Jira or Trello: which project management tool is best suited to your workflow?

Trello or Jira, that's a tough choice for anyone looking for a good project management tool. Seemingly simple, these two Atlassian platforms address very different needs. One relies on intuitive visualisation of tasks via Kanban boards, the other on structured, agile management designed for software development.

Whether you're managing a marketing team, a complex project in agile mode, or looking to better organise your workflows, these two solutions can tick the right boxes... as long as you choose the one that suits you.

📌 In this comprehensive comparison, we guide you through :

• their key functionalities (tables, sprints, automation...),
• their respective interfaces,
• their prices and integrations,
• and above all: their concrete use cases, so you don't choose the wrong tool.

See all software Project Management

What is Jira?

General presentation of Jira

Jira is the behemoth of technical project management. Developed by Atlassian, it has become the benchmark for teams using agile methodology, particularly in software development. It enables you to manage complex projects, monitor sprints, prioritise tickets and collaborate within a structured workflow.

In concrete terms, Jira is aimed at teams that need a rigorous framework, a configurable workflow and real granularity in task tracking. It's a powerful tool, but one that takes a little time to master.

Jira's main features

It's not a 'turnkey' tool like Trello, but a modular platform designed to meet specific needs in terms of agile management, tracking and reporting. Let's take a closer look at what Jira has to offer:

• Scrum and Kanban boards for managing sprints, user stories and continuous tasks ;

• integrated product backlog and sprint planning;

• customisable workflows for each type of task or team ;

• time tracking, capacity and workload management;

• integrated agile reports: burn-down, velocity, quality control, etc;

• team roadmaps to visualise long-term planning;

• Code-free automation to simplify workflows;

• native connection to Bitbucket, Confluence, GitHub, Slack, etc.
  

Jira

+200 reviews

SEE SOFTWARE

Project management tool for agile teams

Learn more about Jira

Advantages and disadvantages of Jira

Now that we've set the scene, let's get down to business: what are users saying? Jira is adored by the dev teams... but not necessarily by everyone. The tool is powerful, but sometimes considered complex. It shines in certain configurations, but can seem cumbersome for simpler needs.

✅ Before pointing out its limitations, let's remind ourselves why Jira is considered to be one of the best project management tools for tech teams:

• perfectly adapted to agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe...) ;

• advanced customisation of workflows, statuses and ticket types ;

• comprehensive reporting: time tracking, velocity, sprint indicators, etc;

• ideal for software development teams and complex projects;

• Excellent integration with Confluence and other Atlassian tools;

• powerful automations to save time on recurring tasks.

❌ But all this power has a downside: Jira isn't always the right choice for those who want to move fast, or are looking for simplicity, because of:

• a high learning curve, especially for non-tech ;

• a dense and sometimes unintuitive interface

• too rigid for teams who want visual flexibility;

• initial configuration that can become time-consuming;

• less suited to simple projects or non-agile workflows.

What is Trello?

Trello overview

Trello is the visual management tool par excellence. Bought out by Atlassian, it stands out for its ease of use and ultra-intuitive approach based on Kanban boards. You slip in your ideas, tasks and projects, all in the form of cards that you move around according to their status in the workflow.

Ideal for teams looking for flexibility, Trello lets you collaborate, organise projects and structure your work without getting bogged down in complex features. It is just as much used by freelancers, marketing teams or start-ups as by HR, com or product departments.

Trello's main features

Behind its minimalist interface, Trello hides a real potential for customisation. It doesn't aim to be as functionally complex as Jira, but it does offer a number of extensions (the 'Power-Ups') to enhance its boards according to need, as well as :

• Kanban boards that can be customised at will ;

• cards with labels, deadlines, checklists, attachments, comments, etc;

• lists of tasks and sub-tasks in each card;

• Power-Ups for adding calendar, timeline and Gantt views, etc;

• automation (Butler): triggers, actions, rules without code;

• table templates for all types of project (publishing, HR, IT, etc.);

• team sharing with permissions and notifications;

• integration with Slack, Google Drive, Jira, Zapier, etc.
  

Trello

+200 reviews

SEE SOFTWARE

Visual collaboration tool for tasks and project management

Learn more about Trello

Advantages and disadvantages of Trello

Trello is all about the user experience: no need for training, no friction, everything is visual. But this simplicity comes at a price: as soon as projects become more complex or technical, you can quickly reach your limits.

