Trello vs Asana Comparison: Which Project Management Software Is Better?
Choosing the right project management tool can redefine your team’s productivity and satisfaction. Our in-depth Trello vs Asana comparison will explore each platform’s strengths and weaknesses to help you make a confident decision.
Written by Sofia Oliber (Writer)
Reviewed by Valentina Bravo (Editor)
Facts checked by Igor Kurtz (Fact-checking editor)
Last Updated:
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Key Takeaways: Trello vs Asana
- The main differences between Trello and Asana are that Trello is more visual and easier to manage, while Asana is a more comprehensive and well-rounded option overall, especially for complex project management.
- Trello is the best tool to choose if you need an uncomplicated and concise solution for your team or personal projects.
- Asana is the better project management tool for complex projects and teams that need structured communication and advanced planning tools.
Facts & Expert Analysis About Asana and Trello
- Trello’s intuitive and interactive interface: Trello’s solid kanban boards and simple, visually appealing interface make it a top pick for beginners or basic project management.
- Asana’s advanced features and robust structure: Asana supports subtasks, dependencies and custom rules, so it’s perfect for large teams and complex projects.
- Asana’s free plan offers more value: Trello’s free version feels limited compared to the free plan Asana offers. Asana supports more free features, including a kanban view, which is Trello’s main selling point.
There’s a reason Trello and Asana rank among the best project management tools. Both are flexible enough to support entrepreneurs, small businesses and large companies, but you’ll also find some relevant differences. Depending on your project management needs, a tool’s user interface, collaboration tools, integrations and even the smallest features can make a world of difference.
This Asana vs Trello comparison covers similarities and differences in key categories that will help you make an informed decision between the two services. Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty together.
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03/01/2022 Facts checked
Added information about Trello’s new plans.
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07/16/2023 Facts checked
This Asana vs Trello comparison was rewritten after our experts tested the services, showing how the project management services are similar and different from each other.
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01/23/2024 Facts checked
Updated information about Asana’s plans name change.
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07/24/2025 Facts checked
We rewrote this article with updated details on each provider’s features, automation and AI tools.
Cloudwards’ Choice: Asana Is the Winner
Cloudwards’ Choice: Asana Is the Winner
From my time testing both tools, I think Asana wins overall. Trello is known for its free kanban board, but to be honest, if I need a good kanban board, I can still use Asana and access all the other useful options. Asana’s key interface features also influenced my decision, plus outstanding tools like its customizable automations and the AI chatbot.
Overall, Asana includes more features and options than Trello, which makes it a more competitive software. You can try Asana using its free plan.
Which Is Better: Trello vs Asana?
Although we think Asana is the stronger project management tool, ultimately, the answer comes down to your needs, preferences and management style. Choosing the right tool will also depend on your team’s size and needs.
Trello might be better for individuals, startups or anyone who needs to organize their work visually without too much complexity. However, Asana might be a better fit for bigger businesses that need to assign responsibilities, set deadlines and track progress for multiple projects.
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Who Is Trello For?
- Freelancers or solopreneurs: This tool is a strong choice for managing personal projects or client tasks. You can use Trello as a simple internal organization tool.
- Project-management beginners: Trello is the standout choice for users who might feel overwhelmed by more detailed project management software, offering easy task management, visual collaboration and friendly interface.
- Agile teams: Kanban boards are Trello’s main feature, so if you’re familiar with Agile methodologies, it’s an obvious choice.
Who Is Asana For?
- Growing teams: Larger teams that require complex workflows and cross-functional collaborations might benefit from this project management tool’s features.
- Operations and HR teams: Process-driven departments will benefit from Asana’s automation and structured task management. Its system simplifies complex processes without the need for extra spreadsheets or constant follow-ups.
- Marketing agencies: Asana’s “timeline” and “calendar” views seem tailor-made to keep up with campaign planning and editorial workflows.
