Monday.com vs Asana 2026: A Technical Analyst's Deep Dive

The project management market in 2026 presents a dynamic choice between two industry titans: Monday.com and Asana. Both platforms offer strong solutions for team collaboration and task orchestration, yet their fundamental design philosophies and operational strengths cater to distinct organizational needs. This analysis by ToolMatch.dev dissects their capabilities, limitations, and suitability for various enterprise environments, providing a critical perspective for technical decision-makers.

The Verdict: Tailoring Technology to Organizational DNA

Choosing between Monday.com and Asana transcends a simple feature checklist; it demands alignment with an organization's operational DNA and strategic objectives. Monday.com excels in environments prioritizing visual flexibility, deep customization across diverse departmental workflows, and a unified platform approach for various business functions. Its Work OS architecture empowers teams to construct highly tailored solutions for everything from CRM to software development, fostering cross-departmental agility and extensive data visualization capabilities. Conversely, Asana stands as the preferred choice for organizations that thrive on structured project execution, precise goal tracking, and meticulous portfolio management. Its hierarchical design enforces clarity and accountability, making it particularly effective for teams requiring a clear, well-defined framework for complex projects and strategic initiatives. The decision hinges on whether your organization seeks a highly adaptable, visually rich canvas or a rigorously structured, goal-oriented command center.

Who Benefits Most from Monday.com in 2026?

Monday.com positions itself as a versatile Work OS, making it an ideal fit for organizations that require extensive adaptability and visual clarity across multiple departments. Companies needing deep customization, sophisticated visual reporting, and integrated cross-departmental operations will find Monday.com particularly advantageous. Its architecture facilitates a unified platform approach, natively supporting functions such as CRM, software development, and support ticketing, alongside its core project management tools . This consolidation streamlines workflows and reduces the need for disparate systems, fostering a cohesive operational environment. organizations that prioritize extensive data visualization benefit significantly from Monday.com's comprehensive dashboard capabilities, which include over 50 distinct widgets for granular data representation . This contrasts sharply with Asana's more limited offering of six chart types, highlighting Monday.com's strength in visual analytics . The platform's emphasis on flexibility and a highly customizable board and column structure makes it suitable for teams that frequently adapt their processes or manage projects with highly unique requirements. Businesses seeking an all-encompassing, visually engaging solution that can be molded to fit almost any internal process will likely gravitate towards Monday.com.

Who Benefits Most from Asana in 2026?

Asana caters best to organizations that demand structured project execution, precise goal and OKR (Objectives and Key Results) tracking, and strong portfolio management. Its foundational architecture is strictly hierarchical, organizing work into projects, sections, and tasks . This inherent structure provides a clear, consistent framework that aids in maintaining order and accountability, especially for complex projects with well-defined scopes and dependencies. Teams focused on strategic initiatives and requiring meticulous oversight of project portfolios will find Asana's capabilities align perfectly with their needs . The platform's commitment to structured workflows ensures that tasks are clearly assigned and progressed through predefined stages, offering transparency and predictability. Asana also offers a notably stronger free plan, accommodating up to 10 users and providing unlimited projects and integrations . This makes it an attractive option for smaller teams or startups seeking powerful project management tools without immediate financial commitment. The inclusion of built-in direct messaging and unlimited free guest access further enhances collaboration, facilitating communication within the core team and with external stakeholders . Companies where a clear chain of command and a systematic approach to project delivery are paramount will find Asana to be an indispensable tool.

Key Differentiators: Monday.com vs Asana 2026

The core distinctions between Monday.com and Asana in 2026 are evident across their architectural philosophy, feature sets, and operational suitability. While both aim to enhance team productivity, they achieve this through fundamentally different approaches, leading to varied user experiences and organizational impacts. Understanding these differences is crucial for selecting the platform that best aligns with specific business needs and team dynamics.

