The Asana alternative made for client work, not org charts
Asana is built to coordinate teams across a company. If your work is clients, projects and getting paid, MonoDesk puts all three in one place, with flat pricing instead of per-seat plans.
Free during beta · No credit card required
The short answer
- You coordinate several internal teams with goals, portfolios and reporting.
- You need timelines, dependencies and workload views at scale.
- Your clients already collaborate with you inside Asana.
- You’re a freelancer or small studio, and per-seat plans feel heavy.
- You want Proposals, Invoices and time tracking without another app.
- You’d rather share a Client Portal than add clients to your workspace.
MonoDesk vs Asana, feature by feature
Asana details are from its public website, checked October 2026.
| Feature | MonoDesk | Asana |
|---|---|---|
| Kanban boards | Yes: Every project To Do, Doing and Done, with labels, subtasks, files and comments | Yes: Board view plus list, calendar and timeline |
| Clients and leads | Yes: Built in client records and a Leads pipeline | No: Not built in through CRM integrations |
| Proposals | Yes: Built in branded, open tracking, e-signature (Core and Pro) | No: Not built in |
| Invoices | Yes: Built in from the project, with deposits, part payments and recurring invoices | No: Not built in |
| Time tracking | Yes: Built in by task, across the day, week or month | Partly: On Advanced or through a paid add-on |
| Client-facing space | Yes: Client Portal one branded link per client, no client logins | Partly: Free guest seats on paid plans; clients join your workspace |
| Automations | Partly: Through Zapier plus recurring tasks; no built-in workflow builder | Yes: Unlimited rules Starter and up |
| AI | Yes: Co-Worker plans your day, drafts updates, Proposals and Invoices | Yes: Asana AI on paid plans, with monthly limits |
| Mobile apps | Partly: Web app browser-based; no native mobile app yet | Yes: iOS and Android plus Mac and Windows |
| Zapier | Yes: Yes | Yes: Yes |
| Pricing | Free during beta, with a Free plan that stays | Asana pricing free plan, then per user |
Asana details from asana.com, checked October 2026. MonoDesk isn’t affiliated with Asana.
Why creatives move from Asana to MonoDesk
Asana is great at coordinating a company. Freelancers and small studios need something different.
Built for client work, not company work
In MonoDesk every project belongs to a client, with their brief, files, Proposals and Invoices alongside the tasks.
Get paid from the same place
Track time on the task, then bill it on an Invoice from the project. No separate invoicing tool.
Flat pricing for small teams
MonoDesk plans are a flat monthly price rather than per seat, and clients never need a seat.
A calmer week
The Planner shows the week across every client in one view, without an inbox full of notifications.
Where Asana is better
For larger teams and complex projects, Asana goes further.
- Portfolios, goals and reporting across teams
- Timelines with dependencies and workload views
- Rule-based automations
- Native mobile and desktop apps
Moving takes an afternoon
No consultants, no rebuild.
- 1 Add your clients. One record for each person or business you bill.
- 2 Bring your work across. Export from Asana to CSV or a spreadsheet, then import clients, projects, tasks or time. MonoDesk shows every row before anything is saved.
- 3 Share the Client Portal. Give each client one link instead of a guest seat in your workspace.
Switching from Asana: your questions
Is MonoDesk a good Asana alternative for freelancers?
Yes, if your work is client projects. MonoDesk combines task boards with clients, Proposals, Invoices, time tracking and a Client Portal. If you coordinate many internal teams with portfolios and reporting, Asana is the stronger fit.
How does MonoDesk’s pricing compare with Asana’s?
MonoDesk is free during beta, and has a Free plan that stays free afterwards. Current plans are on the MonoDesk pricing page. Asana has a free plan, with paid plans priced per user.
Can I move my Asana projects into MonoDesk?
Yes. Export a project to CSV, then use Import in MonoDesk to bring in its tasks. MonoDesk creates projects that don’t exist yet and shows every row before anything is saved.
Can clients collaborate in MonoDesk?
Clients use the Client Portal, from one branded link with no login. They see the plan, files and approvals, and can send messages and requests.
Does MonoDesk have timelines like Asana?
MonoDesk has Milestones, which show as a timeline in the Client Portal, and a weekly Planner. It doesn’t have Gantt charts or task dependencies; if you need those, Asana is the better tool.
Comparing other tools?
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