Notion vs. Trello: Which one you should choose? (2023)

Trello wins on day-to-day simplicity: boards feel like a physical workflow where lists and cards move by drag-and-drop, and key task features—like checklists, labels, and one-click automations—are built in and easy to repeat across items. Notion, by contrast, offers more flexible “data” building blocks, but many of the same project-management behaviors require extra setup, such as manual sorting controls, database templates, and formulas to recreate progress tracking.

On the Trello side, the interface starts with lists and cards that can be rearranged instantly, including adding new lists on the fly. Moving a task from “doing” to “done” is as straightforward as dragging a card between lists, and even the lists themselves can be reordered. Trello also makes automation feel lightweight: each card can host buttons that trigger actions like moving another card to a target list. The transcript highlights that these buttons can be created so they appear across cards without rebuilding the setup each time.

Trello’s checklist system is another standout. Checklists are native to cards, support multiple items, and can include due dates and assignees per checklist item. Completing items updates directly on the card, giving a clear progress signal without extra modeling.

Notion’s strengths start where Trello is more constrained: properties and database views. Notion lets each card (page) carry many different property types—multi-select, status, date, people, and more—without the same kind of rigid limits. It also supports calculations, such as combining number fields, and offers flexible database layouts that aren’t framed as a paywalled add-on in the same way. Database views can be rearranged and displayed in multiple formats, and Notion is positioned as a place to store structured project data while also writing content.

That content angle becomes a practical differentiator. In Notion, each card can function as a writing workspace—enough to draft a full blog post inside the same system used for task tracking. The transcript also points to Notion AI as an in-card assistant for generating outlines or drafting text, which is presented as a benefit when the project involves both planning and writing.

Still, recreating Trello-like behaviors in Notion takes more work. The transcript notes that Notion’s grouping/sorting behavior requires digging into layout settings and switching to manual sort. It also says button automation is more limited: buttons may need to be added via database templates so they appear consistently across pages, rather than being created once and reused everywhere. Checklists require a more complex database relationship and a formula to produce a progress-style view, and multi-checklist setups aren’t as straightforward unless the data is organized by task types.

Pricing enters as a final tie-breaker. Trello’s workspace views require a paid tier at $10, while Notion’s Plus plan is $8 per user per month. The transcript suggests Notion may be more economical if multiple database views are needed, while Trello may be the better fit for teams prioritizing an intuitive, checklist-and-automation-first workflow.