Feature Category	Monday.com	Asana
Core Architecture	Customizable Work OS built on a board and column structure, highly flexible for diverse workflows .	Strict hierarchical structure: projects, sections, tasks, promoting order and clear dependencies .
Views Available	15+ views, including List, Board, Timeline, Gantt, Workload, Dashboard, Calendar, Map, Chart, and Pivot Boards .	8 project views: List, Board, Timeline, Gantt, Workload, Dashboard, and Calendar .
Customization Depth	36+ customizable column types, offering extensive adaptability for unique data points and workflows .	Approximately 10 custom field types, providing necessary but less extensive customization options .
Automation Policy	Monthly automation actions are capped and tiered based on the pricing plan, requiring careful management .	Unlimited automations available on all paid plans, fostering extensive workflow streamlining without limits .
AI Capabilities	AI Sidekick, AI app builder, and AI blocks, operating on a credit-based pricing system .	AI Teammates and natural language workflow builders via AI Studio, integrated for enhanced productivity .
Dashboard & Reporting	50+ dashboard widgets for comprehensive and visual data representation .	6 chart types for dashboards, offering essential but less varied data visualization .
Free Plan Offering	Individual plan, typically for 1-2 users, with limited features .	Stronger free plan supporting up to 10 users, with unlimited projects and integrations .
Native Integrations	Connects with over 200 applications, requiring a paid Standard plan or higher for access .	Natively integrates with over 400 third-party applications, with integrations accessible on its free tier .
Minimum Seat Purchase	Enforces a minimum purchase of 3 seats on all paid plans .	No specified minimum seat purchase for paid plans, offering more flexibility for small teams.
Direct Messaging	Lacks built-in direct messaging, requiring reliance on external communication tools .	Features built-in direct messaging, facilitating immediate team communication .

Detailed Feature Comparison: Beyond the Surface

A deeper examination of Monday.com and Asana's feature sets reveals their distinct philosophies in addressing project management challenges. The platforms diverge significantly in their architectural foundations, the range of available views, the depth of customization they offer, their automation policies, and their integration of artificial intelligence.

Architectural Foundations and Project Structuring

Asana champions a strict hierarchical structure, organizing work into projects, sections, and tasks . This design ensures that every piece of work has a clear place within a defined structure, promoting order and making it easy to understand dependencies and progress. This rigid framework is particularly beneficial for organizations that require a systematic approach to project execution, goal tracking, and portfolio management . It provides a strong backbone for managing complex initiatives where clarity and accountability are paramount.

In contrast, Monday.com operates as a highly customizable Work OS, built upon a flexible board and column architecture . This allows users to construct bespoke workflows tailored to almost any departmental need, from marketing campaigns to product development. The blank-canvas design, while offering immense power, can also lead to onboarding overwhelm for new users due to the sheer number of configuration possibilities . However, for teams that thrive on adapting tools to their unique processes rather than conforming to a fixed structure, Monday.com's flexibility is a significant advantage.

Project Views and Data Visualization

Asana provides 8 distinct project views, including the standard List, Board, Timeline, Gantt, Workload, Dashboard, and Calendar . These views offer varied perspectives on project progress, resource allocation, and deadlines, catering to different management styles and reporting needs. The Gantt view, for instance, allows for dependency tracking and critical path analysis, essential for complex projects. The Workload view assists in resource management, ensuring tasks are distributed equitably across the team.

Monday.com significantly expands on this with over 15 views, incorporating all of Asana's offerings while adding specialized options such as Map, Chart, and Pivot Boards . The Map view can be invaluable for geographically dispersed teams or projects involving physical locations. Chart and Pivot Boards provide advanced analytical capabilities, allowing for deeper insights into project data. This extensive array of views underscores Monday.com's commitment to visual reporting and deep data analysis, further supported by its 50+ dashboard widgets compared to Asana's 6 chart types . This visual richness is a key differentiator for organizations that rely heavily on graphical representation for understanding project status and performance.

Customization and Adaptability

Customization is a core strength for Monday.com. The platform boasts over 36 customizable column types, providing unparalleled flexibility in defining specific data points and tracking metrics relevant to any unique workflow . This allows organizations to precisely model their internal processes, ensuring the platform truly reflects their operational requirements. Such extensive customization is particularly beneficial for cross-departmental operations and specialized business functions , enabling the platform to serve as a truly unified Work OS .

Asana, while offering customization, provides approximately 10 custom field types . These fields are sufficient for most standard project management needs, allowing teams to add essential information like priority levels, categories, or specific dates. However, this more conservative approach to customization reflects Asana's preference for maintaining a structured environment over offering boundless adaptability. Organizations with less complex data requirements or those that prefer a more standardized approach to project information will find Asana's custom fields adequate.

