Trello automation (Butler) vs. PrimeScheduler for scheduled comments

If you already use Trello's automation, the obvious question is: "Can't I just do this with Butler?" Sometimes, yes. I built PrimeScheduler, so I'm not neutral, but I'd rather you pick the right tool than install mine for the wrong job.

What Trello automation is good at

Automation (Butler, before Atlassian renamed it) runs rules. Something happens, or a time comes, and Trello does an action for you. For comments, the useful ones are:

• Calendar rules, for example every Monday at 9:00 post "Weekly check-in: please update your status" on every card in the In progress list.
• Due date rules, for example one day before a card is due, post a comment that mentions its members.
• Rules triggered by changes, for example when a card moves to Review, post a comment with the review checklist.

If the same comment should appear again and again, a rule is the right tool. You set it up once and it keeps working.

Where rules get awkward

The trouble starts with comments that only make sense once. "@Jana the files are on the card, ready for your review before Friday" is about this card, this week and this person. To send it with automation you'd create a rule, point it at the right card and the right time, write the text, and then remember to delete the rule after it runs. That's a few minutes of clicking for one comment, and old rules pile up if you forget to clean them out.

Automation also has a monthly limit on how many times rules can run, and the limit depends on your Trello plan. With a handful of recurring rules you'll rarely notice. If you used rules for every one-off message, you might.

What PrimeScheduler does differently

PrimeScheduler is made for the one-off case. The button lives on the card, you write the comment the way you'd write any comment, @mentions autocomplete from the board's members, and you pick a day and time. The comment is posted from your account at that minute. Nothing needs cleaning up afterwards, and the card shows how many comments are waiting, so you can check or cancel them later.

It has limits of its own. You can schedule up to 7 days ahead, and it doesn't do recurring comments yet (they're on the roadmap). The first 5 comments are free, and Pro is $4.99 a month for a whole Trello workspace.

How I decide

My rule of thumb: if I'd write the same comment again next week, it goes into an automation rule. If it's this particular message at that particular time, I schedule it on the card.

The two work fine side by side. A weekly status nudge belongs in an automation rule. Handoffs, client updates during their working hours and "don't forget" notes for Monday morning are a better fit for scheduled comments.

If you're still weighing the options, How to schedule a comment in Trello compares these two with due date reminders and a scheduled email to the card.