# Best Kanban Tools Software - 2026 Reviews & Pricing > Find the best Kanban Software for your organization. Compare top Kanban Software systems with customer reviews, pricing, and free demos. Source: https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison --- [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 June 22, 2026 On this page 1. FrontRunners 2. Popular Comparisons 3. Buyers Guide 4. Related Software Filter products 116 results ### Compare Products Showing 1 - 25 of 116 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](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/smartsheet-profile/) 4.49 [(3519)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/smartsheet-profile/reviews/) Best for:Mid-size businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Not available Software Advice Summary 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 features include a range of project management tools, such as document and resource management, project reporting, task management, file sharing, and timeline tracking. Smartsheet can help teams standardize a project process, maximize productivity, and improve collaboration with automated workflow options that fit individual work preferences. Within the platform's project management tools, data can be sorted using card, grid, Gantt chart, and calendar view. With a real-time dashboard, teams can track project status, manage resources, and assign tasks to improve overall visibility and work efficiency. Project plan information can be shared with leadership team members and key stakeholders to keep everyone on the same page. Activity log reports and customizable dashboards help ensure that team collaboration is consistent across projects of any size and kind, from software development to marketing plans. With the Smartsheet app, teams can access project information and workflow data while on the go. The mobile app is compatible with iOS and Android devices.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/smartsheet-profile/) ### What users love - Flexible project organization tools - Intuitive and user-friendly design - Real-time teamwork and sharing ### To take in mind - Expensive for small teams - Access and permission frustrations - Limits and complexity in sheets ### Best rated features: Digital Asset Management 5.0 Payroll Management 5.0 Third-Party Integration 5.0 Document Review 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/smartsheet-profile/#key-features) ### Pro $12.00/month 1-10 Members. $9 per member/month when billed annually. ### Business $24.00/month 3+ Members, unlimited Guests and Viewers. $19 per member/month when billed annually. ### Enterprise Custom Pricing available upon request For 10+ Members [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/smartsheet-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Wrike](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/wrike-profile/) 4.37 [(3016)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/wrike-profile/reviews/) Best for:Enterprise businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 organizations streamline collaboration, project planning, and task execution while maintaining the control and accountability that complex work demands. Key features include AI Agents, Wrike Copilot, Wrike MCP Server, workflow automations, customizable dashboards, real-time collaboration tools, and advanced reporting. Powered by the Wrike Work Intelligence® Graph, AI acts reliably inside the same roles, permissions, and access controls as your people, making AI-driven actions part of the auditable record of how work gets done. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide, including Siemens, Walmart, and NVIDIA, trust Wrike to deliver their most important work.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/wrike-profile/) ### What users love - Centralized project organization and tracking - Unified workspace for collaboration - Flexible coordination across teams ### To take in mind - Feature overload and complexity - Cluttered and unintuitive interface - Expensive for small teams ### Best rated features: IT Reporting 5.0 Template Management 5.0 Color Codes/Icons 5.0 Dashboard 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/wrike-profile/#key-features) ### Team $10.00/month Intelligent project management ### Business $25.00/month Customizable platform to manage your workflows ### Pinnacle Custom Pricing available upon request Built for complex workflows [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/wrike-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [MeisterTask](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/meistertask-profile/) 4.71 [(1157)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/meistertask-profile/reviews/) Best for:Mid-size businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 documentation, and seamless integration with other business tools make it the ideal choice for teams that want to get more done together. It enables seamless team collaboration with unlimited project members on all plans and advanced permission controls on paid plans. With MeisterTask, you can notify team members of all changes and track every detail of every project in real-time. It helps your team save time and increase efficiency with powerful AI search and writing assistants and automation features. MeisterTask is an ISO 27001 and Trusted Cloud certified service and complies with the strictest privacy and data security standards.