Ark vs. Trello
The Trello alternative for marketing agencies
Trello is a good tool, and for some teams it is the right one. Here is what an agency still has to set up around it, what Ark ships with, and how to tell which fits.
Boards and cards
What Trello does well
The simplest board there is. Anyone understands it in a minute, and it stays out of the way.
For an agency
Where it gets heavy
- Simplicity ends at the card. Copy, scheduling, contracts and SOPs end up in other apps.
- Power-Ups add pieces one at a time, each with its own settings.
- Review and approval happen in comments, so the client's yes is hard to find later.
Stay with Trello if
a plain board is all your team needs and the rest is already handled elsewhere.
Choose Ark if
you are tired of stitching the surrounding tools together.
Out of the box
Ark and Trello, on the work an agency does every week.
| What an agency needs | Ark | Trello |
|---|---|---|
| A board with a stage and an owner for every taskThe thing every project tool does well. | Built in | Built in |
| Written procedures for each step of client workOnboarding, approvals, publishing, the monthly report. | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Clients comment on and approve copy line by lineSuggest, accept, decline, in the script itself. | Built in | Not what it is for |
| Comments pinned to a moment in the video“0:42, cut this earlier.” | Built in | Not what it is for |
| Post dates, shoots and meetings, synced with Google CalendarEveryone invited, nothing double-booked. | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Client logins that only see their own workNo seat to buy for every client. | Built in | Needs setup or an add-on |
| Contracts signed inside the same placeE-signature, kept next to the client. | Built in | Not what it is for |
- Built in
- Needs setup or an add-on
- Not what it is for
Scored on each product as it comes, with no add-ons or custom building, as of October 2026. Where we were unsure we gave Trello the benefit. If we got something wrong, tell us at support@ark-agency.app.
Ark next to every tool at once: the full comparison. Or see Ark vs. ClickUp, Notion, Frame.io and Asana.
Skip the setup. Start with the process.
Free for up to 2 people. Clients never pay. No card needed.