs. Airtask adds logged time and approved timesheet hours beneath them, so the numbers in your reports are the hours people actually worked, not typed estimates.
Will my team have to relearn task management?
No. Projects, tasks and child tasks, with assignee, status, priority and dates. The layout maps onto how most Asana projects are already organized.
What powers the reports?
Logged time and approved timesheet hours, not typed estimates. The number in the report is the number the team worked.
What do I gain over Asana?
Time on every task, approved timesheets and billing from rates, all in the base plan, and one flat price instead of a per-seat bill that puts time tracking on its top plan.
The platform
Three things built into Airtask that Asana puts on a higher plan or leaves out.
Time tracked on the task, in the base plan.
Open a task and see every hour logged against it: who, when, how long. Task hours and timesheet hours reconcile automatically, so reports and cost math use the same numbers.
- AsanaNative time tracking only on the Advanced plan, and no timesheet approval flow.
- AirtaskTimer and approved timesheets in the base product. Every hour reconciles with the task.
Billing that lives inside the project.
Pick a billing model per project: non-billable, time-based, fixed, mixed or inherited. Override the rate per team member. Project cost calculates from approved time.
- AsanaNo billing models or billable rates on any Asana plan.
- AirtaskFive billing models, a per-member rate override, cost from approved time.
Four views and a visual filter builder.
Build filters visually with Where, Field, Condition and Value. Switch views without leaving: List for tracking, Board for flow, Calendar for planning, Notebook for notes.
- AsanaAsana has List, Board, Timeline and Calendar, billed per seat.
- AirtaskList, Board, Calendar and a linked Notebook, with no per-seat bill.
Who switches
Who actually needs to switch.
Teams that bill clients by the hour.
If you need hours on tasks and cost from approved time, paying for Asana Advanced to get time tracking (and still having no billing) is the long way round.
Teams watching the per-seat bill.
Flat per workspace means the price is the same whether 20 or 200 people log in, contractors included.
Teams that want time and cost on one tool.
If hours live in one tool and project cost in another, Airtask puts logged time and cost on the same board and ends the reconciliation.
Migration
From Asana export to your first project.
Set up your workspace.
Create projects and invite your team. No admin approval needed to start.
Recreate or import your task structure.
Projects, tasks and child tasks map to how most Asana projects are already organized.
Turn on billing and time tracking.
Set a billing model per project and start logging real hours from day one, no top plan required.
Fast for the default view. Full team and billing configuration takes one to two days.
Ready to see what your tasks actually cost?
Put time, tasks and billing on one board, at one flat price.
Book a demoFAQs
The questions teams evaluating Asana alternatives actually ask.
Does Asana have native time tracking?
Yes, but only on its Advanced plan (about $24.99 per user per month). Airtask puts time tracking on every task in the base plan, and reconciles it with approved timesheets.
Can Airtask handle sprints natively?
Yes. Scrum and Kanban boards, sprints, a backlog and sprint reports all ship natively. Asana has no native sprint tooling.
Does Airtask include billing and cost tracking?
Yes. Five billing models, per-member rates and project cost from approved time are in the base product. Asana has no billing models on any plan.
How does Airtask pricing compare to Asana?
Asana charges per seat, with time tracking on Advanced at about $24.99 per user per month. Airtask is flat per workspace: Plus is $49 a month for up to 200 people. Your bill doesn't move when you hire.
Why do teams switch from Asana to Airtask?
To get time tracking on every task and real billing in the base plan, at one flat price, instead of paying per seat and upgrading to Advanced just to get a timer.