What is Trello, and why should you consider using it? Is Trello free? Are you looking for a project management tool that is user-friendly and affordable? Trello could be all you need.

As businesses embrace technology and the work from home change brought about by the pandemic, you need a collaboration tool to help you manage your team and organize your projects.

So what is Trello? How do you use it? Let’s find out more.

What is Trello App

Trello is one of the popular project management tools. Besides, you can use it as a scheduling tool. It helps you to organize your work and collaborate with your team.

Trello project management tool is a simple tool to use for beginners. The app is user-friendly and free to use. If you have a business idea, for instance, you can list your objectives on Trello. It comes with multiple features and a budget-friendly pricing plan.

What are the Features of the Trello App?

Trello comes with a variety of features. It has a board, labels, and Kanban system similar to Jira. Trello features help you plan, manage and organize your work in an organized manner.

The main features to look out for on Trello are:

1. Board

A board in Trello is like a workspace that keeps you organized and helps track your projects. A Trello board has a series of lists with cards attached.

For example, you can have a board with a to-do list, ongoing tasks, important and complete tasks. Trello boards make it easy to customize and organize your work as you collaborate with your team. With a board, you can track your project from the beginning to the final step.

2. Trello cards

Cards in Trello represent tasks. Besides, you can use them to list the ideas you have or are looking to achieve. The cards are within the Trello lists.

For example, if you’re managing social marketing tasks for company A, you can have a card with scheduling posts, another one for ads, and another card with image sources.

Trello cards have a title, description, and an attachment. With the drag and drop feature, you can move a card from one list to another.

3. Lists

You can drag and drop a list to rearrange it on a board. The advantage of using a list in Trello is to keep you organized.

For instance, if you have a big project, you can split it into various steps. Then, you can have the different stages on each list. Trello does not limit users to a specific number of lists on a board.

4. Power-ups

Another interesting feature you will notice with Trello is power-ups. A power-up allows you to integrate your boards with other tools and softwares.

Power-ups has three main categories. You can select an integration from viewed, enabled, and made by Trello. Here’s how you can access power-ups.

From the Trello board, click on a card to open the advanced settings;
Click on the ‘+’ icon to add the various integrations;
Select your preferred integration for your workspace.

Examples of integrations to add are Slack, Email for Trello, Add image, Gmail, Dashio, and more.

5. Butler

To use the Butler feature on Trello, you do not need to have coding skills. Butler allows automation to your work preference. To use the feature, click on the automation tool on your dashboard.

Butler presents you with three options – rules, buttons, and email reports. Let’s have an overview of each:

1. Rules

Rules trigger a specific action. For instance, if you’re using a to-do list, it automates the steps checklist. As the Trello admin, you’re responsible for creating the rules. The triggers are simple to generate.

2. Card buttons

You can have custom buttons like complete on your cards. Click on the create button, then select an option that works for you. Select the add action to get started.

3. Board button

A board button appears on your board. Click on the create button to generate buttons for your board. For instance, you can have Prioritize as your button.

4. Calendar

Trello also tops as a scheduling tool. To manage a project using online tools, you need to have timelines. And that’s where a calendar comes in. Click on create command and set a calendar trigger that works for you.

5. Due date

Working with a team can sometimes be tiring. The due date Butler feature allows you to create commands based on a card’s timeline. That way, you can hardly forget about a due date for a project.

How to Use Trello

Before we get started on how to use Trello, let’s have a recap of what is Trello. The collaboration tool helps in managing your workspace and working as a team.

With the social distancing and working from home, Trello is a suitable option for collaborating with your team, scheduling work, and managing tasks. One major thing you will notice with Trello is that it is simple to use.

But, how do you go about the software as a beginner? Let’s find out more below!

Open Trello.com on your browser.
After logging in, click on the create button. You can select a personal board or a workspace. Besides, Trello comes with built-in templates instead of starting a project board from scratch;
Give your card a name and select a background color. If you’re working with a team, add your members and assign them access rights;
Your board will appear on the Trello workspace. In case of any changes, you’re free to effect them from your workspace;
From the Trello board, you can now proceed to create a list and add appropriate cards;
Organize the Trello card and manage your projects from here.

However, if you do not have a team already, you can add members later. We’ll take you through on how to go about it.

When you’re working with a team, you will have to add members to your workspace. Trello makes it easy for you to add users. Here’s how you can add users to your workspace,

From the Trello board, click on the invite button to share an invite link;
You can also click on the members option on the left-hand menu tab to add multiple members. Paste the team members email, then click on invite to workspace.

How to Create a List in Trello

Creating a list on the collaboration tool is easy. To organize your work and manage projects, you will need a list or several lists. Well, that will depend on your project size.

From the Trello board, click on add a list. Give a title to your list. You’re free to have as many lists as you need.

How to Create a Card

After you have successfully created a list, now it’s time to create a card. On the list that you created, click on add a card. Trello allows you to have multiple cards.

There’s so much you can do with a single card. You can write a description and activity. In addition, you’re free to add a checklist, label, attachment, and cover.

A card has different actions. These are move, copy, make a template, share, archive, and watch. For example, if you want to assign members a to-do card, you only need to click on share to collaborate with your team.

Click on the pencil icon on the card or inside the card name for the advanced checklist.

What is Trello Pricing?

Similar to Jira, Trello has a free and premium pricing plan. The premium plan allows members to use it for 14 days for free. So, what is Trello pricing?

If you’re working on a budget, there’s no need for you to break the banks for a premium account. Select the free plan and make use of the available features.

An advantage of using Trello is that the pricing plans are budget-friendly. Here’s an overview of what is Trello price plan:

1. Free	With this plan, you create a maximum of 10 boards. It allows custom background, unlimited cards, and storage of 10MB per file.
2. Standard	It features an advanced checklist, 1000 workspace commands, and unlimited storage of 250MB per file.
3. Premium	It allows a team of up to 100 users. New features for the Premium plan are dashboard view, timeline view, calendar view, and workspace table view.
4. Enterprise plan	It allows permissions for the organization, multiple guests for the boards, attachment permissions, and visible boards.

Trello’s pricing plan is affordable. Whether you’re an individual or a team, you can choose a price plan within your budget.

Pros and Cons of Using Trello As A Project Management Tool

There are multiple project management tools that you can use, like Trello, Asana, Jira, and Monday.com. The softwares makes it easy for you to manage and organize your work without too much stress.

With the current working changes brought about by the pandemic, it can really be daunting managing a team. Our guide cannot be complete without the benefits of using Trello as your collaboration tool.

The top benefits and drawbacks of using Trello are:

Pros

It is an easy-to-use tool, Trello is a simple tool to use for anyone, including beginners. You do not need prior skills to get started as it does not require you to have technical skills.
Trello is a versatile tool – whether you’re a small team or a big team, Trello is suitable for you. You can add multiple members at once and share access rights with your team.
It is budget-friendly – What is Trello? It is the collaboration tool that saves you money when you need to manage your projects online. It has different pricing plans, ranging from 5 USD to 17.50 USD. You can compare the prices and proceed with a plan that works best for you.
It allows automation – with Trello, you do not have to do everything manually. You can create custom buttons that trigger activities with the Butler feature. Automation saves you time and makes it easy to carry out projects.
Trello allows integration with other softwares – with Trello, you’re free to integrate it with other tools. With the power-ups feature, you can select an integration for your project.
Multiple features to use – Trello is a popular projects management tool. It has multiple features, making it simple to use. Such features are calendars, Power-ups, boards, Lists, and cards.
Trello has a mobile app – Trello does not limit you to using the app on your desktop devices only. You’re free to download the mobile app to use the app from your mobile device.
Trello gives you value for your money – the pricing plans have varying features. Even with the free plan, it has multiple features that make it easy to manage your project and collaborate with your teams.

Cons

It does not have a reporting tool – with Trello, you cannot track the performance of your team or get insights.
It is not suitable for complex projects – Trello has multiple features that make it a preferred choice for most people. However, if you’re working on a complex project, you may consider using a different tool.

What Is Trello Used For?

Trello is used for project management. It keeps your work organized and easy to manage. From the lists and cards, you can monitor the various work processes.

Final Verdict

And there you have it! By now, you already know what is Trello and how to go about using the tool. If you need a budget-friendly and easy-to-use project management tool, you may consider using Trello.

You can download the mobile app to work on a project from your mobile device. So, will you be using Trello to manage your projects and monitor workflow?

What Is Trello And How To Use It [Beginner’s Guide]