20+ Best Free & Paid Kanban Software of 2023
Kanban (signboard in Japanese) is hands-down the best visualization methodology within project management.
Kanban is a card-based interface organized in columns creating a visual workflow management system that prioritizes important tasks and streamlines work processes.
Like sticky notes on a whiteboard, Kanban boards, with their intuitive design and visual organization, have become a go-to tool for teams looking to manage their projects effectively.
Kanban boards explained
Every Kanban is built around these core concepts: boards, lists, and cards.
Boards are digital workspaces containing the big picture of your project. Anything can be visualized on a Kanban, from building a spacecraft to organizing an event, planning a trip, or hiring employees.
Lists are the workflows inside your Kanban board. Lists are the columns on the board — these could be actual stages of your production line, the stages of your project, or all the information organized around teams. Here’s what that might look like:
- Time-driven Kanban list: This week, Tomorrow, Today/Doing
- Workflow Kanban list: To Do, Doing, Done
- Team-oriented Kanban list: Development, Support, Marketing or Dev A, Dev B, Dev C.
Cards are tasks within your lists, which are moved from left to right until complete. Each card is a task that includes all relevant information: due dates, priority, assignees, attachments, and feedback loops — card comments, notifications, email integration, and mentions.
This is just the gist. Read this explanatory article on Kanban boards and how to set up workflows for a quick intro to Kanban.
Caveat: Kanban software is designed to be scalable and flexible, accommodating the needs of growing teams and projects over time. Whether you want to implement Lean principles or simply streamline your work processes, Kanban software is an excellent choice for Agile project management. But for the sake of brevity, we won’t delve into Agile or Scrum.
I’ll focus on the main features that set Kanban apart so you know what to look for in a Kanban tool:
Main Features of Kanban software
- Visualization. Does it have a clear and intuitive visual representation of work items and workflow status?
- Collaboration. Does it allow real-time collaboration and communication between team members?
- Customization. Is it flexible to fit specific team processes and workflows?
- Card manipulation. Can users easily add, edit, move, and delete cards within the board?
- Integration. Does it integrate with other tools and systems like project management, time tracking, and source control?
- Reporting and analytics. Does it have built-in reporting and analytics features to track performance, identify bottlenecks, and measure progress?
- Mobile access. Is the software available on mobile devices for remote team members?
- User management. Does it give the ability to manage user access, roles, and permissions within the software?
- Notification and alerts. Are there automated notifications and alerts for important changes or updates to tasks or projects?
- Scalability. Does it offer support for scaling to accommodate growing teams and projects?
Most project management software already have Kanban as part of their many features and functionalities. If you need to track your work progress visually, a task management tool is probably good enough, and it’s not worth switching to a dedicated Kanban.
The hassle of adopting yet another tool can be taxing on your team; plus, there are financial considerations that small teams must keep in mind.
Conversely, if your team is fully agile, organizing work in sprints with the whole gamut of Kanban metrics, then opt for a dedicated tool.
Ultimately, you must ask yourself whether you need a dedicated Kanban or a project management tool with Kanban features. Let’s review some of the best Kanban software on the market.
1. Paymo
Paymo is a robust project management software with Kanban features best suited for freelancers and small & medium-sized teams. Its customizable boards, time tracking, reporting, and collaboration features make it a good option for teams that value flexibility, real-time data visualization, and teamwork.
Onboarding
The onboarding process at Paymo is designed to be quick and easy, with users able to create an account and start using the software within minutes.
Once you create an account, you are greeted with a clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate. The software provides a step-by-step guide to help you get started quickly, which includes creating your first project, adding team members, and setting up your first tasks.
Paymo’s interface is well-designed and user-friendly, with a modern look and feel. The dashboard provides users with a comprehensive overview of all their projects, tasks, and time entries, making it easy to stay on top of their work.
Like all the great project management tools with Kanban functionalities, Paymo allows for a high level of workflow and board customization, task and card management, and automation. Plus, there’s a range of reports, including time-tracking reports, task reports, and project summaries.
Kanban Rule #1: Visualize your workflow to better understand the work being done. This involves creating a visual representation of the work, such as a Kanban board, to track work through various stages.
Evolution
Paymo was founded in 2007 when a small web agency saw the need for a reliable time-tracking app. Since then, Paymo has developed into a full-scale project management solution. In 2016, Paymo underwent a major user interface redesign, focusing on simplifying the user experience and making the software more intuitive, adding Kanban boards to its project management toolset.
This significant development allowed teams to manage their work using more agile methodologies. In 2023, Paymo revamped its time tracking powerhouse, Paymo Track, a 3-in-1 automatic time tracker, stopwatch, and Pomodoro.
