Switching from Asana to ClickUp
A native importer moves most of your projects and people automatically — here is exactly what transfers, what doesn’t, and how to rebuild the rest.
Reviewed by Switching Cost & Friction Estimator
Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.
Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.
Why teams switch from Asana to ClickUp
Price at scale
ClickUp’s Unlimited tier runs $7/seat/mo and Business $12/seat/mo, versus Asana’s Advanced tier at $24.99/seat/mo — a meaningful gap once a team is past a handful of seats.
A tighter free plan
Asana cut its free plan to 2 users in late 2025. Teams that relied on the free tier for a small team or a pilot project often outgrow it faster than expected.
Consolidating tools
ClickUp bundles native docs, chat, whiteboards, and sprints into the same workspace, which appeals to teams trying to cut down their tool stack rather than add another app alongside Asana.
How to migrate your data
ClickUp’s own import tool handles the bulk of this migration. Here is the real process, including what it does not pick up.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Open the importer | In ClickUp, go to Workspace Settings → Import/Export, and select Asana as the source. |
| 2. Authenticate | Log in to Asana to grant ClickUp read access to your workspace data. |
| 3. Map your data | Choose how Asana projects map to ClickUp Spaces, Folders, or Lists, and how sections map to Custom Fields, Lists, or Statuses. People are matched automatically by email address. |
| 4. Choose what to include | Toggle whether to bring over completed tasks and attachments — both are optional and can significantly extend import time. |
| 5. Start the import | Run it and wait for the completion email. Small workspaces finish in a minute or two; large ones with heavy attachment libraries can take several hours. |
| 6. Rebuild the gaps | Manually recreate anything the importer skips (see below) before you fully cut over. |
Pricing during the transition
You’ll likely want to run both tools in parallel for a few weeks while your team gets comfortable. Here’s what that overlap costs at a glance.
| Plan | Asana | ClickUp |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2 users (tightened in late 2025) | Free plan, no seat brackets |
| Entry paid tier | $10.99/seat/mo (Starter) | $7/seat/mo (Unlimited) |
| Mid tier | $24.99/seat/mo (Advanced) | $12/seat/mo (Business) |
Since ClickUp’s importer only needs read access to Asana (no paid Asana add-on required to export), most teams can run the import on Asana’s existing plan and simply let their Asana subscription lapse at the next renewal once the ClickUp workspace is verified.
Feature-parity checklist
Before you fully cut over, confirm these Asana features have a working equivalent set up in your new ClickUp workspace:
| Feature | Asana | ClickUp equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Goals / OKRs | Native Goals & Portfolios | Goals feature (less mature; verify it covers your reporting needs) |
| Recurring tasks | Native recurrence rules | Not imported — recreate manually per task |
| Subtask hierarchy | Nested subtasks | Not imported for deep nesting — rebuild manually |
| Docs | Basic descriptions/attachments | Native Docs (more capable — a genuine upgrade) |
| Chat | None native (Slack/Teams integration) | Native Chat |
| @mentions in comments | — | Not imported — re-tag people manually on active tasks |
Not sure this is the right direction?
Read the full head-to-head before you commit, or check the reverse migration if you’re coming from ClickUp instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ClickUp have an official Asana importer?
Yes. It’s built into Workspace Settings → Import/Export, and it authenticates directly with your Asana account rather than requiring a CSV export.
Will my subtasks come over?
Not reliably for deeply nested subtasks — ClickUp’s documentation specifically flags nested subtasks as needing manual relocation after import.
How long does the import take?
Anywhere from about a minute to several hours, depending mostly on how many attachments you’re bringing over. You’ll get an email when it’s done.
Do I need to cancel Asana before importing?
No — the import only needs read access to your Asana account. Most teams keep Asana active until the ClickUp workspace is verified, then let the subscription lapse.
What’s the biggest thing people forget to migrate?
Recurring task rules and @mentions inside comments — neither imports automatically, and both are easy to miss until someone notices a recurring task didn’t fire.
Canonical data for the tools on this page
Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page — with the date each figure was last verified.