Notion vs Monday.com vs Asana: Which Project Management Tool Should You Choose in 2024?
Table of Contents
- Quick Verdict
- Side-by-Side Comparison Table
- Critical Pricing Gotchas You Need to Know
- Detailed Feature Breakdown
- Integration Ecosystems
- Mobile Experience
- Who Should Choose What
- Final Recommendation
Quick Verdict
Choose Notion if you need an all-in-one workspace combining wikis, databases, and project management—especially for knowledge work and teams under 20 people. Warning: Performance degrades with large databases (1,000+ items).
Choose Monday.com if you want visual project tracking with powerful automation and manage multiple client projects. Beware: 3-seat minimum ($27/month entry) and costs scale aggressively beyond 10 users.
Choose Asana if you prioritize task management simplicity and need robust free-tier features for up to 15 teammates. Limitation: Advanced features like Timeline and Workload require Business tier ($24.99/user/month).
Side-by-Side Comparison Table
| Feature | Notion | Monday.com | Asana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | Unlimited blocks for individuals, 1,000 blocks for teams | 0 seats (14-day trial only) | Up to 15 users with core features |
| Paid Plans Start At | $8/user/month | $9/user/month (3-seat minimum = $27/month) | $10.99/user/month |
| True Cost at 10 Users | $80/month | $160/month (requires Standard tier for key features) | $109.90/month |
| Views Available | 6 views (Table, Board, List, Calendar, Timeline, Gallery) | 8+ views including Gantt, Kanban, Calendar | 5 views (List, Board, Timeline, Calendar, Workload) |
| Automation Limits | ~200 actions/month (undocumented) | 250/month (Pro), 25,000/month (Enterprise only) | 250/month (Starter), 25,000/month (Business) |
| Learning Curve | Steep (2-3 weeks) | Moderate (3-5 days) | Gentle (1-2 days) |
| Best For | Knowledge management + light PM | Visual project tracking + client work | Traditional task management at scale |
Critical Pricing Gotchas You Need to Know
Notion’s Hidden Costs:
- Team plan limits you to 1,000 blocks—seems generous until you realize a single database row counts as one block. A 50-person company hits this in 2-3 months of real use.
- API calls limited to 3 requests/second on Team plan, throttling integrations
- No priority support until Enterprise tier (custom pricing, typically $20+/user)
- Guest access counts toward your block limit
Monday.com’s Seat Requirements:
- 3-seat minimum means solopreneurs pay $27/month minimum
- Standard tier ($12/user) required for time tracking, timeline view, and integrations beyond 250 actions/month
- “Unlimited boards” misleading—performance issues beyond 50 boards per account
- Guest access advertised as “free” but limited to 2 boards; unlimited guests require Enterprise tier
Asana’s Feature Walls:
- Free tier lacks Timeline (Gantt), Forms, and Workload views—core PM features
- Starter tier ($10.99/user) still missing Workload and advanced reporting
- Business tier jump to $24.99/user (127% increase) required for resource management
- 15-user free limit sounds generous but you lose all data if you exceed it temporarily
Detailed Feature Breakdown
Core Project Management Capabilities
Notion treats project management as one function within a broader workspace. You build custom PM systems using databases with properties like Status, Priority, and Due Date. This means complete flexibility but also building from scratch (templates help but require customization).
Real limitation: Notion databases slow significantly beyond 1,000 rows. If you track granular tasks (not just projects), you’ll hit performance issues within months. No native time tracking or resource allocation features.
Monday.com provides pre-built project boards with “pulses” (work items) and customizable columns. Their Timeline view includes dependency tracking with visual connectors and critical path highlighting. The standout feature: unlimited free “Guests” for client access (limited to 2 boards without Enterprise).
Critical downside: Automation caps at 250 actions/month on Pro tier—sounds like a lot until you realize a single “when status changes, notify team and move item” automation consumes 2-3 actions. Heavy automation users hit limits in weeks, forcing Enterprise upgrades ($16+/user).
Asana structures work as Projects containing Tasks with Subtasks. Their dependencies system is most mature—set blockers, track critical path, and get warnings when dependency changes affect timelines. Rules automate 250 actions/month on Starter (same as Monday Pro).
Major limitation: Workload view (resource management) requires Business tier. Without it, you’re guessing at team capacity—a dealbreaker for agencies or teams managing 20+ simultaneous projects.
Customization and Flexibility
Notion offers unmatched customization with databases supporting formulas, rollups, and relations between databases. Example: Link Projects → Tasks → Clients databases, then auto-calculate project hours from task time entries. You can build CRMs, content calendars, and knowledge bases alongside project management.
The catch: This flexibility creates maintenance burden. Database structure changes break connected views and formulas. Expect spending 2-4 hours monthly maintaining your setup as needs evolve. Not ideal for teams wanting plug-and-play solutions.