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/meistertask-profile/) ### What users love - Robust task tracking features - Flexible project organization tools - User-friendly and intuitive design ### To take in mind - Limited dashboard customization options - Bulky and restrictive interface ### Best rated features: File Management 5.0 KPI Monitoring 5.0 Discussions/Forums 5.0 Content Management 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Request Management 3.0 Document Management 3.5 Brainstorming 3.6 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/meistertask-profile/#key-features) ### Basic €0.00/month For individuals who wish to begin managing their daily tasks. Free forever, no credit card needed. ### Pro €13.50/month Simple, collaborative task management for smaller teams. ### Business €24.00/month Designed for bigger teams with extended collaboration features. [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/meistertask-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Miro](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/miro-profile/) 4.69 [(1689)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/miro-profile/reviews/) Best for:Small businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 together to synthesize information, clarify complex ideas, and make decisions faster. On a Miro Board, teams develop strategy, design products and services, and manage complex workflows all throughout the innovation lifecycle. When you look at a Miro Board, you can see hundreds of collaborators moving through the space as named cursors on the screen designing, contributing ideas, providing feedback, and co-creating together with shared tools and information. Miro includes a full suite of capabilities designed for innovation including diagramming, real-time data visualization, workshop facilitation, and built-in support for common product development processes, including agile practices like estimation and retrospectives. Miro AI extends Miro's capabilities, with AI-driven mapping and diagramming, clustering and summarization, and content generation. Today, more than 100 million users in 180,000 organizations, including Nike, Ikea, Deloitte, WPP, and Cisco, depend on Miro to improve product development collaboration, to speed time to market, and to make sure that new products and services deliver on customer needs.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/miro-profile/) ### What users love - Real-time teamwork across teams - Intuitive and accessible interface - Dynamic visual idea generation ### To take in mind - Performance drops on large boards - Limited free plan and costly upgrades - Clunky and confusing controls ### Best rated features: Activity Dashboard 5.0 Task Tagging 5.0 For Websites 5.0 Notes Management 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Risk Management 2.9 Screen Capture 3.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/miro-profile/#key-features) ### Free Custom Pricing available upon request Unlimited Members ### Starter $10.00/month ### Business $20.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/miro-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Aha!](https://www.softwareadvice.com/help-desk/aha-profile/) 4.72 [(561)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/help-desk/aha-profile/reviews/) Best for:Enterprise businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Not available Software Advice Summary Aha! is a product development software designed to support teams in managing the entire product lifecycle. It is used by roles such as product management, engineering, marketing, UX, and IT to align strategies and oversee processes from discovery to delivery. The software includes tools for creating visual roadmaps, prioritizing features, conducting customer interviews, collecting and tracking feedback, and exploring concepts with whiteboarding capabilities. It also facilitates the development of internal business applications and centralizes product information in knowledge bases. The platform connects product and engineering teams and supports project delivery. Aha! incorporates enterprise-grade security with ISO 27001 certification to safeguard product data. It is designed to improve planning efficiency, streamline status tracking and reporting, align teams on strategy, and consolidate tools into one platform. It enables teams to manage extensive product features and customer ideas while maintaining visibility throughout the development process.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/help-desk/aha-profile/) ### Best rated features: Modeling & Simulation 5.0 Lifecycle Management 5.0 Whiteboard 5.0 Project Time Tracking 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/help-desk/aha-profile/#key-features) ### Aha! Roadmaps $59.00/month ### Aha! Discovery $39.00/month ### Aha! Ideas $39.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/help-desk/aha-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [ClickUp](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/clickup-profile/) 4.63 [(4596)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/clickup-profile/reviews/) Best for:Value for money ### Pricing availability Free trial: Not available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary ClickUp is a productivity platform designed to unify work tools within a single workspace. It supports various teams and industries, including marketing, product development, engineering, IT, HR, and leadership, by helping organizations streamline workflows and reduce reliance on multiple applications. The platform includes features such as tasks, sprints, Gantt charts, and kanban boards for project management. It incorporates AI-based tools, including ClickUp Brain and AI super agents, which assist with task delegation, event updates, and document creation. Collaboration tools include built-in docs, wikis, whiteboards, chat functionality, and time tracking. ClickUp offers security measures such as SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance. It provides customization options through custom fields, statuses, and templates to align with specific workflows. The platform is compatible with iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Chrome, allowing teams to maintain productivity across devices and operating systems.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/clickup-profile/) ### What users love - Versatile project planning platform - Flexible team coordination tools - Customizable task organization options ### To take in mind - Lag and slow load times - Steep learning curve for newcomers - Overwhelming and noisy alerts ### Best rated features: Guest Access 5.0 Knowledge Management 5.0 Bug Tracking 5.0 Approval Workflow 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Issue Auditing 2.0 Negative Feedback Management 3.0 Lead Generation 3.0 Overtime Calculation 3.4 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/clickup-profile/#key-features) [Businessmap](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanbanize-profile/) 4.77 [(215)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanbanize-profile/reviews/) Best for:Ease of use ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Not available Software Advice Summary Businessmap (formerly Kanbanize) is the most flexible Lean project & portfolio management platform for complete strategy execution. Designed for enterprise agility, Businessmap (formerly Kanbanize) helps organizations align strategic goals with daily work through workspaces, OKRs/KPIs, whiteboards, dashboards, flexible boards, etc.