Kanban boards are a great way to see the big picture of your project. The basic Kanban board workflow consists of 3 different steps that you use to categorize your tasks: To Do, In Progress, and Completed. As you progress with a given task, you move it to the next step of the workflow. Depending on the general structure or size of your team and the objective of the tasks at hand, you can customize these workflow steps to meet your specific requirements.
While Kanban boards can be physically mapped out with sticky notes, today many leading project management tools offer Kanban board software to digitize this process. Using a Kanban board tool is a great way to provide a real-time status update all work items and helps boost collaboration across teams.
This roundup will look at some of the best Kanban board software solutions available today. So whether you are looking for a solution to use in your next development project or just want to try out Kanban boards, here’s what you need to know.
Why Use Kanban Software?
Kanban software helps organize, visualize, and manage work efficiently. With a Kanban tool, you can:
- Automate some work processes
- Break down work into smaller pieces
- Assign tasks to specific team members
- Set deadlines and track progress
- Get real-time feedback on work items
A Kanban board is powerful a visual tool for your project management tasks, as it can help with your overall planning, tracking, and progress monitoring. Using a Kanban board will help you optimize your workflow and get things done faster.
What To Look For In Your Kanban Software
While any Kanban software program might accomplish what you are looking for, not all programs are created the same way. So don’t randomly pick a program because it costs less or because you saw an ad about it while scrolling through Facebook. Instead, take the time to research your particular business needs and what a Kanban software platform can do for your business.
To pick the best Kanban software for you, create a list of what you want your software to accomplish and narrow down the choices of a platform that does just that. A sample of options include:
- How much does it cost?
- How many users are included with this software?
- What features does it offer?
- What do the customer reviews look like?
- How is their customer service?
- Does this program scale?
- How long will it take to get this program adopted into my business?
- Are there tutorials on how to use the software?
- Can I integrate the software into my current CRM, or is it standalone?
While some of the above questions may carry more weight than others, i.e., a cost that can be prohibitive, try to pick a program that closely aligns with what you want to accomplish for your business. Remember that your industry and professional goals will also impact which tool you choose. For example, a healthcare software development team will likely have different needs than a creative marketing agency.
The 20 Best Kanban Software of 2024
Each of these Kanban software platforms has its unique features, benefits, and drawbacks. Do your due diligence before choosing a program that will work for yourself or your team, and remember there are many options, so don’t just settle for second best. Here are some of the top Kanban software tools on the market in 2024.
1. Hive
Hive is a leading project management software that lets you view your projects in 6 different layouts, one of which is it’s visually appealing Kanban board view. Hive’s Kanban layout is a powerful tool for workflow visualization that gives users the ability to set the status of their project (Unstarted, In-progress, and Completed) and watch as the tasks move from project start to completion. You can also customize these statuses to reflect your team’s specific workflow stages.
Perfect for visual thinkers, the Hive Kanban Board view offers drag-and-drop cards that help users quickly adjust the status and move their tasks through the process. Think of this drag-and-drop as sticky notes or post-its. Users can also add subtasks, files, and comments to each card.
Hive’s Kanban Board is just one feature of this all-in-one productivity software. Other top features of Hive include time-tracking and resourcing, a native note-taking app, workflow automations, team messaging, and much more. Hive is an excellent choice for businesses who want a powerful Kanban tool that also improves productivity and efficiency in many areas of your workflow.
Price: You can try Hive free for 14 days. Hive Free offers free light project management functionality for up to 10 users, while Hive Starter lets you create more projects with unlimited storage for only $5 per month. Hive Teams plans begin at $12 per user, per month and offer the greatest functionality.
2. ClickUp
While not a Kanban-only platform, ClickUp is a jackknife of all trades and includes a Kanban view somewhere in its arsenal. Called “the board view,” this system was built for users to visualize their work and improve project management. Using the board view in ClickUp, you can move around all your tasks and keep track of users and timelines all on one page.
