Basecamp vs Trello
A side-by-side look at 2 Productivity tools for 2026 — the verdict, pricing, ratings, features, and what readers think.
basecamp.com
Best for Small teams and agencies that want flat pricing and a calm, all-in-one project space.
All-in-one project management and team communication tool.
Visit Basecamp
trello.com
Best for Individuals and small teams wanting simple kanban boards
Visual kanban boards for organizing anything.
Visit TrelloPricing compared
Basecamp
$29/mo (flat)
Trello
$5/user/month
Head to head
| Basecamp | Trello | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/mo (flat) | $5/user/month |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of Basecamp Business | — |
| Founded | — | 2011 |
| HQ | — | New York, NY |
| Team size | — | 1000-2000 |
Pros & cons
Basecamp
Pros
- Flat monthly packages with no per-user fees keep costs predictable as a team grows.
- Free Personal plan covers one project and up to three people.
- To-dos, message boards, chat, schedules and files live together in each project.
- Every business package starts with a 30-day free trial.
- Official ChatGPT and Claude connectors and CLI access for AI agents.
Cons
- Active-project caps apply: 3 on Freelancer, 8 on Pro and 12 on Pro Plus.
- Templates and multiple tools per project only arrive from the Pro package.
- Time tracking is only included from Pro Plus.
- Unlimited users and enhanced admin controls need the $199 Pro Unlimited package, billed annually.
Trello
Pros
- Extremely easy to set up and use
- Beautiful, intuitive kanban interface
- Generous free plan with unlimited cards
- Power-Ups extend functionality
- Great mobile apps
Cons
- Kanban-only view limits complex project planning
- Reporting is basic without paid Power-Ups
- No built-in time tracking
- Can get disorganized at scale
Features compared
| Basecamp | Trello | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans & pricing | ||
| Free tier | — | ✓ Yes |
| Free trial | — | ✗ No |
| Pricing model | — | Free; Standard $5/user/mo; Premium $10/user/mo; Enterprise custom |
| Money-back guarantee | — | ✗ No |
| Platforms & access | ||
| Web app | — | ✓ Yes |
| Mobile apps | — | ✓ Yes |
| Desktop app | — | ✗ No |
| Self-hosted option | — | ✗ No |
| Offline mode | — | ✗ No |
| Integrations & extensibility | ||
| Public API | — | ✓ Yes |
| Webhooks | — | ✓ Yes |
| Native integrations | — | Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, Jira, Confluence, Salesforce, Zapier |
| Automation (Zapier/Make) | — | ✓ Yes |
| Security & compliance | ||
| SSO / SAML | — | ✓ Yes |
| Two-factor auth | — | ✓ Yes |
| SOC 2 | — | ✓ Yes |
| GDPR compliant | — | ✓ Yes |
| Encryption at rest | — | ✓ Yes |
| Collaboration | ||
| Team workspaces | — | ✓ Yes |
| Real-time collaboration | — | ✓ Yes |
| Role-based permissions | — | ✓ Yes |
| Guest access | — | ✓ Yes |
| Support | ||
| Email support | — | ✓ Yes |
| Live chat support | — | ✗ No |
| Phone support | — | ✗ No |
| Knowledge base | — | ✓ Yes |
| SLA | — | 99.9% uptime SLA for Enterprise plans |