—all in one platform. Built on Lean/Agile principles and enhanced by AI, Businessmap improves operational efficiency, reduces costs, and accelerates project delivery by replacing disconnected tools with a unified solution.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanbanize-profile/) ### Best rated features: Risk Management 5.0 Customizable Reports 5.0 Kanban Board 5.0 Change Management 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Time Tracking 3.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanbanize-profile/#key-features) ### Standard $8.50/month For organizations looking to gain visibility across projects and connect strategy with execution. ### Enterprise Custom Pricing available upon request For organizations with global-scale, security, and advanced support needs. [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanbanize-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Kanban Tool](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/) 4.77 [(182)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/reviews/) Best for:Value for money ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 organizations to manage project tasks, track deadlines and allocate resources using digital kanban cards. On-premise and cloud-based deployments are available, with complimentary Android and iOS mobile applications. Kanban Tool includes easy task management, time tracking, process automation, team collaboration features, file sharing and automatically generated analytics. Users can organize tasks into backlogged items that require completion, in-progress tasks and completed objectives, in a way that best suits their specific workflow. Kanban Tool can also help predict project completion dates by showing data from previously completed projects. In addition, users can benefit from diagrams, graphs and charts, presenting current project information. Three pricing models are available and a free trial is also offered. Support is provided through an online knowledge base and email. Kanban Tool's strongest points are its ease of use and very wide customization options.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/) ### Best rated features: Status Tracking 5.0 Kanban Board 5.0 Supports Scrum 5.0 Activity Dashboard 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Project Tracking 2.0 Backlog Management 4.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/#key-features) ### Free Custom Pricing available upon request This plan includes 2 boards, 2 users, and no file attachments. ### Team $6.00/month This plan includes unlimited boards and file attachments. ### Enterprise $11.00/month This plan includes unlimited boards and file attachments. [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-tool-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [monday.com](https://www.softwareadvice.com/marketing/monday-com-profile/) 4.57 [(6064)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/marketing/monday-com-profile/reviews/) Best for:Small businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary monday.com is a work and project management platform that helps teams of all sizes plan, prioritize, manage, and execute work effectively. The platform offers solutions for a wide range of use-cases such as marketing, sales, operations, IT, HR, and more. It’s no-code/low-code, fully customizable, and has ready-made templates to help every type of user quickly get started. The visual and intuitive interface creates a collaborative environment where team members can assign tasks, create project plans, set dependencies and due dates, communicate in real-time, share files, and more. monday.com offers a variety of productivity features designed to simplify workflows, improve cross-team collaboration, and optimize time-and resource management. No-code automations eliminate repetitive tasks, integrations centralize every app and tool in one place, and advanced reporting helps users make data-driven decisions. Multiple view options such as Gantt charts and Kanban let teams navigate projects from start to finish, and visual dashboards help managers track progress, timelines, and budgets at a glance. The platform is ideal for managing everything from simple to complex projects or workflows and is equally suitable for in-house teams and remote workers. monday.com integrates with commonly used apps and tools such as MS Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Excel, Gmail, Google Drive, and Dropbox. So users can continue working with any software they already know, within the platform. In addition to the standard platform, monday.com also offers dedicated solutions designed to answer the needs of specific industries and use-cases, such as monday work management, monday marketer, monday sales CRM, monday dev, and monday projects.