--- title: "Best Kanban Tools Software - 2026 Reviews & Pricing" description: "Find the best Kanban Software for your organization. Compare top Kanban Software systems with customer reviews, pricing, and free demos." source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/" page_type: "subcategory" language: "en" --- [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / Kanban Tools Software Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. # Best Kanban Tools Software of 2026 Updated October 31, 2026 On this page 1. FrontRunners 2. Popular Comparisons 3. Buyers Guide 4. Related Software Filter products 154 results ### Compare Products Showing 1 - 25 of 154 products #### Company Size - Self-Employed - 2-10 - 11-50 - 51-200 - 201-500 - 501-1000 - 1000+ #### Pricing Options - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ ### Compare Products Sort by **Recommendations**: Sorts listings by the number of recommendations our advisors have made over the past 30 days. Our advisors assess buyers’ needs for free and only recommend products that meet buyers’ needs. Vendors pay Software Advice for these referrals. **Reviews**: Sorts listings by the number of user reviews we have published, greatest to least. **Average Rating**: Sorts listings by overall star rating based on user reviews, highest to lowest. **Alphabetically (A-Z)**: Sorts listings by product name from A to Z. ### [Smartsheet](/project-management/smartsheet-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 3,575 - Starting price: $9.00/month - Best for: Mid-size businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Smartsheet is a work execution platform and collaboration tool with a familiar spreadsheet-like interface that helps teams plan, track, and manage projects in real-time. Smartsheet [Read more](/project-management/smartsheet-profile/) ##### What users love - Centralized project organization tools - Intuitive and familiar interface - Real-time collaborative workspaces ##### To take in mind - Expensive for small teams - Access and permission limitations - Complexity and sheet limitations #### Features ##### Best rated features - Analytics: 5/5 - Payroll Management: 5/5 - Workflow Automation: 5/5 - Digital Asset Management: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/smartsheet-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Pro - Price: $9.00/month - 1-10 Members. $9 per member/month when billed annually. ##### Business - Price: $19.00/month - 3+ Members, unlimited Guests and Viewers. $19 per member/month when billed annually. ##### Enterprise - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - For 10+ Members [See full pricing details](/project-management/smartsheet-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Wrike](/project-management/wrike-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.4/5 - Reviews: 3,045 - Starting price: $10.00/month - Best for: Enterprise businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Wrike is the trusted work delivery platform where AI extends what people can accomplish. By centralizing all work in one governed, context-rich environment, Wrike helps [Read more](/project-management/wrike-profile/) ##### What users love - Centralized project organization tools - Unified workspace for teamwork - Flexible coordination across teams ##### To take in mind - Feature overload and complexity - Cluttered and unintuitive interface - Expensive for smaller teams #### Features ##### Best rated features - IT Reporting: 5/5 - Color Codes/Icons: 5/5 - Template Management: 5/5 - Dashboard: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/wrike-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Team - Price: $10.00/month - Intelligent project management ##### Business - Price: $25.00/month - Customizable platform to manage your workflows ##### Pinnacle - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Built for complex workflows [See full pricing details](/project-management/wrike-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [monday AI Work Platform](/marketing/monday-com-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 6,130 - Starting price: $9.00/month - Best for: Mid-size businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview monday.com is the AI Work Platform where people and agents operate as one team - with shared cross-department context, enterprise-grade trust, and an easy-to-use interface built [Read more](/marketing/monday-com-profile/) ##### What users love - Centralized workspace for teams - Intuitive setup and navigation - Robust and visual task tracking ##### To take in mind - Expensive for growing teams - Complex and cluttered board management - Overwhelming and noisy alerts #### Features ##### Best rated features - Order Entry: 5/5 - Segmentation: 5/5 - Idle Time Monitoring: 5/5 - Overtime Calculation: 5/5 [See all features](/marketing/monday-com-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Up to 2 seats ##### Basic - Price: $9.00/month - Minimum 3 seats, billed annually. ##### Standard - Price: $12.00/month - Minimum 3 seats, billed annually. [See full pricing details](/marketing/monday-com-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [MeisterTask](/project-management/meistertask-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 1,158 - Starting price: €0.00/month - Best for: Enterprise businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview MeisterTask is a web-based task, project, and work management software perfect for teams of any size. Its easy-to-use interface, intuitive functionality, built-in project [Read more](/project-management/meistertask-profile/) ##### What users love - Flexible and collaborative task tracking - Comprehensive project organization tools - User-friendly