23 Best Kanban Board Tools of 2023

Kanban boards are a powerful tool that allows us to visualize progress and improve the process. To help you find the best Kanban tool out there, we have gathered the top options and compared them side by side.

Check out the comparison table below for a quick overview of each tool or continue reading to learn more about each Kanban tool. You should check our additional list if you are looking for the best free Kanban software.

All of the compared Kanban tools are in the productivity category, in this post we focus only on the best Kanban board and which Kanban features are available.

Best Kanban Board Tools Summary

1. Teamhood

Capterra score: 4.9/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best Kanban Tools in 2023

Why Teamhood is the best Kanban Board tool out there?

1. Easy to start and use
2. Supports Swimlanes and even sub-swimlanes
3. WIP Limits
4. Classes of service
5. Statuses and substatuses
6. Commitment points
7. Actionable metrics
8. Powerful but easy dependencies management
9. Supports Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid, and Kanban project management
10. Workload management
11. Resource planning

Teamhood is a truly powerful Kanban board tool that will help optimize processes no matter the industry or size of the company. While Teamhood users do not necessarily have to use the framework, the tool is built with the best Kanban board in mind. Thus, teams can enjoy various Kanban features like task prioritization, Kanban metrics, reports, and a fully customizable task board that fits any process. 

Teamhood Kanban boards are built to visualize complexity. It delivers a design that allows fitting more actionable information on one display than any other tool in the market. For example – compare it to Monday, Asana, or Microsoft Project. And this is very important for managers of complex projects and high-performing teams.

Teamhood Kanban boards can be built with custom columns, column groups, rows, and secondary workflows allowing you to also track the progress of subtasks. Secondary workflows can be added to as many progress columns as needed, giving you full control over the look of the Kanban board. Which makes it easy to create a clear overview of everything that is happening in the project. This structure in Teamhood is called Advanced Kanban Board.

Additional project management features like task dependencies, Timeline, and time tracking are available to make planning and tracking work easier. The best part is – it all integrates into the Kanban board tool seamlessly. Meaning you can have the best of both worlds – a flexible way of working and planning tasks as well as a modern Gantt chart to plan out project goals and duration. 

If you work in a large company, Teamhood is easily scalable. Different teams can divide work into several boards and manage their processes separately, while management can see reports for the whole project and track several projects in a Portfolio view. With various filters you can slice the reports and data of tracked time in many ways, giving you great insights into lead and cycle times as well as team velocity. 

Teamhood is a fully functional Kanban tool with modern collaboration features available to its users that can collaborate on projects no matter the distance. Which makes it number 1 on the best Kanban tools list.  

Pros: Fully featured Kanban board, greatly customizable task board, modern collaboration features, task dependencies, and secondary process tracking.

Cons: Lack of native integrations, but can be integrated via the Zapier automation platform.

Website: https://teamhood.com

Price: Free for unlimited users. Register free account.

2. Asana

Capterra score: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Asana is a visual task management tool, that helps teams collaborate on projects. To better visualize project tasks, Asana offers an option to create a basic Kanban board and track task movements there. Teams can create the Asana task board using columns, however, no additional Kanban features are available. Teams will not be able to add in WIP limits or track lead and cycle time.

Asana is a nice option for those looking to add a basic Kanban board to their task management efforts. However, it is not a full-on Kanban solution that can serve complex projects or several teams in the company. What you see is what you get here and if a simple visualization is what you are after, go ahead and choose Asana as your Kanban board tool.

Pros: Visual and easy to understand.

Cons: Columns only Kanban board with no other Kanban features.

Website: https://asana.com/

Price: $13.49 user/month for Premium.

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3. Trello 

Capterra score: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Trello is a well-known task management solution that uses a basic Kanban board to visualize work items. Here teams can track simple processes and visualize tasks according to the phase they are in. Trello Kanban board is created using 1 item-wide column where all the tasks are visualized one under another. Users can add task descriptions, due dates and create checklists for each item, however, there are no additional Kanban features like lead time or velocity. Making it the best online Kanban board free.

Trello is created for those that need a simple Kanban board for personal task tracking or visualizing a straightforward process with a small team. As the project management and Kanban features are limited, it will not work for medium to large businesses looking to track and optimize their processes. While some teams opt for installing plugins to substitute the missing features, this does not make Trello the best solution for an organization. However, it is a nice choice if you are looking for something for personal use.

Pros: Easy to use and lightweight, great for Personal Kanban.

Cons: Lacks project management features, would not be useful for larger teams.

Website: https://trello.com/

Price: $17.5 user/month for the enterprise package.

