Trello
by Atlassian Inc.
Visual kanban board tool with Butler automation for rule-based task management and team workflows. Trello is a visual kanban-based project management tool launched in 2011 by Fog Creek Software (now Glitch). Atlassian acquired Trello in 2017 for $425 million.
Performance Scores
2 rankings evaluated
Score range: 7.2 – 7.4
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#5Best Project Management Automation Tools in 2026
Score: 7.2 · Best for: Small teams and individuals wanting simple Kanban-based automation
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#5Best Project Management Automation Tools in 2026
Score: 7.4 · Best for: Small teams and individuals needing simple Kanban-based task management with basic automation
Key Facts
| Attribute | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2011 | Apr 2026 | Trello |
| Acquisition | Acquired by Atlassian in 2017 for $425 million | Apr 2026 | Atlassian |
| Registered Users | 50+ million registered users | Apr 2026 | Trello |
| Butler Automation | Butler: rules, card/board buttons, scheduled + due date commands | Apr 2026 | Trello |
| Free Tier | Free: unlimited cards, 10 boards, 250 Butler runs/mo | Apr 2026 | Trello |
| Standard Plan | $5/user/month (Standard plan) | Apr 2026 | Trello |
| Power-Ups | Power-Ups: Slack, Google Drive, Jira, GitHub, Dropbox, etc. | Apr 2026 | Trello |
| Parent Company | Part of Atlassian ecosystem ($4.36B FY2024 revenue) | Apr 2026 | Atlassian 10-K |
Strengths
- ●Butler automation available on all plans including Free
- ●Simplest onboarding curve among PM automation tools
- ●Power-Ups extend functionality with 200+ integrations
- ●Productive within 1 day — lowest learning curve of any PM tool evaluated
- ●Free plan with unlimited cards and 10 boards per workspace
- ●Butler automation uses natural language for rule creation
- ●Standard plan at $6/user/month is among the most affordable
Limitations
- ●Limited to Kanban-centric workflows; no native Gantt or timeline view
- ●Less capable for complex multi-project management scenarios
- ●Butler automation is less flexible than Monday.com or Asana rules engines
- ●No native Gantt chart, time tracking, or resource management without Power-Ups
- ●Board-based structure scales poorly for complex, multi-phase projects
Based on evaluations in 2 rankings: Best Project Management Automation Tools in 2026, Best Project Management Automation Tools in 2026
About Trello
Trello is a visual kanban-based project management tool launched in 2011 by Fog Creek Software (now Glitch). Atlassian acquired Trello in 2017 for $425 million. As of April 2026, Trello reports 50+ million registered users and is part of the Atlassian ecosystem ($4.36 billion FY2024 revenue).
Butler automation (built into Trello since 2019) provides five automation types: rules (trigger+action that fire automatically), card buttons (one-click actions on individual cards), board buttons (one-click actions across a board), scheduled commands (run at specified times — daily, weekly, monthly), and due date commands (fire relative to card due dates). Example automations include: when a card is moved to "Done," mark the due date as complete, add a comment, and move to archive; every Monday at 9 AM, create a new card in the "To Do" list with a checklist. The free plan includes unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, and 250 Butler command runs per workspace per month. Standard plan ($5/user/month) provides unlimited boards, advanced checklists, custom fields, and 1,000 command runs per month. Premium plan ($10/user/month) adds dashboard view, timeline view, map view, calendar view, and unlimited command runs. Enterprise plan ($17.50/user/month) includes organization-wide permissions and multi-board guest access.
Trello connects to external tools through Power-Ups (integrations). Popular Power-Ups include Slack, Google Drive, Jira, Confluence, GitHub, Dropbox, Evernote, and Salesforce. The Trello REST API enables custom integrations and webhook-based automation.
Integrations (8)
Other Project Management Automation Tools
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All-in-one productivity platform with 100+ automation recipes for project management, docs, and goal tracking.
Project Management AutomationJira
Issue tracking and project management platform with built-in automation rules for agile development teams.
Project Management AutomationMonday.com
Visual work operating system with automation recipes for task management, project tracking, and team collaboration.
Project Management AutomationSee How It Ranks
Questions About Trello
How to automate Trello boards with Butler
Trello Butler is a built-in automation tool. Open a board, click "Automation" in the top menu, and create rules (trigger + action), scheduled commands (time-based), or card/board buttons (manual triggers). Butler is available on all Trello plans with usage limits.
What is Trello and what is it used for?
Trello is a visual project management tool based on Kanban boards, developed by Fog Creek Software in 2011 and acquired by Atlassian in 2017 for $425 million. It uses boards, lists, and cards to organize tasks visually. Over 50 million registered users have signed up as of 2026.
Trello vs Asana: Which is better in 2026?
Trello provides Kanban-first simplicity with Butler automation at $6-12.50/user/month. Asana offers multi-view structured workflows with dependencies and portfolios at $13.49-30.49/user/month. Trello Premium is 59% cheaper than Asana Advanced for a 15-person team.
What are the best Jira alternatives in 2026?
Monday.com, Asana, and ClickUp are the top Jira alternatives in 2026. Monday.com provides visual dashboards with 200+ automation recipes. Asana offers unlimited rules and cross-project portfolios. ClickUp delivers 15+ views with built-in docs at $7/user/month.