Overview

Trello, acquired by Atlassian in 2017, operates as a project management platform utilizing a Kanban board methodology to visually represent tasks and workflows. The system is structured around boards, which contain lists representing stages of a process, and cards, which denote individual tasks. Each card can hold details such as descriptions, checklists, due dates, attachments, and member assignments, facilitating a granular approach to task management. Originally launched in 2011, Trello was designed to offer a flexible and intuitive interface for organizing work. Its core utility lies in its visual representation of tasks, which allows users to see the status of projects at a glance. Teams can create custom workflows by arranging lists to match their specific processes, such as 'To Do,' 'Doing,' and 'Done,' or more complex agile sprints. This adaptability makes it suitable for various departments, including software development, marketing, and human resources, as well as for personal organization. The platform supports collaboration through real-time updates, comments, and notifications. Users can invite team members to boards, assign cards, and monitor progress. Trello's Power-Ups extend its functionality, allowing integrations with other tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Salesforce, or adding features such as custom fields, calendar views, and reporting. Developers can also build custom Power-Ups and integrate with Trello's REST API to extend its capabilities programmatically, as detailed in the Trello developer documentation. While Trello is often utilized by small to medium-sized teams for its ease of use and visual clarity, its scalability is supported by its enterprise-grade compliance certifications, including SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, ISO/IEC 27001, and PCI DSS. For larger organizations requiring more complex project portfolio management or extensive reporting features, alternatives like Jira Software, also an Atlassian product, or Asana may offer different feature sets, as noted by industry analyses of project management tools.

Key features

  • Kanban Boards: Visual workspaces to organize tasks into lists and cards, representing workflow stages.
  • Cards: Individual task units that can include descriptions, checklists, due dates, attachments, comments, and assigned members.
  • Lists: Columns on a board that categorize cards, typically representing different steps in a process (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done).
  • Checklists: Sub-tasks within a card to break down larger tasks into manageable components.
  • Due Dates: Assignable deadlines to cards, with automated reminders.
  • Attachments: Ability to attach files, images, and links directly to cards from local storage or cloud services.
  • Power-Ups: Integrations and enhancements that extend Trello's core functionality, such as calendar views, custom fields, and reporting.
  • Automation (Butler): Built-in automation features to create rules, buttons, and scheduled commands for repetitive tasks.
  • Templates: Pre-designed boards and cards for common workflows, available for various use cases.
  • Guest Access: Ability to invite external users to specific boards with controlled permissions.
  • Search & Filter: Tools to quickly locate cards and filter boards based on various criteria.

Pricing

Trello offers a tiered pricing structure that includes a free option and several paid plans, varying in features and user limits. The following table summarizes the pricing as of May 2026.
Plan Key Features Price (per user/month, billed annually)
Trello Free Up to 10 boards per workspace, unlimited cards, 250 Butler automation command runs/month, unlimited storage (10MB/file) Free
Standard Unlimited boards, advanced checklists, 1,000 Butler automation command runs/month, 250MB/file attachments, saved searches $5.00
Premium Dashboard, Timeline, Table, Calendar, and Map views, Workspace templates, unlimited Butler automation command runs, admin and security features $10.00
Enterprise Unlimited workspaces, organization-wide permissions, Power-Up administration, security features, dedicated account manager, SSO Custom pricing
For current pricing details and feature comparisons, refer to the official Trello pricing page.

Common integrations

Trello supports integrations through its Power-Ups and API, allowing connectivity with various third-party services. Some common integrations include:
  • Slack: For real-time notifications and board interactions directly within Slack channels. More information is available on the Trello support documentation for Slack.
  • Google Drive: To attach files directly from Google Drive to Trello cards.
  • Confluence: For linking Trello boards with Confluence pages, enhancing documentation and project context within the Atlassian ecosystem.
  • Jira Software: To connect Trello cards with Jira issues, facilitating workflow management across development and project teams.
  • Zapier: For creating custom automated workflows between Trello and thousands of other apps.
  • Evernote: To attach notes from Evernote to Trello cards.
  • Salesforce: For integrating CRM data with project tasks.

Alternatives

For organizations evaluating project management solutions, several alternatives to Trello offer different feature sets and methodologies:
  • Jira Software: An Atlassian product primarily designed for software development teams, offering advanced agile project management, bug tracking, and issue management.
  • Asana: A work management platform that provides task management, project tracking, and workflow automation, often favored by marketing and operations teams.
  • Monday.com: A customizable work operating system (Work OS) that supports various use cases with visual dashboards, automations, and integrations.
  • Google Workspace: Offers tools like Google Tasks and Google Keep for lightweight personal and team task management, integrated within the Google ecosystem.

Getting started

To begin using Trello programmatically, developers can interact with its REST API. The API allows for creating, reading, updating, and deleting boards, lists, cards, and other Trello resources. An API key and token are required for authentication, which can be obtained from the Trello developer portal. The following example demonstrates how to fetch a user's boards using a simple HTTP request. 
# Replace YOUR_API_KEY and YOUR_API_TOKEN with your actual credentials
API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
API_TOKEN="YOUR_API_TOKEN"

# Get the ID of the current authenticated member
MEMBER_ID=$(curl --silent "https://api.trello.com/1/members/me?key=${API_KEY}&token=${API_TOKEN}" | jq -r .id)

# Fetch all boards associated with the member
curl "https://api.trello.com/1/members/${MEMBER_ID}/boards?key=${API_KEY}&token=${API_TOKEN}&fields=name,url"
This command uses `curl` to make an HTTP GET request to the Trello API. It first retrieves the authenticated user's member ID and then uses that ID to fetch a list of all boards they are a part of, returning only the name and URL fields. For more detailed API usage and specific endpoints, the Trello API documentation provides comprehensive guides and examples.