Trello

Visual collaboration with a shared perspective on projects

4.8•116 reviews•

1.5K followers

Visual collaboration with a shared perspective on projects

4.8•116 reviews•

1.5K followers

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Project management software

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Team collaboration software

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Issue tracking software

Trello is a web-based Kanban-style list-making application. Originally made by Fog Creek Software in 2011, it was spun out to form the basis of a separate company in 2014 and later sold to Atlassian in January 2017.

The Best Trello Alternatives

The best Trello alternatives are Asana, Shortcut, Basecamp, Ora.pm, and Zenkit.

Asana

4.6 ·

Choose Asana if...

✓you need timelines and dependencies for launches
✓your boards get messy as work scales
✓you want deeper structure than kanban alone

See details ↓

Shortcut

5.0 ·

Choose Shortcut if...

✓you run product engineering with roadmap priorities
✓you want kanban plus docs in one tool
✓you need more rigor than Trello provides

See details ↓

Basecamp

4.7 ·

Choose Basecamp if...

✓you want calm communication over complex PM
✓your remote team needs a simple project hub
✓you want fewer notifications and less tool clutter

See details ↓

Ora.pm

4.8 ·

Choose Ora.pm if...

✓you need time tracking and reports built in
✓you run sprints and want burndown metrics
✓you want a Trello replacement with more views

See details ↓

Zenkit

4.8 ·

Choose Zenkit if...

✓you want multiple views on the same data
✓you need linked items across projects and tasks
✓you want built-in forms without extra tools

See details ↓

What to Consider

Trello is a go-to for lightweight Kanban—fast to set up, easy to share, and flexible enough for everything from personal to-do lists to team workflows. The alternatives landscape largely splits between tools that add structure for complex work (Asana’s timelines and dependencies), purpose-built product/engineering execution (Shortcut), calmer communication-centric hubs (Basecamp), and “better Trello” style platforms that bundle more views and delivery tooling like time tracking, sprints, and reporting (Ora.pm) or connected multi-view systems with built-in forms (Zenkit).

In evaluating Trello alternatives, we looked at how each option balances simplicity versus depth, how well it scales before work becomes messy, and whether it supports planning features like timelines, dependencies, and multi-project organization. We also weighed pricing as teams grow, collaboration and communication ergonomics (including notifications), integration strength, and overall ease of adoption across different kinds of teams.

Asana

Track, manage, and connect your projects across any team

4.6 · 85 reviews

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Structured planning is where Asana pulls ahead of Trello, especially once projects need more than a simple board. Timeline gives teams a clearer view of sequencing and progress, and dependencies make schedule impact visible when one task slips.

Asana also brings more organizational depth, so work doesn’t sprawl across disconnected boards as quickly. Things like subtasks, templates, and the ability to relate work across multiple initiatives make it easier to run several projects in parallel without losing accountability.

For cross-functional work, Asana tends to reduce status-chasing by keeping owners and due dates explicit. It fits teams that want the speed of lightweight tasking but need guardrails to keep larger projects from getting messy.

The main trade-off versus Trello is complexity and cost as teams grow, since the richer planning features and automation needs can push upgrades. If the goal is a long-lived system for launches, operations, or R&D-style planning, Asana is often the more scalable choice.

Best for

Best for cross-functional teams that need timelines, dependencies, and clear ownership at scale.

Standout features

✓Timeline view for project scheduling
✓Task dependencies and critical path visibility
✓Subtasks and reusable templates
✓Cross-project task linking
✓Workflow automation and integrations

Shortcut

Project Management for Product Engineering Teams

5.0 · 4 reviews

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Built for product and engineering execution, Shortcut adds more rigor than Trello without turning into an overly heavy PM suite. It’s a strong fit when a team wants day-to-day Kanban flow but also needs better alignment to roadmap priorities.

Shortcut shines as a single place to manage work and context, pairing boards with documentation so planning and delivery stay connected. That combination can reduce the Trello pattern of scattering specs, decisions, and updates across separate tools.

