Monday.com is a comprehensive work operating system with advanced automation and reporting for complex teams, while Trello is a lightweight, visual card-based tool designed for simplicity and quick adoption. Monday.com costs 2-3x more but offers significantly more features, whereas Trello excels at ease-of-use for small teams and straightforward workflows.
Monday.com vs Trello — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Intuitive, visual project management platform optimized for quick implementation and ease of use.
Visual, card-based task management platform enabling teams to organize work using customizable boards.
Starting Price per User/Month. Automation Rules (Free Plan). Custom Fields Available. Timeline/Gantt Chart View. Learning Curve (Days to Proficiency). API Rate Limit (requests/min). Team Size Best Suited
Choose Monday.com if your team manages complex projects with multiple dependencies, needs advanced reporting/dashboards, and operates with 10+ people across departments. Choose Trello if you prioritize simplicity, have a small team (under 15 people), work on straightforward workflows, and want to get started in minutes without extensive training.
Monday.com: Highly Customizable | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Small to Enterprise | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Template automation, board sync | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Limited native capabilities | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Good with templates | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Kanban, Timeline, Map, Calendar, Board, List | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Mid-size to enterprise | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 6/10 (predefined views only) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 9/10 (AI-powered workflows, complex rules) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 20+ users (enterprise focus) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 3-5 days with templates | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 1,000 instances per template | Trello: N/A
Enterprise Governance & Permissions Granularity
Monday.com: Good permissions, less granular than Wrike | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Task-level only | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 9/10 - AI-powered automation scaling | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 20-100+ (mid-market to enterprise) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Largest platform (exact proprietary) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Cross-departmental (CRM, approvals, HR, etc.) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 9/10 - Best overall for usability | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $12/seat/month | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $19/seat/month (Pro) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $11,400 (Pro plan) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Limited, requires customization | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: High flexibility with color-coded boards | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Work OS (multi-function) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Native CRM module built-in | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Project management core | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Low complexity (intuitive) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 22% higher than ClickUp | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Unlimited | Trello: Unlimited cards
Monday.com: Board-level dashboards | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 1 core app (project management) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 500+ | Trello: 150+ Power-Ups available
Monday.com: 4.4/5 stars (3,500+ reviews) | Trello: N/A
Ease of Use Score (Average User Feedback)
Monday.com: 9.1/10 (intuitive interface) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Not included; requires integration | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Unlimited with advanced logic | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Custom automation workaround required | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 4.1★ (9,800+ reviews) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Add-on or requires custom setup | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $90+ per month (basic plan) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 700+ native integrations | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Advanced (conditional, multi-step, API-driven) | Trello: N/A
Monthly Cost (Single User, Standard Plan)
Monday.com: $40/user (Pro) | Trello: $10/user (Standard)
Monday.com: $360 (Pro at $40/user) | Trello: $99 (Standard at $10/user)
Monday.com: 10+ views (Board, Timeline, Kanban, Calendar, Org, Map, Form, Gallery, etc.) | Trello: 2 (board, list)
Monday.com: 2-4 weeks | Trello: Under 1 week
Professional Plan Price (Per User/Month)
Monday.com: Yes - dedicated workload planning | Trello: No
Monday.com: 7+ (Kanban, Gantt, Timeline, Calendar, Table, etc.) | Trello: 3 (Kanban, Calendar, Table)
Monday.com: $200-400/month | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $1,000-1,200/month | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Advanced (conditional logic, multi-step workflows) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Varies by plan (up to unlimited) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Yes (advanced with webhooks) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Unlimited (1000+) | Trello: N/A
Advanced Agile Features (Sprint Velocity Tracking)
Monday.com: Full offline functionality | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic webhook support | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Yes, full-featured with dependencies | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 60+ automations | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic capacity planning only | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Full feature parity | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: GitHub only (via Zapier) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Premium only ($12+/user) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 10 req/min | Trello: 300 req/min
Monday.com: Included in all paid plans | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 14-day trial only | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 2 GB per workspace | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 4.5/5 (38K reviews) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 6 (Kanban, Timeline, Calendar, Table, Gantt, Board) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic record linking only | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: GraphQL API + REST API | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Workflow automations, Integration hub, AI assistant | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Unlimited (all plans) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: No—limited cross-project visibility | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic timeline/roadmap view only | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $120/month (2-seat minimum = $24 + 3 additional seats) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $240/month (20 seats × $12) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 200+ pre-built automations | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 2-3 days for average user | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: File storage only, no native editing | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Limited, basic linking only | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Pro tier ($12/user) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $120 (Pro tier) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $0 after 10 seats | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 2-3 days (intuitive design) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: No (timeline/gantt only) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic via third-party (Zapier/webhooks) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 200+ templates | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Board, gantt, timeline, calendar, table, map, gallery (7 types) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $99/month (Team plan, billed annually) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 300+ endpoints (REST API) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 250+ templates | Trello: N/A