and intuitive interface ##### To take in mind - Limited dashboard customization options - Bulky interface and navigation issues #### Features ##### Best rated features - File Management: 5/5 - KPI Monitoring: 5/5 - Discussions/Forums: 5/5 - Content Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Request Management: 3/5 - Document Management: 3.5/5 - Brainstorming: 3.6/5 [See all features](/project-management/meistertask-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: €0.00/month - For individuals who wish to begin managing their daily tasks. Free forever, no credit card needed. ##### Pro - Price: €13.50/month - Simple, collaborative task management for smaller teams. ##### Business - Price: €24.00/month - Designed for bigger teams with extended collaboration features. [See full pricing details](/project-management/meistertask-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Miro](/project-management/miro-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 1,709 - Starting price: $10.00/month - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Miro is a visual workspace for innovation that enables distributed teams of any size to dream, design, and build the future together. Miro enables distributed teams to come [Read more](/project-management/miro-profile/) ##### What users love - Real-time teamwork across locations - Dynamic visual idea generation - Intuitive and accessible interface ##### To take in mind - Performance drops on large boards - Limited free plan and costly upgrades - Confusing controls and navigation #### Features ##### Best rated features - For Websites: 5/5 - Activity Dashboard: 5/5 - Color Codes/Icons: 5/5 - Data Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Risk Management: 2.9/5 - Dependency Tracking: 3/5 [See all features](/project-management/miro-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Unlimited Members ##### Starter - Price: $10.00/month ##### Business - Price: $20.00/month [See full pricing details](/project-management/miro-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Aha!](/help-desk/aha-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 566 - Starting price: $39.00/month - Best for: Customer support - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview Aha! is a product management software designed to support teams in managing the entire product lifecycle. It is used by roles such as product management, engineering, marketing, [Read more](/help-desk/aha-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Lifecycle Management: 5/5 - Whiteboard: 5/5 - Retrospectives Management: 5/5 - Process Modeling & Designing: 5/5 [See all features](/help-desk/aha-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Aha! Roadmaps - Price: $59.00/month ##### Aha! Discovery - Price: $39.00/month ##### Aha! Ideas - Price: $39.00/month [See full pricing details](/help-desk/aha-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [ClickUp](/project-management/clickup-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 4,643 - Starting price: $0.00 - Best for: Value for money - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform that helps small teams, agencies, engineering groups, marketing departments, HR teams, and enterprise organizations manage projects, [Read more](/project-management/clickup-profile/) ##### What users love - Centralized project organization tools - Customizable team collaboration hub - Flexible and detailed task tracking ##### To take in mind - Lag and slow load times - Steep learning curve for newcomers - Overwhelming and confusing alerts #### Features ##### Best rated features - Bug Tracking: 5/5 - Guest Access: 5/5 - Change Management: 5/5 - Knowledge Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Issue Auditing: 2/5 - Negative Feedback Management: 3/5 - Lead Generation: 3/5 - Overtime Calculation: 3.4/5 [See all features](/project-management/clickup-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Businessmap](/project-management/kanbanize-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 215 - Starting price: €9.20/month - Best for: Ease of use - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Businessmap is the most flexible Lean project & portfolio management platform for complete strategy execution. Designed for enterprise agility, Businessmap helps organizations [Read more](/project-management/kanbanize-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Risk Management: 5/5 - Customizable Reports: 5/5 - Kanban Board: 5/5 - Change Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Time Tracking: 3/5 [See all features](/project-management/kanbanize-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Standard - Price: €9.20/month - For organizations looking to gain visibility across projects and connect strategy with execution. ##### Enterprise - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - For organizations with global-scale, security, and advanced support needs. [See full pricing details](/project-management/kanbanize-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Workzone](/project-management/workzone-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 218 - Starting price: $8.00/month - Best for: Value for money - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Workzone is a project management platform, purpose-built for Marketing, Operations & IT teams, that need all the power of a PM tool but without the steep learning curve and expense [Read more](/project-management/workzone-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Project Tracking: 5/5 - Visualization: 5/5 - Customizable Reports: 5/5 - @mentions: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/workzone-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Starter - Price: $8.00/month - For teams moving beyond spreadsheets and basic task tools ##### Team - Price: $20.00/month - For teams upgrading from task management (think Asana, Monday) to end-to-end project management. ##### Enterprise - Price: $40.00/month - For teams that need cross-functional project management without the bloat [See full pricing details](/project-management/workzone-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Kanban Tool](/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 183 - Starting price: $6.00/month - Best for: Features - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Kanban Tool is a project management platform that enables users to visualize and organize their workflow. The solution offers real-time team collaboration tools and helps [Read more](/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Supports Scrum: 5/5 - Status Tracking: 5/5 - Activity Dashboard: 5/5 - Kanban Board: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Project Tracking: 2/5 - Backlog Management: 4/5 [See all features](/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - This plan includes 2 boards, 2 users, and no file attachments. ##### Team - Price: $6.00/month - This plan includes unlimited boards and file attachments. ##### Enterprise - Price: $11.00/month - This plan includes unlimited boards and file attachments. [See full pricing details](/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [GoodDay](/project-management/goodday-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 149 - Starting price: $6.00/month - Best for: Features - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview GoodDay is a cloud-based project management solution that caters to businesses of all sizes across various industries. Features include idea management, resource management, [Read more](/project-management/goodday-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Visualization: 5/5 - Business Process Automation: 5/5 - Dashboard: 5/5 - Time Tracking: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/goodday-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Productboard](/idea-management/productboard-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 154 - Starting price: $25.00/month - Best for: Ease of use - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Productboard is the customer-driven product management system that empowers teams to get the right products to market, faster. It provides a complete solution for product teams to [Read more](/idea-management/productboard-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Communication Management: 5/5 - Dashboard: 5/5 - File Sharing: 5/5 - Visual Workflow Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Negative Feedback Management: 1/5 [See all features](/idea-management/productboard-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Essentials - Price: $25.00/month - Starting with 1 maker ##### Pro - Price: $75.00/month - Starting with 2 makers ##### Enterprise - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Starting with 5 makers [See full pricing details](/idea-management/productboard-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Zenkit](/project-management/zenkit-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 235 - Starting price: $0.00/month - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Zenkit is a cloud-based project management solution designed for businesses of all sizes. It offers collaboration, calendar management, task management, file sharing and project [Read more](/project-management/zenkit-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Data Import/Export: 5/5 - Multi-board: 5/5 - File Sharing: 5/5 - Idea Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Gantt/Timeline View: 3/5 - Visualization: 3/5 - Progress Tracking: 3/5 - Prioritization: 3/5 [See all features](/project-management/zenkit-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Zenkit personal - Price: $0.00/month - The Zenkit Projects Business plan includes up to 800,000 tasks and 800 projects. ##### Zenkit Plus - Price: $9.00/month - The plan includes unlimited notebooks and members and up to 60 GB for files and attachments. ##### Zenkit Business - Price: $25.00/month - The Zenkit Business plan includes up to 150,000 items and unlimited connections. [See full pricing details](/project-management/zenkit-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Stackby](/project-management/stackby-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 82 - Starting price: $0.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Stackby is a no-code data management and work automation platform designed to help organizations build custom databases, internal tools, and workflow applications without requiring [Read more](/project-management/stackby-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Visual Workflow Management: 5/5 - Communication Management: 5/5 - For Nonprofits: 5/5 - Kanban Board: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/stackby-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: $0.00/month ##### Economy - Price: $9.00/month ##### Business - Price: $18.00/month [See full pricing details](/project-management/stackby-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Trello](/project-management/trello-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 23,645 - Starting price: $0.00/month - Best for: Customer support - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview Trello is a visual collaboration tool for planning tasks and projects. While commonly used by agile software development teams, the solution is also used in other departments such [Read more](/project-management/trello-profile/) ##### What users love - Visual project organization platform - Simple and intuitive