✅ Before we talk about its limitations, let's look at why Trello remains one of the most popular management tools in the world:

• ultra-fast to learn, accessible to everyone;

• simple, intuitive visual interface

• great flexibility for structuring your own workflows;

• Power-Ups for adding functionality as and when you need it;

• easy-to-configure automations with Butler;

• perfect for light, creative or cross-functional projects.

❌ Trello is excellent for organising your ideas, less so for managing complex, structured or interconnected projects, because of:

• lack of advanced native views (Gantt, reporting, backlog...) ;

• functional limitations for agile or dev teams;

• Power-Ups sometimes chargeable or limited depending on the plan;

• difficult to scale to very large projects or mature organisations;

• not well suited to software development or technical sprint management.

Jira vs Trello: compare features

Trello and Jira, although both published by Atlassian, do not meet the same needs or the same teams. Trello focuses on visual simplicity and fluid task management, while Jira is aimed at those who manage complex projects, particularly in software development.

Here's a clear comparison to help you understand the differences 👇.

Functionality	Jira	Trello
Kanban & Scrum boards	Advanced & agile	Simple and visual
Backlog & sprint planning	Yes	❌ Not native
Customisable workflows	Very advanced	Limited (with Butler automations)
Time tracking	Integrated	Via external Power-Up
Reports and statistics	Comprehensive (agile, velocity, etc.)	❌ Very limited
Automations	Very advanced	Simple with Butler
Task customisation	Fields, status, ticket types	Labels, checklists, deadlines
Integration with dev tools (Git, etc)	Native with GitHub, Bitbucket, etc.	Possible but basic
Roadmap & product vision	Integrated (Advanced Roadmaps)	❌ Not native
User experience	Dense but complete	Simple and fluid

Focus on task and sprint management

Jira is designed for agile development, you can :

• create backlogs,
• organise your sprints
• track user stories
• and assign each task to a developer with load points.

Each task is a structured ticket with customisable statuses.

Trello, on the other hand, works with a visual Kanban board: simple and intuitive, but without native sprint or backlog management. You can mimic a sprint via columns and cards, but it's still homemade.

💡 Verdict:

• for agile projects, Jira is a must ;
• for light visual management, Trello is sufficient.

Focus on automation

Trello offers Butler, an integrated no-code automation tool. It enables simple actions to be triggered (e.g. moving a card, adding a label) according to rules or events. It's very accessible, but limited for complex cases.

Jira goes much further, allowing you to :

• define automatic multi-step rules
• trigger actions according to business conditions,
• send alerts,
• update fields,
• link tickets.

Ideal for industrialising workflows.

💡 Verdict:

• Trello for small-scale automation ;
• Jira for complex, agile scenarios.

Focus on reports and data visualisation

With Jira, you can access :

• customised dashboards
• agile reports (burndown, velocity, time spent, etc.),
• and performance indicators.

This is essential for technical project managers and scrum masters.

Trello, on the other hand, offers very little native reporting. Some Power-Ups allow you to add Gantt views or dashboards, but this is limited, sometimes chargeable, and requires external tools.

💡 Verdict:

• Jira is cut out for advanced project tracking;
• Trello is still very limited when it comes to analytics.

Focus on user experience

Trello is a benchmark in terms of UX. Its interface is simple, visual and quick to master. Anyone can use it without any training.

Jira is richer, but also denser:

• multiple menus
• advanced configurations,
• complex workflows.

It takes some getting used to, but the power is there for well-trained teams.

💡 Verdict:

• for immediate familiarity: Trello ;
  
• for a structured project management tool: Jira, with support.

Focus on team collaboration

Trello shines for small teams, creative work, brainstorming or cross-functional projects. It enables you to :

• collaborate in real time
• assign tasks
• comment,
• mention colleagues, etc.

Jira is more focused on structured workflows:

• strict assignment,
• roles,
• permissions per project,
• complex team management.

Less 'fun' than Trello, but more scalable for large tech teams.

💡 Verdict:

• for fluid, intuitive collaboration: Trello ;
  
• for structured management based on roles and rights: Jira.

