Asana-Jira Integration: Methods, What to Sync, and How to Set It Up
The divide between Asana and Jira is a classic challenge for project managers and software teams. Jira has a number of features that make it the de-facto choice for product work, but it’s rarely as suited to less technical teams. If you don’t bridge the gap between these two tools, someone will have to copy and paste data back and forth, book extra alignment meetings, or miss important status updates.
In this guide, you’ll learn all about integrating Asana and Jira, including popular options, what needs to sync, and common use cases.
Overview: Asana-Jira integration
| Asana for Jira Cloud Data Sync | One-way automation (e.g., Zapier) | Two-way sync (e.g., Unito) | |
| Sync direction | One-way (Two-way available only on some Asana plans) | One-way, trigger-based automation | Two-way |
| Real-time or batch | Real-time | Real-time | Real-time |
| Field mapping depth | Low | Standard fields; custom fields and attachments usually not supported. | Standard fields, custom fields, comments, attachments, hierarchy mapping. |
| Setup time/effort | Quick | Low. No-code with limited configuration. | Low. No-code setup. |
| Best for | Improving visibility between product teams and project managers. | Simple visibility and handoffs. | Seamless collaboration across teams. |
What you can actually sync between Asana and Jira
Not every integration between Asana and Jira is the same, and one of the main differences between them is integration depth (i.e., how much of your projects it can sync).
Work item previews
Some integrations link work items across tools in a read-only panel. A Jira work item linked to an Asana task might show up as a link in Asana, with a few lines describing important fields like due dates and status. You can’t interact with the Jira issue, or update fields in Jira by making changes in Asana. Essentially, this integration level just gives you a preview of what’s happening in another tool.
Standard fields
Most integrations that go beyond the work item preview level can support most, if not all, standard fields. At this level titles, descriptions, due dates, and assignees map cleaning between Asana tasks and Jira work items. These fields exist in a similar form on both sides, so an integration tool can carry them over without much transformation.
Some fields, like status and priority, need transformation. Asana’s statuses are usually custom-built per project, based on the sections you use, while Jira’s statuses are often more rigid and standard across projects. An integration has to map specific Asana statuses to Jira workflow states.
Custom fields
Both Asana and Jira have their own custom fields. Asan’s custom fields include dropdown, number, text, date, and people types. Jira’s custom fields cover a wider range, like single-select, multi-select, text, number, date picker, user picker, and cascading select.
Integrations match custom fields by type, since they’re rarely exactly the same across tools. Some fields, like Text and Text, are just matched one to one automatically. But fields like dropdowns and statuses need their individual values mapped to each other, since a “Blocked” status in one tool might need to be synced with an “On Hold” status in the other. Some integrations can manage this deep custom field mapping automatically, while others will guide you in doing it manually.
Comments and notes
Conversations often carry as much context as a task or work item. A developer’s note about why a specific item is blocked can be essential context for a stakeholder, while that stakeholder’s questions about timeline can get lost if it stays stuck in Asana. An integration that can sync comments back and forth keeps visibility on both sides, so someone in Asana can see what’s discussed in Jira without switching tools, and vice-versa.
Attachments
Attachments are essential for sharing deliverables, briefs, and context. Not all integrations support them, and the way they’re integrated can change based on the integration you use, or even individual connectors within the same integration platform.
Unito, for example, can support attachments in one of three ways: linked, copied, and streamed attachments.
- Linked attachments create a hyperlink in synced work items. When you click on that link, it opens the original attachment in the tool it came from.
- Copied attachments makes the same attachment visible in multiple tools.
- Streamed attachments creates a unique page for each attachment independent of either tool, where you can access it.
Hierarchies
Both Asana and Jira have hierarchies, relationships between different levels of work items. In Jira, for instance, the default hierarchy is Epic→Work Item (e.g., Story, Task)→Sub-task. But you can also customize this to something like Theme→Feature→Epic→Story→Bug→Sub-task for an agile product development workflow.
Integration platforms that don’t support hierarchies treat all work items like they’re at the same level, which can make it difficult to keep track of your work. Integrations that can handle this level of integration are rare, but they get you as close to working seamlessly across tools as possible.
The 3 most common methods for setting up an Asana-Jira integration
Asana for Jira Cloud Data Sync
This integration is built by the team at Asana to sync Jira work items with Asana tasks. For Asana’s most expensive plans, this integration is two-way, meaning it creates and updates both Asana tasks and Jira work items. A more limited version, which only creates Asana tasks from Jira work items, is available for Asana’s cheapest plan.
This is a simple integration to set up and use, meaning you don’t need a technical team to manage it. It’s best used when non-technical teams in Asana have to collaborate with technical teams in Jira, such as in software development projects or ticket escalation workflows.
It doesn’t support all custom fields, attachments, or subtasks, which can make it more limited than other integration options.
Best for: Visibility and reporting into software projects from Asana.
One-way automation (e.g., Zapier)
One-way automation tools like Zapier use simple trigger-action logic to automate actions across a wide range of tools. That includes automatically creating new work items in Jira to match Asana tasks or updating a specific field in Asana when a similar field is changed manually in Jira.
These automation platforms are great for managing linear workflows, like one-way handoffs or approvals. They typically cover a wide range of tools and fields, but each automation can only manage a single action. That means you can rarely cover every step in a workflow without creating multiple automations.
