ClickUp vs Trello: Which Is Better in 2026?
ClickUp Wins for Teams Needing Advanced Project Management and Workflow Automation ClickUp wins
ClickUp outperforms Trello for teams managing complex projects with dependencies and time-sensitive work. Its native task dependencies, time tracking, and 5,000 automations per month on the Business plan ($19/month) eliminate the need for third-party workarounds. Trello's simplicity appeals to smaller teams, but ClickUp's depth scales with your business.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | ClickUp | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Task Dependencies | Yes Finish-to-start and other dependency types available on all plans; dependency warnings displayed when blocked tasks are accessed. | No No native task dependency feature in Trello; dependencies must be simulated via checklists or third-party Power-Ups like Planyway. |
| Time Tracking | Yes Native time tracking on tasks available from Unlimited plan; Free Forever supports time tracking only via integrations. | No No native time tracking in Trello; time tracking requires third-party Power-Ups such as Harvest or Toggl Track. |
Verdict Scores — How we score →
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ClickUp | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Task Dependencies | Yes Finish-to-start and other dependency types available on all plans; dependency warnings displayed when blocked tasks are accessed. | No No native task dependency feature in Trello; dependencies must be simulated via checklists or third-party Power-Ups like Planyway. |
| Time Tracking | Yes Native time tracking on tasks available from Unlimited plan; Free Forever supports time tracking only via integrations. | No No native time tracking in Trello; time tracking requires third-party Power-Ups such as Harvest or Toggl Track. |
| Calendar & Timeline / Gantt View | Yes Gantt charts (Timeline view) unlock on Unlimited plan and above; Calendar view available on Free Forever plan. | Yes Timeline (Gantt) view and Calendar view (full access) require Premium plan; Planner view-only mode available on Free and Standard plans. |
| Comments & @Mentions | Yes Threaded comments with @mention notifications and assigned comments available on all plans; comment reactions supported. | Yes Card comments with @mention notifications available on all plans; no threaded replies; activity log on every card tracks all changes. |
| Custom Workflows & Rules (Automation) | Yes Automations available from Unlimited plan; Business plan includes 5,000 automations/month; Free Forever plan has no automation runs. | Yes Butler no-code automation built into every board: Free gets 250 Workspace command runs/month, Standard 1,000, Premium unlimited command runs. |
| Dashboards & Progress Tracking | Yes Basic dashboards on Free; Unlimited Dashboards with Advanced Cards (charts, portfolio views) unlock on Business plan. | Yes Dashboard view (charts and reporting) available on Premium plan only; no portfolio-level dashboards; basic board activity log on all plans. |
| Due Dates & Deadlines | Yes Start dates, due dates, time estimates, and recurring tasks available on all plans including Free Forever. | Yes Due dates and start dates on cards available on all plans; recurring cards require Butler automation available from Free plan. |
| File Sharing & Document Collaboration | Yes Native Docs (collaborative pages) with real-time co-editing on all plans; Free plan limited to 100 MB storage; Unlimited plan provides unlimited storage. | Yes File attachments on cards: Free plan limited to 10 MB/file, Standard 250 MB/file; no native document co-editing; Google Drive Power-Up available. |
| Guest / Client Access | Yes Guest access with permission control available from Unlimited plan; Free Forever plan allows unlimited free plan members but no granular guest permissions. | Yes Single-board guests (one board only) available from Standard; multi-board guests require Enterprise; Free plan limited to 10 Workspace collaborators. |
| Kanban / Board View | Yes Board (Kanban) view with swimlanes and card customisation via custom fields available on all plans including Free Forever. | Yes Kanban board is Trello's core UI on all plans; no native WIP limits; swimlanes not available; card colour labels and custom field badges on Standard+. |
| Project Templates Library | Yes Extensive template library with 1,000+ templates across categories like marketing, engineering, HR, and sales; community templates available. | Yes Trello template gallery with 100+ community and official templates across business, engineering, design, and personal productivity categories. |
| Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) | Yes Admin, member, and guest roles on all plans; custom roles and advanced permissions (space/folder level) require Business plan or higher. | Yes Workspace admin, member, and Observer (view-only) roles; Observers require Premium; org-wide permissions and Power-Up admin require Enterprise. |
| Task Creation & Assignment | Yes Supports multiple assignees per task, unlimited subtask nesting, and bulk task actions on all plans including Free Forever. | Yes Cards (tasks) support multiple members per card and due dates on all plans; advanced checklists with sub-item assignees require Standard plan. |
| Third-Party App Integrations | Yes Unlimited integrations (Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Salesforce, HubSpot) from Unlimited plan; Free Forever plan includes 50+ native integrations. | Yes Unlimited Power-Ups (200+ integrations) on all plans including Free; Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Salesforce integrations available via Power-Ups and API. |
Highlighted rows indicate features where the tools differ.
