Comparison

monday.com vs Trello for Video Editors: Which Handles Client Revisions Better?

By Verdict Lane Editorial Team

Published August 17, 2026 · 10 min read

If you're a video editor juggling multiple client projects, you've probably hit the breaking point where email threads and shared Google Docs stop working. You need a system that tracks which edit is current, who approved what, and whether the client has seen version 7 or is still commenting on version 4.

monday.com and Trello are two of the most popular project management tools, but neither was built specifically for video workflows. That creates real problems when you're managing revision cycles, client feedback, and render deadlines. This comparison will show you which tool actually handles the messy reality of client revisions better—and when you need to budget for a third tool entirely.

By the end, you'll know which platform fits your team size, budget, and workflow complexity. More importantly, you'll know when the "affordable" option will cost you more in wasted time, and when the expensive one is overkill.

Quick Comparison Table

Trello: Simple Boards That Break Down at Scale

Trello built its reputation on visual simplicity. You get boards, lists, and cards—that's it. For a solo editor or small team handling 3-5 active clients, that simplicity is exactly why it works.

What it's genuinely good at:

The learning curve is measured in minutes, not days. You can create a "Client Projects" board with lists for "Waiting on Footage," "In Progress," "Client Review," and "Approved" in under five minutes. Your clients understand it immediately—drag the card right when you approve it. No training required.

Butler automation (included with Premium at $12.50/user/month) handles the repetitive stuff well. When you move a card to "Client Review," Butler can automatically add a due date, assign it to your project manager, and post a comment with the review link. For basic revision tracking, that's often enough.

The free Observer accounts are legitimately useful. Your clients can see boards, comment on cards, and download files without paying for a seat. That matters when you're billing $3,000 per project and don't want to explain why the client needs to pay $12.50/month to see their own work.

Who it actually fits:

You're a freelancer or small studio (2-5 people) handling straightforward projects. Each client gets one or two deliverables per month. You don't need nested subtasks or resource planning—you need to know what's rendering, what's waiting on client feedback, and what's overdue.

You're pairing Trello with a dedicated video review tool anyway (Frame.io, Wipster, Ziflow), so you're not expecting Trello to handle frame-accurate comments. Trello is your project tracker; the video tool is your revision system.

Real downsides:

Trello's flat structure collapses when you scale. There's no hierarchy—no way to nest "Social Cut," "Long-Form Edit," and "Thumbnail" deliverables under a parent "Q1 Campaign" project. You end up with either one massive board that becomes impossible to scan, or dozens of separate boards that fragment your workflow.

The permission system is binary: Admin or Observer. You can't create a "Client" role that can approve but not delete, or an "Editor" role that can't move cards to "Approved" without review. Everyone with edit access can accidentally (or intentionally) move any card to any list. That's fine until an editor marks their own work approved to hit a deadline.

Trello has no native video review. You're pasting Frame.io links into card descriptions and hoping clients click the right link for the right version. When a client comments "the logo is wrong" on a Trello card, you have no idea if they're talking about version 3 or version 6. You'll waste 20 minutes figuring it out.

Rough pricing:

Free plan works for solo editors with simple needs. Premium ($12.50/user/month, billed annually) is where you get unlimited automation and better integrations. For a 5-person team, that's $62.50/month—genuinely affordable.

monday.com: Powerful Flexibility That Requires Discipline

monday.com is the opposite of Trello: instead of enforcing simplicity, it gives you every view type, automation option, and customization setting you might need. That power solves real problems for agencies managing complex workflows, but it also creates new problems if your team lacks discipline.

What it's genuinely good at:

The view flexibility is legitimately useful for video teams. You can see active projects in Kanban, switch to Timeline view to spot scheduling conflicts, and jump to Gantt to show clients the full production roadmap. Your project manager lives in Timeline; your editors live in Kanban; your clients see a filtered Calendar view of deliverable dates. Same data, different lenses.

Automation is more sophisticated than Trello's. When a client approves a revision, monday.com can automatically move the item to "Final Export," assign it to your render queue, update the project budget tracker, and notify your account manager—all in one recipe. The 25,000 monthly actions on the Pro plan ($19-20/user/month) is enough for teams up to 15-20 people.

The permission system lets you create custom roles. You can give clients a "Reviewer" role that can comment and change status from "In Review" to "Approved," but can't delete items, change due dates, or see budget columns. That granularity prevents the chaos of everyone having full edit access.

Who it actually fits:

You're an agency or production company with 8+ people managing multiple clients simultaneously. You need resource planning (which editor is overloaded?), budget tracking (are we profitable on this retainer?), and timeline views (will we hit the launch date?). You've outgrown Trello's simplicity and need actual project management, not just task tracking.

You have a project manager or producer who will own the system setup. monday.com requires someone to design the board structure, configure automations, and train the team. It's not a "sign up and start dragging cards" tool—it's a platform you implement.

