Asana renamed its tiers (Premium became Starter, Business became Advanced), which is why comparison articles contradict each other. Whatever the label, the practical question is the same: what does the next tier up unlock, and is it worth the per-seat jump?
Below is the honest split, based on running both tiers across client workspaces.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Premium / Starter | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline & boards | Yes | Yes |
| Custom fields | Yes | Yes |
| Portfolios | No | Yes |
| Goals | No | Yes |
| Workload management | No | Yes |
| Approvals & proofing | No | Yes |
| Advanced rule builder | Limited | Yes |
| Time tracking | No | Yes |
| Forms branching & logic | Basic | Advanced |
| Unlimited dashboard charts | No | Yes |
Portfolios and goals: the real reason teams upgrade
Premium manages projects. Advanced manages a programme of projects. Portfolios roll many projects into one status view with health indicators; goals attach measurable targets to that work so leadership sees progress without status meetings.
If nobody in your organisation asks 'how are all our projects doing?', you do not need Advanced yet. The moment that question appears weekly, you do.
Workload and capacity planning
Workload shows effort per person across every project, with capacity limits based on hours or task counts. For agencies and shared service teams, this is the feature that prevents silent over-allocation — and it is Advanced-only.
Approvals, proofing and time tracking
- Approval tasks give a formal accept/reject step rather than a comment thread that people interpret differently.
- Proofing lets reviewers annotate images and PDFs directly on the asset.
- Native time tracking records actuals against tasks, which matters when you bill clients or report utilisation.
Cost, and where our plan fits
At list pricing, Advanced runs materially higher per seat than Starter, and the gap compounds across 100 people over a year. Our Asana Advanced plan supplies 100 seats for a six-month term at $499 — full Advanced feature set, activated on your workspace.
That is the right fit for a department or agency that wants portfolio-level tooling without a full annual enterprise commitment. If you need SAML SSO, provisioning and enterprise support guarantees, buy Enterprise directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is Asana Premium the same as Starter?
Yes — Asana renamed Premium to Starter and Business to Advanced. Older comparison content uses the previous names.
Can I trial Advanced before upgrading?
Asana offers trial periods on higher tiers. Use the trial to test portfolios and workload specifically, since those drive most of the value.
What happens to portfolios if I downgrade?
Portfolio and goal data is retained but becomes read-only or hidden until you return to a tier that supports it.
How many seats does the Mapdad plan include?
100 seats across a six-month term for $499, with the complete Advanced feature set.
Asana Advanced, 100 seats, $499
Six-month term, full Advanced feature set, fast activation on your existing workspace.
See the Asana plan