Which fits a team leaving Asana for OpenProject
OpenProject fits a team leaving Asana when its projects are planned with fixed dates, dependencies and work packages, and when it needs Gantt charts and a schedule view that a hosted lightweight task tool does not center on. Asana fits teams that want a hosted, low-overhead task tool and do not want to run a server. A renewal, a per-seat price increase or a requirement that project data stay inside the organization's own environment is usually what starts the review, but the planning style of the team decides whether OpenProject is the right replacement. Run a short pilot with two or three real projects before deciding.
The decision turns on three questions. First, does the team need single sign-on or LDAP group synchronization? Both sit in paid Enterprise plans, not in the free Community edition, so the licensing cost has to be counted alongside the server cost. Confirm current plan contents on the OpenProject pricing page before you build a budget. Second, does the organization have operations capacity to patch, back up and upgrade a self-hosted application, and to keep PostgreSQL current? If not, a partner-run deployment in your own infrastructure may be the better route. Third, does Asana's export cover what you must keep? A per-project CSV export carries task fields such as dates, assignees and notes, but it does not hold every element of an Asana workspace, so list what has to move before you commit.
Portfolio and resource management also belong in this check. If the team relies on Asana portfolios or cross-project roll-ups, confirm which of those features OpenProject offers in each edition and which would have to be rebuilt as dashboards. Ask your vendor or implementation partner for a written list of included features per edition, the named user count you expect, and the support terms that apply. If the answers point to a free Community edition with light administration, OpenProject is a strong candidate. If they point to Enterprise features and a team without operations staff, the true cost of the move is larger than the license line suggests.
Which option fits which scenario
This table compares Asana with self-hosted OpenProject across common scenarios, naming the better fit and the condition that would change the answer. Read each row against your own project shape, data rules and team capacity before deciding.
| Scenario | Better fit | Reason and when the answer changes |
|---|---|---|
| Dependency-driven construction or delivery plans with fixed dates | OpenProject | Work packages, Gantt charts and dependencies are part of the Community edition. The answer changes if your plans depend on Asana timelines features you have not yet confirmed exist in OpenProject, so test a real plan first. |
| Lightweight task tracking with simple boards and lists | Asana or OpenProject | Asana is quicker for small teams with no scheduling needs. OpenProject suits teams that want the same tasks to feed Gantt views later, but expect more setup for a board-only workflow. |
| Strict data residency inside your own data center or air-gapped network | OpenProject | OpenProject runs in your own infrastructure through Docker, packages or Kubernetes. Asana residency depends on its plan and region options, so confirm those terms with Asana before comparing. |
| Limited in-house operations staff | Asana | Self-hosting adds patching, backups, upgrades and database maintenance. The answer changes if you can pay a partner for managed operations or retainer support. |
| Identity integration with SSO, LDAP or SCIM provisioning | Depends on edition | SSO, LDAP group synchronization and SCIM sit in paid Enterprise plans. Without Enterprise, OpenProject user management is manual, so price the edition with your identity requirements. |
| Portfolio and resource planning across many projects | Asana or OpenProject Enterprise | Portfolio and resource management are Enterprise features in OpenProject. Confirm the specific Asana views you use exist in the chosen OpenProject edition before migrating. |
| Moving historical project data from Asana | Asana export, then manual or scripted import | Asana project CSV exports are the common starting point. OpenProject's Jira importer does not apply to Asana, so plan mapping of sections, assignees and dates yourself. |
| Asana already run at Enterprise+ with an organization export | Either, with the export as input | The organization export of complete data is available only to Enterprise+ service accounts. Use it when you need full history, and confirm the export format before scripting an import. |
How OpenProject's editions and licensing change the decision
OpenProject is licensed under GPL-3.0 and developed by OpenProject GmbH, so the free Community edition can be installed and run on your own servers with no subscription fee. It includes work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, which covers most of what Asana teams use to plan projects with dates and dependencies. Support in this edition is community support, so your own administrators carry upgrades, backups and incident response. Before you decide, have the project leads list the views, reports and automations they rely on in Asana and confirm that each one exists in the Community feature set, because the edition determines what you can run, not only who answers your support tickets.
Several controls that security and identity teams usually require sit in paid Enterprise plans: single sign-on (SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos and Okta), LDAP group synchronization, SCIM provisioning, custom branding, and portfolio and resource management. For Enterprise on-premises, OpenProject's pricing page prices per named user per month: Basic at 5.95 euros, Professional at 10.95 euros with a 25-user minimum, Premium at 15.95 euros with a 100-user minimum, and Corporate on request for 250 or more users. These subscription fees recur monthly and grow with headcount and tier, on top of the hosting and administration time you already carry. Ask the vendor how named users are counted, including guests, read-only stakeholders and users who only comment.
