Good Trello alternatives split into two camps. If you still want simple boards, look at Microsoft Planner, Todoist or Basecamp. If you want boards plus timelines, docs and automations, look at Asana, ClickUp, monday.com, Notion or Wrike. For a team of one to five, the simplest tool your team will open every day usually wins.
Trello made the kanban board famous. Cards, columns, drag and drop. It's simple, it's visual, and for a lot of small businesses it's all they ever need. If yours still works, keep it.
But boards have a ceiling. When the work gets more tangled, a wall of cards can start hiding things rather than showing them. Here's how to tell if you've hit that ceiling, and what to try next. Features and plans change often, so check the current plans page of any tool before you move your team.
Signs you've outgrown a simple board
- You can't see deadlines across projects. Cards have due dates, but you can't see the whole month at a glance or spot clashes.
- Tasks depend on each other. One job can't start until another finishes, and the board doesn't show that.
- Your notes live somewhere else. Briefs, meeting notes and processes sit in separate docs, and people keep asking where things are.
- You repeat the same steps by hand. Every new client means copying the same checklist and moving the same cards.
- Nobody knows who's overloaded. You can't see at a glance which person has too much on.
- The board has become a scroll. Columns are so long that cards get lost at the bottom.
If two or three of those sound familiar, it's worth a look around. If only one does, you may be able to fix it inside Trello with its built-in automation or a power-up before you move anything.
Still want boards? Try these
These keep the card-and-column feel but suit a slightly different way of working. For more board-style tools, see my roundup of kanban tools that help you visualise task progress.
Microsoft Planner
Planner gives you simple boards inside Microsoft's workplace apps, so it suits teams that already live in Outlook and Teams. You can add tasks from a Teams channel and see them on a board, a list or a schedule. The limit is that it's deliberately light, so complex projects can outgrow it fast.
Todoist
Todoist is a to-do app first, but each project can be shown as a board. It suits solo owners and tiny teams who think in tasks rather than projects. It's quick to add things from your phone. The limit is that it's not built for big shared projects with lots of moving parts.
Basecamp
Basecamp puts each project in one place with a to-do list, a message board, a schedule, file storage and a card table for kanban-style work. It suits agencies and service businesses that work with clients and want fewer apps. The limit is that it's opinionated: it does things the Basecamp way, with less room to customise.
Want more than boards? Try these
These tools still offer boards, but they add timelines, docs, workload views and automations. That's where they earn their place.
Asana
Asana lets you switch the same project between a list, a board, a calendar and a timeline. It suits teams that run repeatable projects, like campaigns or client onboarding, and need to see who's doing what by when. The limit is that the more advanced features sit on paid plans, so check what you'll get on each one.
ClickUp
ClickUp tries to be everything in one: tasks, boards, docs, goals, timelines and automations. It suits teams who want to replace several apps with one. The limit is the learning curve. There are so many settings that small teams can feel lost, so start with a small setup and add to it slowly.
monday.com
monday.com is built around colourful boards that work like smart spreadsheets, with timeline, calendar and dashboard views plus plenty of ready-made automations. It suits teams that track lots of moving items, like orders, leads or content. My full monday.com review goes through what it does well and where it falls short.
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Notion
Notion mixes docs, wikis and databases, and any database can be shown as a board, a table, a calendar or a timeline. It suits teams who want their task board sitting right next to their briefs and processes. The limit is that it's a blank canvas, so someone has to build and look after the setup.
Wrike
Wrike is a fuller project management tool with Gantt charts, workload views, request forms and approvals. It suits busier teams juggling many projects and clients. For a team of three it can be more tool than you need.
At a glance
| Tool | Feels like | Suits | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Planner | Simple boards | Outlook and Teams users | Light for complex projects |
| Todoist | To-do list with boards | Solo owners, tiny teams | Not built for big shared projects |
| Basecamp | Project home with a card table | Client service businesses | Less room to customise |
| Asana | Boards plus timelines | Repeatable team projects | Advanced features on paid plans |
| ClickUp | Everything in one | Teams replacing several apps | Steep learning curve |
| monday.com | Smart spreadsheet boards | Teams tracking lots of items | Can grow complicated |
| Notion | Docs and databases | Teams who want notes and tasks together | Needs someone to build it |
| Wrike | Full project management | Busy multi-project teams | Big for very small teams |
Make a project management tool? See how to get it featured on this list.
Keeping it simple for a team of one to five
In my experience working with small businesses, the tool almost never fails. The habit does. A simple board that everyone uses beats a powerful tool nobody opens. If your team is between one and five people, here's what I'd do:
- Pick one tool and one place for tasks. No tasks in email, chat and three apps at once.
- Keep columns to a handful. Something like To do, Doing, Waiting and Done covers most small teams.
- Give every task one owner and a date. Shared tasks tend to belong to nobody.
- Use templates for anything you repeat. New client, new blog post, new product launch.
- Review the board weekly. Archive what's done and move or delete what's stuck.
- Try before you migrate. Run one real project in the new tool before moving everything over.
If you're still weighing up the bigger options, my comparison of the best project management tools for small teams goes into more detail on each one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest alternative to Trello?
For a similar board feel, Microsoft Planner and Todoist's board view are close. If you want boards plus more views, Asana and monday.com keep a board layout while adding timelines and automations.
Is there a free alternative to Trello?
Several tools, including Asana, ClickUp, Notion and Todoist, offer free plans with limits on features or users. Planner comes with many Microsoft business subscriptions. Check each provider for the current limits.
Can I move my Trello boards to another tool?
Many project tools, including Asana, ClickUp, monday.com and Notion, offer a Trello import. Test it on one board first and check that attachments, comments and due dates come across.
When should a small business leave Trello?
When you need to see deadlines across projects, track tasks that depend on each other, or keep docs next to your tasks. If none of that applies, Trello may still be the right tool.
