Kanban Zone vs KanbanFlow (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KanbanFlow grades higher than Kanban Zone: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
KanbanFlow grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kanban Zone
Kanban boards with flow metrics, automation and built-in AI
KanbanFlow
Kanban boards with a built-in Pomodoro timer and time tracking
Which one is for you
Pick Kanban Zone if
- Fits if you run work as Kanban and want flow metrics
- Works for teams that want boards connected across projects
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Navigator, which has 10 boards, 10 automations and 10 AI credits a month
- Pricey if you use AI heavily, as AI Packs are $29 to $139 a month on top
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as only a trial is listed
- Not for you if you want phone or desktop apps, as none were found
- Watch out: plans also cap API calls
Pick KanbanFlow if
- Fits if you time your work with the Pomodoro technique
- Works for anyone who wants unlimited boards on a free plan and can do without search or attachments
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a real phone app, as there's only a mobile web app for your home screen
- Tight if you're staying free and attach files, since attachments and search are Premium
- Not for you if you need two-factor sign-in or view-only roles without paying, because those are Premium too
- Watch out: swimlanes, custom fields, the timeline, analytics charts, the API and Zapier all need Premium at $5 a user
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAKanban ZoneFair | 2.6GPAKanbanFlowGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$8.80 per license a month billed yearly for Navigator, between the cheaper quarter and the middle of the category. That plan has 10 boards. | BPremium is $5 a user a month, 10% less paid yearly, which puts it in the cheapest quarter of this category, and it's the only paid plan, so there's no ladder to climb. It brings swimlanes, attachments, custom fields, the timeline, analytics and the API. |
| Free plan and trial | D30-day free trial, but no free plan and card terms are not stated. | BThe free version never expires and has unlimited boards and tasks, WIP limits, subtasks, recurring tasks, both timers and a time spent report. What stings is that file attachments and search are Premium. |
| Features | CFlow metrics, connected boards, automation and templates. It does the Kanban job fully, which is a smaller job than full project management. | CKanban plus a clock: columns with WIP limits, subtasks ticked off on the board, time logged by Pomodoro, stopwatch or hand, and on Premium swimlanes, a timeline and cumulative flow, burndown and cycle time charts. A smaller job than running projects, and search costs money. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You design boards and automations yourself. | CNo store rating on record. A board and a timer is about as plain as this category gets, but the columns, limits and swimlanes are still yours to design, and on the free plan you can't search what you've built. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb app with Zapier, Make, Trello and an API. No desktop or phone apps; the site is responsive web design. | BA web app only: no native mobile or desktop apps, so a phone gets the mobile web app on its home screen. Premium adds a REST API with webhooks, Zapier, a calendar feed and attachments from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Box. |
| Best for | Kanban boards with flow metrics | kanban with a Pomodoro timer built in |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Kanban Zone and KanbanFlow. How we grade
Price against what you get
Kanban Zone starts at $8.80 a month for each person and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. KanbanFlow starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and KanbanFlow starts $3.80 a month lower. Of the other project management tools on the chart, 29 score higher than Kanban Zone for less, and 10 score higher than KanbanFlow for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Kanban Zone also covers templates, workflow automation and AI agents.
- KanbanFlow also covers Gantt & timelines, Pomodoro timer and time tracking.
At a glance
| Kanban Zone | KanbanFlow | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.80 per license / month, billed yearly | $5 per user / month (10% off when paid yearly) |
| Free plan | None | Free version with no time limit: unlimited boards and tasks, WIP limits, subtasks, filters, recurring tasks, and the Pomodoro and stopwatch timers with a time spent report. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial | 14-day free trial of Premium |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Kanban Zone | CodeKick AB |
| Price read from | kanbanzone.com | kanbanflow.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Kanban Zone
- Plans are sold per license with limits on boards, automations, AI credits and API calls.
- AI Packs are extra: $29 for 250 credits, $79 for 750 and $139 for 1,500, each per month.
