Short answer: Asana is the stronger product for structured project management in a company that needs timelines, portfolios, reporting and automation. Jinear is the better fit if you are a small team that wants to self-host, or that wants tasks, a calendar, notes and files without paying per seat. I build Jinear, so read this with that in mind.
The short version
Asana is built for organizations that plan and report on work: Gantt-style timelines, goals, portfolios, workload, forms, rules and a large integration list. It is a mature product with a large team behind it.
Jinear is a much smaller tool. It covers the day-to-day part (tasks, boards, a calendar, notes, files) and leaves out the planning and reporting layer. It is an open-source (AGPL-3.0) Asana alternative that you can run on your own server, and the hosted Team plan is one flat price.
| Jinear | Asana | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Hosted, or self-hosted with Docker Compose | Cloud only. Asana says it does not plan to offer a self-hosted version |
| Source code | Open source, AGPL-3.0 | Closed source |
| Free plan | Up to 3 people | Personal: up to 2 users, list, board and calendar views, 100 MB per file |
| Paid plans | Team: $24.90/mo flat, unlimited people | Starter $10.99, Advanced $24.99 per user/mo (billed yearly); Enterprise by quote |
| Views | List, status board (kanban), calendar | List, board, calendar; timeline and Gantt from Starter |
| Goals, portfolios, reporting | None | Yes, on paid plans |
| Custom fields and forms | None | From Starter |
| Automation | None | Rules from Starter |
| Docs and notes | Notebooks with nested rich-text notes | Task descriptions and project briefs |
| File storage | Folders with access control, on your own storage if self-hosted | Attachments on tasks |
| Integrations | Google Calendar (two-way), iCal feed, MCP | 100+ integrations, including on the free plan |
| SSO and two-factor login | Neither yet | Two-factor login for everyone; SAML SSO on Enterprise |
| Mobile | Installable web app (PWA) | Native iOS and Android apps |
Where Asana is better
- Planning and reporting. Timelines, Gantt, goals, portfolios, workload and dashboards. Jinear has none of these. If your manager wants a status report out of the tool, Asana does it and Jinear does not.
- Custom fields, forms and rules. Asana lets you shape a project around your process and automate the boring parts. Jinear has custom workflow statuses and labels, and that is it.
- Integrations. Asana connects to most tools a company already uses. Jinear connects to Google Calendar and to AI assistants over MCP.
- Security checkboxes. Asana has two-factor login, and SAML SSO and admin controls on its Enterprise plans. Jinear has no SSO and no two-factor login today. If your procurement process asks for SAML, Jinear will not pass.
- Support. Asana has a support team and help for large rollouts. Jinear has one maintainer, so you email the person who writes the code. That is quick for a bug, and limited for training a large organization.
Where Jinear is better
- Self-hosting. Asana is cloud only. Jinear runs on your own server with every feature included, which matters if your data cannot leave your infrastructure.
- Price at team size. Asana charges per seat, and many useful features start at Advanced ($24.99 per user per month). Jinear's Team plan is $24.90 a month for the whole team.
- Calendar, notes and files in the same tool. Jinear has a real calendar with two-way Google Calendar sync, notebooks for documentation, and file storage with folders and permissions.
- Simplicity. Jinear has less to set up. For a small team that only needs to track who does what and when, Asana can be more tool than the job needs.
What it costs a team of 10
- Asana Starter (billed yearly): 10 x $10.99 = $109.90 a month
- Asana Advanced (billed yearly): 10 x $24.99 = $249.90 a month
- Jinear Team (billed monthly): $24.90 a month
- Jinear self-hosted: $0, plus the cost of your server
These two are not the same product, so the price gap reflects a real feature gap too. Compare the price only after you are sure Jinear covers what you need.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Asana if you run projects with deadlines that someone reports on, you need timelines, custom fields or automation, or your company requires SSO.
Pick Jinear if you are a small team or a solo developer, you want to self-host, and your work fits in tasks, a calendar, notes and files.
Jinear has no Asana importer. Moving over is manual, or done through an AI assistant over MCP.