Asana Starter vs Advanced: Which Plan Does Your Team Actually Need?
Starter costs $10.99/user/month. Advanced costs $24.99/user/month. That is a 127% price increase per user. This guide helps you decide whether the upgrade is justified.
Starter
$10.99
/user/month (annual billing)
Monthly rate: $13.49/user/month
Best for
Teams that need timeline views, custom fields, and basic automation but do not need portfolio-level visibility, goals tracking, or workload management.
Advanced
$24.99
/user/month (annual billing)
Monthly rate: $30.49/user/month
Best for
Teams managing multiple projects that need cross-project portfolios, company goals/OKRs, workload balancing, and advanced reporting dashboards.
The Price Gap at Real Team Sizes
| Team Size | Starter/Year | Advanced/Year | Extra Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 users | $659 | $1,499 | +$840/yr |
| 10 users | $1,319 | $2,999 | +$1,680/yr |
| 20 users | $2,638 | $5,998 | +$3,360/yr |
| 50 users | $6,594 | $14,994 | +$8,400/yr |
| 100 users | $13,188 | $29,988 | +$16,800/yr |
At 20 users, upgrading to Advanced costs an extra $3,360/year. At 100 users, the difference is $16,800/year.
Feature-by-Feature: What Advanced Adds
| Feature | Starter | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline/Gantt view | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom fields | ✓ | ✓ |
| Workflow automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Forms | ✓ | ✓ |
| Portfolios (cross-project visibility) | - | ✓ |
| Goals and OKR tracking | - | ✓ |
| Workload management | - | ✓ |
| Advanced reporting/dashboards | - | ✓ |
| Approval workflows | - | ✓ |
| Advanced integrations (Salesforce, Tableau) | - | ✓ |
| AI Studio Plus (vs Basic on Starter) | - | ✓ |
You Need Advanced When...
You manage 5+ projects and need a portfolio view
Portfolios give cross-project visibility: status, progress, resource allocation in one dashboard. Without it, you are switching between individual project views.
Leadership requires OKR/goals tracking in the same tool
Goals in Asana connect directly to projects and tasks. If your team tracks OKRs elsewhere (spreadsheets, dedicated tools), Starter is fine.
You need workload balancing across team members
Workload view shows who is overloaded and who has capacity. Critical for teams of 15+ where managers cannot track allocation manually.
You need Salesforce or Tableau integrations
Advanced-only integrations connect Asana to enterprise CRM and analytics tools. If your workflow depends on these, Starter will not work.
You need approval workflows for content or design
Approval tasks with accept/reject actions are Advanced-only. Teams with formal review processes need this feature.
You Do NOT Need Advanced When...
Your team runs 1-3 projects at a time
Portfolio views are only valuable when you manage many projects simultaneously. For small project counts, individual project dashboards in Starter are sufficient.
You track goals in a separate tool (Lattice, 15Five, spreadsheets)
If OKR tracking already lives elsewhere, paying $14/user/month extra for Asana Goals is wasteful duplication.
Your team is under 15 people
Workload management is most valuable for larger teams where managers lose visibility into individual capacity. Small teams can coordinate directly.
You do not use Salesforce or Tableau
If the Advanced-only integrations are irrelevant to your stack, the integration difference disappears.
You can use forms + rules instead of formal approvals
Starter's automation rules can approximate approval workflows. You can create a task rule that reassigns based on custom field status.
The Third Option: Starter + Cheaper Tools for the Gaps
Instead of paying the 127% premium for Advanced, consider filling specific gaps with dedicated tools:
| Gap | Alternative Tool | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Goals/OKR tracking | Weekdone, Perdoo, or Google Sheets | Free - $5/user/mo |
| Portfolio/dashboard view | Notion database or Airtable | Free - $10/user/mo |
| Workload visibility | Float, Teamwork (resource scheduling) | $6 - $10/user/mo |
| Advanced reporting | Google Looker Studio + Asana API | Free |
At 20 users, Starter ($2,638/yr) + a $5/user/mo OKR tool ($1,200/yr) = $3,838/yr. Compare to Advanced at $5,998/yr. You save $2,160/year with the hybrid approach.
FAQ
Can I upgrade from Starter to Advanced mid-contract?
Yes, you can upgrade at any time. The price difference is prorated for the remainder of your billing period. Downgrading from Advanced to Starter is only possible at renewal.
Is there a trial for Advanced?
Asana offers a 30-day free trial of the Advanced plan. No credit card required. This is the best way to test whether portfolio and goals features justify the cost.
What happens to my data if I downgrade from Advanced to Starter?
Your data is preserved but portfolios, goals, workload views, and advanced reports become inaccessible. You can still export the data. Task-level data remains fully functional.
Is the 127% price increase ever justified?
Yes, for teams of 15+ managing 5+ concurrent projects where portfolio visibility and workload management save significant coordination time. Calculate your break-even: if Advanced features save each team member 1 hour/month, and your average hourly rate is above $14, the upgrade pays for itself.