Trello vs Basecamp

Trello and Basecamp are both project management options. Trello lists 6 features across 5 platforms; Basecamp lists 8 features across 5 platforms — see the full breakdown below, sourced from each vendor's own site rather than ratings or reviews.

Side-by-side summary

ComparingTrelloBasecamp
CategoryProject ManagementProject Management
Alternatives tracked44
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, WindowsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Pricing modelFree + paid plansFree + paid plans

Best for Trello

Positioned for individuals and small teams first, scaling up to teams of around 100 and enterprise use cases.

Best for Basecamp

Teams, companies, and nonprofits who want centralized project coordination instead of scattered email, chat apps, and browser tabs.

Feature comparison

Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.

Trello

  • Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking
  • Automation for repetitive tasks
  • Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board
  • Templates from teams and industry playbooks
  • Due dates, checklists, and file attachments
  • Inbox and calendar-based Planner view

Basecamp

  • Message boards for team-wide discussions
  • To-do lists with assignments and due dates
  • Card table for Kanban-style workflow tracking
  • Hill charts for visualizing project progress
  • Campfire group chat for real-time messaging
  • Document and file storage
  • Team schedule and calendar
  • Automatic check-in questions for async updates

Pros and cons

Trello

Pros
  • Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking
  • Automation for repetitive tasks
  • Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board
  • Templates from teams and industry playbooks
  • Due dates, checklists, and file attachments
  • Inbox and calendar-based Planner view
Cons
  • The Free plan is capped at 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace; teams that exceed either limit need a paid plan.
  • Calendar, Timeline, Table, Dashboard, and Map views are reserved for Premium rather than Standard or Free.

Basecamp

Pros
  • Message boards for team-wide discussions
  • To-do lists with assignments and due dates
  • Card table for Kanban-style workflow tracking
  • Hill charts for visualizing project progress
  • Campfire group chat for real-time messaging
  • Document and file storage
  • Team schedule and calendar
  • Automatic check-in questions for async updates
Cons
  • The Free plan is limited to one project, 1 GB of storage, and 5 users.
  • Freelancer, Studio, and Pro cap active projects at 3, 10, and 25 respectively; unlimited projects require the much higher-priced Unlimited plan.

Key differences

  • Trello lists Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking, Automation for repetitive tasks, Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board, Templates from teams and industry playbooks, Due dates, checklists, and file attachments, Inbox and calendar-based Planner view that Basecamp doesn't list.
  • Basecamp lists Message boards for team-wide discussions, To-do lists with assignments and due dates, Card table for Kanban-style workflow tracking, Hill charts for visualizing project progress, Campfire group chat for real-time messaging, Document and file storage, Team schedule and calendar, Automatic check-in questions for async updates that Trello doesn't list.

Choose Trello if…

Choose Trello if this fits: Positioned for individuals and small teams first, scaling up to teams of around 100 and enterprise use cases. Compared with Basecamp specifically, Trello also offers Boards, lists, and cards for Kanban-style tracking, Automation for repetitive tasks, Power-Ups that connect other tools into a board, and 3 more features that Basecamp doesn't list.

Choose Basecamp if…

Choose Basecamp if this fits: Teams, companies, and nonprofits who want centralized project coordination instead of scattered email, chat apps, and browser tabs. Compared with Trello specifically, Basecamp also offers Message boards for team-wide discussions, To-do lists with assignments and due dates, Card table for Kanban-style workflow tracking, and 5 more features that Trello doesn't list.

Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.

Keep exploring

Related software

Keep exploring

Related comparisons

Still not sure which one fits?

Answer a few questions and get a deterministic, explained match instead of comparing tool by tool.

Find my software

Comparing something else?

Search any software by name to see its alternatives.