interface - Flexible team task coordination ##### To take in mind - Card overload and search limits - Clutter and navigation issues - Limited permissions and integrations #### Features ##### Best rated features - Campaign Planning: 5/5 - Task Planning: 5/5 - Automatic Backup: 5/5 - Forms Automation: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Email Marketing: 3/5 - Skills Tracking: 3/5 - Process Modeling & Designing: 3.3/5 - Budget Management: 3.7/5 [See all features](/project-management/trello-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: $0.00/month - For individuals or small teams ##### Standard - Price: $5.00/month - For teams ##### Premium - Price: $10.00/month - For teams up to 100 [See full pricing details](/project-management/trello-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Kanban Zone](/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 20 - Starting price: $8.80/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Kanban Zone gives teams a single visual system to plan, prioritize, and execute real work, with AI agents built into the workflow. Most project management tools help you track [Read more](/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Task Progress Tracking: 5/5 - Real-Time Updates: 5/5 - Collaboration Tools: 5/5 - Task Scheduling: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Navigator - Price: $8.80/month - Stay on top of your own work and know what to do next. - Know what to work on next. - Execute work ##### Coordinator - Price: $16.80/month - Keep your team moving without constant follow-up. - Move work forward without constant follow-up. - ##### Operator - Price: $24.80/month - Run your business on a system, not on you. - Build AI agents that run your workflows [See full pricing details](/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Zoho Sprints](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 302 - Starting price: $0.00 - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Zoho Sprints is an agile project management platform that supports both Scrum and Kanban frameworks. It helps teams plan and prioritize work in the backlog, execute work on [Read more](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Code Repository Integration: 5/5 - NPS of Customers: 5/5 - For IT Project Management: 5/5 - Commenting/Notes: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Billable & Non-Billable Hours: 1/5 [See all features](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: $0.00 - This plan is free of cost and comes with 3 users. ##### Starter - Price: $12.00/year - The Starter plan starts at $1/month/user (billed annually) for up to 12 users. This plan does not ##### Elite - Price: $3.00/month - The Elite plan starts at $3/month/user (billed monthly) or $2.50/month/user (billed annually) for up [See full pricing details](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Planview ProjectPlace](/project-management/projectplace-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 37 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview PMOs often run into the same wall as they grow: status lives in email threads instead of anywhere visible, and answering "what's the status?" means interrupting people or digging [Read more](/project-management/projectplace-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Search/Filter: 5/5 - Alerts/Notifications: 5/5 - Task Scheduling: 5/5 - Project Tracking: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Calendar Management: 4/5 [See all features](/project-management/projectplace-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/project-management/projectplace-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Backlog](/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 169 - Starting price: $35.00/month - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview Backlog is a cloud-based project management and issue tracking solution that caters to development teams working with design, marketing and IT teams. The key features of the [Read more](/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Business Process Automation: 5/5 - Recurring Issues: 5/5 - Release Planning: 5/5 - Supports Scrum: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - API: 3/5 - Deadline Management: 3/5 [See all features](/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Starter - Price: $35.00/month - 30 users ##### Standard - Price: $100.00/month - Unlimited users ##### Premium - Price: $175.00/month - Unlimited users [See full pricing details](/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Hygger](/project-management/hygger-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 120 - Starting price: $7.00/month - Best for: Value for money - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview Hygger is a cloud-based project management solution for businesses of all sizes. The solution allows organizations to collect, organize and prioritize ideas, assign tasks and [Read more](/project-management/hygger-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Retrospectives Management: 5/5 - Kanban Board: 5/5 - Collaboration Tools: 4.7/5 - Prioritization: 4.7/5 ##### Worst rated features - Milestone Tracking: 2/5 - Portfolio Management: 3.5/5 [See all features](/project-management/hygger-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $7.00/month [See full pricing details](/project-management/hygger-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Kerika](/project-management/kerika-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 6 - Starting price: $9.