Trello vs Notion: Features, Pricing, and Which One Fits Your Team

Trello and Notion sit on almost every shortlist. Both let you drag tasks across a board. That’s where the overlap ends.

Trello is the better pick if you want simple Kanban boards your team can use on day one, from $5 per user per month. Notion fits teams that want docs, wikis and projects in one place, from $10 per user per month.

The catch sits in the limits. Trello’s free plan stops at 10 collaborators. Notion keeps its full AI for the $20 Business plan.

We read both pricing pages, their help docs and five ranking comparisons, then priced each tool for 12 people.

Here’s which one fits your team, and what it costs.

Key Points

• Trello vs Notion comes down to boards versus pages. Trello starts at $5 per user per month (Standard, billed yearly) and Notion at $10 (Plus). For a 12-person team, that’s $720 a year on Trello and $1,440 on Notion.
• Pick Trello when your team needs a task board today and won’t read a setup guide. Its free plan caps a workspace at 10 collaborators, so count heads first.
• Pick Notion when your projects live next to docs, meeting notes and a team handbook. Budget for Business at $20 per user if your team wants Notion AI every day.
• If you mainly need projects, tasks and team chat, compare a project tool like Onethread too. It’s free for your first 10 users.

Which Is Better, Trello or Notion, at a Glance?

Trello wins on speed and price. Notion wins on depth. The table shows the first paid plan for each tool, billed yearly, and the cost for a 12-person team.

Prices come from the Trello, Notion and Onethread pricing pages. The “Best for” labels are our own judgment.

Here’s how we built it. We read each vendor’s plan page and help docs, then checked five ranking comparison posts. Most of those posts still quote old Notion prices, such as $8 for Plus or $15 for Business. So we priced every plan again and did the team math ourselves.

What Is Trello and Who Is It For?

Trello is a visual task tool from Atlassian. Your work sits on boards, in lists, on cards. You drag a card from “To do” to “Done”, and everyone sees it move.

That’s the whole pitch, and it works. A new hire can learn a Trello board in minutes. Cards hold checklists, due dates, labels, files and comments. Power-Ups add calendars, Slack, Google Drive and other tools.

Say you run a five-person content team. You need one board with “Ideas”, “Writing”, “Review” and “Live”. Trello handles that on the free plan without a single setup call.

The limits show up as you grow. Free workspaces cap out at 10 collaborators and 10 boards. Table, Timeline and Calendar views sit on Premium.

Pricing: Free, then Standard at $5, Premium at $10 and Enterprise at $17.50 per user per month, billed yearly.

Best For

• Small teams that want a shared task board running today.
• Teams that think in stages, such as content, hiring or support queues.

Pros

• Almost no setup, since the board explains itself.
• The cheapest paid plan of the two at $5 per user.
• Built-in automation (Butler) on every plan, with 250 runs a month on Free.
• Power-Ups connect common tools without code.

Cons

• Free workspaces become view-only past 10 collaborators.
• Timeline, Table and Calendar views need Premium.
• No real docs or pages, so notes live somewhere else.
• Big boards with hundreds of cards get hard to scan.

What Is Notion and Who Is It For?

Notion is an all-in-one workspace. Pages hold text, tables, files and databases, and every page can link to any other. A task list in Notion is just a database you can show as a board, table, timeline or calendar.

Think of a product team with specs, meeting notes and a roadmap. In Notion, the roadmap item links to its spec. The spec links to the notes from the call where you agreed on it. Nobody hunts through a shared drive.

That freedom costs time. Someone has to design the setup, and a messy Notion workspace gets messy fast. The free plan suits one person. Teams of two or more hit a block limit and get only 7 days of page history.

Pricing: Free, then Plus at $10 and Business at $20 per user per month, billed yearly. Enterprise is a custom quote.

Best For

• Teams whose projects depend on docs, specs and a shared wiki.
• People who like to build their own system from blocks.

Pros

• Docs, wikis and task databases live in one tool.
• Seven database views, from board and timeline to chart.
• Offline pages in the desktop and mobile apps.
• Higher Capterra scores for features and value.

Cons

• A steeper learning curve, and someone has to own the setup.
• Notion AI for daily use needs the $20 Business plan.
• The free plan limits blocks once a second member joins.
• Offline databases download only the first 50 rows of a view.

How Do Trello and Notion Compare on Features?

Trello and Notion both offer boards, comments and mentions, so the basics look the same on a feature list. The real gaps show up in views, documents, automation limits and how long setup takes. Here’s how each one plays out for a working team.

Boards and Views Differ by Plan

Both tools start with a Kanban board. In Trello, the board is the product. Standard adds custom fields, advanced checklists and the advanced Planner. Table, Timeline and Calendar views open on Premium at $10 per user.

Notion treats views as filters on one database. The Notion views help page lists seven layouts: table, board, timeline, calendar, list, gallery and chart. You can add a timeline to a task list on any plan, but the free plan allows only one chart.

So if your team lives in a timeline, Notion gets you there for less.