The free edition is generally enough when planning stays project by project, all users sign in through local accounts your team manages, and nobody needs a single portfolio view or cross-project resource planning. Enterprise becomes necessary when your identity policy requires logins through a central identity provider, when group membership must follow your directory, when accounts must be removed automatically on departure, or when program managers need portfolio and resource views. Map each Asana feature and each access requirement against those triggers before you buy a tier. Then price the edition you actually need from the written quote, not from the entry plan.
Where the data lives and who controls the hosting
Asana runs as a hosted service, so data residency, backups and upgrades follow Asana's terms. OpenProject runs in the organization's own cloud account, data center or air-gapped network, which moves those decisions to the team that operates it. The cards below cover what changes when that responsibility moves.
Hosted model versus your infrastructure
Asana stores project data in its hosted service, and the location and residency options depend on your Asana plan. OpenProject Community or Enterprise on-premises installs in the cloud account, data center or air-gapped network you choose, so the data stays where your own servers are. Confirm with Asana which data residency options your contract includes, and confirm with your team which regions and facilities are approved before you pick a host.
Installation paths and packaging
OpenProject supports Docker-based installation, which the project recommends, along with .deb and .rpm packages for 64-bit Linux and Kubernetes with Helm charts for horizontal scaling. Packaged installs support Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, CentOS or RHEL 9.x and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15. Choose the path your platform team already operates, and confirm supported versions against the system requirements before you build.
Identity integration through SSO and LDAP
Asana uses its own sign-in and an identity provider configured for the organization. In OpenProject, single sign-on (SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos, Okta) and LDAP group synchronization are Enterprise features, so the Community edition uses local accounts. Decide which identity source is authoritative, confirm which protocols your directory supports, and plan how offboarding will remove access in OpenProject.
Audit evidence and independent assessment
Moving hosting to your own infrastructure changes where access logs, configuration records and change history are produced and retained. Your team will need to collect this evidence from the OpenProject installation and its host. Independent auditors and certification bodies assess the controls, not the platform vendor or DeployOpen, so confirm early which evidence your assessor will request and who owns each record.
Backup and recovery responsibilities
In a hosted model, Asana operates the service, but you still need an export plan for your own records. With a self-hosted OpenProject, your team owns database backups, attachment storage, configuration and restore testing. The PostgreSQL requirements, including PostgreSQL 16 or later and the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions, should be part of the backup design. Ask who is paid to run and test restores, and how often.
What running OpenProject requires from your team
Before you choose self-hosting, decide who will run OpenProject after go-live. The packaged installs support Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, CentOS or RHEL 9.x and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15, and the documentation also lists Docker-based installation as the recommended route, with Kubernetes and Helm charts for horizontal scaling. Whichever you choose, the platform needs PostgreSQL 16 or later with the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions. Confirm your database standard supports those extensions before you commit to a host layout. OpenProject's sizing guide suggests 4 cores and 4 GB RAM for up to 200 users, 8 cores and 8 GB for about 500 users, and 16 cores and 16 GB for about 1,500 users. Check these figures against your own usage pattern, concurrent Gantt editing and attachment volume, and ask your team to load test a staging instance before you size production.
Self-hosting moves four recurring jobs to your team: upgrades, backups, patching and monitoring. Upgrades matter most because the release cadence is fast. OpenProject 17.7.0 was released on August 5, 2026, 17.8.0 on September 2, 17.9.0 on September 30 and 17.9.2 on October 15, 2026. Assign one owner for the upgrade calendar, a staging environment that mirrors production, and a rollback plan that includes a tested database restore. Backups must cover both the PostgreSQL database and the attachment storage, and restores should be rehearsed, not assumed. Monitoring should watch the application, the database and the disk, with alerts routed to someone who is on call.
Your operations capacity decides whether self-hosting is viable, not the license price. Ask a plain question: who on your staff can apply a security patch, restore a database and roll back a failed upgrade within your own service-level expectations, and do they have time to do it every release cycle? If the answer is no, budget for a retainer with an implementation partner such as DeployOpen, or choose the Enterprise on-premises or cloud route with vendor support, and confirm in writing what that support covers. Also confirm with OpenProject which edition includes the SSO and LDAP features your identity team needs, since those sit in paid Enterprise plans. Document the owner, the upgrade window and the restore test results before you migrate any Asana project data.
