Head-to-head
Asana vs monday.com: which one in 2026?
Asana is a work management platform from Asana, Inc. built around tasks, projects, portfolios and goals, and monday.com is a board-based work management suite from monday.com Ltd. The difference is mostly how each prices its tiers: Asana gives timeline views and unlimited automations at its first paid level, while monday.com caps workflows and AI credits per plan.
Verdict
Asana is the better fit for cross-functional teams that want a clear plan ladder, since its first paid level already carries timelines, dashboards and unlimited automations. monday.com suits teams that value board flexibility and a lower seat price, with the trade-off that timeline views, workflow counts and AI credits climb with each tier. Neither vendor's pages settle the AI training question, so ask both in writing.
Asana and monday.com side by side
| Asana | monday.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Price entry | $10.99 per user per month (Starter, billed annually) | 9 euros per seat per month (Basic, billed annually, as shown on the euro pricing page) |
| Free plan | Personal is free forever for up to 2 users, with unlimited tasks and projects and list, board and calendar views. | Free is 0 euros for up to 2 seats, limited to 3 boards and 3 Docs, with 200+ templates. |
| First paid tier | Starter is $10.99 per user per month billed annually, or $13.49 monthly, with no seat limit and Gantt included. | Basic is 9 euros per seat per month billed annually, with unlimited items and free viewers but no timeline view. |
| Where timelines start | Timeline and Gantt views are included at Starter, along with reporting dashboards and unlimited free guests. | Timeline, Gantt and calendar views arrive on Standard at 12 euros, with guest access added on the same tier. |
| Automation limits | Starter lists unlimited automations, and no automation, storage or file size limit is stated on the product page. | Workflows are counted: 3 on Standard, 20 on Pro and 250 on Enterprise, which is quoted. |
| AI allowance | AI Studio credits per billing account per month: 50K on Starter, 75K on Advanced, 200K on Enterprise. | AI credits per month: 1,000 on Basic, 2,000 on Standard and 3,000 on Pro, plus a named set of pre-built agents. |
| AI training statement | The trust page does not say whether customer data is used to train AI models. | The product page lists "No data training" under governance, but the security page was silent on it. |
| Hosting and certifications | Data residency in Europe, Australia and Japan is an Enterprise+ feature. SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001:2022 are listed. | Customer data locations follow a Data Processing Addendum that was not opened. SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 are listed. |
| Product breadth | Service Management, Client Management, Command by Asana for developers and StackAI agent workflows are all named on the product page. | monday CRM, service and dev have separate price lists, each with its own tiers and quotes. |
Where each one wins
Asana wins on
- Gantt, timeline, dashboards and unlimited automations are in the first paid tier, not one level higher
- No seat cap on Starter, and the plan ladder is published through Advanced
- Admins can export and delete organization data, and a European data center is offered on Enterprise+
monday.com wins on
- Euro entry price at 9 euros per seat is lower than Asana's $10.99 annual Starter
- Unlimited free viewers on every paid plan keep read-only stakeholders out of the seat count
- Boards, columns and named pre-built agents let a team assemble its own setup without developers
Which to pick
Pick Asana if
You want timeline views, automations and guests on the first paid plan and will publish goals and portfolios across several teams.
Pick monday.com if
You want to design your own boards and columns, pay in euros, and keep many read-only viewers outside the seat count.
Each tool in context: Asana profile, monday.com profile, and the full Best Project Management Software in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Asana or monday.com?
monday.com Basic at 9 euros per seat per month billed annually undercuts Asana Starter at $10.99, but Basic has no timeline view. The like-for-like tier is monday.com Standard at 12 euros, which is close to Asana's Starter. Prices exclude tax, and monday.com's currency follows your billing country, so compare invoices.
Can monday.com or Asana host my data in Europe?
Asana lists data centers in Europe, Australia and Japan as an Enterprise+ feature and states no default region. monday.com says personal data is processed in several places including Europe, and ties customer data locations to a Data Processing Addendum that was not opened. Neither page gives an EU-only guarantee on a standard plan.
Which tool lets guests and viewers in without paying for seats?
Both do, under different names. Asana Starter includes unlimited free guests, and monday.com paid plans include unlimited free viewers, with guest access added at Standard. Check what each role can do: a viewer reads boards, while a guest in Asana can usually work on tasks shared with them.
Do Asana and monday.com train AI on my data?
Neither security page answers it directly. Asana's trust page is silent on AI training. monday.com lists "No data training" as a governance feature on its product page and links an AI Security and Privacy FAQ that was not read here. Ask each vendor for a written statement tied to your plan before enabling AI features.