Trello

Trying to get yourself and your team organized daily can be time-consuming and challenging.

Finding appropriate avenues to condense everything and keep tasks moving in the right direction can alleviate a lot of stress and help teams to be more productive.

In my journey to find an excellent resource for this pain point, I ventured into the world of Trello, a technology-based kanban board.

I appreciate many things about the program, which I highlight in this Trello review.

However, a few areas weren’t as helpful for me.

To help others in this situation, I have compiled my findings below for others in this Trello review.

Overview of Trello

The best way to start this Trello review is to envision a giant whiteboard with a bunch of post-it notes plastered on the front.

However, the stickies can tag those who are part of that specific note, and the spaces to leave comments and next steps are infinite.

This highly technological whiteboard/post-it note combination allows you to jot down ideas and gain insight from others with the touch of a button.

Users can also access Trello from a multitude of platforms, including laptops, tablets, and phones.

Many compare the Trello project management program to other online options like Monday.

While there are several overlapping features, the applications operate in different ways.

While Trello houses a straightforward approach, Monday has features that aren’t as user-friendly.

Trello History

Originally called Trellis, the Trello application was founded by Fog Creek Software as a way for them to keep internal projects and brainstormed ideas central and available to all within the team.

Later on, when the company launched the project externally, the name changed to Trello and the Fog Creek co-founder’s dog, Taco, became the mascot of the application.

Today, Trello has gone international and was recently acquired by Atlassian.

The progression that has occurred since the application’s initial conception in 2010 is astounding.

What began as a simple way to keep track of ideas and work tasks has now expanded to offer much more in the form of project management.

Pros and Cons of Trello

How Much Does Trello Cost?

The cost of using Trello will vary depending on how many users you have and what the needs of yourself and your team include.

For instance, a free version of Trello is offered for all users.

However, you won’t have access to all the premium features and integrations paid customers can use.

Is Trello Worth The Cost?

While the monthly fee per user is doable for many large organizations, it’s a significant expense for smaller businesses and individuals.

Additionally, the chances of your boards slowing down once you incorporate the different applications is high if you have many people accessing the program simultaneously.

It’s necessary to take part in a free trial to explore all the available features for you and your team and to see if they are relevant to your needs.

You may find, as I did, that having access to all the amenities wasn’t worth the cost.

Alternatively, you may discover that the various elements are incredibly beneficial to your workflow and, therefore, worth the extra cost.

Things To Consider

Before you launch into a paid version of Trello, there are a few key points that you will want to take into consideration.

1. The Problem Trello Solves

For many individuals, keeping track of all the moving pieces that come with running a home, family schedules, and work projects can take a toll.

For employers whose staff are primarily remote workers, having a place to reference that gives up-to-date information on a slew of projects can help to keep everyone informed.

2. Who Is Trello Best For?

The great thing about the Trello platform is that it’s suitable for anyone, no matter how large or small your need.

As an individual, you can use the app to help keep track of appointments, grocery lists, and cleaning tasks.

For companies, the app can help direct workflow and keep everyone on the same page concerning a project’s status.

Primarily, Trello is best suited for project management needs.

Therefore, it’s most responsive to the needs of complex projects or long-term tasks that include more than one person.

3. Who Should NOT Use Trello?

To some degree, Trello can be beneficial to anyone, no matter their purpose for using it.

Because of the simplistic interface and organizational features, it can help people with varying needs.

However, if an individual is not used to technology and doesn’t typically implement it in their daily life, then using a Trello board will likely be more frustrating to them than helpful.

The primary target for the platform is those who use technology daily.

4. What to Think About Before Buying Trello

If you are considering purchasing a premium version of Trello, be sure to think through the following points before entering your payment information.

Not all users need all of the paid features, and there are other elements to review as well.

1. How many of the paid features would be beneficial to your management needs?
2. Does the monthly cost for the features you will routinely use appear reasonable?
3. Will you be the sole user, or will there be others?
4. How frequently will other users access the boards and additional features?
5. Would all users be able to understand the technology to use the Trello platform efficiently?

Features and Benefits of Trello

There are many elements to the Trello platform that make it conducive to your work and home needs.

What are the most significant additions to this project management application?

1. Tagging

We have all had those annoyingly long email chains that include a majority of the office staff and give minor updates on specific tasks or projects.

Instead of filling up your inbox with a series of mundane messages, you can create a card on Trello, outline the job and tag your relevant colleagues.

