Basecamp vs Trello Pricing (2026)
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Team size
25 seats

Basecamp vs Trello

Project Management pricing comparison · 2026

Basecamp pricing ranges from $0–$349/user/month, while Trello ranges from $0–$17.5/user/month. Trello is typically 50% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Basecamp pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Trello pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Project Management
Side-by-side · live
Basecamp
Basecamp is a project management and team collaboration tool known for its simplicity and
verified 7w ago
$662 $3.0K
View pricing →
Trello
Trello pricing starts at $0 for the Free plan, which includes unlimited cards and basic Ka
verified 8d ago
$662 $3.0K
View pricing →
Verdict · list-price math · year 1
Trello saves $102K vs Basecamp · 25 seats
Cheapest $3.0K
Spread 97%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Pro Unlimited
$105K/yr
year 1 license · $349/seat
Premium
$3.0K/yr
year 1 license · $10/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$662/yr
Vendr · n=86
No Vendr data
—
Not in Vendr's deal flow
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 11 sourced facts
7 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 27 sourced facts
23 hidden-cost · 2 contract · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1w ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
3 documented
  • Forced Migration Costs from Version Updates
    5-15% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Poor Customer Support Responsiveness
    5-10% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Productivity Loss from Navigation Complexity
    5-10% of license costs
    2 sources
5 documented
  • Advanced Features Gated Behind Paid Plans
    $5-$10/user/month
    4 sources
  • Auto-Renewal Without Adequate Notice and No Refund Policy
    100% of one billing cycle
    4 sources
  • Hidden Billing Portal and Double-Charging Risk
    5-15% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Enterprise Plan Minimum User Requirement
    $5,250-$21,000
    1 source
  • Third-Party Power-Up Costs
    5-20% of license costs
    2 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Basecamp
Trello
Auto-renewal
—
Yes
Cancellation
—
—
Commitment
—
Annual (if choosing annual billing)
Price escalation
Basecamp has changed pricing models multiple times historically (from per-project tiered pricing in Classic/2 to $99/month flat in Basecamp 3, then to per-user pricing, and now to the current Free/$15/user/month Pro and $299/month billed annually Pro Unlimited structure). Users report no advance notice of pricing changes.
No published price escalation schedule; users report surprise charges and renewals
Can downgrade
—
No
Based on 3 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
10out of 5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.5out of 5 (22)
Best for
Single small project
Watch out
Basecamp 5 update broke workflows and made navigation significantly worse
TrustRadius
8.4out of 5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.7out of 5 (23)
Best for
Individual users and small teams
Watch out
Predatory auto-renewal billing with no refunds
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Basecamp pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Trello pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Project Management

Basecamp

$0–$349
/user/month
3 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Project Management

Trello

$0–$17.5
/user/month
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Basecamp and Trello both operate in the project management category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Basecamp Trello
Free Free /month Free /month
Pro $15 /user/month $5 /user/month
Pro Unlimited $349 /month $10 /user/month
Enterprise — $17.50 /user/month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Basecamp

3 scenarios
$15/month
Starter Setup
$299/month
Growing Business
$299/month
Enterprise Setup

Trello

13 scenarios
$0/month (free tier with basic features)
Solo / Getting Started
$12/month
Growing Business
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 13 scenarios →

What Users Say

Basecamp

Trustpilot
1.5out of 5 (22)
TrustRadius
10out of 10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Basecamp 5 update broke workflows and made navigation significantly worse
  • No advance notice given before major UI overhauls affecting client-facing projects
  • Poor customer service responsiveness and dismissive support responses

Trello

Trustpilot
1.7out of 5 (23)
TrustRadius
8.4out of 10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Predatory auto-renewal billing with no refunds
  • Impossible to cancel subscription
  • Forced into Premium trial with no free plan access

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Basecamp 3 hidden costs

high
Forced Migration Costs from Version Updates 5-15% of license costs
medium
Poor Customer Support Responsiveness 5-10% of license costs
medium
Productivity Loss from Navigation Complexity 5-10% of license costs
See all Basecamp hidden costs →

Trello 10 hidden costs

medium
Advanced Features Gated Behind Paid Plans $5-$10/user/month
high
Auto-Renewal Without Adequate Notice and No Refund Policy 100% of one billing cycle
high
Hidden Billing Portal and Double-Charging Risk 5-15% of license costs
medium
Enterprise Plan Minimum User Requirement $5,250-$21,000
high
Third-Party Power-Up Costs 5-20% of license costs
See all Trello hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Basecamp Trello
Auto-renewal — Yes
Cancellation — —
Minimum commitment — Annual (if choosing annual billing)
Price escalation Basecamp has changed pricing models multiple times historically (from per-project tiered pricing in Classic/2 to $99/month flat in Basecamp 3, then to per-user pricing, and now to the current Free/$15/user/month Pro and $299/month billed annually Pro Unlimited structure). Users report no advance notice of pricing changes. No published price escalation schedule; users report surprise charges and renewals
Can downgrade — No

Continue researching

Basecamp

Trello

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