Asana vs Trello vs Priority Matrix
ASANA
Asana is a web-based task management application created in 2008 by Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosentein of Facebook. The application is primarily designed to ‘help teams track their work’Trello
Trello is a web-based project management application based on the Kanban methodoloy. It is one of the various projects of Fog Creek Software. It was created in 2011.Priority Matrix
Priority Matrix is a cloud-based project management solution by Appfluence. The software was developed in 2013 by Stanford PhDs Hai Nguyen, Luis Adarve, computer science PhD Pablo Diaz Gutierrez.
Asana
Overview: Asana is primarily described as a ‘tool to help teams track their work’. The app has a simple UI, which allows for easy addition of tasks and projects. In Asana, tasks are king – the app is built around the aggregation of tasks and the communication that surrounds them.The screenshot to the left shows what the dashboard looks like when one opens Asana to get to work – projects or workspaces sit on the left, tasks in the middle, and task details on the right. Tasks are presented in a list format, grouped together by Today, Upcoming, Later.Value Proposition: Tracking work / collaborationStrengths:- Visually appealing
- Item Tags allows for various means of organization
- Team pages, to view all team projects in one place
- Lack of built-in prioritization capabilities
- No desktop app – you must keep a tab open to work in Asana
- No Gantt charts, a must for many project teams
Trello
Overview: Trello is primarily described as a ‘project management application’. The app is built based on the Kanban board style of organization, in which users indicate progress by moving ‘cards’ from one column to another. In Trello, each card represents a task – cards are grouped into ‘boards’, which act as a project or area of focus .The screenshot to the left shows what the dashboard looks like when one opens Trello to get to work. As certain tasks progress from one phase of development to the next, they can be moved further across the board. Alternatively, each column of the board can be treated as a separate to-do list. While Trello itself is relatively basic, there are many add-ons for things like Trello time tracking, etc.Value Proposition: Collaborate easilyStrengths:- Easy to get started
- Good for managing day to day tasks
- Available in multiple languages
- The more “cards” in Trello, the harder it is to manage
- “Assigning” doesn’t exist in Trello
- Must be a paying user to access Calendar view
- “Fun” features can be distracting at work
Priority Matrix
Overview: Priority Matrix is a prioritization-focused project management solution that is designed to increase accountability in teams. The software is built based on the Eisenhower method of time management, in which users categorize their tasks based on how Critical and Urgent each task is considered. In Priority Matrix, tasks can be delegated to team members at the click of a button, where progress is then tracked until completion.The screenshot to the left shows what the “dashboard” looks like when one opens Priority Matrix to get to work. Similar to Asana, projects are on the left, followed by tasks in the center, and further details on the right. Tasks are presented based on priority level and ‘task owner’ i.e., whoever the task is delegated to. Priority Matrix also provides a simple to-do list view, Gantt charts, Calendars, and reports.Value Proposition: Prioritization and AccountabilityStrengths:- Best solution for project management with Office 365
- Prioritization built-in; focus on the right things
- Can handle dozens of projects, hundreds of tasks
- Built in Gantt charts & reporting based on real-time data
- Native apps for Mac & Windows desktop
- No Free plan (only free on mobile)
- Lacks subtasks
Features Comparison Chart
| Priority Matrix | Asana | Trello | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud-Based |  | | |
| Native Desktop Apps | |  | |
| Repeating Tasks | | Days only | |
| Overview of all tasks | | | |
| Prioritization-centric | | | |
| File Attachments | | | |
| In-App Chat | | | |
| Drag and Drop Planning | | | |
| Built-in Gantt Chart | | Must integrate with 3rd party | Must integrate with 3rd party |
| Mobile App Rating |  |  | |
| Real Time Reporting | | Project Status Only | Must integrate with 3rd party |
| Support & Training | Phone Support / Personal Coaching Sessions | Online knowledge base / Support via email | Online knowledge base / Support via email |