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Basecamp vs Asana

If you’re looking for a high-quality project management software solution, then two options you are likely considering are Basecamp and Asana. Choosing the right product in this heavily competitive field can be difficult, which is why the Basecamp vs Asana debate is so important to consider.

Basecamp, which used to go by the name of 37signals, is a private company that is based in Chicago. It was founded in 1999 to be a web design company, but has focused on providing web application development since 2004. The application Basecamp is the first commercial application introduced by the company. They are also responsible for Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire.

Asana was founded in 2008 by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, along with Justin Rosenstein. They took their experiences in working to improve the productivity of employees at Facebook and applied what they learned into their project management solution. They are also responsible for a product called Organizations, which allows their solution to be adopted at an enterprise-level scale.

Both options are considered some of the best tools in the industry today. You’ll find project managers who strongly prefer one or the other. If you’re trying to make up your own mind, here are some of the key points to begin thinking about.

1. Platform Cost

With Basecamp, the pricing varies based on storage and team functionality. Every plan that is offered by the platform allows for unlimited project. You’ll receive the first project for free, but then internal teams are charged $29 per month for additional projects. If outside clients are brought into the project, then the fee rises to $79 per month.
There is also an option to receive all of Basecamp’s features, including 2TB of storage and a personal account manager, for about $3,000 per year.

Asana offers a free user experience for small businesses. It is free to use for up to 15 users per team, but you can create unlimited teams. Once you exceed that threshold, the pricing increases based on the number of users. The yearly plan is the most consistent option, with it being about $8.50 per month, per user, but is billed annually for the entire group.

You can also share projects on Asana with other teams and add an unlimited number of followers.

2. Storage for Projects

Basecamp used to offer just 100GB of space for about $150 per month. That has recently dropped to $29 per month. For large-scale users, the $3,000 unlimited plan is the best option for storage, with 2TB of space. Users can also purchase additional blocks of storage space whenever it may be needed.

Asana doesn’t offer storage through its own brand. It works with third-party providers for cloud-based storage solutions. If you upload a file to Asana, there is a 100MB limit for individual attachments. Otherwise, the storage restrictions of Box, Dropbox, and Google Drive are what drive the project management software.

3. Collaboration

Basecamp is an intuitive platform that anticipates the needs of most users. It would be a fair comparison to say that its learning curve is similar to that of Apple equipment. Users receive a daily email to review completed tasks. There is a message board, to-dos, a calendar and schedule, plus automatic check-ins that save time and work because everything is right where you want it to be. Your information is automatically saved whenever it is entered into the platform, so crashes or power outages become a thing of the past.

Asana focuses on collaboration. One of their best features is a chat function. It is designed to allow for filtering and sorting so that specific information can be easily found. Users can also unfollow a conversation that they feel doesn’t apply to them. These conversations can go across different projects and even include different team members.

Since 2012, Asana has worked to minimize the use of email within teams by using a team browser and inbox as part of their solution. This creates a one-stop dashboard that puts all needed information in one basic location.

4. Project Timelines

Basecamp provides users with a unique calendar feature that has proven to be quite useful. Templates can be setup within the platform so that processes and tasks can be viewed in a visual format that is easy to comprehend. Users can also create phases within their projects that have specific deadlines with emails that are sent out daily to inform all participants of the progress that has been achieved.

That makes it possible for managers to supervise every active project at any given time.

Asana offers more of a schedule-type of calendar that is followed up through chat and messaging. That can be an effective solution for managers who prefer more delegations, but does not offer the same level of oversight that Basecamp typically offers.

5. Implementation

Basecamp is the solution for teams who are familiar with project management software and are looking to expand what they can provide to their clients. The clear implementation benefit here is that outside clients can be included in the teams, albeit for an added cost, but that means communication is clear, precise, and immediate. That reduces project mistakes over time for many who have implemented this platform’s use.

Asana is an easy platform to learn. If your team has never used project management software in the past, then most people can get up and running in no time at all. The design is rather simplistic and allows users to identify the most important components of the app right away. There is still a steep learning curve to access the deeper functions that are available, but it isn’t something that feels daunting or impossible to do.

Basecamp vs Asana: Which is Better?

Some may struggle to label the Basecamp vs Asana debate as a project management software comparison. Although it is true that the primary focus of both platforms is collaboration, it is the oversight of that collaborative process that makes it a project management solution.

Basecamp is the type of project management software that managers prefer when they are trying to supervise large teams that are focused on creative pursuits. It offers strong collaboration features and easy-to-use storage options without being overly pricey about it.

Asana is a solution that is geared more toward small-to-medium businesses. Because it is a free solution for teams of 15 or less, even larger companies that have independently working teams may find this solution to be beneficial. It offers good communication tools and makes it much easier for teams to make time to speak with one another.

There is no right or wrong answer here. There is simply one project management solution that will work better for you. Compare the features to your needs and you’ll be able to find the correct answer.

Have you used Basecamp and Asana? Which platform did you prefer and why?

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