ClickUp vs Trello Comparison 2026
ClickUp tries to hold a team's tasks, documents and dashboards in one account, free for unlimited members before $7 a user a month billed yearly. Trello is a wall of cards dragged between columns, free for up to ten collaborators before $5 a user a month billed annually, and its own appeal is that people keep it updated because there is barely anything to learn. ClickUp's listing points anybody who wants to open a tool and understand it immediately toward Trello instead.
Docs, tasks and dashboards in one place
Boards and cards for people who hate project plans
At a glance
- Trello starts cheaper, at $6.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
ClickUp | Trello | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $7 | From $6 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
ClickUp
Docs, tasks and dashboards in one place
ClickUp tries to be the only work tool a team opens, and mostly manages it: tasks, documents, whiteboards, goals and dashboards all live together and cross-reference. The cost of that reach is a settings screen that takes a weekend to understand. Automations are metered per plan, which is what pushes a growing team off the free tier.
Our note
AI is a separate $9 per user a month, sitting on top of a $7 seat. That more than doubles the bill, and it is easy to miss when the comparison with Notion gets settled on the headline price.
Trello
Boards and cards for people who hate project plans
Trello is a wall of cards dragged between columns, which is enough structure to run an editorial calendar and not enough to put anybody off using it. The free plan covers ten collaborators, so a creator with two contractors never pays. Anything needing dependencies, a timeline or real reporting hits the ceiling inside a quarter.
Our note
Stay free until a view you do not have is costing real time. Most creator workflows never leave that plan, and the ones that do usually want Notion rather than the next Trello tier.
Why people weigh these two
- Trello instead of ClickUp
- Trello is the simple end of the same job, boards and cards you understand in minutes rather than the weekend ClickUp's settings ask for; free, paid from $6.
- ClickUp instead of Trello
- ClickUp folds docs and dashboards in around the task board, from $7, more built into one place than cards dragged between columns.
Which one should you pick
Buy ClickUp if the work needs documents, custom views per person and dashboards cross-referencing tasks, and the team is willing to spend a day configuring it. Unlimited members on the free plan is the generous part of the offer.
Buy Trello if the work is a queue, idea through published, and the tool that gets used beats the tool with more views nobody opens. Free for ten collaborators covers most small creator teams outright, and Standard at $5 a user a month billed annually is cheaper than ClickUp's equivalent $7 tier. Dependencies, workload and timelines are where it runs out, and that is usually the point to look at ClickUp instead.
Common questions
- Which one is easier to pick up on day one?
- Trello, and ClickUp's own listing agrees, recommending Trello or Todoist to anybody who wants to open a tool and understand it immediately. ClickUp's reach into documents and dashboards comes with a real settings learning curve.
- Is Trello cheaper than ClickUp?
- Slightly, at the equivalent annual tier: $5 a user a month against ClickUp's $7. Trello's free plan also covers ten collaborators outright, which suits a creator with a couple of contractors without paying at all.
- Does Trello handle dependencies between tasks, like a full project management tool?
- No, and its own listing is direct about it: dependencies, workload and timelines are where Trello runs out inside a quarter. ClickUp is built to handle exactly that kind of structure.
- How many collaborators does Trello's free plan allow?
- Up to ten in a workspace, which is more than most creator teams need. ClickUp's free plan has no equivalent member cap, only limits on storage and advanced features.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.