In simple English
Kan is an open-source project management tool that looks and works like Trello. You can organise tasks on boards, invite your team, and import existing boards with a few clicks. It is free to run on your own server, but you will need to handle the setup and updates yourself. There are no ongoing subscription fees for the software.
What it is
Kan is a self-hosted kanban board application built with TypeScript, Next.js, and PostgreSQL. It offers board visibility controls, workspace members, activity logs, and an MCP server for AI integrations.
What it is good for
Solo builders and small teams who want a self-hosted Trello alternative without paying monthly per-user fees and want full control over their project data.
- Familiar Trello-like interface with drag-and-drop boards.
- Can import existing Trello boards easily.
- Includes an MCP server for AI assistant integration.
- Requires technical knowledge to self-host and configure environment variables.
- Needs a PostgreSQL database and optional services like Redis and S3 storage.
- Licensed under AGPL-3.0, which has strict requirements if you modify and host it as a service.
Trello
PostgreSQL
- ixartz/Next-js-Boilerplate13k stars
A starter kit for Next.js applications, though it is not a project management tool.
git clone https://github.com/kanbn/kan.git cd kan docker compose up -d