Asana vs Trello

Asana is a full project management platform with timelines, portfolios, and workflow automation. Trello is a simple kanban board that does one thing well. The question is whether you need the extra horsepower or just want something that stays out of your way.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Asana

Full project management with timelines, dependencies, and portfolios

$11/user/moper user/month (Premium, billed annually)

Strengths

+Timeline and Gantt chart views for real project planning
+Portfolios let you track multiple projects at once
+Workflow automation that actually saves time

Weaknesses

-Gets expensive fast as your team grows
-Can feel bloated if you just need a simple task list
-Learning curve is real - takes time to set up properly

Best for

Teams running complex projects with dependencies, deadlines, and multiple workstreams that need real project management.

Trello

Simple kanban boards that anyone can pick up in minutes

$5/user/moper user/month (Standard, billed annually)

Strengths

+Dead simple - drag cards between columns, done
+Free tier is genuinely usable for small teams
+Onboarding takes minutes, not days

Weaknesses

-No real timeline or Gantt chart view
-Falls apart for complex multi-project tracking
-No native dependencies between tasks

Best for

Small teams or individuals who want a clean, visual way to track tasks without learning a whole project management system.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Asana	Trello
Starting price	$11/user/mo	$5/user/mo
Free tier	Up to 10 users, basic features	Unlimited boards, 10 Power-Ups per board
Kanban boards	Yes	Yes - it's the core experience
Timeline / Gantt	Yes, built-in	No (Power-Up only, limited)
Task dependencies	Yes	No native support
Portfolio tracking	Yes (Business plan)	No
Custom fields	Yes	Yes (limited on free)
Automations	Rules, triggers, custom workflows	Butler automations (limited on free)
Reporting	Dashboards, workload, progress	Minimal - no built-in reporting
Integrations	200+ native integrations	200+ Power-Ups
Mobile app	Full-featured	Full-featured
Learning curve	Moderate - needs setup time	Very low - intuitive from day one

The Verdict

If your work is straightforward - tasks move from left to right, people grab what's next - Trello is the right call. It costs less and doesn't pretend to be more than it is. But once you hit the point where you need to know which tasks depend on others, track deadlines across projects, or report on team workload, Trello starts to buckle. That's where Asana earns its price. Most small teams should start with Trello and move to Asana when they feel the pain. You'll know when you need it.

How to switch from Asana to Trello

Full Asana export guide →

1Export your Asana data: open each project, click the three-dot menu, and choose 'Export/Print' to download a CSV file (or request a full org-wide export via the Admin Console if you're on a paid plan with admin access).
2Clean up the CSV - Trello's importer expects simple columns like list name, card name, and description, so strip out Asana-specific fields like custom fields and dependencies that won't map over.
3Create your Trello boards and lists to mirror your Asana project structure, then use Trello's CSV import (available directly in board creation, or via a Power-Up like 'Import' for JSON files) to bring cards in.
4Rebuild automations manually - recreate Asana Rules as Trello Butler automations, since there's no automatic conversion between the two systems.
5Reconnect integrations one by one (Slack, Google Drive, Zapier, etc.) using Trello's Power-Ups or native integrations, testing each before you rely on it.
6Run both tools in parallel for one sprint, have the team log tasks in Trello only, and archive the Asana workspace once you've confirmed nothing critical was left behind.

Asana vs Trello: common questions

How do I export my data from Asana before switching to Trello?+

Go to your project, click the three-dot menu, and select 'Export/Print' to download a CSV or JSON file of tasks. For a full workspace backup, org admins can request a complete data export from the Admin Console, which includes all projects, tasks, and custom fields. CSV is the format you'll actually use for re-importing into Trello.

What features do I lose by moving from Asana to Trello?+

You lose native timeline/Gantt views, task dependencies, portfolio tracking across multiple projects, and built-in workload/progress reporting. Trello has Power-Ups (like Card Aging or Gantt-style add-ons) that partially fill some gaps, but they're bolt-ons, not native features. If your workflow relies heavily on dependencies or cross-project reporting, expect a real drop in capability.

Is Trello's free plan enough for a small team?+

For teams under 10 people running straightforward task boards, yes - the free plan gives unlimited boards, cards, and up to 10 Power-Ups per board, which covers most basic workflows. You'll hit limits if you need advanced checklists, automation runs beyond the free Butler quota, or more than 10 Power-Ups on a single board.

Will my integrations still work after switching to Trello?+

Not automatically - Asana integrations (Slack rules, Zapier zaps, custom API connections) don't carry over and need to be rebuilt using Trello's equivalent Power-Ups or Trello's own API. Common tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Zapier all have Trello integrations, so most setups are replaceable, just not migrated automatically.

Does switching from Asana to Trello actually save money long-term?+

Yes, at list price Trello Standard runs about $5/user/month versus Asana Premium at roughly $11/user/month, so a 10-person team saves around $720/year. The gap widens if you were on Asana Business, which costs significantly more per user than any Trello tier.