Asana vs Backlog by Nulab
Side-by-side comparison — pricing, features, ratings, use cases. Find which Project Management fits you best.
🔍 Independently researched ·
📊 Data-driven
· ⭐ Ratings from G2 (real user reviews)
68/100
Free tier
Small to mid-sized teams that want an easy-to-use, visual project management tool with a strong free tier and are willin
★ Best
💰 Pricing
🆓 Free tier available
Starting at $11
🔧 Features
✓ Free Tier✓ Kanban✓ Gantt✓ Timeline✓ Calendar✓ Docs Wiki✓ Time Tracking✓ Workload Management✓ Goals Okr
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- The free Personal plan is a standout in the industry, supporting up to 10 users with unlimited tasks and projects. This is far more generous than many competitors, which typically cap free plans at 3-5 users. For small startups and side projects, this provides a full-featured platform at zero cost, including board and calendar views and recurring tasks.
- Asana's multi-view flexibility is a major strength. Unlike tools that lock you into one view, Asana allows you to switch between list, board, timeline, and calendar seamlessly. This means a project manager can map dependencies on the timeline, while team members check their tasks in a simple list or use the calendar for milestones. It adapts to different work styles without requiring a change in tools.
- The integration ecosystem is top-tier. With over 300 native integrations, including Slack, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and Zapier, Asana fits easily into existing workflows. For example, you can create tasks from Slack messages or attach Google Docs to tasks directly. This connectivity is a huge productivity booster.
- Advanced features like time tracking, workloads, and goal management are comprehensive when available. The Workload feature, though on the Advanced plan, provides a visual representation of team capacity, helping managers prevent burnout. Goal setting is now available on lower tiers, linking daily tasks to company-wide objectives.
- The user interface is intuitive and visually polished. Asana's attention to UX makes it easy for new users to onboard. The dashboard provides clear visibility into project progress, and task interactions are smooth. This reduces friction and encourages adoption across teams.
⚠ Watch out for
- The most powerful features are paywalled behind the Advanced plan at $24.99/user/month (billed annually). Time tracking, workloads, and advanced reporting are not available on lower tiers, which is a significant gap for teams that need these capabilities. Competitors like ClickUp offer similar features on much cheaper plans.
- The 2-seat minimum on paid plans is a pain point for individuals or very small teams. If you only need one license, you still pay for two. This makes the Starter plan less accessible than it should be, and it adds up quickly for a freelancer or a small startup.
- The 100MB per-file upload limit is restrictive for teams working with large media files or design assets. While you can store files externally, this limitation forces extra steps and breaks the smooth workflow of having everything in one place. Many competitors offer much higher limits.
- While Asana is packed with features, it can be overwhelming for simple task management. The interface, though beautiful, can become cluttered with projects, portfolios, and teams. For a side project or personal task list, simpler tools like Todoist might be more appropriate.
- Customer support is not available on the free or Starter plans. For paid users, support is via email and chat, but response times can be slow during peak hours. Phone support is reserved for Enterprise customers. This can be frustrating if you encounter an issue and need immediate help.
🎯 Best for
Small to mid-sized teams that want an easy-to-use, visual project management tool with a strong free tier and are willing to progress to paid plans for advanced features.
🚫 Who should skip
Budget-conscious organizations that need built-in time tracking, offline access, or unlimited file sizes at the base tier — you'll pay significantly more on Asana.
📚 Learning curve
Moderate — basic task assignment and board usage are minimal effort, but mastering timelines, portfolios, and automation rules takes time and training.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
Asana is a robust, adaptable project management tool ideal for small teams and marketing or agency use, especially with its generous free tier and strong integration network. However, the paywalled advanced features and high price point for those features make it less competitive for budget-consciou
32/100
$35 starting
SMBs and small product teams that need an affordable, all-in-one project management and bug tracking solution with built
💰 Pricing
Starting at $35
🔧 Features
✓ Project Mgmt✓ Bug Tracking✓ Collaboration✓ Smb Focus✓ Git Integration
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- Backlog’s integrated Git and SVN hosting is a standout feature. Unlike competitors that require separate code hosting (e.g., GitHub) or plugins, Backlog includes Git repositories right out of the box. Even on the free tier, you get access to repositories with a limit of 300MB, which is more than sufficient for small projects. The ability to link commits directly to issues provides invaluable traceability—developers can reference issue numbers in commit messages, and those commits automatically appear in the issue’s activity log, streamlining code review and QA processes.
- The issue tracking system is robust and customizable. With custom fields, categories, and milestones, teams can adapt Backlog to their specific workflow. For example, bug severity can be tracked via a custom dropdown, and priority levels can be color-coded, making triage easier. The ability to create subtasks within an issue lets you break down complex bugs into manageable steps, and file attachments allow testers to include screenshots or logs directly on the issue.
- Pricing is a major plus: starting at $35/month for 30 users is a bargain compared to similar tools like Jira (which escalates quickly) or Asana Premium. The free tier supports up to 10 users and includes 1GB of storage, which is more than the free tiers of most competitors. This makes Backlog an excellent choice for startups that need professional project management without a large initial investment.
- The learning curve is minimal. Backlog’s interface is straightforward, with a left-hand navigation for Projects, Issues, and Boards. There’s no complex configuration required to get started; creating a project and adding tasks takes minutes. This is a stark contrast to Jira, which often requires significant setup before teams can be productive.
