Article

Honest Review of 6 Personal Project Management Tools with Kanban View

September 13, 2024

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Emily May

Professionals worldwide use personal project management tools to manage their workflows. However, with hundreds of options, the decision alone can deter us from taking advantage of the many benefits that project management tools offer.

In this article, I compare six popular personal project management tools to help you save time and find options that may meet your unique needs. 

The Benefits of Personal Project Management Software

While humans can track tasks the old-fashioned way, technology makes the process easier and saves time. Instead of writing a to-do list, crossing items off, and eventually re-writing your to-do list when it gets too messy, creating and marking a task as ‘done’ with the click of a button is much simpler. 

The major benefits of using a personal project management tool include improved:

  • Organization
  • Time management
  • Productivity
  • Prioritization
  • Collaboration
  • Accountability

Comparing 6 Popular Tools for Personal Project Management with Kanban View

This section provides my experience with six popular personal project management tools. I spent roughly two weeks using each tool. 

The Features I Prioritized

In my search for a task-tracking tool, I had a few criteria. First, the interface of my project management tool needs to be intuitive and straightforward. To manage my projects quickly, I don’t want to be held up by too many clicks or buttons.

Secondly, I prefer a kanban board view when managing tasks. I find it easier to prioritize and move my projects across visual columns rather than track my work through an ongoing list of to-dos. Throughout this article, I refer to the tasks and projects on my to-do list as a ‘card.’ These cards are moved along columns of the kanban board and represent pieces of work. Read this article on how kanban works for more information. 

graphic of an example kanban board

Lastly, pricing is a factor. The tools I review offer a free personal project management plan for one or more users with limitations on features.

1. Clickup

screenshot of clickup board

Pros: 

  • There are several ways to view your work. Table, Gantt, calendar, list, and board views are available.
  • Many features are available within and outside of the board view.
  • Closing out tasks is simple by clicking the checkmark in the bottom right corner of the card.
  • The track timer feature helps you analyze how much time you spend on projects and tasks.
  • If you’re short on time, you can write project descriptions quickly with a built-in AI tool.
  • You can create checklists within a card, which, in some cases, is more appropriate than sub-tasks. 
  • You can easily share your work with others by adding collaborators and attachments within cards.
  • Free for unlimited users, with limitations on features including storage, guest permissions, and spaces.

Cons: 

  • I found it too easy to misclick within the Clickup platform, and the buttons are very sensitive. I accidentally changed the status of a card several times as I was dragging the card into the next column of my kanban board.
  • The white background was straining my eyes, but I couldn’t find a way to change the color in the settings. 

Overall Impression: 

Clickup offers many useful features, especially for a free tool. I can see the program being practical in a variety of use cases. Perhaps the buttons aren’t as sensitive outside of the board view, but I passed on this tool because I’m not willing to chance accidentally deleting something important from my board.

2. Trello

screenshot of a trello board

Pros: 

  • Trello offers many board templates from which to choose.
  • It’s easy to add a card and move it along the board columns.
  • Users can collapse a section of the board for less distraction.
  • If you create similar cards repeatedly, you can make a card template to make the process faster. 
  • If you’re having trouble finding a card, you can use the filter option to search for specific cards within your board.
  • Plenty of automation options exist, like creating rules, custom buttons, and email reports.
  • Free for up to 10 collaborators, with limitations on features including boards, views, and custom fields. 

Cons: 

  • If you have to delete a card, you have to click into the card, click ‘archive’ and then click ‘delete.’ This extra step could be a good safety feature for someone with a knack for accidentally deleting cards, but it feels like more clicks than necessary.

Overall Impression: 

Trello is a good tool for personal project management at a $0 price point. It’s easy to use and not overcomplicated. While there are some bells and whistles, you aren’t forced to use them, and you can choose only to take advantage of the basic features. 

3. Asana

screenshot of asana board

Pros: 

  • Managing tasks is simple in Asana. I added, removed, and moved cards across the board quickly and without expanding each card.
  • Similar to Trello, there is a filter option to search for your lost or archived cards.
  • The tool's interface is approachable and easy to navigate. 
  • You can change the color of the background for ease of viewing. 
  • Free for up to 10 users, with limitations on features including Asana AI capabilities, automation, and reporting. 

