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Managello vs Trello

Trello is the clearest Kanban board there is. Managello is a full self-hosted agency platform. Here is an honest look at where each one fits.

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Last reviewed: July 2026 · we re-check public pricing and features regularly.
The quick verdict

The short answer, before the detail

Most of this decision comes down to a few honest questions. If you already know your answer, you can stop here.

Choose Trello if…
  • You want the simplest possible Kanban board
  • A generous free plan matters to you
  • Your workflow is light and card-based
  • You do not need client billing or proofing
  • Easy onboarding beats depth for your team
Choose Managello if…
  • You have outgrown boards and need real delivery
  • You want a branded client portal and approvals
  • Proofing and invoicing should be built in
  • Unlimited users without Power-Ups matter
  • You want to own your data on your server
Company snapshot

Two different products, briefly

Context first — no feature scoring yet. Just who each tool is and where it comes from.

Trello Managello
Founded 2011 2025
Deployment Cloud SaaS Self-hosted (Docker)
Best known for Kanban boards Branded client portal + delivery
Pricing model Freemium, per user Flat, per install
Best fit Lightweight task tracking Agencies & studios
Hosting Vendor cloud (Atlassian) Your own VPS
Pricing

How pricing changes as your agency grows

We show our assumptions in full and never bend a competitor's numbers. Prices are public list rates and can change — always confirm on their site.

Total users 10 users 25 users 50 users 100 users
Trello $50/mo $125/mo $250/mo $500/mo
Managello $59/mo $59/mo $59/mo $59/mo

Assumptions: Trello Standard at its lowest publicly listed rate (billed annually), multiplied by total users. Trello has a capable free plan; this table compares paid tiers. Public pricing, subject to change. Managello is a flat $59/install per month for unlimited staff and client users.

The client workflow

How client work actually flows

Instead of a feature checklist, here is the real path a piece of client work travels — from first request to payment and reporting.

Native Built in Possible Doable, with limits Requires integration Needs another tool Not intended Not what it's for
Stage
Trello
Managello
1Client request
Possible
A Power-Up adds forms; there is no client portal.
Native
Portal + email intake land in one request inbox.
2Project
Possible
Boards and cards; lighter than full project management.
Native
Projects, tasks and a Kanban board.
3Files
Native
Attach files or link from Drive/Dropbox.
Native
Uploads on every entity, plus a shared client library.
4Proofing
Requires integration
Via a proofing Power-Up; not built in.
Native
Pin comments on images/PDFs, compare versions.
5Approval
Requires integration
Custom fields or Power-Ups; no client sign-off.
Native
Versioned deliverable approvals with a record.
6Invoice
Not intended
Trello does not invoice.
Native
Draft, issue and email invoices on your own template.
7Payment
Not intended
No payments.
Native
Stripe Checkout, your own payment link, or manual.
8Reports
Requires integration
Reporting Power-Ups; nothing native.
Native
Monthly client reports + a revenue lens.
Built for agency work

The agency-specific details

The features that matter when clients live inside your tool. Written honestly — where Trello has something, we say so.

Trello Managello
Pricing & ownership
Unlimited users Per user Yes — staff & clients
Self-hosted No — cloud only Yes — your VPS
Ownership Vendor-hosted You own data & files
Project delivery
Project templates Yes, incl. free plan Native + optional AI draft
Client requests Power-Up forms Native intake spine
Client experience
Client portal No Branded, with shared files & client teams
Shared client files Card attachments only Native per-client library
Client-managed team Board guests can add Yes — client owner invites
White-label No Yes, on every plan
Magic-link login No Yes
Proofing & approvals
Proofing Power-Up Native (pins + versions)
Approval workflow Power-Up Native, with a record
Quotes, billing & payments
Quote acceptance & e-sign None native Accept + typed or drawn signature
Deposit at acceptance No native billing Automatic on acceptance
Invoices No Native, on your own template
Custom invoice layout No native invoicing Native editor + live preview
Payments No Stripe, your own link, or manual
Accounting sync Power-Ups / Zapier only QuickBooks Online (one-way)
Reporting, AI & operations
Value Lens No Native revenue lens
AI model Vendor AI, bundled BYOK — your key, your provider
Notifications In-app + email In-app, email, Slack
Audit trail Enterprise Yes — append-only
Credentials vault Not built in Yes — per-project, encrypted
Updates Automatic by Atlassian Safe updater + rollback
Full credit where it's due

Where Trello is genuinely better

No comparison is honest without this section. Trello does real things well — here are the ones worth weighing before you decide.

