Lovable
Builds boards with Supabase auth and realtime quickly.
Project management · updated 2026-11-03
Can you vibe code a Trello clone?
Easy: Yes, easily Yes. A kanban board for you or a small team is a well-trodden vibe coding project; realtime collaboration and automations are the hard edges.
3–8 h
MVP build time
$0–$50/mo
Your running cost
$5/mo/seat
Trello Standard
up to $60
Saved per year
The honest verdict
Boards, lists and draggable cards are a staple of coding tutorials, and AI tools generate them reliably. For one person or a small team, a vibe-coded board with comments and due dates covers most daily use. Trello's value at scale is realtime multi-user editing, Power-Ups, automation, mobile apps and permissions; Standard is $5 per user a month, so for a team the savings are real but modest.
Trello is kanban boards with lists and cards for teams to track work. This page is about building your own version for personal or internal use, or to learn how this kind of product works, not about copying Trello to compete with it. How we grade.
What's easy and what's hard
Easy with AI
- Boards, lists and cards
- Drag and drop between lists
- Card details: description, due date, labels, checklist
- Archive and search
Hard (where AI won't save you)
- Realtime updates when several people edit the same board
- Fine-grained permissions for workspaces, boards and guests
- Attachments with storage limits and virus scanning
- Automation rules and integrations
Trello feature checklist
Difficulty is for a solo builder using an AI coding tool. Skip means not worth building yourself.
| Feature | Difficulty | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Boards, lists, cards | Easy | Three tables plus sort keys. |
| Drag and drop | Easy | dnd-kit or similar; persist with fractional indexes. |
| Card details and checklists | Easy | Standard CRUD. |
| Comments and activity log | Medium | Append-only activity table; render safely. |
| Realtime multi-user updates | Medium | Supabase Realtime or websockets; handle conflicting moves. |
| Members and permissions | Medium | Board membership checked on every query. |
| Attachments | Medium | Signed uploads to object storage with limits. |
| Automations (Butler-style) | Hard | A rules engine is its own product. |
| Power-Ups and integrations | Skip | Use webhooks for the one or two you need. |
Build time and running costs
Your own version vs Trello, at personal or small-team scale.
Build time
- Working MVP for yourself
- 3–8 h
- Polished, relied on daily
- 3–6 days
- MVP time at $50/h equals
- 55 months of Trello
Trello price (checked 2026-11-03)
Standard: $5/mo/seat billed annually
Free for up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per workspace; Standard is $5 per user a month billed annually ($6 monthly); Premium $10.
Source: trello.com/pricing. Prices change; check before deciding.
| Running cost | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | $0–$20 | Free or hobby tier. |
| Database, auth and realtime | $0–$25 | Supabase free or Pro tier. |
| File storage | $0–$5 | Object storage for attachments. |
| Total | $0–$50/mo | Saves up to $60 a year vs Trello Standard per seat; at the top of the range it costs $540 a year more. |
Recommended vibe coding tools
Starter prompt
Paste it into your tool, then ask for a plan before any code. Edit the specifics to match what you need.
prompt.txt
Build a kanban board app for my small team (under 10 people). Features: - Workspaces with members (owner, member). Boards inside a workspace. - Lists and cards with drag and drop between and within lists; order persisted with fractional sort keys. - Card details: title, Markdown description, labels, due date, assignees, checklist, comments. - Realtime: other members see card moves and edits within a second. - Activity log per card and board. - Search across cards in a workspace. - Optional attachments via signed uploads (max 10 MB, images and PDFs only). Data model: workspaces, memberships, boards, lists, cards, card_assignees, checklist_items, comments, activities, attachments. Security: - Every read and write checks workspace membership via row level security or server-side checks; never trust board IDs from the client alone. - Sanitize Markdown and comments to prevent XSS. - Attachments stored privately and served through short-lived signed URLs. - Invite links are random, single-use and expire.
Security pitfalls to check
AI tools often get these wrong by default. Check each one before anyone else uses the app.
- 01Realtime channels that do not check membership broadcast private boards to anyone who knows the board ID.
- 02Public attachment buckets expose files to the internet; use private storage with signed URLs.
- 03Comments and descriptions rendered as Markdown need sanitizing.
- 04Invite links that never expire let removed members rejoin.
Indie makers who built a real project management business
They went far past the prototype: support, payments, reliability and years of iteration. Their profiles show what that took.
Jason Fried built Fizzy
Kanban-style tracker from 37signals with self-hostable source.
Jason Fried built Basecamp
Project management tool built by 37signals.
Tareq Hasan built WP Project Manager
Project and task plugin with kanban boards for WordPress.
Mustafa Yusuf built Tasks
To-do, reminders and kanban app for Apple platforms.
Or just use these indie-made tools instead
If you need Trello's job done rather than a project, these are built and supported by independent makers.
Fizzy
fizzy.do
Kanban-style tracker for issues, ideas and small projects, with source code you can self-host.
by Jason Fried
Basecamp
basecamp.com
Project management and team communication tool for small businesses.
by Jason Fried
WP Project Manager
wordpress.org
Project and task management plugin with kanban boards and time tracking.
by Tareq Hasan
Tasks
thetasks.app
To-do list, reminders and kanban app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro; featured by Apple as App of the Day.
by Mustafa Yusuf
What building it teaches you
A kanban board teaches drag-and-drop ordering, realtime subscriptions and permission models for shared data.
Can you vibe code these too?
Vibe coding Trello: FAQ
Can you vibe code a Trello clone?
Easy. Yes. A kanban board for you or a small team is a well-trodden vibe coding project; realtime collaboration and automations are the hard edges.
How long does it take to vibe code a Trello clone?
A working personal or internal MVP takes about 3–8 h with a tool like Lovable. A polished version you would rely on every day takes about 3–6 days, mostly spent on realtime updates when several people edit the same board.
How much does it cost to run your own Trello alternative?
Expect $0–$50/mo at personal or small-team scale (hosting, database, auth and realtime, file storage). Trello Standard costs $5/mo/seat (checked 2026-11-03), so the most you would save is $60 a year, before counting your time.
Can I vibe code a Trello clone for my team?
Yes. Boards, lists, draggable cards, comments and realtime updates for a small team are a realistic project of one to a few days. Automations and integrations are what take long.
Is there an open-source Trello alternative?
Yes. Options include Fizzy from 37signals, whose source code you can self-host, as well as Wekan and Planka. Self-hosting means you handle updates and backups.
How much does Trello cost per user?
Trello Standard is $5 per user a month billed annually or $6 monthly, and Premium is $10 annually, checked on 2026-11-03. The free plan allows up to 10 collaborators per workspace.
Is it legal to build your own Trello clone?
Building your own tool that solves the same problem is common and generally fine. Copying Trello's code, design assets, brand name or content is not. Use your own name and design, respect their terms of service, and get proper advice if you plan to sell it. This page is not legal advice.