Automation Capabilities

Both platforms integrate automation to streamline repetitive tasks and enhance efficiency. Asana provides unlimited automations on all its paid plans . This policy encourages extensive use of automation, allowing teams to set up complex rules and triggers without worrying about usage limits. This can lead to significant time savings and a reduction in manual errors across various workflows, from task assignments to status updates.

Monday.com, while offering strong automation features, caps monthly automation actions based on the user's pricing tier . This tiered approach requires organizations to monitor their automation usage and potentially upgrade plans to accommodate higher volumes of automated tasks. While effective for basic automations, this limitation could impact teams with heavy reliance on intricate, high-volume automated workflows, necessitating careful planning and resource allocation to stay within limits.

Artificial Intelligence Integration

The integration of AI tools marks a significant advancement for both platforms in 2026. Asana uses AI Studio to provide AI Teammates and natural language workflow builders . AI Teammates can assist with tasks like drafting updates, summarizing conversations, or identifying potential roadblocks, effectively augmenting human productivity. Natural language workflow builders simplify the creation of complex automations, making advanced functionalities more accessible to a wider range of users by allowing them to describe their desired processes in plain language.

Monday.com introduces an AI Sidekick, an AI app builder, and AI blocks, operating on a credit-based pricing system . The AI Sidekick functions as an intelligent assistant, offering suggestions and automating routine actions. The AI app builder allows users to create custom AI-powered functionalities within their boards, further extending the platform's customizability. However, the credit-based pricing model means that extensive use of these AI features will incur additional costs, requiring budget consideration for organizations planning deep AI integration.

Pricing Structures and Value Propositions

Understanding the pricing models of Monday.com and Asana is critical, as they dictate not only the cost but also the accessibility of features and scalability for organizations. Both platforms offer tiered plans, but their minimum seat requirements, feature inclusions, and free plan generosity diverge significantly.

Asana's Pricing Tiers

Asana presents a structured pricing model that begins with a strong free plan, catering to individuals and small teams. This free tier is particularly strong, supporting up to 10 users and providing unlimited projects and integrations . This makes Asana highly accessible for startups or teams experimenting with project management software without initial investment.

Beyond the free offering, Asana's paid plans, typically billed annually per user, escalate in features and capabilities. The Premium plan is generally priced around $10.99 per user per month, while the Business plan is approximately $13.49 per user per month . For larger enterprises with advanced security, compliance, and support needs, Asana offers an Enterprise plan, with pricing often starting around $24.99 to $30.49 per user per month, depending on specific requirements and billing cycles . These higher tiers unlock advanced reporting, enhanced administrative controls, and dedicated support, addressing the needs of larger, more complex organizations. However, accessing 24/7 support and advanced reporting often requires these more expensive tier upgrades .

Monday.com's Pricing Tiers

Monday.com also offers tiered pricing, but with a crucial distinction: it enforces a minimum purchase of 3 seats on all its paid plans . This minimum seat requirement can be a barrier for very small teams or solo users looking to access paid features, as it necessitates a higher initial investment.

Monday.com starts with an Individual plan, which serves as a free entry point, though with limited features . Its paid plans typically include Basic, Standard, Pro, and Enterprise tiers. The Standard plan is often priced around $9 per user per month , offering a balance of features for growing teams. The Pro plan, which unlocks more advanced capabilities, is approximately $12 per user per month . Notably, Monday.com provides 24/7 customer support on this lower-tier $12/user/month plan , a significant advantage over Asana, which reserves such comprehensive support for its more expensive enterprise offerings. For large organizations, the Enterprise plan is available at around $19 per user per month , providing strong solutions for scalability and complex needs. Additional price points such as $12, $18 ; $17, $25 ; and $28, $41 likely reflect variations in monthly vs. annual billing, or specific feature bundles that fluctuate based on market conditions or promotional offers.

Monday.com: Advantages and Disadvantages

Monday.com's design as a Work OS offers distinct advantages in flexibility and visual engagement, but this very approach also introduces certain challenges, particularly for new users or those accustomed to more rigid structures.