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Here's the problem with other task management tools: they are designed by techies, for techies. People who aren't hardcore techies can struggle with understanding how those tools [Read more](/project-management/kerika-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Drag & Drop: 5/5 - Collaboration Tools: 5/5 - Document Management: 5/5 - Status Tracking: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/kerika-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Professional - Price: $9.00/month - You pay for Team Members; Visitors are always free, after a 30-day free trial that's no strings [See full pricing details](/project-management/kerika-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Roundrush](/project-management/roundrush-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.9/5 - Reviews: 8 - Starting price: $6.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Roundrush is a workflow management platform that helps developers and IT businesses streamline operations and improve work quality across teams. The platform enables organizations [Read more](/project-management/roundrush-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $6.00/month [See full pricing details](/project-management/roundrush-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Kantask](/project-management/kantask-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 9 - Starting price: $1.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Kantask is a cloud-based project management system which assists small to midsize businesses with task creation, progress evaluation and workflow automation. Its key features [Read more](/project-management/kantask-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $1.00/month [See full pricing details](/project-management/kantask-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Ravetree](/project-management/ravetree-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 27 - Starting price: $39.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Ravetree is a cloud-based project management solution with integrated resource planning, customer relationship management and time and expense tracking capabilities. The solution [Read more](/project-management/ravetree-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Template Management: 5/5 - Task Management: 5/5 - Dependency Tracking: 5/5 - Multiple Projects: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Marketing Automation: 1/5 - Overtime Calculation: 1/5 - Idea Management: 1/5 [See all features](/project-management/ravetree-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Ravetree - Price: $39.00/month - Quater and annual subscriptions are available. [See full pricing details](/project-management/ravetree-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Shorter Loop](/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/) - Overall rating: 5/5 - Reviews: 1 - Starting price: $0.00 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Shorter Loop is a software platform that enables companies to understand customer problems, conceptualize solutions, and create focused roadmaps. The software helps organizations [Read more](/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Collaboration Tools: 5/5 - Data Security: 5/5 - Third-Party Integrations: 5/5 - Workflow Management: 5/5 [See all features](/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Founder - Price: $0.00 - Individual founders exploring ideas prior to launching a business ##### Startup - Price: $15.00/month - Individual founders exploring ideas prior to launching a business. Persona Value Proposition Vision ##### Scale Up - Price: $25.00/month - Growing companies supporting end-to-end product management for multiple products and [See full pricing details](/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- 1 [2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=2)[3](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=3)[4](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=4)[5](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=5)[6](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=6)[7](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=7) ## Popular Comparisons [ Jira vs Trello ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/atlassian-jira-profile/vs/trello/)[ monday AI Work Platform vs Asana ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/asana-profile/vs/monday-com/)[ Wrike vs ClickUp ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/clickup-profile/vs/wrike/)[ Todoist vs MeisterTask ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/meistertask-profile/vs/todoist/)[ Smartsheet vs Zoho Projects ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/smartsheet-profile/vs/zoho-projects/)[ Miro vs Aha! ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/help-desk/aha-profile/vs/miro/) ## Your Guide to Top Kanban Tools Software, May 2025 Software Advice uses reviews from real software users to highlight the top-rated Kanban Tools products in North America. [Learn how products are chosen](https://www.softwareadvice.com/legal-page/frontrunners-methodology/) #### Explore FrontRunners - [Asana](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/asana-profile/) - [Backlog](https://www.softwareadvice.com/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/) - [Birdview](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/birdview-psa-profile/) - [Bordio](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/bordio-profile/) - [Businessmap](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanbanize-profile/) - [ClickUp](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/clickup-profile/) - [Hive](https://www.softwareadvice.com/product/56546-Hive/) - [Jira](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/atlassian-jira-profile/) - [Kanban