Alternatives
Best Trello Alternatives for Agencies (2026)
By Red Kite Search Agency Created Updated 7 min read
Summary
Trello is a solid choice, but it does not fit every agency. Asana: Clean, approachable project management that clients and teams pick up quickly. monday.com: Colorful, highly visual work management with strong automations. ClickUp: One flexible workspace for tasks, docs, and client delivery. Prices and ratings below were checked in October 2026.
What are the best Trello alternatives for agencies in 2026?
Trello is a great starting point and a common thing to outgrow. Its boards are simple and cheap, but reporting is thin, boards multiply across clients, and automation is capped on lower plans.
Here are the three alternatives most agencies consider next. We compared them with Trello on price, ratings, and fit.
The shortlist is Asana, monday.com, ClickUp. The table puts them next to Trello.
| Tool | Editorial score | Review-site ratings | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trello | 3.8 / 5 | G2 4.4, Capterra 4.5 | Free plan. Standard $5 and Premium $10 per user per month (billed annually). | Freelancers and small agencies |
| Asana | 4.2 / 5 | G2 4.4, Capterra 4.5 | Free for up to 2 users. Starter $10.99 and Advanced $24.99 per user per month (billed annually). | Small to large agencies |
| monday.com | 4.2 / 5 | G2 4.7, Capterra 4.6 | Free for up to 2 seats. Paid plans from about $9 to $19 per seat per month (billed annually), minimum 3 seats. | Mid-size agencies |
| ClickUp | 4 / 5 | G2 4.6, Capterra 4.6 | Free plan. Paid plans start around $9-$12 per user per month (billed annually); Business adds timesheets and resource management. | Small to mid-size agencies |
Why do agencies look for Trello alternatives?
Growing agencies run into limited native reporting and portfolio views, with cross-board views gated to Premium. Automation limits of 250 and 1,000 runs per month on Free and Standard frustrate power users, and billing per Workspace can surprise teams with several client Workspaces.
Reviewers also report board sprawl and the need to stack Power-Ups to fill gaps.
Common limitations of Trello
- Reporting and cross-board views are limited and mostly gated to Premium.
- Boards multiply quickly across clients, which causes sprawl.
- Automation runs are capped on Free (250 per month) and Standard (1,000 per month).
- Free Workspaces are capped at 10 collaborators, and paid plans bill per Workspace.
Is Asana a good Trello alternative for agencies?
Asana keeps the simplicity but adds timelines, portfolios, workload, and approvals. It is the easiest upgrade for teams that like Trello but need more structure.
Asana organizes work into projects and tasks with list, board, timeline, and calendar views. Higher plans add portfolios, workload management, approvals, and proofing, which are the pieces agencies lean on for creative review.
Who it suits: Agencies that want a polished, easy-to-adopt project tool, especially creative and marketing teams that run approvals and handle many client projects at once.
Asana pros
- Easy to learn, so new hires and clients get comfortable quickly.
- Unlimited free guests on paid plans make client collaboration simple.
- Portfolios and workload views help leads see capacity across accounts.
- Approvals and proofing support creative review loops.
Asana cons
- The most agency-relevant features (portfolios, workload, approvals, time tracking) need the Advanced plan.
- Time tracking is basic, and budgets and timesheets cost extra, so profitability needs another tool.
- The mobile app is a common complaint for slowness and missing features.
- The interface can feel crowded to first-time users on large workspaces.
Is monday.com a good Trello alternative for agencies?
monday.com offers more visual flexibility and automation than Trello. It costs more and has a three-seat minimum, so it suits teams ready to pay for polish.
monday.com is a work management platform built on customizable boards with automations, dashboards, and a large integration catalog. It can also run CRM, dev, and service teams, which makes it flexible but easy to over-build.
Who it suits: Mid-size agencies that want a visual, automation-heavy workspace and are happy to pay per seat for polish and flexibility.
monday.com pros
- Boards are easy to build and read, so non-technical staff adopt them quickly.
- Automations and integrations save real time once client workflows are standardized.
- Separate workspaces per client keep accounts tidy.
- Dashboards link work across departments.
monday.com cons
- Paid plans start at 3 seats, and per-seat cost climbs quickly as the team grows.
- Time tracking and the more useful automation limits only appear on the Pro plan.
- Reviewers say clients struggle with it and get flooded with notifications.
- Large boards can feel slow, and reporting is lighter than in dedicated analytics tools.
Is ClickUp a good Trello alternative for agencies?
ClickUp is the most powerful option and has a generous free plan. The trade-off is a steeper learning curve and heavier interface than Trello.
ClickUp is a project management platform built around configurable lists, boards, Gantt charts, docs, and dashboards, with AI features layered on top. It tries to replace several tools at once, which is its main appeal and its main cost.
Who it suits: Small to mid-size agencies that want one place for client work, internal docs, and basic time tracking, and have someone willing to set the workspace up properly.
