Asana vs. Basecamp vs. Pulse Project Management Software and Workflow System

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Asana
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Asana is a web and mobile project management app. With tasks, projects, conversations, and dashboards, Asana lets an entire team know who's doing what by when, enabling workload balancing. Users can also add integrations for GANTT charts, time tracking and more.
$13.49
per month per user
Basecamp
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Basecamp is a web-based project-management tool. Basecamp offers features standard to project management platforms, as well as mobile accessibility, unlimited users, and 3rd party integrations. Basecamp is priced by space requirements and concurrent projects.
$15
per month per user
Pulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
Score 0.0 out of 10
N/A
N/A
$10
per month
Pricing
AsanaBasecampPulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
Editions & Modules
Starter
$13.49
per month per user
Advanced
$30.49
per month per user
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Personal
Free
Basecamp Plus
$15
per month per user
Basecamp Pro Unlimited
$299
per month (billed annually)
Basecamp Free
Free
Limited Capabilities
Basic
$10
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AsanaBasecampPulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
Free Trial
YesYesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsA discount is offered for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AsanaBasecampPulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
Features
AsanaBasecampPulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
Project Management
Comparison of Project Management features of Product A and Product B
Asana
8.3
179 Ratings
7% above category average
Basecamp
8.9
124 Ratings
14% above category average
Pulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
-
Ratings
Task Management9.2179 Ratings9.3123 Ratings00 Ratings
Resource Management8.0152 Ratings9.2103 Ratings00 Ratings
Gantt Charts9.061 Ratings6.943 Ratings00 Ratings
Scheduling8.4162 Ratings8.699 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow Automation9.0132 Ratings8.772 Ratings00 Ratings
Team Collaboration9.4178 Ratings9.7123 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Agile Methodology8.57 Ratings9.451 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for Waterfall Methodology8.57 Ratings8.748 Ratings00 Ratings
Document Management8.3150 Ratings9.6115 Ratings00 Ratings
Email integration8.3142 Ratings8.4101 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Access8.7149 Ratings8.8100 Ratings00 Ratings
Timesheet Tracking6.16 Ratings9.248 Ratings00 Ratings
Change request and Case Management8.44 Ratings9.458 Ratings00 Ratings
Budget and Expense Management7.077 Ratings8.342 Ratings00 Ratings
Professional Services Automation
Comparison of Professional Services Automation features of Product A and Product B
Asana
6.5
48 Ratings
17% below category average
Basecamp
8.0
42 Ratings
3% above category average
Pulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
-
Ratings
Project & financial reporting5.51 Ratings8.034 Ratings00 Ratings
Integration with accounting software7.647 Ratings4.028 Ratings00 Ratings
Quotes/estimates00 Ratings10.030 Ratings00 Ratings
Invoicing00 Ratings10.026 Ratings00 Ratings
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User Ratings
AsanaBasecampPulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(208 ratings)
9.9
(150 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.6
(34 ratings)
10.0
(26 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(36 ratings)
9.3
(20 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
8.4
(2 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
5.0
(42 ratings)
8.8
(28 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.7
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AsanaBasecampPulse Project Management Software and Workflow System
Likelihood to Recommend
Asana
The usability of Asana is broad since it's available in a variety of platforms that are widely used nowadays. I think that it would be great for people who are constantly on the move and switching devices, since it has allowed me to work from my phone, too. I also think that Asana has proven itself to handle a large quantity of work
Read full review
37 Signals
Basecamp is a wonderful tool for teams of varying degrees of technical knowledge, teams managing lots of different types of "agifall" and waterfall projects, and teams that are remotely distributed. It's probably less useful for more strictly agile-focused development teams, compared to other more flexible software applications like Jira and Asana.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Pros
Asana
  • Through it, we were able to communicate and cooperate with the rest of the team to complete the work in the required manner and at the appropriate time.
  • Available for free on Android and iPhone.
  • Asana has a simple and easy user interface
Read full review
37 Signals
  • Task management - It is very easy to add, organize and discuss tasks within Basecamp's interface.
  • The "Campfire" function is great for communicating when you just have a quick question for someone on the team.
  • Notifications - Basecamp lets you decide how often and about what you'd like to be notified. The ability to respond to messages in Basecamp directly via email saves a lot of time.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Cons
Asana
  • Asana is not really a project management tool, it is good for simple projects only
  • UI has some glitches (doesn't save preferences, etc.)
  • Integration with other tools (Office 365, MS Project)
  • No reminders if the working period you entered is on holidays
Read full review
37 Signals
  • High Learning Curve. It's true that it can be easy to use, but to use well and effectively takes some time to learn. It's recommended to have an agreed-upon system in your team of what tools to use and when.
  • Notification Overload. If people aren't careful they could send a notification to everyone when only a couple people were meant to be prompted. And since emails are sent by default, you could have your mailbox overloaded with unnecessary updates. This is where it takes a bit of training in your team to have an agreed-upon system.