The clearest Kanban experience

Nothing beats Trello for an at-a-glance, drag-and-drop board that anyone understands instantly.

Effortless onboarding

New users are productive in minutes — there is almost nothing to learn.

Generous free plan

Small teams can run real work on Trello without paying anything.

Large Power-Up marketplace

A huge library of Power-Ups lets you bolt on the extras you need.

A different philosophy

Where Managello is different — not simply “better”

Managello makes a set of deliberate trade-offs. They suit some agencies and not others; here is the thinking behind them.

Agency-first

Managello is built around client work — requests, proofing, approvals and invoices — not adapted from an internal task tracker.

A client workspace, not a status page

Clients get a branded magic-link portal with a shared file library, their own team access, and approval and billing permissions you control. A designated client owner invites their own colleagues; no seat to buy, no Managello logo, no login friction.

Quote to cash in one path

A branded estimate, acceptance with an optional typed or drawn signature, a downloadable acceptance certificate, a fixed or percentage deposit invoice raised at acceptance, conversion into a project without re-entry, then invoicing on your own template — paid by Stripe, your own payment link or manually, and syncable to QuickBooks Online.

Self-hosted

It runs on your VPS with your database and files. Licensing checks validity only — it never reads your client data.

Unlimited users

Staff and client seats are unlimited. Adding a teammate or a client never changes the price.

Repeatable without bureaucracy

Reusable project templates carry milestones and tasks with relative dates, and AI can draft a first pass for you to review. New projects still default to blank, so one-off work stays fast.

Modern UX

A current React interface with proofing, a command palette and keyboard flows — self-hosted without feeling dated.

One install

Portal, projects, proofing, invoicing and reports are one system, not a stack of integrations to wire together.

Trust & optional AI

A Trust & Compliance hub covers privacy requests, retention, audit and publishable Privacy Policy, DPA and Retention Policy pages (from editable templates, not legal advice). Optional AI Assist runs only on your own Anthropic or OpenAI key — encrypted, click-only and spend-capped, with no tokens bundled or marked up — and opt-in email digests replace noisy per-event alerts. Encrypted off-server backups go to an S3 or SFTP destination you own.

Client credentials, sealed in the project

Each client's hosting, CMS, DNS, database and API logins live in the project they belong to — encrypted at rest and hidden by default, even from admins, until a short, self-expiring unlock reveals them. Every reveal is logged, and clients never see any of it. No shared spreadsheet and no separate password tool to keep in sync.

Seen enough to be curious? The live demo shows Managello working the way an agency actually uses it — no signup, your server, your brand.
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Switching over

Already using Trello?

A typical, low-drama migration. Keep Trello running read-only until you are settled — there is no rush.

1Export projects
2Import data
3Invite staff
4Invite clients
5Start new work
6Keep Trello read-only
The Switch Safely Promise

Managello has a built-in Trello importer. Upload your board export and we bring across lists, cards, checklists and due dates — you approve a preview before anything goes live, and every import has a one-click undo. Keep Trello read-only for history.

You approve a preview

Nothing goes live until you have reviewed exactly what will be imported.

One-click undo

Changed your mind? Reverse the whole import in a single click.

If we can’t get your structure in, your next month is on us. How the Switch Safely Promise works →

Questions

Managello vs Trello — FAQ

Can Managello replace Trello?

If you have outgrown simple boards and need client delivery — portal, proofing, approvals and invoicing — yes. If all you want is a lightweight personal or team Kanban board, Trello is lighter and cheaper.

Does Managello have Kanban boards like Trello?

Yes. Projects include a drag-and-drop Kanban board. Managello adds the delivery layer around it — clients, files, proofing and invoices.

Can I import my Trello boards?

Yes — Managello has a built-in Trello importer. Upload your board export, review the preview of cards and checklists, and import with a one-click undo. Keep Trello read-only for history.

Is Managello more complex than Trello?

It does more, so there is more to it — but it is designed around one clear client workflow rather than an open canvas of Power-Ups.

Do clients need a Trello account?

No. Clients use a branded magic-link portal. There are no per-user client seats.

Who should stay with Trello?

Teams that want the simplest board possible, are happy on cloud, and do not need client portals, proofing or invoicing.

See the difference yourself.

The fastest way to know if Managello fits your agency is to click around the live demo. Your server, your brand, unlimited users.

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