You can also use ClickUp automation, limits, and custom grouping to see your work in progress and quickly identify items that need immediate attention. Creating tasks and viewing the process has never been easier. To learn about other similar tools, check out our guide to the top ClickUp alternatives on the market right now.
Price: ClickUp has a free forever plan for up to 100 MBs of space. After that, it’s $0-$19/user/month.
3. Trello
Kanban’s “little brother,” Trello is a great entry-level solution to try out Kanban-style project management. With its card and board system, you can create Kanban views of your work tasks and progress. Trello is a simple Kanban software tool that’s great for managing personal projects or collaborating with a team. It’s easy to use and understand, making it perfect for those new to Kanban boards. Trello also offers a variety of integrations, such as Google Drive, Slack, and Evernote.
One of the downsides to using Trello is that it can be challenging to scale up as your business grows. Its bare-bones Kanban-style boards just don’t work when you have hundreds of tasks! But if you are just starting out or only need a Kanban board for small projects (freelancers, we’re looking at you!) this could be a great solution.
Check out our guide to the top Trello alternatives for other tools that fall into this category.
Price: Free for individuals and teams up to 12 people, starts at $12/user/month.
4. Jira
Jira is a top-rated Kanban software platform, as it offers a wide range of features for development and DevOps teams. Jira includes a Kanban board as one of its project management views, and it provides WIP limits, swimlanes, and filtering to help teams better manage their work.
Using a Jira Kanban board, you can track tasks, assign work and follow your team’s workflow. What’s best is that it offers a range of comprehensive reporting that can keep your development team on track. Jira also integrates with many other development tools, but it can be tough for new teams to learn and require some new users’ training.
If your team lives from scrum to scrum, and you are looking for the best Kanban board to visualize your Agile process, Jira is a great Kanban software for you to consider. However, keep in mind that the learning curve can be steep, and it may take some time for new users to get comfortable with all the features Jira has to offer. Check out these top Jira alternatives for tools with similar functionality.
Price: $12-$24 USD/user/month depending on edition
5. Asana
Asana is a great Kanban software that helps teams streamline work pipelines and easily spot bottlenecks and backlogs. The platform is built on tasks, which can be grouped into larger projects and assigned to individual team members. On top of the Kanban view, Asana also offers a board view, Gantt chart timeline, and calendar view.
To see how Asana stacks up against other tools on the market, check out our full guide to Asana alternatives.
Price: Asana has a free plan with limited features. Its paid plan unlocks premium features and starts at $10.99.
6. Businessmap
Businessmap utilizes a complex system of Kanban board-based solutions with a focus on larger teams and industries. Users are able to interlink boards on team and management levels creating networks throughout the organization with great transparency within the different departments. With customizable workflows and assignable user roles, Businessmap offers a lot of versatility to help track progress and trends to create focused reports on critical business metrics.
Price: Businessmap lets users try it for free for 14 days and plans start at $149/month with several add-ons available based on a company’s needs.
7. Miro
Miro brings to you an intuitive Kanban software to help you and your team stay on top of things in an easy way. Miro has a ton of templates to get started with, including a directory of templates created by users in their respective industries. You can add several columns and swimlanes, then head over to the toolbar to grab a card, expand it and get all the info required, like who is responsible and when it’s due. If you’re using Jira, you can add existing issues to the Kanban board or vice versa, and turn cards into Jira issue tickets.
There’s also the ability to brainstorm with a team in real-time which gives working on projects remotely a nice touch for online collaboration. Use sticky notes like a real life Kanban board and move them around anywhere just like you would in person to keep ideas flowing.
Price: Get started with 3 editable boards for free, plans start at $8/user/month.
8. nTask
Another software featuring Kanban boards on our list is nTask. Enhance your workflow with the ability to link projects, track time, assign tasks and even visualize using Gantt charts within your board in nTask. Use colors and tags to personalize your workflow and easily identify your task completion stage. You can customize each board to match the project by uploading your organization’s branding and there’s also enhanced card settings.
nTask lets you create tasks by directing emails straight to the Kanban board, where you can set assignees, set due dates and even keep the email exchanges in one place. If you need a place to start, there’s ready-made templates you can use to match several of the most common tasks and you can save the boards you create as templates to use again in the future. The application also features risk, meeting, and team management tools, as well as issue tracking and easy collaboration.