Tool](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/) - [MeisterTask](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/meistertask-profile/) - [Miro](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/miro-profile/) - [monday.com](https://www.softwareadvice.com/marketing/monday-com-profile/) - [ProofHub](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/proofhub-profile/) - [Smartsheet](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/smartsheet-profile/) - [Todoist](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/todoist-profile/) - [Trello](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/trello-profile/) - [Wrike](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/wrike-profile/) - [YouTrack](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/youtrack-profile/) - [Zoho Sprints](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/) “Usability” includes user ratings for Functionality and Ease of Use. “Customer Satisfaction” includes user ratings for Customer Support, Likelihood to Recommend and Value for Money. Reviews analysis period: The reviews analysis period spans two years and ends the 15th of the month prior to publication. ## Send me a copy of this list to my inbox ### Get a copy of this list with pricing info sent to your inbox so you can pick up where you left off when convenient to you. Kanban is a prominent method used to implement agile project management (PM). It is less rigid and prescriptive than other agile frameworks (e.g., scrum), and is popular among teams that require the flexibility to reprioritize tasks as needed to accomplish project goals. As the agile PM movement gains momentum, vendors are increasingly developing products designed to support scrum and kanban PM processes. Add these to the wealth of traditional PM tools already on the market and it can be difficult to know where to start. In this guide, we’ll review the modern kanban PM method and explain how it fits within the [larger PM space](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/). We’ll also breakdown the kanban software available to you, so you can make a more informed purchase decision. Here’s what we’ll cover: [What Is Kanban Project Management?](#WhatIsKanbanProjectManagement) [What Is Kanban Software?](#WhatIsKanbanSoftware) [Common Features of Kanban Software](#CommonFeaturesofKanbanSoftware) [What Type of Buyer Are You?](#WhatTypeofBuyerAreYou) ## What Is Kanban Project Management? Before we dive into kanban, here’s a short comparison of agile and waterfall project management: [Agile PM](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/agile-comparison/#buyers-guide) helps teams address and respond to change over the life of a project. Teams start with an overarching project goal and break work down into incremental phases, completing high priority items first. By incorporating more opportunities for inspection and review as the project is in progress, teams reduce waste and strive to deliver the most value to the end user/customer. **Waterfall PM** is the traditional model of project management and is change averse. Requirements are agreed upon before the start of a project and benchmarks are set for scope, budget and timeline. Teams work sequentially, and work flows from one phase to the next until the project is completed. Success is measured by how closely the project adheres to the initial plan, i.e., “on-time and on-budget.” The Kanban method is designed to reduce waste and improve team efficiency. Although less prescriptive than scrum, there are four key principles that define the kanban PM methodology: 1. **Manage work visually.** Kanban teams create a visual representation of their work and workflows by using a kanban board. The board is broken down into several columns that represent the team’s different workflow stages, and users move cards with task information across the board to represent where the task is in their workflow. 2. **Limit work in progress.** By limiting the amount of open work items on the board, teams can reduce the time it takes to complete a single task. Ultimately, this helps them complete work at a faster pace because they don’t suffer productivity losses due to context switching and juggling multiple tasks at once. 3. **Work in a “continuous flow.”** Whereas scrum is iterative and teams complete work in timeboxes, kanban teams complete work in a continuous flow. Users pull work through the system a single piece at a time and work on that task until it is complete. Then they pull the next highest-priority item from the backlog. Work-in-progress limits help to regulate the flow of tasks and eliminate bottlenecks, so teams work at their ideal pace and do not overextend themselves or get burned out. 4. **Focus on “continuous improvement.”** Continuous improvement is a cornerstone of [agile project management](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/agile-comparison/#buyers-guide). By embracing change and increasing opportunities for inspection and review over the course of the project, agile teams strive to maximize the value delivered to the customer and/or end user. This is why kanban allows for the re-prioritization of backlogs, so users work on and complete the highest-priority items first, i.e., balancing demand against throughput. This is also why teams track their flow, throughput and quality, and why they limit their open work items, so they can experiment and find their ideal pace and optimize their performance. ## What Is Kanban Software? Kanban software supports the above principles in several ways: **Helps teams visualize work and workflows.** Digital kanban boards act as a team’s centralized project hub, helping to relate task and project status at a glance. Users can see instantly where a work item is in their workflow, meaning they know what stages it has already passed through and where it needs to go next. **Places actual limits on the number of open items.