Top 10 Best Kanban Project Management Tools (Pros & Cons)
Top 10 Best Kanban Project Management Tools (Pros & Cons). Project management is a key and hectic field in any industry. Therefore, it is essential to choose the right kanban tools.
At the heart of the best project management software is the kanban board. What is a Kanban board? It is a popular framework used to implement agile and DevOps software development. This handy tool gives you a graphical presentation of all your tasks, with the freedom to move them around as you see fit.
In addition the kanban board is a visual system where you get to visualize both the process and the actual tasks in that process. In other words a practical way of keeping track of tasks. Their main purpose is to visualize progress and manage work in a cost effective way at a steady speed. It is basically a set of rules to improve the flow of work and streamline tasks.
In this article, we have chosen 10 project management tools with their pros and cons to keep up to date with your project management. Let’s start!
Top 10 Best Kanban Project Management Tools
1. Jira
Jira is the best project management software developed by Atlassian. It uses the agile software development method and the agile kanban framework. With Jira there is four pricing plans and you can use the free plan for ten user roles. Jira provides 2 GB of cloud storage for free users. Paid plans start at $7.5 per user/month.
At first Jira was used as a bug and issue tracker. Later on Jira has evolved into a powerful work management tool from test case management to agile methodology for software development. It is a central hub for the coding, collaboration, and release stages.
Jira Features
- Progress reporting
- Issue tracking.
- Scrum boards and Kanban boards.
- Roadmaps.
- Project level permissions and backlogs.
- Email notifications.
- CI/CD integrations
Pros of Jira
- Easy to cope with Agile Management – Agile teams can use Kanban and Scrum templates along with their agile boards.
- For scrum teams a flexibility in chunking out the complex projects into mini-tasks. Kanban teams can visualize the workflow to improve efficiency.
- Convenient Reporting & monitoring. Ready made dashboards with report generation and monitor the sprint work whilst optimizing the task deliveries.
- Integration with other apps so users can pick the best tools that are needed to cater for their needs the most.
- Drag and drop automation allows importing your old projects from other project management tools.
Cons of Jira
- Jira allows a limited number of integrations.
- Sometimes Jira cannot track processes properly due to server issues.
2. Click up
ClickUp is another excellent work management tool. ClickUp is one of the top rated productivity platforms for any business . You can use this tool to complete all your work, such as goals, docs, chats, and tasks.
Free plan of Click up has 100 MB of storage for unlimited users and tasks. Besides, the logins of free users are secured with two factor authentication. Click up offers whiteboards, real time chat, kanban boards, and many more features for free users.
Its paid plans start at $5 and includes numerous features: unlimited storage, multiple integrations and dashboards. That is of course on top of the features offered by the free plan. The business plan costs $12, and you can contact Click up to create a custom plan if you have a larger team. They provide white labeling, advanced permissions, enterprise API for this custom plan.
Use cases for this project management software is project management, remote work and CRM solutions.
ClickUp Features
- Task and time management.
- Dashboards.
- Targets and Goals.
- Record Clips.
- Customization of workspace.
- Team collaboration and reporting.
- Third-party app integrations.
Pros of click up
- Click up has multiple views such as list, board, calender, mind map, Gantt to be selected as per the user’s management structure.
- Capability in Customization many customizable features including custom fields, custom dashboards and custom tasks.
- Real Time Reporting flexibility in creating and viewing reports. Reports show the insights of the team and tasks. Choose from 50 widgets to support the dashboards.
- Time Tracking is very useful in efficient time tracking with features such as notes, labels, filtering and Edit time.
Cons of Click Up
- Low customizability of the dashboards.
3. Monday.com
Monday.com is another great project management tool for managing basic to complex projects. This solution is scalable, flexible and secure tool that is user friendly and has engaging interface graphics around.
It allows you to connect all the parts of the project and complete tasks easily. It has many excellent features, such as the ability to manage multiple projects from a single location with custom dashboards.
Monday also offers paid plans for $8, $10, and $16, as well as an enterprise plan with a variety of features for a custom price.
Pros of Monday projects
- Integration with third party apps like Slack, Google Docs and Trello.