ClickUp pros
- Spaces map cleanly to clients, so each account gets its own lists, docs, and views.
- Many views (list, board, Gantt, calendar, dashboards) over the same tasks.
- Generous free plan with unlimited tasks and members.
- Integrations and API cover accounting and reporting, so work and invoices can be linked.
ClickUp cons
- Heavy customization means a slow, deliberate rollout; a loose setup gets messy fast.
- Reviewers regularly complain about noisy notifications and a weaker, less stable mobile app.
- Resource management, timesheets, and larger automation limits sit on the Business plan.
- AI features use pooled credits, so heavy use can add cost.
What is the quick verdict on each Trello alternative?
If you only have a minute, this table gives our verdict on each alternative to Trello, based on the research above.
| Tool | Verdict | Editorial score |
|---|---|---|
| Asana | A safe, well-rounded default for agencies that care about adoption over customization. If you need budgets, billing, and profitability inside the same tool, an agency-specific platform fits better. | 4.2 / 5 |
| monday.com | A very good internal tool for agencies that value visual workflows and automation. It is a weaker choice as a client-facing tool, and costs grow with headcount. | 4.2 / 5 |
| ClickUp | A strong all-in-one choice if you will invest in configuring it. If your team wants something that works on day one, a simpler tool like Asana or Trello will go down easier. | 4 / 5 |
How much do Trello and its alternatives cost?
Trello is the cheapest of the four. Moving up means paying more per user, though ClickUp stays close because of its large free plan.
| Tool | Pricing summary |
|---|---|
| Trello | Free plan. Standard $5 and Premium $10 per user per month (billed annually). |
| Asana | Free for up to 2 users. Starter $10.99 and Advanced $24.99 per user per month (billed annually). |
| monday.com | Free for up to 2 seats. Paid plans from about $9 to $19 per seat per month (billed annually), minimum 3 seats. |
| ClickUp | Free plan. Paid plans start around $9-$12 per user per month (billed annually); Business adds timesheets and resource management. |
What do reviewers say about Trello and its alternatives?
Review-site scores are a useful signal for how happy teams are after the first few months. They are snapshots from October 2026, and review counts differ widely between tools.
| Tool | Source | Rating | Number of reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trello | G2 | 4.4 / 5 | 14,064 |
| Trello | Capterra | 4.5 / 5 | 23,628 |
| Asana | G2 | 4.4 / 5 | 14,164 |
| Asana | Capterra | 4.5 / 5 | 13,616 |
| monday.com | G2 | 4.7 / 5 | 17,144 |
| monday.com | Capterra | 4.6 / 5 | 6,040 |
| ClickUp | G2 | 4.6 / 5 | 13,719 |
| ClickUp | Capterra | 4.6 / 5 | 4,632 |
Which Trello alternative suits which kind of agency?
The right pick depends mostly on team size, how clients interact with the tool, and whether you need money data. This table maps common situations to a recommendation.
| Agency situation | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growing team needing structure | Asana | Gentle upgrade. |
| Teams needing maximum power | ClickUp | Most capable. |
| Visual and automation focus | monday.com | Flexible boards. |
How hard is it to switch away from Trello?
Trello boards export to JSON and CSV, and most tools can import boards directly. Cards and lists usually transfer well, while Power-Ups and Butler rules need to be rebuilt.
Moving is easy because Trello structure is simple, so this is one of the lower-risk switches.
Before you leave Trello
- Decide which problem you want solved, such as reporting or workload.
- Check automation limits in the new tool.
- Test an import of one board.
- Agree on how many boards or projects you will keep.
- Keep Trello during the pilot.
How do you choose the right Trello alternative?
Move when you feel concrete pain: lost visibility across clients, automation limits, or no way to see workload. Do not switch just because a tool is trendy.
Try the replacement on one client alongside Trello for a few weeks, and see whether the extra structure helps or slows people down.
A quick decision guide
- Choose Asana for a gentle upgrade.
- Choose ClickUp for maximum power.
- Choose monday.com for visual boards plus automation.
- Stay with Trello if your workflows are still simple.
- Keep a separate time tracker if you bill by the hour.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best Trello alternative for agencies?
- Asana is the easiest upgrade, ClickUp the most powerful, and monday.com the most visual.
- Why do agencies outgrow Trello?
- Reporting, portfolio views, and automation limits become constraints as client count grows.
- Is Trello free?
- Yes, with limits on collaborators, boards, and automation runs per Workspace.
- Which alternative is closest to Trello?
- Asana in board view is the closest, with more structure behind it.
- Will I lose data when I switch?
- Imports exist but are imperfect, so test with a small board first.
Sources
Prices, plan limits, and ratings were gathered in October 2026 from:
- Trello pricing page
- Asana pricing page
- monday.com pricing page
- ClickUp pricing page
- G2
- Capterra
- GetApp