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Are you a mobile developer looking to improve focus and increase productivity? Kanban boards can help you do just that, as they provide insight into task and project status.
This guide will reveal some of the top Kanban tools for mobile developers. More specifically, we will discuss the following Kanban and project management tools regarding their features, pros, cons, and pricing so you can choose the best one for your mobile development needs:
- Airtable: a great pick for mobile developers seeking user-friendly Kanban functionality and additional views via an excellent interface.
- Asana: ideal for mobile developers looking for a robust free plan, Kanban and Scrum support, and multiple collaborative capabilities.
- Jira: a solid choice for mobile developers needing a secure and scalable Kanban and project management tool.
Jump to:
Airtable
Airtable claims to be “the fastest way to build apps” and serves as project management software with Kanban functionality, task tracking, and more. Many mobile developers choose Airtable for its user-friendliness and heralded interface.
Features of Airtable
Airtable has many features that can take your mobile development to the next level, including:
- Kanban view
- Additional views (timeline, list, Gantt, grid, calendar, gallery, form)
- Multiple templates
- Interface designer
- Team collaboration
- Advanced reporting
- Integrated time tracking
- Integrations with third-party developer tools
The Kanban view in Airtable lets project managers and mobile developers collaborate, track task and project progress, and manage work with easy-to-use drag-and-drop functionality. And while that view makes Airtable a legitimate Kanban tool, there are many other views for visualizing progress too.
Airtable has several templates to minimize setup and get started quickly (Gantt, product roadmap, product launch calendar, etc.), plus an interface designer that lets you tweak the look and feel of the PM software to your liking.
Team collaboration in Airtable comes via comments, file sharing, and dashboards. The PM tool also offers mobile developers easy-to-create reports, custom time tracking, and integrations with popular tools like Trello, Jira, Slack, GitHub, etc.
Pros of Airtable
Airtable’s pros as a Kanban and project management tool include:
- Top-notch interface
- Various views
- Time-saving templates
- Easy to use
Airtable’s interface is tough to beat. Not only is it easy to use and modern, but you can customize it to fit your unique mobile development needs through the interface designer feature.
The multiple views in Airtable are another plus worth mentioning, as are its templates and overall user-friendliness that limit the need for onboarding time.
Cons of Airtable
Airtable does have a couple of cons that represent areas for improvement. They are:
- Pricing
- Limited features compared to competitors
Unlike other PM software that unlocks new features as you pay more, Airtable simply unlocks higher usage caps (extensions, integrations, storage, etc.). Some may not be bothered by this, but it could be a turnoff to other mobile developers seeking more for their money. Also, Airtable’s feature set may seem limited compared to other project management software.
Pricing of Airtable
Airtable has four pricing plans and a free trial for its Plus and Pro offerings:
- Free: For individuals and small software development teams
- Plus: $10 per seat, per month for mobile development teams that want to create connected apps and manage workflows
- Pro: $20 per seat, per month. The most popular plan
- Enterprise: Custom pricing. For organizations needing ultimate customization, scalability, and security
Airtable’s Free plan works for up to five creators or editors. It offers the interface designer, unlimited bases and read-only users, unlimited bases, and one extension per base. The Plus plan offers three extensions per base, 5,000 records per base, automatic table syncing, and custom-branded forms.
Pick Pro, and you can get PM tool features like Gantt and timeline views, field and table editing permissions, 10 extensions per base, and more. And pick Enterprise, and you can unlock unlimited workspaces and extensions, single sign-on, and an enterprise-wide admin panel.
You can learn more about Airtable’s pricing, features, and benefits in our Airtable Review.
Asana
Asana is all-in-one project management software popular with Agile software development teams. The PM tool is great for project managers and mobile developers seeking extensive collaboration features and integrations with third-party tools.
Features of Asana
Over 100,000 organizations use Asana as Kanban and project management software. Its long list of features is a big reason why. Here are some of the highlights:
- Kanban boards
- Team collaboration
- Task and project management
- Custom dashboards, charts, fields, and templates
- Multiple views
- Workload management
- Third-party app integrations
- Task automation
- Agile-friendly features
Asana’s Kanban boards help project managers and mobile developers track task movements, and their work-in-progress columns can be customized to spot bottlenecks better and fit your specific needs. Mobile developers can collaborate with the PM software through private messages, team conversations, task comments, followers, and statuses.
Asana offers the ability to manage tasks, subtasks, and projects, and allows for task dependencies. The PM tool is highly customizable (charts, fields, templates, dashboards), has multiple views beyond Kanban (calendar, timeline, list), and has workload management to avoid developer overload.
You can extend Asana’s functionality with third-party app integrations (Zoom, Slack, Google Drive, etc.), plus save time by automating recurring tasks and using the workflow builder to craft automated processes. And if you are running an Agile team, you will be glad to know Asana offers Scrum support, sprint planning, bug tracking, roadmaps, and more.
Pros of Asana
Asana’s pros include:
- Agile-friendly
- Extensive third-party integrations
- Various views
- Robust free plan
Agile teams will love Asana’s bug tracking, Kanban and Scrum support, sprint planning, and related features. While Asana comes chock full of features out of the box, its plethora of third-party integrations lets you expand its functionality even more.
