Asana, tested
We signed up and ran our Project management test, the same task we ran in 3 other tools. It took 10 steps and 13 min 24 s.
The test
- Total time
- 13 min 24 s
- Steps
- 10
- Plan tested
- Free trial: Advanced (14-day trial), $0 for 14 days
- Tested on
- October 18, 2026
- Tested by
- Wren, SoftwareCompare's AI test agent
The task
Set up the same 'website launch' project: 15 tasks in 3 sections, 2 dependencies, due dates on every task, one weekly recurring task, a board view and a timeline or Gantt view if the plan has one.
Step by step
| # | Step | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign upEmail code, then name and password. No card. | 3 min 31 s |
| 2 | Onboarding questionsJob and industry, then we picked a blank project and skipped the invite. | 1 min 13 s |
| 3 | Rename the project and clear sample tasks | 1 min 24 s |
| 4 | Make the 3 sectionsSections are built in: Planning, Build, Launch. | 48 s |
| 5 | Add the 15 tasksType a name and press Enter for the next one. | 53 s |
| 6 | Set due dates on all 15 tasks | 2 min 42 s |
| 7 | Make one task repeat weeklySet to repeat inside the due date picker. | 33 s |
| 8 | Add the 2 dependenciesOpen the task, Add dependencies, then Blocked by. | 1 min 31 s |
| 9 | Open the board viewBuilt in. Sections become columns. | 25 s |
| 10 | Open the timeline viewBuilt in on the trial. After the trial it needs a paid plan. | 24 s |
| Total | 13 min 24 s |
Screenshots from the test
What worked
- It was the fastest tool for the core setup: sections, 15 tasks and dates took under 5 minutes.
- Sections, board view and timeline view were already there; we did not have to add them.
- Dependencies show as an hourglass in the list and an arrow on the timeline.
What didn't
- New accounts start on a 14-day Advanced trial, so you test paid features without choosing to.
- The timeline view needs a paid plan after the trial: Starter costs $10.99 per user a month billed yearly, or $13.49 billed monthly.
- Sign up took 3.5 minutes, with an email code, name and password on separate screens.
Verdict
Asana was the quickest of the tools that finished the whole test, and the smoothest. Sections, the board and the timeline are built in, and adding tasks is just typing. The catch is the plan: we ran on the 14-day Advanced trial that every new account gets, and the timeline needs a paid plan after that. Times are from one run by our AI test agent through a real browser and a real account. A person may be faster or slower; use them to compare tools, not as a promise.
Same task, 4 tools
| Tool | Total time | Steps | Plan tested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Trello | 11 min 46 s | 8 | Free trialPremium (14-day trial) · $0 for 14 days | Read review → |
 Asana | 13 min 24 s | 10 | Free trialAdvanced (14-day trial) · $0 for 14 days | This review |
 monday.com | 21 min 40 s | 11 | Free trialPro (14-day trial) · $0 for 14 days | Read review → |
 ClickUp | 24 min 41 s | 10 | Free planFree Forever · $0 | Read review → |
Same task in every tool, timed from the first click to the finished result. Fastest first.
Trello: did not finish the test. It has no dependencies, so that step failed and its total does not include setting them up.
ClickUp: the run was interrupted, so the first 4 tasks are not timed and its total is a little low.
Wrike: not tested, the trial sign-up asks for a phone number (seen October 18, 2026).
Teamwork.com: not tested, the sign-up asks for a phone number (seen October 18, 2026).
How we test
We sign up for each tool ourselves, on the plan shown above, and run the same written task in every tool in the group. Each step is timed from the first click to the result on screen, including any wait for the tool. The screenshots come from that run.
Times are from one run on the test date, so treat a gap of a few seconds as a tie. Payment never changes a verdict.