Use Trello if a board of cards is how the team already works, and you want to pay little or nothing. Use Asana if the work is projects with owners, dependencies and deadlines, and you want to see them as a list, a timeline and a report, not only as cards.
Cost for the same team
Prices checked September 28, 2026. Trello: trello.com/pricing (Free up to 10 collaborators per Workspace; Standard $5 and Premium $10 per user per month billed yearly, $6 and $12.50 monthly; every Workspace member is billed). Asana: asana.com/pricing (Personal is free for 2 users; Starter $10.99 and Advanced $24.99 per user per month billed yearly; seats are sold in bundles past 5 users).
Trello vs Asana, side by side
 Trello |  Asana | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 10 collaborators, 10 boards | Personal, 2 users, unlimited projects |
| Free views | Board | List, board, calendar |
| First paid plan | Standard, $5 / user yearly ($6 monthly) | Starter, $10.99 / user yearly ($13.49 monthly) |
| Timeline | Premium, $10 / user yearly | Starter, $10.99 / user yearly, with Gantt |
| Automation | 250 command runs / month free; unlimited on Premium | None on Personal; unlimited rules on Starter |
| Storage | Unlimited, 10 MB per file | Unlimited, 100 MB per file |
| Guests | Single-board guests free; multi-board guests billed | Unlimited free guests from Starter |
| Built for | Kanban boards and simple workflows | Projects with owners, dates and dependencies |
Trello is a board with lists of cards. Everything else, from checklists to Power-Ups, hangs off those cards. That is why a team can use it in five minutes, and also why it starts to strain when one project spans ten boards or depends on another team's dates.
Asana is a project tool that also has a board. The same tasks can be read as a list, a calendar or, from Starter, a timeline with dependencies. It asks for a little more structure up front and gives more back when projects overlap.
The free plans, line by line
| Trello Free | Asana Personal | |
|---|---|---|
| People | Up to 10 collaborators per Workspace | 2 users |
| Boards or projects | Up to 10 boards per Workspace | Unlimited projects |
| Cards or tasks | Unlimited cards | Unlimited tasks |
| Views | Board | List, board, calendar |
| Automation | 250 Workspace command runs / month | None |
| Integrations | Unlimited Power-Ups per board | 100+ free integrations |
| Storage | Unlimited, 10 MB per file | Unlimited, 100 MB per file |
| Mobile apps | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
For a team, Trello's free plan is the clear winner: five times the people, automation included, and no limit on cards. The 10-board cap is the limit you will reach first, since many teams make a board per project.
For one or two people, Asana Personal is arguably the better free tool. Projects are unlimited, the list and calendar views are included, and files up to 100 MB can be attached, against 10 MB on Trello Free.
Trello Premium vs Asana Starter
| Trello Premium | Asana Starter | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $10 yearly, $12.50 monthly | $10.99 yearly, $13.49 monthly |
| Seats | Exact headcount | Bundles past 5 users |
| Views | Board, calendar, timeline, table, dashboard, map | List, board, calendar, timeline, Gantt |
| Reporting | Dashboard view | Project dashboards and universal reporting |
| Automation | Unlimited command runs | Unlimited rules |
| Structure | Custom fields, advanced checklists | Custom fields, dependencies, milestones, forms |
| Guests | Multi-board guests billed | Unlimited free guests |
| Admin | Admin and security features, observers, data export | Admin console, private teams and projects |
These are the two plans to compare, because each is the first with a timeline. The prices are almost the same per person; the billing is not. Trello bills the exact number of members, while Asana bills in bundles past 5 users, so a team of 6 pays for 10 Asana seats.
Trello Standard, at $5, has no equivalent on Asana. It removes the 10-board limit and adds custom fields, advanced checklists, card mirroring and more automation, but no timeline or calendar. For a team that only needs the board, it is the cheapest paid plan in this comparison by far.
