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Nonprofits · head to head

CiviCRM vs Trello for Nonprofits

CiviCRM logo

CiviCRM

Nonprofits

Open source constituent relationship management for nonprofits, with no per contact or per donation fee

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trello for Nonprofits logo

Trello for Nonprofits

Nonprofits

Simple project management for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CiviCRM nobody maintains it for you, so security patches and major version upgrades are your operational responsibility and organisations that skip them end up stranded on an old release.; Trello for Nonprofits free plan limited to 10 collaborators per Workspace, which restricts larger team usage
  • They diverge on capability: CiviCRM covers Contribution and pledge tracking, Trello for Nonprofits covers Kanban boards.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CiviCRM and Trello for Nonprofits actually diverge.

Attributes where CiviCRM and Trello for Nonprofits differ
AttributeCiviCRMTrello for Nonprofits
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Self-hostedWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

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 CiviCRM

  • Contribution and pledge tracking
  • Membership management
  • Events and registration
  • Case management
  • CMS integration
  • Extension framework

Only in Trello for Nonprofits

  • Kanban boards
  • Card management
  • Team collaboration
  • Integrations
  • Labels and checklists
  • Slack
  • Google Drive
  • Zapier

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CiviCRM

  • A membership organisation with a large contact file that refuses to pay a per contact meternot Trello for Nonprofits
  • An advocacy group needing to hold constituent data on infrastructure it controlsnot Trello for Nonprofits
  • A charity already running Drupal or WordPress that wants CRM inside the same stacknot Trello for Nonprofits
  • An organisation with unusual data requirements that no hosted product will build for itnot Trello for Nonprofits

Trello for Nonprofits

  • Project management and team collaboration for nonprofit organizationsnot CiviCRM

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CiviCRM

  • Nobody maintains it for you, so security patches and major version upgrades are your operational responsibility and organisations that skip them end up stranded on an old release.
  • The interface and configuration model are dated compared with hosted competitors, and staff turnover is expensive when the next fundraiser has to be trained on it from scratch.
  • Extension quality is inconsistent, so a payment processor or integration that works on one version can break on the next with no vendor obligation to fix it.
  • Total cost of ownership is genuinely low only at scale, and a five person charity often pays more to a partner for setup and support than a hosted product would have charged outright.
  • Implementation partners hold the practical knowledge of your configuration, so switching partners can be as disruptive as switching products despite the software being free.

Trello for Nonprofits

  • Free plan limited to 10 collaborators per Workspace, which restricts larger team usage
  • Pricing shown is per-user monthly subscription; total cost grows with team size

Pricing, plan by plan

CiviCRM

Free
  • CiviCRMFree
    • No licence fee, no per contact charge and no percentage of donations
    • Costs are hosting, implementation partner time and upgrade work
    • Paid hosting and support available from partners at their own rates

Trello for Nonprofits

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10 collaborators per Workspace
    • Unlimited cards
    • Up to 10 boards
  • Standard$5/month
    • Annual billing; $6 USD per user per month with monthly billing
    • AI features
    • Unlimited boards
  • Premium$10/month
    • Annual billing; $12.50 USD per user per month with monthly billing
    • Multiple views (Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, Map)
    • Unlimited command runs
  • Enterprise$17.5/month
    • Billed annually at $210 per user per year
    • Unlimited Workspaces
    • Organization-wide permissions

Which should you pick?

Choose CiviCRM if

  • You need contribution and pledge tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Self-hosted.
  • You also want membership management.
CiviCRM review

Choose Trello for Nonprofits if

  • You need kanban boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want card management.
Trello for Nonprofits review

Questions people ask

Is CiviCRM or Trello for Nonprofits better?
Neither clearly leads. CiviCRM starts at Free and Trello for Nonprofits at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CiviCRM or Trello for Nonprofits?
CiviCRM starts at Free and Trello for Nonprofits at Free.
Does CiviCRM or Trello for Nonprofits run on more platforms?
CiviCRM runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted. Trello for Nonprofits runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use CiviCRM for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CiviCRM best used for?
CiviCRM is most often used for a membership organisation with a large contact file that refuses to pay a per contact meter, an advocacy group needing to hold constituent data on infrastructure it controls, a charity already running drupal or wordpress that wants crm inside the same stack, an organisation with unusual data requirements that no hosted product will build for it. Of those, a membership organisation with a large contact file that refuses to pay a per contact meter and an advocacy group needing to hold constituent data on infrastructure it controls are not what Trello for Nonprofits is typically brought in for.
What can CiviCRM do that Trello for Nonprofits cannot?
CiviCRM covers Contribution and pledge tracking, Membership management, Events and registration, Case management. Trello for Nonprofits covers Kanban boards, Card management, Team collaboration, Integrations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CiviCRM: Is CiviCRM really free?

The software is, with no licence, per contact or per donation charge. Hosting, implementation and support are real costs and are where the budget goes.

Trello for Nonprofits: How much does Trello Standard plan cost?

Trello Standard costs $5 USD per user per month with annual billing, or $6 USD per user per month with monthly billing. Standard includes AI features, unlimited boards, custom fields, card mirroring, and 1,000 workspace command runs monthly.

Source
CiviCRM: Do we need a developer?

You need technical capacity, either in house or a retained partner. Treating it as a hosted product without support is the common failure mode.

Trello for Nonprofits: What is the difference between Trello Premium and Enterprise plans?

Premium ($10 per user per month annually, $12.50 monthly) includes multiple views, unlimited command runs, and admin controls. Enterprise ($17.50 per user per month or $210 annually) adds unlimited Workspaces, organization-wide permissions, multi-board guests, Atlassian Guard Standard, and 24/7 Enterprise Admin support.

Source
CiviCRM: Where does it win against commercial CRMs?

At scale. A large contact file or high donation volume that would cost tens of thousands a year in metered fees costs nothing in licence here.

Trello for Nonprofits: What is included in Trello Free plan?

Trello Free includes unlimited cards, up to 10 boards, up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, Inbox, unlimited Power-Ups, assignees, due dates, mobile apps, and two-factor authentication. No payment required.

Source
CiviCRM: Can it be hosted for us?

Yes, several partners offer managed CiviCRM hosting, which removes the upgrade burden and reintroduces a monthly fee.

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