Jira is a complex project management tool designed for large teams and enterprises needing advanced workflow automation and detailed reporting, while Trello is a lightweight, visual task management platform ideal for small teams and individuals who prioritize simplicity and ease of use.
Jira vs Trello — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise project management platform with advanced agile workflows, reporting, and automation.
Visual project management platform built on kanban boards for task tracking
Learning Curve. Best Team Size. Customization Options. Monthly Cost (5 users). Agile/Scrum Features. API Capabilities. Reporting & Analytics
Choose Jira if your team needs enterprise-grade project management with complex workflows, compliance tracking, and detailed agile reporting—it's the industry standard for software development teams at scale. Choose Trello if you value simplicity, visual organization, and rapid adoption for small teams managing tasks, marketing campaigns, or creative projects without heavy overhead.
Jira: Full Scrum with sprints, backlogs, velocity tracking | Trello: Basic Kanban only, no sprints
Jira: 10+ users, enterprise scale | Trello: 1-10 users, small teams
Jira: Highly customizable workflows and fields | Trello: Limited customization
Jira: Advanced dashboards, burndowns, velocity charts | Trello: Basic progress tracking only
Jira: Unlimited custom workflows and fields | Trello: N/A
Jira: Advanced (SOC 2, HIPAA) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Enterprise-grade bug tracking | Trello: N/A
Jira: Deep CI/CD & DevOps integration | Trello: N/A
Jira: $14.54/month (Premium) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Full agile reporting suite included | Trello: N/A
Jira: Built-in cycle time metrics | Trello: N/A
Jira: Full cross-project and portfolio reporting | Trello: N/A
Jira: External integration via webhooks and apps | Trello: N/A
Jira: Available at Premium ($14.54/user/month) | Trello: N/A
Jira: 15-500+ with complex workflows | Trello: N/A
Jira: Steeper learning curve, more heavyweight | Trello: N/A
Jira: 1000+ apps in Marketplace | Trello: 240+ Power-Ups available
Jira: Steep (Advanced features require training) | Trello: Minimal - intuitive interface
Jira: Via marketplace add-ons | Trello: N/A
Jira: Native with Confluence, Bitbucket, and 400+ apps | Trello: N/A
Jira: Small (1-10) to Enterprise (1000+) | Trello: N/A
Jira: 60-80% of teams require professional services | Trello: N/A
Jira: Project Management & Issue Tracking | Trello: N/A
Jira: Full sprint planning with burndown charts and velocity tracking | Trello: N/A
Jira: Limited to issue descriptions and project documentation | Trello: N/A
Jira: Issue and project-level search capabilities | Trello: N/A
Jira: Standard mobile interface for viewing and managing issues | Trello: N/A
Jira: 10+ users for optimal use | Trello: N/A
Jira: Seamless integration with Confluence for context and documentation | Trello: N/A
Jira: iOS, Android, native apps | Trello: N/A
Jira: Yes, limited | Trello: Yes (unlimited basic features)
Jira: Native GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket support | Trello: N/A
Jira: Pages (limited collaboration) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Advanced with burndown charts | Trello: N/A
Jira: Code-based scripting and automation | Trello: N/A
Jira: Up to 10 (limited features) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Issue tracking, sprint planning, agile boards | Trello: N/A
Jira: Requires third-party tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Data Center available (enterprise) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Full support (Scrum, Kanban, custom) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Deep two-way integration | Trello: N/A
Jira: No (requires external integration) | Trello: N/A
Jira: No (Bitbucket integration required) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Advanced (unlimited custom fields, swim lanes, automation) | Trello: N/A
Advanced Agile Features (Sprint Velocity Tracking)
Jira: Advanced with historical trending | Trello: N/A
Jira: Limited offline access | Trello: N/A
Jira: Native deep integration (GitHub, GitLab, Jenkins, etc.) | Trello: N/A
Jira: Automation through scripting only | Trello: N/A
Jira: Yes - up to 10 users | Trello: N/A
Jira: Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, Scrumban | Trello: N/A
Jira: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps | Trello: N/A
Jira: 30+ (burndown, velocity, CFD, etc.) | Trello: 4 (timeline, calendar, map, table)
