Trello made card boards famous, but plenty of teams want something different: more views, self-hosting, built-in time tracking or a simpler setup. The 11 apps below range from open-source boards you can run yourself to full work-management platforms. Each description comes from the product’s own site, and we have not run hands-on tests. Features and plans change, so check the official page before you switch.
Quick picks
- Boards plus timelines and automation: Asana, monday.com or ClickUp
- Software teams: Jira or Taiga
- Self-hosted and open source: WeKan, PLANKA or Kanboard
- Lean Kanban with a timer: KanbanFlow
- Simple project communication: Basecamp
- Planning and billing: Zoho Projects
Comparison at a glance
| App | Best for |
|---|---|
| Asana | Boards plus timelines and automation |
| monday.com | One platform for many departments |
| ClickUp | Highly customizable work management |
| Jira | Software teams using Scrum or Kanban |
| Basecamp | Small teams and client projects |
| WeKan | Self-hosted Trello-style boards |
| PLANKA | On-premise Kanban boards |
| Taiga | Agile teams that use Scrum and Kanban |
| Kanboard | Minimal Kanban with limited features |
| KanbanFlow | Lean Kanban with a timer and time tracking |
| Zoho Projects | Planning, time tracking and billing together |
The 11 apps
1. Asana
Asana’s project views page says you can switch between a list, calendar, timeline or Kanban board with a single click and no setup, and drag and drop tasks to update a timeline. Its help center describes rules that automate actions inside projects, including section-based rules that show a lightning bolt on a section in list and board views. The current homepage focuses on AI teammates working inside real workflows, with permissions and audit trails. Asana is a broad work-management platform, so it can feel larger than a simple board. It suits teams that want Trello-style boards plus timelines, goals and automation in one place.
Best for: Boards plus timelines and automation
2. monday.com
monday.com describes itself as an AI work platform where people and agents work together, and its homepage says there is a Free plan with unlimited time and no credit card needed. For a Trello-style layout, its support center explains that you add a Kanban view from the board’s view options, then adjust it through the settings menu. Its homepage examples cover areas such as triaging tickets, updating roadmaps and screening applicants, so it reaches beyond task boards into sales, HR and operations. It fits teams that want one customizable platform across departments rather than a single board.
Best for: One platform for many departments
3. ClickUp
ClickUp says it brings tasks, docs and conversations together and lists 100+ products meant to replace fragmented software. Its help center describes Board view as a drag-and-drop interface: you can move a task, or several at once with Shift and click, into any status and reorder them to change priority. ClickUp’s feature page encourages custom task statuses so a card can show stages such as in progress. The site also promotes Brain, an AI layer that works across your tasks, docs and chats. With so many options, expect a longer setup than Trello.
Best for: Highly customizable work management
4. Jira
Jira is Atlassian’s work management product. Atlassian’s board guide says Jira offers two pre-configured boards: a Scrum board for teams that work in sprints, and a Kanban board where work items move through columns from creation to completion. It says boards suit almost any team, not just software teams. The homepage highlights AI features through Rovo, enterprise search across Jira, Confluence and connected apps, and the ability to assign work to coding agents. Jira fits engineering and technical teams that need backlogs, sprints and reporting. Smaller teams may find it heavier than a plain board.
Best for: Software teams using Scrum or Kanban
5. Basecamp
Basecamp calls itself project management without all the nonsense, and says it is rock solid and famously easy to use. Each project gets its own page where you add the tools you need: to-dos, message boards, chat, a calendar and card tables. Message boards replace email with announcements and discussions, and to-do lists let you assign items, set due dates, attach files and create subtasks. You can invite co-workers, clients and even AI agents. Basecamp is less about customizable boards and more about keeping a project’s communication and tasks in one place. It fits small teams and client work.
