Kanban Tool

Kanban Tool is a visual work-management platform for teams that want to organize tasks around an ongoing workflow. It is best suited to groups improving a continuous process, rather than teams that plan work in Scrum sprints. Its mix of flow controls and analytics is compelling, but key capabilities and board limits vary by plan.

Overview

Founded in 2008 and based in Katowice, Poland, Kanban Tool combines workflow boards with reporting intended to help teams track and improve business processes. It supports backlog management, agile reporting and roadmap views, but not Scrum or sprint planning. That makes it a more natural fit for continuous-flow work than for teams that need sprint planning built into their project system.

Key features

Boards and collaboration

Task cards, horizontal swimlanes, configurable workflows, drag-and-drop and work-in-progress limits let teams represent their process and make overloaded stages visible. Real-time updates, assignments, comments and email notifications support coordination, while board and folder access controls help manage who can see work. These features make shared operations easier to follow, but they do not provide the sprint structure some agile teams need.

Analytics and time tracking

Cumulative flow diagrams, cycle-time comparisons, breakdown charts and time reports give teams ways to examine how work moves; Excel and CSV export lets them work with that data elsewhere. The built-in timer follows workflow start and pause stages and reports time spent on projects and tasks. Time tracking and reporting are reserved for Enterprise, so Team customers who need that visibility face a meaningful upgrade.

Integrations, security and reliability

Integrations include Zapier, Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Outlook and Google Calendar, plus Chromecast, email-based task creation and an API. HTTPS encryption, SAML 2.0 single sign-on and optional two-factor authentication cover core access controls. Kanban Tool 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 reply within a few business days.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing per month and permits two boards and two users, with no file attachments. It is a practical way for a very small team to try board-based work, but the board and seat caps constrain broader use.

Team costs $6 per user per month and includes unlimited boards and file attachments. It is the lower-cost paid option for teams that need room to grow beyond the free caps, though it does not include time tracking and reporting. Enterprise costs $11 per user per month, adding time tracking and reporting, user groups management and process automation alongside unlimited boards and file attachments. It fits teams that need those operational controls, at a higher per-seat cost.

A 14-day trial is available. Kanban Tool On-Site is self-hosted, starts at $720 per 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 significant trade-off for organizations that rely on those services.

Platforms

Kanban Tool supports web, Android and iOS, as well as an API, an extension and self-hosted deployment. Mobile apps cover iPhone and iPad as well as Android devices. On-Site gives organizations a self-hosted option, with the integration limitations described above.

Who it's for

The service is intended for individuals, teams and organizations working in a business-to-business model. It suits teams that want visible workflow stages, work-in-progress controls and process analytics, especially when continuous flow matters more than sprint planning. Teams requiring Scrum support should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros: Work-in-progress limits and configurable workflows help teams make bottlenecks visible and shape boards around their process.

Pros: Flow analytics and data export support process review beyond simply tracking task status.

Pros: The free plan offers a no-cost starting point, while paid plans add unlimited boards.

Cons: Free is capped at two boards and two users and excludes attachments, limiting its usefulness for larger or file-heavy teams.

Cons: Time tracking and reporting require Enterprise, so Team users must pay more to get those capabilities.

Cons: Scrum and sprint planning are not supported, and On-Site omits internet-based integrations and cloud file hosting.

Alternatives

For a broader shortlist, see Agile Project Management Software and Kanban Software.

Linear is worth considering for teams seeking a free plan with unlimited members, two teams and 250 issues.

YouTrack may suit small teams wanting a free cloud plan for up to 10 users with 30 GB storage.

iceScrum is an alternative for readers seeking open-source software with self-hosted and web platforms.

OpenProject is another freemium option, with a free Community plan and self-hosted platform support.

Ora offers a free Basic plan for up to 10 users, with unlimited projects, tasks and comments.

Acunote is another freemium web-based option.

Standuply offers a free Starter plan with automation and Q&A for three users.

Zube may fit teams looking for a free plan capped at four projects and four users, with GitHub integration.

Verdict

Choose Kanban Tool if your team wants configurable flow boards, practical analytics and collaboration in a platform that also offers self-hosting. Its strongest reason to choose it is the combination of work-in-progress controls and flow reporting; its clearest reason to look elsewhere is the absence of Scrum and sprint planning, alongside Enterprise-only time reporting.