Asana's pricing page lists five tiers: Personal ($0), Starter ($10.99), Advanced ($24.99), Enterprise ($35), and Enterprise+ ($45). But the number that matters for time tracking is buried in the feature comparison table: native time tracking is only on Advanced and above. The free and Starter tiers — where most small teams start — don't include it.
This post breaks down what Asana time tracking actually costs, including the seat-increment surcharge that most pricing guides miss, the Timesheets & Budgets add-on that's a separate line item, and how the total compares to a dedicated time tracker like Ayron. Prices are from Asana's official pricing page, checked 2026-06-22.
Which tiers include native time tracking
| Tier | Price (annual) | Native time tracking? | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | $0 | ❌ No | Time tracking via third-party integrations only |
| Starter | $10.99/user/mo | ❌ No | Time tracking via third-party integrations only |
| Advanced | $24.99/user/mo | ✅ Yes | Estimated/actual time fields, start/stop timer, dashboard reporting, CSV export, API read |
| Enterprise | ~$35/user/mo (custom) | ✅ Yes | Everything in Advanced + admin controls |
| Enterprise+ | ~$45/user/mo (custom) | ✅ Yes | Everything in Enterprise + compliance features |
The jump from Starter ($10.99) to Advanced ($24.99) is $14/user/mo — more than doubling the per-seat cost. And you're paying for everything in Advanced (Goals, Portfolios, Workload, Approvals, Proofing) even if all you want is time tracking. There's no way to add native time tracking to the Starter tier without upgrading the entire plan.
The seat-increment trap
Asana's pricing page doesn't mention this, but above 5 users, seats are sold in fixed 5-seat increments. Between 2 and 5 users, you can add seats one at a time. The moment you add user 6, the billing system jumps you to 10 paid seats. From there, you buy in 5-seat blocks (10, 15, 20, 25, 30) up to 30 users.
This means a 6-person team on Advanced pays for 10 seats:
| Team size | Seats billed | Advanced cost/year | Ghost-seat surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | 5 | $1,499 | $0 |
| 6 people | 10 | $2,999 | $500/yr (4 ghost seats) |
| 7 people | 10 | $2,999 | $375/yr (3 ghost seats) |
| 11 people | 15 | $4,498 | $375/yr (4 ghost seats) |
| 16 people | 20 | $5,998 | $375/yr (4 ghost seats) |
If your team is 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 16+ people, you're paying for ghost seats. This rule is confirmed in Asana's community forum and billing documentation but is not posted on the public pricing page.
The Timesheets & Budgets add-on
Native time tracking (on Advanced) gives you estimated/actual time fields and a timer. If you also need timesheet submission and approval workflows, per-user billable rates, and project-level budget tracking, that's a separate paid add-on: Timesheets & Budgets.
| Feature | Native tracking (Advanced) | Timesheets & Budgets add-on |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated/actual time fields | ✅ | ✅ |
| Start/stop timer | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dashboard reporting | ✅ | ✅ |
| Timesheet submission and approval | ❌ | ✅ |
| Per-user billable rates | ❌ | ✅ |
| Project-level budgets | ❌ | ✅ |
| AI cost and time recommendations | ❌ | ✅ (Spring 2026) |
| Billable/non-billable toggle | ❌ | ✅ |
The add-on is available for Starter, Advanced, Enterprise, and Enterprise+ tiers. It has a 14-day self-serve trial (no sales call required), but after the trial, you contact sales for pricing. The add-on is priced per licensed user — admins must manually assign licenses in the admin console before team members can access it.
What the add-on still doesn't include: First-party invoicing. Even with the Timesheets & Budgets add-on, Asana doesn't generate branded invoice PDFs, doesn't embed Stripe payment links, and doesn't track invoice status from Sent to Paid. The add-on stops at "hours logged and budgeted" — the invoicing gap remains.
The real cost: examples
Solo freelancer (1 user)
| Component | Plan | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Asana Advanced (2-seat min) | $24.99 × 2 × 12 | $599.76 |
| Timesheets & Budgets add-on | Contact sales | Additional |
| Total for native time tracking | ~$600/yr minimum |
A solo freelancer on Asana Advanced pays for 2 seats (the minimum) just to get native time tracking. And they still need a separate invoicing tool.
