Asana 101: Workspace vs. Organization
What You Need to Know Before Setting Up Your Account
Welcome to the first post in my Asana series—a guide designed to help you get the most out of one of my favorite project management tools. Whether you’re setting personal goals or managing a team, Asana is packed with features that make it easier to stay organized, collaborate, and actually finish what you start.
But here’s the thing—before you dive into due dates, tasks, or any of the bells and whistles, there’s one decision you need to get right: Are you working in a Workspace or an Organization?
This is the foundation of how your entire Asana experience is structured. And trust me, getting this wrong can create headaches later—especially if your team grows or you start managing multiple projects across departments/ clients.
Let’s break down the difference and figure out which setup is right for you.
What is a Workspace in Asana?
A Workspace in Asana is essentially a personal space for managing projects and tasks. It acts like a single team with everyone working together in one place, making it a good fit for personal use, freelancers, or small teams.
Key features of a Workspace:
No connection to a company or business email domain
Created using any personal email address
Functions as a singular team—no ability to create additional teams within the Workspace
Best suited for personal goals, side projects, or managing a small team
Example use case: A freelance designer using Asana to track projects and deadlines without needing the client included in the timeline, team structures, or advanced permissions.
What is an Organization in Asana?
An Organization is designed for businesses and larger teams that need to manage multiple projects, departments, or teams all within one Asana account. The structure is tied to a business email domain like @yourcompany.com and offers more flexibility as your team grows.
Key features of an Organization:
Requires a company email address connected to a business domain
Supports multiple teams within the Organization (marketing, operations, design, etc.)
Allows you to add Organization Members (with a business email) and Guests (with a personal email)
Designed for teams of all sizes, especially those needing advanced permissions and privacy controls
Example use case: A marketing agency using Asana to manage internal projects, client work, and external contractors—all while keeping information separated and secure.
Workspace vs. Organization: The Important Differences
This initial decision determines how easily you can scale in the future, how tasks are assigned, and how team members interact across projects. Both Workspaces and Organizations support the core of what Asana does best—managing projects, tasks, and due dates. The difference comes down to scale and visibility:
Workspaces are straightforward, best for solo use or small teams where everyone needs access to everything.
Organizations give you more control over who sees what, allowing you to create separate teams and invite outside collaborators as Guests.
This flexibility is especially helpful when balancing internal team projects with external client work or contractors.
How to Choose the Right Setup for Your Needs
Before creating your account, consider:
Are you using Asana for personal projects or business needs?
Do you have a work email connected to a business domain?
Will you need to create additional teams or departments as your work grows?
If you’re managing personal goals or small, temporary projects, a Workspace might be the simplest option. This is a great place to start if you're new to Asana and just need a place to experiment and brain dump everything on your list. But if you’re working with a larger team, have a business email, or plan to scale, start with an Organization.
Tip: Asana’s Support Team often recommends setting up an Organization if there’s any chance you’ll expand. It’s easier to start there than migrate later.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using a personal email address to create what should be a business Organization
Staying in a Workspace setup even as your team or needs grow
Forgetting to check privacy and permissions, leading to the wrong people seeing sensitive information
Not consulting an Asana pro, Asana’s Support Team, or the Asana Forum for additional use cases and tips
Final Thoughts: Build Your Asana Foundation the Right Way
Choosing between a Workspace and an Organization is the first—and arguably the most important—step in setting up Asana to support your goals. Getting this decision right will save you time, confusion, and future rework. Before making any major decisions, always reach out to someone who can guide you, whether that be an Asana Pro, Asana Support, or online forums.
Have questions about setting up your Asana account? Drop them in the comments or reach out—I’d love to help.
Stay tuned for future posts in this series; I’ll break down even more features, tips, and use cases to help you get the most out of Asana. You can follow along with this series on Instagram as well!
