Asana and Basecamp are two cloud-based project management tools that help teams stay organized and collaborate better on their projects. Both solutions are scalable for all company sizes, although Basecamp tends to focus more on small to medium-sized businesses.
In this post, we’ll compare each solution to help businesses make the right purchasing decision.
Product Overviews
Here are excerpts from the Asana and Basecamp reviews that summarize each solution.
Asana: Asana is a complete project management solution that allows team members to track everything they’re working on. With tasks, workspaces, notes, tags and a dashboard that updates information in real time, it facilitates smart decision making in each stage of projects’ workflow.
Asana can be used for campaigns, launches or briefings. Teams can also assign permissions for each member and share project-related documents without having to use email. Asana is available for desktop, Android and iOS devices.
Basecamp: Basecamp is a project management tool that helps with team collaboration, file sharing and project organization. The project management solution serves as a single source of truth for everything your company could possibly need, from emails to to-do lists, and is accessible on Mac, PC, Android and iOS. This way, everyone can track their assignments, teams and deadlines, as well as any associated files.
How They Stack Up
Features
Asana: Each project is displayed in a list format, with each list representing a specific task. Each task includes the status, due date and the person assigned. Users can add comments to each task, as well as share files related to that task. There is also a built-in calendar that’s related to each project, so project managers can keep tabs on task deadlines and spot any scheduling conflicts.
If users want a better visualization of projects’ statuses, Asana offers a board layout. Users can also track and share the project’s results with the dashboard feature.
Basecamp: Basecamp has six core tools for each project. First, there are the to-do lists for tracking tasks. Then, there’s a message board for announcements and updates. There’s also the Campfire chat tool so users can discuss a specific item within a project.
There’s also a Schedule tool for tracking milestones and deadlines. In addition, there’s the Docs & Files tool so users can access the files they need rather than asking for them. Finally, there’s the Automatic Check-ins feature that automatically asks users for status updates either once a day, once a week or on a frequency set up by the project manager.
Bottom Line: Both solutions offer similar features for teams to assign tasks, track project milestones and share files. However, Basecamp offers an in-app chat tool, while Asana doesn’t. Asana does offer a team page feature, where users can see all conversations on a specific project in one space. For one-on-one chats, Asana users will need a separate chat tool, such as Slack.
Pricing
Asana: Asana offers a free version for up to 10 users. It includes access to limited dashboards and search functions as well as unlimited task projects and conversations. Then, there are four paid plans:
- Starter – The Starter plan costs $10.99 per user per month when billed annually. This tier supports up to 500 users and includes features, such as Gantt and Timeline views, unlimited dashboards and the Asana Intelligence tool.
- Advanced – The Advanced plan costs $24.99 per user, per month (billed annually) and has all of the features of the Starter plan, plus portfolios, workloads, approvals and integration with Jira Cloud.
- Enterprise – The Enterprise plan offers more advanced administrative controls, custom branding and same-day support. Prices are available upon request.
- Enterprise Plus – The Enterprise Plus plan adds on even more advanced security features. As with the Enterprise plan, pricing is available by quote.
Basecamp: Basecamp costs $15 per user, per month, which includes includes 500 GB of storage and unlimited projects, integrations, support, training and security. It bills only for the company’s employees or internal contributors, so external collaborators (e.g., clients, vendors) can use the software for free.
There’s a Pro Unlimited plan for unlimited users at $299 per month (billed annually), which adds on 5 TB of storage, 24/7 priority support, a one-on-one onboarding tour and the option to pay by check.
Bottom Line: Basecamp doesn’t offer a free plan, although its 30-day free trial can be extended if needed. While it has two per-user, per-month pricing tiers, it may be expensive for small teams that don’t need all the features, so Asana’s free plan may be a better bet.
Support
Asana: Asana has a knowledge base of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on common topics, such as troubleshooting software issues, billing or help with specific features. Users can contact Asana via its support page and expect a response within 24 hours.
For its paid plans, Asana provides clients with priority support via its Customer Success Management team. The Customer Success Manager will also provide onboarding resources and webinars.
Finally, Asana has a dedicated how-to guide on its features, as well as video tutorials and downloadable resources.
Basecamp: Basecamp provides clients with short video tutorials of the solution, as well as live classes. It also offers how-to guides and other resources, such as FAQs. Finally, users can contact Basecamp by email and expect a response time of approximately seven minutes.
Bottom Line: Both vendors offer FAQs, video tutorials and how-to-resources. Basecamp has live training classes, while Asana doesn’t. All support is included in Basecamp’s flat fee, but with Asana, users will have to upgrade to a paid plan to get priority support.
Shortcomings
Asana: Asana doesn’t offer Gantt charts or time tracking within the app. Also, some users have mentioned that it can take time to get used to Asana, especially in customizing the features to their needs.
Basecamp: Basecamp also doesn’t offer Gantt charts or time tracking. Some users have said the layout and workflow can be confusing. Others have mentioned when someone sends a direct message, replying takes users to a different webpage, which can make users lose track of the project they were working on.
Bottom Line: Neither vendor offers built-in time tracking or Gantt charts, although they integrate with applications that offer those features. Also, users find that the layout or specific features of both solutions can be confusing, especially if they’re new to learning the software.
Takeaways
Asana and Basecamp have similar tools for tracking projects and collaborating with team members, as well as video tutorials and FAQs to guide users. However, they have different pricing strategies: Basecamp has an all-inclusive flat fee per month, while Asana has a free plan for smaller team members and two paid plans with a per-user, per-month strategy.
Businesses should evaluate each solution to determine if it’s right for their needs.
Asana and Basecamp are just two solutions to consider. If you’re looking at other solutions, check out our detailed reviews page where we’ve reviewed over 30 vendors.
If you need more information on project management solutions in general, our definitive guide can help. This guide discusses benefits, features and what to look for when purchasing a solution.