# Kan

> Open-source kanban boards, built as an alternative to Trello

Kan is an open-source kanban app positioned as an alternative to Trello. Boards hold lists and cards with labels, checklists, comments and an activity log, and existing Trello boards can be imported. The hosted cloud version is free for one user and charges per seat for teams, while the AGPL-licensed code can be self-hosted with Docker Compose at no charge.

- **Category:** Project Management
- **Made by:** Open Engineering
- **Website:** https://kan.bn
- **Runs on:** Web
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Kan has a free plan. Paid plans start at $8 per user / month, billed yearly.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** Free cloud plan: 1 user with unlimited boards and cards, checklists, labels, board templates and Trello import. File uploads are capped at 10 MB and API access is limited.
- **Free trial:** 14-day free trial on paid plans.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | 1 user with unlimited boards and cards, checklists, labels and filters, board templates and Trello import. 10 MB file uploads. |
| Teams | $8 per user / month, billed yearly; $10 billed monthly | Adds workspace members, assignees, mentions with email notifications, invite links, a custom workspace URL, unlimited file uploads and full API access. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Adds SAML SSO, advanced admin controls, a dedicated account manager, a custom SLA and an on-premise deployment option. |

Read from https://kan.bn/pricing on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Kan before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **20% less with yearly billing** (Annual discount): Teams costs $8 per user a month on yearly billing against $10 per user billed monthly, which works out to a 20% saving. Source: https://kan.bn/pricing
- **Free to self-host** (Other savings): Kan's FAQ says the software can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure free of charge; the paid cloud plans fund the project. Source: https://kan.bn

## Key features

- **Kanban boards:** Drag-and-drop boards made of lists and cards. Boards, lists and cards are unlimited on every plan, including the free one.
- **Card details:** Cards carry labels, checklists and a comment thread, and an activity log records every change. Filters and search help find cards on a board.
- **Board visibility and templates:** Each board has a visibility setting that controls who can view and edit it, and custom board templates can be saved for reuse.
- **Trello import:** Existing Trello boards can be imported on every plan, following a step-by-step guide in the documentation.
- **REST API and MCP server:** A REST API covers boards, lists, cards and workspaces. An MCP server lets AI clients such as Claude Desktop control boards; its hosted endpoint needs a paid workspace.
- **Self-hosting:** The AGPL-3.0 code can be run on your own infrastructure with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL, or deployed from an official Railway template.

## Good for

- Individuals who want a free, minimal kanban board
- Teams leaving Trello that want to bring their boards along
- Organizations that prefer to self-host open-source software

## Worth knowing

- The free cloud plan is for one user; workspace members, assignees and mentions need Teams at $8 per user / month billed yearly.
- Free cloud workspaces are limited to 10 MB file uploads and limited API access.
- No mobile or desktop apps are listed; Kan runs in the browser.
- SAML SSO, an SLA and an account manager are Enterprise only.

## Works with

Trello, Claude Desktop, Codex

**Tags:** Kanban boards, Tasks, Open source, Self-hostable, Templates, Public API

## Alternatives

- [Trello](https://toolgpa.com/tools/trello): Kanban boards with an inbox, planner and built-in automation. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kan-vs-trello)
- [PLANKA](https://toolgpa.com/tools/planka): Self-hosted kanban boards with a free Community edition. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kan-vs-planka)
- [WeKan](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wekan): Open-source kanban boards with swimlanes, self-hosted or hosted. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kan-vs-wekan)
- [Kanboard](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kanboard): Free, self-hosted kanban board software under the MIT License. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kan-vs-kanboard)
- [Fizzy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fizzy): Free kanban tracker for bugs, issues and ideas from 37signals. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/fizzy-vs-kan)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://kan.bn/pricing
- https://kan.bn
- https://kan.bn/terms
- https://docs.kan.bn/introduction
- https://docs.kan.bn/llms.txt
- https://docs.kan.bn/integrations/mcp-server.md
- https://github.com/kanbn/kan

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/kan
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).