A project manager can face many challenges in tracking progress, identifying bottlenecks, and coordinating tasks. Luckily, with the help of a Kanban tool, you can avoid inefficiencies and communication issues.

An effective Kanban software combines user-friendly interfaces, flexibility, and features to help teams visualize and optimize their workflow. It should offer customizable boards, task assignments, due dates, and real-time updates. Integration with widely used project management tools, mobile access, and notifications are also valuable.

To help you decide on the best Kanban tool for you, here’s a list of our hand-picked favorites and what sets them apart:

  • monday.com is best for its user-friendly interface
  • Trello is best for workflow management
  • Asana is best for task management
  • Jira is best for planning and roadmap tools
  • Wrike is best for ready-made templates
  • ClickUp is best for project management tools
  • Businessmap is best for visualizing workflow

If you don’t see the right choice in this list of Kanban tools, look at our Agile Project Management Software Guide for more options. 

Top Kanban tools

Free trial Starting price (paid plans) Selling point
monday.com Yes $9/user/mo. User-friendly interface Try monday.com
Trello Yes $5/user/mo Workflow management Try Trello
Asana Yes $10.99/user/mo Task management Try Asana
Jira Yes $7.75/user/mo. Planning and roadmap tools Try Jira
Wrike Yes $10.00/user/mo. Ready-made templates Try Wrike
ClickUp No $7.00/user/mo. Project management tools Try ClickUp
Businessmap Yes $149/mon. Visualizing workflow Try Businessmap

Also read: What Is Kanban?

monday.com: Best for user-friendly interface


Pros

  • Contains a virtual whiteboard and other collaboration tools
  • Offers 24/7 customer support
  • Has a 14-day free trial for Pro plan

Cons

  • Limited integrations on some plans
  • Lacks task dependencies

User-friendly Interface: monday.com’s intuitive interface benefits project managers by allowing for seamless navigation, task management, and collaboration. The visual design, drag-and-drop functionality, and customizable features enable efficient project planning and execution. The intuitive interface helps project managers stay organized, communicate effectively, and streamline their workflow for improved productivity.

Views: Multiple perspectives allow project managers and team members to observe projects and duties. Choose from options such as a table, Gantt chart, Kanban board, and calendar.

View-only and guest access: Options for view-only and guest access can save you money on paid plans. Team members can observe assignments and project progress without a plan—or welcome four guests for the price of one (ideal for collaboration between freelancers).

monday.com offers a free subscription.

Basic plan starts at $9 per seat per month, billed annually.

Standard plan starts at $12 per seat per month, billed annually.

Pro plan starts at $19 per seat per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan: Contact the sales team for a custom quote.

We choose monday.com for its intuitive interface, allowing easy navigation and collaboration. Its versatility enables customization to match specific workflows and team structures. The platform prioritizes collaboration and communication, facilitating effective project planning and execution.

monday.com is a web-based Kanban software and “work-OS” platform that allows teams and stakeholders to manage their work and track progress on various projects and tasks. It provides a visual and intuitive interface that helps groups organize and streamline their workflows, communicate effectively, and stay on top of their assignments.

monday.com’s interface is user-friendly due to its intuitive design and visual nature, and it enhances usability and ensures a smooth user experience. The platform employs a clean and organized layout with drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy for users to navigate, collaborate, and customize their workflow.

Also read: The Top Benefits of Kanban for Project Management

Trello: Best for workflow management


Pros

  • Provides real-time visibility of tasks in progress, bottlenecked, or canceled
  • Offers free versions to small teams with multifunctional positions
  • Intuitive and user-friendly

Cons

  • Lacks useful templates, designs, and plugins that would make customization simpler
  • Does not permit the export of all boards to a spreadsheet in the free version

Workflow management: Users can invite unlimited users to any project, all of whom can communicate directly with the board. With a few keystrokes, they can provide feedback, attach files, and mention colleagues

Visual organization tool: Boards, cards, and lists are included in the software for collaborative collaboration. Members can upload files directly from Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box, as well as drag-and-drop lists and cards to reflect project progress.

Power-ups and integrations: Users can complete duties without leaving the system because of power-ups. Due to the product’s email integration, users can generate and move cards from their emails. Its integration with other applications simplifies project completion and eliminates the need to transition between applications.

Trello offers a free subscription.

Standard plan starts at $5 per user, per month, billed annually.

Premium plan starts at $10 per user, per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan starts at $17.50 per user, per month, billed annually.

We choose Trello because it offers a simple and intuitive interface for quick adoption and ease of use. It provides a flexible and visual approach to project management, allowing users to customize boards and cards to match their workflow. Trello’s collaboration features, such as comments, attachments, and notifications, facilitate effective team communication. The platform also integrates with various tools and offers mobile apps for accessibility. Overall, Trello’s user-friendly design, flexibility, and collaborative features make it an appealing choice for project managers.

