Trello vs Notion: Which One Should Your Team Use in 2026?

A practical comparison of Trello and Notion covering pricing, features, and which tool fits small teams better.

Updated 2026-09 · 2026

Trello

Visual kanban boards for simple task tracking

Free / $5-$17.50user/month (billed annually)

Strengths

+Extremely fast to learn — drag-and-drop cards, no setup curve
+Free plan covers unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per workspace
+Power-Ups integrate with Slack, Google Drive, Jira and more

Weaknesses

-Gets messy fast for anything beyond simple task lists
-No native docs, wikis, or databases — just cards and checklists
-Free plan caps unlimited boards per workspace unless you upgrade

Best for

Small teams who just need a visual to-do board and nothing more complex

Notion

All-in-one docs, wikis, and databases with kanban views built in

Free / $10-$15user/month (billed annually)

Strengths

+Combines docs, wikis, task boards, and databases in one workspace
+Free plan is genuinely usable for small teams (limited only by file uploads on old legacy plans)
+Databases can be viewed as kanban, table, calendar, or timeline

Weaknesses

-Steeper learning curve than a plain kanban board
-Can get slow with large databases or heavy nesting
-Automations/API access require paid plans for real use

Best for

Teams that want project boards plus docs, wikis, and knowledge base in one tool

Feature Comparison

Feature	Trello	Notion
Free plan	Unlimited cards, 10 boards/workspace	Unlimited pages/blocks for individuals & small teams
Kanban boards	Native, core feature	Native via database board view
Docs/wikis	Not supported	Full rich-text docs and nested wikis
Databases/tables	Basic custom fields (paid tiers)	Full relational databases with filters, formulas, relations
Automation	Butler (free, rule-based)	Notion Automations (paid plans) or Zapier/Make
Templates	Board templates gallery	Huge community + official template library
Mobile app	Yes, fast and simple	Yes, but heavier and slower
API access	Yes, free	Yes, free
Integrations	Power-Ups (Slack, Jira, Drive)	Native + Zapier/Make connectors
Guest/external access	Free plan supports guests per board	Free plan supports guest sharing on pages
Best entry price for 5 users	Free (Standard $25/mo for 5 seats)	Free (Plus $50/mo for 5 seats)

The Verdict

Trello wins for teams that want a dead-simple visual task list and nothing else — it's faster to onboard and free forever for basic use. Notion wins once you need docs, wikis, or structured databases alongside your boards, but it takes longer to set up properly. If your team already lives in Slack and just needs a shared to-do board, stick with Trello; if you're consolidating scattered docs and spreadsheets too, Notion is worth the learning curve.

How to switch from Trello to Notion

Full Trello export guide →

1Export each Trello board individually via board menu (...) > 'Print, export, and share' > 'Export as JSON' (or CSV if you're on Premium/Enterprise) and save the files locally.
2In Notion, create a new database (table or board view) and use 'Import' > 'CSV' if you exported CSV files, or manually recreate lists as Notion database columns/statuses if you only have JSON.
3Rebuild any Trello Butler automations as either Notion's built-in automations (paid plans) or via a Zapier/Make workflow connecting Notion's API.
4Reconnect integrations — set up Notion's native Slack and GitHub integrations, and use Zapier for anything that was a Trello Power-Up (like Jira or Google Drive).
5Run both tools in parallel for one sprint/week: keep Trello read-only for reference while your team enters new cards directly into Notion.
6Once the team confirms Notion has everything needed, archive the Trello boards and downgrade or cancel your Trello plan.

Trello vs Notion: common questions

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

Open each board, click the board menu (...) in the top right, then go to 'Print, export, and share' and choose 'Export as JSON' (available on all plans) or 'Export as CSV' (Premium/Enterprise only). JSON exports include cards, lists, and comments; CSV is easier to reformat for Notion's CSV importer.

What features do I lose moving from Trello to Notion?+

You lose Trello's dedicated Butler automation rules and Power-Ups — Notion's automation is either paid or requires Zapier/Make instead. You'll also lose the near-instant load speed of a pure kanban app, since Notion pages with lots of blocks or large databases load noticeably slower.

Is Notion's free plan enough for a small team of 5-10 people?+

Yes for most basic project tracking — the free plan has no page or block limits for individuals, though team-wide features like unlimited file uploads and version history are limited. Once you need admin controls, SSO, or longer history, you'll need the Plus plan at $10/user/month billed annually.

Can Notion replace my Trello Slack/Jira integrations?+

Partially — Notion has native integrations with Slack and GitHub, and you can connect Jira via Zapier or Make, but it's not as plug-and-play as Trello's Power-Ups. Expect to spend an extra hour or two rebuilding automations that Trello's Butler handled natively for free.

Is Notion actually cheaper than Trello long-term?+

Not necessarily — Notion's Plus plan ($10/user/month annually) costs the same as Trello's Standard plan ($5/user/month annually) is actually cheaper per user, but Notion's Business tier ($15/user/month) exceeds Trello Premium ($10/user/month). If you only need kanban boards, Trello stays cheaper; if Notion replaces multiple other tools (docs, wiki, spreadsheets), it's cheaper overall.