Our Detailed Comparison Methodology
Our comparison is based on our own hands-on testing, user reviews and our team’s personal experiences. We scored each platform based on its performance in key categories such as design, onboarding, mobile apps, customization, automation and pricing. We also considered third-party integrations and overall satisfaction while making this guide.
If you’re curious and want to learn more about what each tool has to offer, you can check out our full Asana review and our comprehensive Trello review. Both of these extensive comparisons offer an effective way to dive into the specific secrets and strengths of each platform.
Asana vs Trello: Comparison at a Glance
| Features |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| $5 / month(All Plans) | $10.99 / month(All Plans) | |
| Review | Review | |
| Kanban board | ||
| List | ||
| Calendar | ||
| Timeline | ||
| Spreadsheet view | ||
| Gantt charts | ||
| Workload planning | ||
| Long-term planning | ||
| Multiple project management | ||
| Dependency management | ||
| Native scrum management | ||
| Set user permissions | ||
| File storage | ||
| Time-tracking | Yes, via power-ups | |
| Built-in integrations | ||
| Reporting features | Yes, via power-ups | |
| Free plan | ||
| Free Trial | 14 days | 30 days |
| Web app | ||
| Windows | ||
| MacOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| AI Tools | ||
| Ticket-based support | ||
| Tutorials | ||
| Knowledgebase | ||
| Forum | ||
| Live chat | ||
| Phone support |
Trello vs Asana: Similarities
At first glance, these two platforms don’t seem to have many major differences between them. Both project management software are cloud-based and user-friendly while offering integrations and a wide variety of views. Let’s break down where these tools overlap to get a better sense of their performance.
User-Friendly Interfaces
Both Asana and Trello have clean and intuitive user interfaces. Just one afternoon spent scrolling through their main menus is enough to get a sense of their basic features. Trello’s simplicity makes it less overwhelming and easier to navigate for visual task management.
guide is your best first step.
There’s nothing to fear about Asana either — its extra features are no-brainers and easily accessible via sidebars and tabs.
Just like learning anything new from scratch, mastering Asana and Trello is simply a matter of time. The good news is that both tools offer complete and informative blogs, as well as straightforward “getting started” guides.
To top it all off, Asana includes an AI helper that can competently answer your questions. Trello also has an AI tool, but it’s not as skilled. We’ll cover more details on that later.
Integrations
For integrations, Trello leans on its “Power-Ups,” which are basically integrations that can be added to each board. This includes several options, such as Slack, Google Drive, Gmail and even Asana.
have access to some of its Power-Ups.
Meanwhile, Asana’s interface offers a greater variety of complex integrations like Canva, Figma, YouTube, HubSpot and almost anything else you can imagine. The free plan has over 100 integrations, though integrating with Salesforce, Tableau, and Power BI require an Advanced paid plan.
Automations
For automations, Trello created Butler, a tool that learns your usage patterns over time, so you’ll need some activity to generate them. Once it’s ready, it can automate repetitive tasks like moving cards, sending reminders and assigning team members based on specific triggers. It’s available on all plans.
Asana’s automation tool, called “rules,” is a bit more flexible. It allows users to create custom automations and comprehensive templates. Additionally, Asana integrates with Zapier and Make, which are automation tools that grant even more advanced workflows. Automations are available on any paid plan.
Mobile Apps Accessibility
Both platforms have pretty competent Android and iOS versions of their apps. Trello’s mobile app mimics its desktop kanban layout along with the timeline, map and calendar views. Asana’s app allows you to choose from its overview, list, board, calendar and messages views for each project. You can also access the inbox option within its app.
Truth be told, once you get used to each tool’s desktop version, you probably won’t be the biggest fan of their mobile apps. They are certainly useful as a last resort, such as when you’re traveling or are unable to access a computer. Sadly, the mobile apps may not live up to their desktop versions.
