Best Free PM Tool

Trello review

The most approachable project management tool available. The free plan works for most small teams without ever paying.

★★★★★ Be the first to rate ↓ Project Management 50 million+ users Checked 2026-10-16 5 min read

The short answer

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Trello is a visual Kanban project management tool used by 50 million+ people with a free plan that includes 10 boards and unlimited cards. Standard plan costs $5/user/month. It's the top recommendation for small businesses replacing WhatsApp task tracking with a proper system, fast to adopt, easy to maintain, and powerful enough for most teams.

Reviewed by the Aheri Systems team for small businesses and growing teams.

Starting price
$0
Free plan
Yes, no card needed
Best for
Small teams migrating from WhatsApp and spreadsheet task tracking
Not ideal for
Complex projects needing Gantt charts and resource management (use Asana or Monday)
Setup
No-code, Under 10 min
AI features
AI capture +3 more

Our Verdict

"

Trello's free plan is one of the best in any software category, 10 boards covers most small businesses for months. When you need more boards or views, the Standard plan at $5/user is among the cheapest paid upgrades in the market. For complex project management with Gantt charts and resourcing, you'll outgrow Trello, but most small businesses won't hit that limit for years.

A

Aheri Systems team review

How Trello scores

At a glance

AI Features ⓘ Native AI features built into this tool. Does not include features added via third-party integrations.

AI captureAI writing and summariesAI organisation +1 more

Setup ⓘ How much technical skill is needed to set up and use this tool effectively.

No-code

Pricing Access ⓘ Whether pricing is accessible for small and growing businesses. Considers free tier quality and entry-level plan value.

Free / from $5/user/mo

The Catch

The free plan stops at 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace and has no AI, and date-based views like Timeline and Calendar need Premium.

The Problem Trello Solves

The Pain

You are a small business owner whose team tracks tasks in a WhatsApp group and a shared Google Sheet. Nobody knows the status of half the tasks, deadlines are missed because messages get buried, and there's no single view of what the team is actually working on this week.

The Fix

Trello gives every task a visual card that moves across columns as work progresses, from To Do, to In Progress, to Done. Everyone sees the same board in real time, cards carry all relevant information and attachments, and automations send deadline reminders without you needing to chase anyone.

What is Trello?

Trello is a visual project management tool using Kanban boards, columns of cards representing tasks, used by 50 million+ people to organise personal projects, team workflows, and business operations. Owned by Atlassian, it integrates with 200+ apps and offers a genuinely useful free plan for small teams. For small businesses moving from WhatsApp group task tracking, Trello is the clearest and most accessible upgrade available.

Pros and Cons

+ What We Love

  • ✓ Free plan is genuinely powerful for small teams, 10 boards is enough for most small businesses
  • ✓ Visual Kanban format is immediately intuitive, teams adopt it in hours not weeks
  • ✓ 200+ Power-Up integrations including Google Drive, Slack, Zoom, and Salesforce
  • ✓ Mobile app works excellently in low-bandwidth environments
  • ✓ 75% nonprofit and education discount makes it nearly free for qualifying organisations

- Watch Out For

  • ! No timeline or Gantt view on free or Standard plan, need Premium for date-based planning
  • ! 10-board limit on free plan can be hit fast by agencies managing multiple clients
  • ! Automation limit of 250 runs/month on free plan is tight for active boards

What Can You Do With Trello? (Examples)

A few ways growing businesses use Trello. This is not an exhaustive list.

✓ Set up a content calendar board with lists for Idea, Writing, Review, Published, and Promoted
✓ Create a client project board for each account with standardised task templates
✓ Track a product launch with cards for each deliverable, assigned to team members with deadlines
✓ Manage employee onboarding with a checklist template that's duplicated for each new hire
✓ Run a weekly team meeting synchronously using the Trello board as the live agenda
See all Trello use cases: real workflows for your specific business situation View all →

Trello Pricing

Free

$0

Up to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace, unlimited cards, 250 automation runs a month, unlimited storage (10MB per file)

Best for

Individuals and very small teams managing simple projects

Standard

$5 per user a month (annual) or $6 (monthly)

Unlimited boards and collaborators, 1,000 automation runs a month, 250MB per file, Trello AI

Best for

Small teams that have outgrown 10 boards or 10 collaborators

Premium

$10 per user a month (annual) or $12.50 (monthly)

Everything in Standard plus unlimited automation runs, Timeline, Calendar, Dashboard and Map views, admin controls

Best for

Teams that plan by dates and want several views of their work

Enterprise

$17.50 per user a month, billed annually ($210 per user a year)

Everything in Premium plus organisation-visible boards and enterprise security and admin

Best for

Large organisations needing organisation-wide controls and security

See the full Trello pricing breakdown: every plan explained Full breakdown →

Who Is Trello For?

