Trello got expensive once Power-Ups stopped being free, and many small teams use maybe three of them. Focalboard, built by the Mattermost team, gives you the same card-and-column model with no per-user fee.

What you gain

• Boards, tables, galleries, and calendar views in one app
• Self-host or run as a free desktop app on Mac, Windows, Linux
• Markdown in cards, no character limits on descriptions
• Your boards live as files you can back up

What you give up

There’s no first-party mobile app the way Trello has one, so phone use is a web view at best. Automations are thinner. The community plugin scene is small compared to Trello Power-Ups.

The math

Trello Standard is $60/year per user; a five-person team runs $300/year. Focalboard is free as a personal desktop app, free if you already self-host Mattermost, or about $5/month for a small VPS.

Who should switch

Small teams that mostly need shared task lists and don’t depend on Trello’s mobile app or Butler automations. If you live on phone and need offline mobile sync, stay with Trello.