Trello Alternatives with Built-in Time Tracking: 7 Options Compared
Trello made kanban mainstream: a clean board, cards you drag with a mouse, and almost no learning curve. But one question comes up in almost every team that uses it — how long did this actually take? Trello doesn't track time natively; you need a third-party Power-Up or a separate time tracker. If you want the board and the hours in one place, here are the alternatives worth a look.
- Trello tracks time only through add-ons or external apps, which means extra setup and often extra cost.
- ClickUp and Jira have native time tracking but are heavier to learn.
- Asana and monday.com offer time tracking on higher paid tiers.
- Teamflows is the lightest option: a kanban board with a timer in every task, completely free, on iPhone and web.
- Pick based on team size and complexity, not on the longest feature list.
Why teams look for a Trello alternative
The most common reasons we hear:
- No native time tracking. Power-Ups work, but they add another vendor, another permission screen and sometimes a per-user fee.
- Free plan limits. Trello's free plan now caps how many collaborators a workspace can have, which small teams hit quickly.
- Mobile editing. The mobile app is fine for reading, but some teams find it slower for quick updates.
- Personal vs team tasks. Everything is a board; there's no separate place for personal priorities.
If none of these bother you, Trello is still a solid choice. If one of them does, read on.
The comparison
| Tool | Kanban board | Native time tracking | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teamflows | Yes, 4 statuses | Yes, timer in every task | Fully free, no user limits | Small teams that want board + hours with zero setup |
| ClickUp | Yes, plus many other views | Yes | Free tier with usage limits | Teams that want one tool for everything |
| Jira | Yes (Scrum and Kanban) | Yes, work logs | Free for small teams | Software teams |
| Asana | Yes (board view) | On higher paid tiers | Free tier with limits | Cross-functional project teams |
| monday.com | Yes | Time-tracking column on paid tiers | Very small free tier | Visual workflows with automation |
| Notion | Board databases | No native timer | Free for individuals | Docs + light task tracking |
| Toggl Track (+ any board) | No — it's a tracker | Yes | Free for small teams | Teams that already love their board |
Plans and limits change often — check each vendor's pricing page before deciding.
The options in more detail
1. Teamflows — the simplest board with a timer
Teamflows is a kanban board where every card has its own start/pause button. While a timer runs, it ticks on the board card, so the whole team sees what's being worked on right now. Tasks move through four statuses (Assigned, In progress, In review, Done), and each card has an owner, a deadline, comments and @mentions. There's also a personal "My tasks" tab organized as an Eisenhower matrix.
It's completely free: no paid tiers, no limits on members, teams or tasks, no credit card. It runs on iPhone and in the browser; Android is coming.
Trade-off: no Gantt charts, no automation builder, fewer integrations than big platforms. It's intentionally small.
2. ClickUp — everything in one place
ClickUp combines boards, lists, docs, goals and a built-in timer. It's powerful, and that's also the downside: small teams sometimes spend more time configuring it than using it.
3. Jira — for software teams
Jira supports kanban and scrum boards and has native work logging. It's the standard in many engineering teams. For non-technical teams it can feel heavy.
4. Asana — polished project management
Asana has a clean board view, timelines and strong task structure. Native time tracking is available on higher paid plans; lower tiers rely on integrations.
5. monday.com — visual and customizable
monday.com lets you build boards with custom columns, including a time-tracking column on paid plans. Great for teams that want automations; the free tier is small.
6. Notion — docs first, tasks second
Notion's board databases are flexible and look great. There's no built-in timer, so time tracking needs an integration.
7. Keep your board, add Toggl Track
If you like your current board, you can pair it with a dedicated tracker like Toggl Track. You'll get excellent reports — at the cost of running two tools and keeping names in sync.
How to choose
Ask three questions:
- How many people will use it daily? Under 30: favor simplicity. Over 50: favor structure and permissions.
- What do you need time data for? Better estimates and visibility → a built-in timer is enough. Client invoicing and payroll → a dedicated tracker with reports.
- Who will maintain the setup? If nobody owns configuration, pick the tool that needs the least of it.
For a deeper look at the setup side, see our guide to a kanban board with time tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Does Trello have built-in time tracking?
No. Trello relies on Power-Ups and third-party integrations for time tracking. They work, but they're separate products with their own setup and pricing.
What's the best free Trello alternative with time tracking?
For small teams that want a simple board and a timer in every task, Teamflows is fully free with no user limits. ClickUp's free tier also includes time tracking, with usage limits.
Can I move my Trello cards to another tool?
Most tools offer a Trello importer or CSV import. For a small team, it's often faster to recreate only the active cards and archive the rest — a clean start is a good moment to drop stale tasks.
Is time tracking on cards accurate enough for billing?
It's accurate if the team uses it consistently. For formal invoicing you may still want exports and approval flows that dedicated trackers provide.
We build Teamflows — a free kanban board with a timer inside every task — and use it every day at the Digital Plus studio to run dozens of client projects. Our guides come from that practice. Questions or corrections: mail@dp8.kz