Best for: Small teams and client projects
6. WeKan
WeKan describes itself as an open-source, customizable and privacy-focused kanban. Its site says you can make many boards for different projects, each with lists such as To Do, Doing and Done, and cards with titles, descriptions and due dates. You move cards between lists by dragging and dropping, and you can customize lists with colors or custom fields. Cards can carry labels, files, checklists and comments. The site stresses that its source code is open for anyone to inspect and that it is designed with security in mind. WeKan suits people who want a Trello-like board they can host and control themselves.
Best for: Self-hosted Trello-style boards
7. PLANKA
PLANKA is a self-hosted Kanban board for agile teams, according to its site, and is also available fully hosted. It pitches control over your data and infrastructure, privacy and flexibility. The site describes a free Community edition for private use, a club or a homelab, and a Pro edition for organisations with roles and guest access, single sign-on, templates, advanced search and reporting, run on your server or by the vendor. Because it is built around the Kanban board, it is a close match for Trello habits. It suits teams that want an on-premise board with the option to grow into paid features.
Best for: On-premise Kanban boards
8. Taiga
Taiga calls itself a free and open-source project management tool for cross-functional agile teams, with an intuitive interface and a simple start. Its community guides say the available modules are Epics, Scrum, Kanban, Issues, Wiki and Meetup, and that epics, user stories, tasks and issues each have their own editable set of statuses. You choose which status counts as closed, which affects metrics such as story points. The site features customer quotes about reduced stress and clearer prioritization. Taiga is a good match for software teams that want both Kanban and Scrum in the same open-source tool.
Best for: Agile teams that use Scrum and Kanban
9. Kanboard
Kanboard is a free and open source Kanban project management tool that focuses on simplicity and minimalism. Its site says there is no fancy interface, the number of features is deliberately limited and no training is required. You can add, rename and remove columns at any time, limit work in progress (a column is highlighted when you go over the limit), and filter the board with a simple query language by assignee, category, due date and more. Tasks support sub-tasks with time or complexity estimates, Markdown descriptions, comments and attachments. Kanboard suits people who want a plain, self-managed board without extras.
Best for: Minimal Kanban with limited features
10. KanbanFlow
KanbanFlow describes itself as lean project management, simplified. Its site focuses on Kanban boards for teams, including swimlanes for an overview of tasks, work in progress limits that stop you starting more tasks than you finish, and a Pomodoro timer. You can track the time you spend on tasks, log it manually, and filter and group logged time in many ways. Every change to the board is shown to the team, and mobile apps let you stay updated on the go. It integrates with other systems, including external calendars like Outlook and Google Calendar. It fits teams that care about lean Kanban practice and time tracking.
Best for: Lean Kanban with a timer and time tracking
11. Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects calls itself project management software with Gantt charts that show critical tasks and dependencies, and shows any gap between planned and actual progress. Its site lists timesheets for billable and non-billable hours, with integration to Zoho Invoice to generate invoices from timesheets, custom fields, modules, statuses and workflows, and a drag-and-drop automation builder. It also mentions AI that helps find information and summarize reports, integrations with other Zoho and third-party apps, mobile apps and a 27001 enterprise-grade security listing. It suits teams that want planning, time tracking and billing in one product. If you only want a simple board, it may offer more than you need.
Best for: Planning, time tracking and billing together
How to choose
- Start with why you are leaving. Missing views, data control and cost each point to different tools.
- Check hosting. WeKan, PLANKA and Kanboard describe self-hosted options. The others are mainly hosted services.
- Match the size of the tool to the team. A small team may only need a board. Larger teams may want timelines, reporting and automation.
- Test with a real project. Move one live board over before you commit the whole team.
FAQ
Which Trello alternatives are open source?
WeKan, Taiga and Kanboard describe themselves as open source. PLANKA offers a free Community edition and a self-hosted option.
Which options can I host myself?
WeKan, PLANKA and Kanboard are described as self-hostable on their sites.
Which are best for software teams?
Jira offers Scrum and Kanban boards, and Taiga covers Scrum, Kanban, issues and a wiki.
Are prices listed here?
No. Plans change, so read the current details on each official site.
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