- The built-in wiki is a practical addition for documentation. Each project can have a wiki space with version history, allowing teams to maintain meeting notes, spec docs, or onboarding guides. This keeps documentation within the same tool rather than forcing teams to use a separate wiki service like Confluence. It’s not as powerful, but for small teams it’s more than adequate.
⚠ Watch out for
- Advanced reporting and analytics are nearly absent. Backlog offers basic burndown charts for sprints and a simple recent activity timeline, but it lacks the ability to generate custom reports on velocity, cycle time, or team capacity. For Agile teams that rely on data to forecast and improve, this is a significant deficiency. You’ll need to export data to external tools like Excel or PowerBI, which is cumbersome and often not real-time.
- The UI feels outdated. Compared to modern tools like Asana or Trello, Backlog’s interface is clunky—tabs, grids, and a dated color scheme. While it’s functional, it lacks the polish and fluid drag-and-drop interactions that many teams expect today. This could make Backlog less appealing to teams that prioritize user experience, especially in client-facing or creative environments.
- There is no native time tracking. If you need to log hours for client billing or productivity analysis, you’ll be forced to integrate with third-party tools like Toggl or Clockify. This adds complexity and extra cost, and the lack of built-in time tracking means you cannot automatically associate time entries with issues unless you rely on integrations that may not be seamless.
- Third-party integrations are limited. While Backlog offers a REST API and some integrations with GitHub, Slack, and Typetalk, the ecosystem is much smaller compared to Jira or Asana. For example, there is no native integration with popular tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, or HubSpot, and you’ll often have to rely on third-party automation platforms like Zapier. This can be a dealbreaker for teams that depend on a broader tool ecosystem.
- The mobile app is basic. The Backlog mobile app allows you to view and update issues, but it lacks the full functionality of the desktop web app. You cannot manage Git repositories or edit wiki pages from the app. For team members who are often on the move, this limitation can be frustrating, especially when needing to comment on issues or check project status quickly.
🎯 Best for
SMBs and small product teams that need an affordable, all-in-one project management and bug tracking solution with built-in Git hosting.
🚫 Who should skip
Large enterprises or organizations with complex agile workflows, heavy automation needs, or a requirement for advanced reporting and extensive integrations.
📚 Learning curve
Minimal — most teams can start using Backlog within a day, but customizing issue workflows and permission schemes may take a little extra effort.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
Backlog is a solid, budget-friendly choice for small teams that want an integrated project management and bug tracking solution with built-in Git hosting. It’s particularly suited for startups and small dev teams that value cost-effectiveness and simplicity over advanced analytics and modern aesthet
📊 Use Case Suitability
Higher score = better fit. Scores from editorial review.
Use CaseAsanaBacklog by Nula
Small teams on a tight budget needing a free project management tool92—
The free Personal plan supports up to 10 users with unlimited tasks and projects
Marketing teams managing content calendars and campaign workflows87—
Calendar, board, and list views combined with custom fields and recurring tasks
Agencies managing client projects and approvals80—
Advanced plan adds proofing, portfolios, and client-friendly dashboards, but cos
Engineering or product teams needing Gantt timelines and workload balancing74—
Timeline view and workload features are useful, but advanced roadmapping and cus
Organizations implementing OKRs enterprise-wide70—
Goals and portfolios allow linking tasks to objectives, but cross-org reporting
Bug Tracking for Software Development Teams—95
Backlog was built for bug tracking with issue types, priorities, statuses, and b
Agile Sprint Planning and Kanban Workflows—88
The Kanban board is straightforward and supports subtasks, due dates, and drag-a
Marketing and Content Campaign Management—80
Non-technical teams can use task lists, calendars, file attachments, and wikis t
🧭 Which One Should You Pick?
Choose Asana if...
- You are: Small to mid-sized teams that want an easy-to-use, visual project management tool with a strong free tier and are willin
- 👍 Generous free tier: supports up to 10 users with unlimited tasks, projects, board and calendar views
- 👍 Intuitive and polished interface with multiple views (list, board, timeline, calendar) that adapt to
- 👍 Hundreds of integrations (300+) including Slack, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, and Zapier for easy
- 💰 From $10.99/mo
- ⚠ Trade-off: Time tracking, workloads, and goals are locked behind the Advanced plan at $24.9
Choose Backlog by Nulab if...
- You are: SMBs and small product teams that need an affordable, all-in-one project management and bug tracking solution with built
- 👍 Combines project management, bug tracking, and Git repositories in one tool, eliminating the need fo
- 👍 Simple, intuitive interface with a shallow learning curve, making it easy for small teams to adopt q
- 👍 Affordable pricing with a generous free tier, which is rare for a tool that includes both issue trac
- 💰 From $35/mo
- ⚠ Trade-off: Lacks advanced reporting and analytics capabilities that larger organizations us
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is Asana really free for up to 10 people?
Yes, the Personal plan is free and allows up to 10 users with unlimited tasks and projects. However, it limits you to 100MB per file and lacks features like Timeline, workflow builder, and admin controls.
What features are included in Starter versus Advanced?
Starter adds Timeline, workflow builder, and unlimited dashboards. Advanced adds portfolios, goals/OKRs, workload management, time tracking, SAML SSO, proofing, and 25,000 automations per month, making it more suited for larger teams and complex workflows.
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