A Trello alternative built for client work
Trello is a flexible board for almost anything. If your boards are client projects, Mono gives you the same card-and-column boards, plus client contracts, time tracking and invoicing in the same place.
A general-purpose board doesn't know a client is paying for the work.
Trello is great at what it was built for: simple, flexible boards for any kind of list. But for client work, the parts that matter to the business (the contract, the hours and the invoice) end up in add-ons, other apps and spreadsheets.
Mono keeps the board and builds those parts in. Every board belongs to a client contract, your team logs time against its tasks, and invoices are linked to the same client.
Everything you use Trello for, plus the client side
Boards that work the way you do
Use kanban (move cards across columns) or scrum (plan work in short sprints). Add your own columns and set a limit on how many tasks each one can hold.
More than a card
Organise work as epics, stories, tasks and sub-tasks. Each task gets a short number like ACME-121, a priority, one or more people assigned, and files or links attached.
Automation and discussion
Set rules that assign a task, change its priority or notify the assignee when it moves into a column. Comment on tasks and @mention teammates to notify them.
A contract behind every board
Each board belongs to a client contract, and the board shows how many of the agreed days are already used.
Time tracking with no add-on
Start a timer from a card on the board. The hours go onto your Timesheet, already linked to the client.
Invoices in the same place
Invoice the client from the same workspace and see paid, unpaid and overdue amounts on the finance dashboard. Included in the Pro plan.
The same client project, on Trello and on Mono
On Trello, a website project is a board with lists for Design, Build and Launch. The scope and the agreed days are in a PDF in someone's inbox, hours go into a separate time tracker through an add-on, and the invoice is made in an accounting app. To check whether the project is over, someone exports from three places.
On Mono, the same project starts with the contract: its dates and the 20 days agreed. The board sits under that contract, with the same cards and columns. Time is logged against the cards, and the Board overview shows the days planned and worked on finished tasks against the 20 agreed.
The cards look the same. The difference is that Mono knows which client is paying for them and how much of the agreement they have used.
Mono and Trello side by side
Where each one fits, including where Trello is the better choice.
- Card-and-column (kanban) boards
- Mono: Yes, plus scrum boards with sprints
- Trello: Yes, it's Trello's core feature
- Sprints and backlog
- Mono: Built in on scrum boards
- Trello: Not built in; available through add-ons (Power-Ups)
- Client contracts
- Mono: Every board belongs to one
- Trello: Not built in
- Time tracking
- Mono: Built in, logged against tasks
- Trello: Through third-party add-ons
- Invoicing
- Mono: Built in (Pro plan)
- Trello: Not built in
- Automation
- Mono: Rules that run when a task enters a column: assign it, change its priority or notify the assignee
- Trello: Built-in automation with many more triggers and actions
- Ways to view the work
- Mono: Board, backlog and timeline
- Trello: Board on every plan; more views, such as calendar, timeline and table, on paid plans
- Sharing with clients
- Mono: No client logins; clients are records, not users
- Trello: You can invite guests to a board
- Use beyond client work
- Mono: Made for client work only
- Trello: Yes, works for almost any kind of list
- Free option
- Mono: 90-day free trial
- Trello: A long-standing free plan
Based on each product's publicly documented features as of October 2026. Products change, so check their websites for the latest details.
Choosing between Trello and Mono
When Trello is the better choice
If your boards are personal lists, internal plans or anything other than work you deliver to clients, Trello's simplicity, free plan and large library of add-ons are hard to beat. If you need clients to look at the board themselves, Trello lets you invite guests and Mono does not.
When Mono is the better fit
If most of your boards are client projects and you keep the contract, the hours and the invoices somewhere else, Mono replaces that patchwork. You keep the card-and-column way of working, and the client side is built in rather than added on.
How teams usually switch
There is no Trello import yet. Teams usually move one active client project first: add the client and contract, recreate the board's columns, and carry over only the open cards. Finished work stays in Trello as a record. For a bigger move, talk to us and we will help.
Moving a client project over
Add the client and contract
Enter who the work is for and what was agreed. That's the part Trello never held.
Set up the board
Create a kanban board under the contract and add your columns and tasks. There's no Trello import yet, so we help with bigger moves.
Work as usual, with the numbers
Move cards as you always have, and log time against them as you go.
Part of one workspace
Each piece reads the same client, contract and task records, so delivery and billing never drift into separate systems.
Project boards tied to contracts
Kanban and scrum boards that belong to a client contract, so every task carries its scope, deadline and day allowance.
Time tracking
A timer and weekly timesheet where every hour is logged against a task — and so against a client contract.
Invoicing and finance
Invoices linked to the client and contract, PDF downloads, payment tracking and a finance dashboard with per-client ROI.
Frequently asked questions
Not yet. There's no import tool. Most teams start with one active project. If you have a bigger move in mind, talk to us and we'll help you bring your work in.
Probably not. Mono is built for teams doing work for clients. If your boards aren't client projects, Trello's simplicity is likely the better fit.
Boards, tasks, sprints and time tracking are on every plan, including the free trial (with trial limits). Invoicing and the finance dashboard are included in the Pro plan.
Mono has rules that run when a task enters a column: assign it, change its priority or notify the assignee. Trello's built-in automation covers many more triggers and actions.
No. Mono has no client logins; clients are records your team keeps. If clients need to see the board themselves, that is a reason to stay with Trello.
Keep the board. Add the client side.
Put one client project on a Mono board and see the difference. The trial is free and needs no credit card.