One-way automations are simple to set up, but beyond simple use cases, they require a significant amount of maintenance and troubleshooting.
Best for: Getting a minimum amount of visibility on work between Asana and Jira, automating handoffs.
Two-way sync (e.g., Unito)
A two-way sync platform like Unito creates relationships between Asana tasks and work items in Jira that keeps everything up to date as you work. It also creates work items automatically to match those you create manually.
Two-way sync platforms have some of the deepest integrations on the market, handling standard fields, custom fields, attachments, and comments. Some can even sync hierarchies. These deep integrations can handle all kinds of workflows, from simple approvals to handoffs to true cross-functional collaboration.
Best for: Working seamlessly across tools with full visibility and no doubling up on tool licenses.
Use cases for an Asana-Jira integration
Client project management
Imagine an agency that provides software development services out of Jira to clients that work in Asana. Without an integration, a project manager has to be the middle man between clients and developers. All that time they’re spending switching back and forth between tools is time that could be put towards more profitable activities, cutting into each project’s margins. With the right integration, you can keep work items up to date seamlessly between both systems.
Internal software development
Most software development work is in Jira, but that doesn’t mean everyone who needs visibility on that work is. Project managers, team leads, and other stakeholders often use Asana to plan their roadmap, prioritize product work alongside other projects, and hammer out the organization’s broader strategy. An integration can send questions from stakeholders to Jira where developers answer them directly, share work item status from Jira to Asana, and more.
AI context
Both Asana and Jira have built-in AI agents that allow project managers and their teams to automate project management tasks and keep everyone in the loop. But each AI agent only has access to the tasks, comments, and other context available in one tool. Asana’s agents access Asana projects, Jira’s agents access Jira projects. An integration can pull relevant context from both tools, so whichever agent you use has access to everything it needs to give you better answers or take on more tasks independently.
Setting up a two-way sync with Unito
- Connect tool accounts to Unito: After signing up for Unito, click +Create Flow and connect Asana and Jira.
- Choose flow direction: Flow direction tells your Unito flow where you need new work items created. Most Unito flows are two-way, meaning they automatically create work items in both connected tools.
- Set rules: Unito rules use trigger-action logic to filter out work items you don’t want synced or automate certain actions. To build a rule, choose a trigger Unito should look for and the action it needs to take.
- Map fields: In most flows, Unito can automatically map fields in Asana with fields in Jira. From there, you can customize field mappings to match statuses across tools, send data from some fields to fields specific to your workflow, and more.
- Launch your flow: Once you map your fields, your flow is ready to launch. After an initial sync, Unito will check for changes in real-time.
FAQ: Asana-Jira integration
Does Asana integrate with Jira natively?
Yes, Asana for Jira Cloud Data Sync is a built-in integration for the two tools. It supports two-way sync and a limited number of fields on Asana’s more expensive plans. On Asana’s cheaper plan, it only pushes data in one direction.
What’s the difference between one-way automation and two-way sync for Asana and Jira?
One-way automation moves data in a single direction, either from Asana to Jira or vice-versa. A two-way sync builds ongoing relationships between work items in both tools, keeping everything up to date as you work. You can use multiple one-way automations to move data back and forth, but that requires more maintenance and troubleshooting.
Do attachments transfer between Asana and Jira?
It depends on the integration platform you use. Most one-way automations don’t support attachments at all. Asana for Jira Cloud Data Sync also doesn’t support attachments. Unito’s two-way Asana-Jira integration does transfer attachments between these tools.
Can Asana integrate with Jira?
Yes! With Unito you can build a flow in minutes, which will push data from Asana to Jira and keep everything in sync in both tools.
Can you migrate Asana to Jira?
There’s no built-in solution for migrating your Asana data over to Jira, beyond CSV exporter tools. It’s usually recommended that you use a third-party solution to automate this process. Unito’s integration allows you to run a phased migration that’s kept continually in sync as you work.
Why should I integrate Asana with Jira?
Syncing Jira issues with Asana tasks allows your teams to work more effectively together without constantly switching back and forth between tools. This allows:
- Developers who plan sprints in Jira to get work requests from teams in Asana so they always have full context.
- Teams working in Jira to sync updates to Asana so stakeholders have up-to-date reports in the platform they use regularly.
- Improving collaboration between technical teams in Jira and other teams in Asana.
How do I add a Jira ticket to an Asana task?
While you could do so manually, the best way to do this is with Unito’s integration. With a single flow, you can turn a Jira issue into an Asana task automatically and sync any updates between both tools.
How much does an Asana-Jira integration cost?
The cost of an Asana-Jira integration depends on the method you use. Native integrations, like Asana’s integration for Jira Cloud, are included in the subscription cost you’ll pay for the tool they’re built into. Unito’s plans start at $49 a month, scaling up to custom enterprise plans. Other integrations, like Workato, can cost thousands of dollars a year or more.
Why should I use Unito’s Jira-Asana integration?
Unito has the deepest two-way integrations on the market, but setting one up takes just a few clicks. Here’s a guide to getting started with your own Jira Asana integration.
When you connect your Asana and Jira projects, Jira issues can become Asana tasks and vice-versa. That means everything from comments to due dates and assignees can get synced across with no extra work. No more copy-paste, no more data entry, and no more missed updates. You get the feeling of everyone working in a single tool without having to designate a middleman or force anyone into a tool they don’t like.