Jira vs Trello: compare prices

Plan	Jira	Trello
Free	Up to 10 users Unlimited goals, projects, tasks and forms Backlog, list, table, timeline, calendar and summary views Reports and dashboards 100 automation rule executions per month	Unlimited maps and power-ups per tablea Up to 10 tables per workspace Integrated automations (250 runs/month) Integrations with Slack, Teams, email Unlimited storage (10 MB/file)
Basic	Standard - €7.75 / user / month User roles and authorisations External collaboration Data resident in several regions 1,700 automated rule executions 9/24 and 5/7 support	Standard - €4.26 / user / month Unlimited tables and storage Advanced checklists and integrated planning Custom fields and list colours Powerful automation Integrations with Slack, Teams, email via AI
Intermediate / Premium	Premium - €14.63 / user / month Integrated Rovo Search, Chat and Agents, and AI-optimised work features Cross-functional planning and dependency management Customisable approval processes 1,000 rule executions Unlimited storage space	Premium - €8.51 / user / month Calendar, timeline, spreadsheet, plan, dashboard Unlimited automations Atlassian Intelligence (integrated AI) Enhanced administration and security functions Workspace-wide templates and collections
Enterprise / bespoke	Enterprise - bespoke Atlassian Analytics and Data Lake Advanced administrative controls and security Enterprise-level identity and access management Unlimited execution of automation rules Up to 150 sites	Enterprise - €14.90 / user / month Unlimited workspaces Advanced organisation-wide permissions Single sign-on (SSO) via Atlassian Guard Fine-grained administration of power-ups and attachments Control of public boards and multi-board guests

Jira vs Trello: which interface is more intuitive?

The interface is often what makes the difference between adopting a tool... or abandoning it. And on this point, Jira and Trello take diametrically opposed approaches. One is structured and dense, the other visual and minimalist. The real question: does your team prefer structured agility or flexible simplicity?

Criteria	Jira	Trello
Getting started	Complex at first, requires onboarding	Immediate, even without training
General ergonomics	Dense, sometimes overloaded	Fluid, visual, uncluttered
Customisation	Very advanced (workflows, status, fields, etc.)	Limited, but simple (columns, Power-Ups)
Mobile & accessibility	Powerful but complex app	Very intuitive mobile application
Suitable for beginners	Not really, especially for non-techies	Yes, even for non-techies
Day-to-day ease of use	Very good for experienced teams	Excellent for all profiles

👉 Trello is immediately appealing. Its logic of visual Kanban boards means you can instantly understand how to organise your work:

1. create a card,
2. drag it into a column
3. comment on it,
4. tick off a checklist...

No jargon, no friction. Everything is simple and effective, even on mobile devices. It's a tool for beginners and seasoned teams alike, with a user experience designed for clarity.

👉 Jira, on the other hand, is aimed at those who need rigour, structure and detailed project management. The interface is denser, sometimes a little 'technical', but it allows extreme customisation:

• ticket types
• statuses
• custom fields
• permissions
• dashboards, etc.

It's a tool that reveals its power over time, but requires a real initial investment to master.

Jira vs Trello: compare integrations

The better a solution integrates with your technical or collaborative stack, the stronger a link it becomes in your software ecosystem. For project managers, product managers or developers, integrations, their ease of configuration and their depth of automation are key elements to take into account.

👉 Number of integrations available

• Jira: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  Jira has over 3,000 integrations available via the Atlassian Marketplace. All the essential connections are there: GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, Slack, Teams, Zoom, Figma, Google Workspace, Salesforce, etc. The richness of the Atlassian ecosystem and compatibility with DevOps, ITSM or CRM tools make Jira a highly interconnectable platform.

• Trello: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
  Trello offers hundreds of integrations via its Power-Ups and native connectors: Google Drive, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Jira (ironically), Zapier, etc. That's more than enough for everyday use, but not as deep as Jira when it comes to technical tools. The premium Power-Ups unlock more options but can get expensive depending on usage.

👉 Ease of configuration

• Jira: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
  The documentation is very comprehensive, but some integrations require a good understanding of workflows, projects, and sometimes custom scripts. Fine-grained permissions can also complicate configuration. In short: it's not plug & play, especially for non-technical profiles.

