Trello suits small teams that want a simple card board everyone understands, and its free plan covers up to 10 collaborators per Workspace. Notion suits people who want docs, wikis and databases in one workspace, but its free plan is for individuals and limits blocks once a second member joins. For a small team on a free plan, Trello stretches further; for a knowledge-heavy business, Notion does more.
Trello is a board of cards you move from left to right. Notion is a set of pages and databases you can turn into almost anything. People compare them because both can run a content calendar or a client pipeline, but they feel very different to use. The facts below come from Trello's plans page and Notion's plans page.
What each free plan gives a small team
| Trello | Notion | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes, Free | Yes, Free |
| Who it's for | Individuals or small teams keeping work organised | Individuals organising personal projects and life |
| People on free | Up to 10 collaborators per Workspace | Blocks limited once 2 or more members join |
| Boards or pages | Up to 10 boards per Workspace, unlimited cards | Pages unlimited for one person |
| File uploads | 10MB per file, unlimited storage | 5 MB per file |
| Views | Boards; Calendar, Timeline, Table on Premium | Databases with subtasks and dependencies |
| Automation | 250 Workspace command runs a month | Custom database automations on Plus |
| Publishing to the web | Not covered on the plans page | Basic forms and basic sites |
| Built-in assistant | AI from Standard | Trial of Notion AI |
Trello at a glance
Trello's free plan gives a small team up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace, with unlimited cards, unlimited Power-Ups per board, an Inbox that catches to-dos from email, Slack and Teams, and mobile apps. Standard adds AI, unlimited boards and custom fields. Premium adds Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views.
Notion at a glance
Notion's free plan is a full workspace for one person: databases with subtasks, dependencies and custom properties, Notion Calendar, basic forms, basic sites and a trial of Notion AI. Plus is the small team plan, lifting the block limit and adding unlimited uploads, charts, custom forms and custom sites.
Where Notion pulls ahead is everything around the work. Your brief, your notes from the client call, the publishing checklist and the task itself can all sit on one page, so nobody has to hunt across three tools to find out what's been agreed.
The member rule that changes the maths
This is the line that decides it for most small businesses. Trello's free plan is built for up to 10 collaborators. Notion's free plan limits blocks once 2 or more members join, so the moment you invite a colleague, Notion nudges you toward Plus. If you're a team of three who wants to share a board without upgrading, Trello's free plan does that and Notion's doesn't.
File size points the same way. Trello allows 10MB per file on free and Notion allows 5 MB, so neither suits big video files, but Trello gives you a little more room.
Picking by how your team thinks
Trello fits teams that think in stages: to do, doing, done. It's quick to learn and hard to break, which is why so many teams start there, and my explainer on why kanban boards took off covers the reasons. Notion fits teams that think in documents and want their process, notes and tasks in one place. If you go that way, learn how to make a table in Notion first, because databases are where it shines.
My advice for your first month
Start with the job you do every week. If it's moving pieces of work through stages with a few people, set it up in Trello and you'll be running in an afternoon. If it's writing things down so the business doesn't live in your head, set it up in Notion and accept a slower start. You can always connect the two later, but pick one home for the work first.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Trello free for teams?
Yes. Trello's Free plan covers up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, with unlimited cards and up to 10 boards per Workspace.
Is Notion free for teams?
Notion's free plan is aimed at individuals. Blocks are limited once 2 or more members join, so teams usually move to Plus.
Can Notion do Kanban boards?
Yes. Notion databases can be shown as boards, and its free plan includes databases with subtasks and dependencies.
Which has the bigger file limit on free?
Trello allows 10MB per file on its free plan. Notion allows 5 MB per file.
Does Trello have a calendar view?
Yes, on Premium. Trello lists Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views on its Premium plan, while the free plan works in boards.
