Trello is a lightweight, visual task management tool best for simple projects and small teams, while ClickUp is a comprehensive all-in-one work OS with advanced features, automation, and integrations suited for complex workflows and larger organizations.
Trello vs ClickUp — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Visual project management platform built on kanban boards for task tracking
All-in-one work management platform with customizable views, unlimited features, and broad integrations.
Price (Monthly per user). Views Available. Native Automation Rules. Learning Curve (Expert Rating). Built-in Time Tracking. Custom Fields per Card. API Rate Limit
Choose Trello if you need a simple, intuitive tool for basic task management and small team collaboration with minimal setup time. Choose ClickUp if you manage complex projects, need advanced automation, multiple views, time tracking, and a centralized platform to replace multiple tools—and have time to master its depth.
Trello: Basic Kanban only, no sprints | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 1-10 users, small teams | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Minimal - intuitive interface | ClickUp: 5/10 - Moderate curve
Trello: Limited customization | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 150+ Power-Ups available | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Basic progress tracking only | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Unlimited boards and cards | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Not natively supported | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Mobile offline access available | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Board, List, Calendar, Map | ClickUp: 7+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Docs, Whiteboard)
Trello: REST API available | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Comments, mentions, activity feed | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: $5 per user (Standard) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Yes (unlimited basic features) | ClickUp: Yes, generous
Trello: Via Power-Ups only | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Basic with Butler automation | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Emerging AI Power-Ups available | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: No - requires integrations | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 600+ integrations | ClickUp: 1,000+ including native connectors
Trello: Checklist-based subtasks | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Low - intuitive visual interface | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: No, manual tracking only | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 3 (Kanban, Calendar, Table) | ClickUp: N/A
Monthly Cost (Single User, Standard Plan)
Trello: $10/user (Standard) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: $99 (Standard at $10/user) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 2 (board, list) | ClickUp: 15+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, etc.)
Professional Plan Price (Per User/Month)
Trello: 4 (timeline, calendar, map, table) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Manual board cloning required | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Free tier for unlimited users (basic features) | ClickUp: Yes, unlimited tasks but limited features
Trello: $5 (Standard plan) | ClickUp: $5 (Team), $9 (Business)
Trello: 1 view (kanban only) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Not supported; single-view kanban only | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Full kanban interaction, card editing, and comments | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: No - descriptions only, requires Power-Ups | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: $5 (Standard) - $17.50 (Business) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 5-15 minutes (create board, add cards, invite team) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 5 (calendar, timeline, table, map, dashboard) | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Limited kanban/scrum with Butler rules | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: 240+ Power-Ups available | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: Unlimited in free tier | ClickUp: N/A
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Visual timelines & Gantt
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Customizable dashboards
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Native integration
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Kanban, Timeline, Map, Calendar, Board, List
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Small to mid-size teams
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 1,000+ integrations
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: AI summaries for tasks, smart automation suggestions, AI search
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Basic docs feature; secondary to task management
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 100+ advanced templates
Base Monthly Price (Individual/Starter Plan)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $14-$33 (optional add-on)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 5 stars (Brain: Enterprise Search, AI Notetaker, Autopilot)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 20+ integrated tools in workspace
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Steep (highly customizable, many features)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes (connects to task work directly)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes (with custom roles)
Annual Cost for Full Stack (Single User with AI)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $234-$410 (base + AI)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Full-featured with most desktop functions
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 5/10 - Basic doc support
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: All-in-One Workspace
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Feature-Rich & Dense
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes, unlimited tasks
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Via Zapier - third-party automation
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 16-40 hours for full setup and customization
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Comprehensive - wiki, docs, and page builder included
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 1000+ integrations via Zapier + 200+ native
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 8+ views (list, board, calendar, timeline, table, gantt, workload, map)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Unlimited - scales to enterprise
