Project Mgmt
Trello vs Monday.com – Kanban Simplicity vs Visual Work OS 2025
Trello vs Monday.com compared on free plan, views, automation, and which is the better visual project tool for small and growing teams.
Quick Verdict
| Feature | Trello | Monday.com | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✅ Unlimited cards, 10 boards | ✅ 2 users only | Trello |
| Starting paid price | $5/user/mo | $9/user/mo | Trello |
| Minimum paid seats | 1 | 3 | Trello |
| View types | ✅ Board, Table, Calendar, Timeline, Map, Dashboard | ✅ Kanban, Table, Chart, Calendar, Gantt, Map, Timeline, Workload | Monday |
| Automation (free) | ✅ 250 runs/mo | ❌ No | Trello |
| Workflow automation | ✅ Butler (Standard+) | ✅ 250/mo (Standard+) | Tie |
| Dashboards | ✅ Premium only | ✅ All paid plans | Monday |
| CRM capability | ❌ No | ✅ monday CRM | Monday |
| Time tracking | ❌ Via Power-Up | ❌ Via add-on | Tie |
| Learning curve | ✅ Lowest | ✅ Low | Trello |
Pricing
Trello (annual, per user/month):- Free: unlimited cards, 10 boards/workspace
- Standard: $5
- Premium: $10
- Enterprise: $17.50+ Monday.com (annual, per user/month — min 3 seats paid):
- Free: 2 users only
- Basic: $9
- Standard: $12
- Pro: $19
- Enterprise: Custom
Trello Standard at $5/user is the cheapest paid option in this comparison. Monday's 3-seat minimum means a 2-person team pays $27/mo minimum — vs Trello at $10/mo for 2 people.
The Simplicity Spectrum
Trello is the simplest visual project tool available. Its model: lists of cards. Each card can have a description, checklist, attachments, members, due date, and labels. A new user grasps it in 2 minutes. Monday.com is a "work OS" — more flexible, more powerful, and a bit more complex. Items (rows) have columns (fields) you customise — status, date, owner, number, formula, etc. It's still intuitive but takes 30–60 minutes to configure well.Trello's Free Tier Is Genuinely Useful
Trello's free plan is the best in class for small teams: