Trello makes mobile visitors work too hard to reach “free”
Trello’s first mobile screen hides the product promise, then sends mixed signals at the signup button. In one controlled phone check, the main content also took more than 15 seconds to appear.
Owner brief
We checked Trello’s public homepage on desktop and mobile, tested the first 20 on-site links, and followed every safe step the public page exposed. Three mobile issues stood out at the exact moment a new visitor is deciding whether Trello is worth starting.
Current paid ads and a paid destination could not be verified, so ad-to-page message match was not assessed. This report covers traffic arriving on the public homepage.
Highest-Priority Revenue Leaks
1. The first phone screen sells AI, then shows empty space
A phone visitor sees the Trello header, an AI upgrade message, and a large blank area. The actual promise, “Capture, organize, and tackle your to-dos from anywhere,” starts below the first screen. The free signup button is farther down again.
That order spends the visitor’s first burst of attention on an upgrade for existing customers before explaining why a new customer should care. Someone arriving cold can scroll, wait, or leave without seeing the core offer.
Move the main promise and free-start button into the first screen. Put the AI upgrade message after the core pitch, or reduce the empty space beneath it. Keep checking common phone sizes whenever the banner or homepage layout changes.
2. The mobile signup copy asks for an email field that is not there
The mobile hero shows a single “Sign up - it’s free!” button. There is no email box. Directly underneath, the page says, “By entering my email, I acknowledge the Atlassian Privacy Policy.” Desktop does show an email field beside its button.
This looks like two versions of the signup experience were stitched together. Even a small contradiction beside the main action can make a careful visitor hesitate before handing over their details.
Match the disclosure to what the button actually does. If the next screen collects the email, say that plainly. If mobile should collect it here, restore the field. Keep watching the button, field, and disclosure as one unit across desktop and mobile.
3. The main mobile content arrived more than 15 seconds into the check
In our controlled phone check, Trello’s main content appeared after 15.5 seconds. The page transferred about 5.4 MB across 137 requests. On desktop, the same content appeared in just over two seconds.
One controlled run does not describe every visitor. It does show a mobile path worth treating as urgent. Paid and organic traffic can disappear while a phone is still trying to reveal the offer.
Start with the code, images, and outside services loaded before the main promise. Delay anything the visitor does not need to understand Trello or tap the free-start button. Then repeat the phone check after every homepage, banner, or tracking change.
What we checked
Funnel depth tested: the public homepage on desktop and mobile, plus the first 20 on-site links. All 20 tested links returned a working page. Campaign details stayed attached to the homepage URL during the browser check.
We did not create an account, enter an email, submit a form, test onboarding, reach a plan-selection or billing screen, attempt payment, or review a confirmation email.
The first fix
Put the core promise and free-start button in the first phone screen. That is the clearest way to stop new visitors spending their first moments on an upgrade banner and empty space. Then fix the email disclosure and cut the work required before the offer appears.
Keep the free-start path from drifting
These leaks can return when a promo bar, responsive layout, signup flow, tracking tag, or homepage release changes. FunnelWatch can keep checking the route from first visit to signup and flag the moment the promise, button, wording, or load experience slips out of place.