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/marketing/monday-com-profile/) ### What users love - Centralized teamwork and visibility - 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 ### Best rated features: Order Entry 5.0 Visual Workflow Management 5.0 Idle Time Monitoring 5.0 Multi-Channel Management 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/marketing/monday-com-profile/#key-features) ### Free Custom Pricing available upon request Up to 2 seats ### Basic $9.00/month Minimum 3 seats, billed annually. ### Standard $12.00/month Minimum 3 seats, billed annually. [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/marketing/monday-com-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [GoodDay](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/goodday-profile/) 4.70 [(149)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/goodday-profile/reviews/) Best for:Customer support ### Pricing availability Free trial: Not available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary GoodDay is a cloud-based project management solution that caters to businesses of all sizes across various industries. Features include idea management, resource management, milestone tracking, Kanban boards, Gantt charts and more. GoodDay’s business intelligence (BI) module provides users with a real-time view of work activities and analytics. The solution also helps users identify the specific team member responsible for a particular action on different tasks. Additionally, GoodDay offers users time tracking capabilities and a reporting engine. The solution also supports integration with various third-party email, calendar and collaboration systems such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack and more. Mobile applications for iOS and Android devices are also offered to users. Services are offered on a monthly subscription basis that includes support via email, phone and online support tickets.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/goodday-profile/) ### Best rated features: Visualization 5.0 Business Process Automation 5.0 Dashboard 5.0 Time Tracking 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/goodday-profile/#key-features) [Zenkit](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zenkit-profile/) 4.62 [(235)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zenkit-profile/reviews/) Best for:Ease of use ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 search functionalities within a suite. Android and iOS apps are available. Zenkit features a project calendar, and users can integrate with Google Calendar and add tasks and meetings directly from the system. Zenkit’s task management feature allows users to add tasks to a project, assign them to people and track their status. Zenkit offers integration with different business systems, such as Google Sheets, Evernote, Trello, Slack and Gmail. The product also allows users to connect with other applications via Zapier integration.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zenkit-profile/) ### Best rated features: Data Import/Export 5.0 Multi-board 5.0 File Sharing 5.0 Idea Management 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Gantt/Timeline View 3.0 Visualization 3.0 Progress Tracking 3.0 Prioritization 3.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zenkit-profile/#key-features) ### Zenkit personal $0.00/month The Zenkit Projects Business plan includes up to 800,000 tasks and 800 projects. ### Zenkit Plus $9.00/month The plan includes unlimited notebooks and members and up to 60 GB for files and attachments. ### Zenkit Business $25.00/month The Zenkit Business plan includes up to 150,000 items and unlimited connections. [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zenkit-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Productboard](https://www.softwareadvice.com/idea-management/productboard-profile/) 4.65 [(153)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/idea-management/productboard-profile/reviews/) Best for:Features ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 understand user needs, prioritize what to build next, align everyone on the roadmap, and engage with their customers. Productboard is easy to use, enables company-wide collaboration, and integrates into existing workflows. Over 6,000 organizations around the world use Productboard to build excellent products. Key features of Productboard include idea collaboration, resource management, prioritization, road mapping, feedback collection, milestone tracking, monitoring of requirements and workflows. It also allows businesses to engage with the customer community and generate anonymous feedback from colleagues. Moreover, it provides white-label solutions to set up product portals, which help share, review and launch ideas among colleagues and customers. Productboard allows integration with development, notification tracking, email, project planning and other third-party software. The product is available on monthly subscription and support is extended via online chat, email and phone.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/idea-management/productboard-profile/) ### Best rated features: Dashboard 5.0 File Sharing 5.0 Visual Workflow Management 5.0 Strategic Planning 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Negative Feedback Management 1.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/idea-management/productboard-profile/#key-features) ### Essentials $25.00/month Starting with 1 maker ### Pro $75.00/month Starting with 2 makers ### Enterprise Custom Pricing available upon request Starting with 5 makers [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/idea-management/productboard-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Trello](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/trello-profile/) 4.53 [(23550)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/trello-profile/reviews/) Best for:Customer support ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 as marketing, sales, support and HR. The web-based solution provides tools to define projects, their requirements and the workflow to ensure projects are completed in a planned sequential manner. Trello offers a digital board to create, organize and prioritize actions. Administrators or managers can even define workflows, assign tasks to individuals or teams, set deadlines and monitor progress. Trello cards allow users to collaborate with each other. Users can add comments, add members, and attach documents to the tasks assigned to them. Trello offers a professional package that includes the privacy and administrative settings required by large enterprises. Trello integrates with a number of online applications including JIRA Cloud, Bitbucket Cloud, Google Drive, GitHub and Slack.