Nimbus vs Trello.
A realtime kanban board for the browser against the classic board tool, now under Atlassian with per-seat pricing. An honest feature and pricing comparison, updated August 2026.
Which should you pick?
Trello popularized the digital kanban board and its free tier is one of the friendliest in the category, but it caps at 10 boards and 10 collaborators, and the views teams actually want (Timeline, Calendar, Dashboard) sit on Premium at $10 per user per month. Nimbus wins when you want true realtime collaboration — live presence and sync — with unlimited boards at $0. Trello wins when you want its extra views, Power-Up ecosystem, or Atlassian governance.
Pricing and capabilities checked August 2026. We update this page when either product changes.
Feature comparison
The two tools answer the same question, realtime issue tracking, with very different answers. The table keeps it honest.
| Criterion | Nimbus | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| Realtime collaboration | Cards, comments, and presence sync to every screen over WebSockets the moment they change. No refresh, no polling. | No live presence layer. Collaborators see changes after a refresh, and activity is logged on cards rather than broadcast. |
| Pricing | $0 forever. No per-seat billing, no user limits, no board limits. | Free for up to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per workspace, then Standard from $5 and Premium from $10 per user per month (July 2026 list). |
| Board limits | Unlimited boards on every plan, because there is only one plan. | The free plan allows 10 boards per workspace — the most common reason teams upgrade. |
| Boards and views | A realtime kanban board built around live collaboration. | Kanban boards plus Timeline, Calendar, Table, Dashboard, and Map views on Premium. |
| Roles and permissions | Three clear roles, owner, admin, and member, scoped per workspace. Explicit and quick to set up. | Workspace admins on all plans, with org-wide permissions, SSO, and SCIM on Enterprise. |
| Search | Full-text search across every issue, one keystroke away. | Board and card search, with saved searches on Standard and above. |
| Automation | Not available yet. Deliberately simple. | Butler automations: 250 command runs per month free, 1,000 on Standard, unlimited on Premium. |
| Apps and integrations | Not available yet. Deliberately simple. | A Power-Up marketplace with hundreds of integrations, plus Atlassian Intelligence AI on Premium. |
| Audit trail | Every move, edit, and invite lands in the activity log on every plan. | Card activity is always visible, but org-wide audit logs arrive on Enterprise. |
| Mobile | Responsive web app; no native apps yet. | Native iOS and Android apps included with every plan. |
| Support | Email support plus an open source community on GitHub. | Atlassian community and help center on all plans; enterprise support with Enterprise. |
| Setup time | Minutes: sign up, create a workspace, invite the team. | Also minutes to start, but the free tier's 10-board and 10-collaborator caps arrive quickly for growing teams. |
Trello details reflect the official pricing page, checked August 2026. Nimbus details reflect the current release.
Pricing at a glance
Nimbus
$0 forever
Free to use with unlimited boards, issues, and team members. Sign up and sign in from any browser; nothing to install and no servers to run.
Trello
Trello Free
$0
Up to 10 boards and 10 collaborators per workspace, unlimited cards, 250 Butler automation runs per month.
Trello Standard
$5 / user / month
Billed yearly ($6 monthly). Unlimited boards, custom fields, 1,000 Butler runs per month.
Trello Premium
$10 / user / month
Billed yearly ($12.50 monthly). Adds Timeline, Calendar, Table, Dashboard, and Map views plus unlimited automation.
Trello Enterprise
From $17.50 / user / month
Annual only, 50-seat minimum. Adds SSO, SCIM, org-wide permissions, and multi-board guests.
Choose Nimbus if...
You want realtime kanban at $0
No per-seat billing, no board limits, no collaborator caps. Free to use, so the price never surprises you.
You want live collaboration
Cards, comments, and presence sync over WebSockets — everyone sees the board move at the same moment, no refresh required.
Your team outgrew the free board
The 10-board and 10-collaborator free wall never appears in Nimbus. Unlimited boards, unlimited members, still $0.
Choose Trello if...
You want Timeline, Calendar, and Dashboard views
These live on Premium at $10 per user per month. Nimbus is kanban-only for now.
You depend on Power-Ups
Trello's marketplace has hundreds of integrations. Nimbus intentionally ships with none yet.
You need Atlassian governance
Enterprise brings SSO, SCIM, org-wide permissions, and admin controls at 50+ seats.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Nimbus is free to use, with unlimited boards, issues, and team members. Trello's free plan caps at 10 boards and 10 collaborators, then Standard costs $5 per user per month and Premium $10 per user per month billed yearly, at July 2026 list prices.
For kanban-first teams, yes — with live presence and realtime sync instead of refresh-based updates, and no per-seat cost. Teams that rely on Trello's Timeline, Calendar, Dashboard, or Table views, or its Power-Up marketplace, should weigh those before switching, since Nimbus is kanban-only and deliberately simple.
Not yet. Nimbus ships a realtime kanban board with workspaces, roles, search, labels, presence, and an activity log. Timeline, Calendar, and Dashboard views are not available today — those are Premium features on Trello too.
Yes. Nimbus is free to use with no trial clock, no per-seat pricing, no board or issue limits, and no feature gates. Paid plans may be offered in the future, but there are none today.
For a team that wants realtime kanban with no cost ceiling, Nimbus. Trello's free tier is friendly, but the 10-board and 10-collaborator caps push growing teams to $5 or $10 per user per month before long.
More comparisons
See how Nimbus stacks up against the other issue trackers.
Ship your first sprint today.
Create a workspace and invite the team — the board is live the moment you open it.