Trello vs TickTick
Trello is simple, visual Kanban board for organizing tasks and projects, while TickTick is task manager with built-in calendar, habit tracker, Pomodoro timer, and Kanban boards. The biggest difference up front: TickTick is free, while Trello starts at $5/user/mo. Trello is built for small teams and individuals who want simple visual task management, whereas TickTick targets productivity enthusiasts wanting tasks + habits + calendar.
At a glance
|
Trello
|
TickTick
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small teams and individuals who want simple visual task management | Productivity enthusiasts wanting tasks + habits + calendar |
| Starting price | $5/user/mo | Free |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Automations | ✓ | — |
| Calendar View | — | ✓ |
| Checklists | ✓ | — |
| Habits | — | ✓ |
| Kanban | — | ✓ |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | — |
| Pomodoro | — | ✓ |
| Power-Ups | ✓ | — |
| Templates | ✓ | — |
Trello
Strengths
- Dead simple to use — minimal learning curve
- Visual Kanban boards are intuitive
- Generous free tier
- Power-Ups add functionality when needed
Weaknesses
- Too simple for complex projects
- Limited reporting and analytics
- Boards don't scale well past ~50 cards
- Fewer views than competitors (mainly boards)
TickTick
Strengths
- Built-in calendar view shows tasks alongside your schedule for easier planning
- Habit tracking is built in — no need for a separate app to track daily routines
- Free with limits — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
- Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem
Weaknesses
- Free plan has meaningful restrictions: free with limits
- Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
- Migrating existing projects from another tool can be time-consuming
- Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up
The bottom line
Pricing: TickTick is completely free (Free with limits), which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Trello starts at $5/user/mo, but Free with up to 10 boards. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.
Feature gaps: Trello offers Automations, Checklists and Kanban Boards that TickTick lacks. TickTick brings Calendar View, Habits and Kanban that Trello does not have.
Team fit: Trello is geared toward small teams teams, while TickTick is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.
Where each tool shines: Trello's biggest strengths are: dead simple to use — minimal learning curve. visual kanban boards are intuitive. TickTick's biggest strengths are: built-in calendar view shows tasks alongside your schedule for easier planning. habit tracking is built in — no need for a separate app to track daily routines.
Watch out for: With Trello, users commonly note that too simple for complex projects. With TickTick, the main complaint is that free plan has meaningful restrictions: free with limits.
Choose Trello if...
- You need a tool built for small teams and individuals who want simple visual task management
- You specifically need Automations and Checklists
- You care about visual kanban boards are intuitive
- Your team size fits the small teams profile Trello is designed for
- The free tier works for you: free with up to 10 boards
Choose TickTick if...
- You need a tool built for productivity enthusiasts wanting tasks + habits + calendar
- Budget is a hard constraint — TickTick is free, Trello is not
- You specifically need Calendar View and Habits
- You care about habit tracking is built in — no need for a separate app to track daily routines
- Your team size fits the individuals profile TickTick is designed for
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