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/trello-profile/) ### What users love - Simple project organization for teams - User-friendly and intuitive interface - Flexible and visual task tracking ### To take in mind - Clutter and navigation challenges - Board management and scalability issues - Permission and support limitations ### Best rated features: Task Planning 5.0 Productivity Tools 5.0 Automatic Backup 5.0 Campaign Planning 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Skills Tracking 3.0 Email Marketing 3.0 Process Modeling & Designing 3.3 Budget Management 3.7 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/trello-profile/#key-features) ### Free $0.00/month For individuals or small teams ### Standard $5.00/month For teams ### Premium $10.00/month For teams up to 100 [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/trello-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Stackby](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/stackby-profile/) 4.76 [(82)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/stackby-profile/reviews/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 software development resources. The platform combines spreadsheet-style usability with the capabilities of relational databases, enabling business teams to organize, manage, and automate operational data in a flexible and scalable workspace. With Stackby, users can create structured databases using multiple field types, connect tables through relational data models, and visualize information through views such as grid, kanban, calendar, gallery, dashboards, and forms. These capabilities allow teams to build customized solutions for use cases such as CRM systems, marketing campaign tracking, project management, applicant tracking, content calendars, asset management, and operational reporting. The platform also includes workflow automation tools that trigger actions such as data updates, notifications, integrations, and record creation across connected systems. Stackby supports integrations with thousands of external applications and APIs, allowing organizations to centralize data from multiple sources and automate repetitive processes. Additionally, Stackby integrates AI capabilities that allow teams to generate content, analyze documents, and enrich records directly within database fields using AI models. This enables businesses to combine structured data management with AI-powered insights and automation. Used by organizations across marketing, operations, sales, and product teams, Stackby helps companies replace fragmented spreadsheets and disconnected tools with a unified, customizable workspace for building and scaling data-driven workflows.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/stackby-profile/) ### Best rated features: Visual Workflow Management 5.0 Communication Management 5.0 For Nonprofits 5.0 Kanban Board 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/stackby-profile/#key-features) ### Free $0.00/month ### Economy $9.00/month ### Business $18.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/stackby-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Backlog](https://www.softwareadvice.com/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/) 4.56 [(169)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/reviews/) Best for:Small businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 solution include project and issue management, subtasking, bug tracking and burndown charts. Backlog offers features like watchlists, file sharing and comment threads. It integrates with Git and SVN which helps developers to manage a project's source code along with project tasks. Backlog enables users to visualize their daily timeline and project workflows using Gantt charts. It also helps users to propose and compare changes to the project, comment on pull requests, track changes taking place in the project and document changes. It offers integration with applications like Typetalk, Cacoo, Redmine and Jenkins. Backlog also offers a mobile application for iOS and Android devices. It offers services on a monthly subscription basis that includes support via email, chat and through an online knowledge base.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/) ### Best rated features: Business Process Automation 5.0 Recurring Issues 5.0 Release Planning 5.0 Supports Scrum 5.0 ### Worst rated features: API 3.0 Deadline Management 3.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/#key-features) ### Starter $35.00/month 30 users ### Standard $100.00/month Unlimited users ### Premium $175.00/month Unlimited users [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/issue-tracking/backlog-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Kanban Zone](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/) 4.85 [(20)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/reviews/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary Kanban Zone is a visual collaboration platform that embeds the Kanban method pioneered by Toyota, into the most intuitive and flexible no-code interface. Get started fast with templates and experts ready to help you visualize your work in the most effective way. Founded by Agile coaches, who since 2003 have been empowering organizations such as American Express, Choice Hotels and Mayo Clinic to be more efficient. Get into the Kanban Zone by focusing on the right work at the right time, to achieve maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort. Measure key Kanban metrics like throughput (performance) and cycle time (responsiveness) to ensure that you are always improving the way you work. We guarantee that we can recreate online any Kanban board that you can imagine. Whether you leverage our board templates or our team of Kanban experts, we will help you set up the ideal online Kanban solution to achieve your goals faster. Unlike other bloated project management tools, Kanban Zone will allow you to focus on the right work at the right time.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/) ### Best rated features: Task Progress Tracking 5.0 Real-Time Updates 5.0 Collaboration Tools 5.0 Task Scheduling 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/#key-features) ### Basic $5.