Advantages of Monday.com

• Deep Customization and Flexibility: Monday.com's core strength lies in its profound customizability. With 36+ customizable column types, it allows organizations to tailor boards and workflows to an exceptional degree, adapting to virtually any business process . This makes it ideal for unique departmental needs and cross-functional operations .
• Visual Reporting and Dashboards: The platform excels in visual data representation. Offering over 50 dashboard widgets, it provides rich, dynamic insights into project progress, team performance, and key metrics . This visual appeal and analytical depth can significantly enhance decision-making and stakeholder communication.
• Unified Platform for Diverse Operations: Monday.com functions as a comprehensive Work OS, integrating native CRM, software development, and support ticketing products alongside its project management tools . This consolidation simplifies IT ecosystems and promotes a holistic view of business operations.
• Accessible 24/7 Customer Support: Unlike many competitors, Monday.com offers 24/7 customer support even on its lower-tier $12/user/month plan . This ensures that assistance is readily available, minimizing downtime and supporting continuous operations.
• Visually Appealing Interface: Users often describe Monday.com as "very colourful and visually appealing" . This aesthetic can contribute to higher user engagement and make managing tasks a more pleasant experience.

Disadvantages of Monday.com

• Minimum Seat Requirement: All paid plans on Monday.com necessitate a minimum purchase of 3 seats . This can be a notable barrier for individuals or very small teams seeking access to advanced features without the need for multiple licenses.
• Onboarding Overwhelm: The highly customizable "blank-canvas" design, while powerful, can lead to significant onboarding overwhelm for new users . The sheer number of options and the freedom to configure everything from scratch might be daunting without clear guidance or pre-built templates.
• Lack of Built-in Direct Messaging: Monday.com does not include a native direct messaging feature , requiring teams to rely on external communication tools for one-on-one or small group chats, which can fragment communication.
• Tiered Automation Limits: Automation capabilities are capped based on the pricing tier . Organizations with extensive automation needs may find themselves needing to upgrade plans solely to increase their automation action limits, potentially incurring higher costs.
• Feature Restrictions on Basic Plans: Critical features such as timeline views are restricted on basic plans . This means teams requiring visual timeline management for project planning must subscribe to higher-tier plans, even if other premium features are not essential.
• Complexity for Central Management: For organizations attempting to centrally manage Monday.com and add significant complexity, the setup and administration can become time-consuming . This suggests that while flexible, scaling its intricate configurations requires dedicated effort.

Asana: Advantages and Disadvantages

Asana's structured approach provides significant benefits for clarity and goal achievement, but its inherent rigidity can become a limitation for organizations that require more fluid or cross-functional workflows.

Advantages of Asana

• Structured Project Execution: Asana's strict hierarchical architecture (projects, sections, tasks) is ideal for structured project execution, goal/OKR tracking, and portfolio management . This design fosters clarity, accountability, and predictable project delivery.
• Strong Free Plan: Asana offers a generous free plan that supports up to 10 users and includes unlimited projects and integrations . This makes it an excellent choice for small teams, startups, or individuals seeking strong project management capabilities without a subscription fee.
• Unlimited Automations on Paid Plans: All paid plans provide unlimited automations , allowing teams to extensively streamline workflows without concerns about usage limits or additional costs. This promotes greater efficiency and reduces manual effort.
• Built-in Direct Messaging and Guest Access: The platform includes built-in direct messaging and allows for unlimited free guest access . These features enhance internal team communication and facilitate smooth collaboration with external stakeholders or clients.
• Extensive Native Integrations: Asana natively integrates with over 400 third-party applications, with access to these integrations even on its free tier . This broad ecosystem allows for easy connection with other essential business tools, centralizing workflows.
• Intuitive and Straightforward Interface: Users often describe Asana as "very straightforward and intuitive" . Its clear interface design helps users quickly grasp functionalities and manage tasks efficiently.
• ROI for Cross-Functional Work: Asana's sweet spot for ROI is often cited for 20-200 person companies engaged in cross-functional work, where visibility into dependencies and blockages across teams is highly valued .

