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Best Trello Alternative for Development Teams
Trello's simplicity is great for getting started, but development teams quickly outgrow it. GitScrum combines Trello's visual kanban approach with features developers actually need: native Git integration, proper sprint support, time tracking, and analytics—all without losing the simplicity that makes kanban effective.
Why Teams Outgrow Trello
Common Limitations
TRELLO CEILING FOR DEV TEAMS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ WHERE TRELLO FALLS SHORT │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ❌ NO NATIVE GIT INTEGRATION │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Power-Ups are clunky, limited ││
│ │ • No auto-linking commits to cards ││
│ │ • PR/MR visibility requires workarounds ││
│ │ • Branch status not visible ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ❌ SPRINTS AS AFTERTHOUGHT │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • No built-in sprint concept ││
│ │ • Burndown charts? Power-Up needed ││
│ │ • Velocity tracking? Not really ││
│ │ • Backlog management? Make another board ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ❌ BASIC TIME TRACKING │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Requires Power-Up ││
│ │ • Limited functionality ││
│ │ • No built-in reporting ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ❌ POWER-UP LIMITATIONS │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Free tier: 1 Power-Up per board ││
│ │ • Need 5+ Power-Ups for dev workflow ││
│ │ • Gets expensive quickly ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
GitScrum Advantages
What You Get
GITSCRUM FOR EX-TRELLO USERS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ KEEP THE GOOD, ADD WHAT'S MISSING │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ✅ VISUAL BOARDS (LIKE TRELLO) │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Drag-and-drop kanban ││
│ │ • Customizable columns ││
│ │ • Card covers and colors ││
│ │ • Familiar interface ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ➕ NATIVE GIT INTEGRATION │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket ││
│ │ • Auto-link commits via task ID ││
│ │ • PR/MR status in task view ││
│ │ • Branch tracking ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ➕ PROPER SPRINTS │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Sprint planning view ││
│ │ • Burndown charts included ││
│ │ • Velocity tracking ││
│ │ • Sprint retrospective support ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ➕ BUILT-IN TIME TRACKING │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Timer on every task ││
│ │ • Time reports ││
│ │ • Billable hours support ││
│ │ • No add-ons needed ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Feature Comparison
Side by Side
| Feature | GitScrum | Trello + Power-Ups |
|---|---|---|
| Kanban boards | ✅ | ✅ |
| Drag-and-drop | ✅ | ✅ |
| Git integration | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Power-Up |
| Sprints | ✅ Built-in | ⚠️ Workaround |
| Time tracking | ✅ Built-in | ⚠️ Power-Up |
| Burndown charts | ✅ Built-in | ⚠️ Power-Up |
| Dark mode | ✅ Default | ⚠️ Limited |
| All features included | ✅ Yes | ❌ Extra cost |
Easy Migration
Moving from Trello
MIGRATION STEPS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TRELLO → GITSCRUM │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ STEP 1: EXPORT TRELLO DATA │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ Board Menu → More → Print and Export → JSON ││
│ │ (Keep your Trello board data as backup) ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ STEP 2: SET UP GITSCRUM PROJECT │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Create project with same structure ││
│ │ • Set up matching columns ││
│ │ • Configure labels to match ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ STEP 3: MIGRATE ACTIVE CARDS │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Only migrate current/active cards ││
│ │ • Leave archived cards in Trello ││
│ │ • Create tasks with same names/descriptions ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ STEP 4: CONNECT GIT REPOS │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ • Link your GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket ││
│ │ • Enjoy native Git integration ││
│ │ • No more janky Power-Ups ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ TIME: 1-2 hours for most boards │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