- Provides Templates with sample templates you can match different job types and industries.
- The Monday free plan supports unlimited boards and docs.
- User friendly layout for both Website and Mobile app.
- You can use Monday with both iOS and Android devices.
Cons of Monday Projects
- In Monday projects, you must pay for every five members.
- The price is high especially for larger groups.
- No calendar or timeline view in the Basic plan
- Inbox as landing page.
4. Wrike projects
Wrike is a robust project management tool with automation. It is an award winning and web based project management option. Unlike most project management software on this list, this collaboration tool is especially used in the big leagues. As a result, it’s great for larger teams and huge corporations. An advanced leading security system secures it and all attachments will be encrypted. It is simple with Wrike to integrate projects that are already running in another project management tool.
Web, desktop and mobile apps are available on Wrike altogether with 2 GB of space per user account in the free plan. Another cool feature of Wrike is the ability to try all their paid plans for free.
These plans include shareable dashboards, custom fields, custom workflows, and workspaces. Moreover, their enterprise plan is secured by two-step authentication and provides 10 GB of storage.
Wrike Features
- Three Panel View.
- Forms and Requests.
- Analytics with performance.
- Organized File Management.
- Visual Timelines.
Pros of Wrike
- Security where the data is encrypted. Wrike offers flexible data access control to allow admins to control Access Roles.
- Time tracking and file share.
- Workflow Automation allows you to integrate projects from other project management tools.
- Support for Agile Methodology.
- Allows you to try all paid plans for free.
- All the projects and relevant tasks can be taken into one place.
Cons of Wrike
- Only offers refunds for non confirmed purchases.
- Mobile apps lack functionality
- Not ideal with being user friendly for beginners.
5. Paymo
Another pick for Top 10 Best Kanban Project Management Tools is a tool that is ideal for small teams. Paymo helps to plan projects, tasks, work time tracking, etc. Additionally, it enables you to check the real time status of every task. Also it has simple tables, kanban boards, calendars and Gantt charts.
Paymo’s free plan comes with unlimited projects, clients, and tasks. Their paid plan starts at $9.95 with many features like the meta task board and recurring tasks. Furthermore, they provide 50 GB of storage for management. They also have a business plan for $15.79 per month that provides 100 GB of storage.
Paymo Features
- Gantt Charts.
- Project & financial reporting with invoicing.
- Team Collaboration.
- Support for Waterfall Methodology.
- Budget and Expense Management.
Pros of Paymo
- Intuitive time tracking tool with timesheet and leave management.
- Provides unlimited projects for free plans and also it does not charge a cancellation fee.
- More storage offered (50 GB and 100 GB) for their paid plans than other tools.
- Paymo has actionable reports and insight methodologies for timing and also for invoices, expenses and estimated costs.
Cons of Paymo
- There will be no refunds if you cancel your purchase before the end of the duration.
6. Zoho projects
Zoho is another great project management tool. They provide cloud based management software with project planning, work tracking and many more. Zoho also provides Gantt charts and automates tasks to save you time at work. Also the good feature is it’s user friendly interface and supporting integration with your favourite apps.
Their free plan only supports two projects and provides 10 MB of storage space. Most popular premium plan is for $3 per month includes unlimited projects, 20 project templates and 100GB of storage.
Zoho Features
- Workflow Tools like marketing, customer service, emailing marketing, inventory, human resources management and more.
- Track interaction from webinars.
- SaaS application.
- Remote work, remote meetings and Webinar solution.
- File Management.
- Available API for creating custom application integrations
Pros of Zoho projects
- Solid email marketing & automation features
- Best CRM for customization.
- The prices of Zoho’s paid plans are lower than those of other project management tools.
- Enjoy 100 GB of space for a $5 plan.
- Get full refunds for any purchase.
- Zoho improves team productivity with tools such as timesheets, Global Timers, and resource utilization charts.
Cons of Zoho projects
- Tutorials need improvement.
- Zoho’s free plan supports only two projects with limited storage space.
- Subscription pricing is per user versus groups of 5 – 10 users
7. MS project management tool
MS Project is a simple but powerful project management tool. You can integrate all Microsoft tools, like Microsoft Teams.
