Blue as a Trello Alternative

Introduction to Comparisons

This is our first comparison page here at Blue.

This is not going to be like all the other comparison pages you have ever read on the internet. Unlike many comparison pages online, this isn't a thinly-veiled advertisement. You can check Clickup's Trello comparison page for a ridiculous example of this.

We're not here to bash the competition or claim superiority on every front.

This is going to be an honest look at the differences and similarities between Blue and Trello, so you can decide what is best for your needs, and if Blue can be a Trello alternative.

The truth is, there's no best project management and collaboration software for all organizations — there is simply too much variety in how people think and work for this to be true.

Ultimately, our aim is to present a balanced view that respects the strengths of both platforms while providing the information you need to make an informed decision.

Whether you are a small team looking for simplicity or a large enterprise requiring advanced features, this comparison will help you determine which tool aligns best with your unique requirements.

Introduction to Trello

Trello is one of the OG of project management software — they launched back in September 2011!

It was created by Fog Creek Software (now Glitch) by co-founders Joel Spolsky and Michael Pryor.

Joel has a wonderful blog called Joel on Software.

Some of our favorite articles:

• The Development Abstraction Layer
• Strategy Letters (One, Two, Three, Four & Five)
• Painless Functional Specifications (Part One, Two, Three, Four)

Honestly, if you have anything to do with creating software, pause right now, open each one of those articles in a new tab and bookmark them for later reading.

It's pure gold.

Ok — back to Trello!

Trello was developed to provide a simple and visual way to manage projects and organize tasks using a system of boards, lists, and cards.

At the time of its launch in 2011, web technology was not what it is today. Many of the technologies and techniques that we take for granted today had yet to be invented.

JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js (which Blue uses), which revolutionized front-end development, had not been introduced, and developers relied on older tools like Backbone.js or jQuery. WebAssembly (Wasm), enabling near-native performance for web applications, was still years away. Service Workers and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), which provide offline capabilities and background sync, were not available, as they were introduced in 2014. CSS Grid Layout and Flexbox, which offer advanced layout options, were either unsupported or not fully adopted. Web Components, allowing for reusable custom elements, were not widely supported. GraphQL, providing a flexible alternative to REST APIs, and modern build tools like Webpack and package managers like Yarn, had not yet emerged. HTTP/2, which significantly enhances web performance, was only standardized in 2015.

Trello's development had to overcome these technological constraints.

The concept of using a visual board to organize tasks and projects in a flexible, intuitive way was groundbreaking, especially without the the use of modern web technologies. Trello leveraged advancements in web development at the time, such as AJAX and real-time updates, to create a seamless and interactive user experience.

This approach significantly improved upon traditional project management tools, which were often more rigid and less visually intuitive. Trello's success demonstrated the potential of web-based applications to offer sophisticated and user-friendly solutions for complex tasks.

Trello grew quickly, and raised $10.3 million in a Series A funding round led by Index Ventures and Spark Capital in 2014 and later was acquired by Atlassian in January 2017 for $425 million. The acquisition consisted of approximately $360 million in cash and the remainder in Atlassian stock.

Trello is now firmly part of the Atlassian suite of products:

This can be an upside, especially if you already use other Atlassian products such as Jira and Confluences.

But it can also be a downside — as you'll often have to switch across to an Atlassian account that you do not really want/need to edit settings:

There may also be a tendency for Atlassian to try and upsell you their products as you're working on your projects — more on that later.

Introduction to Blue

Blue was founded in 2018 by Emanuele Faja with a clear mission:

To organize the world's work by building the best project management platform on the planet—simple, powerful, flexible, and affordable for all.

To put things into perspective, Trello had already been sold to Atlassian before Blue was even started!

So naturally, these two platforms are going to take different approaches on many aspects of project management.

Unlike many tech startups, Blue is proudly bootstrapped, having grown organically without venture capital funding. This approach has allowed Blue to stay true to its vision and maintain a strong focus on user needs and product quality, instead of having to juggle investor needs with customer needs.

The inspiration behind Blue was the desire to create a tool that is not only easy to use but also flexible and powerful enough to handle the most demanding workloads. Essentially, a better alternative for software such as Trello and Basecamp, that are easy to use but may lack the power to handle more sophisticated workloads.