4. Monday.com

Capterra score: 4.6/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Looking for a Kanban tool for work automation – take a look at Monday.com. This is a table-based work management and automation tool that displays all of the work items in a list-based view, where you can add several rows to define priority, status, and other aspects. For those looking to visualize this list in a Kanban board, Monday.com offers a simple Kanban task board that can be modified with different columns. You can visualize by status, priority, or assignment, but to get the real Kanban to feel visualizing by status is the way to go.

Monday.com is a work automation solution that provides a Kanban board view as an additional feature, thus you should not expect anything more. There are no WIP limits, reports, or swimlanes, what you get is simply the ability to visualize tasks on a board. Monday.com also has a ton of integrations with different project management, customer service, and emailing tools, including HubSpot. So if you do not need the bells and whistles, but simply a spice of Kanban, this one is for you.

Pros: Visual solution, offers work automation.

Cons: Basic Kanban view, no Kanban features.

Website: https://monday.com/

Price: $19 user/month for Pro plan.

5. Kanbanize

Capterra score: 4.8/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you are looking for the best Kanban board tool that can serve enterprise needs, Kanbanize is a great option. The split boards it offers will let you track several levels of information simultaneously – look at the enterprise-level data alongside the tasks the team is working on.

You can build work item links between different boards, create business rules and limit WIP to create a process that works for a large enterprise. Everything can be visualized in one place, thus eliminating the need for relaying information to management and saving time on meetings.

Being great at visualizing company-wide processes, Kanbanize can be a little more inconvenient for daily use. Seeing the full overview of the project it may be more difficult to identify the most important tasks at the moment and start working on them immediately. So choose this tool for when you need more of a company plan overview and not a convenient solution for teams to use daily.

Pros: Supports company-wide Kanban application, and various Kanban features.

Cons: Inconvenient for daily use on the team level

Website: https://kanbanize.com/

Price: $10 user/month per user.

6. Microsoft Project 

Capterra score: 4.4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Microsoft Project is one of the longest-standing project management solutions on the market. Created for traditional project management approach and Gantt charts, Project keeps evolving and now offers its teams the ability to create a basic Kanban board view as well. This Kanban board tool is a great way for teams to use the tool to try out the framework or simply visualize their tasks on board.

The project does not offer any additional Kanban features and the task board can only be modified by adding extra columns. Thus, there is little chance that this solution can be used as a dedicated Kanban tool. However, if your team is curious and already using Microsoft Project, this is a great way of trying out the framework without any additional investments. Then you can find a better-suited Kanban tools as you decide to move forward with the application.

Pros: Available for Microsoft Project users, basic Kanban board.

Cons: Not a long-term Kanban solution, lacks many features and flexibility.

Website: https://www.microsoft.com/

Price: $50 user/month for the premium plan.

7. Wrike 

Capterra score: 4.3/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wrike is another enterprise-focused project management tool that supports Kanban. Thus, if you want a company project management solution with some lean features, this will be your solution. Wrike has a variety of features to support departments from HR to web design and if you wish you can also visualize tasks at hand on a simple Kanban board. You can modify this view with different columns and add in WIP to limit the work in progress.

Other than that, no more Kanban features are available to Wrike users, making this a choice for those needing to simply visualize tasks for a better understanding of the process. If you are looking for a more thorough Kanban application other options from the list may be preferable. However, if you are after an enterprise-level project management solution with Kanban visualization, give Wrike a look.

Pros: Enterprise project management solution with various features.

Cons: Limited Kanban board view, no additional Kanban features to track velocity.

Website: https://www.wrike.com/

Price: $24.80 user/month for a business plan.

8. Jira 

Capterra score: 4.4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jira is a powerful task management system for IT organizations. It offers a variety of features making it easier for development teams to manage and track work. Most of the features are geared towards the IT process and allow users to plan, execute and release code as well as register and solve any issues. Kanban boards in Jira are utilized to track the work that is being done. They are configured out of columns and WIP limits to give a quick overview and control the flow of the work. The teams can also measure velocity with the help of cycle time and use additional project management features like reporting and collaboration.

Jira is a complicated Kanban tool created specifically for IT organizations. As such, it offers a variety of features, but can also prove to be difficult to use for those in different fields. If you are looking for something that will fit your entire organization, some other options on this list may be preferred. However, if you need a tool for your IT team, Jira is worth considering.

Pros: Powerful solution for IT companies, main Kanban features available.

Cons: Overly complicated for teams outside the IT sector, more difficult to scale in non-IT companies.

Website: https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira

Price: $14 user/month for the Premium plan.

