Trello vs ClickUp: Which Is Better in 2025?

Trello and ClickUp represent two very different philosophies in project management. Trello champions simplicity with its visual Kanban boards. ClickUp promises to replace all your tools with one customizable platform. Which approach wins for your team?

This detailed comparison will help you decide.

Philosophy and Approach

Trello: Simplicity First

Trello pioneered the digital Kanban board and remains committed to visual simplicity. The core concept is beautifully straightforward:

• Boards represent projects
• Lists represent stages or categories
• Cards represent tasks
• Drag cards between lists to show progress

You can learn Trello in 5 minutes. That's intentional.

ClickUp: Everything Platform

ClickUp's tagline is "One app to replace them all." It's a Swiss Army knife approach offering:

• 15+ view types (List, Board, Calendar, Gantt, Timeline, etc.)
• Docs, wikis, and whiteboards built-in
• Goals and OKR tracking
• Time tracking and resource management
• Extensive customization options

ClickUp can do almost anything—if you invest time learning it.

Ease of Use

Trello

Learning curve: Minimal. New users grasp the concept instantly.

Daily use: Effortless. Drag-and-drop is intuitive. Everything is visual.

Setup time: Create a board in 2 minutes. Add cards as you think of tasks.

Best for: Teams wanting to start immediately, visual thinkers, people who hate complexity

ClickUp

Learning curve: Steep. Overwhelming at first with so many options.

Daily use: Powerful once learned, but requires remembering where features live.

Setup time: Can take hours or days to configure optimally. Templates help.

Best for: Power users, tech-savvy teams, those willing to invest in setup for long-term gains

Winner: Trello - Dramatically easier to adopt and use daily.

Features Comparison

Views and Visualization

Trello:

• Board view (Kanban) - the default and best experience
• Calendar view
• Timeline view (like Gantt, paid plans only)
• Table view
• Dashboard view (paid plans)

ClickUp:

• List view
• Board view (Kanban)
• Calendar view
• Gantt view (dependencies)
• Timeline view
• Workload view
• Table view
• Map view
• Activity view
• Mind Map view
• And more...

Winner: ClickUp - Vastly more visualization options for different work styles.

task management

Trello:

• Simple cards with descriptions
• Checklists within cards
• Due dates and labels
• Attachments and comments
• Card templates
• Custom fields (paid plans)

ClickUp:

• Tasks with subtasks (unlimited nesting)
• Multiple assignees per task
• Priority flags (Urgent, High, Normal, Low)
• Start dates and due dates
• Time estimates and tracking
• Task dependencies
• Custom fields (unlimited)
• Recurring tasks
• Task templates

Winner: ClickUp - Much more sophisticated task management capabilities.

Collaboration

Trello:

• Comments on cards
• @mentions
• Activity log
• File attachments from various sources
• Card voting
• Simple permissions (admin, normal, observer)

ClickUp:

• Threaded comments
• Assigned comments (convert to tasks)
• @mentions
• Detailed activity tracking
• Proofing and annotation tools
• Granular permissions
• Collaborative docs
• Real-time editing

Winner: ClickUp - More advanced collaboration features.

Automation

Trello:

• Butler automation (built-in)
• Rule-based triggers (when card moves, do action)
• Button-triggered automations
• Scheduled commands
• Limited automations on free plan

ClickUp:

• Extensive automation builder
• 80+ pre-built automation templates
• Complex multi-step automations
• Conditional logic
• Generous automation limits even on free plan

Winner: ClickUp - More powerful and flexible automation.

Integrations

Trello:

• 200+ Power-Ups (integrations)
• Slack, Google Drive, Dropbox, Jira
• Limited number of Power-Ups on free plan (1)
• Unlimited on paid plans

ClickUp:

• 1,000+ integrations
• Native integrations with major tools
• Zapier for connecting others
• Email integration (send/receive)
• API for custom connections

Winner: ClickUp - More integrations and better native support.

Pricing Comparison

Trello Pricing

• Free: Unlimited cards and users, 10 boards per workspace, 1 Power-Up per board, 10MB file attachments
• Standard: $5/user/month - Unlimited boards, unlimited Power-Ups, 250MB attachments, advanced checklists
• Premium: $10/user/month - Timeline, Calendar, Dashboard views, admin controls, 250MB attachments
• Enterprise: $17.50/user/month - Unlimited workspaces, organization-wide permissions, multi-board guests

ClickUp Pricing

• Free Forever: Unlimited tasks and users, 100MB storage, limited views and features
• Unlimited: $7/user/month - Unlimited storage, unlimited integrations, Gantt charts, Goals, custom fields
• Business: $12/user/month - Timeline, workload view, Google SSO, advanced automation, portfolios
• Enterprise: Custom pricing - White labeling, advanced permissions, enterprise API, dedicated support

Winner: ClickUp - Better free tier and more features at each paid level.

Performance and Reliability

Trello

Speed: Lightning fast. Boards load instantly.

Reliability: Extremely stable. Rarely experiences downtime.

Mobile apps: Excellent. Works smoothly on phones.

ClickUp

Speed: Can be slow, especially with complex workspaces. Loading times vary.

Reliability: Generally good but occasional hiccups. Improving over time.

Mobile apps: Feature-rich but can feel cramped on phones.

Winner: Trello - Noticeably faster and more reliable.

Use Cases and Ideal Users

Choose Trello if:

• You want simple, visual task management
• Your team needs to adopt a tool quickly (same day)
• You primarily work with Kanban boards
• You're managing personal projects or small teams (under 10)
• You prefer focused tools over all-in-one platforms
• You value speed and simplicity over features
• Your projects are relatively straightforward

Perfect for: Marketing teams, editorial calendars, personal productivity, event planning, simple project tracking

Choose ClickUp if:

• You want one tool to rule them all
• Your team has complex project requirements
• You need multiple view types for different workflows
• You're comfortable with a learning curve for long-term benefits
• You want advanced features like time tracking, goals, and resource management
• You're consolidating from multiple tools
• Your team is technical and likes customization

Perfect for: Software development teams, agencies, operations teams, growing startups, teams wanting to reduce tool sprawl

Migration and Switching

From Trello to ClickUp: ClickUp offers direct import. Most data transfers smoothly. Expect a learning period as team adjusts to new interface.

From ClickUp to Trello: More challenging. Much of ClickUp's advanced data won't transfer. Works better as a simplification effort.

The Real Tradeoff

The choice boils down to a fundamental tradeoff:

Trello = Simplicity + Speed
You sacrifice advanced features for immediate usability and lightning-fast performance.

ClickUp = Power + Flexibility
You sacrifice simplicity for comprehensive features and extensive customization.

Neither approach is wrong. It depends on your team's:

• Technical sophistication
• Project complexity
• Willingness to invest in setup
• Preference for simplicity vs. features

The Hybrid Approach

Some teams use both:

• Trello for: Simple team boards, quick projects, client-facing boards
• ClickUp for: Complex projects, development sprints, resource planning

Final Verdict

Trello wins for: Ease of use, speed, simplicity, quick adoption, visual thinkers, small teams

ClickUp wins for: Features, customization, consolidation, complex projects, growing teams, power users

The honest truth: Most teams choosing Trello do so because they value simplicity. Most teams choosing ClickUp do so because Trello feels too limiting.

Try both free versions with real work for a week. The right choice will become obvious—either you'll appreciate Trello's simplicity or crave ClickUp's power.

If your team debates which is "better," that itself suggests you might need ClickUp's flexibility. Teams that thrive with Trello rarely question whether they need more features.