Best Trello Alternatives 2026
The most approachable project management tool available. The free plan works for most small teams without ever paying. If that is not the right fit, here are the 3 best project management alternatives, with honest pricing and who each one actually suits. Skill level: No-code.
Search all tools and guides
Why businesses switch from Trello
Notion AI
Best AI tool if you already use Notion. It adds huge value without changing your workflow.
What we like
- ✓AI lives where your documents already are, no context switching between tools
- ✓Summarise any page, extract action items, and translate in seconds
- ✓Works on all device types including the Notion mobile app
Watch out for
- !Full AI needs the Business plan, so a 5-person team pays $100 a month for Notion with AI (Plus is $50)
- !Less powerful for pure marketing copy than dedicated writing tools
- !Custom Agents use paid Notion credits on top of the plan price
Best for
- ✓Teams already using Notion as their primary workspace
- ✓Knowledge workers who document processes and meeting notes heavily
- ✓Startups needing AI-assisted SOPs and team wikis
- ✓Remote teams wanting to summarise and translate documents fast
HubSpot
HubSpot's free CRM (a tool that stores every client conversation, deal, and follow-up task in one place) is genuinely excellent for small teams, but the paid upgrades are among the most expensive in the category.
What we like
- ✓Free CRM covers up to 1,000,000 contacts with no credit card required, a market-leading free tier
- ✓Email tracking shows when a prospect opens your email and how many times, visible directly inside Gmail
- ✓Deal pipelines are drag and drop with custom stages, typically taking under 2 hours to model your real sales process
Watch out for
- !Professional and Enterprise tier prices are among the highest in the CRM category: Marketing Hub Professional at $800/mo is out of reach for most small businesses
- !The $3,000 mandatory onboarding fee for Marketing Hub Professional is non-negotiable and surprises many buyers
- !Free plan email sends capped at 2,000/mo: a list of 5,000 contacts cannot be emailed in full without upgrading
Best for
- ✓B2B service businesses (companies that sell to other businesses) tracking 10 to 200 active leads at any time
- ✓Agencies managing client pipelines across multiple stages and multiple team members
- ✓Consultants who want to see when a prospect opens their email and get automatic follow-up reminders, at no cost
- ✓Small sales teams that need a shared CRM (client tracking tool) without paying $50 to $150 per person per month
- ✓SaaS startups (software companies) building their first sales process before hiring a dedicated salesperson
- ✓Freelancers managing recurring client relationships and tracking when renewals and upsells are due
- ✓E-commerce businesses using HubSpot's free live chat and shared inbox for customer support queries
- ✓-based B2B businesses that need a CRM and can pay via international card
Pipedrive
A brilliantly simple sales CRM built specifically to help you close deals, but it lacks the broad marketing features found in more expensive suites.
What we like
- ✓The visual drag and drop pipeline is incredibly satisfying and easy to use daily
- ✓Automated activity reminders ensure you never forget to follow up with a prospect
- ✓Two way email sync lets you read and reply to clients without leaving the CRM
Watch out for
- !No free plan available, which locks out absolute beginners entirely
- !The entry level Lite plan is severely restricted and lacks basic automation
- !Pricing scales up quickly because you must pay per individual user seat
Best for
- ✓B2B service businesses that rely on long sales cycles
- ✓Real estate agents tracking dozens of property buyers
- ✓Marketing agencies pitching high value retainer contracts
- ✓SaaS startup founders managing their first fifty customers
- ✓Consultants who need to track exactly who opened their proposals
- ✓Sales teams that have outgrown tracking leads in Google Sheets
- ✓Manufacturing firms tracking wholesale buyer negotiations
- ✓small businesses selling high ticket services globally
Still not sure which tool to pick?
Start from the problem, not the tool. Each Aheri system names the exact tools it runs on and why.
Find your system →