Kanban Tool vs Trello

Kanban Tool

• Teams that run kanban with WIP limits and flow metrics
• Organizations that must keep board data on their own servers
• Two-person teams whose work fits on the free plan's 2 boards

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

Kanban Tool

• The Free plan is limited to 2 boards and 2 users and has no file attachments.
• Time tracking, process automation and user groups are only on the Enterprise plan at $11 per user / month.
• The pricing page shows one per-user monthly price; annual billing exists, but its price is not listed.
• Kanban Tool On-Site is sold in 10-user annual license packs, with pricing only on request.

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.

Kanban Tool

Kanban boards with swimlanes

Work is shown as cards on boards with horizontal swimlanes, work-in-progress limits, collapsible columns and predefined, customizable board templates.

Real-time collaboration

Board changes appear across team devices as they happen, with comments, task assignments, email notifications and due date reminders.

Flow analytics

A cumulative flow diagram, cycle time reports and breakdown charts show where work is piling up. Board analytics are included on every plan.

Time tracking and automation

The Enterprise plan adds time tracking with time reports and process automation. Recurring and postponed tasks with reminders are also listed.

Power-Ups

More than 30 optional Power-Ups add an interactive calendar, task dependencies, card covers, checklists and developer tools for custom styles and scripts.

AI Assistant

The assistant builds a board from a description of the work and suggests checklist items and tasks, using an OpenAI integration.

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.

Kanban Tool

• Free$0

  2 boards and 2 users, without file attachments.

• Team$6

  per user / month; annual billing also offered, price not listed

  Unlimited boards and file attachments, with real-time board updates and board analytics.

• Enterprise$11

  per user / month; annual billing also offered, price not listed

  Everything in Team, plus time tracking and reporting, user groups management and process automation.

• Kanban Tool On-SiteCustom

  The Enterprise product installed on your own server, sold in 10-user annual license packs with pricing on request.

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.

Kanban Tool

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit pricing on request

  Kanban Tool says it gives significant discounts to non-profit organizations. The amount is not published and is arranged by contacting the company.

• Education

  Educational pricing on request

  Educational organizations are offered discounted pricing on the same terms: no published rate, arranged by contacting the company.

• Other savings

  Reduced pricing above 50 users

  The support pages state that accounts with more than 50 users get reduced pricing, arranged with the sales team.

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.