Trello is a simple collaboration tool that enables you to monitor all your employees’ work progress in a single application. This software uses cards, lists, and Kanban boards to track every project assignment. It is an excellent tool for organizing, planning, and sharing information with your entire team, simplifying tracking and managing your projects.

It offers several key features for project management. Users can create and assign tasks, set due dates, and add labels and attachments. The platform supports collaboration by allowing team members to comment on cards, attach files, and receive notifications. Users can create checklists, set priorities, and track progress with activity logs. Additionally, Trello integrates with various third-party apps and services, offers mobile apps, and provides automation capabilities through Power-Ups and Butler.

Also read: The Versatility of Kanban Boards in Project Management

Asana: Best for task management


Pros

  • Offers a free plan available for up to 15 users
  • Enables users to customize task template
  • Personalized “My Tasks” dashboard for each stakeholder

Cons

  • Lacks the option to assign multiple users to a task
  • Few alternatives for data export

Task management: Asana’s task management tracks tasks from beginning to end, enables users to delegate subtasks to colleagues, and sets deadlines to ensure projects are completed on time. Asana enables teams to prioritize tasks, manage time more efficiently, and meet deadlines using a single application. It also facilitates the exchange of files, feedback, and ideas.

Automation: Automation simplifies workflows, reduces errors, and frees up team members to focus on the next big event. Asana’s automation capabilities ensure the team never misses a crucial step and delivers value more quickly. Managers can also use Rules to automate repetitive duties so that team members do not have to consider them. Additionally, users can convert common projects into custom templates. Asana’s audit trails and error alerts inform Rule proprietors of any issues that arise.

Workflow Builder: By automating processes and keeping work flowing, the Workflow Builder enables users to coordinate work across teams in a seamless manner. Organizations can create more efficient workflows with this visual tool by integrating team members, harmonizing work, and streamlining projects in a single location. Within workflows, users can connect the right people with the right information at the right moment, allowing the team to concentrate on the work that matters.

Basic plan is free.

Premium plan starts at $10.99 per user, per month, billed annually.

Business plan starts at $24.99 per user, per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan requires custom pricing.

We choose Asana because it offers comprehensive features, including task management, project planning, and team collaboration tools. Its clean and intuitive interface enhances usability. Asana’s customizable dashboards, timelines, and advanced reporting capabilities provide valuable insights and help track project progress. Integration with popular apps and services allows for seamless workflow integration. Additionally, Asana offers robust communication features like commenting, file sharing, and notifications, facilitating efficient team collaboration. Overall, Asana’s feature-rich platform, user-friendly interface, and collaboration capabilities make it a preferred choice for project managers.

Asana is a web-based project management software that enables teams to manage projects, prioritize what’s most essential, and organize their work in one central location for seamless collaboration. From the minute to the monumental, the platform coordinates work so that teams know what to do, why it is important, and how to complete it. It enables organizations to manage company objectives, digital transformations, product launches, and marketing campaigns.

Asana offers web and mobile applications that enable teams to remain on track, organize projects, and meet deadlines regardless of their location. Additionally, the software serves as a collaboration instrument. Managers can synchronize team assignments so that everyone is aware of their responsibilities, and coworkers can share feedback, files, and status updates. Asana provides a comprehensive view of work and enables teams to focus on the appropriate duties at the right time. Team members are able to view the project’s progression, monitor individual duties, organize sprints, and successfully launch products.

Jira: Best for planning and roadmap tools


Pros

  • Offers tailored project management tools for dev teams
  • Provides easy access to important data through roadmaps, charts, and reports
  • Customizable dashboards
  • Extensive integrations

Cons

  • Steep learning curve, setup complexity
  • Less user-friendly

Agile project management: Jira almost has everything you need to run an agile project. It has Scrum and Kanban boards that show the state of projects and burndown charts that show how the team is doing. It also makes it easy to plan sprints with points, so you don’t need any other apps. The different Scrum reports in Jira can help you hold a better, more data-driven review after your sprint.

Roadmaps: Jira roadmaps make it easy to see how teams, projects, and tasks are doing across all of them. Roadmaps let you see how tasks depend on each other and how much time your team has, so that you can make better plans. Advanced Roadmaps can let you create versions of your roadmap for the worst and best cases.

Automation: Jira lets you set up your workflow so that it takes care of jobs you do repeatedly. It can, for example, give team members jobs, send emails to clients, hand off projects, and do other things. You can also use its “no-code” automation engine to build an automated process that fits your needs. However, Jira limits the number of automatic rules you can use monthly. You can only have 100 rules with the free plan, but with the Premium plan, you can have 1,000.

Jira offers a free subscription.

Standard plan starts at $7.75 per user per month.

Premium plan starts at $15.25 per user per month.

Enterprise plan requires custom pricing.

