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Comparison

Trello vs Timelint.

Trello is simple and flexible. Agencies often outgrow that simplicity when they need clear ownership, consistent status, support intake, and retainer boundaries. Timelint is a ticket-first workflow designed to stay coherent as your agency scales.

  • Ticket-first workflow (issue keys, boards, statuses).
  • Service desk inside projects (queue + triage + SLA).
  • Client portal for requests + threaded updates.
  • Retainer hours + time tracking tied to tickets.
Timelint board view showing ticket status columns

Simple boards vs complete agency workflow

Boards are a start. Agencies need triage, boundaries, and consistency across projects.

Trello
Board-first
  • Great for lightweight boards.
  • Harder to keep status consistent across clients.
  • Support intake often happens outside the board.
  • Retainer/time tracking needs extra tools.
Timelint
Ticket-first
  • Tickets, statuses, and issue keys built in.
  • Service desk queue + SLA inside projects.
  • Portal intake and replies in one thread per ticket.
  • Contract hours and time tracking tied to tickets.

What agencies add when they outgrow Trello

The missing pieces that keep support and delivery moving.

Service desk queue

Triage requests with clear ownership and ordering, inside the project workflow.

First response SLA

Keep response targets visible so nothing quietly breaches.

Client portal

Clients submit requests and follow status without learning your internal board.

Retainer hours

Track contract hours and remaining time as work is logged.

Ticket time tracking

Timer and manual logs with required notes, tied to tickets.

Workflow templates

Standardise across projects so new work looks like existing work.

FAQ

Answers to common questions. Keyboard-friendly and accessible by default.

Is Timelint more complex than Trello? +
It’s more complete. Trello is great early. Timelint adds the agency essentials—service desk, portal, SLAs, retainer boundaries—without enterprise overhead.
Can we keep the board workflow? +
Yes. Timelint includes boards and lists, built around tickets and clear statuses.
Does it include a service desk? +
Yes. Service desk is built into projects with queue + triage and first response SLA.
Do clients get a portal? +
Yes. Clients can submit requests and reply on tickets with predictable access.

Upgrade the workflow, not the admin overhead

Ticket-first project management for agencies.