Basecamp vs Trello
We give Basecamp a 3.6 GPA and Trello a 3.8, out of 4.0. Basecamp grades higher on ease of use. Trello grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Basecamp
Flat-priced project management with chat, to-dos and files
Trello
Kanban boards with an inbox, planner and built-in automation
How we grade them
| 3.6GPABasecampExcellent | 3.8GPATrelloExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BFreelancer is a flat $25 a month for up to 20 users. Fill it and it's far cheaper per head than the $8 or so a user that's typical here. With one or two of you it's dear. And it only covers 3 active projects. Need 10 and it's Studio at $59. | AStandard is $5 a user a month billed annually, or $6 monthly, which is the cheap end of this category. It brings unlimited boards, AI features, the full Planner and custom fields. Premium doubles it to $10 for the extra views. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for personal use with no credit card, but it's a single project with 1 GB of storage and up to 5 users. Enough to see how it works, not enough to run a business on. Paid plans get a 30-day trial. | AFree for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, with up to 10 boards, unlimited cards and unlimited Power-Ups. A small team could stay here for good. The limits you'll feel are 10MB per file and 250 automation command runs a month. |
| Features | AEach project gets a message board, to-do lists, kanban-style Card Tables, Campfire chat, a schedule and file storage. Hill Charts show where work stands, the Lineup plots every project on a timeline, and client mode controls what clients see. | ABoards, lists and cards, an Inbox that catches to-dos from email and Slack, a Planner that brings your calendar in, built-in automation and Power-Ups. Premium adds Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views, some of them spanning boards. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 20,900 App Store ratings. Every project gets the same page of tools, so once you've seen one you've seen them all. | B4.3 from about 7,000 App Store ratings, which is a B on our ladder. The idea itself is as simple as they come: a card moves from one list to the next. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. There's a public API, and it links up with Zapier, Unito and Zoho Flow, plus time trackers like Harvest, Toggl, Clockify and Everhour. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Power-Ups link boards to Slack, Jira, Miro, Microsoft Teams and Gmail, there's a public API, and an MCP server connects Trello to AI tools. |
| Best for | flat-fee projects with clients in the room | simple kanban boards for small teams |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Basecamp and Trello. How we grade
Where they differ
- Basecamp starts at $25 per month, flat rate for up to 20 users (Freelancer). Trello starts at $5 per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly).
- Basecamp also covers templates and time tracking.
- Trello also covers Gantt & timelines and workflow automation.
At a glance
| Basecamp | Trello | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per month, flat rate for up to 20 users (Freelancer) | $5 per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Free plan for personal use: 1 project, 1 GB of storage and up to 5 users. No credit card required. | Free for up to 10 collaborators per Workspace: up to 10 boards, unlimited cards, Inbox, unlimited Power-Ups, 10MB per file and 250 automation command runs a month. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial on Freelancer, Studio and Pro; 45 days on Unlimited Edition. No credit card required. | 14-day free trial of Trello Premium for any Workspace |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | 37signals LLC | Atlassian |
| Price read from | basecamp.com | trello.com |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Basecamp
- Agencies and studios that bring clients into projects
- Teams that prefer a flat monthly fee to per-user pricing
- Companies replacing separate chat, file and task tools
Trello
- Individuals and small teams that plan work on kanban boards
- Groups of up to 10 collaborators sharing a free Workspace
- Teams already using Jira or other Atlassian products
Worth knowing
Basecamp
- Paid plans are limited by active projects: 3 on Freelancer, 10 on Studio and 25 on Pro.
- The Free plan covers a single project with 1 GB of storage and 5 users.
- Every person added counts as a user, clients included, and Freelancer is capped at 20 users.
- Unlimited Edition is billed annually only, and a paid plan cannot be downgraded to the Free plan.
Trello
- The Free plan is capped at 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace, with 10MB per file.
- Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views are only on Premium and Enterprise.
- AI features and full Planner access start on the Standard plan.
- The Enterprise price is an estimate that depends on user count, and the plan is billed annually.
Key features
Basecamp
- Message Board
- Announcements and discussions are kept as posts inside each project, intended as a replacement for internal email.
- To-dos and Card Tables
- To-do lists support assignees, due dates, attachments and subtasks. Card Tables are Basecamp's version of kanban boards.
- Campfire chat
- Group chat is built into Basecamp, so a team does not need a separate chat app alongside its projects.
- Schedule and Lineup
- A per-project calendar holds deadlines, milestones and events, and the Lineup plots every project on a timeline by start and end date.
- Hill Charts and Automatic Check-ins
- Hill Charts show where a piece of work stands, and Automatic Check-ins ask the team recurring questions on a set schedule.
- Client mode
- Clients can be brought into a project, with control over what they can and cannot see, project by project.
Trello
- Boards, lists and cards
- Work is laid out as cards in lists on a board. Cards are unlimited on every plan; the Free plan allows up to 10 boards per Workspace.
- Inbox
- Captures to-dos from email, Slack and other sources into a personal Inbox. It is included on the Free plan.
- Planner
- Brings a synced calendar into Trello so blocks of focus time can be set aside for work. Full Planner access starts on the Standard plan.
- Automation
- Built-in automation is metered by Workspace command runs: 250 a month on Free, 1,000 on Standard and unlimited on Premium.
- Premium views
- Premium adds Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views, including Workspace-level views that span boards.
- Power-Ups and integrations
- Power-Ups link boards to other tools, with unlimited Power-Ups per board on every plan. An MCP server connects Trello to AI tools.
Plans
Basecamp
Free$0
One project for personal use, 1 GB of storage and up to 5 users.
Freelancer$25
per month, flat rate
Up to 3 active projects, 5 GB of storage and up to 20 users, with no per-user fees.
Studio$59
per month, flat rate
Up to 10 active projects, 25 GB of storage and unlimited users.
Pro$99
per month, flat rate
Up to 25 active projects, 100 GB of storage and unlimited users.
Unlimited Edition$299
per month, billed annually
Unlimited projects and users, 1,000 GB of storage, priority support and personalized onboarding.
Trello
Free$0
Up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace, unlimited cards and Power-Ups, and 250 command runs a month.
Standard$5
per user / month, billed annually ($6 billed monthly)
Unlimited boards, AI features, full Planner, card mirroring, custom fields, 250MB per file and 1,000 command runs a month.
Premium$10
per user / month, billed annually ($12.50 billed monthly)
Adds Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views, unlimited command runs, and admin and security controls.
Enterprise$17.50
per user / month, billed annually ($210 per user a year)
Estimated price that depends on user count. Adds unlimited Workspaces, organization-wide permissions and Atlassian Guard Standard.
Ways to pay less
Basecamp
- Nonprofit
10% off for registered nonprofits
Basecamp's pricing FAQ gives registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits 10% off after verification.
- Education
Free for classroom use
Basecamp is free for K-12 schools, homeschoolers and universities as long as it is used for class work only.
Trello
- Annual discount
Lower per-user price with annual billing
Standard is $5 per user / month billed annually against $6 monthly (about 17% less), and Premium is $10 against $12.50 (20% less).
- Nonprofit
Atlassian nonprofit discount covers Trello
Trello's pricing FAQ confirms a nonprofit community discount. Atlassian's nonprofit program lists 50-100% off its apps, Trello included, for eligible organizations.
- Education
50% off for academic institutions
Atlassian's licensing page lists academic licenses at 50% off Trello Standard, Premium and Enterprise, and classroom licenses for students and teachers at 75% off Standard and Premium.
