Lifted Work vs Asana
Running your agency on Asana? A project per client, guests who see too much, and a growing bill every time you hire. Here's how Lifted Work compares.
In short: Asana is the better choice if you run complex multi-stage projects and need timeline and portfolio views across them. Lifted Work is better if your projects are client accounts, and you want the portal, the correspondence and the reporting to come with them.
Quick Comparison
What each platform is built for
| Feature |
Lifted Work
|
Asana |
|---|---|---|
| Built only for agencies | ||
| Client portal included | Guest access only | |
| Client request management | ||
| Client correspondence and Gmail sync | ||
| Deliverables with client approval | ||
| AI with full client context | General AI only | |
| Analytics and ads reporting built in | ||
| Branded report rendering (PDF/HTML) | ||
| Time tracking by client | Via integrations or paid add-on | |
| SOPs attached to tasks | Manual linking | |
| Unlimited team members | Per-seat pricing | |
| Timeline, Gantt and portfolio views | ||
| Integration marketplace depth | 5 native platforms + Zapier | |
| Native iOS and Android apps |
Why agencies choose Lifted Work over Asana
Asana organizes work into projects. Lifted Work organizes work around clients. That changes how clients see your work, how your team finds information, and how much you pay when you grow.
Clients, not projects
Asana gives you projects. Lifted Work organizes everything around clients: tasks, correspondence, notes, analytics, and deliverables on one screen. No piecing together the big picture yourself.
Real client portal
Clients get a branded portal with deliverables for review, request submission, and a services page. Asana has guest access where clients see your project structure.
AI that knows your clients
The AI has each client's brand, history, notes, and analytics data. It schedules, drafts, and runs your monthly reporting end to end. Asana AI Teammates summarize tasks and draft updates. Different job.
Client communication in one place
Gmail syncs client emails into their activity feed. Correspondence, tasks, notes, and deliverables on one screen per client. No hunting across projects and email threads.
Time tracking by client
Track time per client for billing and capacity. Built into every plan. Asana syncs time from integrations on every plan and sells a Timesheets and Budgets module separately, but neither is organised by client, so margin per account still has to be assembled by hand.
Hire without the per-seat tax
Asana charges per user. Lifted Work charges per client with unlimited team members. A 15-client agency on Lifted Work Delivery pays $105/mo regardless of team size. That same team on Asana pays $110+/mo and it goes up with every hire.
Feature by feature
See exactly how Lifted Work and Asana stack up across the features that matter most for agency operations.
Asana prices are list prices checked on 15 September 2026. Plans change; check their pricing page before deciding.
Client portal & requests
Lifted Work
- Branded portal with dashboard, feed, and services
- Request submission and status tracking
- Deliverables with client review and approval
- Services page with upsell opportunities
- Clients see progress 24/7 without asking for status updates
Asana
- No built-in client portal
- No client request system
- No deliverables or approval workflow
- Guests see project structure and internal tasks
- Guests get a view of your project, not a client portal
AI that knows your clients
Lifted Work
- AI has each client's brand, notes, history, and analytics data
- Schedule a full month of deliverables in one conversation
- Monthly reports pull from GA4, Search Console, and Meta Ads automatically
- Saved prompts run on a schedule for recurring work
- Connects to Claude Desktop and ChatGPT via MCP
Asana
- Asana AI Teammates and Dash for summaries and status updates
- Smart Status and workflow automation rules
- AI doesn't know your clients or their analytics data
- No native analytics integrations (GA4, Search Console, etc.)
- No client-specific context for AI drafts
Communication & correspondence
Lifted Work
- Gmail syncs client emails into their activity feed
- Full correspondence history per client
- Internal client notes (visible to team and AI, not clients)
- Draft emails to client contacts from the activity screen
- Zapier for Slack, call logs, and meeting transcripts
Asana
- No automatic email-to-client routing
- Emails live outside Asana entirely
- Task comments are the only in-app communication
- Must manually track client correspondence
- No single screen showing all client communication
Time tracking & billing
Lifted Work
- Time tracking by client, built into every plan
- Track actual time against budgeted hours per task
- Client capacity visible on the dashboard
- Billing-ready reports per client or team member
- Assigned vs. worked hours tracked monthly
Asana
- Native timesheets sold as a separate paid module
- Not organized by client automatically
- Project-based timesheets, not client-based
- Need third-party tools for proper agency billing
- Extra cost on top of already expensive per-seat pricing
The honest part
Where Asana is the better choice
No tool wins on everything. If these matter more to you than running client delivery in one place, Asana is the right call.
Timeline, Gantt and portfolio views
Asana's timeline and portfolio views across many projects are genuinely strong, and Lifted Work has no equivalent. If your work is long multi-stage projects with dependencies rather than recurring client retainers, that gap matters.
A much deeper integration marketplace
Asana connects to hundreds of tools directly. Lifted Work connects five analytics and ads platforms natively plus Zapier for the rest. If your stack is unusual, Asana probably already supports it.
Mature native mobile apps
Asana has polished iOS and Android apps. Lifted Work is a web application that works on mobile browsers, which is not the same thing for a team that works from their phones.
Scale and enterprise workflow
Asana runs at enterprise scale with approval chains, custom rules and admin controls built for large organizations. Lifted Work is built for agencies, and a 500-person company would outgrow it.
What each one costs
Lifted Work starts at $5/client/month. Unlimited team members on every plan.
View our pricing" I don't know what I'd do without Lifted Work. "
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions agencies ask about Asana
We've already set up our agency in Asana. Is it worth switching?
If you're managing client work in Asana, you've probably built a project-per-client structure, added guests for client visibility, and found workarounds for time tracking and reporting. It works, but it wasn't designed for this. Lifted Work is already organized around clients. Add a client, and they get a portal, a correspondence feed, analytics integrations, and AI context. Lifted Work can run alongside Asana while you move work over at your own pace.
Does Asana have a client portal like Lifted Work?
No. Agencies using Asana typically share projects with clients as guests. Guests are free on Asana's paid plans, but they land in your project rather than in a portal of their own, so they see your structure and your internal tasks. Lifted Work includes a branded client portal where clients see their dashboard, feed, deliverables for review, and can submit requests. They never see your internal tasks or team communication.
How does the AI in Lifted Work differ from Asana's AI?
Asana AI Teammates and Dash summarize tasks and draft status updates. Lifted Work's AI has full context on each client: their brand, notes, correspondence, task history, and analytics from Google Analytics, Search Console, Meta Ads, and more. It can schedule a full month of deliverables, draft emails with the right client context, and run your monthly reporting by pulling real data into branded reports. You can also connect it to Claude Desktop or ChatGPT through the MCP server.
How does pricing compare between Lifted Work and Asana?
Asana charges per seat. A 10-person agency on Asana Starter pays $110/month, and it goes up every time you hire. Lifted Work charges per client: $5, $7, or $12/client/month depending on the plan. A 15-client agency on Delivery pays $105/month with unlimited team members. Client portals, AI with client context, analytics integrations, and report rendering are all included.
Does Lifted Work integrate with the tools I already use?
Yes. Gmail syncs client emails automatically. Google Analytics, Search Console, Google Ads, Meta Ads, and Google Business Profile connect for reporting and AI context. Zapier connects thousands of other apps like Slack, phone systems, and meeting transcription tools. And the MCP server connects to Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, or any MCP-compatible AI tool.