Monday.com provides 20+ column types (Status, People, Timeline, Numbers, Formulas) and lets you color-code everything automatically. Their Integrations Center connects 40+ tools (Slack, Gmail, Zoom) but limits to 250 actions/month on Pro tier—those integration syncs count against your automation quota.
Customization downside: Over-customization creates visual chaos. Teams often build overly complex boards with 15+ columns that become unreadable. Monday lacks templates governance, so different team members create incompatible board structures.
Asana balances structure with flexibility through Custom Fields (text, numbers, dropdowns, dates). You can create Portfolio views grouping projects by custom field values. Their Templates gallery includes industry-specific workflows (Product Launch, Editorial Calendar, Event Planning).
Trade-off: Asana’s opinionated structure prevents the chaos Notion allows but also limits radical customization. You can’t fundamentally restructure how Projects and Tasks relate, which frustrates teams wanting non-hierarchical workflows.
Collaboration Features
Notion supports 100 simultaneous editors with real-time cursor tracking. Comments work on any block (not just tasks), making documentation discussion seamless. The @mention system links people, pages, or database items, creating dynamic connections.
Missing features: No built-in notifications settings (you get notified for everything or nothing), no native video calls, and comment threads can’t be resolved/marked as done—they pile up infinitely.
Monday.com includes update threads per item with 500MB file attachments (Pro plan). Their unlimited Guest access (2-board limit without Enterprise) makes client collaboration easier than competitors. Direct Zoom integration starts calls from boards.
Collaboration downside: No @channel or @team mentions—you must @mention individuals, tedious for 10+ person teams. Update threads don’t support threaded replies, so conversations become messy on items with 15+ comments.
Asana enables task-level comments with 100MB attachments and robust @mention system. Status Updates feature lets project leads post progress reports with color-coded indicators (On Track, At Risk, Off Track) that auto-notify stakeholders—best-in-class for client reporting.
Limitation: Free tier restricts Status Updates and Dashboard reporting. You’re manually updating stakeholders via email until you pay for Starter tier minimum.
Integration Ecosystems
Notion offers 50+ native integrations but most require Zapier/Make.com as middleware (additional cost). API rate limits (3 requests/second) throttle heavy automation. Slack integration is one-way—you can send Notion updates to Slack but not create Notion tasks from Slack.
Monday.com provides 40+ native integrations with 250-action monthly limits on Pro tier eating into both automation and integration syncs. Their API is robust but custom integrations require developer resources. Excel import/export works smoothly for migration.
Asana connects 200+ tools natively with generous free-tier access to basic integrations. Their API has higher rate limits (150 requests/minute) than Notion. Microsoft Teams integration stronger than Slack—tasks sync bidirectionally.
Mobile Experience
Notion mobile (4.7/5 iOS, 4.4/5 Android) handles reading better than editing. Complex databases become difficult to navigate on small screens. Offline mode exists but frequently syncs conflicts when reconnecting.
Monday.com mobile (4.5/5 iOS, 4.3/5 Android) provides full functionality including timeline views and comment threads. Update notifications work reliably. Battery drain reported by 20%+ of Android users.
Asana mobile (4.7/5 iOS, 4.5/5 Android) offers the smoothest experience with gesture-based task management. Offline mode is most reliable. Missing: Mobile access to advanced reporting and Portfolio views (Business tier).
Who Should Choose What
Choose Notion if:
- You need documentation, wikis, and project management in one tool
- Team size under 20 people with light project management needs
- You have someone willing to maintain custom database structures
- Budget priority over specialized PM features
Avoid Notion if:
- You track hundreds of granular tasks (performance issues)
- You need time tracking, resource management, or advanced reporting
- Team lacks technical comfort with database concepts
Choose Monday.com if:
- You manage multiple client projects needing visual dashboards
- Automation is critical (but budget for Enterprise tier long-term)
- Clients need board access (Guest feature is genuinely valuable)
- Visual project tracking matters more than knowledge management
Avoid Monday.com if:
- You’re a solopreneur or 2-person team (3-seat minimum wasteful)
- Budget is tight (costs scale faster than competitors)
- You need robust resource management without Enterprise tier
Choose Asana if:
- You want proven PM methodologies built-in (dependencies, milestones)
- Free tier for 15 users fits your team size
- Task management simplicity matters more than customization
- You need reliable mobile experience
Avoid Asana if:
- You require Timeline/Workload views but can’t afford Business tier ($24.99/user)
- You want all-in-one workspace including documentation
- Your workflows don’t fit hierarchical Project → Task structure
Final Recommendation
For most teams choosing their first PM tool, Asana’s free tier offers the most value with fewest gotchas—you get core features for 15 users with clear upgrade paths.
Monday.com suits agencies and consultancies managing multiple client projects where visual dashboards justify the premium pricing (factor in 3-seat minimums and automation limits).
Notion works best for small teams prioritizing knowledge management who need light project management alongside wikis and documentation (accept performance limitations with scale).
Test all three free tiers before committing—the “right” tool depends on whether you prioritize flexibility (Notion), visual project tracking (Monday), or structured task management (Asana).