Blue's founder recognized the need for a project management solution that combines simplicity with advanced capabilities, catering to a wide range of users from small teams to large enterprises. This commitment to balance usability with robustness has set Blue apart in the competitive landscape of project management software.

Pricing Comparison

Let's start with the most straight-forward comparison, which is price.

Blue's pricing is very clear. There is one plan with two billing options:

• Monthly plan: $7/month/user.
• Yearly plan: $70/year/user (so you get two months free)

Not all user types in Blue count towards your subscription cost. The table below gives an overview of the different roles:

Once you are a Blue customer, there are no upsells within the platform. We have zero incentives to try and disturb you while you are working to try and get you to upgrade your account to a more expensive plan or to cross-sell you another product.

Trello Plan Breakdown

Trello has a somewhat more complex pricing structure, that is designed to accommodate a variety of users, from individuals and small teams to large enterprises. The plans range from a free option (for up to 10 users) to several paid tiers, each providing additional features and functionalities tailored to different project management needs.

As an aside, the reason that Blue does not offer a free plan is that we are not venture funded, and so we have to ensure that our unit economics work, and we cannot afford to carry a large percentage of non-paying customers.

Here's the breakdown in a structured table.

While Trello offers a free tier and cheaper basic pricing, Blue's core offering should be compared to Trello's Enterprise plan due to its comprehensive feature set.

Let's review the cost savings per year with Blue compared to Premium and Enterprise:

Switching to Blue offers significant cost savings compared to Trello's Premium and Enterprise plans, saving $66 per user annually when compared to Premium (44% savings), and $126 per user annually when compared to Enterprise (60% savings).

Now let's review the savings for a team of 10, 25, and 50 respectively.

So even for relatively small teams, Blue can put thousands of dollars back into your pocket (and bottom line) each year. This alone should make you consider whether Blue can be a Trello alternative for your organization.

As your team expands, you'll see those savings grow even more. Think about all the extra resources you could direct toward important areas like bringing in new talent, boosting your marketing efforts, or enhancing your products and services. With Blue, you stay on top of your expenses while still getting high-quality, effective project management tools.

When you choose Blue, you're not just getting a robust and user-friendly platform; you're also reaping the financial rewards of a cost-effective solution. These savings are especially valuable for startups and businesses on the rise, helping you build a sustainable and profitable future.

However, cost is not the only factor.

You need a platform that gives you the functionality that you need to run and scale your organization and stay organized.

So let's switch our focus to feature comparisons.

Automation Limits

Let's start with Automations.

Both Blue and Trello have sophisticated automation engines. Trello brands their automation engine as "Butler", which we think is a pretty cool name.

However, Trello does enforce quotas based on your plan and number of users:

It is also worth making the distinction here between "Automation Runs" and "Operations"

• Automation Run: An automation run is a single execution of an automation command. For example, if you have a rule that moves a card to another list when a due date is reached, each time this rule is triggered, it counts as one automation run.
• Operation: An operation is a single action performed as part of an automation run. For example, if a rule moves a card (one operation) and then adds a due date to that card (another operation), that would count as two operations within a single automation run.

Given these limits, Blue might be the best fit if you plan on having a lot of automations and not a lot of users, because we put no limits whatsoever on the number of automations. T

This means you can create as many automation rules as you need without worrying about hitting a cap, making Blue ideal for small teams that heavily rely on automation to streamline their workflows.

However, Trello does have some tricks up its sleeve that Blue does not yet have:

• Conditional Automations: Trello's Butler automation engine supports creating rules that perform actions based on specific conditions. For example, you can set up a rule that triggers only if a card has a certain label, is in a particular list, or meets other criteria you define. These conditional automations allow for more customized and targeted workflows within Trello.
• Automations with Third Party Apps: Trello allows integrations with various third-party apps through its Butler automation engine. This means you can automate actions not just within Trello but also across other tools and services that your team might be using, enhancing the overall workflow and connectivity of your project management system. Blue only supports this via Webhooks and third-party integrators such as Pabbly and Zapier.

Blue does has the powerful email automation feature which is not available in Trello, which allows you to send custom email notifications to any email address, leveraging the data in your custom fields using dynamic tags. This is great for workflows such as managing service tickets.

Scalability

The Trello documentation states that the maximum allowed cards per board in 5,000 and the total across a workspace, including archives, is 2,000,000.

