WeKan

Overview

WeKan is an open-source Kanban app for organizing project work with boards, cards, and automation. It is best suited to teams that need detailed workflow controls and a choice between cloud and self-hosted deployment. Its breadth is a strength, but the maker’s backup warning and lack of undo deserve serious weight.

Work can be organized through swimlanes and lists, or reviewed in table, calendar, Gantt, and stats views. Work-in-progress limits add a way to keep active work within agreed bounds. This range helps teams with varied review needs, though WeKan is a less natural fit for anyone who wants only a minimal task board.

For more options, see Kanban Software.

Key features

Cards can hold descriptions, labels, members, dates, checklists, subtasks, custom fields, attachments, comments, dependencies, and templates, and can be archived. That gives teams space to keep task context and supporting material with the work. The trade-off is a substantial set of options to shape and maintain; a simpler workflow may not need this much card structure.

Automation includes trigger-to-action rules, board buttons that run rules on demand, and outgoing webhooks at global or board level. These are useful for repeatable actions and integrations, while the REST API and Python client offer another route for connecting WeKan to other systems. Imports cover Trello, WeKan JSON, CSV/TSV, Excel, Jira, and Kanboard.

Deployment and governance are unusually configurable. WeKan supports password, LDAP, CAS, OIDC/OAuth2, and Sandstorm sign-in, plus nine per-board roles, private or public boards, and organization or team membership restrictions. Attachments and avatars can be stored on filesystem, GridFS, S3/MinIO, Azure Blob Storage, or Google Cloud Storage. Security measures include account lockout after repeated failed sign-ins, content sanitization, security and event logs, and private vulnerability disclosure. Its privacy policy says service data is not given to third parties and users can export or delete their data.

WeKan Cloud servers are in Finland. Self-hosting options include Windows, Mac, and Linux bundles, Snap, Docker, Sandstorm, and Kubernetes. This choice suits organizations that want control over deployment and storage, but also means the self-hosted route places operational responsibility on the organization.

Pricing

WeKan app: free, with no admin access. It is the no-cost route for using the app, but the missing admin access makes it a poor fit for teams that need to manage their own deployment settings.

WeKan Cloud: $50 a year, billed 50 euro/year. It includes admin access, unlimited everything, and a custom domain available. The stated unlimited allowance and admin access make this the clearest fit for teams wanting managed cloud use without listed usage caps.

Commercial support: price on request, billed hourly, for prepaid features, fixes, support, or hosting. This is aimed at business-to-business customers, including companies, sole proprietors, and organizations; it is not a standard per-seat subscription. Yearly support plans include prepaid hours and a private support chat channel, and commercial support is available by email.

Platforms

WeKan supports web, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as self-hosted deployments and an API. Mobile apps are available for both iOS and Android. That mix supports teams working across desktop and mobile, or choosing to run their own installation.

Who it's for

Choose WeKan if your team needs several ways to view work, detailed cards, rule-based automation, or fine-grained control over access, storage, and hosting. It is particularly compelling for organizations with deployment requirements that favor self-hosting or specific identity and storage systems. Teams seeking a lightweight board, or those unwilling to manage backups and version support, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Multiple board views, WIP limits, detailed cards, and automation give teams flexibility to model and review structured work.
• Pros: Broad self-hosting, sign-in, access, and storage options support organizations with specific deployment and governance needs.
• Pros: Imports from Trello, Jira, Kanboard, and common file formats can ease migration into WeKan.
• Cons: The maker recommends daily backups because data can be lost, and there is no undo yet; teams need a reliable backup routine.
• Cons: Only the newest WeKan version is supported, which can complicate maintenance for teams that cannot keep installations current.
• Cons: The free app plan has no admin access, limiting its appeal to teams that want to control their own setup without paying for Cloud.

Alternatives

Consider Jotform instead if forms and submissions are central to your work: its free Starter plan includes 5 forms and 100 monthly submissions, with standard features and usage limits.

Planio is an option for teams looking at project-based limits: its Bronze plan has 1 project, 2 users, 10 customers, and 1 GB storage, while Silver is $25 a month.

SwiftKanban may suit a small team that can work within its free Team plan’s 3 users and 2-board maximum, with standard templates and basic metrics.

Trello is worth considering for a free plan with up to 10 collaborators and 10 boards per Workspace, plus a 10MB/file limit and 250 Workspace command ru.

KanbanFlow offers a free Kanban board with standard support and no time limit; its Premium plan is $5 a month.

MeisterTask may fit teams on supported desktop and mobile platforms that want a free plan with unlimited tasks but up to 3 projects.

Kanbo is another free option, capped at 3 projects, 3 team members, and 500 MB storage.

Doska is another free option, available on web, Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Verdict

WeKan is a strong choice for teams that need adaptable boards, automation, and unusually broad hosting and governance options. Choose it when that control outweighs the work of keeping a deployment current and backing up data; look elsewhere if you need undo or want a simpler, lower-maintenance board.