Feature highlight
Paymo’s ‘Team Tasks’ is like a Meta Kanban board, providing users with a high-level view of their project progress across multiple boards. The Board view allows users to see all their active projects and tasks in one place. Having said that, the dynamic filters help you sift through the deluge of tasks.
The Meta Kanban is perfect for project managers or owners:
The dashboard displays data from all the projects you’re working on, making it easy to identify bottlenecks and areas where progress is lagging. You may customize what’s shown on the board, lists, and cards.
The verdict
Paymo offers a great balance of features, usability, and affordability for teams looking for a project management solution with a Kanban view. Its customizable boards, card management, and time-tracking features give teams the tools to manage their projects effectively.
The Meta Kanban board is a standout feature that provides users with a comprehensive overview of their project progress and team performance. Users generally find Paymo user-friendly and affordable, with a good balance of features and pricing compared to other project management tools.
Pricing
- Free plan available.
- If paid annually, pricing starts at $4.95 for a solo user or $9.95/user/month.
2. Trello
Trello is a project management tool that’s iconic to Kanban boards. Its default interface is card-based, making it easy for first-time adopters to acquaint themselves with the Kanban methodology.
Onboarding
The onboarding is smooth: as soon as you create an account — depending on your industry and role — your setup includes a template, resources, useful links, and tutorials.
Once you’ve decided on a template or created your own, you can elevate the execution of your task with Power-Ups (‘Card Repeater’ aka recurrent tasks) and integrations (Slack, Google, etc.) or further automate processes with the help of Trello’s Butler (to create rules and conditions, to set WIPs, and so on).
Kanban Rule #2: Limit your Work In Progress (WIP). A WIP limit is the maximum number of cards in any one list. Putting a cap on how many cards are in one list prevents teams from over-committing and exposes bottlenecks in the workflow.
Trello is a user-friendly and visually appealing Kanban product that provides a simple and intuitive way to manage tasks and projects . . .
Evolution
The original concept of Trello was developed in 2011 with simplicity in mind. Joel Spolsky, the founder of Fog Creek Software, and his team were looking for a way to manage their own projects and found that existing project management tools were too complicated and rigid. They wanted a tool that was simple, visual, and flexible.
Trello was eventually acquired by Atlassian in 2017 for $425 million, thanks to its widespread popularity. Since then, it has added new features and integrations to make it more versatile and powerful.
Feature highlight
Trello’s drag-and-drop card interface is great for first-time adopters of Kanban and visual project management. However, what truly shines about Trello lies in its automation: Power-Ups and Trello Butler.
The Verdict
Trello is an excellent choice for teams seeking a simple, user-friendly Kanban solution. Still, there may be better choices for teams with more complex needs or those looking for a high level of customization.
Pricing
- Free plan available.
- Pricing starts at $6/user/month for basic Kanban functionalities.
3. Kanban Zone
Kanban Zone is a cloud-based Kanban software that provides a visual and intuitive way to manage tasks and projects. With its card-based interface, Kanban Zone allows users to quickly prioritize and track their work items, making it an effective tool for Agile project management.
Onboarding
The onboarding is practical: once you create your account, you get a quick tour explaining Kanban terminology.
The interface is intuitive: My Zone is your user dashboard with all the boards, focused work, and statistics. It has quick links to the Knowledge Base, training videos, and other resources.
However, Kanban Zone has a steep learning curve for first-time adopters who aren’t familiar with the technical aspects of Kanban and Lean.
Here are a few technical Kanban terms explained briefly:
- Arrival Rate: determines how much work you are receiving (tasks/day)
- Throughput: tracks how much work you are completing (tasks/day)
- Abandoned Effort: tracks how many cards you started but abandoned (tasks/day)
- Lead Time: tracks how long it takes for a backlogged task to get completed
- Blocked Time: tracks how long a card has been blocked
- Cycle Time: tracks how long it takes for an in-progress task to get completed
- Flow Efficiency: measures whether cards flow efficiently to completion (%)
The reporting and analytics capabilities of Kanban Zone are robust, allowing teams to track performance, measure progress, and identify areas for improvement. Users can view Cycle Time, Lead Time, and Throughput metrics and export data to Excel or CSV files.
Besides the many templates readily available, Kanban Zone . . .
The Verdict
I’d say Kanban Zone may be suitable for small and medium-sized businesses that multitask on a regular basis. Kanban Zone is great for marketing, consulting, and education.
Pricing
- No free plan available.
- Pricing starts at $6.25/user/month, with up to 5 free guests to view and comment.
4. Jira
Jira Software and Jira Work Management are project management tools part of the Atlassian Corporation built around Agile methodologies, using Scrum, Kanban boards, and custom workflows to aid agile teams in their software development or related business operations.
Onboarding
Jira’s onboarding process was smooth thanks to its quick guide (‘Quickstart’) around the modules and brief explanations. Users can choose whether to populate their boards with templates from particular industries or create their own projects.