Blue is significantly more scalable, allowing a maximum of 100,000 records (equivalent to Trello cards) per list. Our CSV import allows you to import up to 250,000 records at a time — you can read on our engineering blog how we made this possible.

So this makes Blue a great Trello alternative if you're looking to handle large amounts of data within your projects.

Views Comparison

Trello and Blue have many different ways to see the same dataset.

In Blue, all customers can use all the views, while in Trello, the free and standard plans only have Kanban Board view, and the other views are only available in their more expensive Premium ($12.50/user/month) and Enterprise ($17.50/user/month) plans.

This is why in the pricing comparison section compared Blue as an alternative to Trello Premium & Enterprise — as that is the only true comparison based on the feature set and capabilities.

Blue is missing the cross-project table view, but then Trello does not have cross-project activity view, where you can see who has done what across all your cards/records.

Blue also has the ability to lock entire lists, which prevents the following actions:

• Renaming: The list name cannot be altered once locked. This maintains naming consistency.
• Bulk Actions: Bulk record actions such as "Complete All", "Assign All", bulk tagging, etc., are disabled.
• Moving Records In/Out: Existing records cannot be moved in or out of the locked list.
• Creating Records: New records cannot be added directly to a locked list.
• Deleting: The locked list cannot be deleted altogether.

While many Trello users (i.e. here and here) have asked for this feature, Trello has yet to implement it.

So if you need the ability to lock down specific parts of your workflow, then Blue may be a great alternative to Trello.

User Permissions

This is an area where Blue really stands out.

Let's look into Trello's user roles:

• Board Admin: Can do anything on the board, including changing permissions. Marked by a blue and white chevron in the bottom right of their avatar.
• Normal Member: Can edit and add to the board without restrictions.
• Observer: Read-only access to the board. Can view and interact but not make changes. Only available on Premium and Enterprise plans.
• Workspace Member: Can view boards that are Workspace visible if they are a member of that Workspace.
• Guest: A normal member of the board but not a member of the Workspace it belongs to.

Trello users have reported that it is annoying that the "Observer" role is only available on the Premium and Enterprise plans. Additionally, Observer roles are only free if they are invited to one board, if you invite them to multiple boards, you have to pay the per-user fee like a regular team member.

On Blue, you can have an unlimited amount of "Comment-only" and "View-Only" users free of charge, which are the same as the "Observer" role in Trello.

Additionally, Trello does not currently allow administrators to create custom user roles on the fly. The platform provides a predefined set of user roles with specific permissions but does not offer the ability to create and configure new roles dynamically.

Blue has both default roles that come "out-of-the-box" as well as the ability for project administrators to create custom user roles based on the specific requirements of the project. Here's an overview:

• Project Administrator: Full control over projects, including managing settings, users, and permissions.
• Team Member: Can contribute to projects with editing and collaboration capabilities.
• Client: Limited access to view and comment on specific project elements.
• Comment Only: Can view and add comments but cannot edit project content.
• View Only: Read-only access to project information without editing capabilities.
• Custom User Roles: Customizable roles tailored to specific needs and permissions within a project.

For more details, visit the Blue Documentation on User Roles.

With the custom user roles, you can configure exactly what users should and should see and do.

In Blue, you can easily customize user permissions with specific roles that fit your team's needs. This flexibility ensures everyone has access to the right tools and information. For example, with group-based permissions, you can create roles that apply to entire teams, which helps maintain consistent access rights for members with similar tasks. It’s a straightforward way to keep your project workflows organized and efficient.

Custom roles let you control who can access various activities and forms, keeping sensitive information safe while ensuring your team stays focused on the right tasks. You can even adjust visibility settings so that groups only see the records relevant to them. This not only streamlines their workflow but also helps them maintain their concentration.

Additionally, you can assign invitation rights to specific roles. This allows select users to invite new members to their groups, making it easier to expand your team without losing control over security or structure. It’s particularly handy for growing teams looking to add new members smoothly.

Another beneficial feature is the management of custom fields. Project administrators can set permissions for viewing or editing specific fields, which helps maintain the integrity and usefulness of your data. Whether it's simple text fields or complex data like URLs, documents, designs, or time durations, you have the flexibility you need.

