Trello vs. Microsoft 365 Planner

Elena Humeniuk

PPM Consultant

The world of collaboration and project management is complex at best and confusing at worst. That is where tools like Trello and Microsoft Planner come in handy. Trello has established itself as the go-to project management and collaboration tool. But with the launch of Office 365 Planner as a Microsoft alternative to Trello, the debate over Trello vs. Planner has only intensified. So, here’s a comparison of the two software to help you choose between Microsoft Planner vs. Trello.

What is Trello?

Trello is a project collaboration tool popular for its simplicity and ease of use. With its real-time activity feed, a vast list of integrated apps, options to invite non-members, kanban boards, etc., Trello is one of the most popular choices for collaboration tools.

Features

Some of the best features of Trello include:

• Trello Board gives you an overview of task assignments, Timeline view for project planning, Dashboard view for productivity metrics, Calendar view for time management, or Table view to connect work across boards.

• Cards help you easily manage, track, and share tasks with teammates. Packed with helpful features like- checklists, attachments, reminders, or due dates, Cards also include comments and emoji reactions for team members.

• Integration Trello comes integrated with Confluence, Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, etc. Besides apps you already use, the hundreds of available Trello Power-Ups help fine-tune specific needs of your workflow.
• No-Code Automation Trello Butler reduces tedious tasks on your project board. From everyday actions like moving lists, creating custom buttons to building processes, or reminding of upcoming deadlines, Trello’s automation streamlines your entire workflow.

Pros and Cons

Here’s a quick rundown of Trello’s pros and cons.

What is Microsoft 365 Planner?

Microsoft Planner is a project management software that comes with the Office 365 subscription. Being quite similar to Trello in terms of functions and features, MS Planner is a competitor and alternative for Trello.

Microsoft 365 Planner allows you to easily organize and monitor your work via its simple task management. Packed with features like Checklists, Labels, Assignees, and Due Dates, this tool connects to all the applications in Office 365, making it a very convenient choice to simplify task management for teams.

Features

Some of the prominent features of Microsoft Planner are:

• Task Organizing, you can design and structure all tasks visually.
• Schedule View lets you view the start or due date for all your tasks in the built-in calendar. Due to its integration with Office 365 software, Planner also enables you to display your calendar in Outlook.

• Dashboards are where you can analyze tasks according to status, get an overview of all open or completed tasks, and visualize project progress and overdue tasks with different kinds of charts. 
• Task Management Integrated with Outlook and Teams, MS Planner makes it easy to track and monitor all your tasks, with options for team members to comment or attach files on the task. Besides, with Microsoft Planner, you can also assign tasks to more than one team member.
• Email Notifications Besides automatically alerting team members of any changes/updates, Microsoft Planner also sends reminders via email.
• Cross-Device Availability Microsoft Planner is available across different platforms and devices- on the web, PC, and iOS or Android as an app.

Pros and Cons

Like Trello, Microsoft Planner comes with a fair share of pros and cons:

Trello vs Microsoft 365 Planner Comparison 

Microsoft 365 Planner and Trello are both valuable and efficient tools. But with all their features, similarities, and dissimilarities, making the call between Trello vs. Microsoft 365 Planner is a difficult task.

So, which of these should you select for your needs? Here’s a comparison between Trello and Microsoft Planner to help you make your choice: