BoardBell vs. Asana: Which Is the Best Project Management Software for Startups
If you're looking for a simple project management software to manage your daily tasks, this post is for you. In this article, we'll be comparing two of the most easy-to-use and affordable project management tools on the market — BoardBell and Asana.
In this BoardBell vs. Asana review, you will find out which project management software is better suited for your team. BoardBell is a relatively newcomer but shows to be promising software. Meanwhile, Asana is the more seasoned tool but is a little bit expensive.
If you are looking for a project management tool that has all the basic features you need but won’t break the bank, you are in the right place.
Get to know how BoardBell and Asana stack up against each other. And know which tool you should use based on what you need and your budget.
Let’s get started!
BoardBell vs. Asana: Key Features
Starting off with the basic project management features. What makes BoardBell and Asana different from each other?
Boards
Boards are a common feature among project management tools. Both BoardBell and Asana do have kanban-style boards. These boards have cards that you can easily drag and drop from one column to another.
In each card, you can add a title, description, assignees, due date, attachments, task color, and task comments. The difference, however, is that BoardBell allows you to assign multiple team members in each task.
Asana did not have boards before. It only came around after kanbans became widely popular. So do take note that Asana’s default view is still in lists. If you need to see your tasks in a board view, you need to take one more click to do so.
A single click does not seem too much of a task. But when you are on the ground juggling multiple tasks, team members, and clients, it can get a little frustrating.
Multiple Task Views
In terms of getting a bird’s eye view of all your tasks and projects, both BoardBell and Asana do not disappoint. Both tools offer different ways to view tasks and projects, including a calendar view.
Calendar View
The calendar view enables you to see all tasks with due dates in a more organized fashion. This comes in handy if you want to know when finding urgent tasks.
But one thing that makes BoardBell a standout are the ‘My Tasks,’ ‘Task Filtering,’ and ‘Task Hub’ functionalities.
My Tasks
With the ‘My Tasks’ mode, you can get a view of all the tasks assigned to you. The same goes for all project or board members. This is quite nifty so each member can focus on tasks assigned to them.
Task Filtering
The ‘Task Filtering’ functionality is a more flexible way to find tasks. It allows you to filter tasks using specific parameters like terms, assignees, due dates, and task colors.
Task Hub
And then we have the ‘Task Hub.’ When dealing with multiple clients, multiple projects, and multiple teams, you can expect that all tasks will be all over the place. And it’s so easy to get caught up with the mishmash of deliverables.
Which tasks should you tackle next? When should your team submit their deliverables? This is where the ‘Task Hub’ comes in.
The ‘Task Hub’ gives you a consolidated view of all tasks from all your boards. You don’t have to worry about unattended tasks and missed deadlines any more.
Team Communication Channel
Team collaboration is a no-brainer in project management.
That’s why it’s important to consider a built-in messaging tool — not just a third-party integration — when looking for a platform to manage all your projects and communicate well with your team.
The good news is, BoardBell and Asana each have a great communication channel. And they do not require a third-party integration with tools like WhatsApp and Slack.
Both tools come with a native chat or comment system for each card or task. They also have a board-wide chat system for general conversations. Both channels allow you to tag or mention members to notify them about your comment.
However, BoardBell’s task-specific chat or comments are more organized than Asana’s. If updates are made on each card or task in Asana, the comments jumble up with the update notifications. This can get quite messy and confusing.
BoardBell vs. Asana: Pricing
Pricing is one thing that BoardBell and Asana have a stark difference. Let’s take a look at the pricing plans of BoardBell and Asana to see which one offers more bang for your buck.
BoardBell Pricing Plans
BoardBell uses a flat-rate multi-tier pricing system. So its pricing plans are best suited for small and medium-sized businesses.
Since it has a flat rate system, you don’t need to worry about being charged per user. This is smarter for small businesses that have limited budgets.
The best thing about it is its full-featured free version, which is suitable for personal use or smaller teams. If you have no more than 10 members in your team, you can take advantage of the generous free version.