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-zone-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Zoho Sprints](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/) 4.54 [(298)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/reviews/) Best for:Small businesses ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 customizable agile boards, engage in contextual collaboration, and track progress with robust agile reports. As project needs evolve, the platform extends beyond execution with built-in budget and expense management for tracking finances, a risk and opportunity module to identify and respond to uncertainties across the project lifecycle, and a test management module to support quality assurance. It also enables teams to build new workflows and modules beyond the default setup. Zoho Sprints integrates with a range of applications, including Jira, Microsoft SharePoint, Azure DevOps, and more, supporting diverse business needs. It further includes AI capabilities and contextual project intelligence through the Zoho MCP server.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/) ### Best rated features: Code Repository Integration 5.0 Commenting/Notes 5.0 NPS of Customers 5.0 Notes Management 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Billable & Non-Billable Hours 1.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#key-features) ### Free $0.00 This plan is free of cost and comes with 3 users. ### Starter $12.00/year The Starter plan starts at $1/month/user (billed annually) for up to 12 users. This plan does not offer a monthly billing option.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#pricing-and-plans) ### Elite $3.00/month The Elite plan starts at $3/month/user (billed monthly) or $2.50/month/user (billed annually) for up to 100 users.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Planview ProjectPlace](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/projectplace-profile/) 4.70 [(37)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/projectplace-profile/reviews/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Not available Software Advice Summary Projectplace is a cloud-based project management and collaboration solution that helps organizations in a wide range of industries, such as manufacturing, retail and health care, execute projects and monitor their progress efficiently. Projectplace offers a variety of features including Kanban boards, Gantt charts, calendars, to-do lists and project dashboards. The tool helps organize team tasks, analyze team performances, organize online meetings with up to 100 participants and share files from third-party sources such as Dropbox, Google or Box. Projectplace provides project templates, project management reports and conversation tools that help users share files, links and images and collect feedback. Other features provided include workload management, single sign-on and integration with third-party applications. The solution also allows customization to meet individual clients' requirements. Projectplace is ISO 27001 certified and supports role-based access and 256-bit encryption of data both in transit and at rest.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/projectplace-profile/) ### Best rated features: Search/Filter 5.0 Alerts/Notifications 5.0 Task Scheduling 5.0 Project Tracking 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Calendar Management 4.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/projectplace-profile/#key-features) ### Basic $29.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/projectplace-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Hygger](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/hygger-profile/) 4.57 [(120)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/hygger-profile/reviews/) Best for:Value for money ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 monitor project progress. Key features include time tracking, version control, release management and a live activity stream. The backlog board allows users to upload feature requests, user feedback, reviews, bugs and ideas from multiple sources. Product managers can use this data to identify patterns, draft additional features to be implemented and send them to Scrum or Kanban-style boards for development. The solution allows users to organize tasks and highlight bottlenecks with configurable labels. Hygger also offers a two-level comments feature that helps to organize communication with other team members. Native mobile apps are available for Android and iOS devices. Services are offered on a monthly subscription basis with support available through an online form and knowledge base.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/hygger-profile/) ### Best rated features: Retrospectives Management 5.0 Kanban Board 5.0 Collaboration Tools 4.7 Prioritization 4.7 ### Worst rated features: Milestone Tracking 2.0 Portfolio Management 3.5 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/hygger-profile/#key-features) ### Basic $7.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/hygger-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Kerika](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kerika-profile/) 5.0 [(6)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kerika-profile/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Not available Software Advice Summary 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 work, with unfortunate consequences for your team's productivity and cohesion. Kerika is different, by design. From the very beginning we were determined to make something that ordinary folks can use with ease, so that everyone in your project teams - from the designers and engineers to the sales, marketing, operations, and finance folks - is equally comfortable using Kerika. Kerika is designed to require no training or learning curve (although we do provide plenty of free support!): you don't need to know the "rules" or Kanban or Scrum to use Kerika's Task Boards because the boards are incredible flexible and easy to set up and customize to your specific needs. Kerika asks new users one simple question: "What do you need to get done?", and then takes it from there, guiding you through the process of setting up your first board, organizing your tasks, and managing your team. You can set up each Kerika board from scratch or use a template to get it set up for you in seconds. Every board can be customized: the workflow, team, tasks, content, tags. Within each account you can have as many boards as you like, and each board can be as large as you like. There are no weird limits to bump up