Trello vs Asana (2026): features, security and which one to buy
Trello and Asana compared on what they do, who they suit, their key features, pros and cons, and what each vendor publishes on security, admin and contract terms, with every fact checked on October 24, 2026.
Trello or Asana: the short answer
Choose Trello if
- Small teams that want a visual Kanban board with minimal setup.
- Teams already on Atlassian products.
- Free-tier users with up to 10 collaborators per Workspace.
Choose Asana if
- Cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier.
- Companies needing EU, Australia or Japan data hosting (Enterprise add-on)
What are Trello and Asana?
Trello
Card-based Kanban board tool from Atlassian that stays simple for small teams and adds timeline, calendar and dashboard views on paid plans. Pick it for small teams that need a drag-and-drop Kanban board running in an afternoon. Check what you need on paid tiers (calendar, timeline, dashboards), and plan Power-Ups for time tracking, since none is native. SSO means a separate Atlassian Guard subscription.
Asana
Work management platform with list, board, timeline and Gantt views, where resource management and portfolios start at the Advanced tier. Cross-functional teams wanting timelines and unlimited automations early will find the Starter tier sufficient. Anything involving portfolios, goals or resource management means Advanced, and SAML SSO or audit logs mean Enterprise. EU, Australia or Japan hosting is an Enterprise add-on.
Trello vs Asana: features compared
| Trello | Asana | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Card-based Kanban board tool from Atlassian that stays simple for small teams and adds timeline, calendar and dashboard views on paid plans. | Work management platform with list, board, timeline and Gantt views, where resource management and portfolios start at the Advanced tier. |
| Best for | Small teams that want a visual Kanban board with minimal setup. | Cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier. |
| Company size | Small teams and departments; Enterprise tier for larger orgs. | Small teams to enterprise. |
| Task views and planning | Board view on all plans; Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views on Premium and up. | List, board, calendar on Personal; timeline and Gantt from Starter. |
| Workflow automation | Built-in automation on every board; 250 command runs per month Free, 1,000 Standard, unlimited Premium and Enterprise. | Unlimited automations from Starter. |
| Workload and resource management | Not published | Resource management within portfolios on Advanced; organization-wide on Enterprise. |
| Time tracking and budgets | No native time tracking listed on the pricing page; third-party Power-Ups needed (G2 reviewers also mention this) | Timesheets and Budgets add-on on Starter; time tracking comparing estimated vs actual effort on Advanced. |
| Reporting and dashboards | Dashboard view on Premium and Enterprise. | Portfolios and goals on Advanced. |
| Integrations | Unlimited Power-Ups per board; page cites 200+ apps. | Not published |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starting price | $5 per user per month billed annually (Standard) | $10.99 per user/month billed annually (Starter) |
| G2 rating | 4.4 (14,050 reviews) | 4.4 (13,232 reviews) |
Pros and cons
Trello
Pros
- Very easy to set up and learn.
- Clean drag-and-drop boards suit simple workflows.
- Generous free tier.
Cons
- No native time tracking.
- Struggles with large volumes of tasks and many team members.
- Some Power-Ups are limited or cost extra.
Asana
Best for
- Cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier.
- Companies needing EU, Australia or Japan data hosting (Enterprise add-on)
Not ideal for
- Teams needing SAML SSO or audit logs below Enterprise.
- Very small groups that need more than 2 users free.
Trello vs Asana pricing
For 20 users on the cheapest plan that fits, Trello costs $1,200 a year and Asana $2,638 at list price, a difference of $1,438.
| Trello | Asana | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | per user | per user |
| Per seat per month | $5 on Standard (annual), $6 monthly; Premium $10 annual. | $24.99 per user/month billed annually on Advanced (Starter $10.99 lacks resource management) |
| Billing | Monthly and annual (Enterprise annual only) | Monthly and annual. |
| 20 users per year | $1,200 (Standard) | $2,638 (Starter) |
| Add-ons | Atlassian Guard for SSO on Standard/Premium, from $4 per user per month; Some partner Power-Ups carry separate fees. | Timesheets & Budgets (Starter, price not published); AI requests $0.50 prepaid / $0.60 pay-as-you-go; Data residency (Enterprise, price not published) |
Security, admin and contract: Trello vs Asana
What each vendor states publicly about single sign-on, provisioning, audit logs, data location and the contract. A blank is a question for the sales call, not a no.
| Trello | Asana | |
|---|---|---|
| SAML SSO | Enterprise includes SSO via Atlassian Guard; Standard and Premium need a separate Atlassian Guard subscription. | Enterprise (SAML); Microsoft SSO can be required on paid plans. |
| SCIM provisioning | Not published | Enterprise. |
| Audit logs | Not published | Enterprise. |
| Data residency | Not published | Europe, Australia, Japan data centers, opt-in add-on on Enterprise. |
| Contract | Standard and Premium available monthly or annually; Enterprise annual only. | Monthly plan available; cancel anytime, keep access to period end; no refunds. |
Differences most comparisons miss
Worth knowing about Trello
- Standard and Premium do not list SSO; SAML SSO needs the separate Atlassian Guard subscription (from $4 per user per month per Trello pricing page) unless on Enterprise.
- Free plan limit is 10 collaborators per Workspace, not per board.
- Timeline, Calendar, Table and Dashboard views start at Premium, $10 per user per month annual.
- Enterprise is annual only at $210 per user per year.
Worth knowing about Asana
- SAML SSO, SCIM and audit logs are Enterprise only; paid lower plans only allow requiring Microsoft SSO.
- Data residency (Europe, Australia, Japan) is an opt-in Enterprise add-on.
- No refunds; seat additions come in steps (1 at a time for 2-5 users, 5 up to 30, 10 up to 100)
- Monthly billing costs about 23% more than annual on Starter and Advanced (13.49 vs 10.99; 30.49 vs 24.99)
Trello vs Asana: frequently asked questions
Which is better, Trello or Asana?
It depends on the team. Trello is the stronger pick for small teams that want a visual Kanban board with minimal setup, while Asana suits cross-functional teams that want timelines and unlimited automations from the Starter tier. Compare the feature rows above against your must-haves before you look at price.
Do Trello and Asana support SAML single sign-on?
Trello: enterprise includes SSO via Atlassian Guard; Standard and Premium need a separate Atlassian Guard subscription. Asana: enterprise (SAML); Microsoft SSO can be required on paid plans. Confirm the plan in writing before you compare prices.
Is Trello cheaper than Asana?
At list price for 20 users on the cheapest plan that fits, Trello costs $1,200 a year and Asana $2,638. Add-ons, higher tiers and annual versus monthly billing can change that order.
Can I try Trello and Asana for free?
Trello: free plan. Asana: free plan.
Sources
Both columns use the same sources: vendor pricing and product pages, documentation, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Full source lists are on the Trello and Asana reviews.