Best For

  • ✓Small teams migrating from WhatsApp and spreadsheet task tracking
  • ✓Freelancers and solo operators managing multiple client projects
  • ✓Marketing teams managing content calendars and campaign tasks
  • ✓Operations teams tracking process workflows and repeatable tasks

Not Ideal For

  • ✗Complex projects needing Gantt charts and resource management (use Asana or Monday)
  • ✗Technical development teams needing sprint planning and backlog management (use Jira)
AI

AI in Trello

Some AI featuresAI helps in a few places; the core tool works without it.

Trello's AI comes with every paid plan (Standard, Premium and Enterprise) at no extra cost; the Free plan has none. It can capture to-dos from email, Slack and Microsoft Teams, write and tidy card text, build checklists, add due dates, merge cards and set up a whole board from a short description of your goal.

AI capture

Turns emails, Slack and Microsoft Teams messages into to-dos and notes in Trello.

Plan: Standard, Premium and Enterprise (not Free) · Extra cost: None, included · Source

AI writing and summaries

Writes and improves card descriptions and comments, fixes grammar and helps brainstorm.

Plan: Standard, Premium and Enterprise (not Free) · Extra cost: None, included · Source

AI organisation

Creates checklists and images, adds due dates, merges cards and schedules focus time.

Plan: Standard, Premium and Enterprise (not Free) · Extra cost: None, included · Source

AI-generated boards

Describe your goal and get a ready-to-use board with lists and cards.

Plan: Standard, Premium and Enterprise (not Free) · Extra cost: None, included · Source

Checked against Trello's own website on 16 October 2026. AI features change often, so we re-check every 6 months.

Quick Facts

Category Project Management
Pricing Free / from $5/user/mo
Free Plan Yes
No Card No card needed
Access Web, iOS, Android
Skill Level No-code
Setup Time Under 10 min
Founded 2011
HQ New York, USA (part of Atlassian)
Users 50 million+

Before You Sign Up

What the marketing page does not tell you.

Hidden Costs

Trello Free costs nothing for up to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace. Standard is $5 per user a month on annual billing ($6 monthly) and adds unlimited boards and Trello AI. Premium is $10 per user a month annually ($12.50 monthly) and adds unlimited automation and Timeline, Calendar and Dashboard views. Enterprise is $17.50 per user a month billed annually. Prices from trello.com/pricing, checked 16 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Trello? +
Trello is a visual project management tool built on boards, lists and cards: each card is a task you move across columns as work progresses. It is owned by Atlassian, connects to many other apps and has a useful free plan for small teams. It is a clear upgrade for small teams that track tasks in chat groups or spreadsheets, and for freelancers juggling several client projects.
Is Trello free? +
Yes. Trello Free gives you up to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace, unlimited cards and 250 automation runs a month. Paid plans start at $5 per user a month on annual billing ($6 monthly) and add unlimited boards and Trello AI.
What can I use Trello for? +
Trello is used for: Set up a content calendar board with lists for Idea, Writing, Review, Published, and Promoted; Create a client project board for each account with standardised task templates; Track a product launch with cards for each deliverable, assigned to team members with deadlines; Manage employee onboarding with a checklist template that's duplicated for each new hire; Run a weekly team meeting synchronously using the Trello board as the live agenda. It works best for small teams migrating from whatsapp and spreadsheet task tracking, freelancers and solo operators managing multiple client projects, marketing teams managing content calendars and campaign tasks, operations teams tracking process workflows and repeatable tasks.
Who is Trello best for? +
Trello is best for Small teams migrating from WhatsApp and spreadsheet task tracking, Freelancers and solo operators managing multiple client projects, Marketing teams managing content calendars and campaign tasks, Operations teams tracking process workflows and repeatable tasks. It is not ideal for Complex projects needing Gantt charts and resource management (use Asana or Monday); Technical development teams needing sprint planning and backlog management (use Jira).
How long does it take to set up Trello? +
Most users have Trello running within 30 minutes to 2 hours. No technical skills required. The free plan needs no credit card.
Can I use and pay for Trello from any country? +
Yes. Trello works from any country, and billing is handled by Atlassian. Paid plans are paid by credit or debit card; Atlassian also lists PayPal and, for some plans, bank payments. Orders that include Trello are invoiced in US dollars.
Trello vs Notion ai, which is better? +
Trello is better for small teams migrating from whatsapp and spreadsheet task tracking because free plan is genuinely powerful for small teams, 10 boards is enough for most small businesses. Notion ai may suit more complex needs. See our full comparison for a detailed breakdown.
What apps does Trello integrate with? +
Trello integrates with a wide range of popular business tools in the Project Management space and beyond. Check the Trello integrations page on their website for a full current list.
What are the limitations of Trello's free plan? +
The free plan allows up to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace, 250 automation runs a month and files up to 10MB, with no AI features. Timeline, Calendar and Dashboard views need Premium.
What are the best alternatives to Trello? +
The top alternatives to Trello are Notion ai, Hubspot, Pipedrive. Each has different strengths, Trello remains the best choice for small teams migrating from whatsapp and spreadsheet task tracking.

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