Finding the right project management tool can feel overwhelming. You want something intuitive, powerful, and budget-friendly. You might have narrowed your search to the showdown: ProofHub vs. Trello. 

But how do you know which one best suits your team’s needs? Modern projects are complex. Many teams need help finding the right tool to manage their projects. It leads to wasted time, resources, and opportunities.  Several case studies have shown that even a minor mistake can derail your project. Costing you millions and even billions of dollars. 

While many project management solutions exist, finding the right fit is the real struggle. It should align with your team and working style.  Finding the right fit is the real struggle.

I have spent over a decade in digital marketing. I have talked to business owners of all sizes ranging from startups to established companies. I spoke to them about the challenges they face with their current project or task management tools. They have all shared similar concerns. These include a steep learning curve for team members. Also, there is limited customization and inefficient collaboration features. 

Both ProofHub and Trello offer many features. A project team might need them for their projects to succeed. But choosing among them is not a straightforward decision. While one is

ProofHub offers a complete project management solution. It has advanced planning tools, extensive customization options, and strong collaboration features. This makes it great for organizations of all sizes. Trello is different. It offers a simpler and nicer task system. It focuses on ease of use and integration. 

This article will help you decide which tool is best for you. By the end, you’ll know the key differences between ProofHub and Trello. This includes their features, pricing, and user interface. You can choose the tool that best meets your specific needs and goals.

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Overview of ProofHub

ProofHub is all-in-one project management and team collaboration software. It has many other features. They bring all your project’s things to one place. It started as a proofreading tool for reviewing creative work. But ProofHub is now complete project management and team collaboration software. Now, teams of all sizes and from all sorts of businesses use ProofHub to keep their projects on track. Your team may be remote. Or, you may need to unite departments for your project. ProofHub can help in any way you like.

The main idea of ProofHub is simple: to bring all you need for your project—tasks, files, chats, approvals, and more—to one convenient place for easy access. It also makes teams more productive. It does this by automating repetitive tasks. These tasks include things like status updates, progress reports, and managing dependencies. 

Key features of ProofHub

  • Task management: Plan tasks, assign team members, and add as many details to them using custom fields.
  • Project management: This includes planning, project scheduling, and project tracking. It uses Gantt charts, Kanban boards, calendar views, milestones, and labeling customizable workflows. 
  • Collaboration: Share files and documents through real-time chat. Collaborate with team members using @mentions, discussions, guest access permissions, etc.
  • Proofing: Review and approve your creative assets. Share feedback with markup tools using ProofHub’s proofing feature. 
  • Reporting: Detailed graphs showcasing easy-to-understand project progress, portfolio reports, and resource/workload reports. 
  • Time tracking: ProofHub offers in-built time tracking, enabling accountability and transparency in work.
  • Admin permissions: custom roles, user access control, restricting access to approved IP addresses.

Pricing

ProofHub has flat pricing. You pay a set monthly fee, no matter how many users are on your team.

  • Essential plan: This plan starts at $45 per month if billed annually or $50 per month if billed monthly. It allows you to manage an unlimited number of users and up to 40 projects.
  • Ultimate control plan: This plan starts at $89 per month if billed annually or $99 per month if billed monthly. You can manage an unlimited number of users and unlimited projects.

Overview of Trello

Trello is a simple-to-use web-based collaborative software by Atlassian for managing tasks. 

Trello uses Kanban boards to keep track of your work. Create separate boards for different projects. Each board has lists showing task stages. So, you can move tasks from “to do” to “doing” as you work on them and finally to “done” when they are complete.

Create cards for your tasks and move them between lists as your work progresses. Boards give you a clear picture of everything you are working on. You can view tasks that need completion. You can also view tasks that are currently in progress and tasks that have been completed. You can assign tasks to team members, leave comments on cards, and keep everyone on the same page.

Key features of Trello

  • Kanban boards: Trello’s core structure consists of boards, lists, and cards. These boards represent individual projects or workflows. 
  • Customization: You can modify Trello boards. You can add files, checklists, and automation. This flexibility makes it suitable for various team workflows and project management needs.
  • Task management: Cards can be assigned to team members, have due dates set, and include comments. This enables teams to keep track of tasks and collaborate effectively.
  • Power-Ups: Trello Power-Ups are third-party integrations that enhance the platform’s functionality.
  • Automation: It lets users create custom workflows and automate repeat tasks. This feature helps teams save time and focus on high-priority tasks.

