Kanbanchi review
Bottom line
Kanbanchi is a Kanban and project planning tool built around Google Workspace, with a Microsoft 365 version also available. Its clearest strength is how closely it works with Gmail, Drive and Calendar, backed by security certifications including ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II. The main cost to watch is that Gantt charts, task dependencies and time tracking require the Professional tier at $24.47 per user per month billed annually, and there is no permanent free plan. Teams already on Google Workspace that want visual boards and light project planning should choose it.
What is Kanbanchi?
Kanbanchi is a project and task management tool built for Google Workspace, with a Microsoft 365 version also offered. It adds Kanban boards, Gantt charts, time tracking and reporting on top of the Gmail, Drive and Calendar accounts teams already use, so project work stays close to the email and files it depends on. The product began in 2014 as an internal project at a software development company, Magic Web Solutions, and has been sold as a standalone product since 2016. It is aimed at the gap between simple task lists and heavy project software, keeping everyday task work light while adding planning tools when a project needs them.
Day to day, work lives on boards made of cards arranged in columns that represent workflow stages. Users can create tasks directly from Gmail, assign cards, color code them so ownership is visible at a glance, and attach files from My Drive or Shared Drives without leaving the board. Due dates push into Google Calendar, and time tracking records hours against each task. Premium adds multiple board views, subcards, card templates and saved filters, while Professional adds Gantt charts, task dependencies, swimlanes and a team workload view. Boards can be exported to Google Sheets.
Kanbanchi is used by freelancers, small businesses, mid-size companies and enterprises, and schools and nonprofits are served as well. Pricing is per user per month, and the rate drops as seats are added. Essential is the entry tier at $3.97 per user per month billed annually, and Premium starts at two seats. Enterprise is a custom plan for 100 seats or more. A free trial is offered, and educational institutions and nonprofits receive 25% off Premium, Professional or Enterprise with yearly billing.
What sets Kanbanchi apart is how tightly it is tied to Google's apps. It offers a Gmail add-on, Google Calendar and Drive integration, Google Workspace single sign-on, Google Vault archiving, sharing with Google groups, and board creation in Shared Drives on the Enterprise plan. Its security documentation includes ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, a SOC 2 Type II report, CASA Tier 2 and a CSA STAR Level 1 listing. Boards are encrypted by default and hosted on Google Cloud, and authentication is handled by Google or Microsoft rather than by Kanbanchi.
Who it's for
- Google Workspace teams
- Small and mid-size businesses managing shared projects
- Schools and nonprofits
Who should look elsewhere
- Teams that need a permanent free plan
- Teams that need Gantt charts on lower-priced tiers
- Organizations requiring on-premise deployment by default
Typical uses
- Coordinating project tasks inside Google Workspace
- Tracking hours against internal or client tasks
- Managing user stories and product backlogs
- Project-based learning in classrooms
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