Trello (current) Trello sits in the project management category with an 8020 Score of 72/100 and a Strong tier. That's a credible position — most tools in our directory don't score that high. But "credible" isn't "perfect", and there are real reasons teams swap it out: pricing, a specific feature gap, the company's roadmap, or the wrong workflow shape for your team. We've tested 3 directly comparable alternatives — this page is the shortlist with the trade-offs named out loud.
Why look for an alternative to Trello?
The most common reasons teams move off Trello are no native timeline or gantt view — requires a power-up, no sprint management, velocity tracking, or story points, and power-ups limited to one active per free-tier board. None of those make Trello a bad tool — they make it the wrong tool for a specific situation.
The trade-offs that drive switching — drawn from our hands-on review of Trello:
- No native timeline or Gantt view — requires a Power-Up
- No sprint management, velocity tracking, or story points
- Power-Ups limited to one active per free-tier board
- Scales poorly past 20 users or 5+ simultaneous projects
If none of those match your situation, the answer is probably "stay" — and the section on staying with Trello below explains when that's the right call.
What's the best alternative to Trello?
Linear is the top alternative pick. It scores 95/100 on the 8020 rubric — 23 points above Trello. It ships a free tier; lowest paid plan is $10 per user per month.
What Linear does differently: Linear's keyboard-first design and sub-100ms load time create a fundamentally different experience from Jira — engineers actually use it instead of avoiding it, which is the only thing that matters in an issue tracker. It's the right call when product engineering teams is the job that has to be done well.
The full breakdown is on the Linear profile, and the side-by-side is on our Trello vs Linear page.
Quick reviews of each alternative
Every alternative below has been tested on the same 8020 rubric as Trello. Scores are directly comparable, and the one-line "why pick it" is drawn from the verdict on each tool's full review page.
Free alternatives to Trello
3 of the 3 alternatives we've tested ship a free tier or are open-source. Free doesn't always mean "as capable as paid" — the trade-offs are spelled out below.
- Linear — freemium. Modern issue tracker built around speed and keyboard shortcuts for product engineering teams.
- Jira — freemium. Issue-tracking and Agile project management platform built for software engineering teams at scale.
- Asana — freemium. Work management platform built for cross-functional teams tracking complex multi-step projects.
Worth noting: Trello itself also has a free tier. If "free" is the deciding factor, comparing free tiers head-to-head is the right next step — see each tool's profile for the specific limits.
How much do alternatives to Trello cost?
Paid alternatives we cover range from $7.91/user/mo (Jira) to $10.99/user/mo (Asana). Trello sits at $5/user/mo — cheaper than every paid alternative. Pricing verified May 2026.
The pricing landscape, briefly: Linear at $10 per user per month, Jira at $7.91 per user per month, Asana at $10.99 per user per month.
Entry pricing only tells you where the meter starts. The cost that actually matters is "what does this look like for our team at the size we'll be in 12 months?" — see each vendor's pricing page for tier breakdowns before signing anything.
When should you stick with Trello?
Stay with Trello when fastest onboarding in the category — most users are productive in under 30 minutes is the job that has to be done well, and when the trade-offs that drive other teams to switch — no native timeline or gantt view — requires a power-up — don't apply to your situation. The 72/100 score earned it the Strong tier for a reason.
What Trello earns its tier on:
- Fastest onboarding in the category — most users are productive in under 30 minutes
- Free tier is genuinely usable with no row or card limits
- Drag-and-drop interface requires no training for non-technical users
- Butler automation handles common repetitive board actions without code
Switching costs are real. If none of the trade-offs listed in the "why switch" section above apply to your team, the cheapest option is usually to keep what works.
How do you migrate off Trello?
Migration off most project management tools follows the same pattern: export the data, replicate the structure in the new tool, dual-run for a sprint, then cut over. The export is rarely the hard part — reproducing your workflow inside someone else's defaults is.
The practical sequence:
- Audit what you're actually using in Trello. Most teams use 20% of the features and pay for 100%. Listing the workflows that have to survive the move is the first filter on which alternative is realistic.
- Test the top alternative against one real workflow — start a free trial of Linear and rebuild a single project end-to-end.
- Export your data from Trello. Most tools in this category support CSV export at minimum; some have full API export. Check the export format before committing — re-importing into the new tool sometimes loses structure.
- Dual-run for at least one full cycle (a sprint, a billing month, a release). The new tool needs to prove itself on real work before you cancel the old one.
- Cancel Trello on the next billing date after the team is fully migrated. Most vendors prorate; some don't.
Specific export and import options live on each tool's profile under Trello and Linear. The official docs will always be the source of truth for which fields move cleanly.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best alternative to Trello?
Linear is our top alternative pick with an 8020 Score of 95 and a Essential tier. It's the strongest replacement for teams that found Trello no native timeline or gantt view — requires a power-up. It also ships a free tier.
Are there free alternatives to Trello?
Yes — Linear, Jira, Asana ship a free tier or are open-source. See the 'Free alternatives' section below for the full list.
Is Trello worth keeping?
Trello earns its Strong tier on the 8020 rubric with a score of 72/100. If fastest onboarding in the category — most users are productive in under 30 minutes matters most to you, it's still the right call. Most teams switch when no native timeline or gantt view — requires a power-up becomes the deciding factor.
How much do alternatives to Trello cost?
The paid alternatives we cover range from $7.91 per user per month (Jira) to $10.99 (Asana). 3 options are free or open-source. Pricing was verified May 2026; check each vendor's pricing page before signing.
Can I migrate off Trello easily?
Migration difficulty depends on how much data and workflow you've built up in Trello. Most project management tools support CSV or API-based export, but reproducing the same workflow elsewhere usually takes longer than the export itself. See the migration section below for the practical steps.