- The pricing page shows yearly-billed figures with a 20% saving; no monthly rate is displayed in the text we read.
- No desktop or mobile apps were found; the site describes a responsive web design.
KanbanFlow
- Swimlanes, file attachments, search, custom fields and the timeline view are Premium features.
- The analytics charts, the API, Zapier and the file-storage integrations also need Premium.
- Two-factor authentication, view-only and custom permission roles are limited to Premium.
- The site lists no native mobile or desktop apps; phones use a mobile web app added to the home screen.
Key features
Kanban Zone
- Flow metrics
- Advanced metrics include cumulative flow, cycle time, throughput, arrival rate, flow efficiency and abandoned effort.
- Connected boards and portfolio views
- Boards can be linked and mirrored across teams, with organization and portfolio views and table, list and calendar layouts.
- Automation and AI agents
- Board automations and AI agents work inside cards, with monthly AI credits that vary by plan. A page covers connecting to Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini through MCP.
- Service level expectations
- Boards support service level expectations, classes of service, custom fields, card templates and recurring cards.
- Integrations and API
- Zapier and Make connections, an API with webhooks, card creation by email and a Trello import are listed.
- Templates for methods and teams
- Ready-made boards cover Scrum, Waterfall, GTD, OKR, Flight Levels and business uses such as hiring or sales leads.
KanbanFlow
- Kanban board with WIP limits
- Columns are customized to match a workflow, and each can carry a limit on how many tasks it holds. Subtasks are checked off directly on the board.
- Pomodoro and stopwatch timers
- Time is tracked on a task with a Pomodoro timer or a plain stopwatch, or logged by hand. The time spent report filters and groups the logged time.
- Swimlanes and relations
- Premium boards can be split into horizontal swimlanes, and tasks can be related to one another across boards, for example to a portfolio board.
- Timeline view
- A Premium timeline, labeled Timeline / Gantt, spreads tasks across days so they can be dragged or resized to adjust the plan.
- Analytics and forecasting
- Premium adds cumulative flow, burndown, throughput and cycle and lead time charts, plus Monte Carlo forecasting of future outcomes.
- API and integrations
- Premium includes a REST API with webhooks, Zapier, adding tasks by email, a calendar feed, and file attachments from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Box.
Plans
Kanban Zone
Navigator$8.80
per license / month, billed yearly
10 boards, 10 automations, 10 AI credits a month, 25 free guests, email support. $105.60 per license a year.
Coordinator$16.80
per license / month, billed yearly
100 boards, automations and AI credits, 25 to 250 free guests, email and call support. $201.60 per license a year.
Operator$24.80
per license / month, billed yearly
500 boards, automations and AI credits, 50 to 500 free guests, direct support, 10-year data retention. $297.60 a year.
KanbanFlow
Free$0
Unlimited boards and tasks, WIP limits, subtasks, filters, recurring tasks, Pomodoro and stopwatch timers, the time spent report and standard support.
Premium$5
per user / month; 10% discount when paying per year
Adds swimlanes, file attachments, custom fields, search, a timeline view, analytics charts, the API and webhooks, Zapier, two-factor authentication and priority support.
Ways to pay less
Kanban Zone
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
The pricing page says yearly plans include a 20% discount, and plans can be switched between monthly and yearly at any time.
KanbanFlow
- Annual discount
10% off when paying yearly
The pricing page gives a 10% discount on Premium when it is paid per year instead of per month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Kanban Zone or KanbanFlow?
As of Nov 13, 2026, KanbanFlow is cheaper to start with: $5 a month for each person, against $8.80 a month for each person for Kanban Zone. Kanban Zone starts at $8.80 per license / month, billed yearly, and KanbanFlow starts at $5 per user / month (10% off when paid yearly).
Which has a free plan, Kanban Zone or KanbanFlow?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only KanbanFlow has a free plan. Kanban Zone does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.