Average Onboarding Time (Non-Technical User)
Monday.com: ~2 hours to basic proficiency | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 2 team members | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic sprint board & backlog | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic (requires middleware) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Extensive visual automation builder | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $99/month (flat rate, up to 5 users) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $1,980/year (after per-seat add-ons) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Up to 200 per board | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Basic: kanban boards, lead capture forms, no scoring | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 95% parity with desktop | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: $9 per user (minimum $9/month) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 2GB file storage | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 6 primary views (board, table, timeline, map, gallery, calendar) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 2 users maximum | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 50,000+ items (tested, stable) | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: Unlimited automation recipes with conditions | Trello: N/A
Monday.com: 2 GB per file | Trello: 10 MB per attachment
Monday.com: Unlimited | Trello: Unlimited
Monday.com: Yes, included | Trello: No, Power-Up only
Monday.com: 10-14 days | Trello: 1-2 days
Monday.com: 200+ native integrations | Trello: 100+ integrations
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Basic Kanban only, no sprints
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 1-10 users, small teams
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Minimal - intuitive interface
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Limited customization
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Basic progress tracking only
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Unlimited boards and cards
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Not natively supported
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Mobile offline access available
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Board, List, Calendar, Map
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: REST API available
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Comments, mentions, activity feed
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: $5 per user (Standard)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Yes (unlimited basic features)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Via Power-Ups only
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Strong REST API
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Same-day (hours)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Basic with Butler automation
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Emerging AI Power-Ups available
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: $17.50 per user
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: No - requires integrations
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 600+ integrations
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Checklist-based subtasks
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Low - intuitive visual interface
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 260+ Power-Ups
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: No, manual tracking only
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 12 basic fields
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 4 (timeline, calendar, map, table)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Manual board cloning required
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Free tier for unlimited users (basic features)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Up to 50 optimal
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: $5 (Standard plan)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Unlimited boards
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 1 view (kanban only)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Not supported; single-view kanban only
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Full kanban interaction, card editing, and comments
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: No - descriptions only, requires Power-Ups
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: $5 (Standard) - $17.50 (Business)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 5-15 minutes (create board, add cards, invite team)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 5 (calendar, timeline, table, map, dashboard)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Limited kanban/scrum with Butler rules
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 240+ Power-Ups available
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Unlimited in free tier
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Full features (1 board, unlimited cards)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 200+ Power-Ups
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 1 (cards only)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: REST (mature, well-documented)
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Basic keyword search only
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: 20+ shortcuts available
Monday.com: N/A | Trello: Full offline functionality
How to choose between Monday.com and Trello
Monday.com vs Trello — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Monday.com vs Trello. Contains 264 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Monday.com vs Trello — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Monday.com vs Trello.
Which tool is better for a 5-person startup?
Trello is the clear winner for small teams. At 5 people, you don't need Monday.com's complexity—Trello's simplicity means your team is productive within 24 hours. You'll save $20-30/month and avoid unnecessary features. Only switch to Monday.com when you hit 12+ people managing cross-functional projects.
Can I use Trello for complex project management with dependencies?
Not effectively. Trello lacks native dependency tracking, timeline views (without paid add-ons), and resource allocation tools. Monday.com is purpose-built for this with built-in Gantt charts, task dependencies, and workload management. If you need to track which tasks block other tasks, Monday.com is required.
How much more expensive is Monday.com really?
For a 10-person team: Trello costs $50/month (at $5/user) while Monday.com costs $90/month (at $9/user) on base plans. On Pro tiers, the gap widens to $100 vs $150. However, Monday.com can eliminate the need for separate tools (reporting software, time tracking), potentially offsetting the premium.
Monday.com dominates with unlimited automation rules on all plans—you can build complex conditional workflows without coding. Trello's free plan has zero native automation; paid plans have limited capabilities. For repetitive task processes, Monday.com saves your team hours per week through automation that Trello cannot match.
Can I migrate from Trello to Monday.com later?
Yes, but it requires manual effort. Both platforms support CSV export/import, but Monday.com's richer field structure means you'll lose some data nuance in the transfer. If you think you'll outgrow Trello within 6 months, consider starting with Monday.com—the switching cost and data loss isn't worth the initial savings.
How to Choose Between Monday.com and Trello
Starting Price per User/Month: Monday.com has $9, while Trello has $5.
Automation Rules (Free Plan): Monday.com has Unlimited, while Trello has 0.
Custom Fields Available: Monday.com has 50+, while Trello has Limited (via Power-Ups).
Timeline/Gantt Chart View: Monday.com has Native built-in, while Trello has Requires premium Power-Up ($5/mo extra).
Consider: Learning Curve (Days to Proficiency)
Learning Curve (Days to Proficiency): Monday.com has 7-14 days, while Trello has 1-2 days.
API Rate Limit (requests/min): Monday.com has 10, while Trello has 300.
Team Size Best Suited: Monday.com has 10-500+ employees, while Trello has 2-15 person teams.