Managing lists is also more effective with custom roles. You can specify who can view, edit, or delete lists within a project. This level of control results in a tailored and secure environment for managing your projects efficiently.

So if you're looking for granular permissions for your team, then Blue is a great alternative to Trello that has limited customization options.

Task Dependencies

When it comes to managing task dependencies, Blue offers robust functionality that Trello lacks, making it a great alternative.

Trello does not natively support task dependencies, meaning you can't directly link tasks to create structured workflows where one task's completion is dependent on another. This limitation can hinder project management efficiency, especially for complex tasks that require a sequential order of operations. You can purchase Power-Ups for additional cost on top of your Trello subscription, but these are third-party integrations that must be managed, and can potentially break if something changes in Trello.

In contrast, Blue excels in this area with comprehensive native support for task dependencies. Blue allows you to connect records to create structured workflows, ensuring tasks are completed in the required order.

There are two types of dependencies in Blue:

1. Blocking: A Blocking dependency means a record prevents other records from starting or completing until it is finished
2. Blocked By: Blocked By dependency indicates that a record is blocked by another record that must be completed first.

This functionality helps maintain proper task sequences, preventing out-of-order completion by showing warnings if dependencies are not met. Additionally, all dependencies are logged under the Activity section, providing transparency into workflow connections.

Blue also includes Reference and Lookup custom fields, which further enhance project management by allowing relationships and data visibility across different projects. Reference custom fields create relationships between records in different projects, while Lookup custom fields import data from records in other projects, ensuring all necessary information is accessible and up-to-date. These features make Blue a powerful tool for managing complex workflows and ensuring tasks are completed in the correct order.

File Storage

Both Blue and Trello offer unlimited file storage for each account. However, the main difference is the limit in file size for each individual file.

Trello varies this across their plans:

Blue offers 20x the per file attachment limit of Trello, with a 5GB per file attachment.

This makes Blue a great alternative for tasks such as uploading videos, large photo backups, and other large files.

Additionally, Trello does not support creating public sharing links for file attachments.

Blue allows users to generate shareable links, enabling easy file sharing with clients or partners who do not use Blue. This feature enhances collaboration and accessibility, making it easier to share files outside your immediate team.

APIs & Webhooks

APIs

Trello has a well documented Rest API which is easy to use. However, there are some limitations:

• Advanced Custom Fields: While the API allows for basic card and board interactions, advanced custom fields are not fully accessible or modifiable via the API.
• Limited Access to Power-Ups: Certain power-ups, which enhance Trello's functionality, might not have corresponding API endpoints. This can limit the ability to automate or integrate these features programmatically.
• User Interface Elements: The API does not provide access to all user interface elements or settings that can be adjusted within the Trello app, such as specific visual customizations or layout options.
• Real-Time Collaboration Features: Features that enable real-time collaboration, such as live updates or notifications within the app, are not fully replicated in the API. The API primarily handles data retrieval and manipulation rather than live interactions.
• Rate Limitations: The API imposes strict rate limits (e.g., 300 requests per 10 seconds for API keys and 100 requests per 10 seconds for tokens), which can restrict the frequency and volume of data that can be accessed or modified in a short period.

Blue has a GraphQL API that offers 100% coverage of the entire platform.

So anything that you can do via our interface, you can trigger programmatically. This was a conscious design choice when we first created our API, that we wanted to give developers full access to everything.

Webhooks

Both Trello and Blue have Webhooks. Trello's webhooks are well documented, but they can only be created and monitored through their API. Trello's webhook capabilities are primarily focused on general actions like card creation, updates, and deletions.

On the other hand, Blue offers both programmatic access and a web interface to create, view, and manage Webhooks.

Blue's webhook options also provide a more granular approach, allowing users to select specific events to trigger notifications. This level of customization includes actions on records, checklists, custom fields, tags, and comments, among others. This granularity ensures that you can tailor webhooks to your exact needs, only triggering on the most relevant events.

Furthermore, Blue's webhooks can be filtered by one or more projects, even across different organizations or workspaces. This means you can create sophisticated, cross-project automation rules and notifications, enhancing coordination and productivity across various teams and departments. The ability to manage these settings through a user-friendly interface simplifies the process, making it accessible even to those without programming expertise.

User Interface

This is obviously going to be subjective.

