Trello vs Asana: Finding the best project management tool

We’ve all been there: if your projects feel disorganized, deadlines get missed, or your team spends more time sorting through dashboards than doing real work, your project management may be to blame. Most of the time, all it takes to save your productivity is finding the right tool to unify all aspects of ownership, visibility, and workflow.

Two of the most popular project management tools available today are Trello and Asana. Both help teams plan work, track progress, and collaborate, but they approach project management in very different ways. With so many factors that make your workflow unique, it’s important to choose the best fit

In this article, we’ll break down the similarities and differences between Trello and Asana. We’ll explore how each tool works, who they’re best suited for, and how to get the most value out of them.

And once you’ve chosen the right platform, we’ll show you how to take it even further. By connecting Trello or Asana to IFTTT, you can automate repetitive tasks and keep everyone in the loop while giving your team more free time. Sounds like a win-win? Let’s dive right in.

Pro tip: Look out for Applet bubbles throughout this article. Click these to get started automating your project management tools.

What is Trello?

Trello is a project management tool built around Kanban-style boards. Launched in 2011, Trello made a name for itself for its simplicity and ease of use.

At its core, Trello organizes work into boards, lists, and cards. Each card represents a task, which can be moved across lists to reflect progress such as To Do, In Progress, and Done. This makes Trello incredibly easy to pick up, even for those who are new to project management software.

Trello is popular with small teams, freelancers, and creatives who want a lightweight system over a complicated interface. While it looks simple at first glance, Trello can be expanded with Power-Ups to add features like calendars and automations.

If you value visual clarity and quick setup over deep project structure, Trello is a great place to start.

What is Asana?

Between the two, Asana is the more robust project management platform designed for teams managing complex workflows. Founded in 2008, Asana focuses on helping teams track work across projects, deadlines, and dependencies (where one task depends on another for progression).

Unlike Trello’s purely visual approach, Asana offers multiple ways to view work, including lists, boards, timelines, and calendars. You can assign tasks, set due dates, and track progress across entire projects or just smaller portfolios.

We’d argue that Asana shines in environments where structure matters. Larger teams, cross-functional projects, and organizations with defined timelines would work best with Asana’s advanced planning and reporting tools.

While Asana has a steeper learning curve than Trello, that complexity pays off for teams that need detailed oversight and long-term planning.

Key feature comparison: Trello vs Asana

User experience

Trello offers one of the most intuitive interfaces for this type of app. Its drag-and-drop design makes it easy to understand at a glance, with not much onboarding required (making it easy for your team to switch over).

Asana’s interface is more powerful but also more complex. The additional views and configuration options give teams flexibility, though users may need some time to adjust. Once you’ve got it down, you’ve unlocked more functionality compared to Trello.

Task and project management

Here’s the important part. For project management, Trello focuses on individual tasks and simple workflows. Cards can include checklists, attachments, comments, and due dates, making it great for straightforward projects.

Asana goes a bit deeper with task dependencies, milestones, timelines, and workload management. This makes it better suited for projects with multiple moving parts and strict sequencing.

Reporting and visibility

Trello provides basic visibility through boards and activity feeds, but advanced reporting often requires paid Power-Ups.

Asana includes built-in reporting, progress tracking, and portfolio views that help you understand how work is progressing across teams.

Trello and Asana pricing and plans

Both Trello and Asana offer free plans, which makes them easy to try out before committing to a paid plan. There are some differences that show up once your team grows or your projects become more complex.

Trello’s free plan works well for individuals and small teams managing basic workflows. You can create boards, lists, and cards, but you’ll quickly run into limits. To unlock unlimited boards, custom fields, AI tools, and more, you’ll have to upgrade to the Standard plan at $6 per month, or the more capable Premium plan at $12.50 per month.

Asana’s free plan is a bit more generous for structured task management, supporting task assignments and due dates for small teams. Features like timelines, advanced reporting, and workload management are only available on paid tiers, which start at $13.49 monthly. In general, Asana’s paid plans run a fair bit more expensive compared to Trello.

