What it is
Trello is a kanban board tool: lists of cards you drag between columns, with checklists, due dates, attachments and comments on each card.
It has resisted becoming a platform, which in a category obsessed with feature expansion is a genuine virtue.
It is what I recommend to small teams who tried ClickUp and gave up, and to anybody whose workflow is genuinely a sequence of stages.
What it does
Boards, lists and cards, understood without instruction by anybody who has ever seen a whiteboard with sticky notes.
Checklists, due dates, labels and attachments cover the detail most small tasks need.
Power-Ups add calendar views, time tracking and integrations, though each one you add erodes the simplicity you came for.
Automation through Butler handles repetitive board actions with plain-language rules, which is surprisingly capable for a tool this simple.
Who it's for
Features
Pros and cons
Pricing
| PLAN | WHAT YOU GET | WORTH IT FOR |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Unlimited cards, ten boards per workspace. | Most small teams. |
| Standard | Unlimited boards, advanced checklists, more automation. | Growing teams. |
| Premium | Timeline, calendar, dashboard views. | Teams needing oversight. |
| Enterprise | Controls and permissions at scale. | Large organisations. |
The free tier is sufficient for most small teams, and cheaper than every alternative at the paid tiers.
Free, unless you need more than ten boards or a timeline view. Most small teams never do.
Alternatives
My verdict
Trello is underrated because it is simple, and simplicity is exactly what most small teams need. Nobody has ever needed training to use it, and a tool people use beats a better tool they abandon.
Its limits are real: no portfolio oversight, minimal reporting, and boards proliferate until nobody knows which is current. If you manage multiple projects with dependencies, you will outgrow it.
For a team of three tracking work through stages, this and the free tier is where I would start, and many teams should never leave.
Try Trello →Who should use it
Who should avoid it
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Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the price you pay. It also does not decide what appears on this page: I recommend tools with no affiliate programme just as readily, and leave off tools with generous ones when they do not deserve the space.