Can we get a sane license structure?

Question

Charge by workspace(a workspace license, unlimited users) OR charge ONCE per user unlimited workspaces(maybe charge an additional fee to allow this on a per user basis at the very least). Trello's adoption will grow more than enough to make up for this absurd structure. I'm open to anything that is sane and clearly explainable to upper management.

I've been on two teams that have cancelled anything above free, or abandoned Trello because of the licensing structure. We are an enormous international non-tech company. It's not because the cost is the issue.

Think about this dialog:

Management approving invoices: "I thought we just paid for your Trello license, like two times already?"

Me: "Trello charges per user per month annualized per workspace"

Upper management: "Use MS Planner"

Me: "bbuttt.., I like this product from a company that has such a license structure, it's miles beyond planner"

Upper management: "You're an idiot. We already pay for planner and anyone in the company can use it with any team they want, use it"

Me: ". .... .. ...."

Trello is leaving money on the table, plain an simple. I could probably get more $ approved than we would pay with this license structure, but because it only provides scalability in a non-linear manner. A lower priority group with more members cost more than a higher priority group with less members... It's not about individuals, I'm part of several groups, most people using a tool like this are. Some of those groups may take an hour or two a month. Some of those groups may take %80 of my time.

And that's you're lucky enough to have management that is will listen enough to understand the licensing and think about scalability before saying "no."

What's the future of Trello? I don't know, I'm not focused on innovating in this space. I can say that if things basic as status (a "custom" field...) is locked behind this asinine price structure, it's no wonder that I haven't heard nearly as much about Trello in the past 4-5 years. I'd imaging your adoption rate stalled right in line with that.

Sorry for the rant, but this is quite short sighted and shows the lack of understanding in corporate structures. Which is a real shame for such a useful tool.

Daniel Hogan · Answer

This doesn't really address the issue. I guess maybe you're dropping a hint as to how to script bypass the licensing? haha

What is the license for? The license is per user, per workspace. It should be either or, not both. Maybe there could be another option. The current one doesn't make sense in any but possibly the smallest organizations, isolated teams, or one off niche uses. It simply does not scale with... normal business models.

Our consultants that I work with don't need to be on a workspace with our entire internal development team that works with various groups of their own. They don't need to be on a development team working with accounting, neither do many of my other internal developers. Ignoring that I'm part of several other groups and that I am not management.. for me alone, that's 3 "licenses". Then any other developer that works with the same consultants multiplies his too. This 3 number grows with every groups I'm a part of.

It's seen as a malicious money grab. I don't think it is. I honestly think it's just a licensing structure that is disattached from reality.

Riley Venable · Answer

When you pay for a license, you pay for it until the end of your current billing period. Removing or deactivating a member from the paid Workspace frees up their license which can then be assigned to a different user at no additional charge. This lets you transfer licenses to new members as many times as you like until your subscription renews.