I must say that Jira’s learning curve can be steep, especially for new users unfamiliar with Agile or Kanban. For instance, it took me a while to find the swimlanes (the horizontal lanes separating different activities or teams) and WIP limit as I customized my board.
Indeed, the interface can feel overwhelming at first, but the interface is user-friendly and feels super slick . . .
The verdict
Overall, Jira has come a long way from a simple issue tracker to a comprehensive project management tool that supports Agile methodologies, customizable workflows, and third-party extensions. I’d say it’s a good choice for software development teams looking to improve their Kanban processes.
Pricing
- Free plan available for teams of up to 10 members.
- Paid plans start at $7.75/user/month.
5. KanbanFlow
KanbanFlow is a web-based Kanban software that helps teams visualize their work and improve productivity. At first glance, it leans closer to Trello than to other dedicated Kanban solutions.
Onboarding
After you create an account, you’re prompted to watch a quick video tutorial to get started. As you look around the interface, you’ll get pop-ups and bubbles to help you onboard.
There’s really not much to say about KanbanFlow. The interface is relatively minimal, looking a bit clunky and old-fashioned. It has basic Kanban functionalities like task filtering and commenting.
You may customize your board by adding columns to your lists and, even better, swimlanes (if you’re on the Premium plan).
Each column can be customized regarding WIP limit and other card-related properties, like showing unfinished subtasks or overdue activities. Even so, the options are somewhat limited.
Custom roles, integrations, and analytics & reporting (everything from cumulative flow all the way to forecasting) are reserved for the Premium plan.
KanbanFlow integrates with Calendar, Zapier, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
Evolution
CodeKick launched KanbanFlow in 2011 as a simple Kanban tool. Since then, it has launched a mobile app in 2012, included Kanban-specific analytics in 2015, and released team collaboration features in 2019.
Feature Highlight
There’s an integrated stopwatch and Pomodoro to track time while working on a specific card. However, manipulating the time entries is limited. You may print out the time logs or save the document as PDF.
The verdict
To be fair, KanbanFlow is too simplistic; it even looks old-fashioned. Other cloud-based solutions on the market offer more bang for your buck, especially if you need time-tracking capabilities.
Pricing
- Free plan available.
- There’s one paid plan, Premium, for $5/user/month.
6. Kanban Tool
Kanban Tool is a cloud-based project management software that provides Kanban boards, analytics, and customizable workflows.
Onboarding
Once you create your account, you can opt for Kanban Tool’s AI Assistant (based on OpenAI technology — think ChatGPT) to help you build the board. The AI will suggest board layouts (workflows) and card types (labels) based on your input and how you plan to use your board. You may edit each list and card type later if you go for the AI’s suggestions.
Kanban Tool integrates with Slack, Zapier, Dropbox, Google Drive, and more, and has a small collection of widgets (interactive checklists, recurring tasks, calendar, pinboard, etc.).
As for analytics and reporting, Kanban Tool provides a Breakdown chart, Lead and Cycle Time, and a Cumulative Flow that users can print or export to Excel (.csv).
There’s a simple time tracker that creates basic summary reports of time worked, though a bit clunky at times. You can’t add time entries or edit them later on, so it’s a bit cumbersome.
The verdict
Overall, Kanban Tool is quite user-friendly, providing high customization and automation. However, Kanban Tool is in need of a redesign. I find the interface a little too old school — it sure doesn’t convey reliability.
Pricing
- Free plan available with two boards and two users, but no file attachments.
- Plans start at €5/user/month. The Enterprise plan for €9/user/month is for time tracking, reporting, and process automation.
7. Kanbanize
Kanbanize is a cloud-based, enterprise-level Kanban software designed to help teams increase efficiency and productivity. What I mean by enterprise level is that the minimum license seats start at 15 users, so it’s designed for larger teams.
The platform has some advanced reporting and analytics, leaning toward the more technical side of Kanban and Scrum: Monte Carlo Simulations, monitoring Flow Efficiency, Cumulative Flow Diagrams, and more.
Onboarding
However, if you’re a first-time adopter of Kanban, you’ll find the interface too dry and hard to navigate. The whole UX feels lacking yet overwhelming — adding a simple card to the list takes significantly longer to figure out. For example, filling the fields out can be confusing if you’re unfamiliar with dependencies, hierarchies, sizes, etc.
As I mentioned, Kanbanize leans more on the technical side, and you can detail every card and list to fit your team’s needs. You can set Swimlanes, Commitment Points (when a work item is ready to be moved), and Delivery Points (when a work item is considered finished).
Kanban Rule #3: Manage your flow by optimizing the tasks in your system. This involves continuously monitoring and measuring Kanban metrics, identifying and addressing bottlenecks, and striving for a smooth and predictable workflow. Also, move down the list of backlogs in order of importance to ensure a continuous flow — that something’s always being worked on.
