Creating an App Like Trello – How Much Does It Cost?

How many of us use a management app like Trello, or plan to use such tools to be more organized in the workplace or in everyday life? 5 out of 10 will answer that this is the best way to keep up to date. There is a high probability to benefit from special task management software – regardless of whether you are a user or creator of this application. The following number is just for consideration – Trello was sold for $424 million to Atlassian. So, how did Trello achieve this overwhelming success?

• This is a freemium, easy-to-use and fully customizable product;
• A well-established and unique brand image;
• Result-orientation towards effective changes in people’s productivity, etc.

These are only several ways in which your own organization can implement similar strategies and succeed. In this article, we will focus on the cost of Trello and how to develop a similar application so that it will yield some dividends as well.

Trello Review – What Is It?

This is a quick overview of Trello and what features can be added to your planned similar app. 

Application development may include many specifics that you should know before being involved in the process. We recommend studying up on the application you’re going to develop right now. So, what is Trello?

Trello is originally a web-based application, but today it seamlessly runs on mobile and desktops as well. This feature makes it popular in addition to being an effective tool for creating to-do lists and performing various tasks. The application is based on the Kanban methodology. In its turn, it was used by Toyota effectively in the 1960s. What was introduced 60 years ago became a productive business solution from retailing and marketing to software development. What is behind this method? It provides a very detailed and visually accessible working process on boards. By the way, the literal translation of “kanban” from Japanese is “signboard”. This is a key place where the team can collaborate through the Kanban method, which implies moving cards from the left to-do-list to the right ‘done’ list. 

This principle was implemented in Trello and widely used bringing the following benefits:

• The ability to monitor at what stage of each task is;
• The ability to assign tasks to many specialists for perception convenience;
• The ability to collaborate easily with others in the team.

According to Trello statistics, there are already 50 million registered users. They are able to use the following features at Trello:

• Board and card systems. This is the way Trello works. The app consists of boards with a list of cards. You as a user of Trello can give access to any created board if needed. As a result, all authorized team members can see and manage it by performing functions, such as creating or exchanging cards between different lists, for example, “to do”, “in progress”, or “done”.
• Individual/group card assignment. Trello is ideal both for individual and team work. You can assign either only yourself or team members. Each participant can see who is assigned to what tasks. Moreover, you can filter the tasks of the user and monitor the activity on the board if needed.
• Drag-and-drop board editing. Trello is intuitive-to-use due to the drag-and-drop functionality of cards. This technique offers users a convenient way to select and move cards just like in the real world. 
• File attachment options. In Trello, it is easy to attach files to cards from different resources – PC, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. You can preview them without even downloading – just click on the attachment thumbnail in the card to open it. 
• Checklists. Users can create multiple checklists in Trello cards to keep track of all subtasks. You need to mark the item as complete or incomplete in the checkboxes.
• Automatic notifications. It is almost impossible to miss any deadline in Trello (certainly if you’re actively working on the project) – special alerts will inform you about approaching due dates or any other activities on boards. You get them all on the corresponding panel.
• Data retrieval and filter. With Trello’s filters, you can find cards on the board with ease. You also can filter boards to focus on specific labels, participants, assigned cards, deadlines, and keywords.

Target Audience of Trello – Who Is Trello for?

When planning the development of any application, it is crucial to find out who will use it and why. The full understanding of the audience will guarantee you much more satisfactory results – it will guide you in the right business direction. Trello development is no exception. Today, this management tool meets the fundamental needs of many individuals and companies.

Trello Cost – How Much Does the Same Task Manager App Cost?

All the features you’re planning to include in the same app like Trello will affect the final cost. The development of each of them will require a certain number of hours. Many different specialists will be involved to work on the necessary product – Project Managers (PMs), software developers, DevOps engineers, QA specialists, etc. Trello includes both back-end and front-end solutions that are realized during the development process. 

We will now analyze app development costs for Trello. We’ll take the most crucial functions of Trello-like apps into consideration and come up with approximate results for an MVP.

• Board, list and card development. Trello boards, lists, and cards may take more than 800 hours as the development take place on client and server sides. As for the cost of this functionality, it will vary from $35,000 to $45,000. 
• Trello modules development. As the application has a great variety of settings and technical specifications, each of these modules needs to be developed separately. For example, different types of user accounts and packages are available at Trello. So, to implement one of the business ideas, you may need 300-350 hours. It will cost you more than $15,000. 
• Third-party integration. Many integrations allow using the given application to the maximum, for example, Slack, Gmail, etc. To integrate a system, it may require about 260 hours (it’s only approximate numbers, there are many other conditions for integrations). So, the cost of this service also varies from $15,000 to $25,000.
• Extra features realization. Within Trello, you’ll find many other useful features – notifications, filters, archives, voting options, etc. So, different timeframes are needed to realize each of these features. On average, it may take 200-250 hours to include a special feature in the application. The average cost will be corresponding – near $5,000 per each feature.

