Monday.com vs Trello: A data-backed comparison
Compare Monday.com and Trello's features, pricing, adoption trends, and ideal use cases to help you determine which project management tool is the best fit for your team.
Monday.com vs Trello at a glance
Both Monday.com and Trello excel at project management, but they differ in complexity and approach. Monday.com is better for teams that need comprehensive workflows with detailed reporting and multiple project views. Trello is better for teams that prefer a visual, straightforward approach to managing tasks with minimal learning curve.
Metrics | Monday | Trello |
|---|---|---|
Relative cost | 31% lower cost than category average | 68% lower cost than category average |
Adoption trend | 11% QoQ adoption growth | 6.98% QoQ adoption growth |
Primary user segment | 41% of users are SMB | 39% of users are SMB |
Best for | Teams that need powerful yet intuitive work management tools to coordinate projects across teams without the complexity of enterprise software. | Small teams and individuals who prefer visual task management and straightforward workflows. |
Monday.com overview
Monday.com is a customizable work management platform with 27+ view options, including Gantt charts, timelines, and calendars, to organize complex workflows. Its formula columns enable real-time calculations, while customizable boards help track tasks, statuses, and data points. With integrations across various business tools, it streamlines project management and collaboration.
Monday.com key features
Features | Description |
|---|---|
Dashboard reporting | Aggregates data from multiple boards into customizable dashboards with visual widgets, including charts, timelines, calendars, and metrics that update in real-time. |
Automation | Creates rule-based automations that trigger actions when specific conditions are met, such as status changes, date approaches, or assignments. |
Forms | Creates customizable intake forms that feed directly into the boards, allowing external stakeholders to submit information that automatically populates as new items. |
Integrations | Connects with over 200 external tools—including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Zoom, Salesforcento create a unified workspace. |
Custom boards | Organizes work into customizable boards with items, columns, and automations that adapt to any workflow type—from simple task lists to complex project plans with dependencies and timelines. |
Trello overview
Trello uses a visual card-based system built on Kanban principles, making it easy to track tasks through customizable boards, lists, and cards. With attachments, checklists, due dates, and comments, teams can organize workflows, improve collaboration, and automate repetitive processes.
Trello key features
Features | Description |
|---|---|
Project boards | Creates dedicated workspaces for projects, allowing you to organize all tasks and workflows in one interface. |
Lists within boards | Organizes tasks into columns within boards, typically representing different stages of work (like "To Do," "In Progress," "Done") |
Cards | Houses individual tasks with supporting details such as descriptions, attachments, checklists, and team discussions. |
Labels | Adds color-coded tags to cards to signify priorities, departments, or task types |
Reminders | Assign card deadlines with automatic reminders as the date nears. |
Power-ups | Links Trello to third-party apps or custom integrations like calendars. |
Pros and cons
Tool | Pros | Cons |
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Monday |
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Trello |
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Use case scenarios
Both Monday.com and Trello are popular choices, but they serve different needs:
When Monday.com is the better choice
Monday.com is ideal for teams managing complex workflows, approvals, and reporting. It allows users to create custom workflows that track progress across multiple stages, deadlines, and dependencies in a single view.
The platform’s formula columns enable real-time calculations, making it easy to analyze data without external spreadsheets. Its comprehensive dashboards provide a big-picture overview, helping teams track key metrics and streamline cross-functional collaboration.
When Trello is the better choice
Trello works best for teams that need a simple, visual approach to task management. Its Kanban-style boards provide clear status updates as tasks move through different stages, ensuring visibility at a glance.
Task cards can include attachments, checklists, due dates, and comments, making it easy to organize key details in one place. With its intuitive interface, strong mobile functionality, and budget-friendly pricing, Trello is an excellent choice for teams looking for a lightweight, easy-to-use project management tool.
Other project management tools
- Asana is best for teams needing project portfolio management and goal tracking, with robust timeline views and workload management.
- ClickUp offers advanced features and extensive customization, making it a strong alternative to Monday.com and Trello. Its free tier supports teams of all sizes.
- Notion is ideal for teams that need project management combined with document storage and knowledge bases, allowing for interconnected workflows.
- Smartsheet is perfect for teams transitioning from Excel-based reporting, with strong tracking and ERP integration for enhanced functionality.
- Wrike excels in resource management and capacity planning, offering customizable dashboards and detailed workload insight.
- Airtable provides a flexible database-like structure, making it ideal for teams managing complex datasets and relational data.
- Jira is best for teams working alongside development teams, with strong tracking for interdependent projects.