Pros & Cons
Based on G2 reviews. Source: our review methodology.
ClickUp
Trello
Pricing
ClickUp
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free |
| Starter | $10/mo | $7/mo |
| Business | $19/mo | $12/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | — |
Trello
| Plan | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free |
| Starter | $6/mo | $5/mo |
| Pro | $13/mo | $10/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | $18/mo |
Ratings & Reviews
Who Should Choose Which?
You are a project manager overseeing multiple interdependent initiatives with strict deadlines. You need native task dependencies to prevent blocked work, time tracking to monitor team capacity, and advanced automation to reduce manual status updates. ClickUp's Gantt charts (Unlimited plan), dependency warnings, and 5,000 monthly automations (Business plan) give you visibility and control. Trello lacks native dependencies and time tracking, forcing you to build workarounds with Power-Ups.
You are a small team lead managing straightforward task lists and simple workflows without complex dependencies. Your priority is ease of adoption and visual simplicity. Trello's Kanban board and intuitive interface get your team productive immediately, with no learning curve. At $6/month (Starter), Trello is cost-effective for basic project tracking. ClickUp's feature depth and steeper learning curve would be overkill for your needs.
Bottom Line
ClickUp is the better choice for teams managing complex projects with dependencies, time tracking, and automation needs.
Related Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is ClickUp better than Trello?
Yes. ClickUp is better than Trello for teams managing complex projects. ClickUp has a 4.7 G2 rating compared to Trello's 4.4, and it includes native task dependencies and time trackingΓÇöfeatures Trello lacks entirely. ClickUp's advanced automation and workload management make it superior for growing teams handling intricate workflows.
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What are the key pricing differences between ClickUp and Trello?
ClickUp's Free tier includes unlimited projects and members with basic automation, while Trello's Free plan caps you at 10 collaborators and 10 boards. ClickUp's Starter plan ($10/month) unlocks unlimited automations and native time tracking; Trello's Starter ($6/month) adds custom fields but still lacks time tracking and advanced views. For advanced features like Gantt charts and dashboards, ClickUp's Business plan ($19/month) is cheaper than Trello's Pro ($12.50/month), though Trello's Pro includes unlimited automation runs while ClickUp's Business tier limits you to 5,000 automations per month. ClickUp offers better value for teams needing automation and time tracking at lower price points.
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What are the biggest feature gaps between ClickUp and Trello?
Trello lacks native task dependencies, time tracking, and advanced automationΓÇöthree features ClickUp includes across most paid plans. Trello's core strength is simplicity; it offers only Kanban boards on the Free plan, while ClickUp provides Calendar, Timeline, and Kanban views immediately. For teams managing interdependent tasks or tracking billable hours, Trello requires third-party Power-Ups to fill these gaps. ClickUp's Business plan ($19/month) unlocks 5,000 automations monthly and workload management; Trello's Pro plan ($12.50/month) caps automation at unlimited runs but still lacks native dependencies and time tracking entirely.
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How difficult is it to migrate from Trello to ClickUp?
Migration from Trello to ClickUp is straightforward. ClickUp offers a native Trello import tool that transfers boards, cards, checklists, and attachments directly into ClickUp workspaces. Most teams complete the migration in under an hour for standard projects. However, you'll need to manually reconfigure automations since Trello's Butler rules don't map directly to ClickUp's automation engine. Custom Power-Ups and advanced Trello configurations may require manual setup in ClickUp, but the core task data transfers cleanly. ClickUp's support team provides migration guides to minimize downtime.
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Which tool has better integrations and customer support?
ClickUp offers unlimited integrations from its Unlimited plan ($10/month) with native connections to Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Salesforce, and HubSpot. Trello provides 200+ Power-Ups on all plans but requires third-party solutions for time tracking and task dependencies. ClickUp's native feature set reduces integration dependency. Both offer email support, though ClickUp's broader feature depth and automation capabilities (5,000 automations/month on Business plan) mean fewer workarounds needed. For teams requiring seamless workflow automation without constant third-party configuration, ClickUp's integration ecosystem is more efficient and comprehensive.