9. Eylean Board Kanban tool

Capterra score: 4.8/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Eylean Board is a powerful on-premise Kanban solution great for those that need full control of their data. Kanban board being the main focus of this tool, teams get great customization options for their task board. Making it easy to use for companies from various industries and backgrounds. The Kanban board is modifiable with columns, column groups, and rows, and users can choose to add in WIP limits and priority swimlanes to get full control of the process.

To track the progress, Eylean Board offers 18 different reports, amongst which you will find a Lead & Cycle time report as well as a Burndown chart. Additional collaboration features like time tracking and extensive task details are available and software development teams can enjoy a real-time integration with TFS.

Eylean Board is an on-premise Windows-only software that provides some limitations on who can use it. Making it a great choice as the best Kanban tool for companies where data security is a top priority.

Pros: Flexible Kanban structure, 18 professional reports, and TFS integration.

Cons: On-premise Windows-only solution.

Website: https://eylean.com/

Price: $10 user/month.

10. Kanban tool 

Capterra score: 4.8/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

KanbanTool is a basic Kanban task management tool. It is aimed at providing teams with an option to visualize their Kanban process on an online board. As such, there are not many additional project management features found in this board, but it provides all the basic Kanban features for the teams. KanbanTool gives the teams the ability to build the task board with the help of columns, column groups, and rows. Thus, allowing them to translate their Kanban board from a physical to a digital one.

The team can also track progress with the help of a Burndown chart and other reports, as well as use basic task management features like task assignment and adding additional information. While Kanban Tool does not compare to other tools in terms of features and abilities, it is on this list as a solution to simply visualize your process. Thus, it is a good choice for those not looking to manage complex projects, but simply looking to gain visibility of what is going on.

Pros: Simple and easy-to-use tool for basic task visualization, offers Agile metrics to evaluate progress.

Cons: Will not fit to track mid to large projects, lacks modern project management features.

Website: https://kanbantool.com/

Price: €9 user/month for the Enterprise plan.

11. Planview Leankit 

Leankit by Planview is another Kanban solution geared towards lean software development teams. As such, it offers a variety of Kanban features to be used by the teams and offers the best ways of arranging the software development process. Leankit Kanban boards are created out of columns, column groups, and rows, making it easy to visualize various processes. To limit the work in progress teams can add in WIP limits, while tasks can be estimated in story points or hours. Teams can keep track of productivity with the help of team velocity metrics.

Leankit aims to bring together a portfolio and work management into one tool. Thus, the setup and usage of the Kanban board are a little confusing. Contrary to other solutions on this list, subtasks are not displayed under or next to their parent item and instead go to a completely different board. This is done for easier portfolio management but eliminates the ability to see the full scope of work in one place. Leankit does not offer many additional project management features and instead suggests teams use integrations to supplement what is missing.

Pros: Created for lean software development, portfolio management layer.

Cons: Difficult to set up and use for non-IT teams, lack of scope overview.

Website: https://www.planview.com/

Price: Not provided by the vendor.

12. Smartsheet 

Capterra score: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Smartsheet is a digital Kanban tool for enterprise customers. It allows to create a visualization of items on a simple Kanban board divided into columns. This tool is a good fit for those looking to analyze and review large amounts of data in their solution. It also carries features for project planning and execution.

If you are looking to add simple visualization of tasks to your project management tool, this will be a good fit.

Pros: Ability to analyze large amounts of data, and plan on the enterprise level.

Cons: Limited Kanban functionality, will be fit for simple visualization of tasks.

Website: https://www.smartsheet.com/

Price: $7 per user/month for the pro plan.

13. Microsoft Planner 

Capterra score: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another product from Microsoft, Planner is a more flexible Kanban tool for personal use or small teams. While this is still column – only Kanban board, here the teams have more flexibility to set up and track their processes. Task cards are equipped with files, comments, and subtasks to allow more usability and can be estimated to determine how long they should take. Teams can also use a calendar view for planning and a dashboard to evaluate progress.

This makes Microsoft Planner a nice option for those in need of simple visualization and already subscribed to the Office 365 business plans. Allowing to track simple straightforward projects with a few colleagues. If you are looking for a full-on Kanban solution, however, other options on this list may be preferable.

Pros: Available in Office 365 suite, easy to use, visual.

Cons: Cannot handle medium to large business needs, not available as a standalone solution.

Website: https://www.microsoft.com/

Price: $20 user/month for the business premium plan.

14. Redmine 

Capterra score: 4.1/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Redmine is a project management solution that merges traditional and Agile approaches into one. This amply featured tool provides anything you could think of when talking about project management. Thus, it is a great option for those wanting to add Kanban to the mix of their other processes. As for the Kanban board, teams can modify their view using custom columns, however, there is no way to divide the board with additional swimlanes. Work in progress is limited with WIP, but contrary to other tools on this best Kanban tools list, task card visualization is limited to name and description.