Real downsides:

monday.com doesn't solve the core video review problem any better than Trello. You still can't play a video in monday.com and drop a comment at 0:47 saying "the transition is jarring here." You're still pasting Frame.io links and managing revisions in a separate tool. You're paying $19-20/user/month for project management, then another $15+/user/month for Frame.io. For an 8-person team, that's $272+/month before you've reviewed a single frame.

The flexibility is a double-edged sword. Any team member can drag any item to any status column unless you explicitly lock it down. An editor under deadline pressure can move their own work from "Internal Review" to "Client Approved" and export it before anyone catches the mistake. Trello has the same problem, but monday.com's power makes teams assume it's preventing these errors when it's not—unless you configure permissions carefully.

Client collaboration is clunky. When you add a client as a guest, they see the same interface your team sees—all the columns, automations, and complexity. You can filter views, but it's still overwhelming compared to a purpose-built client portal. Clients often ignore monday.com notifications and default back to email, defeating the point.

The 3-seat minimum on paid plans means you're paying for $57-60/month minimum even if you're a solo editor who wants Pro features. Trello has no minimum.

Rough pricing:

Pro plan runs $19-20/user/month (billed annually) with that 3-seat minimum. For a 15-person team, you're at $300/month. That's 37% more expensive than Trello Premium at $187.50/month for the same team size. The question is whether the extra views, automations, and permissions justify the premium.

The Video Review Tool Problem Neither Solves

Here's the uncomfortable truth: neither Trello nor monday.com was built for video workflows, and both fail at the one thing video editors need most—frame-accurate revision tracking.

When a client says "the logo looks off," you need to know: which version, which timecode, which logo instance (there are three in this edit). Email fails at this. Trello and monday.com fail at this. You need a dedicated video review tool.

Frame.io is the industry standard. Clients can play the video, click at 0:47, draw a box around the logo, and type "use the blue version here." You see exactly what they mean. Version comparison shows what changed between draft 3 and draft 4. It's purpose-built for this workflow and costs around $15/user/month.

Wipster and Ziflow are solid alternatives with similar frame-accurate commenting. Vimeo Review is cheaper but less feature-rich. The point is: you're paying for a second tool regardless of whether you pick Trello or monday.com.

Timeliner.io is worth mentioning because it's video-specific project management with basic built-in review at $19/user/month. The review features aren't as sophisticated as Frame.io, but you get project tracking and video commenting in one tool. For small teams tired of paying for two subscriptions, it's a legitimate option—though you sacrifice the flexibility of monday.com and the simplicity of Trello.

Verdict: Who Should Pick What

Pick Trello if: - You're a solo editor or team of 2-5 people - Your projects are straightforward (one or two deliverables per client) - You're already using or planning to use Frame.io or similar for video review - Budget matters—$62.50/month for 5 people is genuinely affordable - You value setup speed over customization

Pick monday.com if: - You're an agency or production company with 8+ people - You need resource planning, budget tracking, and timeline views - You have a project manager who will own system setup and training - You're managing complex workflows with multiple deliverables, rounds of revisions, and dependencies - The extra $112.50/month (for a 15-person team) is worth the additional views and permissions

Skip both and use Timeliner.io if: - You're a small video-focused team (2-8 people) who wants project management and basic video review in one tool - You're tired of paying for two subscriptions - You don't need the deep customization of monday.com or the ecosystem integrations of Trello

Don't pay for either if: - You're a solo editor with 1-3 active clients—use Trello's free plan and Frame.io's free tier (3 projects) - Your clients are comfortable with email and shared folders—don't force a PM tool on a workflow that isn't broken - You're just starting out—invest in better equipment or marketing instead of project management software

Final Recommendation

For most small video teams (2-5 people), Trello Premium at $12.50/user/month paired with Frame.io is the practical choice. You get simple project tracking, unlimited automation, and purpose-built video review for around $27.50/user/month total. The lack of hierarchy and advanced permissions will frustrate you eventually, but you'll get 12-18 months of solid use before you outgrow it.

For agencies and production companies with 8+ people, monday.com Pro at $19-20/user/month is worth the premium—but only if you have someone who will properly configure permissions, design board structures, and train the team. The flexibility solves real problems (resource planning, timeline views, custom workflows), but it requires discipline to avoid creating chaos. You're still paying for Frame.io on top, so budget $34-35/user/month total.

The honest answer most video editors don't want to hear: neither tool is perfect because both were built for general project management, not video production. You're either paying for two tools (Trello + Frame.io or monday.com + Frame.io) or compromising on features (Timeliner.io's basic review capabilities). The "best" choice depends on whether you value simplicity and cost (Trello), flexibility and power (monday.com), or video-specific features (Timeliner.io).

Start with Trello's free plan and Frame.io's free tier. If you're still using it after three months and hitting limits, upgrade to Trello Premium. If you outgrow that after a year, then evaluate monday.com—you'll know exactly which features you need by then.