Asana alternative
The open source, self-hosted Asana alternative for software teams
Asana is a general work-management product in the cloud. Kuayle is an issue tracker for product and engineering teams that you host yourself, with GitHub linking, cycles and no per-seat price.
At a glance
- Licence
Asana: Proprietary
Kuayle: Apache 2.0
- Hosting
Asana: Vendor cloud only
Kuayle: Self-hosted
- Pricing
Asana: From $10.99 per user a month
Kuayle: Free, no paid tier
- Difference
- Asana covers all kinds of work in its cloud; Kuayle focuses on software teams, on your own server.
Why teams look for a Asana alternative
Per-seat prices are high
Starter is $10.99 and Advanced $24.99 per user a month billed yearly, and seats are sold in increments.
The free plan is for two people
Asana’s Personal plan is free for up to 2 users.
SSO is Enterprise-only
SAML SSO and SCIM are on the quote-priced Enterprise tiers only.
Developer integrations are thin
There is an official GitHub app; GitLab relies on the third-party Unito integration.
Kuayle vs Asana, side by side
| Topic | Asana | Kuayle |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | No Proprietary. | Yes Apache 2.0. The full source is in one public repository. |
| Hosting | No Asana’s cloud only; data residency is an Enterprise+ option. | Yes Self-hosted with Docker Compose (Caddy, PostgreSQL, Redis, API, frontend). There is no hosted Kuayle service. |
| Pricing | In part Free for 2 users; Starter $10.99 and Advanced $24.99 per user a month billed yearly. | Yes No licence fee and no paid tier. Nothing is gated behind a key; you pay for your own server. |
| SSO and SCIM | In part SAML and SCIM on Enterprise and Enterprise+ only. | No Email and password sign-in with invite links. No SSO (SAML/OIDC), SCIM, passkeys or magic links yet. |
| AI and agents | Yes AI Teammates and AI Studio, with per-user request limits and paid overage. | In part Opt-in Dev Machines run coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, opencode and others) in self-hosted containers linked to issues. There are no agents assigned as issue members. |
| MCP server | Yes Official V2 MCP server. | No No MCP server yet. |
| API and webhooks | Yes REST API with webhooks and events. | In part HTTP API with scoped, expiring personal access tokens, plus HMAC-signed webhooks. No published OpenAPI reference yet. |
| Importers | Yes CSV importer for Excel, Smartsheet, Wrike, monday.com, Airtable and Trello exports. | No No importer from other trackers. Kuayle-to-Kuayle workspace export and import (.kuayle.zip) is built in. |
| Git integrations | In part Official GitHub app; GitLab only via Unito. | In part GitHub App: branches, commits and pull requests link to issues, status automation on PR events, and PR comments. No GitLab, Bitbucket or Gitea yet. |
| Planning | Yes Timelines, goals, portfolios and dashboards on paid plans. | In part Cycles with burndown, velocity and carry-over; cross-team projects; workspace and team analytics. No initiatives or configurable dashboards. |
What Asana costs a year compared with Kuayle
| Team | Asana Starter | Asana Advanced | Kuayle licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $659.40 | $1,499.40 | $0 |
| 20 people | $2,637.60 | $5,997.60 | $0 |
| 50 people | $6,594 | $14,994 | $0 |
| 100 people | $13,188 | $29,988 | $0 |
Moving from Asana to Kuayle
- 01
Export from Asana
Export projects to CSV, or read tasks through the Asana REST API.
- 02
Deploy Kuayle
Run the Docker Compose stack on your server (Caddy, PostgreSQL, Redis, API and frontend), then create a workspace and invite the team.
- 03
Recreate teams and workflows
Set up teams (public or private), team statuses, labels and issue templates before moving work, so issues land in the right place.
- 04
Move open work through the API
Kuayle has no built-in Asana importer yet. Script the move of open issues with a scoped personal access token, or start fresh with active work and keep Asana read-only for history.
When to stay on Asana, and when to choose Kuayle
Stay on Asana if
- Marketing, operations and other non-engineering teams plan in the same tool.
- You use Asana goals, portfolios, timelines or AI Studio.
- You need SSO now; Kuayle does not offer SSO yet.
Choose Kuayle if
- Your engineering team needs issues linked to GitHub branches, commits and pull requests.
- Data must stay on your own servers.
- You want cycles with burndown and velocity without paying per seat.
Other Asana alternatives
Kuayle is not the only option. Compare these too, or see every tracker in the full comparison matrix.
- ClickUp alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- Trello alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- OpenProject alternative GPL-3.0 · Cloud or self-hosted
- Plane.so alternative AGPL-3.0 · Cloud or self-hosted
- Linear alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
- Jira alternative Proprietary · Vendor cloud only
Asana alternative FAQ
Is there an open source alternative to Asana?
- Yes. Kuayle is an open source, self-hosted alternative for software teams. OpenProject and Taiga are open source options for broader project management.
Can Asana be self-hosted?
- No. Asana runs only in its own cloud. To keep project data on your servers you need a self-hosted tool such as Kuayle.
Is there a free Asana alternative?
- Kuayle is free with no seat limit and no paid tier; you pay only for hosting. Asana’s own free plan covers 2 users.
Is Kuayle a good fit for non-technical teams?
- Kuayle is built for product and engineering work. Teams that mostly need task lists, forms and portfolios may be better served by a general tool.
Can I import Asana tasks into Kuayle?
- Not with a built-in importer yet. Export to CSV or use Asana’s REST API, then create issues through Kuayle’s API.
Sources
- Asana pricing
- Using Asana's MCP Server
- Asana developer overview
- Asana CSV importer
- GitHub + Asana
- GitLab + Asana
- Kuayle source code
Asana details were checked against Asana's own pages on 6 November 2026; Kuayle details against the v0.2.15 source code. Prices are list prices before tax and change over time; the vendor's pricing page is authoritative. This is a snapshot, not an endorsement. Kuayle is developed by Bakney and is not affiliated with Asana. Asana is a trademark of its owner.