Choosing between Pipedrive vs Trello? While both tools share some visual similarities in their Kanban-style interfaces, they serve fundamentally different purposes. Pipedrive excels as a dedicated sales CRM, while Trello shines in project management. Let's explore how these tools compare across features, pricing, and use cases to help you make the right choice for your business.
Core differences between Pipedrive and Trello
The main differences between these platforms lies in their primary focus. Pipedrive is built specifically for sales teams, offering robust CRM capabilities to manage customer relationships and track deals. Trello, on the other hand, is designed as a versatile project management tool that helps teams organize tasks and collaborate effectively.
Pipedrive Vs Trello: Core differences
The primary purpose is different
Pipedrive and Trello have clearly different angles on business management. Pipedrive's core mission centers on sales excellence, providing tools specifically designed to support the entire sales cycle. At its heart, Pipedrive, with its CRM database and pipeline, helps teams manage their sales pipeline efficiently, tracking leads and contacts throughout their journey. The platform ensures smooth deal progression while offering precise revenue forecasting capabilities. Every feature in Pipedrive serves to strengthen customer relationships, making it a comprehensive solution for sales-focused organizations.
👉 Read more:
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Trello, however, is a broader tool, more focused on project management, offering intuitive tools that help teams stay organized regardless of their industry or focus. The platform is great at breaking down complex workflows into manageable tasks, fostering team collaboration through its very visual interface. One of its great benefits is its flexibility – while it can handle specific business processes, its real strength lies in general productivity enhancement, adapting to virtually any workflow or organizational need.
Target users are also different
Naturally, the user base for each platform reflects their distinct purposes.
Pipedrive primarily serves professionals directly involved in sales and customer relationship management.
- Sales teams form the core of Pipedrive's user community, with business development representatives relying on it daily to track and nurture leads.
- Account managers and sales managers particularly appreciate its detailed reporting and forecasting capabilities.
- Customer success teams also find value in Pipedrive's ability to maintain comprehensive records of client interactions and relationship histories.
Trello, on the other hand, attracts a more diverse group of users. The platform's versatility makes it suitable for any team that needs a clear, organized view of task management, regardless of their industry or specialty.
- Project managers often choose it for its intuitive interface and adaptable framework
- Marketing teams appreciate its visuals, particularly in campaign planning
- Product teams use Trello to track development cycles and feature releases
- Small business owners find it invaluable for keeping their various business operations organized.
- Freelancers particularly benefit from Trello's flexibility in managing multiple clients and projects.
Pipedrive Vs Trello: Feature comparison
Let's examine how these tools compare across key functionality areas, focusing first on their sales capabilities – an area where the differences between these tools become particularly apparent.
Sales capabilities: Pipedrive wins
Pipedrive stands out with its comprehensive suite of sales-focused features, designed specifically for sales teams who need detailed tracking and management tools. The platform builds upon a foundation of visual pipeline management, layering in sophisticated tools for contact management, lead qualification, and revenue forecasting. Its mobile app ensures sales teams stay connected and productive even when working remotely, while automated workflows help reduce manual tasks and keep deals moving forward efficiently.
Some key features in Pipedrive's sales toolkit:
- Visual sales pipeline with customizable stages for different sales processes
- Comprehensive contact and deal management with detailed history tracking
- Email integration and tracking to monitor client communications
- Advanced sales forecasting and reporting for better decision making
- Lead qualification tools to help prioritize opportunities
- Automated sales workflows to reduce manual tasks
- Integrated meeting scheduling to streamline client interactions
- Mobile app optimized for sales professionals on the go
While Trello wasn't built specifically for sales, it can be adapted for basic sales tracking and management. The platform offers enough flexibility to create simple sales workflows, though without the depth of dedicated CRM features. Teams using Trello for sales typically appreciate its visual nature and ease of use, even if they sometimes need to supplement it with additional tools for more complex sales processes.
