Trello vs Monday: Project management software comparison

Compare the key features of popular project management software Trello and monday work management, so you can choose the ideal solution for your business.

With so many project management software solutions, and many with overlapping features, it should come as no surprise that many enterprises find themselves looking for help when it comes time to adopt a tool. Two of the more prominent products in this space, Atlassian’s Trello and monday work management, will help your organization stay on top of its projects.

What is Trello?

Trello is a task management tool that focuses on collaboration and making work visible via its intuitive digital kanban boards. Trello’s methods are so successful that in 2017, Atlassian bought it despite already having a much more feature-rich project management solution in Jira, which also has the ability to display tasks on a digital kanban board. However, Trello’s intuitive and collaborative aspects make it a joy to work with and allow it to continue to thrive amid fierce competition.

SEE: Hiring kit: Project Manager (TechRepublic Premium)

What is monday work management?

monday work management is a suite of tools that boasts collaboration and transparency but with a focus on the processes that get work done versus tasks. This means monday work management can be aligned to manage just about anything. In addition to its project management capabilities, it can just as readily be applied to bug tracking, customer relations, invoices, and more if these are areas where your organization is also looking for help in the form of a software solution.

Trello vs. monday work management: Feature comparison

Both Trello and monday work management are strong project management software tools that allow teams to view and organize product tasks and goals. But where monday work management offers a wide variety of capabilities and functionalities useful for larger organizations, Trello provides a successful and intuitive interface suited for smaller teams.

Boards vs. lists

One of the major differences between the two products is the base level at which the tool operates. While both tools essentially map and track progress on tasks, with Trello, the card is the basis of where tasks live. In fact, Trello is geared at one thing: A digital kanban, which is essentially a view into how your work flows. However, if more information is needed, an organization may need third-party integrations to get it directly from Trello.

With monday work management, the base element is a list of these tasks, which can later be viewed on a board as a card. Moreover, the digital kanban view is not the only view option. For example, you can also view the same data as a Gantt chart, which can give you additional information, such as timeline and budget, that is not readily available from a kanban board.

User experience

User experience is a key aspect of software adoption and has much to do with why Trello has become so popular. The fact that Trello is so narrowly focused means it is very intuitive. With Trello, there is no switching between views because there is only one view. You just write tasks on a card, stick that card in a column and then slide it around as it gets worked. It’s the closest thing you’ll find to managing a project with sticky notes and tape, and if that sounds low tech know that it can be transformational when done well.

monday work management, on the other hand, offers a lot more to it than with Trello, which is reflective of it having a more broad set of use cases. As a result, monday work management can be a bit overwhelming the first time you log in. You’ll see an inbox and a profile and search and half a dozen other options. The good news is there are some great video tutorials, and you don’t have to dig too deep before it starts to click.

Roles and permissions

Both Trello and monday work management have several similar concepts when it comes to user roles, even if the naming conventions vary a bit. First, there are actual team or workspace members, and then there are guests or clients. Secondly, there are admins and team members, which have different commensurate capabilities available to them.

Where we see a difference is in the additional capability monday work management has to lock down boards and even individual columns. This allows for a more comprehensive strategy, with a more complete picture of individuals’ tasks and roles.

Trello does have a read-only role, but beyond that, there is no way to keep a team member from modifying a card. Write capability is all or nothing in Trello, and this is a common criticism. For example, an admin could assign a team member a task with a due date of next week, and that team member can login and change the task due date to next month or even change what the task is.

Choosing Trello or monday work management

When push comes to shove, adopting either Trello or monday work management can be beneficial for your project management efforts. However, you should consider how your organization manages projects currently and how you want to manage them in the future before making a decision.

Moreover, monday work management is great for larger organizations, especially those looking to also track budgets and timelines and even manage invoices. Trello, on the other hand, is ideal for small teams who want to be nimble or as an add-on to a larger suite of Atlassian tools.