Pricing

Trello offers a free plan and four different paid plans to choose from:

  • Free Plan: Limited to 10 boards per workspace, no native Gantt view, and limited data customization capabilities.
  • Standard plan: $5 per user per month (billed annually) or $6 per user per month (billed monthly).
  • Premium plan: $10 per user per month (billed annually) or $12.50 per user per month (billed monthly).
  • Enterprise plan: $17.50 per user per month (billed annually) or $21 per user per month (billed monthly).
  • Power-Ups: Trello offers a wide range of Power-Ups that can be integrated into the platform to enhance its functionality. However, only about a third of these power-ups are completely free or have a free option, which means users may need to pay for additional features.

Head-on Comparison

In this section, I will compare ProofHub and Trello. I’ll look at key factors to help you choose the best tool for your team. I will compare how easy each is to learn and use. I will also look at their scalability and flexibility for handling projects of any size. I will consider the value each offers in terms of features and cost. This comparison will help you make an informed decision. It will meet your requirements.

Ease of use

An easy-to-use interface is key for teams. They may not have much experience with project software. A well-designed interface can improve adoption and productivity. 

  • ProofHub: ProofHub is fairly simple to use and navigate, given the abundance of features it offers. It has a clean interface. The interface has a familiar folder structure for projects, tasks, and subtasks. It keeps everything organized.  Plus, the “me view” helps team members focus by filtering out distractions and showing only what’s most important to them.
  • Trello: Trello is also well known for its simple and intuitive interface. The onboarding process is simple enough for you to get started in minutes. The core interface is a digital Kanban board, which feels like moving sticky notes across a board. Plus, it allows you to set up the backgrounds of your Kanban board, giving you the feeling of owning it.

Customization

Every team works differently. They have different workflows, processes, and styles of communication. Customization allows teams to tailor the software based on their needs and preferences. 

  • ProofHub: ProofHub allows you to create as many custom workflows as you want, with as many stages. You can drag and drop your tasks across these stages. Also, you can add custom fields to each task to define all the details associated with that task. This helps in personalizing projects and gaining better insights into work progress. Moreover, with the custom role settings, you can create restricted permissions. Some can edit tasks, while others manage projects or even company settings. Additionally, you can tailor the reports to track specific aspects of your projects.
  • Trello: Trello lets users customize their layout. They can add color codes to projects and brand them. However, that is in common with ProofHub. Where Trello truly shines is in its power-ups. Depending on what you use Trello for, it will keep you suggesting power-ups to customize the layout according to your work preferences. For instance, if you use Trello for marketing projects, you can add a calendar power-up to create content calendars. 

Supported project management approach

Organizations often use different project management methodologies for other projects or teams. As they grow, they might take on more projects and need to switch between different methodologies. Here’s what both tools have to offer in this aspect. 

  • ProofHub: No matter your team’s style, ProofHub is adaptable to multiple approaches. Whether you prefer waterfall, agile, or hybrid, you can use the features to create the perfect architecture for your projects. For instance, the Gantt view brings clarity to your project roadmap. The table view helps you create backlogs and plan sprints. The board view lets you manage tasks visually while discussions, comments, and @mentions keep your team aligned. You can also categorize team members and track workloads with reports. You can use them to optimize resource allocation during the project.
  • Trello: Unlike ProofHub, Trello falls short of handling multiple project management approaches. Trello focuses on the Kanban method. It gives users a single, board-based view for managing their projects. It is great for visualizing workflows and tracking progress. It is also good for managing tasks iteratively. But, it can’t handle the specific needs of waterfall projects. Also, Trello’s collaboration tools, like discussions and comments, are more basic. ProofHub offers robust communication and team coordination features.

Scalability

Scalability is a crucial factor in the evaluation of project management software. Consumers, however, often change modern projects. The need for new team members can then grow. Hence, it is important to compare the scalability of ProofHub and Trello to make an informed decision.