Cons: 

  • You cannot use a keyword within the filter option to find a card.
  • After the free trial of the starter plan expired, I wasn’t given straightforward options to continue with a free personal plan. It wasn’t until researching pricing for this blog article that I realized there was a free plan, and I was able to find my way to navigate to this option later. Be aware of which plan you are signing up for and that a free plan is available. 

Overall Impression: 

Asana was a top contender on this list due to its uncomplicated, no-fluff design. The only issue I ran into when using this tool was finding myself in a free trial of the starter plan and not being shown options to continue with a free plan. If you’re interested in using Asana for personal use, be sure to click the personal plan option.

4. Wrike

screenshot of wrike board

Pros: 

  • The Wrike tool lets you switch between personal and team spaces to track personal and collective projects in one platform.
  • It’s easy to manage cards within the board view, including moving them across the board and making quick edits.
  • Free for unlimited users, with limitations on features including storage space, AI capabilities, and reporting. 

Cons: 

  • Compared to other tools on this list, I found the Wrike platform more challenging. For example, navigating between the personal productivity dashboard and the space overview could have been more straightforward.
  • It took a while for me to figure out how to edit the pre-established columns in the board template. I couldn’t figure out how to delete the ‘planned’ column, and I ended up collapsing it until I later figured out how to click ‘edit status’ and delete it.

Overall Impression: 

I found it difficult to test this tool because it didn’t feel intuitive, so I naturally was less inclined to use it. Navigating Wrike does get easier with time, but it is generally my least favorite tool on this list in light of my prioritized criteria.

5. Monday.com

screenshot of monday.com board

Pros: 

  • One thing I really like about Monday.com is how easy it is to add files, due dates, and other critical information to projects and tasks in the main table view. 
  • Due dates are displayed on cards in the board view, making it easy to track your work and stay on deadline.
  • If creating a similar card to one you have already made, users can easily “copy name” of a card and paste it as the title of a new card for simple duplication. 
  • I enjoyed the color coding associated with the priority of each card and the color coding of each column in the board view.
  • Free for up to 2 seats, with limitations on features including file storage, views, and dashboards.

Cons: 

  • I found it challenging to customize the columns in the board view.

Overall Impression: 

Monday.com is an excellent option and Wrike alternative for visual individuals who want a more customizable board view experience.

6. Notion

screenshot of notion board

Pros: 

  • Notion offers a straightforward interface and usability.
  • Instead of creating cards with pre-existing customization, users can take advantage of as little or as much customization as they see fit.
  • Card creation and moving work across the board is simple and fast.
  • Free for individuals, with limitations on features including storage, blocks for teams, and guest invites.

Cons: 

  • You must be careful when you click around your board, as I accidentally deleted information within a card more than once. 

Overall Impression: 

Notion is a good option, though it wasn’t a favorite on this list. Unintentionally deleting things in my kanban board isn’t something I’m willing to risk, especially since I add all important tasks, notes, and attachments at the time of card creation so that I won’t forget. 

The Winner

The real question is: which tool am I still using today to manage my projects? The finalists came down to Asana vs. Trello, but the winner of this showdown goes to Trello. The tool is easy to use, offers a kanban view and background color options that help ease eye strain, and it’s free. 

The runner-up goes to Asana. If it wasn’t for the confusion around accessing the tool's free portion after the free trial ended, Asana may have been the winner. Asana was one of my favorites on this list, and I may experiment with it again, but for now, I’m continuing to enjoy Trello to stay on top of my projects.

If some of these tools piqued your interest, consider trying them for yourself. Every professional has different criteria for what makes a project management tool effective; therefore, everyone will have their own unique perspective of each. 

Are you looking to enhance your expertise beyond personal project management? Our Agile Project and Delivery Management certification prepares leaders to apply an iterative approach to project management within their teams to drive efficiency and boost stakeholder satisfaction.

Find a class today!

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Agile Project and Delivery Management, Delivery Management

About the author

Emily May | ICAgile, Marketing Specialist
Emily May is a Marketing Specialist at ICAgile, where she helps educate learners on their agile journey through content. With an eclectic background in communications supporting small business marketing efforts, she hopes to inspire readers to initiate more empathy, productivity, and creativity in the workplace for improved internal and external outcomes.

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