We choose Jira because it offers specialized project management and roadmap tools tailored to development teams, allowing for efficient bug tracking, version control, and sandbox environments. Its robust reporting and data visualization capabilities provide valuable insights for planning and decision-making. Jira’s extensive marketplace of integrations enables seamless connectivity with various tools, enhancing functionality. While Jira may have a learning curve and lacks certain features, its technical focus and tailored solutions make it a preferred choice for project managers in the software development industry.

Jira is a collaboration tool that helps users manage tasks, prioritize projects, and meet deadlines. This program can expedite the execution phases of your project’s development. With Jira, you can access crucial, actionable insights for achieving your objectives.

It takes a unique approach to task administration. Most out-of-the-box Jira workflows are intended to assist teams in building, testing, and releasing software; however, custom workflows can be designed for use in other product development and Agile scenarios. Jira’s task management features are explicitly integrated into an Agile framework, so non-software development teams will likely have less flexibility with Jira.

Also read: Trello vs. Jira: Top Agile Project Management Tool (2023)

Wrike: Best for ready-made templates


Pros

  • Comes with advanced task and project management features
  • Provides flexible and customizable workflows
  • Offers real-time collaboration and communication capabilities

Cons

  • Limited reporting and analytics functionality
  • More expensive

Ready-made templates: These templates provide predefined structures, workflows, and task lists that align with specific project types or industries. By utilizing these templates, project managers can quickly set up projects, saving them from starting from scratch and ensuring consistency in project management practices. This feature reduces the learning curve and empowers teams to get started swiftly, making Wrike an attractive choice for organizations seeking a streamlined and efficient project management process.

Collaboration: Users can approve assets, give comments, and work with other departments with this solution. It gets rid of cumbersome worksheets and old files. Wrike makes it easy to proof and approve documents, keeps track of different versions of documents, and has interactive request forms.

Client and resource control: Wrike keeps clients in the loop, stores papers safely, and ensures that staff and other resources are best used. With Wrike Lock, team members can make custom reports for clients and share them with them. They can also protect private client data. Wrike also has ways to keep track of time and money.

Wrike offers a free subscription.

Team plan starts at $10.00 per user, per month.

Business plan starts at $24.80 per user, per month.

Enterprise & Pinnacle plans require custom pricing.

We chose Wrike due to its advanced task and ready-made templates, customizable protocols, and seamless app and tool integration. Its capabilities for real-time collaboration and communication increase team productivity. The availability of ready-made templates provides a structured approach to project management and saves time. Although there is a learning curve, Wrike’s functionality, adaptability, and effectiveness make it an attractive option for project managers seeking a comprehensive and customizable solution for their teams.

Wrike is an all-inclusive platform for collaboration and project management that revolutionizes teamwork. Every task and undertaking is more productive and efficient due to the software. Wrike monitors the team’s project performance and accomplishments. It provides the necessary insights via visual, dynamic reports that are shareable with all stakeholders. With Wrike Resource, the solution also enables the management of team bandwidth.

Wrike’s time and effort monitoring and workload management capabilities guarantee that team members are well-spent and well-rested. Wrike provides businesses with all the benefits of a cloud-based platform and the ability to manage data as if on-premise. It provides teams with enterprise-grade security and complete encryption control. Wrike’s Kanban boards, Gantt charts, time tracking, custom request forms with auto-assignment, performance reports, resource management and allocation, automated reporting, and shared workflows enable teams to streamline management.

ClickUp: Best for project management tools


Pros

  • Has tools for project management, collaboration, and workflow
  • Offers 24/7 customer service in all plans
  • Provides formula-based calculation

Cons

  • Fewer integrations
  • Lacks free trials

Customization: ClickUp is fully customizable, allowing users to administer any project without coding or add-ons. With a variety of ClickApps that add a variety of functionalities, team members can adapt duties to any work requirement. In addition, users can save time by automating tasks, assigning Sprint Points, and adding Custom Fields.

Project management: With ClickUp, organizations can enhance time tracking, allowing employees to concentrate on their work. Additionally, teams can set estimates, add notes, and view time reports from any location. With the Chrome extension for the platform, users can record time from a desktop, mobile, or web browser. The software enables the linking of tracked time to any active endeavor. The global timer permits starting and stopping time from any device and switching between assignments.

Reporting: With ClickUp’s reporting features, team members can set goals, monitor progress, and manage resources more effectively. The Workload and Box views enable managers to visualize the team’s daily work capacity. They can determine who is under or overcapacity to eliminate bottlenecks and effectively allocate resources. In addition, users can access and generate detailed reports for time-tracked and billable time. ClickUp reports disclose the accuracy of estimates, allowing teams to plan future projects efficiently.

Clickup offers a free subscription for personal use.

Unlimited plan starts at $7 per user, per month, billed annually.