Once someone performs something about the assignment, they can update the card with a quick note.

At their leisure, the other tagged individuals can review the update and proceed with the next steps.

One of the greatest things about the tagging feature is that individuals can filter the cards to see which ones pertain specifically to them and not others.

Additionally, managers and employers can use this option to see what their staff has completed on certain projects and what outstanding tasks exist.

2. Checklists

Inside a Trello “card,” a square space where you add a task summary, you can also include a checklist that breaks down responsibilities further.

As an example, if you are planning an upcoming birthday party, you may label a card with the title “Check out Locations.”

Inside that card, you can include a checklist that gives the names of places you want to consider for the festivities.

As you complete your visit or research each destination, you can check that option off the list.

For individuals using Trello for personal needs, the checklist function also acts as an excellent grocery list resource.

Downloading the Trello application on your phone or tablet, you can easily click the items you have already placed in your cart and see what you still have left to find and purchase.

3. Labels

Far too often, we have more than one stream of activity taking place at one time.

While we may be planning a birthday party, there are tasks associated with finding a location, researching food options, picking party favors, and even selecting decorations.

When you have so much on your to-do list, many will get lost in the jumble of items.

Having Trello allows you to label each task with what stream they belong in on the board.

Case in point, you may see:

• Label: Party Locations
  • Card 1: Check out Locations
  • Card 2: Compare Costs of Locations
  • Card 3: Review Location Contract Terms
  • Card 4: Finalize Date and Location
• Label: Party Decor
  • Card 1: Research Various Party Themes
  • Card 2: Search Online For Product Availability and Cost
  • Card 3: Finalize Theme Choice
  • Card 4: Analyze the Amount of Each Decor Item Needed
  • Card 5: Purchase Decorations
  • Card 6: Assign People to Decorate Location
  • Card 7: Decorate Location for Party

Applying a label to each card helps you to see at a glance which streams each is associated with on the board.

You can also filter your Trello board to only show which cards are labeled with a specific phrase to help you review your progress regarding that leg of the planning process.

4. Columns

At first glance, you may not see much benefit in having multiple columns on your Trello board.

However, when used correctly, you’ll start to understand how helpful they are to your workflow.

When setting up your Trello board, you can create columns based on the urgency of your tasks.

Many users have a column for what needs to be completed in the immediate future (within a week or so).

Additionally, they may have a column for completed items (for reference).

Furthermore, it’s common to include another column with future tasks.

With future tasks, you will often create cards as ideas or next steps formulate.

If you were renovating your bathroom, for instance, you might have current cards that have items such as:

• Remove Old Flooring
• Shut Off Electricity
• Remove Old Sink

In the completed column, you may have cards that contain tasks that have already been addressed, resolved, or fulfilled.

• Establish Budget for Renovation
• Develop Floor Layout
• Measure for New Fixtures

In your future column, you may add decoration ideas you have come across in the planning process.

Additionally, you may input the next steps.

• Choose Shower Tiles
• Select Paint Colors
  • Checklist: Violet and Gray; Navy Blue and Cream; Orange and Tan

• Purchase New Sink

As you can see, having your board laid out strategically helps you to know what is coming down the pike, what is the most significant priority, and what you have already completed.

5. Integrations

While the previous features are all ones that are included in the free version of Trello, the more advanced options are for those who purchase a premium plan.

With over 200 integrations, there isn’t much that you can’t do with Trello.

Depending on your purpose for using Trello, some add-ons may be more helpful than others.

For example, many organizations are starting to use Slack for communication between staff.

This program acts as an instant messenger but can also be used for file sharing and conferencing.

Slack is also one of the applications that you can integrate into your Trello functionality.

Others may see benefits in using their Mailchimp account in conjunction with their boards.

You can schedule social media posts, run reports, look at your analytics, incorporate agile-based elements and tools, and much more.

Trello Customer Service

Although Trello has grown exponentially in a short period, its high-quality customer service has not decreased.

They offer multiple ways to get in touch with their staff.

You can also visit their specially created Trello community and ask questions from other users.

If you find that your board is down, you can check the status of the company’s servers on the Trello website.

For the times that you can’t find a response, you can call or message and get a timely answer to your issue.

Why Should You Trust Us?

With the vast number of Trello reviews available online, why should you pay attention to ours in particular?

The bottom line is that we are invested in the same way you are.

We have done the legwork to find solutions that work for us and want to pass that knowledge on to benefit others.