What each option costs over time
Asana and self-hosted OpenProject bill cost in different places. Asana's cost is a recurring subscription, while OpenProject's is mostly the infrastructure, administration and optional Enterprise licenses you run yourself. The cards below separate one-time from recurring costs so you can build a comparison from the written quotes you collect.
Asana subscription fees
Asana charges a recurring per-user subscription, and the plan tier decides which features are included. This page does not state Asana prices, so check the current price list for each plan and seat type you would need. Ask whether your count includes guests, service accounts and any add-ons for portfolios or advanced reporting, since those are where teams are often surprised at renewal.
OpenProject Community licensing
The Community edition is free to license under GPL-3.0 and includes work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, with community support. Your costs then shift to servers, storage, administration and any support you buy. Confirm that the features your plan needs sit in Community and not in an Enterprise tier before you commit.
Enterprise per-user pricing
OpenProject Enterprise on-premises is priced per named user per month, with Basic and Professional at 5.95 euros and 10.95 euros, a 25-user minimum on Professional, Premium at 15.95 euros with a 100-user minimum, and Corporate on request for 250 or more users, according to OpenProject's pricing page. Single sign-on, LDAP group synchronization and the Jira Migrator sit in these tiers, so the tier you need depends on your identity and migration requirements.
Infrastructure and hosting
Self-hosting adds recurring compute costs in your own cloud account, data center or air-gapped network. OpenProject's sizing guide suggests 4 cores and 4 GB RAM for up to 200 users, 8 cores and 8 GB for about 500 users, and 16 cores and 16 GB for about 1,500 users. Ask your platform team what those figures cost in your environment, and whether a high-availability setup needs additional nodes.
Database and backup storage
OpenProject requires PostgreSQL 16 or later with the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions, so you pay for database hosting or managed database service, plus backup storage and retention. Attachments and history grow over time, so storage is a recurring cost that scales with use. Ask how the database is backed up, how long copies are kept, and who restores them.
Administration, upgrades and migration
Administration, upgrades and migration are the one-time and ongoing labor costs that a subscription used to cover. Migration from Asana starts from CSV exports, and the Jira Migrator does not apply to Asana, so expect a planning and mapping effort. Plan recurring time for patching, upgrades and monitoring, and ask any implementation partner for a fixed-scope quote with named deliverables for each item.
How a move from Asana to OpenProject unfolds
The sequence turns Asana projects into OpenProject work packages with dates, hierarchies and Gantt dependencies, checked on a test instance before anyone is switched over. Each step ends with a named output so the cutover decision rests on evidence.
Inventory projects, users and integrations
Your project owner lists every Asana project in scope, its owner, its approximate task volume, and the people who need access after cutover, along with any Asana integrations, forms or rules that feed those projects. Confirm with Asana administrators which projects are active and which are archived, because archived work is often excluded from a migration. The output is a signed-off project list and user list that names who is leaving, who is staying and which projects must move. You know it is done when every active project has an owner and a target.
Export per-project CSV files from Asana
A project member with access exports each in-scope project to CSV from the project actions menu. The export includes task ID, dates, name, assignee, due date, tags, notes and parent task, but it is a per-project file, so it does not carry everything in the workspace. The organization export that returns complete data as gzipped JSON is only available to service accounts of an Enterprise+ organization, so confirm with Asana whether your plan qualifies before planning around it. The output is a folder of CSV files, one per project, checked for row counts against what Asana shows.
Decide the OpenProject target structure
The migration lead and project owners decide how Asana content maps to OpenProject. Typical choices include which projects become OpenProject projects, which Asana sections become parent work packages, which parent tasks become hierarchies, and which tags become types, statuses or custom fields. Record these decisions in a mapping document before any data is loaded. The output is an approved mapping specification, and you know it is done when each Asana field has a named destination or an explicit decision to drop it.
Stand up a test instance
The platform team installs OpenProject in a test environment using the supported installation route for your infrastructure, such as Docker, packages or Kubernetes, and configures the database with the extensions the system requirements list. Enterprise features such as SSO and LDAP group synchronization are only available on paid Enterprise plans, so decide early which edition the test instance needs. Confirm current hardware sizing against the sizing guidance for your expected user count. The output is a working test instance with the target project structure and test users, and it is done when a sample project can be created and accessed by a test user.