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 14-28 days (2-4 weeks optimal)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Tasks, docs, chat, time tracking, whiteboards, AI
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: High complexity (requires customization)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Baseline comparison
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $99 (unlimited users)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 7+ views (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, Timeline, Table, Whiteboards)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 4-8 hours for optimal configuration
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Advanced dashboards, burndown charts, custom metrics across projects
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Chat and threaded comments; separate from tasks
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Full-featured mobile app with most desktop capabilities
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 10+ users; scales to enterprise
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $99 (unlimited included)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 10+ (List, Board, Calendar, Timeline, Gantt, Table, Workload, etc.)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Advanced (conditional workflows, custom triggers, multi-step automations)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 14 days (no credit card required)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Limited via webhooks
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: iOS, Android, native apps
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: List, board, timeline, calendar, table, gallery, custom
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: ClickUp Docs (full-featured)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $0 (unlimited users, core features)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes (native feature)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Chat, docs, tasks, and team collaboration
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Built-in automations and workflow builder
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Free tier available
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $9/month (Business plan)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 4.2/5 (45K reviews)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes, with timesheet reporting
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 200+ integrations
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $5 (Free plan available)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes (all paid tiers)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 1,000+ native + Zapier
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: No, basic gantt only
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes, Enterprise tier only
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 10+ (Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, Board, Table, List, Mind Map, Timeline)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: $9 (Free plan available)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes, with billable rates
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 150+ pre-built automations
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 4 types (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many, rollups)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 8-12 hours to learn core features
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes (granular role-based access, audit logs)
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: Yes, timeline view
Trello: N/A | ClickUp: 5-500 (SMB-Mid Market)
How to choose between Trello and ClickUp
Trello vs ClickUp — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Trello vs ClickUp. Contains 194 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Trello vs ClickUp — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Trello vs ClickUp.
Which is cheaper for a small team of 5 people?
Both are roughly equal in cost. Trello's Professional plan is $10/user ($50/month for 5 users), while ClickUp is $12/user ($60/month). However, Trello's free plan is unlimited for team members, whereas ClickUp limits the free plan to 2 users. For small teams just starting, Trello's free tier is better value.
Can I replace my other tools (time tracking, docs, invoicing) with just one of these?
ClickUp is designed as an all-in-one work OS and can replace time tracking, docs, goals, and basic invoicing. Trello is primarily a task/project board and requires Power-Ups and integrations for these features. ClickUp eliminates tool sprawl better, but requires more setup and training.
ClickUp's automation engine is significantly more powerful—it offers 100+ native automation rules including AI-powered suggestions, conditional logic, and complex workflows. Trello's Butler automation is basic and limited to simple trigger-action pairs. ClickUp wins decisively for teams needing sophisticated workflows.
Is Trello or ClickUp better for agile/scrum teams?
Trello's simplicity makes it excellent for basic scrum boards and sprint planning. ClickUp offers more advanced features like sprint templates, burndown charts, velocity tracking, and native time estimates. For teams practicing strict agile methodologies at scale, ClickUp is superior. For lightweight scrum, Trello suffices.
How long does it take to onboard a team on each platform?
Trello: 30 minutes to 1 hour. Most users are productive within 15-30 minutes due to the intuitive Kanban interface. ClickUp: 3-5 hours of structured training recommended. The platform has 100+ features, and teams need guided onboarding to avoid confusion and ensure proper adoption. Trello is significantly faster to deploy.
How to Choose Between Trello and ClickUp
Price (Monthly per user): Trello has $5-17.50, while ClickUp has $5-19.
Views Available: Trello has 4 (Board, List, Timeline, Calendar), while ClickUp has 15+ (Board, List, Timeline, Calendar, Gantt, Table, Inbox, Docs, Whiteboard, more).
Native Automation Rules: Trello has Basic (Butler with limited triggers), while ClickUp has Advanced (100+ automations, AI-powered).
Consider: Learning Curve (Expert Rating)
Learning Curve (Expert Rating): Trello has Low (15 mins to proficiency), while ClickUp has Medium-High (3-4 hours to proficiency).
Built-in Time Tracking: Trello has No (requires Power-Up), while ClickUp has Yes (native feature).
Custom Fields per Card: Trello has 5 (Free), Unlimited (Paid), while ClickUp has Unlimited (all plans).
API Rate Limit: Trello has 300 requests/10 seconds, while ClickUp has 100 requests/second.