monday.com and Trello both start as free board-based tools, but they are built for different jobs. Trello is a lightweight, card-based Kanban tool for teams…
| monday.com | Trello | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Project Management | Project Management |
| Rating | Not documented | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | Free (limited); paid plans from about $9/seat/month (annual) | Free (paid plans from $5/user/month) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not documented | Not documented |
| Platforms | Not documented | Not documented |
| Team collaboration | Yes | Not documented |
| AI features | Yes | Yes |
| Public API | Not documented | Not documented |
Core product scope
monday.com: monday.com is a work operating system with separate Work Management, CRM, Service, and Dev product lines sharing one platform.
Trello: Trello is a single Kanban-style board product with card mirroring and automation.
Determines whether a buyer is choosing one focused tool or a platform meant to cover multiple functions under one vendor.
Free plan limits
monday.com: monday.com's free tier is capped at 2 seats and 3 boards.
Trello: Trello's free plan supports up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace.
Determines how long a small team can operate on the free tier before being forced to upgrade.
Entry-level paid pricing
monday.com: monday.com Basic starts at $9 per seat/month, billed annually.
Trello: Trello Standard starts at $5 per user/month, billed annually.
Nearly double the per-seat cost at the entry tier matters for budget-conscious small teams.
Automation model
monday.com: monday.com uses an AI credit system with monthly allotments that scale by tier for automation and AI agent features.
Trello: Trello has Butler automation with unlimited runs on Premium and above.
Credit-based automation can create usage limits during high-volume months, while unlimited Butler runs on Premium+ avoids metering concerns.
View types
monday.com: Not documented in the provided facts.
Trello: Calendar, Timeline, Table, and Map views on top of the same card data, available on Premium and above.
Multiple view types let teams and stakeholders see the same data as a calendar, timeline, or map without re-entering it.
Cross-board task sync
monday.com: Not documented in the provided facts.
Trello: Card mirroring keeps a single task in sync across multiple boards without manual duplication.
Removes manual copy-paste work for tasks that belong to more than one board or project.
Customization scope
monday.com: Customizable boards adaptable to different team workflows across multiple product lines.
Trello: Customizable Kanban-style boards where cards move across lists to represent task progress.
Both are customizable, but monday.com's customization spans multiple product lines while Trello's is scoped to Kanban boards.
Top-tier pricing and ecosystem
monday.com: monday.com Pro is listed at $19 per seat/month, billed annually.
Trello: Trello Enterprise is $17.50 per user/month, billed annually, and as an Atlassian product includes Atlassian Guard Standard.
Buyers already invested in the Atlassian ecosystem may value Trello Enterprise's security add-on and vendor alignment.
Documented AI features
monday.com: monday.com explicitly documents an AI credit system tied to automation and AI agent features.
Trello: Trello's provided facts document Butler as a rule-based automation engine, with no AI-credit system detailed.
Buyers wanting documented AI-driven automation should note this distinction rather than relying on the shared ai tag alone.
| Feature | monday.com | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Customizable boards | Available | Available |
| Kanban-style board layout | Not documented | Available |
| Calendar, Timeline, Table, and Map views | Not documented | Limited |
| Feature | monday.com | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Rule-based automation (Butler) | Not documented | Available |
| AI credit-based automation | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | monday.com | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Card or task mirroring across boards | Not documented | Available |
| Multiple product lines on one platform (CRM, Service, Dev) | Available | Not documented |
| Feature | monday.com | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Available | Available |
| Entry-level paid tier | Available | Available |
| Top-tier plan | Available | Available |
| Feature | monday.com | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Part of a larger software suite | Not documented | Available |
| Dedicated CRM product | Available | Not documented |
| Dedicated dev-team product | Available | Not documented |
| Advanced security add-on at top tier | Not documented | Available |
| Feature | monday.com | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Marketed with AI capabilities | Available | Available |
| Freemium pricing model | Available | Available |
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Trello is cheaper at the entry paid tier, with Standard at $5 per user/month billed annually compared to monday.com Basic at $9 per seat/month billed annually; at the top listed tier, Trello Enterprise at $17.50 per user/month is also less than monday.com Pro at $19 per seat/month.
Trello's free plan is more usable for small teams since it supports up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace, while monday.com's free tier is capped at just 2 seats and 3 boards, functioning more as a trial.
monday.com includes customizable boards similar in concept to Trello's boards, but the provided facts do not document Kanban-specific list-and-card mechanics or card mirroring as monday.com features.
Not based on documented facts; Trello's facts describe board views, card mirroring, and Butler automation, with no dedicated CRM or dev-team product line, while monday.com explicitly offers separate CRM and Dev products.
Yes, Trello is an Atlassian product, and its Enterprise tier includes Atlassian Guard Standard.
Yes, monday.com offers Work Management, CRM, Service, and Dev as separate product lines with their own pricing, sharing the same underlying platform.
Read the full monday.com review · Read the full Trello review