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When comparing Jira and Trello, Trello will often come out on top. This isn't a firm rule, however, as both software can suit different scenarios. For example, if your team contains fewer than ten people, Jira might be a better pick due to its more robust cheaper tiers.
However, Trello trumps Jira when looking at larger teams, as well as having a cheaper top plan. Putting this on top of Trello's ease of use and list of features means that Trello is slightly more desirable than Jira.
Due to the mass office exodus of 2020-2021, many people and businesses find themselves working from home. That is why project management software can come in handy, as it allows teams and businesses to keep tabs on project progress, even when people aren't in the same room, and Jira and Trello make up two of the best.
While Jira benefits small teams, Trello is a better fit for larger teams.
Despite similarities, for most companies, Trello trumps Jira, as it offers more expansive functionality for standard project management needs. Jira, on the other hand, is mainly intended for software development projects, with companies sometimes turning to Jira since their software team is already using it.
| Price | Free Demo | Pros | Cons | Support | Verdict | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Jira | Trello | ||||||
$10/10 users/mo | $5/user/mo | ||||||
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24/7 | M-F, 9 am to 5 pm, ET | ||||||
All-around great software, thanks to ease of use and a scalable pricing scheme. | A fairly-priced, stripped-down option best for small teams. |
Jira vs Trello – Which is Best?
Jira and Trello can both work for project management, but unless you're working on a software project, we recommend choosing Trello. The price is higher, but you can customize Trello with the features you need to manage projects in any industry. That said, there are situations where Jira might make more sense.
- Trello is best for independent workers or personal projects, since it has a free tier with unlimited personal boards
- Trello is best for large teams that require easy ways to integrate with email, and want a flexible and customizable tool
- Jira is best for teams that work closely with software development or IT departments
- Jira is best for small teams that need to upgrade to a paid tier
- Between the two, Trello is the most capable solution for general project management
Jira Review Summary
- Very simple approach appeals to some organizations
- Designed with software projects in mind
- Very economical pricing for small teams of up to 10
- Wide variety of third-party add-ons
- Roadmap view helps teams keep their projects on schedule
Jira is largely focused on managing software development projects – a fact that becomes obvious once you dig in to the product. Some companies turn to Jira because it's a very simple tool, because their IT department is already be using it, or simply because the price is right.
Teams can also customize Jira to act more like a generic project management tool, which can make its software development roots less obvious. BigPicture is a popular third party plugin, as it supports features such as scope and Gantt charts.
Jira's integration with Confluence, plus its document templates under the Pages tab, provide easy ways to add necessary documents to a project. It also supports helpful features such as “at mentions”, which can draw a colleague's attention to a document.
Jira supports nearly 2,000 app integrations created by third parties, while Confluence has about 874.
Pros
- Very simple interface that's easy to use
- Lots of helpful integrations
- Scalable pricing structure - the more users you have, the more you save
Cons
- Missing more advanced project management features
- Integrations can be confusing
- Monthly rates are very expensive
Trello Review Summary
- Free tier makes it easy for single users or small teams to get started
- Limited access to add-ons with free tier
- Supports automations to complete basic tasks and housekeeping more efficiently
- Supports email to task conversion
- Several different views
- Fundamental project management features require add-ons, and are not enabled by default
Trello has a similar card-and-board interface to Jira, but makes it much easier to get up and running with general project management. For that reason, Trello is often the better choice for most companies that aren't creating software.
Trello itself is very easy to understand, and any team choosing the free tier will probably find themselves frustrated with it unless their needs are simple. You'll be able to choose from a multitude of different views, which will allow you to view your projects' progress in various different ways.
Most companies will probably want to turn to at least the business tier, which costs $9.99 per user, per month (billed annually). For that money, the service includes unlimited access to Power-Ups, plus 1,000 automations to improve the efficiency of your workflow. It also supports Google single sign-on.
Pros
- Intuitive, drag-and-drop interface
- Lots of add-ons available
- Free option available
Cons
- Very limited free option
- Too basic for larger teams
- Add-ons come at a price
Jira vs Trello: Pricing
Before you make a decision on any new software, you need to know how much it costs. In the tables below, we'll show you exactly how much Jira and Trello will cost your business, from pricing plans to features. Take a look to get a better idea of how these two providers stack up when it comes to pricing.