Notion Holds Docs and Wikis

Notion’s biggest edge isn’t a project feature at all. It’s the page. Every task can open into a full document with headings, tables, embeds and comments.

That’s why teams build wikis, onboarding guides and meeting notes in Notion, then link tasks to them. Business adds private teamspaces and 90 days of page history, up from 30 on Plus.

Trello cards hold a description, a checklist, files and comments. That covers a task. It doesn’t cover a 20-page handbook. Most Trello teams keep docs in Google Drive or Confluence and paste links into cards.

Automation Runs Cap Trello Plans

Trello’s built-in automation, Butler, runs rules, card buttons and board buttons. Each run counts against a monthly cap. The Trello automation limits page lists 250 runs on Free, 1,000 on Standard and unlimited runs on Premium.

A busy board can burn 250 runs in a week. Moving every new card to the right list, for example, counts each time it fires.

Notion splits automation by plan instead of by count. Free gets buttons only. Plus and above add database automations, such as setting a field when a status changes.

Ease of Use and Learning Curve

Trello is easier to start. Capterra reviewers rate Trello 4.5 for ease of use and Notion 4.4.

The bigger difference is setup time. A Trello board works the minute you create it. A Notion workspace works once someone decides how pages, databases and templates connect.

But Notion pays back that time later. Reviewers rate it 4.6 for features against 4.3 for Trello. If one person on your team enjoys building systems, Notion will feel natural. If nobody does, Trello stays tidy with less effort.

How Much Do Trello and Notion Cost Per Year?

Trello costs half as much as Notion at the first paid tier: $5 per user per month against $10. Both bill per user and both cut the price when you pay yearly. The gap grows with every person you add, so the team total matters more than the sticker price.

Trello Plans and Prices

Trello sells four plans. Every price is per user per month.

• Free: $0 for up to 10 collaborators per workspace, 10 boards, 10MB files and 250 automation runs.
• Standard: $5 billed yearly or $6 monthly, with unlimited boards, 250MB files and 1,000 runs.
• Premium: $10 billed yearly or $12.50 monthly, adding Table, Timeline, Calendar views, AI and unlimited runs.
• Enterprise: $17.50 billed yearly, or $210 per user per year, with admin and security controls.

Top Tip: Count everyone who edits a board before you stay on Free. A free Trello workspace with more than 10 collaborators turns every board view-only and stops its automations, per Atlassian’s collaborator limit page.

Notion Plans and Prices

Notion sells four plans as well, priced per member per month.

• Free: $0, unlimited blocks for one person, limited blocks for 2 or more members, 5MB uploads and 7-day page history.
• Plus: $10 billed yearly or $12 monthly, with unlimited blocks, 5GB uploads, 30-day history and database automations.
• Business: $20 billed yearly or $24 monthly, with Notion AI, SAML SSO, private teamspaces and 90-day history.
• Enterprise: custom pricing, with extra security and admin controls.

The AI line is the one to watch. Notion’s plan change help page says ongoing AI use needs Business or above. Free and Plus get a limited trial only. For a deeper breakdown, our Notion pricing guide walks through each plan.

Cost for a 12-Person Team

We priced each paid plan for 12 people, billed yearly. Twelve is a useful test, since it’s just past Trello’s free cap.

Example: Trello Standard costs 12 users x $5 x 12 months = $720 a year. Notion Plus costs 12 x $10 x 12 = $1,440. Notion Business doubles that to $2,880.

Trello Premium and Notion Plus land on the same $1,440. So the real choice at that budget is Trello’s extra views against Notion’s docs. Run your own headcount through the same sum before you pick.

What Do Reddit and Capterra Users Say About Trello vs Notion?

Users split along the same line as the features: Trello for clear task boards, Notion for everything around them. On Capterra, Notion scores 4.7 from 2,808 reviews and Trello 4.5 from 23,599, per the Capterra Notion vs Trello comparison.

That review count tells its own story. Trello has about eight times as many ratings as Notion. Notion’s higher score comes from a smaller, keener crowd, so read it as a strong signal rather than a final verdict.

Reddit threads show the doubt behind the search. In one r/productivity thread, titled Trello or Notion? I’m confused. Any suggestions?, the poster is torn between the two.

Marketers ask the same in Which Project Management software do you prefer: Notion or Trello? on r/marketing.

Some people weigh a third tool too. The thread Trello vs Notion vs Evernote? adds a notes app to the mix. That’s a hint many users want notes and tasks in one place, which is Notion’s whole pitch.

Across these threads and reviews, three themes repeat:

• Trello feels instant: people praise how fast a board makes sense.
• Notion feels flexible: people like building their own setup.
• Notion takes effort: the learning curve is the most common complaint, and setup falls on one person.

How Can You Use Trello and Notion Together?

Put tasks in Trello and docs in Notion. Plenty of teams run this split. Each tool does the part it’s best at, and nobody forces a handbook into a card. People ask how to set up exactly this in the r/trello thread Trello and Notion workflow?.

The setup is simple. Each Trello card holds the task, owner and due date. The card links to a Notion page with the brief, notes and files. Your board stays clean, and the detail lives one click away.