The experience stays approachable, which matters for teams that move fast and don’t want process overhead. It’s often chosen when Trello feels too lightweight for sustained delivery, but complex multi-module platforms feel like overkill.

If the priority is shipping reliably with clear visibility into what’s next, Shortcut is a practical upgrade path from board-only workflows.

Best for

Ideal for product engineering teams that want a lightweight but more structured delivery workflow than Trello.

Standout features

✓Kanban boards built for engineering workflows
✓Docs alongside project work
✓Roadmap and milestone alignment
✓Fast navigation and intuitive UI
✓Collaboration tools for delivery teams

Basecamp

Everything you need to get work done in one place

4.7 · 23 reviews

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A calmer, communication-first workspace is the core appeal of Basecamp compared to Trello’s board-centric approach. It’s designed to reduce the churn of constant pings by organizing updates, discussions, files, and to-dos in one predictable project home.

Instead of relying on lots of custom boards and power-ups, Basecamp standardizes how teams communicate: message boards for async threads, centralized documents, and straightforward task lists. That consistency helps teams onboard quickly and keeps projects understandable even for less PM-savvy collaborators.

Basecamp is especially compelling for remote teams that want fewer meetings and less status hunting. Notification controls and a simpler information architecture can make work feel more manageable than a collection of Trello boards.

The trade-off is depth: teams that need advanced scheduling, heavy integrations, or sophisticated analytics may outgrow it. For teams optimizing for clarity and fewer tools, Basecamp is often the better fit.

Best for

Best for small to mid-sized teams that prioritize clear communication and lightweight project coordination.

Standout features

✓Message boards for async team updates
✓Centralized files and project docs
✓Simple to-dos and checklists
✓Notification controls to reduce noise
✓Easy project setup and onboarding

Ora.pm

Kanban, Tasks, Time & Sprints!

4.8 · 9 reviews

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Ora.pm stands out as a more complete delivery toolkit than Trello, bundling features that often require add-ons elsewhere. It combines Kanban with sprint planning, time tracking, and reporting, making it easier to manage both what’s being done and how long it’s taking.

Teams that mix Scrum and Kanban get multiple views that support real execution: timelines, agenda-style planning, and agile charts like burndown for tracking progress. That built-in instrumentation is useful when stakeholders want more than “cards moved to Done.”

For freelancers and agencies, time tracking plus detailed reports can turn the task system into an operational hub for billing and performance. Integrations with tools like calendars and GitHub help keep delivery signals connected to the work.

Compared with Trello, Ora.pm is typically chosen when the workflow needs to mature beyond a board but should still feel streamlined. It’s a practical option for teams seeking more power without adopting a bloated all-in-one platform.

Best for

Best for teams and freelancers who want tasks, sprints, time tracking, and reports in one place.

Standout features

✓Built-in time tracking and detailed reporting
✓Sprint planning with burndown charts
✓Multiple views including timeline and agenda
✓Kanban and Scrum workflows together
✓Calendar and GitHub integrations

Zenkit

Project management made easy.

4.8 · 8 reviews

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Zenkit is a strong Trello alternative when a single board view isn’t enough and teams want the same data to power multiple perspectives. Projects can be viewed in different formats, and related items can be connected to create a more coherent system than isolated boards.

One of Zenkit’s differentiators is its ecosystem approach, where tasks can consolidate across projects without relying on external automation glue. That can reduce the busywork of keeping personal to-dos, team work, and cross-project actions in sync.

Built-in forms also make Zenkit appealing for teams collecting structured inputs like requests, briefs, or feedback. Keeping intake, tracking, and execution in one place helps avoid the “form tool plus Trello board” patchwork.

The trade-off is that Zenkit can take time to learn if a team wants to unlock deeper customization. For teams that like Trello’s flexibility but need richer structure and connected workflows, Zenkit is a compelling step up.