Disadvantages of Asana

• Single Task Assignee: A significant limitation is that Asana restricts task assignment to a single user . This can be problematic for tasks requiring collaborative effort from multiple team members, potentially leading to workarounds or a lack of clear ownership.
• Rigid Hierarchy for Complex Processes: While beneficial for structure, Asana's rigid hierarchy makes it difficult to model complex, cross-departmental business processes that don't fit neatly into its project-section-task framework . This can limit its adaptability for highly fluid or interconnected workflows.
• Expensive Tier Upgrades for Advanced Features: Access to advanced reporting features and 24/7 customer support typically requires upgrades to more expensive tiers . This means organizations might pay a premium for essential support or deeper analytics.
• Limited Dashboard Chart Types: Asana offers only 6 chart types for dashboards , which can be less comprehensive compared to Monday.com's extensive widget library. This might restrict the depth and variety of visual reporting available.
• Limitations for Company-Wide Management: Asana has "glaring limitations if you are trying to use it for company-wide stuff," such as the inability to easily set company-wide holidays or events . This suggests it's primarily designed for project and task management rather than broad organizational operations.
• Perceived Value for Smaller Teams: Some users suggest that Asana "only works for smaller teams with a micromanagre running them" and might not be "worth the price point" for certain scenarios , indicating a debate around its cost-effectiveness for very small groups without specific needs for its structured approach.

User Perspectives: G2 Ratings and Reddit Insights

User feedback provides invaluable qualitative and quantitative insights into the real-world performance and perceived value of both platforms. Aggregated ratings from platforms like G2 and candid discussions on forums like Reddit illuminate the practical experiences of daily users.

G2 Ratings and Key Metrics

Monday.com consistently garners strong approval from its user base. It holds a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating across more than 15,000 user reviews on G2 . Users frequently commend its ease of use, with a score of 92%, and its ease of setup, rated at 89% . These high scores suggest that users find Monday.com intuitive to navigate and relatively straightforward to implement, despite its extensive customization options. The sheer volume of positive reviews indicates a broad base of satisfied customers who appreciate its visual appeal and flexibility.

Asana also maintains a respectable standing in user satisfaction, with a 4.4 out of 5 stars rating across more than 13,000 user reviews on G2 . While slightly lower than Monday.com, this still reflects a highly positive sentiment. Asana scores 86% for ease of use and 82% for ease of setup . These figures indicate that users generally find Asana user-friendly and manageable to configure, reinforcing its reputation for being straightforward and intuitive, as highlighted in qualitative feedback.

The difference in these scores, particularly in ease of use and setup, can be attributed to Monday.com's visual and drag-and-drop interface often being perceived as more immediately engaging, while Asana's structured nature, though powerful, might require a slightly steeper initial learning curve for some users to fully appreciate its organizational rigor.

Reddit Community Insights

Discussions on Reddit offer a more granular, often unfiltered, perspective from users deeply embedded in these platforms:

• A recurring sentiment highlights the aesthetic and functional differences: "Monday is very colourful and visually appealing... Asana is very straightforward and intuitive, I feel." This quote encapsulates the visual vs. functional appeal, where Monday.com’s vibrant interface contrasts with Asana’s direct and purposeful design.
• One long-term Asana user and administrator expressed a strong preference for Asana after migrating a team from Monday.com: "They were mind-blown at how many more features (particularly in automation) asana has. The ui/ux is cute I guess? But I hated Monday and vastly prefer asana to it." This suggests that for some advanced users, Asana's underlying feature depth, especially in automation, surpasses Monday.com's perceived "cuteness," despite Monday.com's automation caps .
• Concerns about Monday.com's scalability for complex, centralized management emerged: "As soon as you want to centrally manage [Monday] and add complexity, it will get time consuming to set up and administer." This reinforces the notion that while highly customizable, the very flexibility of Monday.com can introduce administrative overhead when scaling to intricate organizational needs.
• Asana's limitations for broader organizational use cases were also noted: "Been using [Asana] for about 8 years. It has some really glaring limitations if you are trying to use it for company-wide stuff. You have no real way of setting company wide holidays or company wide events..." This indicates Asana's focus remains primarily on project and task management, rather than serving as an all-encompassing organizational hub.
• A critical view on Asana's cost-effectiveness for smaller teams was shared: "Asana only works for smaller teams with a micromanagre running them. It's useful but not worth the price point." This perspective suggests that for certain small team dynamics, the perceived value of Asana's structured offerings might not justify its cost, especially given its limitations like single task assignment .
• Conversely, Asana's value for mid-sized, cross-functional teams was championed: "The ROI sweet spot is honestly 20-200 person companies doing cross functional work where visibility into who's blocked by what across teams is worth more than the per seat cost." This highlights Asana's strength in fostering transparency and coordination across interdependent teams, where its structured approach pays dividends.
• A practical application of Monday.com's data for performance management was mentioned: "Run team meetings using the data in monday. People will very quickly understand that management is using the tool to gauge individual performance and KPIs and they will get onboard quick enough." This illustrates how Monday.com's strong reporting and visual dashboards can be used not just for project tracking but also for performance assessment and driving accountability, aligning with its strength in visual reporting .

