All industries · head to head
Basecamp vs Trello
Basecamp
All industries
Project management & team collaboration software
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Trello free tier limited to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per workspace
- They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Trello covers Kanban boards.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Trello actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (All industries).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Basecamp
- Message boards
- To-do lists
- Schedules
- Documents & files
- Group chat
- Check-in questions
- Hill Charts
- Email forwards
Only in Trello
- Kanban boards
- Cards & lists
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Activity feed
- Due dates & reminders
- File attachments
- Comments & mentions
- Power-Ups ecosystem
Both cover
- Slack
- Zapier
- GitHub
- 2FA
- SOC2
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Basecamp
- Project management for a small team in one placenot Trello
- Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Trello
- Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Trello
- Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Trello
Trello
- Project trackingnot Basecamp
- Content calendarsnot Basecamp
- Sales pipelinesnot Basecamp
- Onboarding processesnot Basecamp
- Personal task managementnot Basecamp
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Basecamp
- The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
- Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
- Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
- Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited
Trello
- Free tier limited to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per workspace
- Free tier automation capped at 250 monthly Butler runs
- No offline access; web-based platform requires internet connection
- Advanced views (timeline, table, dashboard) not available on Standard plan
- SSO only available on Enterprise plan
Pricing, plan by plan
Basecamp
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Basecamp review.
Trello
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 10 boards/workspace
- Up to 10 collaborators
- 250 monthly Butler automation runs
- Standard$5/user/month
- Unlimited boards
- Unlimited Power-Ups
- 1,000 monthly Butler runs
- Premium$10/user/month
- All Standard features
- Timeline, table, dashboard, calendar views
- Unlimited automation
- Enterprise$17.5/user/month
- All Premium features
- Unlimited workspaces
- SSO and user provisioning
Which should you pick?
Choose Basecamp if
- You need message boards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want to-do lists.
Choose Trello if
- You need kanban boards.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
- You also want cards & lists.
Questions people ask
- Is Basecamp or Trello better?
- Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Trello at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Trello?
- Basecamp starts at Free and Trello at Free.
- Does Basecamp or Trello run on more platforms?
- Basecamp runs on Web. Trello runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows, Macos.
- Can I use Basecamp for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Basecamp best used for?
- Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Trello is typically brought in for.
- What can Basecamp do that Trello cannot?
- Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Trello covers Kanban boards, Cards & lists, Drag-and-drop interface, Activity feed. Both handle Slack, Zapier, GitHub, 2FA.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Trello: What are the free tier limitations for Trello?
Trello Free supports up to 10 boards per workspace, unlimited cards, 250 monthly Butler automation runs, and up to 10 Power-Up attachments. Limited to 10 collaborators per workspace.
SourceTrello: What features are included in the Standard plan?
Standard ($5-6/user/month) adds unlimited boards, custom fields, advanced checklists, 1,000 monthly automation runs, list colors, and calendar view access.
SourceTrello: Does Trello offer SSO and on which plan?
SSO through Atlassian Guard is included only on the Enterprise plan ($17.50/user/month or $210/year per user).
SourceTrello: How many file attachment options are available?
Free tier includes 2 Power-Ups per board, Standard adds unlimited Power-Ups, and Premium and above offer full Power-Up marketplace access with custom integration options.
SourceTrello: Is there offline access to Trello boards?
Trello is a web-based application requiring internet connection. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android but do not support true offline editing.
Source