The short answer. Trello is the reference implementation and the one everyone already knows. Focalboard is the open-source, self-hosted alternative that also covers Notion-style documents, which is the answer when the board cannot live on someone else’s server. ProBoard is the one-board-for-everything interpretation, Taskade puts the board inside a collaborative editor, and Teambition attaches boards to a broader project tool. The dividing question is whether the board is the whole system or a view onto one, because a board-only tool stays simple and a board inside a suite will eventually ask you to use the rest of the suite.
This guide covers 5 kanban board apps for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focalboard | Mac utility | Open source | not published | 8.0.0 |
| ProBoard | Mac utility | not published | not published | 1.6.0 |
| Taskade | Mac utility | not published | not published | 4.7.0 |
| Teambition | productivity app | Free | not published | 2.0.3 |
| Trello | Mac utility | Free | not published | 2.16.7 |
What actually decides this
- A board or a view. A board-only tool is a set of columns and cards. A board inside a project suite is one view of a database that also has a list view and a calendar. The second is more powerful and requires everyone to agree on the data model.
- Where the board is hosted. A hosted board is a URL. A self-hosted board is a server you maintain. For a team that already runs infrastructure, the second is free; for one that does not, it is a new job.
- What a card can hold. A title, a description, a checklist, an attachment, a due date and a comment thread are six different levels. A card that holds only a title is a sticky note; one that holds a thread is a small issue tracker.
- How the board behaves with fifty cards. Every board looks fine with ten cards. The tool you want is the one that still works when a column has forty and the scroll is the main interaction.
- Whether it can be automated. Moving a card when a condition is met is the difference between a board and a workflow. Tools with rules are used differently from tools without them, and the rule editor is usually the least polished screen.
Our picks
- Trello — Its record describes organising projects into Kanban boards, which is the reference case. Choose it when you want the board everyone already understands.
- Focalboard — Its record describes an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Trello, Notion and Asana, which is the self-hosted case. Choose it when the board has to be self-hosted and open source.
- ProBoard — Its record describes using one board to manage all project information, which is the single-board case. Choose it when all the project information should sit on one board.
- Taskade — Its record describes a real-time collaborative editor for teams, which is the document case. Choose it when the board is part of a document the team edits together.
- Teambition — Its record describes team collaboration across tasks, schedules, files and discussions, which is the suite case. Choose it when the board is one part of tasks, schedules and files.
The apps
Focalboard
Focalboard is a Mac utility for macOS. Open source, self-hosted alternative to Trello, Notion, and Asana. It is open source.
What it does. Focalboard is an open source, self-hosted alternative to Trello, Notion, and Asana. - mattermost-community/focalboard.
Focalboard is listed with current version 8.0.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Focalboard →
ProBoard
ProBoard is a Mac utility for macOS. Use one board to manage all your project information efficiently. Its pricing is not published.
ProBoard is listed with current version 1.6.0.
Full profile and verified facts for ProBoard →
Taskade
Taskade is a Mac utility for macOS. Real-time collaborative editor for teams. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Turn business processes into live apps. Build and run CRMs, dashboards, and client portals that use AI agents and automated workflows, all with Taskade Genesis.
Taskade is listed with current version 4.7.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Taskade →
Teambition
Teambition is a productivity app for macOS. Team collaboration tool for tasks, schedules, files, and discussions. It is free.
Teambition is listed with current version 2.0.3.
Full profile and verified facts for Teambition →
Trello
Trello is a Mac utility for macOS. A collaboration tool that organizes your projects into Kanban boards. It is free.
What it does. Make the impossible, possible with Trello. The ultimate tool to boost your productivity. Escape the clutter and chaos—stay efficient with Inbox, Boards, and Planner from anywhere, even on mobile.
Trello is listed with current version 2.16.7.
Full profile and verified facts for Trello →
How to choose
- Free of charge. Teambition and Trello — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. Focalboard — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. ProBoard and Taskade — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Focalboard (1 of 5).
Common mistakes
- Building a board with no definition of done, then treating the last column as a graveyard.
- Choosing a self-hosted board without deciding who patches it.
- Putting a whole specification in a card description instead of a document.
- Assuming a board scales. Past a few dozen cards the board is a search problem wearing columns.
- Using the board as the specification and the card as the archive.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these kanban board apps?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 5 kanban board apps: Focalboard, ProBoard, Taskade, Teambition and Trello. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these kanban board apps free?
Pricing across this group: open source (Focalboard), not published (ProBoard and Taskade) and free (Teambition and Trello). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these kanban board apps are open source?
Focalboard (not published) is open source.
Do these kanban board apps support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