So here’s a few examples of what you can expect from Trelllo:
- Customizable board templates that can be adapted for sales tracking
- Simple pipeline visualization through list and card organization
- Task assignments and due dates to manage sales activities
- File attachment capabilities for storing deal-related documents
- Basic contact information storage through card creation and custom fields
👉 The contrast between these platforms becomes clear when examining their sales features. Pipedrive offers a purpose-built sales environment, while Trello provides a more general framework that can be adapted to basic sales needs. This difference is crucial for teams deciding between the two, especially if sales management is a primary concern.
Project management: That's Trello's thing
When it comes to project organization and task tracking, these platforms take different paths.
Trello has built its reputation on exceptional project management capabilities, making it a go-to choice for teams needing flexible, visual project organization. Its intuitive interface allows for quick adoption, while its depth of features supports complex project workflows and team collaboration. Trello's project management arsenal includes:
- Flexible Kanban boards that adapt to any project methodology
- Multiple view options including Calendar, Timeline, and Map views
- Customizable fields and labels for detailed project tracking
- Advanced checklists with subtasks and progress tracking
- Comprehensive due date and reminder systems
- Robust file attachment capabilities for project documentation
- Built-in team collaboration tools for seamless communication
- Full-featured mobile apps for both iOS and Android
Pipedrive, through its Projects add-on, also touches project management. While not as extensive as Trello's offerings, it provides essential project tracking features that integrate seamlessly with its CRM functionality. This integration is particularly valuable for teams managing client-based projects or working closely with sales teams. Pipedrive's project management capabilities include:
- Basic task management aligned with sales processes
- Project timeline tracking for monitoring progress
- Team collaboration tools for internal communication
- Integrated file sharing within the CRM environment
- Detailed activity logging for project tracking
- Essential customization options for project workflows (like custom fields or custom web forms)
Automation: Each has their own capabilities
Automation has become crucial for modern business tools, and both tool offer significant capabilities in this area, though they serve different purposes. Pipedrive focuses its automation features on streamlining sales processes and customer interactions, while Trello's automation aims to simplify project and task management workflows.
Pipedrive's automation suite delivers:
- Comprehensive workflow automation for sales processes
- Sophisticated email automation sequences
- Intelligent lead assignment rules
- Automated deal stage progression based on actions
- Smart task creation and assignment
- Customizable follow-up reminders
- Complex workflow triggers for specific scenarios
Trello's automation engine, powered by Butler, will give you:
- Intelligent card movement automation
- Dynamic due date management
- Automated label and member assignments
- One-click buttons for common actions
- Rule-based workflow automation
- Seamless calendar synchronization
- Customizable notification rules
Integrations: Different purposes, different connections
The ability to integrate with other tools is crucial. Both platforms recognize this need, but in different ways. Pipedrive focuses on integrations that enhance its CRM capabilities and sales processes, while Trello offers a wider range of general productivity integrations through its Power-Ups system.
Pipedrive connects with tools like:
- Major email tools including Gmail and Outlook
- Popular calendar tools for scheduling
- Video conferencing solutions like Zoom and Teams
- Leading marketing automation
- Document management systems
- Various payment processors
- Key social media platforms
- Developer access through custom API
Trello's Power-Ups marketplace provides integrations with:
- Popular project management tools
- Specialized time tracking applications
- Cloud-based file storage services
- Team communication platforms
- Multiple calendar applications
- Software development tools
- Custom widget capabilities
- Third-party automation services
The integration capabilities reflect their core purposes – Pipedrive emphasizing sales and customer relationship tools, while Trello focuses on broader productivity and project management connections. This difference in focus helps teams choose the platform that better aligns with their existing technology stack and primary needs.
User experience and interface review
Both Pipedrive and Trello have distinctive to user interface design, each reflecting their primary purpose and target users. Let's explore how these platforms handle navigation, layout, and customization options.