We find Trello's UI somewhat old-fashioned. The one column layout for their individual card view, the styling of the buttons, and so on. This is likely to do with the fact that they have been around for almost 15 years, and so there is a lot of legacy UX (User Experience) and UI(User Interface) elements that have been upgraded and patched over the years.

Check it out yourself. You can click on the image to zoom in.

Blue is based on a customized style of Google Material Design. We use a great open-source front-end library called Vuetify for this. This was an intentional choice, because Google Material Design is used in many products around the world, Blue will feel familiar to users right away. We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, but rather hook into existing patterns.

The result? Compared to Trello, Blue gives you a much nice structure for viewing individual records, with your key metadata on the left, and your discussions and comments on the right.

We fully utilize your screen's real-estate.

This is an unsolicited quote from an AppSumo customer, The Writer, that has used both Trello and Blue:

This is the easiest, fastest and nicest UI interface and project management software. I love how simple it is to use and set up. I found this better and easier than Trello or any of the other programs — Best money ever.

Corporate Structure Differences

When you're picking a project management tool, it’s important to think beyond just the features. You should also consider the companies behind the products. This broader view can give you great insights into their priorities, focus, and where they’re headed in the future.

After being acquired by Atlassian for $425 million in 2017, Trello became part of a major publicly traded company. This backing provides Trello with access to the resources of a well-established brand known for reliability, especially with tools like Jira and Confluence that integrate smoothly with it.

However, being part of a large organization has its downsides.

Trello might encounter bureaucratic challenges when trying to implement user feedback or make quick updates. Plus, there’s a chance of conflicting interests since Atlassian has more expensive project management tools like Jira. They might hesitate to make Trello too robust to avoid overshadowing these higher-tier products.

Or, you may get annoying upsells to Jira right within your Trello Premium account.

See below:

Atlassian is mostly focused on catering to large enterprises, which might mean that some of their features and pricing don’t really fit the needs of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). With such a massive user base across various products, it can be tough for them to offer personalized support or truly grasp the unique needs of smaller companies.

Blue is an independent company that dedicates itself solely to its project management platform. This focused approach lets Blue respond to user needs more quickly and adapt based on feedback.

As an SME itself, Blue understands the challenges that smaller businesses face. This is why we don't feature-gate our plans and have extremely competitive pricing. Our size also means they can provide more personalized support and build stronger relationships with users.

Since Blue isn’t influenced by shareholder pressures or a larger company’s goals, we are free to concentrate on long-term product development instead of chasing short-term profits. This focus ensures we focus on user needs rather than corporate strategies.

So, when you’re torn between Trello and Blue, think beyond the feature set today — consider how each product, and company, might evolve over time.

If you’re part of a large enterprise already using Atlassian products, you might really appreciate Trello’s integration capabilities.

On the other hand, if you’re an SME looking for a tool that truly understands your specific requirements, Blue’s dedicated approach could be a better fit.

Also, reflect on the kind of support you’ll need from your project management tool provider. Trello only offer support tickets to paid customers, and only 24/7 support to Premium and Enterprise tiers. Blue provides support to all customers, including the ability to book a 30-minute free support call.

How important is it for you to have a say in the tool’s development? How quickly do you need changes to be implemented?

Ultimately, the best choice depends on your unique needs, company culture, and long-term business goals. Both Trello and Blue offer solid project management solutions, but their different backgrounds and focuses will likely shape how they serve you in the future.

A Trello Alternative?

In summary, Trello has been a popular option for managing projects, but Blue has some impressive benefits that might make it a better fit for your needs. With larger file storage limits, an easy-to-use API, and customizable user permissions, Blue works well for both small teams and large companies. Plus, its clear pricing—free of hidden costs—makes it a budget-friendly choice, especially for teams that are growing.

Blue is also highly scalable, offers unlimited automations, and allows for task dependencies, making it ideal for more complex projects.

By choosing Blue, you're opting for a user-focused approach that adapts to your needs in real time.

If you want advanced features, better scalability, or just a more cost-effective tool, Blue really stands out as a great alternative to Trello.

Further Resources

Trello

• Trello Pricing Page
• Trello Documentation
• Trello G2 Reviews
• Trello Capterra Reviews
• Trello Community

Blue

• Blue Pricing Page
• Blue Documentation
• Blue G2 Reviews
• Blue Capterra Reviews
• Blue Community