Redmine offers many additional project management features like a business risk management plugin that makes this tool more appealing on the enterprise level. At the same time, making it more complicated to understand and difficult to use on a daily basis. When considering Redmine, take note that Kanban is not the main feature or goal of the tool and thus only basic functions will be available to the teams.

Pros: Suited for enterprises, offers a multitude of project management features.

Cons: Kanban is not the main feature, complicated to use and understand on the team level.

Website: https://www.easyredmine.com/

Price: $25 user/month.

15. Miro 

Capterra score: 4.7/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Miro is a visual brainstorming solution that offers the Kanban tools option for workshops. Here teams can easily draw, create and recreate their best Kanban board as well as add any other important information to go with it. Miro Kanban board setup is rather simple as there are no other Kanban-specific features like WIP or cycle time. However, teams can make the board into any shape or form, giving them full access to customizations and the ability to figure out the best process going forward.

Miro makes collaboration and working on new ideas easy and visual and if you need a light weighed Kanban solution to track your workshop, Miro is your choice. However, once the workshop is over, this tool should be replaced and a more capable Kanban tool should be found to ensure long-term success.

Pros: Easy real-time collaboration, no predefined form or restrictions.

Cons: No formal Kanban process, lacks a daily business solution.

Website: https://miro.com/

Price: $16 user/month for businesses.

16. Jetbrains Youtrack 

Capterra score: 4.4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

YouTrack by Jetbrains is an issue tracker that supports Kanban. This tool is focused on issue tracking and provides ample features so that your team can register, track and review what has been solved. The Kanban board here is set up with the help of columns and rows, allowing clearly dividing process steps as well as larger features or projects. Teams can also limit work using WIP limits and review progress in an accumulative flow diagram.

If you are looking for a project management software Kanban that allows issue tracking, YouTrack is worth considering. It provides a Kanban board so the team can visualize issues on a task board instead of a list where software development teams can work to resolve them. However, being so focused on issue tracking and solving, makes this tool limited in which fields it can be applied. Teams outside of software development would be wise to look elsewhere for the best Kanban board.

Pros: Modifiable task board with Kanban features.

Cons: Limited application, geared towards software development teams looking to visualize their issue list.

Website: https://www.jetbrains.com/youtrack/

Price: $4.40 user/month for the business plan.

17. Ayoa 

Capterra score: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ayoa is a mind mapping software with Kanban integration. Focused on visualizing ideas, grouping them, and turning them into tasks, it allows teams to collaborate and create together in real-time. Once tasks are created teams can choose to visualize them in a Kanban-styled board for easier tracking and completion. However, there are no additional Kanban metrics or features included in Ayoa so teams will have to rely on their own resources for tracking velocity or limiting work in progress.

This tool will be the best fit for companies that need a solution to gather all of their ideas and discover what pathways will be the best for completing a project. While the Kanban task board will allow tracking progress more effectively. This will not provide additional Kanban and project management features and teams should look elsewhere to get them. If you are looking for Kanban board tool for mind-mapping, Ayoa is your choice.

Pros: Visual mind mapping with a simple Kanban board for easy planning.

Cons: Not a fully-featured Kanban solution, aimed towards project planning, not execution.

Website: https://www.ayoa.com/

Price: $6 user/month.

18. Scrumwise 

Capterra score: 4.2/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scrumwise is a task management tool focused on teams that choose Scrum as their main Agile framework. Why is it on the best Kanban board tools list then? Well, some teams like to mix and match the two frameworks and for that, Scrumwise is a nice choice. This is an easy-to-use Scrum project management software enhanced with team roles, Scrum features, and reports. And in cases where the teams do not need to use Sprints, they can opt for a Kanban board.

Scrumwise allows teams to build Kanban boards out of columns and suggests tracking subtasks through the process steps. No additional Kanban features like limiting WIP are available, but since this is used mainly by the Scrum teams, work is limited in other ways. Being a Scrum-focused tool, Scrumwise loses in comparison to other solutions on this list. But is a nice choice for teams that only need Kanban for certain parts of their project which otherwise is run in Scrum.

Pros: Agile tool with good Scrum features.

Cons: No additional Kanban features except a Kanban board.

Website: https://www.scrumwise.com/

Price: $9 user/month.

19. Swift Kanban 

Capterra score: 4.4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Swift Kanban is a Kanban project management tool aimed at small to medium teams. Contrary to the previous entry on the list, this tool is fully focused on Kanban and thus allows teams to take advantage of various features. Taskboards can be created out of columns and column groups, Teams can limit the work in progress as well as track velocity and cycle time to identify and tackle any issues early on.