Import and map sections, assignees and dates
The team loads the CSV content into the test instance by hand or with scripts written against OpenProject's API, because OpenProject's Jira Migrator does not apply to Asana. Sections become work package groupings, assignees are matched to existing OpenProject users, and start and due dates are converted into the target date fields with time zones checked. Parent task relationships are rebuilt as hierarchies, and task notes are carried over as descriptions. The output is a populated test project, and it is done when a sample of tasks is compared field by field against the Asana source.
Rebuild timelines and dependencies as Gantt charts
Asana's CSV export does not give you a complete dependency graph in the same form OpenProject uses, so the planners rebuild critical sequencing as relationships between work packages and check the schedule in the Gantt view. Dates that moved during conversion are corrected and milestones are set where the Asana timeline showed them. Confirm with your planners which dependencies must be recreated and which can stay informal. The output is a Gantt plan that project owners review and approve, and you know it is done when the critical path matches the approved Asana timeline.
Validate with project owners and pilot users
Project owners and a small group of pilot users work in the test projects for a set period agreed in advance, checking that assignments, comments, attachments and dashboards show what they expect. Each issue found is logged against the mapping specification so the fix is applied consistently to every project. Access rules and roles are checked against the approved user list. The output is a signed validation log with each open item either resolved or accepted, and it is done when project owners confirm in writing that their projects can be run from OpenProject.
Cut over and retire Asana access
The team runs a final export and load after freezing edits in Asana, moves active users to OpenProject, and updates any links, bookmarks and integrations that pointed to Asana. Asana access is then reduced or removed according to your records policy, and an archive copy of the final CSV exports is retained under your own retention rules. Confirm with Asana administrators how workspace data is retained or deleted after removal. The output is a cutover record and an archive, and you know it is done when no active team works in Asana and the archive can be restored for audit.
What does not carry over from Asana
Expect rules, automations, portfolios and goals to need rebuilding by hand. Asana rules, which trigger actions when a task changes, have no automatic equivalent in a CSV export, and the portfolio and goal views that Asana offers on its higher plans are not project data that a file carries across. Before you commit, list every active rule and portfolio in your Asana workspace, then check what OpenProject's current documentation says about workflows, notifications and portfolio and program management, and which of those features sit in the Enterprise plans on the OpenProject pricing page. Plan the rebuild as a separate work item with an owner, because it rarely shows up in a migration estimate.
Attachments and comments depend on the export path you choose. The per-project CSV export from Asana carries task fields such as the task ID, dates, name, assignee, due date, tags, notes and parent task, but it does not give you a complete copy of files or the full comment history. The organization export returns complete data as gzipped JSON, yet only service accounts of an Enterprise+ organization can run it. Confirm with your Asana administrator whether that export is available to you, then test one project end to end and count the attachments and comments that arrive in OpenProject work packages. Do not assume either path is complete until you have compared the counts.
Custom fields and integrations need the same kind of check. Map every custom field to an OpenProject work package attribute or a custom field of a compatible type, and decide what happens to fields with no clear match. Asana integrations with Slack, Google Drive, GitHub or other tools will stop sending data, so list each one and assign a replacement or a retirement date. OpenProject's Jira Migrator does not apply here, since it supports only Jira Data Center and not Asana. Treat the gap list as the input to your cutover decision, and confirm each item against your own workspace and the current OpenProject documentation before you sign off.
Questions buyers ask before choosing OpenProject over Asana
What does it cost to move from Asana to self-hosted OpenProject?
The software cost depends on the edition you pick, and the rest of the cost is labor and infrastructure. The Community edition is free and includes work packages, Gantt charts, agile boards, time tracking and dashboards, with community support. Enterprise on-premises is priced per named user per month: the OpenProject pricing page lists Basic at 5.95 euros and Professional at 10.95 euros with a 25-user minimum, Premium at 15.95 euros with a 100-user minimum, and Corporate on request for 250 or more users. Your recurring costs also include servers, backups, upgrades and admin time. One-time costs include mapping projects, rebuilding dependencies and training. Ask any quote to separate licensing, implementation, hosting and ongoing support.
How long does it take to get a working OpenProject instance?
The timeline depends mostly on how many environments you need, how your identity setup looks and how much of your Asana data must come across. A single Docker-based instance for a pilot team can be stood up quickly, while production work usually adds SSO, backup testing, a data migration rehearsal and user onboarding. OpenProject recommends Docker for installation, with .deb and .rpm packages and Kubernetes with Helm charts for horizontal scaling. Ask for a written scope with milestones before work starts, since most engagements are fixed-scope and timelines are agreed in writing.
What does the work need from our internal team?
