Home /
Alternatives to Asana /
Asana vs Plane
Asana vs Plane
A side-by-side look at Asana (the paid SaaS) and Plane (the open source alternative). Use this page to decide if the switch fits your team and workflow.
| Asana | Plane | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Project and task management for teams. | Open source JIRA alternative with cycles and modules. |
| License | Proprietary SaaS | AGPL-3.0 |
| Pricing | Free tier for up to 10; Premium from $10.99/user/month. | Free to self-host · optional paid hosted plan |
| Self-host option | No | Yes — difficulty 3/5 |
| Hosted cloud available | Yes (only option) | Yes |
| Desktop apps | Varies by product | Web only |
| Mobile apps | Official apps typically available | None official |
Ad slot — between tables
Best for
Modern teams that want Linear-style sprints and cycles.
Plane strengths
- Modern UI inspired by Linear/Jira.
- Cycles, modules, and views.
- Active community and rapid updates.
Plane weaknesses
- Still adding features at pace — occasional rough edges.
- Self-hosted setup involves several services.
- Fewer integrations than mature incumbents.
What's the catch with Asana?
- Pricing jumps significantly beyond Basic tier.
- Steep learning curve for advanced features.
- {'Lock-in': 'exporting workflows is painful.'}
Still unsure?
Check the full list of alternatives to Asana: see Asana alternatives, or learn more about Plane on its project page.
Recommended reading
When self-hosting goes wrong: seven failure modes and how to avoid them
An honest retrospective on the ways self-hosted setups break — not in theory, but in practice — and the small habits that prevent most of them.
Will the open source project you depend on still exist in three years?
Bus factor, maintainer burnout, funding models, and the signals that separate OSS projects that survive from those that quietly decay.
From SaaS to self-hosted: a 30-day migration playbook
A week-by-week plan to move one service off SaaS and onto your own server without breaking your team's workflow.