against. And here's another thing that makes Kerika stand apart from the crowd: if you are using Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365, or Box, you will find that Kerika is the only task management tool that integrates seamlessly with all three platforms. Sign up with your Google ID and your board's files will be stored in your own Google Drive, where they stay under your control at all times. Sign up with your Microsoft ID and your files will be stored in your own OneDrive. Sign up with your Box ID and your files will be stored in your own OneDrive. Your IT folks will love the fact that your files remain within your company, rather than disappearing into someone else’s cloud! Kerika goes even further: when you add someone to a board's team, Kerika makes sure they have the right access to the files for that board: Team Members get read+write access; Visitors get read-only access. Change someone's role on a board team and Kerika makes sure their access to all the relevant files is updated instantly. You will never have to deal with managing file permissions anymore, because Kerika takes care of all the admin work for you. You can even create new Google, Microsoft, or Box documents from inside Kerika, and have them automatically attached to specific tasks and shared with your board team. And, unlike other tools, Kerika was designed from the very beginning to meet the needs of remote and distributed teams, long before the press started talking about "hybrid work". Due dates, for example, are automatically adjusted to each user's local timezone so there's no need to argue about when "due today" really means when a team includes people in California and India! (And, speaking of global teams, only Kerika is available in 38 languages, covering 45% of the world’s population!) Kerika helps you scale: as your boards get large, you will find the unique Highlights feature to be super-helpful in focusing on what matters to you, even when you are working on a board that's tracking thousands of tasks. (We are not kidding!) The Dashboard also helps you stay on top of things, by summarizing what's important to you across dozens of projects that are all underway at the same time. Kerika is used by people in government, nonprofits, large global companies, small startups, students, and teachers worldwide.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kerika-profile/) ### Best rated features: Drag & Drop 5.0 Collaboration Tools 5.0 Document Management 5.0 Status Tracking 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kerika-profile/#key-features) ### Professional $9.00/month You pay for Team Members; Visitors are always free, after a 30-day free trial that's no strings attached.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kerika-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kerika-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Roundrush](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/roundrush-profile/) 4.88 [(8)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/roundrush-profile/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary Roundrush is a workflow management platform that helps developers and IT businesses streamline operations and improve work quality across teams. The platform enables organizations to create/manage tasks and monitor team objectives, priorities and activities in real-time. Roundrush includes automated priority rescheduling functionality, which allows professionals to reschedule tasks and manage deadlines via artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled recommendations. The platform offers a host of features such as tasks review, OKR tracking, shared board, backlog planning, brainstorming and more. Additionally, dependencies module lets managers define custom workflows across departments to improve operations and ensure timely delivery of projects. Roundrush comes with leaderboard, a live dashboard, which allows administrators to view completed tasks and ranking of team members across multiple projects. Plus, users can generate reports to gain insight into team performance, start/end date, outcomes and more.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/roundrush-profile/) ### Basic $6.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/roundrush-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Ravetree](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/ravetree-profile/) 4.48 [(27)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/ravetree-profile/reviews/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Not available Software Advice Summary Ravetree is a cloud-based project management solution with integrated resource planning, customer relationship management and time and expense tracking capabilities. The solution helps users manage project workflows, task assignment and project status updates. Ravetree helps businesses to manage project budgets and resource distribution. Users can log their time spent on various tasks, which enables management to calculate the total time spent on a project and compare it with estimated time. Time logs can also be used to calculate billable and non-billable hours, as well as generate reports for performance reporting. Ravetree enables resource planning through resource allocation tools. Users can monitor employee utilization on a daily basis. The solution also provides built-in customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities, client information storage and project history through a single user interface. Ravetree is available on a per user per month subscription basis.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/ravetree-profile/) ### Best rated features: Template Management 5.0 Task Management 5.0 Dependency Tracking 5.0 Multiple Projects 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Marketing Automation 1.0 Overtime Calculation 1.0 Idea Management 1.