Who Owns Trello?
Trello is owned by Atlassian, a publicly traded Australian software company. Atlassian acquired Trello in January 2017 for $425 million and continues to operate it as part of Atlassian's project management portfolio. Atlassian is publicly traded on NASDAQ under ticker TEAM.
Parent Company
Atlassian
Acquired
2017
Status
Publicly Traded
Headquarters
New York City, New York, USA
Who Owns Trello?
- Parent Company: Atlassian
- Ownership Type: Wholly owned
- Acquisition Year: 2017
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock Ticker: NASDAQ: TEAM
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Trello | Atlassian | Wholly owned |
History of Trello
- Founded: 2011
- Founders: Joel Spolsky, Michael Pryor
- Acquired by Atlassian: 2017
Trello was created in 2011 by Fog Creek Software (later renamed Stack Overflow) under the leadership of Joel Spolsky and Michael Pryor. The application was developed as a web-based kanban-style project management tool, inspired by the Toyota Production System's kanban method.
The name "Trello" was derived from the word "trellis," which had been the project's code name during early development. Trello was officially released at a TechCrunch event and quickly gained recognition, being named one of "The 7 Coolest Startups You Haven't Heard of Yet" by Wired magazine in September 2011.
In 2014, Trello was spun out from Fog Creek Software to form an independent company based in New York City. The company raised $10.3 million in funding from Index Ventures and Spark Capital, with founders Michael Pryor and Joel Spolsky retaining majority ownership.
Trello experienced rapid growth, claiming over 1 million daily active users by 2016 and reaching 50 million users by October 2019. The company expanded internationally with localized interfaces and launched the Power-Up platform allowing third-party integrations.
In January 2017, Atlassian announced its acquisition of Trello for $425 million, with $360 million in cash and $65 million in shares and options. Following the acquisition, Trello continued to grow while integrating with Atlassian's broader product ecosystem.
About Atlassian
Atlassian operates as a software company providing tools for software development, project management, and team collaboration. The company's business model is primarily subscription-based, offering cloud and self-hosted versions of its products through various pricing tiers.
The company's core product ecosystem includes Jira for issue tracking and project management, Confluence for team collaboration and documentation, Bitbucket for code management, and Trello for visual project management. Atlassian also offers specialized products for IT service management, agile planning, and team administration.
Atlassian serves millions of users across various industries, with particular strength in software development, technology, and enterprise sectors. The company generates annual revenues exceeding $3 billion and maintains a strong market position in the developer tools and team collaboration software categories.
- Founded: 2002
- Headquarters: Sydney, Australia
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock: NASDAQ: TEAM
Where Is Trello Made / Based?
- Headquarters: New York City, New York, USA
- Manufacturing / Operations: United States, Global cloud infrastructure
Trello Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Strong integration with Atlassian's broader product ecosystem
- +Large and growing user base with millions of active users
- +Visual, intuitive interface requiring minimal training
- +Extensive Power-Up marketplace for third-party integrations
- +Backed by Atlassian's resources and technical infrastructure
Considerations
- -Competition from specialized project management tools
- -Data security concerns following breaches in 2024
- -Integration challenges balancing independence with Atlassian ecosystem
- -Market saturation in basic kanban project management
- -Dependency on Atlassian's strategic priorities and resource allocation
Frequently Asked Questions About Trello
Competitors to Trello
These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.
| Brand | Parent Company | Country | Founded | Market Position | Primary Market | Gender Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symphony Technology Group | USA | 2006 | Mass Market | North America | Male | |
| The Omni Group | USA | 2006 | Mass Market | North America | Male | |
| Bending Spoons | Netherlands | 2009 | Mass Market | Global | All Genders | |
| Calendly | USA | 2013 | Mass Market | North America | All Genders | |
| Intsig Information | China | 2010 | Mass Market | Asia Pacific | Male | |
| Microsoft | USA | 1997 | Mass Market | North America | All Genders |
Learn More About Competitors
Wrike
Owned by Symphony Technology Group
Cloud-based collaborative work management platform for managing projects, deadlines, schedules, and workflow processes.
OmniPlan
Owned by The Omni Group
Professional project management and planning software for macOS, iOS, and other Apple platforms with Gantt charts and resource management.
WeTransfer
Owned by Bending Spoons S.p.A.
Dutch file transfer service allowing users to share large files up to 2GB for free through a simple web-based interface.
Calendly
Owned by Calendly, Inc.
Scheduling automation software platform that eliminates back-and-forth emails when booking meetings.
CamScanner
Owned by INTSIG Information Co., Ltd.
Mobile document scanning application that converts smartphone photos into PDF and JPEG documents with OCR capabilities.
Outlook
Owned by Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft's personal information manager and email client application for individuals and businesses.
Competitive Analysis
Market Positioning: Trello competes with 6 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
Atlassian Stock Information
Jobs at Atlassian
Latest News About Trello
Related Articles About Trello
View more articles
Monthly M&A Roundup: February 2026 Brand Ownership Changes
From Keurig Dr Pepper's planned split to the Netflix-WBD saga, here is every major brand ownership change and deal in February 2026.
The Most Acquired Categories: Tech vs CPG vs Pharma
Which industries see the most brand acquisitions? We compared technology, consumer goods, and pharmaceuticals to find out where the most M&A activity happens and why.
The Truth About 'Made in America' Brand Claims
Many brands market themselves as American-made. But what does that actually mean when the parent company is foreign, the parts come from overseas, and 'assembled in USA' is not the same as 'made in USA'?
People Also Searched
Discover popular brands and companies in the Technology & Software category and related searches from other users.
Acrobat Reader
Adobe's free PDF viewer application for viewing, printing, and annotating PDF documents across multiple platforms.
Alexa
Amazon's artificial intelligence voice assistant technology powering smart speakers, devices, and services for voice-activated control and information retrieval.
Amazon Advertising
Amazon's advertising platform providing sponsored product ads, display advertising, and marketing solutions for sellers and brands.