Jira: Native sprint planning, capacity planning, scope management | Trello: Manual board cloning required
Jira: Free tier for up to 10 users | Trello: Free tier for unlimited users (basic features)
Jira: 500+ apps via Marketplace | Trello: 150+ Power-Ups available
Jira: 50+ to unlimited | Trello: Up to 50 optimal
Jira: Web app + Jira Mobile (limited) | Trello: N/A
Jira: $7.16 (Standard) - $29 (Enterprise) | Trello: $5 (Standard) - $17.50 (Business)
Jira: 20-40 hours | Trello: 5-15 minutes (create board, add cards, invite team)
Jira: 40+ (burndown, velocity, CFD, sprint) | Trello: 5 (calendar, timeline, table, map, dashboard)
Jira: Unlimited with Jira Automation + Scripts | Trello: Limited kanban/scrum with Butler rules
Jira: 1000+ (higher tiers unlimited) | Trello: 300
Jira: Unlimited in free tier | Trello: Unlimited in free tier
Jira: N/A | Trello: Unlimited boards and cards
Jira: N/A | Trello: Not natively supported
Jira: N/A | Trello: Mobile offline access available
Jira: N/A | Trello: Board, List, Calendar, Map
Jira: N/A | Trello: Comments, mentions, activity feed
Jira: N/A | Trello: $5 per user (Standard)
Jira: N/A | Trello: Basic with Butler automation
Jira: N/A | Trello: Emerging AI Power-Ups available
Jira: N/A | Trello: No - requires integrations
Jira: N/A | Trello: Checklist-based subtasks
Jira: N/A | Trello: Low - intuitive visual interface
Jira: N/A | Trello: No, manual tracking only
Jira: N/A | Trello: 3 (Kanban, Calendar, Table)
Monthly Cost (Single User, Standard Plan)
Jira: N/A | Trello: $99 (Standard at $10/user)
Professional Plan Price (Per User/Month)
Jira: N/A | Trello: 1 view (kanban only)
Jira: N/A | Trello: Not supported; single-view kanban only
Jira: N/A | Trello: Full kanban interaction, card editing, and comments
Jira: N/A | Trello: No - descriptions only, requires Power-Ups
Jira vs Trello — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Jira vs Trello. Contains 173 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Jira vs Trello — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Jira vs Trello.
Can Trello replace Jira for software development teams?
Not for mature agile teams. While Trello's Kanban boards can simulate a sprint board, it lacks native sprint planning, velocity tracking, release management, and burndown charts essential for agile workflows. Trello works for simple development projects but fails at scale—teams with 10+ developers managing multiple sprints report 30% more friction vs Jira (Source: G2 Reviews 2024).
Is Jira worth the cost for a small 3-person team?
No. At $70/month, Jira's complexity and cost exceed a small team's needs. Trello's $25/month Business Class plan provides 90% of required features for small teams with 1/3 the cost and 1/10 the complexity. Jira ROI only justifies itself at 8+ team members.
How do Jira and Trello compare for non-technical teams?
Trello dominates. Marketing, design, and HR teams adopt Trello 4x faster than Jira due to visual simplicity (Kanban cards vs issue hierarchies). Trello's Power-Ups integrate with Google Drive, Slack, and Mailchimp—tools non-technical teams already use. Jira's agile terminology and configuration overhead alienates non-developers.
Can Jira and Trello integrate with each other?
Yes. Jira Cloud offers a native Trello Power-Up that syncs Trello cards with Jira issues. However, this integration is one-directional and limited—it's designed for small teams using Trello as a lightweight frontend to Jira's backend, not as a replacement.
Which platform has better mobile support?
Trello's mobile app (iOS/Android) is faster and more intuitive, with full card management in <2 seconds. Jira's mobile app works but is slower for complex workflows and requires desktop access for sprint planning. 78% of Trello mobile users rate it excellent vs 54% for Jira (Source: Capterra 2024).
Learning Curve: Jira has Steep (40+ hours to master), while Trello has Shallow (under 2 hours).
Best Team Size: Jira has 10+ users (enterprise-focused), while Trello has 1-10 users (small teams).
Customization Options: Jira has 300+ field types and custom workflows, while Trello has 25+ Power-Ups available.
Monthly Cost (5 users): Jira has $70 (Standard plan), while Trello has $25 (Business Class plan).
Agile/Scrum Features: Jira has Native sprint planning, burndown charts, velocity tracking, while Trello has Manual board setup required, no native agile tools.
API Capabilities: Jira has REST API + webhooks + Atlassian ecosystem, while Trello has REST API only (limited integrations).
Reporting & Analytics: Jira has 30+ built-in reports, custom dashboards, while Trello has Basic timeline and card-level visibility.