Trello Integration
Use cases for freelancers and agencies
Connect visual project boards with client business operations. Agencies and freelancers who love Trello's visual workflow often need Plutio for invoicing, contracts, and client communication. The integration bridges both worlds.
Visual project pipeline
When a proposal is signed in Plutio, a card appears on your Trello board in the "New Projects" list. As work progresses, drag the card through your workflow: In Progress, Review, Done. Your team sees project status at a glance while Plutio handles the business side.
The visual pipeline is especially useful during weekly team meetings. Instead of going through a list of project names and asking for status updates, the project manager can share the Trello board on screen. Everyone sees exactly where each project stands: 3 projects in the "In Progress" column, 2 waiting for client review, and 1 ready for final delivery. The meeting becomes a quick visual scan rather than a 30-minute round-robin of verbal updates. Because the cards sync from Plutio, the board always reflects current reality without anyone remembering to update the board before the meeting.
Team workflow visibility
Design teams often prefer Trello's visual format for tracking creative work. Plutio handles client-facing activities (proposals, invoices, contracts) while Trello shows the internal workflow. Both systems stay in sync without manual updates.
The separation between client-facing work and internal tracking is deliberate. Clients interact with Plutio through proposals, invoices, and the client portal. Team members interact with Trello through drag-and-drop cards, checklists, and comments. Neither audience sees the other's workspace, but the Zapier connection keeps both in agreement on project status, deadlines, and completion. A designer can add notes and checklists to a Trello card without those internal details appearing in the client's Plutio view.
Status synchronization
When a Trello card moves to "Done", Zapier can mark the Plutio project as complete. The sync ensures your project management and billing systems agree on project status, which is important for triggering final invoices or archiving.
Status synchronization prevents a common problem at agencies: projects that are finished in the creative tool but still marked as active in the billing system. Without the sync, a completed design project might sit as "active" in Plutio for weeks because nobody remembered to update the status there. The final invoice gets delayed, the project clutters the active projects list, and the client's record does not reflect completion. With the Trello-to-Plutio sync, moving the card to "Done" closes the loop on the business side automatically.
- New project in Plutio: Creates card on Trello board
- Proposal signed: Card moves to "Active" list
- Card moves to Done: Plutio project marked complete
- Project details: Sync to card description and labels
- Invoice paid: Notify via card comment or move to "Paid" list
The bidirectional nature of the integration means your Trello board reflects real-time business activity from Plutio. When a client signs a proposal, the card moves to "Active." When you send a final invoice from Plutio, a note can be added to the Trello card. When payment arrives, the card can move to a "Paid" archive list. The entire client lifecycle, from proposal to payment, is visible on the Trello board through automated card movements and updates. Team members who never log into Plutio can still see the full picture of each project's business status directly from the Trello board alone.
How to connect Trello to Plutio
Use Zapier to bridge Trello and Plutio. The setup takes about 10 minutes and requires no coding.
Step-by-step connection process
- Create a free Zapier account at zapier.com if you do not have one
- Click "Create Zap" in Zapier's dashboard
- Search for "Plutio" as your starting event app
- Choose a starting event ("New Project" is most common)
- Connect your Plutio account when prompted
- Search for "Trello" as your action app
- Choose "Create Card" as the action
- Connect your Trello account when prompted
- Select your board and destination list
- Map fields: project name → card title, details → description, deadline → due date
- Test the automation and turn the automation on
New Plutio projects will automatically create cards on your chosen Trello board.
For the reverse direction (Trello events updating Plutio), create a second automation with Trello as the starting event. The two automations run independently, so you can set up the Plutio-to-Trello flow first and add the Trello-to-Plutio flow later once you are comfortable with the setup. Most teams start with the one-way sync (Plutio projects creating Trello cards) and add the reverse sync (card movements updating Plutio) after a few weeks of testing.
How to update Plutio when cards move
Create a separate automation with Trello as the starting event. Bidirectional sync lets card movements in Trello update project status in Plutio.
Setting up card movement automations
- Create a new automation in Zapier with Trello as the starting event
- Choose "Card Moved to List" as the event
- Select your board and the specific list to monitor (e.g., "Done")
- Choose Plutio as the action app
- Select "Update Project" and map the card to its corresponding project
Common card movement scenarios
- Card moves to "In Progress": Update Plutio project status to active
- Card moves to "Review": Add a note to the Plutio project
- Card moves to "Done": Mark the Plutio project as complete
Each list you want to monitor needs its own automation. You control which movements trigger Plutio actions.