Pipedrive interface is focused on sales
Pipedrive's interface prioritizes sales efficiency with a professional, business-focused design. The moment you log in, you're greeted by a clean, organized dashboard that puts sales data front and center. The main pipeline view presents deals in a visual format that makes it easy to track progress and spot bottlenecks at a glance.
Navigation feels intuitive, with a logical hierarchy that helps sales teams quickly access the information they need. The main menu provides quick access to deals, contacts, activities, and reports, while the customizable dashboard lets teams monitor their most important metrics. Each section maintains consistency in design while providing depth when needed – for example, clicking into a contact reveals a comprehensive view of all interactions, deals, and activities associated with that person.
What sets Pipedrive's interface apart is its attention to sales-specific needs. The platform makes it easy to log calls, schedule follow-ups, and update deal status without getting lost in unnecessary clicks. Mobile responsiveness is particularly well-thought-out, with a mobile app that maintains full functionality while adapting to smaller screens.
Customization in Pipedrive focuses on practical business needs. Teams can modify their pipeline stages to match their sales process, create custom fields for specific data points, and configure their dashboard to display the metrics that matter most to their business. Email templates can be personalized and saved for quick access, while reporting views can be adjusted to focus on specific time periods or sales activities.
Trello interface: The card-based system
Trello has a more casual, visually engaging interface design. The platform's signature board view uses a card-based system that feels easy and immediately understandable, even for users new to project management tools. This visual simplicity masks a powerful system that can handle complex project organizations.
The platform's drag-and-drop functionality stands out as particularly intuitive – moving tasks between different stages feels natural and satisfying. Board layouts can be as simple or as complex as needed, with lists and cards that can be color-coded, labeled, and organized to match any workflow. The recent addition of multiple views, including timeline and calendar views, adds flexibility without compromising the platform's core simplicity.
Trello's way with customization stresses more on personal expression alongside functionality. Teams can choose from various board backgrounds and themes, making each project space feel unique. This might seem superficial, but it helps teams quickly identify different project spaces and adds a touch of personality to daily task management.
The mobile experience deserves special mention – Trello's mobile app maintains the desktop version's intuitive feel while optimizing for touch interfaces. Cards can be easily manipulated on smaller screens, and all core functions remain accessible without feeling cramped.
👉 What makes both platforms successful in their interface design is their understanding of their core users' needs. Pipedrive maintains professionalism and efficiency for sales teams, while Trello offers flexibility and visual appeal for project management. This reflects not just different feature sets, but different philosophies about how users should interact with their tools.
Trello vs Pipedrive: Pricing comparison
When it comes to pricing, Pipedrive and Trello are - here too - very different in their structure, which also reflects their feature sets (and eventually their target markets).
Pipedrive pricing
Pipedrive's subscription costs will basically depend on which of the five tiers you choose. But they all include a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Naturally, each tier builds progressively on the previous one - and AI capabilities are available only in the Professional plan and above. But let's have a better look at it.
1. The Essential plan (€14/seat/month) provides the fundamentals for teams just getting started with sales organization. It includes core features like lead management, pipeline visualization, and calendar management, along with seamless data import capabilities and basic activity reporting.
2. Moving up to Advanced (€39/seat/month), teams gain powerful email capabilities and automation tools. This tier adds full email sync with templates, click tracking, group emailing, and meeting scheduling features. The built-in automation builder helps streamline repetitive tasks.
3. The Professional plan (€49/seat/month), marked as "Most Popular," introduces AI-powered tools for sales and email optimization. It adds sophisticated features like contract management with e-signatures, customizable revenue forecasts, and advanced team management capabilities.
4. For larger teams, the Power plan (€64/seat/month) adds project planning and tracking, enhanced account permissions, and premium support including 24/7 live chat and phone assistance. This tier is tagged as "Best Value" for teams needing comprehensive features.
5. The Enterprise tier (€99/seat/month) delivers maximum customization and security, offering enhanced preferences, unlimited reporting, and the highest automation capabilities per seat.