Their plans start at $10 per month with Gantt views, project planning, scheduling, and reporting. They also have paid plans for $30 and $55.
Pros of MS Project.
- Integrates with the Microsoft 365 Office. Hence it collaborates with products like Microsoft Teams, Power BI, Sharepoint, Skype etc.
- Provides trustworthy support for its users to maintain their reputation.
- Flexibility in roadmapping tools and in financial management.
- MS Project is very stable software that was continuously nurtured. Therefore it has almost all the relevant features that are needed for users.
Cons of MS Project.
- MS Project doesn’t have a free plan and its price is higher than other project management software.
- Prices are $10, $30 and 55$ per month.
8. Asana Projects
Asana is another tool on our list of Top 10 Best Kanban Project Management Tools. It helps you plan and organize your teamwork easily. Convenient to use, allows easy files sharing and to get a feedback. Trusted companies like Spotify, Deloitte, Nasause Asana.
The free plan provides unlimited projects, tasks, messages and storage. Premium plans start at $10.99 per month with a workflow editor and dashboards.
Pros of Asana.
- The best tool for those who wish to use a free project management tool. It provides unlimited projects, tasks, and messages, as well as file storage.
- Integrates with other project management apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Drive.
- It is designed for collaboration. It supports users to collaboratively work on a single digital workspace.
- Efficient and well organized task management.
Cons of Asana.
- The prices of Asana’s paid plans are in the medium range (10 to 24 USD).
- Asana does not offer refunds for its premium plans.
9. Trello
Trello is a ideal for small teams like freelancers. The platform helps to automate tasks. With Trello project manager you can integrate projects from other project management tools into Trello.
There are iconic cards a known feature of Trello.
There is a free plan with unlimited cards and many more features, including two-factor authentication. With Trello paid plans the price starts at $5, $10, and an Enterprise plan for $17.5. The paid plan includes unlimited cards, advanced checklists, timeline views, unlimited storage, unlimited workspaces, and saved searches.
Trello Features
- Drag and Drop Functionality.
- Task Management tool.
- Power-Ups where each project can be assigned with power up importance depending on what’s needed.
Pros of Trello
- Trello provides unlimited storage for free users with unlimited cards.
- Users can easily track their daily tasks with Trello’s visualizing and monitoring tools.
- Its prices are lower than others. ( starts at $5 ) Trello offers refunds within the first 30 days.
- Trello can be used in tracking income and expenses. So it helps to have proper financial management.
Cons of Trello
- Only the Kanban view is available
- Using Trello for complex projects will be hectic.
- Lack of reporting tools.
- Lack of advanced and essential features such as mind maps and grant charts.
10. Smart sheet
Smartsheet is another good project management tool on our Top 10 Best Kanban Project Management Tools. Helps with project planning, dynamic portfolio management, automation and real time data. Users can try it for 30 days for free. They also provide demo versions of all their features.
Top features are automated alerts and sharing across team members. Other feature to mention is task allocation, a Gantt chart view and exportable reports.
Pros of smart sheet
- Automated Work Flow.
- Project tracking, customization and intuitiveness.
- Demo versions of all features.
- Multiple data view types.
- Smartsheet software is free for 30 days.
Cons of smart sheet
- All purchases are non cancelable and non refundable.
- Lack of reports into user activity.
Top 10 Best Kanban Project Management Tools Conclusion
Here you have had a pleasure to read about Top 10 best Kanban Project management Tools. It is important to evaluate your needs for business like accessibility to work from everywhere or the need of remote work. How important for you are instant updates about project and task status? Is it for one team or across multiple teams that you need this software? Or is integration with other apps a priority to you also?
Trello looks of of the best for using kanban method in team collaboration but it is best suited for small teams. But so is Paymo. Wrike has got a lot of benefits due to its free plan, which monday.com lacks. Wrike is ideal for large teams.
Asana is the best tool for those who wish to use a free project management tool. Zoho is particularly strong with marketing side of things.
Selecting a particular tool among the tools discussed here might be challenging. So, evaluate your requirements and set up a team to test and review the tool before purchasing it. You should continuously monitor and review the chosen tool to identify the gaps in the early stages.