Price: There’s a free version of nTask available with limited features. You can try all the features with a 7-day trial, then subscriptions start at $3/user/month.
9. ProProfs Project
Kanban boards make it easy for project managers to stay on top of progress and ProProfs Project does this in real time.Track how tasks move forward through each stage and quickly step in to make necessary changes to keep your project on track. You can even save your boards to be used as templates for future project.
Price: You can try ProProfs Project free for 15 days and then it’ll cost $39.97 per month.
10. xTiles
xTiles is a note-taking app with a flexible Kanban board-style layout. The software has a customizable infinite canvas workspace where you can lay out ideas and keep it all organized with a drag-and-drop feature. Add a variety of resources to your board, mixing notes, assorted media, links and files. xTiles makes it simple to turn ideas into projects, share them, and collaborate with a team. Its search function lets you quickly look through your notes, optimizing your productivity.
xTitles is available on desktop and mobile, so you can jot down notes on your phone and then pick up where you left off when you are back at your desk.
Price: There’s a free plan available with limited file uploads and cards, and you can get unlimited usage for $8/month.
11. Plaky
Plaky is a completely free and user-friendly task management tool with customizable features. Plaky’s Kanban view allows you to easily group items according to any criteria (e.g. person, status, date, tag). The project management software is a good solution for small and growing businesses, and some of its key features include unlimited users, projects, and tasks. Plaky also offers table and Kanban board views, editable templates, time-tracking integration with Clockify, guest access, as well as permissions control on a per-workspace basis.
Price: All of Plaky’s functionalities can be accessed for free, but you need to sign up with your email to test if Plaky is the best solution for your company.
12. Airtable
Airtable is a low-code, easy-to-follow project management software with a Kanban board view capability. It offers a smooth interface, real-time collaborative experience and flexibility to see projects and tasks in it’s well-known grid view, as well as Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and calendar views.
Plus, Airtable has a free plan that includes up to 5 creators or editors and lets you create unlimited bases, have unlimited commenters and read-only users. Paid plans start at $10/month and offer premium features such as custom branded forms, automatic table syncing, and sync integrations (including Jira Cloud).
Not convinced that this platform is one of the best Kanban alternatives for your team? See how Airtable compares to others in the same category.
13. ProofHub
ProofHub is a project management software that offers several tools to help teams streamline their workflows, including Kanban boards, allowing users to organize tasks and projects in a visual way. With ProofHub’s Kanban boards, teams can create custom columns that represent different stages of a project or task, such as “to-do,” “in progress,” and “completed.” Each task is represented by a card that can be moved from column to column as it progresses through the workflow. This makes it easy for team members to see what tasks need to be done, who is responsible for each task, and how far along each task is in the workflow.
By utilizing Kanban boards in ProofHub, teams can work more efficiently because they have a clear understanding of what tasks need to be done and who is responsible for completing them. Kanban boards make it easy to track progress and identify any bottlenecks in the workflow.
Price: ProofHub pricing starts at $45/month for the Essential plan and $89/month for the Ultimate Control plan, with discounts available for annual billing.
14. Notion
Notion shines as a Kanban board software with its flexible and extensive customization options. The platform allows you to create custom workflows: from super simple to highly elaborate projects. Boards in Notion are handy when sharing information about a project with your team, as it lets you add different types of content to each card such as notes, images, or documents. Additionally, Notion’s ability to link between pages and databases adds an extra level of refinement to your Kanban boards.
Beyond using it as a Kanban board software, Notion gives you an all-in-one workspace where you can also write, plan, collaborate, and organize. One thing to note: Notion’s wide array of features may be a steep learning curve for some.
Price: Notion has a free plan with enough features to get both your personal and work life organized, as well as paid plans starting at $8/user/month.
If you’re considering Notion, but want to know how it stacks up against the competition, check out our list of Notion alternatives.
