Asana asana.comFree alternatives to Asana
Asana costs $13.49/mo on the Starter plan, or $161.88 a year. Here are 5 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.
01At a glance
| Alternative | Type | Where it runs | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plane | Open source | Hosted or self-hosted | Web, Your server |
| OpenProject | Open source | Hosted or self-hosted | Web, Your server |
| YouTrack | Free | Hosted or self-hosted | Web, iPhone, Android |
| Leantime | Open source | Hosted or self-hosted | Web, Your server |
| Redmine | Open source | You host it | Web, Your server |
02Each alternative, in detail
Linear-and-Jira-shaped work tracking without the subscription; the stack behind it is not small
Versus paying: Plane is built around software-style work items and lacks Asana's mature goals, portfolios, workload planning, forms, rules, and broad cross-functional template ecosystem.
Setup: Hosted signup, or the official Docker/Kubernetes self-hosting stack
Watch for: Self-hosting is a multi-service deployment: Docker or Kubernetes plus PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ, object storage, a domain, TLS, and usually email configuration.
55,600 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
plane.so →The enterprise project suite; free in money, expensive in menus
Versus paying: OpenProject can model more formal project plans, but its denser interface and weaker no-code automation make ordinary team coordination slower than Asana.
Setup: Hosted Enterprise Cloud signup, or Community Edition via Docker Compose/all-in-one Docker or supported Linux packages
Watch for: The free Community Edition needs a Linux server; the recommended Docker setup still requires persistent database/file volumes, a hostname, TLS, and mail configuration.
15,200 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
openproject.org →A full project tracker for ten people; user eleven is where JetBrains remembers billing
Versus paying: YouTrack is developer-centric and free only through ten users, with much thinner goals, portfolio, workload, and cross-functional campaign planning than Asana.
Setup: Hosted YouTrack Cloud signup, or the official Docker image for YouTrack Server
Watch for: The cloud edition installs cleanly; self-hosting requires Docker volume mapping, enough storage, a one-time setup token, and external HTTPS/reverse-proxy work for a public server.
jetbrains.com →A small-team project suite that remembers goals and timesheets, not just tickets
Versus paying: Leantime covers projects and goals but has fewer polished integrations, rules, mobile workflows, dashboards, and enterprise controls than Asana.
Setup: Paid hosted signup, or the free open-source edition via Docker Compose/official image or a PHP release archive plus MySQL/MariaDB
Watch for: There is no longer a permanent free hosted tier: the free route means operating PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, persistent storage, backups, and a web-facing Docker or LAMP stack.
10,000 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
leantime.io →Project tracking, time sheets, Gantt, and wikis from the era when software admitted it needed configuration
Versus paying: Redmine gives up Asana's modern collaboration, mobile experience, forms, automation, portfolio reporting, and real-time polish in exchange for a highly configurable server.
Setup: Install the Ruby on Rails application against PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, or SQLite; packaged containers/appliances are third-party conveniences
Watch for: The official install is a real Rails deployment, Ruby and gem versions, database creation, migrations, a production web server, email, backups, and upgrades are all the operator's job.
6,000 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)
redmine.org →03What you give up by leaving Asana
- large integration ecosystem, automation, reporting, permissions, and organizational trust
- deep integrations
- enterprise permissions
- large-scale reporting
- battle-tested notifications and mobile apps
People still pay for Asana because teams pay because project state has to remain authoritative through staff changes, outages, and years of accumulated workflow exceptions. The recurring cost buys auth, permissions, notifications, search, migrations, audit history, integrations, backups, and uptime, not just the visible interface.
04Questions
Is there a free alternative to Asana?
Yes. This page compares 5: Plane, OpenProject, YouTrack, Leantime and Redmine. 4 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.
How much does Asana cost?
$13.49/mo on the Starter plan (monthly per user), which is $161.88 a year. Prices checked Aug 14, 2026.
What do you give up with a free alternative to Asana?
Most often: large integration ecosystem, automation, reporting, permissions, and organizational trust, deep integrations, enterprise permissions and large-scale reporting. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”
Can AI build me my own version of Asana?
Half-bot. The core loop is buildable, but a dependable replacement becomes a real weekend or multi-day project. For Asana, track team work through projects, tasks, owners, dependencies, and status updates. The hard boundary is large integration ecosystem, automation, reporting, permissions, and organizational trust, plus collaboration, integrations, and organizational trust.
Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.
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