Automating Trello and Asana with IFTTT

No matter which tool you choose, there are innovative ways to get the most out of your project management app without spending extra cash. One of the best ways to start building the ultimate productivity tool is by integrating with IFTTT.

IFTTT (If This Then That) is our powerful and free automation platform that connects over 1000 apps and services to perform automated tasks. These can be as simple as connecting smart home devices and can be expanded to complex workflows between customer management systems, AI tools, social media, and much more.

By integrating Trello and Asana with IFTTT, you can automate all sorts of menial tasks that would normally have you hitting your head against the desk. Here’s how to get started:

Create an IFTTT account: If you don’t have an account, sign up on the https://ifttt.com.

Connect services: Use the search bar to find whatever services you are interested in. Click the “Connect” button and link your account by signing in. You can connect unlimited services for free.

Browse Applets: Head to the Applets tab in IFTTT and search through our library for an Applet that works for you. Don’t worry, we have over a million (and counting) Applets for you to choose from. You can also create your own with our easy-to-use Applet builder.

Thousands of people worldwide count on IFTTT to boost the functionality of Trello and Asana, and you can too!

Building your own Applet

Can’t find exactly what you’re looking for? On IFTTT, it’s simple to build your own Applets and share them with the community. Simply click the ‘Create’ button, select a trigger action (e.g. When a task is added to Trello) and an output action (e.g Send a notification to a Slack channel).

IFTTT is designed to make automation easy for everyone. Regardless of technical experience, setting up an IFTTT Applet only takes a few minutes. Applets give you access to all types of advanced functions, like filter code and delay, which can be used to create impressive automations. For a more complete guide on everything Applet-related, check out our full guide here.

Which tool is right for your team?

We can’t crown a universal winner, only the right tool for your situation. With dedicated user bases of millions of people, both tools are worth checking out to see if they are the right fit.

To break it down simply, you should choose Trello if:

• - You want a simple, visual way to track tasks
• - Your projects don’t require dependencies
• - You’re part of a small team, a freelancer, or a creative group
• - You want minimal setup and maintenance

You should choose Asana if:

• - You manage complex or long-term projects
• - You need timelines, dependencies, and reporting
• - You’re coordinating work across multiple teams
• - Visibility and accountability are top priorities

Top Trello and Asana automations with IFTTT

Once you’ve made your choice, the next step should be considering integrating with IFTTT. You’d be amazed at how well our tool can clean up the kinks in your workflow and bring out the best in Trello, Asana, and hundreds of other apps.

To get those creative juices flowing, here are some popular ways teams use IFTTT with Trello and Asana:

1. Task notifications and updates

To ensure everyone is on the same page, these Applets can automatically send Slack or Teams messages when tasks are created, completed, or updated. Say goodbye to unnecessary, constant check-ins.

2. Email to task automation

Turn incoming emails into Trello cards or Asana tasks automatically, perfect for support requests or client submissions.

3. Calendar and deadline reminders

There’s nothing worse than letting an important date slip on by. Our Applets can send reminders when due dates approach or tasks are overdue, helping your team stay on schedule.

4. File management

To leave cluttered storage in the past, use these Applets to automatically save attachments from Trello or Asana to Google Drive or Dropbox for easy access and organization.

5. Cross-tool workflows

Connect Trello or Asana with tools like Notion, Jira, or spreadsheets to keep data synced across your workflow.

Choose the right tool and supercharge it with IFTTT

Trello and Asana are both excellent project management platforms, each designed with different teams in mind. The right choice depends on how much structure your projects require and how your team prefers to work.

But no matter which tool you choose, automation unlocks its full potential. By connecting Trello or Asana with IFTTT, you eliminate repetitive tasks, reduce manual updates, and ensure information flows exactly where it needs to go.

Getting started takes minutes, but the time savings add up fast. Ready to streamline your projects and work smarter? Try IFTTT today and build workflows that actually work for you.