Apart from the app functionality, it is worth to consider many other factors that may change the ultimate cost of your application development:

Trello Tech Stack

Now that all the key Trello features and estimated time/cost are reviewed, we can state one more factor that can change the final cost for development services. Much depends on what technological stack to choose for Trello development. Many programming languages, frameworks have functional properties and restrictions. That’s why they are thoroughly selected to succeed in each project.

Well, what is a workable tech stack for Trello-like applications?

• Front-end coding: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js; 
• Back-end programming: Java, Python, Ruby, Node.js;
• Automation systems: Docker, Kubernetes;
• Cloud hosting providers: Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure;
• Web application servers: Apache Tomcat, GlassFish;
• Web application frameworks: Django, Ruby on Rails.

Development Team Size & Expertise

Each product may differ from another in many aspects, as is the team that works on them. The project team can include either many and few specialists. The project size defines the number of team members. In the case of Trello, you should hire an extended team of software experts:

• 1 business analyst (BA), 
• 1 project manager (PM), 
• 1 Chief Technical Officer (CTO) or team lead, 
• 2 front-end/back-end, or 3 full-stack developers,
• 1 DevOps engineer, 
• 1 QA specialist, 
• 1 web designer, etc.

Not least important is the careful selection of specialists to realize the full potential of the project. Their competence level determines the final cost of application development as well. For example, there is a difference in salaries to Junior and Senior developers. Their rates can even vary between technologies used in the project. The world of technology does not stand still – some are being developed while others can no longer guarantee good results. 

Location of Application Development

Keep in mind that you will pay more for developing applications like Trello if you intend to hire developers in the USA, and less if it is Eastern Europe. You can save on the development of your application by contacting outsourcing companies or freelancers. Both models of cooperation can play a direct role in the success of your business, as a rich talent pool is becoming available today.

How to Make Money Out of an App Like Trello?

To cover all the costs of developing applications, there are various options – in-app advertising, subscription, premium accounts and other fee-based services. For example, Trello offers its users paid services based on 3 business models, despite the fact that it can be absolutely free (but with certain restrictions on use):

Most likely, you will benefit from each of these service packages, regardless of whether you are a user or creator of an application like Trello. As for users, they are offered a bit of additional functionality while founders can make a profit on the application. Let’s review each package in detail below.

1. Trello Gold 

With this package, the application becomes a little bit custom for users to take productivity to a new level. For example, you can save the most frequently used queries and quickly access them. Thanks to advanced automation, Trello Gold is more likely to work faster. In addition, the user is provided with a large file download – up to 250 MB, and only 10 MB is available on the free Trello plan. Besides, there are other neat features in this price plan. You can get Trello Gold for free by inviting your friends to use it together.

2. Trello Business Class

In this pricing plan, Trello becomes more and more business-oriented offering many functions like team activity tracking, calendar and map views, voting, etc. What to speak of a wide range of integrations? They will provide you with an extra means to run a business efficiently. Simply integrate your favorite applications and take advantage of them right on your boards. Additional security features are designed to ensure the safety of entire teams and their data while using this application.

3. Trello Enterprise

And finally, Trello becomes an enterprise-grade commercial product. In this price plan, the application can serve an unlimited number of users in large companies, but the prices will be consistent. For example, for 250 employees, using Trello will cost a total of $62,500 per year, an average of $250 per user. The final price for using this plan depends on the total number of users – the more users, the cheaper the price. But what is offered at this price? Complete business transformation due to advanced workflow automation and many other useful features! In other words, Trello becomes completely flexible for use by any team. 

Conclusion

So, how much does it cost to develop an application like Trello, and what should be considered for successful development? The final cost will depend on many factors, as you can see. But still, let’s make a rough MVP estimate. If the development team will consist of 7-8 specialists, and the whole process will take about 1000 hours, the development cost of a Trello-like app may range from $44,600 to $135,700, depending on all the above factors. 

To understand the logic of evaluating this project, you should keep in mind that the more functionality you are going to implement, the more money you will have to pay and vice versa. However, there is another side to the question – how much will it pay off and how quickly? 

To find out the return on investment (ROI) and many other details about the development of Trello-like applications, contact our team, and our business analysts will answer you based on the exact numbers.