Monday.com vs Trello: Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing the right project management tool can dramatically improve your team’s productivity and collaboration. Both monday.com and Trello are popular platforms, but they serve different needs and work styles.
This article breaks down their features, strengths, and ideal use cases to help you decide which tool is the best fit for your team.
📋 Quick Comparison Table
Feature | monday.com | Trello |
---|---|---|
Interface Style | Table, Kanban, Gantt, Calendar | Primarily Kanban |
Customization | High (custom columns, automations) | Moderate (Power-Ups, labels) |
Automations | Advanced & built-in | Limited, via Power-Ups |
Dashboards | Yes, with charts & KPIs | No native dashboards |
Reporting & Analytics | Built-in | Requires third-party Power-Ups |
Integrations | 200+ native & custom | Power-Ups (some paid) |
User Permissions | Granular control | Basic board-level control |
Best For | Teams of all sizes and industries | Small teams or simple projects |
Free Plan | Yes (limited features) | Yes (more generous for basics) |
🧱 monday.com Overview
monday.com is a Work OS (Work Operating System) designed to help teams manage projects, workflows, and operations through highly customizable boards, columns, and views.
Key Strengths:
- Multiple Views: Kanban, Gantt, Timeline, Calendar, Workload, etc.
- Automation Recipes: Drag-and-drop automation builder.
- Dynamic Dashboards: Combine widgets, KPIs, and charts from multiple boards.
- Highly Customizable: 30+ column types, custom workflows, and integrations.
💡 Ideal for teams that need robust project tracking, team collaboration, and operational management.
🗂️ Trello Overview
Trello is a simple, card-based project management app built around the Kanban system. It’s ideal for visual task tracking, especially for individuals and small teams.
Key Strengths:
- Intuitive UI: Drag-and-drop cards across columns.
- Fast Setup: Start organizing projects in minutes.
- Power-Ups: Add functionality like calendar view, integrations, and custom fields.
- Collaborative: Easy to share and manage boards with team members.
💡 Great for lightweight task tracking, personal to-do lists, and agile teams.
🧠 Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
🛠️ Customization
- monday.com offers deep customization via columns, statuses, dependencies, and automation workflows.
- Trello uses Power-Ups to expand functionality, but requires configuration and sometimes paid add-ons.
📊 Reporting and Analytics
- monday.com: Native dashboards with real-time reports, charts, and widgets.
- Trello: Lacks built-in analytics; needs Power-Ups like Dashcards or third-party tools.
🔄 Automation
- monday.com: Prebuilt and custom automation flows with actions across boards, time triggers, and status changes.
- Trello: Uses Butler, a basic automation tool for simple rules like moving cards or setting due dates.
🔗 Integrations
- monday.com: Over 200+ native integrations (Slack, Google Workspace, MS Teams, Jira, Salesforce, etc.)
- Trello: Integrations via Power-Ups, often limited or behind a paywall.
💼 When to Choose monday.com
Choose monday.com if you:
- Need structured workflows across departments
- Want in-depth analytics and reporting
- Rely on automations and custom triggers
- Manage complex projects or multiple teams
- Need flexibility across views (Table, Gantt, Calendar, Kanban)
🧾 When to Choose Trello
Choose Trello if you:
- Are a small team or individual managing simple tasks
- Prefer Kanban-style task boards
- Don’t need detailed reporting or automation
- Want an easy and quick tool for daily task management
💰 Pricing Comparison (as of 2025)
Plan Tier | monday.com | Trello |
---|---|---|
Free | Up to 2 seats (limited features) | Unlimited users (basic Kanban only) |
Basic/Standard | From $8/user/month | From $5/user/month |
Pro | $16/user/month (advanced features) | $10/user/month |
Enterprise | Custom pricing | Custom pricing |
Note: Features vary significantly between tiers on both platforms.
🧠 Final Thoughts
Choose… | If You Need… |
---|---|
monday.com | Flexibility, automation, dashboards, scalability |
Trello | Simplicity, visual task tracking, fast setup |