Trello vs Wrike
Trello is simple, visual Kanban board for organizing tasks and projects, while Wrike is enterprise work management with Gantt charts, resource management, and proofing tools. The biggest difference up front: Wrike is free, while Trello starts at $5/user/mo. Trello is built for small teams and individuals who want simple visual task management, whereas Wrike targets professional services teams needing resource management.
At a glance
|
Trello
|
Wrike
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small teams and individuals who want simple visual task management | Professional services teams needing resource management |
| Starting price | $5/user/mo | Free |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | — | — |
| Automations | ✓ | — |
| Checklists | ✓ | — |
| Custom Workflows | — | ✓ |
| Gantt Charts | — | ✓ |
| Kanban Boards | ✓ | — |
| Power-Ups | ✓ | — |
| Proofing | — | ✓ |
| Resource Management | — | ✓ |
| 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)
Wrike
Strengths
- Gantt charts visualize project timelines with task dependencies at a glance
- Includes Resource Management as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
- Free for basic use — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
- Established product with 20+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem
Weaknesses
- Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
- Enterprise-focused design means the interface can feel heavy for smaller teams
- Migrating existing projects from another tool can be time-consuming
- Overkill for freelancers or small teams who need something lightweight
The bottom line
Pricing: Wrike is completely free (Free for basic use), 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 Wrike lacks. Wrike brings Custom Workflows, Gantt Charts and Proofing that Trello does not have.
Team fit: Trello is geared toward small teams teams, while Wrike is aimed at enterprise teams. 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. Wrike's biggest strengths are: gantt charts visualize project timelines with task dependencies at a glance. includes resource management as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows.
Watch out for: With Trello, users commonly note that too simple for complex projects. With Wrike, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.
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 Wrike if...
- You need a tool built for professional services teams needing resource management
- Budget is a hard constraint — Wrike is free, Trello is not
- You specifically need Custom Workflows and Gantt Charts
- You care about includes resource management as a core feature, purpose-built for project management workflows
- Your team size fits the enterprise profile Wrike is designed for
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