Trello & Redmine Comparison

22 October 2016

On the way to improve IT-project management processes we decided to find out what are the differences between these tracking systems.

The conclusion we came: both Redmine and Trello may well justify their simultaneous existence in one and the same company.

Being quite different in “weight categories” or in size and complexity of the proposed functionality, these systems are still worthy of comparison.

User interface

From the first minutes of using Trello captivating its simplicity and intuitive of interface, contemporary, minimalist design and maximum visualization of data on each card. In order to provide the same good impression from Redmine you should specifically choose the theme, find improving plug-ins.

But you can agree that design quite secondary in the task management context. To the forefront come functional capabilities which suggested below.

Common functional features

You can create a boards (or projects); handle tasks: change projects, status, assign executors, observers, set checklists, comment, track the history of changes; create “User Groups” (programmers, web designers, testers, sales). In both systems you can configure getting the notifications by mail.

Distinctive features

Trello	Redmine
You can use color labels with text inscription as ticket filtres	The task priority sets not only by positioning on the Agile board but also entering value in a specific field.
Present voting for the ticket	You can set the beginning of execution and time estimation besides only deadline.
You can share a link to ticket (but not to the project)	Tasks can be associated as well as generated to hierarchy of subtasks
There are handy and fast mobile applications for Android and iOS	The ability to create the unique fields (not only trackers), set up their displaying in the specific trackers and projects
	Present package tickets editing
	Present time tracking with calculations and Gantt chart
	An opportunity to set percentage of the task
	You can create a unique user roles with specific rights and restrictions
	Appointment of project versions
	Making the task private (only the author and executor see it)
	Maintaining documentation
	Adding a Wiki
	Ability to add a repository
	Open forums for each project

Conclusions

Redmine has ability to create differents trackers: task / bug / improvement / offering, as well as new fields of any type for specific roles or projects.

issue_list

In Trello tickets can be marked with different colors, but in this case the number of categories is limited by the number of stickers. Redmine propose broad filtering capabilities. It allows any combination of parameters: tracker, priority, the author, who is assigned, subject text, time estimation, readiness, group, role, time filtering: when created, updated, when started, closed, and much more.

It’s also easy to invite to the project the customer who are interested in it progress and development process. To do it just create an account with the necessary restrictions.

If it’s important for you to use the tracking system in mobile devices, Redmine disappoint you absence of mobile apps and even browser adaptive.

Thus, Trello is perfect for small duration projects managed according to “Kanban” methodology or for such projects for example as staff recruitment when visualization is more important than sophisticated functionality. Redmine in this respect is versatile and I think you understood why.

With additional plugins opensource Redmine easily compete other commercial systems.

On a final note

In desire to find the “perfect project management system” should not forget about the methodology. It is the basis for building an efficient software development process. Without methodology even the best system won’t provide maximum of result.

So definitely worth to look for new ways of improving the project management processes.

____

Perfectorium IT company is fastest growing web developing company in Ukraine, is offering you a wide range of services: Website Design & Development, SEO, Mobile Applications.

With our extensive industry experience, Perfectorium understands how to help you to realize your business dreams and maintain your online and offline presence. Feel free to contact us and see what we can do for your business. Our experts can schedule a Skype conference call and give you a brief overview of our company services and make a preliminary assessment of a project cost. Book a free consultation with our website design consultant, fill out a simple form below this post.