Trello works as a lightweight CRM because a sales pipeline is a row of columns and a card for each prospect. Its price is low and the setup is simple. The question for a service business is what happens when a card turns into a signed job: the proposal, the deposit, the invoice and the client’s view of progress. This guide prices Trello’s plans, shows what a board pipeline does well, and marks the point where client work needs something else. Prices are US dollars from each vendor’s page, read November 2, 2026, and exclude promotions. Before you start any trial, print our free trial checklist.
How we compared
We read Trello’s pricing page and Atlassian’s support page on automation quotas on November 2, 2026, and recorded the billing period, whether a price is per user, and the features each plan lists. We read Workspace369’s plan data the same day. Every claim comes from those vendor pages and plan data; we did not test the products hands-on. Where a page does not state a feature, we say “not stated on the page, November 2, 2026” and do not treat it as missing. Promotions are excluded, and Trello’s Enterprise tier is left out because this guide is about small teams.
What Trello costs
Trello prices per user, with a free plan below the paid ones (pricing page, read November 2, 2026):
| Plan | Per month, billed monthly | Per month, billed yearly | Total for a year, billed yearly | What the page lists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free, per Workspace | $0 | $0 | $0 | Up to 10 collaborators, up to 10 boards, 250 command runs a month |
| Standard, per user | $6 | $5 | $60 | Unlimited boards, Custom Fields, advanced checklists, card mirroring, 1,000 command runs a month, single-board guests |
| Premium, per user | $12.50 | $10 | $120 | Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views, unlimited command runs |
Two details can change the bill. Standard lists single board guests, and multi-board guests are listed under Enterprise; the page text we read does not state how guests are billed, November 2, 2026. And the page notes that some partner Power-Ups require an additional subscription fee, so the integrations you want can add to the monthly total. Premium also lists admin and security features, workspace-level templates and simple data export, and its card says “Best for teams up to 100”.
What a board CRM does well
A Trello CRM is a board with columns such as New lead, Discovery call, Proposal sent, Won and Lost. Each prospect is a card holding notes, a due date for the next follow-up, an assignee and a checklist. Custom Fields on Standard let you add a deal value or a lead source to each card, and card mirroring lets the same card appear on a second board, for example a delivery board once a deal is won.
Three things make this attractive. The view is visual, so a stuck pipeline is easy to spot. The setup is simple, and the free plan covers up to 10 collaborators, so a very small team can start without paying. For a copywriter keeping track of fifteen prospects, a card per prospect can be all the structure needed.
Where Trello’s limits show for client work
Proposals, invoices and payments are not stated on Trello’s pricing page, November 2, 2026, and the plan lists we read were not exhaustive, so check the plan you want before assuming either way. The work after “Won” is where a service business spends its time: a priced proposal, a signed agreement, a deposit, time against the job, an invoice and a place where the client can see the status. Ask which of those your board will handle and which will sit in other apps.
Automation is the limit to plan for. The pricing page caps it with command runs: 250 a month on Free and 1,000 on Standard, shown as unlimited on Premium. Atlassian’s support page on automation quotas lists runs, operations and emails per month, and says paid plans have larger quotas. A board with a dozen automated follow-ups can use runs quickly, so count your rules before you rely on the Free plan. Free is also capped at 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace.
What three people pay
Prices for a three-person team, shown as the arithmetic on Trello’s per-user prices and Workspace369’s plan data (read November 2, 2026):
| Option | Per month, billed monthly | Per month, billed yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Trello Standard, 3 users | 3 x $6 | 3 x $5 |
| Trello Premium, 3 users | 3 x $12.50 | 3 x $10 |
| Workspace369 Voyager (2 seats), plus extra seats | $74, plus $10 a month per extra seat | $59.25, plus an extra seat whose yearly price is not confirmed |
Trello is far cheaper: Standard is $5 per user a month billed yearly, against $59.25 a month for 2 seats on Voyager. The Workspace369 row includes client records, proposals, contracts, invoices and a portal, not a board alone. We list no billed-yearly figure for the extra seat because we did not confirm it, so check the yearly price of the third seat at checkout.
Workspace369 for the same job
Workspace369 puts the same kanban board next to the rest of the job. On every plan, kanban boards and task lists, client records, proposals with a deposit on acceptance, contracts clients sign online, invoices, payment links, tracked time that converts to an invoice line, and a private client portal show projects, comments and invoices to view and pay. Cadet is $29 a month billed monthly ($23.25 billed yearly, $278.99 a year) for one seat, with up to 3 email workflows. Voyager is $74 a month billed monthly ($59.25 billed yearly) for 2 seats. Online booking starts on Specialist, $149 a month billed monthly for 10 seats, not on Cadet or Voyager. The 14-day free trial requires a card. See the Workspace369 vs Trello page, the client management solutions page and the pricing page.
Who should pick which
Take a solo brand consultant with eight open prospects, who sends one proposal a month and invoices from a separate app. Trello Free costs nothing, and a board gives her the pipeline view she wants. Switching would add cost without removing a step she feels, so she should stay.
Now take a three-person bookkeeping practice that signs ten new retainers a month. Each one needs a proposal, a signed agreement, a first invoice and a place for documents. On Trello Standard the three of them pay $5 each a month billed yearly, plus whatever apps they use for the proposal and the invoice. On Workspace369 they pay Voyager’s $74 a month billed monthly for 2 seats, plus $10 a month for the third seat, and the cards, the agreement and the invoice share one client record. If they already own tools for the other steps and are happy, Trello still works.
Trello is also stronger on views and flexibility. Premium lists Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard and Map views, and the Power-Up catalog is broad. If your process is unusual, a free-form board bends to it more easily than a fixed client record.
Before you switch
- Count your command runs. List every automated rule and estimate its monthly triggers against the 250 or 1,000 listed.
- Count your guests. Standard lists single board guests; check how a client on several boards is billed before you invite them.
- Price the whole chain. Add the apps you use for proposals, signatures and invoices to Trello’s price before comparing.
- Run one real client through a trial, from lead card to paid invoice, and see how many times you retype the client’s details.
Next step: draw your pipeline on paper
Write down every step from first message to final payment, and mark which ones live in Trello today. If more than two steps live elsewhere, price a client-work platform against that stack using the Workspace369 pricing page. For help choosing, read how to choose a CRM for a small business.
To run this on one real client, start the Workspace369 14-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Is Trello a CRM?
Trello is a kanban board you can set up as a pipeline. Proposals and invoices are not stated on its pricing page, November 2, 2026, so check the plan you want.
Is the Trello free plan enough as a CRM?
For a handful of prospects, yes. Free lists up to 10 collaborators, 10 boards and 250 command runs a month (read November 2, 2026). Check the run cap if you automate follow-ups.
How much does Trello cost for a team of three?
Standard is 3 x $5 per user a month billed yearly, or 3 x $6 billed monthly; Premium is 3 x $10 billed yearly, or 3 x $12.50 billed monthly (read November 2, 2026).
Can Trello send invoices or take payments?
Invoices and payments are not stated on Trello’s pricing page, November 2, 2026. The page says some partner Power-Ups require an additional subscription fee, so check the one you want.
What does Workspace369 cost compared with Trello?
Cadet is $29 a month billed monthly for one seat; three people need Voyager, $74 a month billed monthly for 2 seats, plus $10 a month per extra seat (read November 2, 2026). Trello Standard is $6 per user a month billed monthly.
Does Workspace369 have kanban boards?
Yes. Kanban boards and task lists are on every plan, with client records, proposals, invoices and a client portal. No plan has a project cap (Workspace369 plan data, read November 2, 2026).
