Migrating from GitHub to Trello
Trello and GitHub both handle task management and project tracking, but they differ on pricing — GitHub comes in $2/user/mo/user/mo lower. This guide covers how to move your team across without losing data, context, or momentum.
At a Glance
- Dominant platform for source control and collaboration — used by 100M+ developers, making it the de facto standard for open-source and most commercial software teams
- GitHub Copilot is the leading AI coding assistant, deeply integrated into the platform with code completion, PR summaries, chat, and workspace planning
- GitHub Actions provides powerful, flexible CI/CD built directly into the repository with a massive ecosystem of community-authored actions
- Extremely intuitive drag-and-drop Kanban interface — virtually zero learning curve, new users productive within minutes
- Generous free tier with unlimited cards, unlimited Power-Ups, and up to 10 boards per Workspace
- Butler automation engine is powerful and accessible, allowing no-code workflow automation with rule-based, calendar, and due date triggers
You leave behind
- −roadmapping
- −sprint planning
- −backlog management
Migration Steps
Audit and export your current workspace
Before touching Trello, document what lives in GitHub: projects and tasks, custom fields, automations, integrations, and team permissions. Export a full CSV backup — most tools support this from Settings → Export. Pay particular attention to any custom fields and workflow automations that your team relies on daily.
Set up your Trello workspace
Create your Trello workspace and replicate your project structure using tasks and projects. Trello starts at $6/user/mo/user/mo with a free tier available — budget $2/user/mo more per user. Run with a single pilot team before migrating everyone.
Map your workflow equivalents
Find the closest Trello equivalent for each GitHub feature your team relies on. projects and tasks in GitHub maps to tasks and projects in Trello. Trello supports custom fields — recreate your GitHub field schema here first. Prioritise the critical path: task creation, status tracking, and assignment.
Import your data
Trello supports CSV import for tasks and projects and has 20+ native integrations. After importing, rebuild your key automations — Trello's automation engine can replicate most rules you had in GitHub. Start with your most active project rather than importing everything at once.
Onboard your team
Run a 30-minute walkthrough covering the daily workflow: how to create tasks and projects, update status, and find your board. Trello has a gentle learning curve — most PMs are fully productive within 1–2 days. Focus the session on the UI differences rather than feature training.
Run GitHub in parallel for two weeks
Keep GitHub read-only while your team works primarily in Trello. This reduces risk and lets people reference historical context — old decisions, archived tickets, past sprint data — without slowing the migration. After two weeks with no new work going into GitHub, archive the workspace and make Trello the official home.
Ready to switch?
Read the full Trello review for pricing, integrations, and team fit details.