  • ProofHub: ProofHub is scalable. It works for teams of various sizes and projects of varying complexities. The flat pricing structure with no-per-user fees is the key highlight of its scalability. You can increase or decrease the team size depending on the requirements and will not have to be worried about extra costs or hidden charges. Also, you can use project categorization to organize the behavior of many projects under one heading. You can also color-label them. This makes it easy for users to search for projects and filter projects to generate reports by their category. Moreover, ProofHub integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox. This allows teams to use their current storage tools.
  • Trello: Trello is good for small projects. However, color coding can become overwhelming when projects are complex. This happens when they require many boards and teams. If your projects require setting dependencies, you might need to buy the Gantt chart power-up. Additionally, there are several other power-ups for scaling projects. For instance, the Hello Epic power-up allows you to create a project hierarchy. It lets you make child cards for their children and grandchildren. It is good for complex projects. When managing multiple boards, it is essential to maintain a clear structure and organization. This can be achieved by labeling, filtering, and creating separate boards for different projects or teams.

Team collaboration and communication

Modern projects include multiple stakeholders and team members. Effective communication is the key to the success of these projects. Team members must communicate in real-time. This is key to a transparent and productive work environment. 

  • ProofHub: ProofHub presents itself as a project management and team collaboration tool. It has many real-time collaboration features. They keep the teams aligned and moving forward in the same direction. This includes discussion boards. They are for organizational priorities, supply-time talks, or time talks on a topic. They ensure that key information and updates are easy to find. They also avoid long email threads. 

For task collaboration, it offers in-task comments, “@” mentions, and file sharing. It makes collaboration better. It has a built-in chat. You can use it to create groups or have one-to-one conversations with team members. Additionally, you can effortlessly drag and drop files in chat to easily share them with anyone on the team. You also get an inbuilt proofing feature to share feedback and approval on creative assets.

  • Trello: Trello is a great tool for teamwork. The shared board view provides everyone with a clear picture of progress at a single glance. Tasks are shown on customizable cards. The cards allow for detailed descriptions, due dates, attachments, and comments.

Team members can easily discuss tasks directly on the cards and ping specific people for input. However, for real-time communication, Trello offers various power-ups. These include connections to other tools. Examples are Slack, Google Drive, Zoom, and Gmail. They enable smooth communication and collaboration across platforms. 

Value for money

Most projects are constrained by budget, and the cost of the software can be a significant factor in decision-making. Therefore, it is important to compare the two options based on the value they offer for the said price. It includes identifying your needs, features, and scalability. You need these to support the organization’s goals. 

The initial cost is not the only thing to consider. You must also consider the total cost of ownership. This cost includes ongoing maintenance, support, and extra charges for upgrades or customizations. Here’s a breakdown of the value of both tools for money:

  • ProofHub: ProofHub offers a flat fee structure, meaning you don’t have to worry about additional expenses for each user. This makes it an ideal solution for small and medium-sized growing teams. ProofHub allows unlimited users for free. This ensures that your team can collaborate effectively without worrying about cost. ProofHub offers tasks, discussions, files, chats, reports, time-tracking, and more in one place. This eliminates the need to invest in multiple tools. 

Unlike Trello, which needs integrations for Gantt charts, ProofHub offers this tool natively. It enables clear and efficient planning. 

  • Trello offers a free plan for small teams. It has 10 boards per workspace, unlimited users, and integrations. It provides three paid plans: Standard, Premium, and Enterprise. Each plan offers extra features. These include unlimited boards, custom fields, and storage. For simple workflows, the intuitive interface of Trello helps teams get started quickly, saving you time. But if you plan to use Trello for even slightly complex work, be sure to leave plenty of time to experiment with the app before using it with a team. 

Overall, Trello offers a good balance between affordability and functionality. However, you might have to invest in several power-ups if your projects are a little complex. 

Pros and cons

The breakdown below highlights the main strengths and weaknesses of ProofHub vs. Trello. It will help you choose the best project management tool for your business requirements.

ProofHub

Pros:

  • Flat pricing structure with no additional costs for extra users.
  • Comprehensive features in one platform, including tasks, files, chats, time-tracking, proofing, and more.
  • There are several customization options.
  • Real-time collaboration and updates.
  • Mobile apps for iOS and Android.
  • High user satisfaction rating of 4.6/5 with praised customer support. 
  • Flexible for various workflows, project complexities, and team sizes.
  • Cost-effective for larger teams.
  • 14-day free trial.

