Trello vs Asana
Side-by-side comparison of the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy of Trello and Asana.
The documents contain several user-protective features, but they are balanced by auto-renewal, broad liability limits, unilateral changes, and a strong business-contract framing that gives the customer/employer substantial control over data.
Trello is covered by Atlassian’s broader cloud agreement and privacy policy. The terms are fairly standard for a business productivity service: Atlassian can process customer data under a DPA, suspend access for policy or security issues, auto-renew subscriptions, and limit liability substantially. On the plus side, the agreement includes a 30-day return policy for initial orders, a stated security program, data retrieval guidance, and some privacy rights/choices—though much of the privacy posture is customer-controlled in employer-managed accounts.
Points of interest
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negative ●●●●○ termsAuto-renews by default
Subscriptions renew automatically unless you give notice before the term ends. That can lead to unwanted charges if you miss the cancellation window.
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negative ●●●●○ termsBroad liability cap
If something goes wrong, Atlassian’s liability is generally capped at the fees paid in the prior 12 months. That can leave limited recovery for outages, losses, or service failures.
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positive ●●●●○ terms30-day return policy
For an initial order, you can cancel within 30 days for any reason and get a refund. That gives new customers a meaningful trial-like exit option.
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positive ●●●●○ termsData deletion after termination
After the agreement ends, Atlassian says it will delete customer data according to the documentation, unless law prevents it. That is a useful sign for cleanup and offboarding.
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negative ●●●○○ termsOne-sided terms changes
Atlassian can modify the agreement by posting updates, sometimes during your current term. If you object, your main remedy is to terminate the affected subscription and get a refund for unused prepaid fees.
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negative ●●●○○ termsNo refund on cancellation
You can terminate for convenience, but you generally will not get a refund except under the initial 30-day return policy. That makes mid-term cancellation financially costly.
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negative ●●●○○ termsCustomer responsible for users
The customer is responsible for user compliance, user activity, and how users access customer data. In practice, account admins and employers carry much of the risk for misuse.
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positive ●●●○○ termsData retrieval documented
The terms say the documentation explains how customers can retrieve their data from the cloud products. That supports portability and offboarding planning.
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positive ●●●○○ termsSecurity program promised
Atlassian says it maintains security measures and independent third-party audits/certifications. This does not eliminate risk, but it is a concrete security commitment.
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positive ●●○○○ privacyPrivacy choices available
The privacy policy says you may object to certain uses and can access or update certain information. That suggests some user control over Atlassian-held personal data.
Documents
Asana provides meaningful privacy safeguards, certifications, data residency choices, and clear rights-request channels, which are notable positives. But the user-facing terms remain protective of Asana: the service is provided as-is, liability is capped at $100, users owe indemnity, and Asana can change terms or discontinue service with broad discretion.
Asana’s legal posture is generally business-oriented but comparatively transparent. It offers strong privacy/compliance signals, data residency options, admin controls for AI, and a clear privacy-rights request process. However, its terms include broad service-control rights, a very low liability cap, indemnity obligations, and broad discretion to change terms, suspend access, or remove content—especially important for free users and people using employer-managed accounts.
Points of interest
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negative ●●●●● termsLiability capped at $100
If Asana causes harm, its maximum contractual liability is generally limited to $100, which is very low for a productivity platform that may store important work data. It also broadly disclaims warranties.
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negative ●●●●○ termsBroad indemnity obligation
You agree to defend and reimburse Asana for claims tied to your use, content, legal violations, or others' rights. This can shift substantial legal risk and costs onto the user.
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negative ●●●●○ termsUnilateral terms changes
Asana can change the terms by posting updates, and continued use counts as acceptance. That means your rights and obligations may change without a fresh signature.
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positive ●●●●○ privacyStrong privacy certifications
Asana highlights third-party privacy and security certifications and audits, which is a meaningful trust signal for handling customer data. This suggests more mature internal controls than many consumer services provide.
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positive ●●●●○ privacyData residency options
Customers can choose among several data regions, which can help with compliance, localization, and reducing cross-border privacy concerns. Enterprise users can also bring their own encryption keys for added control.
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negative ●●●○○ termsService may end anytime
Asana reserves the right to modify or discontinue the service, temporarily or permanently, with or without notice. Users may have limited recourse if features are removed or access ends.
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negative ●●●○○ termsContent removal discretion
For free users, Asana can remove content it considers objectionable in its sole discretion. This gives the platform broad moderation power beyond clear legal violations.
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negative ●●●○○ termsManaged users lack control
If you use Asana through your employer or another organization, that customer controls much of your data, permissions, integrations, and disputes. Your privacy and access may depend more on your organization than on Asana directly.
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negative ●●●○○ privacyAI may use content
Some AI-powered features use metadata, personal information, and user-generated content such as task titles and descriptions. Users handling sensitive work should understand that AI processing may extend beyond metadata.
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positive ●●●○○ privacyPrivacy rights request form
Asana provides a specific global form for access and deletion/privacy requests, making rights exercise more straightforward. That is more user-friendly than requiring ad hoc email requests.
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positive ●●●○○ privacyLaw enforcement review
Asana says it reviews government requests for validity and proportionality before responding. This is a meaningful transparency and privacy-protective commitment.
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positive ●●●○○ privacyAI can be disabled
Admins can turn Asana AI features on or off, giving organizations meaningful control over whether AI processing happens in their workspace. This can reduce privacy and governance risks.
Documents
Comparison is based on each service's published Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Read the source documents linked above before relying on any specific clause.