Expert Analysis: Strategic Implications for 2026

From a senior technical analyst's perspective, the choice between Monday.com and Asana in 2026 involves more than feature parity; it's about strategic alignment with an organization's operational model and future growth trajectory. Both platforms have evolved significantly, particularly with AI integrations, but their core value propositions remain distinct.

Monday.com's evolution into a Work OS signifies a move towards platform consolidation. Its native CRM, software development, and support ticketing products position it as a potential single source of truth for various departmental operations. This unification can reduce tool sprawl, streamline data flow, and simplify IT management. The extensive customization, with over 36 column types , empowers business units to digitize virtually any process, fostering agility. However, this flexibility comes with a caveat: the "blank-canvas" design can indeed lead to "onboarding overwhelm" . Organizations adopting Monday.com must commit to strong internal training and template creation to harness its power effectively without stifling user adoption. The credit-based AI pricing also requires careful budget planning for deep AI integration, ensuring that the cost of advanced AI features aligns with the perceived value and ROI.

Asana's strength lies in its unwavering commitment to structured execution and strategic alignment. Its hierarchical architecture inherently supports meticulous goal and OKR tracking, making it a powerful tool for organizations driven by clear objectives and portfolio management . The unlimited automations on paid plans provide a frictionless path to process optimization, a critical factor for efficiency at scale. The AI Teammates and natural language workflow builders via AI Studio enhance productivity within this structured environment, allowing users to use AI to manage tasks more intelligently without disrupting the established order. The limitation of single task assignment , however, remains a design choice that can force workarounds for highly collaborative tasks. This rigidity, while providing clarity, can also make it challenging to model highly fluid, cross-departmental business processes that don't fit neatly into its predefined structures . For companies where the primary need is strong project execution and transparent goal progression, Asana's disciplined approach is a compelling advantage.

Integrations also present a strategic consideration. Asana's 400+ native integrations, accessible on its free tier , offer broader out-of-the-box connectivity. Monday.com's 200+ integrations, requiring a paid Standard plan , suggest a slightly more curated ecosystem, potentially encouraging deeper reliance on its native Work OS capabilities rather than external tools. Both platforms support Zapier and Make.com , mitigating some integration gaps, but native support often implies a more smooth experience.

In the end, the decision for 2026 boils down to an organization's appetite for structure versus flexibility. Does the company require a digital canvas to paint its unique workflows, accepting the potential for initial complexity? Or does it thrive within a well-defined framework that prioritizes clear task ownership and strategic goal achievement, even if it means adapting processes to the tool's inherent structure? The answer will dictate the superior platform for sustained operational excellence.

The Bottom Line for Your Organization

In 2026, both Monday.com and Asana stand as formidable project management and work operating systems, each with distinct strengths tailored to different organizational needs. Your choice should reflect a deep understanding of your team's operational style, the complexity of your workflows, and your strategic priorities for collaboration and reporting.

If your organization values unparalleled visual customization, requires a unified platform for diverse departmental functions, and thrives on highly adaptable workflows, Monday.com is likely the superior choice. Its Work OS approach and extensive visual reporting capabilities empower teams to build bespoke solutions, fostering cross-departmental agility and comprehensive data visualization. However, be prepared for a potential learning curve due to its blank-canvas nature and consider the minimum seat requirements for paid plans.

Conversely, if your organization prioritizes structured project execution, clear goal and OKR tracking, and strong portfolio management within a well-defined framework, Asana offers a more aligned solution. Its hierarchical design ensures clarity, accountability, and a systematic approach to task management, making it ideal for teams that benefit from rigorous organizational principles. Its generous free plan and unlimited automations on paid tiers also present significant value, particularly for structured, growing teams.

In the end, the optimal platform is one that smoothly integrates with your existing processes while providing the necessary tools for future growth. Evaluate your team's current challenges, long-term strategic objectives, and budget constraints to make an informed decision that truly empowers your workforce in the evolving market of 2026.