However, our impression of Trello isn’t far from what others say.

Many other reviews paint the application in a positive light as well.

What Trello Users are Saying

Looking into consumer reviews when considering a new product or service is essential.

Don’t let our word be the only one you base your decision on when researching.

Here are a few reviews that highlight the thoughts of other Trello users.

“For me, Trello is the best task management software I have ever used.

The user experience is so good that you don’t need to click several buttons to achieve one goal, you can just drag and drop to complete the action.

For sure it was a game changer in my daily tasks management, I use Trello every day and it’s easy to demand jobs for the team.”

Alanis M.

“One of the most intuitive kanban apps you’ll find, Trello lets you fully customize the boards you create.

It’s a capable tool for managing work and workflows within teams and with outside partners.”

Jill Duffy

“Trello recommended the Premium plan to me with a free trial.

Once the trial ended, I was unable to cancel the premium plan and my board, which included all my tasks, was made private and I cannot see my tasks anymore without making a payment.

I can’t switch back to the free plan as well.”

Mike R.

Alternatives to Trello

If you’re unsure that Trello is the best fit for you, there are other options to explore to keep on track.

1. ClickUp

While the ClickUp application offers many functions in one space, the layout is more complex than what you get with Trello.

Instead of cards, you will have line items that you must click into to get more information.

While they refer to it as kanban style, it is more time-consuming to use.

Like Trello, ClickUp offers a free version.

Their plans for premium features range from $5 to $19 per month and user.

Depending on your core needs, the layout and amenities associated with ClickUp may be a good option.

Trello vs. ClickUp

• You can view tasks in multiple ways in ClickUp vs. one way at a time in Trello
• ClickUp is less intuitive than Trello and takes time to understand your needs
• Many functions in the free ClickUp version vs. a limited number in the free Trello version
• Complex interface in ClickUp vs. clear interface in Trello

2. Todoist

The nice thing with Todoist is that it provides you with a daily list of everything that needs to be accomplished.

Instead of searching through various cards or filtering your tag, you can see it on your dashboard after you log in for the day.

You will find that the pricing with Todoist is considerably less than Trello and Clickup, with the maximum cost being $8 monthly per user.

For those who only have a few projects, Todoist is a low-cost option that will fit your needs.

Todoist vs. Trello

• Up to five active projects in Todoist vs. up to ten boards in Trello
• Up to five active users in Todoist vs. unlimited number of users in Trello
• Productivity tracking in Todoist vs. no productivity tracking in Trello
• No two-factor authentication in Todoist vs. two-factor authentication in Trello

3. Asana

While Asana fulfills many of the needs of project management, it’s a highly complex software with a lot of moving pieces and elements.

For those who have detailed projects or have additional requirements like scheduling or design, Asana is a wonderful option.

However, most people won’t use all the functions Asana offers.

Asana is also the most expensive option of the four highlighted in this article.

Coming in at $25 per month per user for the business plan, it’s a hefty cost to take on if you don’t require all the different elements.

Asana vs. Trello

• The free version of Asana is limited to fifteen users vs. the free version of Trello is limited to ten boards
• You can assign tasks to individuals in Asana vs. you cannot assign tasks to individuals in Trello
• Asana is better for teams vs. Trello is better for individuals
• Asana has in-depth templates vs. Trello is more straightforward

When trying to find the best application for your organizational needs, take your time to review and check out the alternatives available to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Investing in a new application can come with many questions.

Below we highlight some of the top inquiries received about Trello.

Wrapping Up

Finding an adequate solution to keeping daily personal life and work tasks organized can be challenging.

Without an appropriate solution, you risk things falling between the cracks or having to rush to complete tasks by their deadline.

Thankfully, options are available that help you manage all that and more.

As one of the most popular, Trello gives you access to various tools and integrations that can have you organized and ready to go in no time.

While Trello has a free option, you can’t access all the features when utilizing that plan.

To use specific amenities like integrations, you must have a premium account, which comes with a monthly fee.

Although Trello is remarkable for many reasons, there are also alternatives to consider if it doesn’t meet your needs.

Regardless, be sure to try it out today with a free account and test it for yourself!

By Brett Helling

Brett has been starting, growing, and monetizing websites since 2014. While in college, he began to learn about digital marketing. After graduating, he continued to build a diverse portfolio of websites while working a full time job. After years of building the portfolio on the side, he made the jump to run his websites full time.