SmartSuite vs Trello Comparison

Why choose SmartSuite

• Higher Analytics score (7/10 vs 4/10)
• Higher Customization score (9/10 vs 6/10)
• Better fit for enterprise (7/10 vs 5/10)
• Better fit for mid-market (8/10 vs 6/10)
• Includes Time tracking, which Trello lacks

Why choose Trello

• Has a free plan (SmartSuite does not)
• Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $200/mo
• Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 6/10)
• Higher Ease of Use score (9/10 vs 7/10)
• Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 3/10)

SmartSuite

Pros

• The same records can be shown as grid, Kanban, Gantt, timeline, calendar, map and dashboard views without duplicating data.
• Its compliance coverage is unusually strong for the category, with ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR audits plus a choice of US or EU data residency.
• Read-only users, commenters and form submitters are free, which lowers the cost of involving stakeholders.
• It ships more than 200 templates and an AI solution builder to speed up setup.
• Reviewers describe the support team as responsive.

Cons

• Team, Professional and Enterprise carry 3-, 5- and 25-seat minimums, and there is no free plan.
• The Team plan allows only 5,000 records per solution, and automation runs plus API calls are hard-capped each month.
• SAML SSO and SCIM are available only on Enterprise and Signature plans.
• There is no team chat or whiteboard, and external access is limited to read-only shared views.
• Reviewers say complex workflows and large data imports take real setup effort, and there are no native desktop apps.

Trello

Pros

• The board, list, and card model is quick for new users to learn, and reviewers repeatedly rate its usability highly.
• The Free plan is generous, with unlimited cards, unlimited Power-Ups per board, and up to 10 collaborators.
• Paid tiers are cheap compared with rivals, at $5 per user per month for Standard and $10 for Premium on annual billing.
• Built-in Butler automation is available on every plan, and Premium has no command-run cap.
• The large Power-Up marketplace and quick capture from Slack, Teams, and email extend it without custom work.

Cons

• Calendar, Timeline, Table, and Dashboard views require Premium.
• There is no native time tracking and no real dependency or Gantt planning, so complex projects need add-ons or another tool.
• Reporting is thin, and reviewers say they cannot easily build charts or analytics.
• Automation is capped at 250 runs a month on Free and 1,000 on Standard.
• Crowded boards and work spread across departments become hard to manage, and reviewers cite bulk-update limits.
• Reviewers say permissions are coarse and the mobile app is weaker than the web app.