5-person team
| Component | Plan | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Asana Advanced (5 seats, clean bucket) | $24.99 × 5 × 12 | $1,499 |
| Timesheets & Budgets add-on | Contact sales | Additional |
| Separate invoicing tool (e.g., Harvest, Bonsai) | ~$10–20/user/mo | $600–1,200/yr |
| Total | $2,099–2,699/yr |
8-person team (hits the seat-increment trap)
| Component | Plan | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Asana Advanced (10 seats, 2 ghost) | $24.99 × 10 × 12 | $2,999 |
| Ghost-seat surcharge | 2 × $24.99 × 12 | $599.76/yr wasted |
| Timesheets & Budgets add-on | Contact sales | Additional |
| Separate invoicing tool | ~$10–20/user/mo | $960–1,920/yr |
| Total | $3,959–4,919/yr |
Asana time tracking vs Ayron: the pricing comparison
Ayron includes time tracking, first-party invoicing with Stripe, AI weekly summaries, and estimate-vs-actual margins in its Pro plan at $12/mo flat (no per-seat multiplier for solo users). The Team plan is $16/user/mo.
| Asana Advanced (native tracking only) | Asana Advanced + separate invoicing | Ayron Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Invoicing | ❌ | ✅ (separate tool) | ✅ (branded PDFs + Stripe) |
| AI weekly summaries | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Estimate-vs-actual margins | ❌ (est/actual fields only) | ❌ | ✅ (real-time margin bar) |
| Mac-native timer | ❌ (web-first) | ❌ | ✅ (menu bar + ⌘K + voice) |
| Voice timer | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Per-user cost (solo) | $24.99/mo (2-seat min) | $24.99 + invoicing tool | $12/mo |
| Per-user cost (5-person) | $24.99/user/mo | $24.99 + invoicing per user | $16/user/mo (Team) |
| Works with Asana free/Starter | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (OAuth integration) |
The key takeaway: Asana Advanced at $24.99/user/mo gives you time tracking. Ayron Pro at $12/mo gives you time tracking + invoicing + AI + margins + a Mac-native timer. And Ayron's Asana integration works with any Asana tier — including the free plan.
When Asana's native tracking is enough
If you're already on Asana Advanced and only need hours logged for internal reporting — no invoicing, no AI summaries, no profitability margins — the native tracking is sufficient. You don't need Ayron unless you also need to bill clients.
When you need more than native tracking
If any of these are true, a dedicated time tracker that reads from Asana is the complement:
- You bill clients by the hour and need invoices with Stripe payment links.
- You want AI weekly summaries that read your tracked time and produce a status-report-style summary.
- You want real-time project profitability — not just estimated vs actual fields, but the margin calculation that turns hours into a business metric.
- You're on a Mac and the browser-tab timer is daily friction.
- You're on Asana free or Starter and don't want to upgrade to Advanced just for time tracking.
For the full feature-by-feature breakdown, see Asana time tracking vs Ayron. For tools beyond Ayron that integrate with Asana, see top time tracking software for Asana.
FAQ
Does Asana have free time tracking? No. Native time tracking requires the Advanced tier ($24.99/user/mo annual). On the free Personal plan, time tracking is only available through third-party integrations. Ayron's free plan includes the Asana integration (1 user, 3 clients, 5 projects, 200 entries/month) and works with any Asana tier.
How much does Asana time tracking cost? The minimum cost is $24.99/user/mo annual (Asana Advanced), with a 2-seat minimum — so a solo user pays for 2 seats (~$600/yr). The Timesheets & Budgets add-on (for timesheets, approvals, and budgets) is an additional cost, priced per user and sold through sales. A separate invoicing tool is needed on top if you bill clients.
Is Asana time tracking included in the Starter plan? No. Starter ($10.99/user/mo annual) does not include native time tracking. Only the Advanced tier and above have it. To get time tracking on Starter, you need a third-party tool like Ayron, which connects to Asana via OAuth and works with any tier.
What is the Asana seat-increment surcharge? Above 5 users, Asana sells seats in 5-seat increments. A 6-person team is billed for 10 seats, not 6. This creates a ghost-seat surcharge of up to $500/year on Advanced for teams that don't fill their bucket. This rule is not posted on the public pricing page.
Does the Timesheets & Budgets add-on include invoicing? No. The add-on adds timesheets, approvals, per-user billable rates, project budgets, and AI cost forecasting — but it still doesn't generate branded invoice PDFs or process payments via Stripe. If you need invoicing, you need a separate tool or Ayron, which includes it at $12/mo.
Is Ayron cheaper than Asana's time tracking? Yes, for the use case Ayron targets. Asana's native time tracking requires Advanced at $24.99/user/mo with a 2-seat minimum. Ayron Pro is $12/mo flat and includes invoicing, AI weekly summaries, estimate-vs-actual margins, and a Mac-native timer — none of which Asana Advanced provides. For a solo freelancer, Ayron is ~$588/yr cheaper than Asana Advanced alone, and that's before the cost of a separate invoicing tool.
Can I use Ayron with Asana's free plan? Yes. Ayron's Asana integration connects via OAuth and works with any Asana tier — including the free Personal plan. The scopes Ayron requests are read-only and plan-agnostic. See the Asana integration guide.
Sources: Asana pricing page (asana.com/pricing) and Asana Help Center (help.asana.com), checked 2026-06-22. Seat-increment details from Asana community forum and billing documentation. Ayron details are based on its public landing page and should be treated as marketing claims rather than independent product verification.