Cons:

  • No free plan is available. 
  • Not suitable for freelancers

Trello

Pros:

  • Free plan for small teams with unlimited users and integrations.
  • Real-time collaboration and updates.
  • Mobile apps for iOS and Android.
  • High user satisfaction rating of 4.5/5.
  • Seamless integration with other tools.
  • Customization through power-ups and integrations.
  • Saved searches for easy tasks and project retrieval.
  • Priority support for paid plans.

Cons:

  • Paid plans are per-user, which can be costly for larger teams.
  • The free plan has limited advanced features (e.g., basic checklists, no freeform tags).
  • No in-app chat.

Customer reviews 

Customer reviews give unbiased insights into the real-world experience of the tool. They provide an objective perspective beyond the marketing materials that focus on the positives. 

ProofHub

Customers love ProofHub because it’s super easy to use and lets you set things up just how you like to work. No matter what your team needs, you can customize it to fit your workflow. Many users seem to agree that ProofHub is straightforward and keeps them organized and productive.

Several reviews speak highly of ProofHub’s customer support too. They are always happy to help, and they even let you try ProofHub for longer on their free trial if you need more time to see if it’s a good fit.

The price is another highlighted and appreciated feature. Flat pricing has no per-user fees. This allows users to integrate ProofHub throughout the organization. It saves them from upgrading when there are minor requirement changes. 

Here are some of the top reviews from ProofHub users:

“One of the most impressive things in the software is its kanban boards. We have created team-specific workflows, and everyone just loves moving the tasks through stages.”

“There is no product that can compete at this price point.”

“The great customer support of ProofHub makes it all the more amazing. Custom roles help us maintain privacy by managing access.”

Trello

People generally praise Trello for its user-friendly approach. They like its Kanban board system. Many find it effective for managing projects and tasks. Collaboration is another highlight, with real-time features enabling seamless teamwork. 

Users talk about extending Trello. They want to connect it with the tools and platforms they use. They want to do this by using integrations. For instance, for those who need to visualize project timelines, Trello’s Gantt charts power-up proves to be a valuable asset.

However, Trello’s free plan does have limitations, such as a 10-board restriction and smaller file attachment sizes. Additionally, the per-user pricing structure can become expensive for larger teams. Still, Trello has these drawbacks. But its customer support gets praise. They are helpful and quick.

Here are some of the top reviews from Trello users:

“Trello’s design and user-friendly interface make this software extremely effective and visually pleasing. I am a designer by trade, and I like things to be beautiful.”

“Trello is extremely intuitive, fast, and beautiful. It has some of the best UI I have ever had the pleasure of using.”

“Trello has been good software for collaboration, and my team and I are pleased with it.”

Ideal Customers

ProofHub and Trello are strong project management tools, but they target slightly different needs. ProofHub suits startups, large companies, medium and small teams, and agencies. It’s a comprehensive option. It offers many features. These include task management, file sharing, proofing, and report generation. This consolidation lets companies handle various project types. It also allows them to manage the work of different departments. They can do this easily from one convenient location.

Trello focuses more on simplicity and ease of use. It’s ideal for smaller teams and projects with simple and well-established workflows. It is suitable for startups, small businesses, freelancers, and agencies. Trello uses a Kanban board system, a visual approach to task management. It will help things get done quickly. Which might not be sufficient to provide a detailed view of where everything is going with your project. 

Both tools can work for different sizes. However, ProofHub’s scalability and advanced features make it better for growing businesses. Trello is easy to use and well-organized to visualize. It is perfect for small, well-organized teams prioritizing customization and a clear workflow.

Conclusion

Selecting between ProofHub and Trello boils down to your project management needs.

ProofHub offers a comprehensive suite of advanced features for planning, customization, and collaboration. It scales well and provides flexibility to handle several kinds of projects. 

Trello excels in simplicity and visual organization. It is perfect for smaller teams for ease of use and clear workflows. Its focus on integrations makes it a strong option for teams that rely on various tools.

In the end, the best choice depends on your team’s size. It also depends on the project’s complexity and the functionality you want.