Trello for families, or boards that come with the household built in
Trello vs The Margin for a family: boards, chores, calendar, shopping list, offline use, AI and per-person price, from Trello's own pages. Checked Nov 8, 2026.
If your family runs on one or two Trello boards and you are happy, Trello's free plan may be all you need: it allows 10 boards per Workspace, and The Margin's free plan allows 5. The Margin is the better fit when the boards are only part of the job and you also want chores, an allowance, a shared shopping list, the meal plan and the household's money in the same app, working with no signal.
I make The Margin, so read this as one maker's comparison. Every fact about Trello here comes from Trello's own pricing page, its App Store listing and Atlassian's help page on AI in Trello, all read on November 8, 2026. Prices and plans change, so check them again if you are reading this much later.
Trello vs The Margin for a household#
| Trello | The Margin | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Work and personal productivity; "Trello is an Atlassian product" | Families, people on their own, and small teams |
| How it is priced | Per person: Standard $5 a user a month yearly ($6 monthly), Premium $10 ($12.50 monthly) | Family: one price for up to six people, $25 a month or $20 a month paid yearly |
| Free plan | 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace, 250 automation runs a month, files up to 10 MB | 5 boards of up to 200 cards, one other person in the workspace |
| Boards and cards | Yes, the original | Yes, with folders, @mentions and a CSV export that imports back |
| Calendar | Calendar view on Premium; Planner view-only on Free | A family calendar on every plan, a color per person |
| Repeating cards | Through the Card Repeater Power-Up | Built in |
| Chores, allowance and points | Not a feature; build them as lists | Family plan: chores a parent can approve, allowances that pay themselves, points |
| Shopping list and meal plan | Not a feature | Shopping list on every plan; the weekly meal plan on Family fills it |
| Money | Not a feature | Expenses, income and debts on every plan |
| Offline | The phone apps say boards update offline; the web is not stated | The whole app, on every device |
| AI | On Standard and up, web and desktop; Trello's MCP server for any user | Margin Intelligence on every plan within a monthly allowance; your own AI over MCP on Pro and up |
"Not a feature" means we found it on none of the Trello pages above. Trello has thousands of Power-Ups, and some families get close with them.
Where Trello is the better pick#
- More free boards. Ten boards per Workspace against five on The Margin's free plan.
- Power-Ups. If you like wiring your own system together, Trello's Power-Up directory is far bigger than anything we have.
- You already live in it at work. One app and one login for work and home is worth something, and Trello does both well.
- Store apps today. Trello's iPhone and Android apps are out. The Margin installs from the browser on any phone, and its own store apps are still with testers.
Where The Margin is different#
A board is only part of a household, so the other parts come built in. A chore does more than a card you drag along: a child ticks it off, a parent can approve it, the points add up and an allowance pays itself on payday (pocket money and points). The shopping list sorts itself by aisle and tells everyone when somebody is already at the store (the shopping list).
The price does not grow with the family. Trello's paid plans count each person; The Margin's Family plan covers a household of up to six for one price, and kids' accounts are included.
It all works with no signal. Each device keeps a full copy and syncs when it is back online, on the web as well as the phone (working offline).
The boards you already have still work the way you expect: columns, cards, labels, checklists, due dates, assignees and repeating cards (boards and cards).
Moving from Trello#
- In Trello, open the board's menu and export it as JSON.
- In The Margin, import the file. The board arrives with its lists, cards, labels, checklists and comments (importing your life).
- Move the chore lists into real chores, so they can repeat and earn points, and the grocery list into the shopping list.
Questions
Is there a Trello alternative for families?
Yes. The Margin has Trello-style boards and cards, and next to them the parts a family needs that Trello does not have: chores a parent can approve, allowances, a shared shopping list, a weekly meal plan and the household's money. Boards, the calendar, the shopping list and money are on its free plan; chores, allowance and the meal plan are on the Family plan.
Can I use Trello for my family?
You can. Many families run a chore board or a weekly plan in Trello, and its free plan allows 10 boards and 10 collaborators per Workspace. What you build is yours to keep up: Trello has no chores with approvals, no allowance, no shopping list and no meal plan of its own, so those become lists and Power-Ups you set up.
How much does Trello cost for a family?
Trello charges per person. On November 8, 2026 its Standard plan was $5 per user a month billed yearly ($6 monthly) and Premium $10 ($12.50 monthly). For four people on Standard that is $20 a month billed yearly, which is our arithmetic, not a Trello family price. The Margin's Family plan is one price for up to six people: $25 a month, or $20 a month paid yearly.
Does Trello have a calendar view on the free plan?
Not the full one. On November 8, 2026 Trello's pricing page listed the Calendar view on Premium and Enterprise, and the Planner (scheduled cards on a calendar) as view-only on Free. The Margin's calendar is on every plan, Free included.
Does Trello work offline?
Trello's phone apps say you can update boards without internet and that changes sync when you are back online. We found no Trello page that says the same for the web or desktop app. The Margin keeps a full copy on each device, so the whole app works with no signal, on the web too.
Can I move my Trello boards to The Margin?
Yes. Export a board from Trello as JSON and import it into The Margin. The board comes across with its lists, cards, labels, checklists and comments.