👉 Read more: Pipedrive 2025 pricing guide
Trello pricing
Trello maintains a simpler pricing structure with four tiers, including a robust free plan that serves as an excellent entry point for small teams and individuals.
1. The Free plan is surprisingly capable, offering unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, and essential features like Power-Ups, mobile apps, and basic automation. It includes unlimited storage (10MB/file) and custom backgrounds, making it suitable for individuals or small teams starting with project management.
2. The Standard plan ($5/user/month) unlocks unlimited boards and advanced features like custom fields and advanced checklists. Storage increases to 250MB per file, and teams get access to saved searches and single board guests. This tier works well for small teams needing more collaborative features.
3. Premium ($10/user/month) adds comprehensive views including Calendar, Timeline, and Dashboard views. It includes unlimited automation, admin controls, and workspace-level templates. This tier also introduces Atlassian Intelligence (AI) capabilities and advanced security features.
4. The Enterprise tier ($17.50/user/month) caters to larger organizations needing enhanced security and control. It provides unlimited workspaces, organization-wide permissions, public board management, and enterprise-grade features like SSO and attachment controls.
👉 Both platforms offer annual billing discounts, though Trello's pricing remains notably lower, reflecting its focus on project management rather than comprehensive CRM functionality. While Pipedrive's higher pricing includes more specialized sales tools, Trello's value proposition lies in its simplicity and flexibility for general project management needs.
Pipedrive and Trello: Use Case Recommendations
Understanding which tool best fits your organization's needs requires careful consideration of your primary business objectives and workflow requirements. Let's explore the scenarios where each platform shines, and when using both might make sense.
When to choose Pipedrive
Pipedrive proves most valuable for organizations where sales activities drive business success. Sales-focused teams particularly benefit from its comprehensive customer tracking capabilities and detailed sales reporting features. Companies managing complex sales processes find Pipedrive's forecasting tools and CRM automation invaluable for maintaining organized, efficient sales operations.
The platform particularly excels in environments where teams need to monitor customer interactions closely and predict future revenue accurately. Organizations with multiple sales stages or lengthy sales cycles appreciate Pipedrive's ability to track and automate various aspects of the sales process while maintaining clear visibility into the pipeline.
When to choose Trello
Trello finds its sweet spot in organizations needing flexible project management and task organization. Project-based teams appreciate its intuitive interface and visual approach to workflow management. Small teams and startups often gravitate toward Trello for its ability to adapt to various work styles while maintaining simplicity.
The platform particularly shines in environments requiring cross-functional collaboration. Whether it's marketing teams planning campaigns, development teams tracking sprints, or small businesses managing daily operations, Trello's visual project planning capabilities support diverse organizational needs without overwhelming users with complexity.
Using both platforms together
Some organizations find value in implementing both tools, each serving its specialized purpose. For instance, sales teams might use Pipedrive for customer relationship management while relying on Trello for internal project organization. This dual approach works especially well for companies with distinct sales and operational departments, each requiring specialized tools for their specific needs.
You can also integrate Pipedrive with Trello
For organizations using both platforms, integrating Pipedrive with Trello can create a powerful workflow that combines sales management with project organization. This integration helps teams maintain seamless communication between sales and project delivery processes.
Key integration capabilities
The Pipedrive-Trello integration offers several powerful features that help connect your sales and project management workflows:
- Create Trello cards, boards, and lists directly from Pipedrive
- Attach Pipedrive information to existing Trello cards
- Set up automatic card creation based on Pipedrive events
- Share deals, contacts, and organizations from Pipedrive to Trello boards
- Use Pipedrive workflow automation to trigger Trello actions
How the integration works
When you connect Pipedrive with Trello, you can seamlessly move information between the two platforms. For example, when a deal is marked as won in Pipedrive, you can automatically create a new Trello card with all relevant contact details, deal history, and organization information. This automation ensures that your project teams have immediate access to all necessary client information.