Jira Pricing
Jira has four tiers, which include a free tier and a bespoke tier. The free tier is quite barebones, only offering 2 GB of storage. However, as you increase to the Standard plan ($7 per month), you'll be giving 250 GB, as well as access to 10,000 users.
The Premium tier costs $14 per month, and also allows 10,000 user profiles. The storage cap is removed completely, meaning you won't have to worry about how much data you include in your account. The bespoke tier's pricing is customisable, so the price fluctuates based on what you include.
For more information, check out our in-depth Jira pricing guide.
| Price | Users | Storage | Support | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | ||||
Jira Work Management Free | Jira Work Management Standard | ||||
Free | $5 per user per month | ||||
10 | 10,000 | ||||
2 GB | 250 GB | ||||
Community | Business hours |
Trello Pricing
Trello has four plans, a free plan, a basic plan, a premium plan, and an enterprise-level plan. The free plan only allows a max of 10 MB per file, which is very small, so most businesses might find themselves getting stopped frequently by this. You'll also only be offered 10 boards.
The Standard plan is a ideal for small businesses that don't require a lot of advanced features. It raises the file size to 250 MB, and gives the user unlimited boards. You get all the core functionality of a project management system, without a lot of bells and whistles. Most notably, you only get the on, albeit very popular, board view, whereas the next plan opens up a lot more.
The Premium plan is $10 per user per month. You'll be given priority support if you need to contact Trello. This plan also adds a wide range of new board views, including map, calendar, timeline, team table, and more. You'll also get access to unlimited automations, which is always attractive for saving time.
The final paid tier is the Enterprise tier, which costs $17.50 per month per year. This plan gives your organization a little more control over the software, allowing for branding on boards, attachment permissions, and custom fields.
| Price | Projects/Boards | Storage | Support | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | ||
Free | Standard | Premium | Enterprise | ||
Free | $5 per user per month | $10 per user per month | $17.50 per user per month | ||
10 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
10 MB per file | 250 MB per file | 250 MB per file | 250 MB per file | ||
Basic | Standard | Priority | Priority |
Jira vs Trello: Team Sizes
The best way to decide which of these two project management software providers is a good fit for your business is team size. Whether you're an individual looking for a productivity boost or an enterprise-level business in need of some serious organization, you'll find the right platform that meets you needs.
Jira is better than Trello for Small Teams
For small teams of less than 10 users, Jira is probably the best choice. Trello does have a free tier, while Jira has a free plan for up to 10 team members. The difference is that Trello isn't particularly full featured on its free tier, and Jira's hosted solution is cheaper than Trello's paid tier.
Jira's task cards support attachments, comments, subtasks, and the ability to link tasks to each other. Jira's Confluence feature also lets you link to documents, if necessary.
Jira is not as full featured as other project management tools, but its marketplace lets you add functionality as and when you need it, which is super handy.
Compare Jira and Trello to other suites – see our guide to the Best Project Management Software
Trello is better than Jira for Large Teams
Where Jira is more suited for small teams that might not need too many resources to help them communicate, Trello understands that larger teams might need some tools that bigger teams can use to stay on top of their progress.
Trello is more flexible than Jira, and will have you up and running quickly. It's also simple enough that the onboarding process can be accomplished rather quickly. The automations feature with the Butler add-on is also helpful for keeping teams organized by simplifying basic operations, such as notifying the entire team when a task is moved to the Done column.
Large teams paying for the enterprise tier also get access to more advanced automation features, as well as unlimited use of Butler. Business Class users, however, can only use 1,000 automation runs per team. At the Enterprise level, you can also get the key features that larger teams need – such as SAML IdPs – while admins have control over which Power-Ups a team can use.
Another feature that large teams will find handy is the ability to forward email messages directly to a Trello board, automatically turning it into a task. While people complain a lot about email, it's still the fundamental way many large teams communicate. Easy integration with Trello is a big plus.
