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REDMINE VS ASANA
You could save up to
$13,000/year on
project
management.
REDMINE · SELF-HOSTED
$0
Unlimited users, all features included
Issue tracking, Gantt charts, time logging
ASANA · STARTER
$10.99 /user/mo
Billed annually · free plan caps at 2 users
Advanced $24.99 • Enterprise custom
SAME JOB, DIFFERENT APPROACH
What your team actually uses, side by side.
Both tools manage projects. The difference is what is built in
versus what costs extra, and how much control you get over
the way your team works. Here is how they compare on the things
you use every day.
| AREA | REDMINE (FREE) | ASANA |
|---|---|---|
| Task management | Issues, sub-tasks, custom trackers with separate workflows per project | Tasks, subtasks, dependencies, One unified mode, drag-and-drop |
| Time tracking | Built-in. Linked to issues. Specific time exports included | Advanced only ($24.99/user), previously required third-party tools |
| Gantt charts | Built-in at no cost for all users | Starter ($10.99/user) and above. Not on the free plan |
| Documentation | Built-in wiki per project plus a News module for announcements | No wiki or knowledge base at any tier |
| Customization | Custom fields, custom trackers, custom workflows. Hundreds of plugins | Custom fields on Starter+, Diverse sources, limited configuration |
| Permissions | Per-tracker, per-field, per-role visibility and edit controls | Project-level privacy. Fine-grained controls require Enterprise |
| Kanban boards | Available through community plugins (not built in) | Built-in board view on all plans including free |
| Calendar | Built-in calendar view for issues and due dates | Built-in calendar with Google and Outlook sync |
Your project data belongs on
servers you control.
Cost per seat
Redmine is GPL-licensed self-hosted software without a per-seat license fee; infrastructure and maintenance still cost money. Asana publishes per-user plans and feature limits, including its current Personal-plan user cap.
Source: Redmine license · Redmine installation · Asana pricing
100 30
Self-hosting & data control
Redmine runs in infrastructure chosen by the operator. Asana is a managed service, but the original statement that it has "no data residency guarantees" was inaccurate: Asana documents regional data-residency options for eligible customers.
Source: Redmine installation · Asana data residency · Asana security
100 0
Issue tracking depth
Redmine supports trackers, statuses, role-based workflows, and custom fields. Asana supports tasks, custom fields, rules, forms, dependencies, and approval workflows; the score reflects emphasis on configurable issue tracking rather than total project-management capability.
Source: Redmine issue tracking · Redmine workflows · Asana custom fields · Asana rules
90 70
Customization & plugins
Redmine supports community plugins and source modification. Asana is proprietary but provides custom fields, rules, templates, apps, and APIs, so "limited configuration" has been replaced with a more precise distinction between source-level and platform-level extensibility.
Source: Redmine plugins · Redmine plugin tutorial · Asana developer platform · Asana apps
90 40
UX & onboarding
Asana provides onboarding, templates, and guided product education. Redmine's UI is functional and themeable, but the original claim that it had barely changed since 2006 was unsupported. The relative score remains editorial.
Source: Asana: get started · Asana templates · Redmine user guide
30 95
Mobile experience
Asana provides official iOS and Android apps. Redmine's core project documents web access and APIs but does not publish a first-party native mobile app; third-party Redmine clients exist and should be evaluated separately.
Source: Asana mobile apps · Asana mobile help · Redmine REST API
25 95
Integrations ecosystem
Asana lists a broad app directory and developer platform. Redmine relies on plugins, REST APIs, and custom integrations; the number and maintenance quality of plugins vary.
Source: Asana apps · Asana API · Redmine plugins · Redmine REST API
40 95
Collaboration & comments
Asana supports task comments, mentions, status updates, proofing, and inbox notifications. Redmine supports issue notes, watchers, document/news modules, and notifications; "no real-time collaboration" was too absolute without defining the workflow.
Source: Asana task comments · Asana proofing · Redmine issue tracking · Redmine notifications
45 90
Why you might stay with Asana
Asana is polished, modern, and designed for teams that want to
start managing projects
immediately.
Beautiful, intuitive interface
Asana's UI is polished, responsive, and easy to learn. New team
members are productive within minutes. Redmine's interface has
not changed significantly since its first release and requires
more clicks for common tasks.
Powerful automation
Asana's workflow builder lets you automate task assignments,
status changes, notifications, and cross-project dependencies
with a visual
drag-and-drop editor. Redmine has no built-in automation.
200+ native integrations
Slack, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Figma, GitHub, Salesforce,
and
hundreds more connect natively to Asana. Redmine relies on
plugins and
webhooks with a much smaller ecosystem.
Goals and portfolio tracking
Asana Advanced includes OKR tracking, portfolio views, and
workload management for cross-team visibility. Redmine does not
have built-in goal or portfolio features.
Why switch to Redmine
Some things are priceless.
No per-seat pricing
Redmine is open-source software with no per-user license fee. You still pay for hosting, maintenance and support.
Self-host your project data
Run Redmine on infrastructure you choose and control where your project data is stored.
Fully customizable
Adapt Redmine with custom fields, workflows, themes and plugins to fit how your team works.
Time tracking built-in
Record time directly against projects and issues without installing an additional time-tracking tool.
Wikis, forums, and docs
Built-in wiki for documentation and forums for team discussions. Asana has no wiki or knowledge base feature at any tier. Your project context lives alongside your tasks.
Source control integration
Native integration with Git, SVN, Mercurial, and CVS. Link commits to issues and track code changes per ticket. Asana offers GitHub integration but only as a third-party connection.
Your 100th team member
should cost $0 more
in project
tools.
Asana Starter charges $10.59/user/month. At 100 users,
that is $1,059/month for task management. Move to
Advanced for goals and time tracking, and the bill
jumps to $2,499/month. Redmine self-hosted stays at $0
regardless of team size.
Asana $1,059/mo at 100 users
$1200
$900
$600
$300
$0
10 seats
Asana Starter — $106/mo
Redmine — $0/mo
25 seats
Asana Starter — $265/mo
Redmine — $0/mo
50 seats
Asana Starter — $530/mo
Redmine — $0/mo
100 seats
Asana Starter — $1,059/mo
Redmine — $0/mo
10
25
50
100
users
Ready to own your project management?
Open source since 2006. Every feature from day one.
Option 1
Try Redmine
Third-party managed hosting from providers like RedmineX Cloud
or
Planio. Backups, SSL, and updates handled for you. No server
management required.
Option 2
Self-host with Docker
Deploy Redmine on your server with Docker or
manual install. Ruby on Rails, MySQL or
PostgreSQL. Unlimited users, full plugin
ecosystem, all features included.
RECOMMENDED
Option 3
Lower your SaaS spend
Tell us what your business needs.
Our team will recommend the right solution and help you get
started.