Collaboration Tools
If seamless communication and in-app messaging are high on your wishlist, Trello and Asana might not hit the sweet spot for you. Both platforms lack tools for real-time conversations or collaborative document editing, relying strongly on mentions within the task comment sections instead.
Asana includes an option to write directly to a team member and start a private or group conversation within a project. However, this tool is somewhat hidden, and the interface isn’t designed to actively track these conversations.
That said, both tools support basic communication on all plans, allowing you to attach files and share documents within tasks. Everything you do is task-based, and the inboxes are basically a thread of comments in each task. If you want richer team interactions, you can integrate third-party tools like Slack, Google Workspace or Microsoft Teams.
and updates take place in the cards.
AI-Powered Tools
Asana and Trello are constantly evolving their advanced project management features, and both offer AI-powered tools.
Asana integrates AI with key features like a useful smart chat, which is visible and easy to access. There’s also a smart status, smart rule creator and generic AI recommendations. If you’re on a paid plan, you can activate AI features through the admin console and customize your preferences.
Trello’s AI-powered assistant is called Atlassian Intelligence. It may be a bit plain, but it can help you draft and summarize text within the card description. However, that’s about it; there’s no smart chat for Trello. Additionally, its AI options are available on paid plans only.
Overall Security & Assistance
Security is a top priority for both project management software. Asana offers extra security features like Google single sign-on on paid plans and detailed admin controls for Enterprise plans.
Asana’s client support is reliable, too; the enterprise plans include 24/7 assistance, and there are tons of free online resources available for when you need answers.
Trello matches this with solid security measures and enterprise-grade protections like application programming interface (API) tokens and two-step verification, which seem to be designed for larger organizations. Its customer support is responsive, too.
Overall, both platforms make sure your projects are secure, and they provide quick help in case of an emergency.
Asana vs Trello: Differences
After actively using both platforms, we quickly recognized some huge differences between the project management software. Let’s focus on what separates these two platforms, particularly regarding areas like customization, reporting and adapting to diverse project management styles.
Pricing & Free Plans
Let’s take a closer look at the pricing plans for each platform. Luckily for users, they both maintain payment plans that are comparable to many other project management tools. Plus, both tools have useful and competent free versions.
Trello Pricing
Trello offers four different plans: one free and three paid. The Standard plan starts at $5 per user per month on annual billing, or $6 when billed monthly. The Premium and Standard plans offer the best value as they are great for small to medium organizations. The Enterprise plan is extra flexible, and prices go down as you add more team members.
With the Asana free plan, users are limited to 10 boards and a simple tracking tool. Luckily, Power-Ups are unlimited for every plan. The Standard plan gives users access to unlimited boards and storage, along with more complex management tools like custom fields and card mirroring.
AI options are limited to the Premium and Enterprise plans only, as well as other features like the dashboard, map, timeline, table, and calendar views. To manage large teams, the Enterprise plan includes features that give managers greater administrative control, such as attachment restrictions and Power-Up management.
- Unlimited users, 10 boards, Unlimited power-ups, Unlimited storage
- Price is per user, Unlimited boards, Custom fields, Invite guests
- Price is per user, Several new views
- Price is per user, Advanced admin & security settings
Asana Pricing
Asana’s pricing plans are a bit more complex. The service promotes three main plans but officially has five: Personal (free), Starter, Advanced, Enterprise and Enterprise+. The Starter plan costs $10.99 per user per month with annual billing, or $13.49 per user per month with monthly billing.
We consider Asana to be one of the best free project management tools because it offers unlimited tasks, projects, storage and more. However, the free Personal plan still feels narrow compared to the paid plans because users’ views are limited.
Personal views include the overview, list, kanban boards, calendar, notes and “my tasks” — users can’t access the timeline, Gantt or reports view, nor task dependencies or customer fields. When upgrading to the Starter plan, users can make use of all the available views, unlimited dashboards and powerful task management options.