For agencies with a 5-column workflow (New, In Progress, Review, Revisions, Done), you might only need 2 automations: one for "In Progress" (to mark the Plutio project as active) and one for "Done" (to mark the Plutio project as complete). The middle columns (Review, Revisions) are internal workflow states that do not need to update Plutio because they do not affect billing or client-facing status. Keeping the automation count low reduces your Zapier run usage and simplifies maintenance.
A practical tip for card movement tracking: add a unique identifier to the card description when the Plutio-to-Trello automation creates the card. Include the Plutio project ID in the description so the Trello-to-Plutio automation can match the card back to the correct project. Without a matching identifier, the reverse automation cannot reliably determine which Plutio project to update when a card moves.
Which Trello board should I use?
You choose the board during setup. Most teams create a dedicated board for Plutio-synced projects, but you can use an existing board.
Recommended board structure
A simple Kanban workflow for client projects:
- New: Where new Plutio projects land
- In Progress: Active work underway
- Review: Awaiting client feedback
- Done: Completed projects (triggers Plutio completion)
Multiple boards for different work
Create separate automations for different project types. Web design projects could go to a "Design Projects" board while writing projects go to a "Content Projects" board. Zapier filters let you route based on project type.
For agencies with distinct service lines, separate boards keep each team focused on their own work. The design team sees only design projects on their board. The development team sees only development projects. The content team sees only content projects. Each board has its own column structure tailored to that team's workflow. Design boards might have columns for Wireframe, Mockup, Revision, and Final. Development boards might have Backlog, Sprint, QA, and Deployed. The Zapier automation routes each Plutio project to the correct board based on project type, so projects land on the right board automatically without any manual sorting or routing decisions from team members.
What project details transfer to Trello cards?
You configure the mapping during Zapier setup. Any Plutio project field can map to Trello card properties.
Common field mappings
- Card title: Project name or "Client Name - Project Name"
- Card description: Project notes, client contact info, brief details
- Due date: Project deadline from Plutio
- Labels: Project type, priority level, or client category
- Members: Assign to team members working on the project
Combining fields
Zapier lets you combine multiple Plutio fields into a single card property. For example, the card description could include project notes, client email, budget, and deadline all formatted together.
A useful card description format for agencies looks like this: client name on the first line, project budget on the second line, deadline on the third line, and the full project brief as the body text. When a team member opens the card, they see everything they need to start working without switching to Plutio. Labels can use color coding to indicate priority (red for urgent, yellow for medium, green for standard) or project type (blue for web design, purple for branding, orange for marketing). The combination of structured descriptions and color-coded labels makes the Trello board scannable and informative at the same time.
Does Plutio have built-in Kanban boards?
Yes, Plutio includes task boards with Kanban-style views. If you want to bring your tools together and reduce subscription costs, you can manage tasks visually within Plutio.
Plutio task board features
- Drag-and-drop cards between columns
- Custom statuses and workflows per project
- Time tracking built into task cards
- Task assignments with due dates
- Subtasks and checklists
When to use the Trello integration
The Trello integration makes sense when:
- Your team is already invested in Trello workflows
- You need Trello-specific features like Power-Ups
- Team members prefer Trello's interface for daily work
- You have complex Trello automations you want to preserve
For new setups, consider Plutio's built-in boards to simplify your tool stack.
The built-in boards in Plutio also connect directly to time tracking, so team members can start a timer from a task card without switching apps. Trello requires a separate time tracking Power-Up or third-party tool for the same functionality. If you are evaluating whether to keep Trello or move to Plutio's built-in boards, consider whether the time tracking integration and direct connection to invoicing are more valuable than Trello-specific features like Power-Ups and Butler automations.
Can I filter which projects create cards?
Yes, use Zapier's Filter step to control which projects become Trello cards. Filters prevent certain projects from syncing.
Common filter scenarios
- Project type: Only sync web design projects, not consulting
- Client category: Only sync agency clients, not direct clients
- Budget threshold: Only sync projects over $5,000
- Team assignment: Only sync projects assigned to the design team
Setting up filters
Add a Filter step between your Plutio starting event and Trello action. Define conditions like "Project Type equals Web Design" or "Budget is greater than 5000." Only projects matching your conditions will create Trello cards.
Filters also prevent your Trello board from becoming cluttered with low-priority items. Without filters, every new Plutio project creates a card, including small one-off tasks, internal projects, and quick favors that do not need visual tracking. By filtering on budget (only projects over $1,000), project type (only client-facing work), or team assignment (only projects assigned to your team), you keep the board focused on work that actually benefits from visual pipeline management. Internal tasks and small jobs can stay in Plutio's own task management without cluttering the Trello board that your team relies on for daily workflow visibility and weekly planning sessions.