Jira is better than Trello for Teams Working with IT
For companies that are already invested in Jira for bug tracking, developing a company website, or creating products, using Jira as an extension of that makes a lot of sense. This is especially true for teams that have to work closely with the software development team. Using the same tool makes it easier for teams to communicate, and to understand how their project management workflow is structured.
Jira is purpose built for software development, but it's still flexible enough to work as a general project management tool. The only thing you'll have to do is add some of the features that you feel are missing, such as Gantt charts or calendars. Jira marketplace apps typically cost money, but if you're careful about how many you add, it still offers very good value.
Once you start adding apps, Jira becomes a little more complicated, and you can tell that many of the apps feature instructions and designs aimed at software developers. That may be a downside for some, and for those people, Trello may be the better choice.
Trello is better than Jira for Independent Workers
Since it offers a free tier with unlimited personal boards, there's no question that Trello is the best choice for freelancers working alone. It also supports up to 10 team boards, meaning you can invite colleagues – or even clients – when a team effort is required.
As we've mentioned earlier, each board can only receive one Power-Up at the free tier, meaning you'll have to carefully choose the tool that works best for your situation.
Another downside of Trello’s free tier for an individual is that file attachments are limited to 10MB each, while the paid tiers support a maximum 250MB per file attachment. Free users also don't get a lot of support beyond forum posts and YouTube tutorials.
Overall, however, Trello's free offering is a fantastic tool for individual workers who need to keep their work for multiple clients well organized.
Alternatives to Jira and Trello
But it's not just these two software going up against each other. There are some other notable project management platforms that are worthy of consideration.
monday
monday.com is our overall favourite project management software. With its customisation options, generous free trial, and overall affordability, it's a great choice for any business looking for project management software.
Wrike
If you're not looking to break the bank, Wrike offers a great free tier that can help you get to grips with the software before taking the plunge. Even though it's affordable, it's easy to learn and packed with features.
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a good choice for any business used to operating Microsoft Office. It can integrate with existing Microsoft products, and offers a lot of quality features. It's somewhat expensive, but it can be worth it if linking all of your software together is what you're after.
| Price | Verdict | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEST FREE  | BEST OVERALL  | BEST FOR SPREADSHEETS  |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  |  |  |
ClickUp | monday | Smartsheet | Wrike | Teamwork | Celoxis | Backlog | Trello | Basecamp | Jira | Asana | Zoho Projects | Workfront | Microsoft Project |
| $25/mo | Free, or $35/30 users/mo | $5/user/mo | $99/unlimited users/mo | $10/10 users/mo | Free | Not available | $30/user/mo | |||||
Slick, simple software with a powerful core, plus a genuinely impressive free tier for individuals, and great value plans for teams. | A great task management system due to strong customizablity and support team, with a generous Free Trial period. | A great tool for spreadsheet-natives, which can take your Excel-based task planning to the next level, and there's a free trial, too. | A feature-rich service with a plain interface that's easy to learn, and has a free tier option to try. | A management tool with a complex functionality. | A good value platform that's ideal for managing projects across growing teams | Modern, professional software with a simple approach and cheap plans, and a great choice for teamwork tracking. | A fairly-priced, stripped-down option best for small teams. | A feature-rich software with a pricing scheme best for mid-sized teams. | All-around great software, thanks to ease of use and a scalable pricing scheme. | A simple project management platform with a strong feature set and an impressive free tier. | A solid project management solution with an attractive free tier for small teams | An enterprise solution aimed at large companies. | A pricey service best for companies invested in Microsoft. |
Trello vs Jira: The Verdict
Trello and Jira both have a good amount to offer users, but if it's a choice between one or the other, then Trello is the best overall. The only exception to that would be for anyone working in software development, for which Jira is purpose built.
Trello offers a free tier that is very usable, has a healthy number of add-ons, and doesn't put limits on personal boards, cards, or lists. For teams that upgrade to the paid tiers, the add-ons become unlimited, and automations become a lot more useful since you can use them more freely. Offering simplicity and customizability, and built with general project management in mind, Trello is a great choice overall.
Frequently Asked Questions
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