Planitude vs Trello: board and critical path Gantt, free
Trello is the most straightforward kanban board. When a project grows and tasks depend on one another, Planitude adds a complete Gantt chart alongside the board, free of charge.
In this article
Trello is synonymous with the kanban board: columns, cards and drag and drop. It is straightforward and widely appreciated. There comes a point, however, when cards are no longer enough: there are dates to meet, tasks that cannot start before others are finished, and a need to know whether delivery is at risk. That is where Planitude comes in, offering a board as well as a Gantt chart with a scheduling engine.
The comparison below is based on Trello’s official pricing page.
Who Trello and Planitude are for
Trello is designed for teams that organize work in cards and columns, with the option of making boards public[1].
Planitude is designed for those who need reliable dates:
- teams that have outgrown the board and need to manage deadlines and dependencies;
- project managers who want to monitor the critical path;
- people who want to move from a board to a Gantt chart without changing tools or paying for advanced views.
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Planitude | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Opening .mpp files | Available.mpp/ | Not statedNot stated |
| Export | AvailableMicrosoft Project XML, CSV, print/ | Not statedNot stated |
| Dependencies (4 types, with lag) | AvailableFS, SS, FF and SF, with lag | Not statedNot stated |
| Critical path | Availableon demand, with total float | Not statedNot stated |
| Baselines | Availablesaved automatically at first progress; slippage in days | Not statedNot stated |
| Calendars and holidays | Availableworking calendars with exceptions | Availablecalendar view |
| Date constraints | Availableconstraint dates and deadlines | Not statedNot stated |
| Resources and over-allocation | Availableproject members assigned to tasks, daily workload, over-allocation warnings | Not statedNot stated |
| Costs and budget | Partialfixed and baseline costs from imported files; no budget view | Not statedNot stated |
| Earned Value Management (EVM) | Not availableNot available | Not statedNot stated |
| Automatic resource levelling | Not availableapplies the leveling delay from .mpp files; does not calculate it | Not statedNot stated |
| Views | AvailableSummary, Gantt, list, board, calendar, workload | Partialboard; calendar, timeline, table, dashboard and map with Premium |
| Collaboration | Availableowner, editor and viewer roles; comments with @mentions | Available10 collaborators per Workspace on the Free plan |
| Public sharing | Availableread-only public link | Availablepublic boards |
| Interface languages | Available10 | Not statedNot stated |
| Self-hosting | Not availablemanaged service, EU servers (Germany) | Not statedNot stated |
| Entry price | Availablefree, ad-supported | Not availableUSD 5 per user/ |
| Free plan | Availableall features, no seat limit | Available10 collaborators, 10 boards per Workspace |
The data is the same as in our full comparison. “Not stated” means that Trello does not list the feature on its pricing page, not that the feature is missing.
Scheduling
In Trello, the timeline view requires the Premium plan[1]. In Planitude, the Gantt chart is included for everyone and is a true scheduling engine:
- FS, SS, FF and SF dependencies with lead and lag;
- date constraints and deadlines;
- calendars with holidays and exceptions;
- a critical path recalculated with every change;
- baselines with the variance of each task;
- multi-level subtasks created with Tab.
The Planitude Board works on the same tasks as the Gantt chart: when you move a card, the plan remains consistent.
Example: a marketing team and a launch campaign
A marketing team has always managed its work on a board: ideas, in progress, done. For a new product campaign, however, dates are decisive: copy must be ready before design, design before printing, printing before the event. In Planitude, the team continues to use the board for day-to-day work, while the Gantt chart links the tasks and shows the critical path to the event date. If design falls behind, the plan immediately flags that printing and the event are at risk.
Import, export and migration
Planitude reads .mpp, Microsoft Project XML and Primavera .xer files, with an import report, and exports to Microsoft Project XML, CSV for Excel and print/PDF. Trello’s pricing page does not list import or export capabilities for MS Project[1].
Collaboration
Trello’s free plan includes up to 10 collaborators per Workspace, and boards can be public[1]. Planitude places no limit on the number of people: link invitations with roles, tasks that can be assigned to several people, comments with mentions, unique task keys, a change history and a read-only public link.
Pricing
Trello Standard costs USD 5 per user per month billed annually; the timeline requires the Premium plan, at USD 10[1]. Planitude is free, supported by advertising, with all views included.
Languages, data and AI assistant
Planitude is available in 10 languages and hosts data on servers in the European Union, in Germany. The AI assistant reads the plan, provides estimates and proposes changes for you to confirm, and can generate a first version of a plan with phases, tasks and dependencies from a description. API keys and the MCP server enable integration with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Cursor and VS Code.
How to move from Trello to Planitude
- Export your cards from Trello to a spreadsheet format, using the options available on your plan.
- Create a free Planitude account and a new project, or start from a template.
- Paste the rows from Excel into the grid: names, durations and indentation become tasks and subtasks.
- Link the tasks with dependencies: the Gantt chart calculates the dates and the critical path, while the board remains available.
- Save a baseline and invite your team.
Try Planitude with your own plan
Create a free accountConclusion
Trello remains unmatched in simplicity when work is a flow of cards. When deadlines and dependencies come into play, Planitude lets you keep the board and add the Gantt chart, with critical path and baselines, free of charge and for the whole team.
Frequently asked questions
Does Trello include a Gantt chart?
Trello offers a timeline view on the Premium plan[1]. Its pricing page does not document dependencies or a critical path.
Does Planitude have a kanban board?
Yes. The Board view works on the same tasks as the Gantt, List and Calendar views.
How many people can be invited to Planitude?
There is no limit on the number of users and no per-user cost.
Can a Planitude plan be made public?
Yes, through the read-only public link: anyone who receives it can view the plan without an account.
Sources
Every fact about the products mentioned comes from these official pages, checked in September 2026. Prices are list prices, in the currency and billing period shown by the vendor, and may change.
- Pricingtrello.com
Try Planitude with your own plan
Create a free account, import your .mpp file or start from a template: within minutes you will see the Gantt chart with dependencies, calendars and the critical path.