Evolution
Founded in 2015 by Dimitar Karaivanov and Ivan Petrov, Kanbanize first offered basic Kanban functionalities, custom fields, and automation rules. In 2020 it launched its workflow analytics module, followed by an AI-powered risk management module in 2021.
Feature highlight
Though the design could use an update, the Boards are highly customizable — you may configure everything from Initiatives (i.e., objectives) to Cards (i.e., tasks), set rules, create swimlanes, set WIP, and more.
The verdict
Kanbanize has a steep learning curve, so I advise booking a consultation if you opt for it as your enterprise-level solution.
Pricing
- No free plan available.
- Pricing starts at $179/month for 15 users (roughly $12/user/month). For a batch of ten business rules and SSO + 2FA, pricing starts at $239.
Here’s a quick rundown of # project management software with Kanban features, in no particular order:
8. Wrike
Wrike is a full-fledged project management software that includes Kanban boards as one of its many features. As a Kanban, Wrike has customizable boards to fit users’ specific needs, with options for adding columns, renaming or hiding columns, and adjusting the layout of cards.
Wrike is also a collaboration tool, so the Kanban boards are . . .
9. ProjectManager.com
ProjectManager.com is a project management tool offering various features, including Kanban boards, Gantt charts, time tracking, and reporting, which can help manage complex projects.
From a Kanban standpoint, ProjectManager.com . . .
10. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a project management platform that also includes Kanban workflow visualization with strong automation and reporting features, such as completion rates and card counts.
It focuses on its customizable boards, with the ability to . . .
11. Easy Project
Easy Project is an agile project management software suite that includes Kanban boards as one of its diverse features, from WBS to B2B CRM to Agile Resource Management.
Though not a dedicated Kanban tool, Easy Project has a visually-appealing interface, . . .
12. Airtable
Airtable is a project management tool that looks like an elevated Excel spreadsheet. Airtable has eight views: List, Timeline, Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, Grid, Gallery, and Form view.
Ergo, Airtable is not much of a Kanban tool . . .
13. Hubstaff Tasks
Part of the Hubstaff suite, Hubstaff Tasks is a lightweight task management solution with Kanban features. Built with Agile and Scrum in mind, Hubstaff Tasks markets itself as a simple Kanban software that intertwines Agile methodology with team collaboration.
Having said this, some users have noted that . . .
14. MeisterTask
MeisterTask is a rather light project management software with Kanban functionalities. It’s great for agile-minded teams that don’t need all that bloat in their task management.
MeisterTask’s Kanban includes . . .
15. ZenHub
ZenHub is an agile project management software that integrates with GitHub and provides several Kanban features, such as custom workflows, swimlanes, and cross-team collaboration across multiple boards.
Since ZenHub is mostly agile, . . .
16. Podio
Podio is a cloud-based project management and collaboration software that offers several Kanban-specific features, such as customizable workflows and rule-setting for moving tasks across lists.
Podio leans more on the collaborative side of task management, . . .
17. Asana
Asana is a popular project management software that uses Kanban for workflow visualization.
The Kanban board view is highly customizable . . .
18. Taiga
Taiga is an open-source project management software that’s Scrum and Kanban-oriented.
Taiga is designed for agile project management, with features such as sprints, backlogs, and user stories, making it easy for teams to . . .
19. Monday.com
Monday.com is a project management tool with Kanban visualization for improved collaboration.
Leaning on the collaborative side of project management, Monday.com . . .
20. Planio
Planio is a project management platform with basic Kanban functionalities.
Teams can track tasks and projects on a Kanban-style board, . . .
21. Kanboard
Kanboard is a simple and open-source Kanban software designed to be lightweight and easy to use, making it a great choice for small teams or individuals looking for a basic Kanban solution.
The platform is designed to be simple and intuitive, . . .
Conclusion
Kanban is an excellent methodology for any team looking to increase productivity and streamline their workflows. By implementing a visual system that prioritizes tasks and minimizes waste, teams can work together more efficiently and achieve better results.
So if you’re ready to take your project management to the next level, we recommend trying Kanban software. With so many great options available on the market, there’s sure to be a Kanban tool that fits your team’s unique needs and preferences. It’s why we’ve reviewed 21 of the best Kanban software out there.
In the spirit of “kaizen” (constant improvement), I’ll end this article with Rule #5 of Kanban:
Analyze your workflow and processes to determine how efficiently you work, and always strive to improve them. By implementing a visual system that prioritizes tasks and minimizes waste, you and your team can work together more efficiently and achieve better results.
Start with Paymo today.
🔹 Read the full article on Paymo’s blog for a detailed review of Kanban software. 🔹