Swift Kanban is great for small to medium teams, however, when it comes to medium to large size organizations some things are lacking. There is an enterprise overview companies can use, where parent tasks are displayed and evaluated by multiple layers of subtasks assigned to them. However, this is not really effective when it comes to really large companies as there is no full-scope overview available. Thus, this tool is better suited for smaller Kanban dedicated teams that are looking for a fully featured solution.

Pros: Fully featured Kanban board.

Cons: Not easily scalable for larger teams and organizations.

Website: https://www.digite.com/swiftkanban/

Price: $7 user/month.

20. Kanbanflow 

Capterra score: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

When time tracking is important, looking for Kanban board tools can be tough. KanbanFlow is one of the solutions that offer both – Kanban application and time tracking features. For the Kanban application, you can modify the task board with columns and rows and also track lead and cycle time. Making it easy to evaluate productivity. And time tracking features can be used to implement Pomodoro techniques as well as to compare estimates to actual time spent on each task.

However, if you are looking for a modern-looking solution, the interface of KanbanFlow can be a bit of a letdown. It will also be harder to scale if your team grows or if Kanban takes over the whole organization. Consider this tool for small teams that want to implement Kanban and take advantage of the automatically calculated metrics to understand team velocity and possibilities to improve their process.

Pros: Kanban metrics and time tracking features.

Cons: Limited to smaller teams and a little outdated design.

Website: https://kanbanflow.com/

Price: $5 user/month.

21. Taskworld 

Capterra score: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Taskworld is a task management software that offers a Kanban task board view. It allows teams to manage tasks, collaborate on projects and discuss progress while visualizing tasks on a Kanban board. You can set up the board in various ways to represent your process and workflow, however, no other Kanban features are available in this solution. So if you want an option that can give you the full experience, look for another item in this list of Kanban tools.

Taskworld will be appreciated by teams that want something similar to Microsoft Planner, but do not want to invest in the Microsoft 365 suite. It is a nice option for small teams that need a tool to assist basic project management needs. However, Taskworld will not scale, support complex processes, or allow you to fully implement Kanban within your company. If you are choosing it as a long-term Kanban solution, this is something to really consider.

Pros: Simple task management tool, an alternative to Microsoft Planner.

Cons: Limited Kanban application, suitable mostly for smaller teams.

Website: https://taskworld.com/

Price: $22 user/month for a business plan.

22. Taiga

Capterra score: 4.4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Taiga is an open-source Agile project management tool which is focusing on ease of use. Taiga includes a Kanban system with swimlanes and WIP limits. The tool is built around Agile ideas and supports the Scrum process.

Pros: Focused on Agile ways of working.

Cons: Does not suite professional project management for complex projects.

Website: https://www.taiga.io/

Price: free or $5 user/month

23. Bitrix24

Capterra score: 4.1/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bitrix24 is a Kanban option for those looking to improve their CRM solution. Here, you can manage communication with clients and colleagues, mark deals as items, and track their status on a Kanban board. Moreover, you can see the summary of all item values per column. Giving you a better idea of the lead pipeline.

Pros: Integration with a CRM solution.

Cons: Limited Kanban functionality, not suited for advanced users.

Website: https://www.bitrix24.com/

Price: starts at 46$ per month for 5 users.

Best Kanban Tools Summary 

All the solutions mentioned in this list are great for their specific users. You can find something for any purpose, company structure, or industry and enhance the Kanban application within your team. For those looking for the most versatile and adaptable solution though, the clear choice is –

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Teamhood

• Fully customizable and adaptable
• Swimlanes, WIP Limits, Commitment points, Classes of service
• Best in market visualization of complexity (highest amount of information on one screen)Wide adaptivity 
• Rich item details
• Efficient collaboration on items
• Kanban Metrics, customizable dashboards
• Time tracking 
• Custom Kanban templates, including OKR template
• And more! 

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Vidas Vasiliauskas

Website

2019 - Present Co-founder and CEO @ Teamhood.
2015-2019 Head of software engineering department at Danske Bank.
2017-2018 Partner Associate Professor at Vilnius University. Lecturer of Software Architecture course
2011 - 2015 Managed numerous smaller IT teams at Prewise.
Co-founder of RaveIT, Eylean, No Brakes Games

Certified Agile product owner and practitioner. Managed large scale enterprise projects as well as launch of small startup products.
MSc of Software Engineering at Vilnius University.

Hobbies: Racing, MTB cycling, Windsurfing