Best Simple Kanban Tools for Agencies (2026)
If you don’t need a full PM suite, a clean Kanban board can be enough: backlog → doing → review → done. These picks keep it simple and client-friendly.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Plaky Try Plaky | Simple boards + tasks without the bloat — good for small delivery teams. | You still need a weekly routine or boards drift. |
| Trello Kanban template | Ultra-simple boards and templates for lightweight workflows. | Scaling beyond a few boards gets messy without rules. |
| Asana See PM guide | If you’ll eventually need more structure than a board (tasks + timelines). | More setup and “process” than pure Kanban. |
Best picks
Best “keep it simple” pick: Plaky if you want a straightforward board and minimal admin.
Best if you love templates: Trello-style boards. Use a standard column set and keep WIP limits.
Use-cases
- Client-heavy ops: you need channels per client + a simple escalation path.
- Internal delivery: you need project threads that don’t disappear in DMs.
- Async teams: you need searchable history and lightweight voice calls.
Avoid if…
- You need heavy compliance/enterprise controls right now (start with the big suites).
- Your team refuses to create channels and name things consistently.
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