BoardBell’s free version also gives you up to 10 projects and up to 1 GB of storage. You can even create up to 10,000 tasks and 10,000 comments for your free account, which should be more than enough to start.
| Free ($0) | Lite ($19/mo or $190/yr) | Business ($79/mo or 7890/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 users | 20 users | 100 users |
| 10 projects | 20 projects | Unlimited projects |
| 1GB storage | 20GB storage | 1TB storage |
| 10,000 tasks | 20,000 tasks | Unlimited tasks |
| 10,000 comments | 20,000 comments | Unlimited comments |
| Limited support | Priority support | Priority support |
Asana Pricing Plans
In contrast, Asana uses a pricing system that’s based on the number of users or seats. Like BoardBell, Asana is also geared towards small and medium-sized businesses.
However, it costs $13.49 per user per month for the Premium plan and $30.49 per user per month for the Business plan. For teams with a limited budget, these pricing plans can be too expensive.
Asana does have many bells and whistles, and that’s what justifies the cost in a way. For instance, the paid plans allow you to view tasks in a timeline, do advanced search and reporting, and use forms, among others.
| Basic ($0) | Premium ($13.49/user/mo) | Business ($30.49/user/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 15 users | Unlimited users (paid per user) | Unlimited users (paid per user) |
| 100 MB per file | 100 MB per file | 100 MB per file |
| Unlimited projects | Unlimited projects | Unlimited projects |
| Unlimited tasks | Unlimited tasks | Unlimited tasks |
| Unlimited messages | Unlimited messages | Unlimited messages |
| No support | Priority support | Priority support |
| NA | Plus additional features | Plus additional features |
BoardBell vs. Asana: Pros & Cons
You have seen the key features and pricing plans of BoardBell and Asana. It’s about time to get to the bottom of this BoardBell vs. Asana comparison.
Let’s discuss the pros and cons and determine which software does better.
1. Ease of Use
Both BoardBell and Asana have super clean and easy-to-use interfaces. Although both are user-friendly, BoardBell is way simpler and easier to navigate. This is because BoardBell has only the basic features of project management software.
Meanwhile, Asana has all the bells and whistles (bloated is what we call it) and is more complicated, thus the steep learning curve for new users. So it can really take some time to get used to. Since Asana is more complicated, it lacks organization users look for to manage projects and keep up with tasks.
2. Features & Functionality
In terms of what the tools can do, BoardBell and Asana are quite different from each other. Asana is full of features and integrations for more advanced capabilities. These features, however, come at the price of user experience. That is why a lot of its former users have called it “bloated” or full of features that you won’t even need or use.
BoardBell, on the other hand, is a stripped version but a fully functional project management tool. It gives you all the necessary features you need to get rolling. No more, no less.
That said, unlike Asana, BoardBell currently lacks a mobile app. Asana's mobile app makes it easier to manage your projects and get team updates on the go.
You can still access BoardBell via smartphone through a mobile browser. You can even add a shortcut to your BoardBell dashboard on your home screen and access it just like you'd access any other app on your phone. But it's an additional step that BoardBell users will have to perform to use BoardBell on the go.
3. Value for Money
Considering that most small and medium-sized businesses do not have a lot in their budget, it pays to use a project management tool — or any tool for that matter — that understands the value of money.
Both Asana and BoardBell offer free plans. Asana is too limited if you use it for either client or project management. BoardBell’s free version, however, already has all the features you need to get started.
If you have a team that has more than 10 people, BoardBell’s Lite plan only costs $19 per month to accommodate up to 20 users. Meanwhile, Asana’s Premium plan costs $13.49 per user per month.
All in all, BoardBell gives you more value for your budget.
4. Customer Support
And finally, customer support is something you should not forget. For the paid plans, both software give their users priority support whether it’s via email, chat, or phone call.
With their free plans, Asana does not have any customer support, while BoardBell still accommodates their free account users.
In Summary
We are finally down to our final thoughts. Just to be clear, both BoardBell and Asana are great project management tools for small and medium-sized businesses.
But choosing the right one for your team boils down to what you really need and your budget.
Do you need more advanced features? Asana is a great option.
Are you looking for a project management tool that has all the basic features you need yet gives you more bang for your buck? BoardBell is the best choice.
And that’s all for this BoardBell vs. Asana comparison review. Got burning questions? Leave them in the comments.
Want to simplify your project workflow? Look no further!
BoardBell is the simplest project management software you and your team needs!