More robust features like workload management, time tracking and security permissions are reserved for the Advanced plan. Finally, the Enterprise and Enterprise+ plans are flexible and offer audit logs, guest domains and app management.
- Up to 10 users
- Price is per user. unlimited users, expanded features
- Price is per user. unlimited users, even more features
- Custom pricing, advanced security features
Task Management Tools
Trello is famous for its kanban boards, which you can use within an Agile framework. They are a good visual tool to supervise simple workflows, even for inexperienced users. Trello also offers Gantt charts, table views and even a map view, but the kanban board is the go-to option if you’re looking for a simple workflow manager.
comes to mind is its kanban boards.
The rest of Trello’s tools aren’t spectacular, but at least they serve their purpose. The calendar and timeline views on the Premium plan can give you a wider overview of a project, but the service lacks other options like milestones and dependencies. Moreover, its map view doesn’t seem to add much value to projects unless they focus heavily on locations.
Asana’s vision boards are much more interactive, comprehensive and visually appealing. Plus, its colorful, user-friendly charts make it fun to explore. With paid plans, you can access alternative views, add milestones, dependencies and tasks, and even create custom fields. The only drawback is that your board can become overwhelming if you add a bit of everything.
be confusing due to their high complexity.
Reporting & Insights
Asana stands out with its robust suite of reporting features available on paid plans. Its real-time dashboards offer a clear visual overview of tasks and deadlines. Managers can even customize these dashboards to monitor their preferred key performance indicators (KPIs).
want to track metrics just for fun.
Trello’s reporting features are minimal and available only on the Premium or Enterprise plans. There are no built-in analytics dashboards, and you won’t find any real-time reports no matter how hard you search. Nevertheless, don’t give up on Trello yet if you’re looking for reports — the platform does have Power-Ups that generate charts and summaries.
Overall, Asana is better suited for teams that want complex tracking and reporting features without relying on third-party apps. Trello is better for those who don’t need reports or don’t mind creating them on their own.
Customization
Asana’s interface is extremely flexible and customizable. The platform lets you create conditional workflows across tasks and projects, improving your time management and productivity. You can personalize every project with sections, custom fields (on paid plans), tags and views. Users can also tailor reports, insights and even the home view to suit their preferences.
Trello is visually flexible and heavily reliant on its card-based kanban layout, and you can add custom label fields and Power-Ups. Sadly, most of Trello’s customizations depend on Power-Ups, which could add some time-consuming extra steps. From a usability standpoint, Asana’s level of detail allows for better control over work and reporting.
The Verdict: Why We Think Asana Wins Overall
Asana is a more powerful and flexible tool, offering a wider range of features, integrations and workflows. Sure, both platforms are great and will get the job done, but Asana might be a more natural fit if you plan to grow your team or project scope. Trello is undeniably easier to use, but it can feel a bit restrictive for some teams.
If you want to give Asana a try, you can try Asana’s free plan or take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee and test one of its paid plans with no strings attached.
Have you tried either of these tools? Do you agree with our overall conclusion, or do you have another take? We would love to hear our readers’ thoughts.
If You Want to Consider Other Services, Check Out…
The world doesn’t end with Asana or Trello; there are tons of other options out there. Maybe you need more advanced time-tracking tools or better budget management, and that’s valid. If you feel like Asana is too structured and Trello is too simple for your style, check out our recommended alternatives.
FAQ: Trello vs Asana Project Management Tool Comparison
Asana is better for large teams and complex projects, but Trello is perfect for simple, visual projects.
Trello lacks certain professional built-in features, such as task dependencies and advanced reporting.
It all depends on your specific needs. For instance, ClickUp is better for teams that need strong customization and collaboration features to manage user workflows and multistep processes. monday.com is better for highly visual teams wanting an accessible platform with practical tracking and collaboration tools.
Asana is better than Trello for complex projects and larger teams. If you are searching for task management tools with good kanban boards, Trello is still the stronger option.