Kanban Zone vs Trello (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Kanban Zone if

• Fits if you run work as Kanban and want flow metrics
• Works for teams that want boards connected across projects

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you stay on Navigator, which has 10 boards, 10 automations and 10 AI credits a month
• Pricey if you use AI heavily, as AI Packs are $29 to $139 a month on top
• Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a trial is listed
• Not for you if you want phone or desktop apps, as none were found
• Watch out: plans also cap API calls

Pick Trello if

• Fits if you plan your work as cards moving across a board, alone or in a small team
• Works for groups of up to 10 who want to share a Workspace without paying

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you want a timeline, calendar or table view, as those need Premium at $10 a user a month
• Tight if you're staying free: 10 boards, 10 collaborators, 10MB a file and 250 command runs a month
• Too light for work where one task blocks another, since no dependencies or time tracking are on record
• Skip it if you want AI features or the full Planner for free, as both start on Standard at $5
• Watch out: Enterprise's $17.50 a user is an estimate that changes with user count, and it's billed annually

Kanban Zone

• Plans are sold per license with limits on boards, automations, AI credits and API calls.
• AI Packs are extra: $29 for 250 credits, $79 for 750 and $139 for 1,500, each per month.
• The pricing page shows yearly-billed figures with a 20% saving; no monthly rate is displayed in the text we read.
• No desktop or mobile apps were found; the site describes a responsive web design.

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 Zone

Flow metrics

Advanced metrics include cumulative flow, cycle time, throughput, arrival rate, flow efficiency and abandoned effort.

Connected boards and portfolio views

Boards can be linked and mirrored across teams, with organization and portfolio views and table, list and calendar layouts.

Automation and AI agents

Board automations and AI agents work inside cards, with monthly AI credits that vary by plan. A page covers connecting to Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini through MCP.

Service level expectations

Boards support service level expectations, classes of service, custom fields, card templates and recurring cards.

Integrations and API

Zapier and Make connections, an API with webhooks, card creation by email and a Trello import are listed.

Templates for methods and teams

Ready-made boards cover Scrum, Waterfall, GTD, OKR, Flight Levels and business uses such as hiring or sales leads.

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 Zone

• Navigator$8.80

  per license / month, billed yearly

  10 boards, 10 automations, 10 AI credits a month, 25 free guests, email support. $105.60 per license a year.

• Coordinator$16.80

  per license / month, billed yearly

  100 boards, automations and AI credits, 25 to 250 free guests, email and call support. $201.60 per license a year.

• Operator$24.80

  per license / month, billed yearly

  500 boards, automations and AI credits, 50 to 500 free guests, direct support, 10-year data retention. $297.60 a year.

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 Zone

• Annual discount

  20% off with yearly billing

  The pricing page says yearly plans include a 20% discount, and plans can be switched between monthly and yearly at any time.

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.