Cost by team size
Yearly billing. Trello bills every Workspace member. Asana sells 2 to 5 seats exactly, then steps of 5 up to 30 and steps of 10 up to 100.
| Team | Trello Standard ($5) | Trello Premium ($10) | Asana Starter ($10.99) | Asana Advanced ($24.99) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 people | $180 | $360 | $395.64 | $899.64 |
| 5 people | $300 | $600 | $659.40 | $1,499.40 |
| 6 people | $360 | $720 | $1,318.80 (10 seats billed) | $2,998.80 (10 seats billed) |
| 10 people | $600 | $1,200 | $1,318.80 | $2,998.80 |
| 12 people | $720 | $1,440 | $1,978.20 (15 seats billed) | $4,498.20 (15 seats billed) |
| 25 people | $1,500 | $3,000 | $3,297 | $7,497 |
| 50 people | $3,000 | $6,000 | $6,594 | $14,994 |
Trello StandardTrello PremiumAsana StarterAsana Advanced10 seats billed
At 5 people the timeline plans are close: $600 a year on Trello Premium and $659.40 on Asana Starter. Add a sixth person and Asana jumps to 10 billed seats, $1,318.80, while Trello Premium goes to $720. Asana bills no empty seats only at 2 to 5 people, then at 10, 15, 20 and so on.
Billing details worth knowing
- Trello counts every Workspace member, normal or admin, as billable on Standard and Premium. A guest on more than one board is billed like a member.
- Trello Premium has a free trial for any Workspace. Paid plans are bought by credit card, monthly or yearly.
- Trello downgrades keep paid features until the end of the prepaid period; the Workspace then goes back to 10 boards.
- Asana does not refund a paid plan. A cancelled plan keeps paid features until the end of the period, then those features and their data are lost.
- Asana guests are free from Starter, which matters for agencies that invite clients into projects.
Pick by situation
- A team of up to 10 with a simple workflow: Trello Free. To do, Doing, Done, at $0.
- A team that has hit the 10-board limit: Trello Standard at $5, if the board is still the right view.
- One or two people with many projects: Asana Personal. Unlimited projects, list and calendar views.
- An agency working with clients: Asana Starter. Unlimited free guests, forms for intake, and a timeline to show the plan.
- A team of exactly 6 to 9 that needs a timeline: Trello Premium, since Asana would bill 10 seats.
If neither fits
If the free-plan cap is the problem, ClickUp's free plan has no member limit and Unlimited is $7 per user billed yearly, with list, board and calendar views. See ClickUp vs Asana. If the team wants a board with spreadsheet-style columns, compare monday.com vs Trello.
Try ClickUp freeRelated guides
Frequently asked questions
Is Trello or Asana better?
Trello is better when the work fits on a kanban board and the team wants the lowest price: it is free for up to 10 collaborators and $5 per user on Standard. Asana is better when projects need a list view, dependencies, reporting and guests, which it includes on Starter at $10.99 per user billed yearly.
Is Trello free?
Yes. Trello Free covers up to 10 collaborators per Workspace and up to 10 boards, with unlimited cards, unlimited Power-Ups, unlimited storage (10 MB per file), assignees and due dates, and 250 automation command runs a month. Asana's free plan, Personal, is limited to 2 users.
Which is cheaper, Trello or Asana?
Trello. Standard is $5 per user per month billed yearly and Premium, the plan with timeline and calendar views, is $10. Asana Starter is $10.99, and Asana sells seats in bundles past 5 users: six people cost $720 a year on Trello Premium and $1,318.80 on Asana Starter, which bills 10 seats.
Does Trello have a timeline or Gantt chart?
Trello has a Timeline view on Premium ($10 per user billed yearly), along with Calendar, Table, Dashboard and Map views. Asana includes both Timeline and Gantt views on Starter. Neither has a timeline on its free plan.
Are guests free on Trello and Asana?
On Asana, guests are free and unlimited from Starter. On Trello, a guest on a single board is free, but a guest on more than one board in the Workspace is a multi-board guest, billed at the member rate on Standard and Premium.
Which has better automation?
At $0, Trello: built-in automation with 250 command runs a month, where Asana Personal has no rules. On paid plans both are generous: Trello Premium has unlimited command runs, and Asana Starter has unlimited rules.
What happens if we cancel?
Trello keeps Standard or Premium features until the end of the prepaid period, then the Workspace becomes free and can hold 10 boards. Asana does not offer refunds; paid features stay until the end of the subscription period.