How to Migrate from Trello to WeKan

Trello's free plan limits you to 10 boards, and paid plans start at $5/user/month. WeKan is the open source kanban board that replicates Trello's core experience — boards, lists, cards, labels, checklists — fully self-hosted with no limits.

What Transfers

Trello Feature	WeKan Status
✅ Boards	Direct import
✅ Lists	Direct import
✅ Cards	Direct import
✅ Card descriptions	Preserved
✅ Labels/colors	Mapped
✅ Checklists	Preserved
✅ Due dates	Preserved
✅ Members	Mapped to users
⚠️ Attachments	Links preserved, files may need re-upload
⚠️ Comments	Imported
❌ Power-Ups	Not supported
❌ Butler automations	Not supported
❌ Custom fields	Partial

Step 1: Export from Trello

1. Open your Trello board
2. Click Menu (⋯) → More → Print and Export
3. Select Export as JSON
4. Save the .json file
5. Repeat for each board

Bulk export (all boards):

• Go to trello.com → Settings → Account → scroll to Personal Data Export
• This exports all boards at once

Step 2: Deploy WeKan

# Docker — simplest deployment
docker run -d \
  --name wekan-db \
  -v /data/wekan-db:/data/db \
  mongo:6

docker run -d \
  --name wekan \
  --link wekan-db:db \
  -e MONGO_URL=mongodb://db/wekan \
  -e ROOT_URL=https://kanban.yourdomain.com \
  -p 80:8080 \
  quay.io/wekan/wekan

Or with Docker Compose for production setup.

Step 3: Import Boards

1. Log in to WeKan
2. Click Import Board (+ button on the home page)
3. Select Trello as the source
4. Upload your exported JSON file
5. Board imports with lists, cards, labels, and checklists

WeKan's Trello import is built-in and handles the mapping automatically.

Step 4: Set Up Users

1. Create user accounts for your team members
2. Add members to the imported boards
3. Set permissions (Admin, Normal, Comment-only)

Step 5: Adjust Workflow

Trello Feature	WeKan Equivalent
Board	Board
List	List (swimlane support too)
Card	Card
Labels	Labels
Checklists	Checklists
Due dates	Due dates
Card cover	Card color
Power-Ups	Custom fields, integrations
Butler	Webhooks (limited)
Calendar view	Calendar view ✅

WeKan extras not in Trello free:

• Unlimited boards
• Swimlanes (horizontal categorization)
• Card subtasks
• Time tracking
• Customizable card fields
• Board templates

Cost Savings

Team Size	Trello Standard	WeKan Self-Hosted	Savings
10 users	$50/month	$5/month (VPS)	$540/year
25 users	$125/month	$10/month	$1,380/year
50 users	$250/month	$20/month	$2,760/year

Migration Timeline

Day	Task
Day 1	Deploy WeKan, import boards
Day 2	Set up users, adjust workflow
Day 3-7	Run both platforms
Week 2	Move primary work to WeKan
Week 3	Archive Trello, downgrade plan

---

Compare kanban tools on OSSAlt — board features, self-hosting options, and community health side by side.