** Kanban software allows teams to set work-in-progress (WIP) limits on a specific phase of work (i.e., column) or on the number of open tasks allowed for a specific user. Managers can put a “cap” on the number of open items permitted, and set up notifications to alert themselves and the user when they have reached the maximum number of open tasks permitted. **Easily reprioritizes work in the backlog, or “to-do” phase, as needed.** Items in the backlog can be reprioritized as needed and placed at the top of the “to-do” column or prioritized in another way, either by marking the task as urgent or assigning an agreed-upon color-code (e.g., red for urgent, yellow for needs attention soon etc.). **Tracks the progression of work items and measuring performance.** Kanban teams have two defining methods for tracking the flow and progression of work and measuring team performance: lead and cycle time and cumulative flow (more on these in the next section). Kanban software helps automate these reports, allowing managers to schedule them to run on a recurring basis. The findings can be mirrored onto a dashboard or collated into a project status report for stakeholders. Tracking these items helps teams make more informed decisions about their rate of throughput and how to effectively use tools such as WIP limits, so they can work to continuously improve their efficiency. _Kanban board in_ [LeanKit](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bpm/leankit-profile/) ## Common Features of Kanban Software Look for the following features as you evaluate and compare kanban software solutions: | Feature | Description | | --- | --- | | Kanban boards | A visualization of a team’s workflows. The boards are broken down by columns which represent different workflow stages. Tasks are represented by cards that workers pull from the backlog according to highest priority and then move across the board (drag-and-drop to different columns) as the task progresses through the various stages. | | Work-in-progress (WIP) limits | A “cap” on the number of open tasks allowed in any one column or by any one user. WIP limits can help reduce bottlenecks between stages, such as those that can pile up when projects require specialized personnel resources, e.g., a certain type of programmer. In this example, a manager might set a limit on the number of tasks the programmer is working on to ensure they don’t get overloaded. | | Cumulative flow diagrams (CFDs) | CFDs are charts that show the status of work items over time. The x-axis plots time and the y-axis shows the number of tasks within a project. Colored lanes represent the workflow stages on the board. CFDs are used to track the flow of work and identify problem areas, e.g., bottlenecks or scope changes, that could impact completion. | | Lead and cycle time diagrams | Lead and cycle time diagrams are charts that measure the time elapsed from when a task is placed on the board in the “to-do” column until it is completed. Lead time encompasses the entire time elapsed, while cycle time refers to just the time spent actually working on a task (e.g., when it is pulled from the backlog). The goal is to shorten cycle times, enabling teams to improve lead time as well (i.e., if you’re working at an ideal pace, you’ll get to more of the backlog items more quickly). | --- ## What Type of Buyer Are You? Kanban works well for teams within fast-paced industries, such as marketing and communications, who have a backlog of continually evolving commitments. Kanban provides them the flexibility required to re-prioritize their backlog as often as needed. Conversely, [scrum teams](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/scrum-comparison/#buyers-guide) work in fixed sprints, and changes and re-prioritization are not allowed mid-sprint. Scrum is still more accepting of change than traditional PM, but not as flexible as kanban. Additionally, kanban doesn’t call for prescribed roles the way that scrum does, which means that it requires fewer organizational and team changes to get set up. If you’re interested in implementing agile PM, but receiving resistance to an entire agile overhaul, consider kanban as an easy stepping stone. Furthermore, VersionOne found in their 11th annual [State of Agile report](https://explore.versionone.com/state-of-agile/versionone-11th-annual-state-of-agile-report-2), that a hybrid or blended kanban process is more popular than “pure” kanban. Again, this may lower the barrier to adoption for your team and/or organization, so consider flexible tools that allow for custom workflows, fields etc. so your teams can mold the tool to their exact needs. _For tips on how to successfully implement a new project management solution, check out this infographic._ ### Related Kanban Tools Software - [Agile Project Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/agile-comparison/) - [Calendar Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/calendar-app/) - [IT Project Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/it-comparison/) - [Project Tracking Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/project-tracking-comparison/) - [Resource Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/resource-management-comparison/) - [Scrum Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/scrum-comparison/) - [Task Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/task-management-comparison/) - [Team Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/team-management-comparison/) - [Time Tracking Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/time-tracking-comparison/) - [Workflow Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/workflow/)