Trello Alternatives | Self Manager

I will go through some points why Self Manager is a great alternative to Trello

Why Self-Manager.net is a better fit for focused, AI-powered daily work

If you love Trello's simplicity but want faster daily planning, native AI, precise time tracking, image-rich notes, and flat team pricing, Self-Manager.net is built for you. It keeps your tasks, notes, images, and time together on the days you actually work—so planning feels natural and progress is easy to see.

Quick Summary

  • Date-centric workflow: plan by day with unlimited tables (lists) per date—no juggling boards for routine planning.
  • AI built-in: generate project plans, summarize progress, and chat with your data—no add-ons required.
  • Precise time tracking: timers + automatic completion time; see table-level totals and completion % at a glance.
  • Image-first notes: up to 100 uncompressed images per table and a global "All Images" view for visual projects.
  • Collaboration without per-seat fees: one Team owner can invite unlimited collaborators at a flat $20/mo.
  • Fair, simple pricing: $5/mo Individual or $20/mo Team; 7-day free trial.

Self-Manager vs. Trello at a Glance

Philosophy

  • Self-Manager: Daily, date-first planning designed for speed and focus, with AI woven into planning and reviews.
  • Trello: Kanban boards with add-ons ("Power-Ups") and new AI inbox/planner features rolling out.

Pricing Model

  • Self-Manager: $5 Individual, $20 Team (flat, unlimited collaborators).
  • Trello: Free; then $5/user/mo (Standard), $10/user/mo (Premium), $17.50+/user/mo (Enterprise) (annual).

AI

  • Self-Manager: Native AI for creating tables/projects, summarizing periods, chatting with your workspace; designed to automate reviews and setup.
  • Trello: AI inbox and calendar-style planner in 2025 to capture inputs and summarize; Butler automation for rules.

Time Tracking

  • Self-Manager: Built-in timers & automatic duration, table totals, completion metrics.
  • Trello: Requires add-ons/integrations for native time tracking; not in core pricing pages.

Media & Documentation

  • Self-Manager: Rich notes + 100 images/table (uncompressed), global image gallery across tables.
  • Trello: Standard attachments on cards. (Advanced storage depends on plan/add-ons.)

What Makes Self-Manager a Standout Trello Alternative

1. Plan by Day, Not Just by Board

Self-Manager organizes work around dates, each with unlimited tables. That means your Today plan, notes, and supporting files live together—ideal for personal productivity and fast-moving teams that plan in daily/weekly cycles.

This unique approach makes it very easy to use. Each day has its own data and you can add data to past and future dates.

No more juggling multiple boards or getting lost in complex hierarchies. Everything you need for a specific day is right there, organized and accessible.

2. AI That Actually Does the Work With You

Skip manual setup and end-of-week reporting. Use AI to turn prompts into structured tables, summarize progress across a period, and chat with your workspace for instant answers.

It's built-in—no marketplace hunt or per-seat AI upsell. The AI understands your workflow and helps you plan faster, review smarter, and stay focused on what matters.

Generate entire project plans from a simple description, or ask the AI to summarize what you accomplished this week—all without leaving your workspace.

3. See Time and Progress Clearly

Start a timer on a task or let Self-Manager infer completion time; see table totals, time ranges, and completion % without spreadsheets.

Great for billing, retros, and accurate estimates. Track how long tasks actually take, identify bottlenecks, and improve your planning over time.

Every table shows its completion percentage at a glance, so you always know where you stand and what needs attention.

4. A Visual Memory for Every Project

Attach up to 100 original-quality images per table (designs, screenshots, receipts), then review everything from a single global gallery—a big win over scattered card attachments.

There is a button at the bottom of all tables "Show all images" which takes you to a page where all your images are visible. You can also go to the URL directly: self-manager.net/all-images

Above each row of images appears the date for which they were added. Clicking that date takes you to that specific date with all tables from that day.

Perfect for designers, contractors, and anyone who needs to keep visual records organized and accessible.

5. Collaboration Without Cost Creep

Invite clients or your whole team to edit shared tables at no extra cost—only the owner needs the Team plan. This flips the typical per-user math from Trello's paid tiers.

Whether you're collaborating with 2 people or 20, your cost stays flat at $20/mo. No surprises, no scaling headaches.

Share specific tables with team members, clients, or contractors without worrying about adding another seat to your bill.

6. Built for Speed and Simplicity

Fast, minimalist UI; real-time sync; drag-and-drop; light/dark mode. The app feels "desktop-fast" in the browser, so you spend more time doing, less time clicking.

Navigating between tables and dates on Self-Manager feels instant. It feels like a desktop application that doesn't use the internet.

Your tables, tasks, notes and images are available all at once on a single page. You might want to add a new task and some notes related to it—you can do that on the same page.

You can edit all table info (title and description) and all tasks from a single panel without leaving the page.

The search from the sidebar on desktop or mobile top is powerful and searches through table names, tasks and notes. From the search results page you can click on the table name and navigate directly to that date and table.

7. Solid Tech & Security

Runs on Google Cloud/Firebase with encryption in transit and at rest—enterprise-grade foundations out of the box. Your data is secure, backed up, and accessible from anywhere with bank-level security standards.

When Trello Might Still Fit

If your team lives in kanban boards, depends on Butler rules, or needs Trello's new Inbox/Planner beta tied into Slack/email capture, Trello can be a comfortable choice—especially if everyone already knows it. Just be mindful that advanced features and admin controls push you toward per-user paid tiers.

Pricing Snapshot

  • Self-Manager: $5/mo Individual, $20/mo Team (flat, unlimited collaborators), 7-day free trial.
  • Trello: Free, $5/user/mo Standard, $10/user/mo Premium, $17.50+/user/mo Enterprise (annual billing).

Bottom Line

Choose Self-Manager if you want day-first planning, native AI, real time tracking + images, and predictable team cost. Choose Trello if your workflow is board-first and you're fine with per-user pricing and add-ons for advanced needs.

For many creators, consultants, and growing teams, Self-Manager delivers more capability per dollar and a smoother daily rhythm.

Self Manager

Manage tasks, take notes
and upload related images

7 days free trial