  • Lack of organization with Archived Projects. I will often need to reference an archived project to make a new one, but there is only a list of archived projects in alphabetical order, with no way to organize by archive date, or even search.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Likelihood to Renew
Asana
  • Mobile + Desktop capabilities - Able to use it anywhere, anytime.
  • Task management - Easy to view projects and their progress.
  • Time management - Easy to see what elements require time / how they interrelate and manage the project on an overall basis.
  • Company management - Be able to see from a master dashboard perspective where each project is in its stages of completion.
  • Clear communication - It's visually documented who is doing what at what time so that the whole project gets done.
Read full review
37 Signals
When I bring new people onto a project, it's immediately obvious how to use Basecamp. I don't have to worry about teaching them the features or walking them through it, it's just incredibly user-friendly. For this reason, I'll continue to renew my subscription even as new people are brought onto production jobs or the client changes.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Usability
Asana
It is very user-friendly. Takes a new employee an hour to start figuring out how the system works. That's an important factor. You don't want to encounter the issue where employees need a week to understand how the system works. For example, JIRA, I tried using it for a week and I still don't understand the complicated layout. Asana has a simple interface. Once you see it, you get it type of program.
Read full review
37 Signals
It is easy to use, even for clients who have no experience with the platform. It can only get a little cumbersome to ensure that a client can't see certain documents you might want to keep in the Docs & Files folders. And sometimes, getting a client to actually use an unfamiliar platform can be a challenge.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Asana
Working with Asana on a daily basis
Read full review
37 Signals
I've never experienced downtime while using Basecamp, or been unable to access it when I needed it. That's not to say they've never had downtime, but I've been lucky enough not to encounter any, and I work odd hours, including late nights when maintenance is often undertaken.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Asana
I haven't had to use their support so I can't rate it. The fact that I haven't needed them reflects the ease of use of the product. I would recommend that any new users schedule a complete demo of the product to ensure that they are using it to it's fullest (there's a lot of useful features).
Read full review
37 Signals
For the many reasons I've given, Basecamp is a very strong program. There are a few features I can imagine that might make it even better, but I don't have a basis for comparison to be able to say that there is definitely a better one out there. I've noticed that Basecamp has evolved a bit from the time I started using it until now, so that makes me think that the producer of this program values it and believes in continuous improvement. If you could use the features offered by Basecamp, I would think you could use it with confidence.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Asana
No answers on this topic
37 Signals
Decide the process before implementation - i.e. when it's due 8/9 does that mean 8am, noon, 5pm, 11:59pm? Check your to-do list frequently Set-up templates - just not with the dates (they can be funky)
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Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Asana
Asana is a top-tier project management software that helps us organize and track projects from start to finish. It allows us to apply tasks/to-dos to multiple projects without duplication, divide complex projects into smaller tasks, and track project progress. It also helps us organize work on Kanban boards or linear lists. It stands out from the crowd in a big way compared to the competition.
Read full review
37 Signals
Pretty good, but [Basecamp] has its drawbacks. Honestly I find the interface non-intuitive and sometimes have trouble figuring out how to change the status of a task. Perhaps it has something to do with the way it was originally set up by the admin, but I'm not sure. I liked Jira's drag and drop obvious functionality, but the project management side of the software was lacking. Smartsheet has excellent project management functionality, but the task management isn't as good.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Asana
I used this tool on a daily basis at work and it runs as a solid rock
Read full review
37 Signals
No answers on this topic
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Asana
  • Productivity - Most of all, it allows me to be more productive and have a good sense of where I am with projects and deadlines.
  • Easy to use - I can make the most of my time to get up (and stay) up and running.
  • Project coordination - Allows me to assign tasks to my interns and communicate directly within the platform to keep the work train moving.
Read full review
37 Signals
  • It has saved me time when having to get the same message out to multiple restaurants
  • It has helped us make smarter operational decisions because we can all collaborate on an answer in a shorter amount of time (instead of calling a meeting!!!)
  • The calendar function allows us to plot out our marketing agenda for the month and add/change it together as needed. The chef will post his recipe, the managers will cost it out, the social media manager will post pictures on it, and ultimately we will get that information out on an info sheet to the staff by printing the page.
Read full review
Pulse Collaboration Systems
No answers on this topic
ScreenShots

Asana Screenshots

Screenshot of Product HomepageScreenshot of Team ConversationsScreenshot of Project CalendarsScreenshot of InboxScreenshot of List ProjectScreenshot of Portfolios