Kanban Tool

Kanban Tool is a visual work-management service for teams that want to map work onto configurable boards and monitor how it flows. It suits teams working in continuous delivery or operations; teams that plan in Scrum sprints will need a different fit.

Overview

Founded in 2008 and based in Katowice, Poland, Kanban Tool combines workflow boards with analytics and process-improvement features. Backlog management, agile reporting and a roadmap view broaden its use beyond simple task cards, but the lack of Scrum support and sprint planning is a meaningful constraint for teams whose work is organized around those practices.

Key features

Boards and collaboration

Task cards, horizontal swimlanes, configurable workflows, drag-and-drop and work-in-progress limits let teams shape boards around their process and expose overloaded stages. Real-time updates, assignments, comments and email notifications help coordinate shared work, while board and folder access controls provide a way to manage access. This is a strong set of controls for ongoing workflows, not a substitute for sprint planning.

Analytics and time tracking

Cumulative flow diagrams, cycle-time comparisons, breakdown charts and time reports give teams several ways to examine throughput and time spent. Excel and CSV exports make the data easier to use elsewhere. The built-in timer follows workflow start and pause stages and supports reports by project and task, but time tracking and reporting are included in Enterprise rather than Team, so teams needing that capability must account for the higher per-user price.

Integrations, security and reliability

Integrations include Zapier, Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Outlook and Google Calendar, Chromecast, email task creation and an API. Android and iOS apps extend board access to phones and tablets. HTTPS encryption, SAML 2.0 single sign-on and optional two-factor authentication address access security; the company reports 99.99% uptime over the past year and daily full off-site backups. Support is available by feedback form or email, with a stated aim to respond within a few business days.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing, billed per user per month, and is capped at 2 boards and 2 users with no file attachments. It is useful for a small trial or tightly bounded workflow, but the board and seat ceilings make it a limited basis for a growing team.

Team costs $6 a month, billed per user per month, and adds unlimited boards and file attachments. It is the lower-cost paid option for teams that have outgrown the free caps, but it does not include the time tracking and reporting, user groups management or process automation included in Enterprise. Enterprise costs $11 a month, billed per user per month, and includes those capabilities alongside unlimited boards and attachments; it is the better fit when time reporting or process automation is central to the workflow.

Kanban Tool also offers a 14-day trial. Kanban Tool On-Site is self-hosted, starts at $720 a year for 10+ users, and is sold in annual 10-user license packs; contact Sales for current pricing. It does not include internet-based integrations such as Zapier or cloud file hosting, a material trade-off for organizations choosing self-hosting.

Platforms

Kanban Tool is available on the web, Android and iOS, and offers an API, an extension and a self-hosted option. On-Site can suit organizations that want a self-hosted deployment, provided its integration and cloud file-hosting exclusions are acceptable.

Who it's for

The service is intended for individuals, teams and organizations working in a business-to-business model. It is best suited to teams that want to visualize ongoing work, set flow limits and use analytics to improve a process. It is a weaker match for teams that require Scrum support or built-in sprint planning.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Configurable boards, swimlanes and work-in-progress limits help teams make workflow stages and bottlenecks visible.
• Pros: Flow analytics, exports and Enterprise time reports support process review beyond basic task tracking.
• Pros: Real-time collaboration, access controls, mobile apps and a broad set of integrations support distributed team workflows.
• Cons: The free plan's 2-board, 2-user limit and lack of attachments constrain sustained team use.
• Cons: Time tracking and reporting require Enterprise, which costs more per user than Team.
• Cons: No Scrum support or sprint planning makes it a poor fit for sprint-based teams; On-Site also omits internet-based integrations and cloud file hosting.

Alternatives

Linear is worth considering when its free plan's unlimited members, 2 teams and 250 issues better match a team's scale and issue-based work needs.

YouTrack may suit teams looking for a free cloud plan for up to 10 users with 30 GB storage, rather than Kanban Tool's 2-user free ceiling.

OpenProject is an alternative for organizations that prefer a self-hosted option or a free community plan with no minimum users.

Plane is an alternative with a free plan for 12 users, which may be a better starting point than Kanban Tool's two-user free plan.

Acunote is another freemium project-management option.

iceScrum is an alternative with self-hosted availability and an open-source codebase.

Kanboard is a free, open-source, self-hosted option for teams that want an MIT-licensed tool.

Ora is another freemium alternative.

For more choices, see Kanban Software and Agile Project Management Software.

Verdict

Choose Kanban Tool if your team wants configurable Kanban workflows and useful flow analytics, with time reporting available at Enterprise. Look elsewhere if Scrum and sprint planning are core requirements, or if the free plan's two-user cap is too restrictive for evaluating the product with your team.