• Trello: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
  Trello is designed for simplicity: the majority of Power-Ups are activated with a single click, with a clear interface. Integration via Zapier or Make remains accessible, even for users with no technical background. Ideal for a marketing, product or freelance team.

👉 Customisation and automation

• Jira: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  Jira is an automation factory, especially when combined with Jira Automation and technical integrations. Complex workflows can be triggered based on status, custom fields or events. Perfect for agile teams, software development and complex IT workflows.

• Trello: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
  With Butler, Trello offers simple but effective code-free automation: move a card, send an email, add a checklist... To go further, you'll have to go through Zapier or Make, which adds a degree of complexity, but remains more accessible than Jira on the UX side.

💡 Conclusion

• Jira clearly has the edge when it comes to the number of integrations and the depth of automation, particularly for tech, product or DevOps teams;

• Trello, on the other hand, remains an excellent option for those who want to quickly integrate their day-to-day tools without the headache.

When should you choose Jira or Trello?

Jira and Trello are not in the same league. One is a complex project management platform designed for technical teams. The other is a visual and flexible tool, ideal for simply organising tasks and ideas. Your choice will depend on the type of project you're working on, the maturity of your team and the level of customisation you're looking for.

Typical use cases for Jira

Jira is designed for teams that need a structured framework, advanced agile management and rigorous task tracking.

It is designed to manage complex projects, often in tech, IT or product environments.

📌 Choose Jira if any of these apply to you:

• software development team using agile methodology (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe...) ;

• managing complex IT projects with multiple tickets, prioritisation and status;

• need for precise reporting on velocity, workload or progress per sprint;

• organisation requiring customised workflows, with role management and detailed permissions;

• integration with a DevOps environment: GitHub, Bitbucket, CI/CD, etc;

• Multi-project monitoring in scalable structures (PMO, IT Department, Product Ops, etc.).

Typical use cases for Trello

Trello is the ideal tool for people who want to organise their work quickly and easily.

Its flexibility, visual interface and virtually non-existent learning curve make it a real winner. Ideal for light projects, creative teams or cross-functional use.

👉 Opt for Trello in these situations:

• freelancers, consultants or coaches who want to organise their personal tasks and projects ;
• marketing or communications teams wanting to manage content, editorial planning or campaigns;
• start-ups or very small businesses that want a simple tool for visual collaboration;
• managing shared to-do lists, events or internal projects without heavy constraints;
• HR, administration or customer support who need a fast, flexible way of organising;
• users who want to customise their tables without coding via Power-Ups.

Jira or Trello: the management tool that fits your way of working

If you've got this far, you've figured it out: Trello and Jira are not in direct competition, but meet radically different project management needs:

• Jira is a powerful, ultra-configurable platform designed for complex projects, technical teams and structured agile environments;
• on the other, Trello, a visual, accessible and flexible tool, perfect for organising ideas and tasks and collaborating easily without getting bogged down in cumbersome processes.

🧠 Still not sure? Try them both - the basic version is free, so there's no risk to you.

See all software Project Management

FAQ - Jira vs Trello

Are Trello and Jira compatible?

Yes, Trello and Jira can be connected. Atlassian offers native integration between the two tools, enabling Trello cards to be linked to Jira tickets. This is useful for marketing or product teams who use Trello while working with developers on Jira.

Which is easier to use: Trello or Jira?

Trello is much easier to get to grips with. It requires no training and is perfect for beginners. Jira, on the other hand, offers more power, but takes some getting used to, especially for non-technical users.

Can you manage agile projects with Trello?

Yes, but only to a limited extent. Trello lets you simulate sprints with columns and Power-Ups, but it doesn't natively offer a backlog, velocity or agile report. For complete agile management, Jira is better suited.

Is Trello free? and Jira?

Both tools offer a free version:

• Trello Free: unlimited cards, members and up to 10 Power-Ups;
• Jira Free: up to 10 users, with access to basic agile functions.

For pro or team use, paying plans unlock advanced views, integrations and security options.

Which tool should you choose for a non-technical team?

Trello is clearly the best choice for non-technical teams: HR, marketing, admin, freelancers and so on. It's visual, simple, customisable and doesn't require any technical settings. Jira is ideal for technical teams, but can quickly seem complex for other profiles.