The project management software and processes professionals employ in managing projects should assist — not complicate — endeavors, which is one reason Asana and Basecamp have become popular web-based solutions.

But which of these two cloud-based project management applications is better? Both Asana and Basecamp are capable project management solutions and include a variety of features and options. Our comprehensive review compared both tools to help you determine the best project management tool for your business.

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Basecamp vs Asana: Comparison Table

Here is a head-to-head comparison of Basecamp vs Asana

FeaturesBasecampAsana
Starting price$15 per user per month$10.99 per user, per month billed annually or $13.49 per user, per month billed monthly
Free forever planNoYes (Up to 15 team members)
Native time trackingNo (only through integration)Yes (Limited to business and enterprise plan users)
Multiple views optionYesYes
Collaboration featuresYesYes
File storageLimited (Depends on your plan)Unlimited (100MB per file)
Integration with third-party servicesYesYes — has more integrations
24/7 supportYesYes

Basecamp vs Asana: Pricing

The cost structures of Basecamp and Asana are different and may prove the deciding factor in which platform an organization selects. Basecamp offers two pricing models: Basecamp and Basecamp Pro Unlimited. Asana offers four versions: Basic, Premium, Business and Enterprise.

Basecamp pricing

  • Free: 30-day free trial.
  • Basecamp: 15 per user per month – Ideal for freelancers, startups or smaller teams.
  • Basecamp Pro Unlimited: $299 per month, billed annually, or $349 per month, billed monthly.

Asana pricing

  • Basic: Free forever for a team of up to 15 members.
  • Premium: $10.99 per user per month billed annually or $13.49 per user per month billed monthly.
  • Business: $24.99 per user per month billed annually or $30.49 per user per month billed monthly.
  • Asana Enterprise: Contact Asana teams for custom quotes.

Feature comparison: Basecamp vs Asana

Basecamp vs Asana: Ease of use

The major factor that gave Basecamp a boost in the industry is that it’s easy to use for teams of all levels. Basecamp is a straightforward tool with a clean and visually appealing user interface that is easy to navigate. It provides a centralized view (Figure A) of the key features you need, including messages, real-time chat, storage, documents, Check-ins and more. Users also applaud Basecamp’s simplicity on review sites, as it offers beginners and experts a low learning curve.

Figure A

Basecamp project view page showing recently visited projects and pin projects.
Basecamp project view page showing recently visited projects and pin projects.

Asana’s ease of use is relative – it depends on who uses the tool. Asana is a feature-rich project management software (Figure B) with many advanced capabilities. The tool is generally easy to use when working with basic features, but when working on complex projects, you may experience a steep learning curve, and it can quickly get overwhelming.

Figure B

Project progress tracker using charts on Asana dashboards.
Project progress tracker using charts on Asana dashboards.

Basecamp vs Asana: Integrations

While both platforms offer integration with third-party services, Asana ranks top in this category. Basecamp integrates with tools across various categories, including mobile and desktop apps, time tracking, invoicing and accounting, reporting, charts, planning and developer-only tools.

Asana offers more integration than Basecamp, allowing you to integrate with hundreds of third-party services, including Microsoft Teams, Looker, OneDrive, Loom and more. The choice between Basecamp and Asana will depend on the specific integrations you require and how well each tool fits into your overall workflow and project management needs.

Basecamp vs Asana: Support

Both Basecamp and Asana offer support to their users, but there are some differences in their approach and availability.

Basecamp offers a fast response compared to Asana; they offer 24/7 priority support to their users and aim to respond to customer inquiries within one hour. They also have a help center with extensive documentation and guides that users can refer to for self-help.

Asana’s 24/7 support is limited to enterprise users only, and other users can get support from the Asana Forum, Academy, Webinars, Guide, Support and Developer Guide.

Basecamp vs Asana: Collaboration

Basecamp’s Message Board, Campfire (Figure C), Pings, Activities, scheduling and document and file-sharing features assist teams working independently but collaboratively from allowing locations. Basecamp collects tiles for accessing message boards, to-dos, files and schedules within each specific project. This also includes a tile within each project titled Campfire, where group chats and other shared information reside.

Figure C

Basecamp campfire view.
Basecamp campfire view.

Asana’s Inbox, assignment capabilities, scheduling features and file-sharing facility extend the same collaboration capabilities. Using Asana, projects are displayed using list or board views, which are accessible from within a user’s My Tasks view. In Asana, individual projects are also listed within the user’s Workspace pane in the left-hand navigation menu.

Basecamp vs Asana: Portfolio view

Basecamp and Asana have a portfolio view, where key initiatives, workloads and team capacities can be monitored. Both platforms also include a goals view, which permits tracking progress toward project milestones and objectives. The two project management platforms assist in reporting, as well.

Asana users compile reports using the solution’s Reporting engine (Figure D). In contrast, Basecamp users leverage the tool’s Activity feature to generate reports, such as for all the latest activity associated with a project, a specific user’s activity, assignments, to-dos and even upcoming dates and deadlines.

Figure D

Asana project progress reporting dashboard.
Asana project progress reporting dashboard.

Basecamp pros and cons

Pros

  • Easy to learn and use.
  • Extensive collaboration features.
  • Fast and reliable customer service team.
  • Offers per user per month and organization-wide pricing options.

Cons

  • No free plan for business users.
  • Lacks native time tracking.
  • Limited advanced features.

For more information, read our comprehensive Basecamp review.

Asana pros and cons

Pros

  • Offers a free forever plan.
  • Suitable for managing complex projects.
  • Task dependencies management.
  • Advanced security options.

Cons

  • Requires some experience to use its advanced features.
  • Lacks multiple assignees to the same task capability.
  • Limited exporting functionality.

For more details, read our in-depth Asana review.

Basecamp and Asana best use cases

Although Basecamp and Asana are project management tools, their capabilities make them suitable for different teams and organizations.

Basecamp is best for:

  • Freelancers.
  • Small to medium-sized teams.
  • Teams that prioritize simplicity and ease of use.
  • Teams that need a centralized workspace for collaboration and organization.

Asana is best for:

  • Budget conscious teams.
  • Large teams or enterprise-level organizations.
  • Teams that work on complex projects with multiple tasks and dependencies.
  • Organization that prioritizes integration with other tools and software for seamless workflow management.

Review methodology

We analyzed five key data points to review Basecamp vs Asana: cost, features, customer support, integrations and ease of use. We also reviewed customer feedback from reputable review sites to learn about current and past users’ experiences with both platforms.

Asana vs. Basecamp: Which project management software should you choose?

The best option between Basecamp and Asana depends on your specific needs. Basecamp is big on collaborative features and quality support. The platform is ideal for those working on simple projects or teams looking for a platform that allows them to collaborate on tasks easily.

Asana is your go-to project management tool if you have complex PM needs and require advanced features to achieve your goals. Large companies with cross-functional teams will also benefit from Asana’s portfolio and resource management capability.

Evaluate your project management needs before selecting either of the two. We also reviewed the best project management tools if Basecamp and Asana don’t meet your needs.

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Subscribe to Project Management Insider for best practices, reviews and resources. From project scheduling software to project planning apps, stay up to date with the latest in project management tools. Delivered Wednesdays