Trello Review
Last updated: 2026-07-11
Overview
Trello is a Kanban-style project management tool founded in 2011 by Fog Creek Software, later spun off as an independent company and acquired by Atlassian in 2017 for $425 million. Headquartered in New York, Trello serves over 50 million users including Adobe, Google, and Kickstarter. The platform uses boards, lists, and cards as its core organizational metaphor — drag a card from one list to another to change its status. Simplicity is the defining feature: new users understand Trello in under five minutes. Trello handles lightweight task tracking, content pipelines, personal productivity, and small-team project management. Rated 4.0/5 — unbeatable for simple Kanban workflows, but limited for complex project management needs that require dependencies, resource allocation, or reporting.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Simplest Kanban interface — boards, lists, cards
- Free plan covers small teams (10 boards, unlimited cards)
- Easy to learn — no training required
- Good mobile app
- Power-Ups extend functionality (integrations, automation)
Cons
- Very limited for complex projects — no Gantt, timelines, or dependencies
- Free plan limited to 10 boards and 1 Power-Up per board
- No built-in time tracking or reporting
- Not suitable for teams > 20 people
- Can become cluttered with large card counts
Features
Trello's core features revolve around boards (projects), lists (workflow stages), and cards (tasks). Cards support checklists with progress bars, due dates with reminders, color labels, file attachments, comments with @mentions, and custom fields (available on paid tiers). Power-Ups extend Trello's functionality with 200+ integrations including Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Jira, Salesforce, Zapier, Mailchimp, and Dropbox. Butler automation provides no-code rules (trigger-action), scheduled commands (run on a timer), card buttons (custom actions on cards), and board buttons (actions on the board). Timeline view (added in 2023) provides basic Gantt-style functionality with dependency arrows. Dashboard view shows bar and pie charts from card data. Workspace view gives an overview of all boards in a workspace. Limitations: no native time tracking (requires third-party Power-Up like Toggl), no dependency management between cards on free tier, no resource allocation or workload views, reporting is minimal with no custom report builder, and the Kanban-only structure breaks down for projects requiring Gantt charts, nested subtasks, or capacity planning. Atlassian has been migrating Trello behind Atlassian accounts, adding friction for non-Jira users.
| Free plan | 10 boards, unlimited cards |
| Starting paid price | $5/user/mo (Standard), $10/user/mo (Premium) |
| Views | Board (Kanban), Table, Calendar, Map |
| Automation | Butler (built-in no-code automation) |
| Power-Ups | 100+ integrations |
| Checklists | ✅ Yes |
| Labels | ✅ Yes |
| API access | ✅ Yes |
| Integrations | Slack, Google Drive, Zapier |
| Support | Community (Free), Email (Paid) |
Pricing
Trello offers four tiers. Free: unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, unlimited Power-Ups (one per board), 10 MB file upload limit, and basic Butler automation (50 command runs per month). Standard: $5/user/month annually ($6 monthly) — unlimited boards, 5,000 Butler automation runs per month, 250 MB uploads, advanced checklists, and saved searches. Premium: $10/user/month annually ($12.50 monthly) — adds Timeline, Dashboard, and Calendar views, unlimited Butler runs, 1 GB uploads, and dashboard collections. Enterprise: $17.50/user/month annually ($21 monthly) — adds SSO (SAML), org-wide permissions, unlimited workspaces, and Atlassian Access. Free plan is permanent with no time limit. No separate trial — upgrade from Free anytime.
Final Verdict
4.0/5. Trello remains the best Kanban tool for small teams and personal task management. The free tier with unlimited cards is genuinely generous, and the learning curve is near-zero — new users are productive within minutes. Drawbacks: anything beyond simple board workflows requires paid tiers, no dependency tracking between cards, no time tracking, and reporting is essentially absent beyond basic dashboard charts. Best for freelancers, small teams, and content pipelines — not complex multi-project management with dependencies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Trello worth it in 2026?
For simple Kanban workflows and personal task management, yes. Trello's free tier with unlimited cards and 10 boards is hard to beat for basic task tracking. For teams needing dependencies, Gantt charts, time tracking, resource management, or custom reporting, Trello is insufficient — look at Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com instead for those capabilities.
How much does Trello cost?
Trello Free is $0 with unlimited cards and 10 boards per workspace. Standard is $5/user/month annually with unlimited boards and Butler automation. Premium is $10/user/month with Timeline and Dashboard views. Enterprise is $17.50/user/month. Annual billing saves about 15%.
What are the best Trello alternatives?
Asana handles complex projects with dependencies, timelines, and portfolio management. ClickUp adds docs, time tracking, whiteboards, and 15+ views. Monday.com provides color-coded visual tracking with stronger automation. Notion blends Kanban with wikis and databases. GitHub Projects works well for software teams already on GitHub.
Does Trello offer a free trial or free plan?
Yes. Trello's Free plan is permanent with unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, one Power-Up per board, and basic Butler automation. No credit card required. Paid plans can be upgraded from Free anytime without a separate trial period.