Business plan starts at $12 per user, per month, billed annually.

Enterprise plan requires custom pricing

We choose Clickup for its wide range of project management features, including task management, collaboration tools, time tracking, and goal setting. ClickUp offers a highly customizable interface and allows for seamless integration with other apps and platforms. Its user-friendly design, intuitive navigation, and flexible hierarchy enable efficient project organization. Additionally, ClickUp provides robust reporting and analytics capabilities, empowering project managers with valuable insights for decision-making. Overall, ClickUp’s comprehensive feature set, customization options, and ease of use make it an attractive choice for project managers seeking a versatile project management solution.

ClickUp is a cloud-based project administration and collaboration service for organizations of all sizes. Its unique hierarchy enables users to construct an optimal structure that scales to accommodate various business requirements. Each platform level provides greater latitude and control for organizing everything from small teams to large enterprises. It consolidates all tasks in one place. Whether the user is proofing ads or working on sprints, the software is entirely customizable for all team types and sizes. Its capabilities encompass both design and development.

Additionally, it supports modularity with add-ons known as ClickApps, enabling extensive customization for each team separately. ClickUp includes documents, reminders, objectives, calendars, and an inbox. It offers Assigned Comments, LineUpTM, and Box View for managing personnel. The platform aims to increase productivity by reducing the friction from using numerous applications.

Businessmap: Best for visualizing workflow


Pros

  • Offers customizable Kanban project boards for tailored workflow management
  • Has a time-tracking feature to monitor and optimize task performance
  • Provides analytics and reporting capabilities for tracking project metrics and efficiency

Cons

  • Overwhelming interface, per some users
  • Limited native integrations with third-party tools

Visibility and Portfolio Management: Kanbanize provides a visual representation of projects, initiatives, and portfolios, allowing users to track progress, dependencies, and automatically forecast blockers and risks.

Scalability: Kanbanize allows for natural horizontal and vertical scaling, accommodating single teams to thousands of teams and extending to the CEO level without disruptions.

Strategy Execution: The platform enables the deployment of corporate strategy through cascading initiatives, aligning all levels of the organization, and ensuring seamless execution.

Kanbanize offers a free trial.

Annual plan starts at $149 per month for 15 users, billed annually.

Kanbanize has unique scalability, seamless strategy execution through cascading initiatives, comprehensive visibility across projects and portfolios, and the ability to optimize workflows based on sophisticated flow metrics. Kanbanize’s emphasis on scalability, strategy alignment, visual tracking, and workflow optimization makes it attractive for project managers seeking a flexible and efficient project management solution that can accommodate different team sizes and align with their organizational strategies.

Businessmap, a cloud-based business process management service, offers lean workflow management for SMBs and large enterprises across various industries and countries. Its customizable Kanban project boards, collaboration tools, time-tracking, email integration, and analytics facilitate efficient work processes. The software enables the application of Lean and Kanban principles, helping teams achieve productivity goals. Project managers can handle multiple projects simultaneously with their card and hierarchy systems.

Run-time policies automate recurring tasks, notifications, portfolio board rules, and batch updates. Its automated reports provide insights into lead and cycle times, efficiency, throughput, and billable hours. The platform’s premium analytics offer Monte Carlo simulations for productivity forecasting.

Which Kanban software is right for you?

While we recommend all the Kanban tools above, the best Kanban software for your business depends on your unique situation.

  •  If you’re searching for customizable software with an intuitive interface, monday.com can assist you in visually tracking projects and allocating resources.
  • If you require a straightforward and user-friendly project management solution, Trello can provide flexible organization tools to help you streamline your duties and collaborate effectively with your team.
  •  If you want to effectively plan, track, and manage your projects while fostering communication and teamwork, Asana offers extensive features, including task management, collaboration tools, customizable workflows, and advanced reporting capabilities.
  • If you’re looking for task collaboration across teams, Jira’s capability to enable users to assign, track, and manage work is a good choice.
  •  Wrike can generate comprehensive reports that are fully customizable while also protecting client data.
  •  If you need to consolidate your business processes and project management into a single software, utilize ClickUp’s numerous PM tools.
  •  If scalable project management is what you need, Kanbanize facilitates natural scalability. It ties together strategy and execution, provides visibility across projects, and optimizes workflows based on flow metrics for enhanced performance.

If you don’t see the right Kanban software in our picks above, check out more options in our Project Management Software Guide.

FAQs

Kanban software is a digital tool or platform that helps implement and manage the Kanban methodology for visualizing and organizing work tasks and workflows, enabling teams to track progress, prioritize tasks, and optimize efficiency.

Using Kanban software offers several benefits, including improved workflow visualization, increased transparency and productivity, enhanced collaboration, efficient task management, better prioritization, reduced bottlenecks, and the ability to easily track and analyze progress, leading to optimized workflow efficiency and overall team performance.

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