Agree on one rule early: the card owns the status, and the page owns the detail. Otherwise, people update one tool and forget the other.

But two tools mean two bills and two places to check.

Example: For 12 people, Trello Standard at $720 plus Notion Plus at $1,440 costs $2,160 a year. That’s $720 more than running Notion Plus alone, and you still switch tabs all day.

So the combo makes sense when your team truly needs both a fast board and a deep knowledge base. If your docs are light, Trello alone is cheaper. If your board is simple, a Notion board view may be enough.

Top Tip: Before you pay for both, try a Notion board view for two weeks. If your team doesn’t miss Trello, you’ve saved the second subscription.

Which Should You Choose: Trello or Notion?

Choose Trello when the board is the job, and Notion when the documents are the job. Most teams know which one they are within a minute of asking the question. Use the flow below, then check the signals under each tool.

Choose Trello If Speed Matters

Trello fits when your team needs a working board this week and nobody wants to design a system. Content calendars, sales pipelines and support queues all map to its lists.

It’s also the cheaper start. Standard at $5 per user covers unlimited boards and 1,000 automation runs. If your team stays under 10 people, Free may be enough.

Before you commit, compare Trello with tools that sit close to it. Our Asana vs Trello comparison and Jira vs Trello guide cover teams that need more structure.

Choose Notion If Docs Matter

Notion fits when your tasks only make sense next to written context. Product specs, client briefs, research notes and onboarding guides all live better in pages than in cards.

It also suits teams that want one tool for the whole company wiki. Plus at $10 per user covers most teams. Business at $20 makes sense once you want Notion AI or SAML SSO.

Still unsure if Notion is the right workspace? Read our Asana vs Notion comparison and Basecamp vs Notion breakdown for other angles.

Why Consider Onethread as a Trello and Notion Alternative?

Onethread is a project management tool built for small teams that want projects, tasks and team talk in one place. It sits between the two. It’s more structured than a Trello board and less of a blank page than Notion.

Each project gets tasks, discussion rooms and a dashboard. A company notice board handles announcements, and every plan includes 15GB of file sharing. The paid Scale plan adds custom workflows, issue tracking, phases and milestones.

Say you run a 10-person agency. You want client projects, task owners and a chat thread per project without building it yourself. Onethread covers that on the free plan, since your first 10 users cost nothing.

For more options in this space, see our list of the best project management software for small teams.

Pricing: Free for the first 10 users, then Growth at $3 and Scale at $5 per user per month, billed yearly.

Best For

• Small teams and agencies that want projects, tasks and chat together.
• Teams that find Notion too open and Trello too thin.

Pros

• Free for your first 10 users, with unlimited projects and tasks.
• Discussion rooms keep talk next to the work.
• 15GB of file sharing on every plan.
• Lower per-user price than both Trello Standard and Notion Plus.

Cons

• The free plan allows a maximum of three workflows.
• Custom roles and advanced reports need the Scale plan.
• Budgeting and risk tools are still marked as upcoming.
• No wiki-style pages like Notion’s.

What Should You Do Next With Trello or Notion?

Trello vs Notion isn’t a contest one tool wins outright. Trello is the faster, cheaper board. Notion is the deeper workspace that rewards whoever sets it up. Now you know the yearly price for your team and the limits that force an upgrade.

So start with a headcount and one question: is your work mostly tasks or mostly documents? Count the people who edit, run that number through the cost example, and trial the winner with one real project this week. A week of real work tells you more than any feature table.

FAQs

Can Notion Replace Trello?

Yes, for most small teams. A Notion database shown as a board works like a Trello board, with cards you drag between status columns. Notion falls short if your team leans on Trello’s Butler buttons or wants a board that works with zero setup. In a Trello vs Notion switch, plan a day to rebuild your lists.

What Happens When a Free Trello Workspace Goes Over 10 People?

The boards turn view-only. Atlassian’s help docs say a free workspace with more than 10 collaborators can’t edit cards, can’t add new collaborators and stops running automations. You can still see every board. To fix it, remove people or move the workspace to Standard at $5 per user per month.

Is Notion AI Included in Every Notion Plan?

No. Notion’s help center says Free and Plus include only a limited AI trial. Ongoing use of Notion AI, including the agent and AI meeting notes, comes with the Business plan at $20 per member per month billed yearly. So when you compare Trello and Notion on AI, compare against Business, not Plus.

Is Trello or Notion Better for Personal Use?

Notion is usually better for personal use. Its free plan gives one person unlimited blocks, so you can run notes, journals and task lists in one place. Trello’s free plan suits a simple personal board, but it caps you at 10 boards per workspace. Pick Trello if you only want a to-do board.

Does Trello Have a Timeline or Gantt View?

Yes, on Premium. Trello’s Timeline view opens with the Premium plan at $10 per user per month billed yearly, along with Table and Calendar views. Free and Standard stick to boards. For a full Gantt chart with dependencies, a dedicated project tool or a Notion timeline view may serve you better than Trello.