The multiple views are another pro, and the free plan is quite generous, with support for up to 15 users.
Cons of Asana
Asana’s cons include:
- Steep learning curve
- Feature overload
- Mobile app
Asana does offer plenty of features, but it can take a while to learn how to use them all. Smaller mobile development teams may not need everything Asana has to offer. Lastly, the mobile app could seem underwhelming for developers needing to work on the go.
Pricing of Asana
Asana has four pricing plans mobile developers can choose from:
- Basic: Free forever for up to 15 users looking to manage tasks and personal to-do lists.
- Premium: $10.99 per user, per month for teams needing to track projects.
- Business: $24.99 per user, per month for teams needing ultimate PM features.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for organizations with advanced security and admin features.
Asana’s Basic plan is surprisingly robust, offering unlimited tasks, projects, file storage, messages, and activity log, plus board, list, and calendar views. The Premium plan adds a timeline view, workflow builder, custom fields, task templates, milestones, and reporting. Business gives mobile developers time tracking, advanced reporting, workload management, approvals, and proofing. And Enterprise offers Asana’s most advanced admin and security capabilities for organizations seeking to increase the efficiency of their processes.
You can learn more about Asan’s pricing, features, and benefits in our Asana Project Management Review.
Jira
Jira is a favorite project management solution and Kanban tool amongst Agile software development teams. It is scalable, secure, and saves time with automation and templates, allowing mobile developers to increase efficiency.
Features of Jira
Jira has several features that have made it the Kanban and PM tool of choice for over 100,000 organizations. Some of its highlights include:
- Kanban boards
- Various views
- Multiple templates
- Open DevOps
- Third-party integrations
- Bug tracking
- Roadmaps
- Advanced reports
Jira’s Kanban boards are ideal for Agile software development teams and mobile developers looking to gain insights into where work stands, spot bottlenecks, optimize workflows, and improve processes. It also has Scrum boards and timeline views, and time-saving templates for software development (Scrum, Kanban, DevOps, bug tracking) and other purposes.
You can get all the developer tools you need in one place through Jira’s Open DevOps feature and third-party integrations that extend the PM software’s already impressive functionality.
Mobile developers can detect, track, and fix bugs within Jira, keep everyone in sync with shareable roadmaps, and generate multiple reports (sprint reports, velocity charts, release burndowns, etc.) to offer insight into project progress and performance.
Pros of Jira
Jira excels in the following areas:
- Agile-friendly
- Robust reporting
- Software development templates
- Integrations and Open DevOps
Agile software development teams of all sizes may find Jira a no-brainer with its Scrum and Kanban support. Its robust reporting comes in handy for measuring performance, and the customizable templates (especially those for Scrum, Kanban, bug tracking, etc.) can save mobile developers a ton of time. Jira’s extensibility is another plus, with integrations and Open DevOps giving developers the flexibility to enjoy all of their favorite tools in one spot.
Cons of Jira
Jira’s weaknesses include:
- Advanced pricing
- Complex interface
- Difficult migration
Some mobile development teams may find Jira pricy as they advance to its Premium plan with advanced features. Non-technical users may find that interface complex and challenging to learn, although that may not be a huge issue for mobile developers. And if you decide to switch to another PM tool, migration may get tricky.
Pricing of Jira
Jira’s four pricing options are:
- Free: No cost for up to 10 users.
- Standard: $7.75 per user, per month
- Premium: $15.25 per user, per month.
- Enterprise: Contact Jira for a custom quote.
The Free plan offers a backlog, timeline, reporting and insights, and unlimited project boards. Choose Standard, and you will get user roles and permissions, audit logs, data residency, 250 GB of storage, and business hour support. Premium offers advanced roadmaps, 24/7 support, guaranteed uptime SLA, and unlimited storage. And Enterprise unlocks Jira’s most dedicated around-the-clock support, unlimited sites, and centralized user subscriptions and security controls.
You can learn more about Jira’s pricing, features, and benefits in our Jira Project Management Software Review.
What to Look For in Kanban Tools for Mobile Developers
Plenty of developer tools offer Kanban boards and other project management features, so how do you choose the one that best fits your mobile development needs?
That answer varies according to mobile developer, but beyond having a price that fits your budget, the Kanban and project management tool you choose should have some combination of the following features:
- User-friendly interface
- Solid support
- Various views to visualize task and project progress
- Kanban boards with drag-and-drop functionality for ease of use
- WIP limits
- Dashboards with easy access to analytics and insights
- Automations
- Integrations with popular third-party developer tools
- Additional features for managing projects, such as resource management, invoicing, time tracking, etc.
Final Thoughts on the Top Kanban Tools for Mobile Developers
While the Kanban tools discussed in this guide are some of the best on the market, they are not the only options at your disposal. Start with the Kanban tools in this list, and if you find they do not have all the features you need, you can look at others, such as ClickUp, Monday.com, etc. However, if you need Kanban boards and added project management features from an all-in-one solution, Airtable, Asana, and Jira should suffice.