The integration allows you to choose which Pipedrive fields you want to display in Trello, helping you focus on the most relevant information for your teams. Importantly, all Trello board members can view the Pipedrive data, even if they don't have a Pipedrive account themselves.
Automation possibilities
Pipedrive's workflow automation offers sophisticated rules to streamline your processes between both platforms. When a deal progresses through your sales pipeline, you can automatically trigger various actions in Trello. For instance, reaching specific deal stages can create new Trello cards with relevant information, while won deals can generate entire project boards. The system also allows for creating task lists that vary based on deal values or types, ensuring proper project scoping from the start.
Team coordination becomes seamless as you can automatically add team members to Trello cards based on their roles in Pipedrive. This ensures the right people are involved at the right time. The automation also handles notifications, keeping everyone informed about important deal updates and ensuring no critical information slips through the cracks.
Practical applications
The integration between Pipedrive and Trello proves particularly valuable in several business scenarios. When sales deals close, you can automatically initiate project delivery workflows, ensuring a smooth transition from sales to implementation. Complex proposal processes become more manageable as information flows seamlessly between your sales pipeline and project management boards.
Customer onboarding becomes more efficient as sales information automatically populates project tasks. Teams can easily track delivery milestones that were promised during the sales process, maintaining accountability and ensuring customer satisfaction. The integration also excels at managing custom implementation requirements, transforming sales specifications into actionable project tasks without manual data entry.
This seamless connection between sales and project execution eliminates common handover issues and helps maintain clear communication channels throughout the entire customer journey. Teams can focus on their core responsibilities while having confidence that important information moves automatically between systems.
Pros and cons
Before diving into the specific strengths and limitations of each platform, it's important to remember that Pipedrive and Trello serve fundamentally different purposes - while Pipedrive is a dedicated CRM platform built specifically for sales teams, Trello is a versatile project management tool.
That means that comparing them directly isn't always appropriate – but each is good in its intended use case.
However, understanding their pros and cons can help you determine which tool best fits your specific needs, or whether you might benefit from using both in your organization.
Pipedrive
Trello
Pipedrive vs Trello: Which one to use?
After analyzing both platforms in detail, it's clear that choosing between Pipedrive and Trello isn't necessarily an either/or decision. The best choice depends entirely on your organization's specific needs and objectives. Let's break down the key scenarios:
Choose Pipedrive if:
Your primary focus is sales management and you need a dedicated CRM solution. Pipedrive excels for teams that require detailed pipeline visualization, comprehensive contact management, and sales forecasting capabilities. It's particularly valuable for organizations with complex sales processes, multiple sales team members, or those needing to track detailed customer interactions. The platform's sales-focused automation and reporting features make it ideal for businesses prioritizing revenue growth and customer relationship management.
Choose Trello if:
Your main requirement is project and task management across different departments. Trello shines in situations where visual organization and team collaboration are paramount. It's perfect for smaller teams, startups, or organizations that need a flexible, intuitive tool for managing various projects and workflows. The platform's Kanban-style interface and make it especially suitable for teams that value simplicity and visual task organization.
Consider using both tools if:
Many organizations find value in implementing both platforms, each serving its specialized purpose. This dual approach works particularly well for companies that need both strong sales management and efficient project organization. For example:
- Sales teams can use Pipedrive to manage customer relationships and deals while using Trello to organize internal projects and marketing campaigns
- Customer success teams might track client interactions in Pipedrive while managing delivery timelines in Trello
- Marketing teams can coordinate with sales through Pipedrive while managing their content calendar in Trello
- Development teams can track client requirements through Pipedrive while managing sprints in Trello
The key to successfully using both platforms is establishing clear workflows that define when and how each tool should be used. This prevents confusion and ensures team members use the right tool for each specific purpose.
Most importantly, remember that both platforms offer free trials, allowing you to test their features in your specific context before making a final decision. Whether you choose one platform or both, ensure the solution aligns with your team's workflow, technical capabilities, and budget constraints.