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/ravetree-profile/#key-features) ### Ravetree $39.00/month Quater and annual subscriptions are available. [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/ravetree-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Kantask](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kantask-profile/) 4.78 [(9)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kantask-profile/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary 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 include multi-kanban representation, team collaboration and contact management. The application comes with a module that helps supervisors establish team goals, determine procedures and measure success ratio. Teams can use this system to define goal type and manage its periodic completion. Executives can use Kanban boards to monitor work stages, detect issues and measure efficiency. Additionally, teams can schedule meetings, collaborate across multiple time zones and create visual workspaces. Kantask’s project feature enables managers to prioritize tasks, assign individual roles and allocate time to team members. The solution comes with a mobile application for iOS and Android and support is offered live chat and email.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kantask-profile/) ### Basic $1.00/month [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kantask-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [YouTrack](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/youtrack-profile/) 4.48 [(95)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/youtrack-profile/reviews/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary YouTrack is a project management tool that helps teams streamline their work and increase productivity. It allows teams to track tasks, manage projects, maintain a knowledge base, support customers, and collaborate on projects of any size. The tool can be tailored to the unique needs of teams in various industries such as software development, DevOps, HR, and marketing. YouTrack enhances team efficiency with AI-powered features. It has a text-to-issue transformation feature that lets users easily identify actions and create new tasks from any text. The writing assistance automatically checks grammar, spelling, and punctuation as users compose. The AI Assistant also generates summaries of content and provides suggestions when composing replies in multiple languages. YouTrack offers customizable agile boards that support Kanban, Scrum, and mixed approaches. This allows teams to plan and track projects at all levels. The comprehensive reporting and dashboard features provide detailed analyses of performance and progress indicators. The helpdesk functionality enables teams to support external customers or internal users through a ticket-based system. Teams can also extend YouTrack's functionality through a wide range of apps to manage projects their way and deliver great products.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/youtrack-profile/) ### Best rated features: Audit Trail 5.0 Document Storage 5.0 Project Management 5.0 @mentions 5.0 ### Worst rated features: Portfolio Management 3.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/youtrack-profile/#key-features) ### YouTrack Cloud or Server, 1-10 users $0.00one time This plan is free for up to 10 users. ### YouTrack Cloud, 11+ users $3.67/month This plan is hosted in the cloud by the Youtrack with 3GB of storage for every 3 users. ### YouTrack Server, 15+ users $600.00/year YouTrack Server, 15+ users [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/youtrack-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [Shorter Loop](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/) 5.0 [(1)](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/) ### Pricing availability Free trial: Available Free version: Available Software Advice Summary Shorter Loop is a software platform that enables companies to understand customer problems, conceptualize solutions, and create focused roadmaps. The software helps organizations gather qualitative and quantitative customer insights. These insights inform product decisions and development priorities. Key capabilities include customer research tools, AI-powered coaching features, collaboration capabilities, and flexible pricing options. These tools empower product teams to discover pain points, prioritize features, and align cross-functional stakeholders. Shorter Loop serves startups seeking product-market fit, scaling companies managing growth, enterprises establishing product culture, UX designers, and software developers. The platform provides an environment for organizations to adopt a customer-focused product mindset and work together effectively.... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/) ### Best rated features: Collaboration Tools 5.0 Data Security 5.0 Third-Party Integrations 5.0 Workflow Management 5.0 [See all features](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/#key-features) ### Founder $0.00 Individual founders exploring ideas prior to launching a business ### Startup $15.00/month Individual founders exploring ideas prior to launching a business. Persona Value Proposition Vision Canvas Business Model Canvas Hypotheses Validation... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/#pricing-and-plans) ### Scale Up $25.00/month Growing companies supporting end-to-end product management for multiple products and teams. Unlimited projects Persona Value Proposition Vision Canvas Business Model Canvas Hypotheses Validation... [Read more](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/#pricing-and-plans) [See full pricing details](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-experience/shorter-loop-profile/#pricing-and-plans) 1 [2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?page=2)[3](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?page=3)[4](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?page=4)[5](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/kanban-comparison/?page=5) ## Popular Comparisons [ Jira vs Trello ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/atlassian-jira-profile/vs/trello/)[ monday.com 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/)[ Miro vs Aha! ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/help-desk/aha-profile/vs/miro/)[ Smartsheet vs ProjectManager ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/projectmanager-profile/vs/smartsheet/) ## 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: **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/)