15. Wrike
Wrike is a project management software that has an excellent Kanban board feature. Wrike’s Boards lets users create and manage tasks with a visually intuitive interface helping to see tasks, stages, and progress at a glance. Tasks can easily be moved from one stage to another via drag-and-drop, allowing the progress of the entire project can be tracked visually. Users can assign tasks to team members, set due dates, and add descriptions, files, or comments.
With Wrike you can customize workflows, create custom fields, and even switch from the Kanban view to a Gantt chart, list, or table with just a click. It also integrates with a wide variety of tools like Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and more, providing a comprehensive and versatile experience for both simple and complex projects.
Price: Wrike has a free plan for startups and as your team grows, they have plans starting at $9.80/user/month.
16. Meistertask
MeisterTask is a simple and intuitive project management software with Kanban boards. You can use their Kanban view to visualize workflows, boost team productivity and support agile project management. MeisterTask features include task creation, assignment, and tracking.
Kanban with MeisterTask is so easy to use simply create your tasks, then sort them into the customizable sections on your Kanban board to create a visual overview of your entire project.
MeisterTask also provides integrations with popular tools like Slack, G Suite, and Github.
Price: MeisterTask pricing starts at $11.99/user/month and there’s a free forever plan available which includes core task management features for single users.
17. Quire
Quire is a task management tool with robust Kanban board capabilities. You can nest your list of tasks or view your project in Kanban board view, with the flexibility of Quire you can also add folders, sections and permission control to your projects and tasks. One of the advantages of the Quire Kanban board view is the ability to customize it according to your needs. The tool lets you change colors, fonts, and layout of the board. Speaking of customization, Quire also lets you personalize your workspace, change the theme, add widgets, and create custom templates even on its free plan. Plus, on Quire you can add custom fields to the tasks.
Price: Quire is available for iOs and Android mobile apps and offers integration to third-party applications, such as Google Drive, Slack, and Zapier. If you need more, Quire’s professional plan starts at $7 per member/month.
18. Toggl Plan
Toggl Plan allows you to create and customize Kanban boards to match your team’s workflow. You can create columns to represent different stages of your project, and then drag and drop tasks between columns as they progress. Toggl Plan offers timelines, project boards, resource management and reporting features. Some of the drawbacks of Toggl Plan for enterprise is its limited customization, no version history and limited integration.
Price: Toggl Plan doesn’t require a credit card to try their platform for free. Their Business plan costs $13.35 per user/per month.
19. Kanban tool
Kanban tool is…you guessed right: a Kanban software designed to help teams to work efficiently by visualizing workflow and business processes in a Kanban view. This application lets you invite other team members and clients to visualize projects while also offering insightful metrics analytics features for all your reporting needs. Kanban tool has an AI Assistant that helps you in building a Kanban Board for your specific needs and provides smart suggestions for checklist items and tasks to help you reach your goals.
Price: The app has a 14-day free trial and a free plan for up to 2 users and 2 boards. Kanban tool Teams plan starts at $6 per user/month with unlimited boards and file attachments. Their enterprise plan starts at $11 and offers time tracking and reporting, user groups management and process automation.
20. Favro
Designed to assist collaborative and agile teams to plan and get things done, Favro has Kanban board capabilities. With this project management tool, you can easily visualize your tasks by cards flowing from left to right on a board. The solution lets you filter, show and hide different fields in your Kanban board, while giving you the chance to choose whether to see members’ task overview or specific fields. Although the platform has a mobile and desktop version, users often complain of missing features in the mobile version of the solution and praise the desktop version as more robust, fast and dynamic.
Price: Favro lets you try any paid plan for 14 days for free and cancel anytime and no credit card required. Its Lite paid plan is limited to 5 collections and unlimited boards and starts at $5/10 per user per month, billed annually. The Standard plan costs $6.8 per user, per month, billed annually, and lets you create unlimited collections, and use 5,000 automation actions, as well as invite guest accounts.
Have you been using a different Kanban software? Let us know how Kanban board view is helping your team to streamline workflow and get projects done, please share with us in the comments!