You need named owners in four areas: infrastructure, identity, project data and change management. Infrastructure owners provide a Linux host or Kubernetes cluster and PostgreSQL 16 or later, with the pg_trgm, btree_gist and unaccent extensions. Identity owners decide how users sign in. Project owners confirm which Asana projects, sections, assignees and due dates matter and which can be archived. Change management owners plan the cutover and communicate the new workflow. Confirm the sizing guidance with OpenProject's system requirements for your user count, which lists 4 cores and 4 GB RAM for up to 200 users.
Can our own team run OpenProject after the engagement?
Yes, if you assign an operator who can handle upgrades, backups, database maintenance and access administration. OpenProject ships regular releases, such as 17.9.0 on September 30, 2026 and 17.9.2 on October 15, 2026, so you need a patching routine and a test environment. DeployOpen plans, implements, hardens, backs up, upgrades, documents and supports self-hosted platforms inside your own infrastructure, and ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as retainers. Decide before the project starts whether your team, a retainer or both will carry day-to-day operations.
When do SSO and LDAP require an Enterprise plan?
SSO and LDAP synchronization are not part of the free Community edition. OpenProject lists single sign-on through SAML, OIDC, CAS, Kerberos and Okta, along with LDAP group synchronization, among its Enterprise features. SCIM provisioning also sits in paid Enterprise plans. If your directory is Active Directory or another LDAP source, confirm the exact group mapping you need, because group synchronization is the feature that changes access. Check the pricing page for the plan that includes each feature before you commit to a user count.
How are Asana dependencies and timelines rebuilt in OpenProject?
Start from Asana's per-project CSV export, which includes task ID, dates, name, assignee, due date, tags, notes and parent task. Those fields cover the basic structure, but dependencies and timeline views need to be checked field by field, because a CSV export does not carry a full dependency graph in the same form Gantt charts use. Map Asana sections to OpenProject phases or groupings, parent tasks to parent work packages, and due dates to start and finish dates. Then rebuild the critical dependencies as relations in OpenProject's Gantt chart and have a project lead review the schedule. Plan this as a verification step, not an automatic conversion.
What happens to historical Asana data during the move?
Historical data carries over only in the parts you export and map. Per-project CSV exports give you task fields, but they are not a complete record of comments, attachments, activity history or every custom field. Asana's organization export returns complete data as gzipped JSON, but only service accounts of an Enterprise+ organization can run it. If you are on a lower plan, decide which closed projects must be preserved, archive the rest, and document what was not migrated. OpenProject's own Jira migrator supports only Jira Data Center, so it does not help with Asana data.
Which parts of the Asana workflow will not move cleanly?
Expect to recreate rules, forms, portfolios and goals, because CSV exports do not carry them. OpenProject covers work packages, Gantt charts, boards, time tracking and dashboards in Community, while portfolio and program management and resource management sit in paid Enterprise plans. Compare your current Asana use with OpenProject's feature set before committing, and confirm any capability you depend on with OpenProject directly. A short pilot with one real project will show gaps faster than a feature list.
How DeployOpen helps evaluate and move to OpenProject
DeployOpen plans, implements and hardens self-hosted OpenProject inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. We start with the written scope for your Asana projects, then build, document and hand over a working instance that your team operates.
How we scope
- Inventory your Asana projects, custom fields, dependencies and the teams that depend on timelines
- Decide which Community features cover your needs and which require an Enterprise plan for SSO or LDAP sync
- Agree deliverables, environment and timelines in writing before any migration work starts
- Confirm whether the Jira Migrator applies to any linked Jira data, since it does not support Jira Cloud
How we build
- Deploy OpenProject with Docker or packaged installs on a supported Linux distribution in your environment
- Configure PostgreSQL 16 or later with the required extensions and size the hosts to your user count
- Map Asana sections, assignees and dates from the CSV export into work packages and Gantt timelines
- Test imported projects, permissions and dashboards with a pilot group before cutover
How we hand over
- Document the architecture, configuration, backup procedure and the mapping decisions made during migration
- Walk administrators through user management, project templates, roles and upgrade steps
- Provide an acceptance checklist that records what was moved, what was recreated and what was left behind
- Hand over runbooks so your own staff can operate the instance after the engagement ends
How we support
- Offer ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing as a retainer after handover
- Plan OpenProject version upgrades against the release notes and test them in a staging copy first
- Keep backups, restore tests and hardening checks on a recurring schedule agreed in the retainer
- Review access controls and SSO configuration whenever your identity setup or user population changes
